Chapter 147:
The Hidden City of Lightning sprawled across nearly two hundred kilometers of mountainous terrain, its enormous walls forged from stone that had been fused with lightning mana until their surfaces shimmered with faint, residual static.
Unlike the Hidden City of Sky, which relied heavily on ancient runes and defensive barriers, the Lightning City had embraced a different philosophy. Power was not merely woven into its defenses; it was built into every part of the city.
Massive towers rose from the heart of the capital, their pointed peaks crackling with arcs of electricity that leaped between them in a continuous protective circuit.
The entire city was encircled by a wall of lightning, a permanent storm that flashed and roared without rest as its energy flowed from the ley lines buried deep beneath the mountains.
The architecture reflected the same philosophy.
Metal structures gleamed beneath the mountain sun despite centuries of exposure to wind and rain, while mechanical lifts transported people, supplies, and equipment between the different levels of the terraced city.
Forges burned day and night throughout the industrial districts, their enormous smokestacks rising above the surrounding buildings.
The air itself seemed alive with the constant hum of machinery, mana, and countless workers who had spent generations refining the relationship between magic and technology.
Tisha passed through the main gate as the lightning barrier parted before her.
Arcs of electricity bent around her body without touching her, responding to the mana signature of one of the city's highest-ranking elites as naturally as water flowing around stone. The guards stationed beneath the gate immediately saluted, pressing their fists against their chests.
Tisha did not acknowledge them.
Her thoughts remained fixed on the forest.
She remembered the silver-haired boy who had escaped her pursuit, the strange blue beam that had nearly erased her defenses, and the purple giant that had risen from the destruction of the warehouse.
Four teenagers had infiltrated one of the Lightning Empire's most important supply depots, destroyed two warehouses, slaughtered dozens of elites, and escaped despite her personally joining the pursuit.
The thought irritated her more with every step.
Tisha climbed the broad staircase leading toward the central palace.
The structure dominated the city, rising higher than every surrounding building. Dark stone formed its foundation, while polished metal reinforced its towers and walls. Lightning constantly crawled across the highest spires, casting intermittent flashes across the palace grounds.
The doors opened before Tisha reached them.
She entered without slowing.
Attendants bowed as she passed, but none attempted to speak to her. They recognized the expression on her face and understood that this was not the time to ask questions.
Tisha continued through the palace corridors until she reached the throne room.
The enormous chamber disappeared into shadow above her, its vaulted ceiling so high that the upper reaches were difficult to see.
Banners bearing the lightning-bolt symbol of the Zenith Empire hung along the walls, their fabric shifting slightly whenever the distant thunder from the city's defensive barrier rolled through the palace.
At the far end of the chamber stood a raised dais.
Upon it sat Asher, the Lightning King.
He was a massive man with broad shoulders and a thick chest, his physique more reminiscent of a veteran warrior than a ruler who spent his days upon a throne.
A long scar crossed his chest diagonally, the remnant of an ancient wound that had nearly taken his life. His blond hair was cropped short, and his beard was trimmed close to his jaw.
His pale blue eyes resembled the sky immediately before a storm.
Dense mana radiated from his body, creating a subtle pressure throughout the throne room. Tisha had experienced that presence countless times, yet she still felt it settle over her shoulders as she approached.
She stopped at the base of the dais and dropped to one knee.
Her right fist pressed firmly against her chest.
"The supply depots have been destroyed," she reported.
Asher regarded her in silence.
"Both warehouses, the food storage and the weapons depot, were sabotaged with explosive charges. The structural damage is extensive enough that neither facility will be usable for months, possibly longer."
One of Asher's fingers tapped once against the arm of his throne.
"And the casualties?"
"Seventy elites confirmed dead. Another twelve were wounded, several critically. The survivors have been ordered to return to the city."
Tisha paused before continuing.
"The attack was carried out by four agents from the Hidden City of Sky. They are young, approximately sixteen or seventeen years old, but their combat abilities are far beyond what their ages suggest."
Asher leaned forward slightly.
His pale blue eyes sharpened.
"Describe them."
Tisha closed her eyes briefly as she recalled each encounter.
"The leader used wind magic and spatial spells. He was at the Silver stage and appeared to be approaching Gold. His combat instincts were exceptional, and he coordinated the group's movements effectively. He engaged several of our elites directly and escaped with moderate injuries."
She raised one finger.
"The second was a female lightning cultivator. She used lightning magic alongside a body-enhancement technique that allowed her to move at extremely high speeds. She was at the Iron stage and appeared to be close to Silver."
Her expression hardened.
"She fought several of our elites on a cliff east of the depot. She combined lightning spells with precise pressure-point strikes and defeated them efficiently. I found four of our people at the site. Three were dead, while the fourth was alive but had suffered such severe damage to his meridians that he could neither move nor speak."
Asher nodded slowly.
"And the other two?"
Tisha's gaze became more serious.
"One relied almost entirely on mana spells. I could not identify any elemental affinity in him. His control was extraordinary, far beyond anything I have seen from a cultivator his age."
She lowered her hand.
"He was at the peak of the Silver stage, but his mana core felt different from a normal cultivator's. It seemed larger and significantly denser."
Asher's expression finally changed.
"You fought him?"
"I did."
"And he survived?"
"He survived and escaped."
A faint spark of interest appeared in Asher's eyes.
Tisha continued before he could ask another question.
"He used a concealment technique that interfered with the Calamity Tiger's senses. He then created several clones to confuse me while he escaped."
She remembered the blue beam.
"He also used an attack that could have killed me."
Asher's gaze narrowed.
"What kind of attack?"
"A thin beam of blue mana."
Tisha's voice lowered.
"It severed everything it touched. The Calamity Tiger warned me not to allow it to strike my body. According to it, the attack did not injure its target."
She paused.
"It erased it."
Silence settled over the throne room.
Asher's fingers resumed their slow tapping against the arm of his throne.
"And the fourth agent?"
Tisha drew a slow breath.
"The fourth was the most dangerous."
She raised her eyes to meet his.
"He used fire magic and possesses the Clover Eyes. During the battle, he awakened the Four Leaf Clover Eyes and summoned an Avatar."
Asher's fingers stopped.
"An Avatar?"
His voice remained calm, but the interest in it was unmistakable.
"At sixteen?"
"The Avatar was incomplete," Tisha explained. "It only manifested from the torso upward, but its power was immense."
Her expression darkened as she remembered the attack.
"He destroyed the food warehouse with a single strike and killed dozens of our elites. The purple flames did not burn the way ordinary fire does. Instead, they crushed everything caught within their reach. Stone, metal, bodies, structures, everything was pushed aside as though reality itself had been forced to make room for the Avatar."
Tisha held Asher's gaze.
"If that boy reaches the Platinum stage, he will become a threat that even you may struggle to contain."
Asher leaned back.
"That powerful?"
"His potential is that great."
The Lightning King stared toward the shadowed ceiling while the distant thunder of the city's defensive barrier echoed through the chamber.
"All four of them have room to grow."
"Yes," Tisha replied. "They could eventually become Moon Class elites. Some of them may reach that level sooner than we would prefer."
Asher exhaled slowly.
"Then we need to know who they are."
He raised one hand.
A scroll materialized from a storage rune embedded within the arm of his throne.
"I want their names, clans, abilities, relationships, weaknesses, and every piece of information our spies can uncover. The Hidden City of Sky has lost many people during this war, but if these four are allowed to grow unchecked, their existence could alter the balance between the empires."
He unrolled the scroll and drew a quill from the inkpot beside him.
His handwriting was bold and decisive as he began writing.
"One hundred million Auron for each of them."
Tisha watched him carefully.
"The bounty will follow them wherever they go," Asher continued. "Every bounty hunter operating across the five empires will know their faces."
His quill stopped.
"Except for the one with the Avatar."
He added another figure.
"One hundred and fifty million Auron."
Asher looked up.
"I want him found. I want him captured. If capture proves impossible, I want him killed."
Tisha bowed her head.
"Understood."
Asher placed the quill aside.
"You said he awakened the Four Leaf Clover Eyes during the battle. Does the Hidden City of Sky know what he possesses?"
"I cannot say," Tisha admitted. "If they do not know yet, they will learn soon. The power he displayed was impossible to conceal. The light from his Avatar's attack could be seen for kilometers."
"Then we must move before the Sky King understands exactly what he has."
Asher rose from his throne.
He walked toward the enormous window overlooking the city, his heavy footsteps echoing through the chamber. Beyond the glass, the lightning barrier flashed across the horizon, illuminating the clouds with violent shades of blue and white.
"If the Sky King realizes the boy's true potential," Asher said, "he will protect him at any cost."
Tisha followed him with her eyes.
"How are things at the boundary?"
Asher's shoulders tightened.
"Our army has been wiped out."
Tisha's expression changed.
"Logan, Ronan, and Victoria led a small force against our reinforcements. According to the reports, the battle lasted less than an hour. Our soldiers fought well, but they were outmatched."
Tisha's jaw tightened.
"And David?"
Asher turned from the window.
His expression remained calm, but something colder had entered his pale blue eyes.
"David will be returned to us."
Tisha stared at him.
"The Sky King agreed to release him as part of a peace treaty."
"A peace treaty?" Her voice carried restrained disbelief. "After everything we have lost?"
Asher returned to his throne and lowered himself into the black stone seat.
"The war is over, Tisha."
His tone made it clear that the decision was final.
"I have already signed the treaty. David will be brought back to our side within a few days."
Tisha remained silent.
The Lightning King rested one arm against the throne.
"What will you do now?" she finally asked.
Asher looked toward the window again.
"The Hidden City of Sand was preparing to move against us, but I dealt with their army before they could make their move."
His expression hardened.
"The Hidden City of Sky, however, remains stronger than expected despite the losses it has suffered. We may have gained the advantage in this war, but that does not mean the cost was insignificant."
His gaze moved toward the lightning barrier surrounding the city.
"We lost good men."
Tisha lowered her head.
"Yes, my king."
Asher waved one hand.
"Go and rest. You have earned it."
Tisha bowed deeply.
"Understood."
She turned and walked toward the throne room doors.
Behind her, Asher remained seated upon the Lightning King's throne, watching the storm surrounding his city while the image of a sixteen-year-old boy with purple flames lingered in his thoughts.