The Legendary Mage (Alavin)

In the depths of the fortress, a silence hung heavy in the air, save for the elated patriarch of the Mollen family. He was positively giddy, itching to let out a triumphant cackle. His bets had paid off! Watching the Northlands' chieftains scatter in disarray, Lord Falconcrest and the Stellar Precepts Commander fleeing for their lives, and Alavin's merciless slaughter, he felt an indescribable thrill. The fate of the Northlands was about to shift dramatically. Who would now dare to underestimate Alavin? Who would dare meddle with Stormcast?

After this battle, nothing could hinder Alavin's rise to power. The Northlands would forever remember his name. With eighteen royal statues guarding Stormcast, it would become an impregnable fortress. No fool would dare to provoke the tiger within its walls. The royal house? Ha! Given the madness and brutality that Alavin had shown, he would fight to the death against any challenger, regardless of who they might be.

What if the Mollen family were to relocate here? What if the mercantile guild headquarters were to move here?

"Wouldn't the safety I've longed for be easily secured? Who would come here and plunder the wealth of the Mollen family?"

"Ha! The rise of the Mollen family is at hand!"

On the fringes of the Cloudveil Woods, Carlys, Nikulas, Myke, and the numerous protégés of Cobalt Strike were engulfed in a profound silence, gazing dazedly at the chaotic battle on the wild plains. It felt like a surreal dream. Alavin's ruthless kill orders had not only sent chills through the wilderness but had also deeply stirred them.

They finally grasped the true meaning of the Kings' Acceptance. It wasn't just the immense potential bestowed upon Alavin but also control over the eighteen royal statues. From now on, who would dare to belittle Alavin? Who would dare scorn this once humble servant? Who would dare to underestimate this power destined to shake the Royal Realm?

Lord Viperbane was dead, as were Lord Skyveil, the Hidden Essence Commander, and the Skyborne Rivers Commander. Whether Lord Falconcrest and his ilk could escape remained uncertain. The power structure of the Northlands' Eight Orders and Five Lords had been shattered, and a new force was set to rise, potentially even surpassing the Eight Orders' alliance!

Once upon a time, Cobalt Strike was reluctant to protect Alavin. Once upon a time, they doubted his potential.

After today, Alavin would no longer need anyone's protection; he would become his own safeguard!

After today, Alavin would shed his past shackles, presenting himself anew to the world.

After today, the name Shadowlord's Messenger would carry a weight so heavy that all would revere it.

"Break out!" Lord Falconcrest, Lord Warbringer, and Lord Mountguard, covered in blood and severely wounded, desperately fought their way out of the encirclement and fled into the distance. Lord Mountguard's back was nearly shattered, and Lord Falconcrest's left arm was a mangled mess, nearly useless. They had never suffered such grave injuries since their rise to fame. Enraged and coughing up blood, their eyes reddened with fury.

The Stellar Precepts Commander, along with two Elders from the Blessed Citadel, made a harrowing escape through the statues' onslaught. In a desperate move, they sacrificed the Archmage from Lord Falconcrest's retinue, throwing him to the back to stall the statues' pursuit.

"You bastards! I'll have my vengeance!" Lord Falconcrest watched as the holy knight was cut down by the statues. His life ended in a shower of blood; without even a cry, he met death upon the battlefield. The Stellar Precepts Commander couldn't afford to care. Seizing the fleeting chance, he hastened his retreat.

The slaughter continued until nightfall, with at least five thousand falling under the statues' relentless trampling and destruction. Corpses littered the ground, a ghastly sight. The survivors fled cleanly, not daring to look back, for fear that the statues might descend from the heavens to crush them. At that moment, their hearts were filled with terror, both of the statues and even more so of Alavin, the issuer of the kill orders.

Alavin stood aloof in the sky, his golden eyes as cold as ice.

Nine years... He could finally bid farewell to the past.

"From this day forward, who wants to bully the Mallister family? Who wants to touch Stormcast? The corpses strewn across the ground will be your fate!"

"From this day forward, who wants to covet my Kings' Acceptance? Who wants to underestimate me? Think of Lord Viperbane and the Skyborne Rivers Commander, slain by the Kings!"

As night fell, darkness enveloped the devastated wilderness, turning it into a no-man's-land for miles around.

The Siege of Northlands, a battle that had shaken the very foundations of the land, had come to a thunderous and harrowing close. Lord Falconcrest and Lord Skyveil had fallen in battle. The Commanders of the Skyborne Rivers and Hidden Essence had perished, while the Stellar Precepts Commander, Blessed Citadel, Lord Falconcrest, Lord Warbringer, and Lord Mountguard had fled in disarray. As the news spread across the vast Northlands, one could only imagine the uproar it would cause.

In the deep of night, the Kings returned one by one to preside over the stronghold of Stormcast.