Leveling up the World

Chapter 934: The Domain War

DOMAIN INVASION

Its starting, Veil said. Someone didnt like you reaching the big one-thirty.

Dallion couldnt agree more. Mere hours had passed since he had taken control of the fallen south. It was natural to expect some sort of reaction. Instead of sending a few missiles to glass the crater, however, Jeremy had resorted to a territorial attack. Over a dozen mid-sized settlements had pushed into Dallions territory, aiming for conflict. At present, a quarter of Wetie province had been taken and an even larger chunk of Dallions western domain.

Get everyone to the war room, Dallion said as he focused on the exact territories being lost.

Diroh had sent fury scouts to all the border regions. The fact that none of them had sounded an alarm suggested that there had been no cloud fort movements on the empires side. Most likely they were kept in reserve should Tiallia attack with her water islands.

Vihrogon emerged in the large room a step away from his designated seat. Hannah followed.

Unfortunately, we wont be able to join you in person, dear boy, Adzorg said from within Dallions personal realm. Cloud forts have been sighted in the north, requiring our full attention.

If theres any danger, get Di out of there, Dallion ordered without hesitation.

You know she wont like that.

Thats why Im telling you. The Circle might be there and shes not ready to face them.

Euryale and Ariel were the last to arrive. Pan focused on his old role of checking for copyette infiltrates. He had already expressed a desire not to be involved in the combat decisions unless there was a very specific need for him. Having already gone through this during the days of his own world conquest attempt, he preferred not to be reminded of his failure. Besides, this was an entirely new type of war he knew nothing of.

The empire is giving a push, Dallion shared the situation. For now, theyre pushing both east and south.

Hes copying your method, Vihrogon said with a slight laugh. Its the same way you pushed out the Order.

Yes, Dallion thought. The emperor seemed to be copying a lot. Everyone was. As the saying back on Earth went: In order to become number one, do everything it takes. In order to remain number one, copy number two.

Despite all the problems it faced, the Tamin Empire was undoubtedly the strongest power there was. With the Orders influence waning, neither Dallion nor the nymphs were anywhere close. By pushing Dallion out of his domain, Jeremy aimed at gaining undisputed control of the entire continent, and possibly a few more levels . Afterwards, he could focus his whole attention on Tiallia.

It was outright scary how effective the man was at copying others. If everything that was said was true, half a century ago he was the archbishops subordinate and only one of hundredspossibly thousandsotherworlders. He had then copied the Order of the Seven Moons to make a similar organization of his own. He had made use of the skills and abilities of the people who were part of it before killing them off. Even the rockets were knowledge that was taken from the archbishop. Now, he had done the same with Dallions idea.

DOMAIN INVASION

The TOWN of ISAL is no longer part of your domain.

Hes deployed troops, Dallion said, bringing silence to the room. Ive lost a Wetie Province settlement.

The silence lasted several seconds longer.

The empires done this before. Hannah was the one who broke it. The legions would occupy settlements while fighting chainlings and other wilderness monsters. It happened a few times during my time.

Its not just imperials. Dallion clenched his fists. Priscord.

Of the people alive, there werent many that could cause such a reaction. The former countess was among the select few. She had treated Dallion as a pawn pretty much since his arrival in Nerosal, using him to exacerbate the friction between her and Archduke Lanitol and come out on top. Twice she had tried to have Dallion killed and use his death to her political advantage.

Im moving the children to Dherma, Gloria said through Dallions larger domain. Since the absorption of Wetie province, she had become one of his five overseers.

Send them here, Veil suggested. Itll be safer.

Just because there are more people doesnt make it safe, Gloria snapped at her brother. All the capitals are dangerous, and if I know Priscord, shes the type of woman to hold grudges for centuries and take great pleasure in extinguishing them.

That much was true. It was very much like her to try to take vengeance on the province she viewed as being rightfully hers. Maybe that was the deal the emperor or his aether echo had offered: take Dallion out of the game and claim everything he had for her own. That would make her second within the empire and probably the person with the most lands.

Do it. Dallion gave his permission. All other overseers, join her.

Isnt that a bit rash? The Lanitol overseer asked. I understand Gloria, but to have all of us flee?

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None of you can stand up to her. And trust me, shell join the fight soon enough. Nothing beats the satisfaction of personally dealing with someone who slighted you.

While not all the overseers agreed, they saw the logic in Dallions words. Left with little choice, they left the cities they were overseeing to gather in Dallions home town.

Emotions of deep gratitude emanated from Gloria. She didnt voice it, yet was fully aware that Dallion could sense it. Although they had drifted apart, there remained a few strong bonds between them. In many ways, he viewed her as an extension of his family. There was no way hed put her children at risk. If he had a say, he didnt want to put any children of his inhabitants at risk. Awakened and armies were one thingthey had made the decision on some level to put their life on the line. As long as he followed the path of the empath, Dallions goal was to protect those who didnt.

Ill be going to face her myself, he said out loud.

No, Hannah said in a firm tone. Too risky. Its no coincidence that the emperor let her lead the attack. Hes hoping to draw you out.

Best not disappoint him, then.

Are you sure? Euryale asked.

Dallion nodded.

Whats your plan?

They attacked where it was expected, so Ill do the opposite.

Alright. Then Ill do the same. The gorgons snakes twirled. If theyre expecting to face you in Wetie, Ill oblige. I also have a few scores to settle.

Dallion thought about arguing, but changed his mind before any words came out. Eury could be twice as determined as him. Plus, he didnt have to worry about her handling herself in battle. She was better at analyzing threats and knew when to retreat and when to push on. Besides, Dark was going to be with her.

Pick some troops. When youre ready, Ill send you to Lanitol.

I can do that, Veil said. You focus on your stuff.

You dont have the reach. Dallion gave the overseer a stern look.

I dont need it. All I have to do is move Alliance there, the blond smirked.

Dont mess it up.

Look whos talking. Ill do my part. Dont end up getting killed. If something happens to you, all the settlements become static.

Not the greatest prep talk, but Veil never was good when it came to oratory skills. He wasnt wrong, though. It was Dallions powers that overseers and local area guardians were taking advantage of when moving the settlements. If Dallion were to die, there was a good chance that his domain died with him. Euryale would certainly try to hold things together. There was even a good chance that she might save a lot of people. Sadly, the thing about vacuum was that it was filled equally fast from all sides. Each next successor would only manage to claim part of what was lost.

Ill hold down the east forest, Vihrogon said. In case the order has any ideas. I doubt that the nymphs will take any action.

What if you come across Aurun? Hannah asked.

Me? The dryad glanced at Dallion, then back at the woman.

Either of you.

The only thing we could. Vihrogon did a casual shrug. Run. besides, if that happens, the dragon will be the least of our worries. The emperor doesnt sound like the guy who goes anywhere without it. If theres a dragon, that would mean hell be riding it.

Use rockets, Dallion said. You can hurt him with those.

Maybe, but only if the emperor isnt there.

This marked the end of the conversation. Dallion could feel it in their emotions. All that remained was ironing out the details, but that they could do without him.

AREA AWAKENING

Dallion slipped into the realm of his domain, then slid through it, surrounded by a bubble of reality. While he had full confidence in the creatures in the room, he chose not to share the final part of his plan. There was no doubt that he wanted to face Priscord again, yet it wasnt going to be in the south or the east. Instead, he was going to strike right in the heart of her new domain from the one place no one expectedthe forbidden north.

The minuscule domain that had been created once Dallion had removed his mansion from the imperial capital still remained. Its insignificant size and isolated location allowed it to remain overlooked. Bringing an army through it was going to be challenging in the best of circumstances, but a single person could use it to venture into Priscords domain with ease.

Are we going to fight? The young Aquilequia asked, flying next to Dallion with a bubble of her own. Clearly, being formed of Moon magic gave the familiar some useful abilities.

I am. Dallion didnt even look her way. Youll just watch.

Why?

Youre still young in your current form. When you get enough magic to level up, well have this conversation again.

The dragon snapped her jaw, then flashed, moving to the other side of Dallions reality bubble.

Im not that weak! she protested.

Are you stronger than Nox?

There was a moment of silence. In her former state, Aquilequia could claim to be dozens of times stronger. As things stood now, she couldnt even claim to be an equal match.

When you're as strong as Nox and Gleam, Ill consider it.

With a snarl, the dragon disappeared back into Dallions personal realm. No doubt she was going to challenge Nox to a fight. That was for the better. Both of them needed all the practice they could get for the fights to come.

Not to interrupt, dear boy, but might I suggest a change in your plans? Adzorgs voice sounded in Dallions mind.

You want me to give up?

On the contrary. I think that attacking now is a splendid move. Itll let everyone know that youre not to be trifled with. In a free for all, its not the strongest that everyone fears, but the one who has no issue taking you down with him.

What do you want me to change, then?

The target. Attacking the Priscord province might be great at sending a message, but other than that, it holds no benefits. Her territory is exposed on all sides, sandwiched between the Tamin empire and the nymphs. The Academy will be a substantially better target.

The Academy? Dallion didnt expect that. And they say that I hold grudges.

My personal experience with the current archmage aside, the Shimmering Circle is the single thing that poses a direct threat, other than the world conquerors themselves.

Come on. They couldnt deal with a few battle mages.

Thats assuming that was their goal. Knowing what you know now, have you considered that the emperor might have been deliberately thinning the herd?

He killed them?

Maybe not personally, but have you noticed that the two of them who knew the emperor best of all were terrified of him? One created an enclave as far away from him as possible, and the other doesnt dare take any action without orders. With the exception of Katka, everyone else is dead one way or another.

A chill ran down Dallions spine. Thinking back, he did remember guardians at the Learning Hall talking about another mage with empathy. With the pool being incredibly small, the only people they could be referring to were the archbishop, the emperor, or his aether echo. And the archbishop wasnt the type of person whod leave the safety of his island.

You really think they might turn into a problem?

There still are a lot of powerful trinkets at the Academy, not to mention many young mages that could be puppeted. Thats precisely the hidden ace someone would use in a battle such as this. After all, didnt you play a few trump cards of your own to reach your current level, dear boy?

Dallion indeed had. What was more, he could see Jeremy resorting to that. The man had already copied his and the archbishops methods of fighting, why not copy Tiallias use of symbiont echoes to make himself a squadron of mage puppets?

And Priscord? he asked. A surprise attack only works once. I wont be able to catch her off guard after this.

You dont need to worry about that. As long as you make it clear youre involved in the battle at the Academy, she wont be able to resist joining in.

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