Evening... Kankal City
Evening had fallen. Today, Kankal City was unusually quiet. The discipline of the massive army stationed around the palace itself radiated a different kind of aura. It seemed as though the entire city was holding its breath, waiting for the coming great war.
Inside one of the palace chambers, Snehwal, Luna, and Liora were present.
At that moment, the door opened. Lily and Master Jins entered. The moment Lily saw Snehwal, joy blossomed across her face. Without wasting a single moment, she ran toward him and embraced him tightly.
This time, however, Snehwal remained surprisingly calm.
Just then, Master Jins cleared his throat lightly, signaling them.
Lily immediately composed herself. A faint blush appeared on her face as she slowly stepped away from Snehwal after glancing at everyone.
Snehwal appeared calm on the outside, but inside, the Senior Squirrel's words continued to echo in his mind.
"Why did she tell me to keep my distance from Lily...?"
He was simply trying to understand his own heart.
Master Jins walked forward and stopped before the large map spread across the table.
Keeping his eyes on the map, he said, "We were successful. The old woman from Inferna City has promised to provide us with ten thousand soldiers."
She was the same elderly woman who had once served Lily's sister, Ignisa. After Ignisa's death, she had taken full responsibility for governing Inferna City.
Hearing this news, smiles of satisfaction spread across everyone's faces.
Just then, the chamber door opened once again. Lith Yakshini slowly walked inside.
Everyone else remained calm upon seeing her. But Snehwal immediately became alert in shock.
He did not even know that Lith had joined their side. Until now, he had believed that Jury and Shon were still alive, while the truth was that both of them had been killed by Lily.
Snehwal instinctively exclaimed, "You...!"
Before he could say anything else, Lily stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder.
The very next moment, laughter echoed throughout the chamber. Snehwal could not understand anything.
When everyone finally calmed down, Lily smiled and said, "From now on... she's our ally."
Snehwal was about to ask something, but Lily spoke again, "It's a long story. I'll explain everything to you later."
After that, everyone gathered around the table.
In a serious voice, Master Jins said, "The Senior Squirrel... has now left this world."
Everyone silently lowered their heads in agreement. After a few moments of silence, Jins continued, "From this point onward, we must fight this war ourselves."
Running his hand across the map, he said, "At present, we have a total force of one hundred thousand soldiers. Among them are approximately one thousand cultivators."
Then he looked at each of them one by one.
"Lily and I are at the Seventh Stage, Low Level."
"Liora and Lith are both Sixth Stage cultivators."
"And Snehwal... has now stepped into the Fifth Stage."
In a firm voice, he declared, "This... is our true strength."
Silence filled the chamber for a few moments. Then Lith stepped forward and said, "Our enemies possess nearly the same level of strength."
Tracing her finger across the map, she continued, "If Master Jins can hold back King Omas... then Lily will face Humbha Yakshini."
"As for King Omas's messenger... I don't know his name, but he is also a Sixth Stage cultivator. I believe Liora can defeat him without much difficulty."
Then her gaze settled upon Snehwal.
"And as for Humbha's host... Snehwal and I will capture him together."
Master Jins frowned.
In a serious voice, he asked, "What if they have someone even more powerful than that...?"
"Shouldn't we be concerned about such a possibility?"
The moment the question was asked, the entire chamber fell silent. No one spoke. Then Lith answered in a calm yet unwavering voice,
"Then... I will stop that person with all of my spiritual power and every bit of my magical strength."
She paused for a moment. Then she said firmly, "No matter what happens to me in the end."
Everyone's eyes remained fixed upon Lith. At that very moment, the atmosphere inside the chamber grew unnaturally cold.
That spreading chill itself became proof of the depth of her resolve. And that silence left everyone present completely stunned.
However, Master Jins looked at Lith and, in the same old gentle manner he had always used whenever the two of them stood so close, said,
"My dear Lith... there's no need for you to go that far. Besides, I'm already nearing the end of my life. Your life is far more precious than mine."
Lith remained silent. Yet the beads of sweat forming on her forehead revealed everything.
Perhaps she was still ashamed of everything she had done in the past. And the fact that Master Jins still wished to stand by her side until his very last breath...
For a few moments, those words stirred a storm within her heart, sending waves of emotions crashing through her soul.
That night, it was as if time itself was counting the breaths of both sides~on one side stood Kankal City, and on the other, the Chintamani Empire. No one knew who the days ahead would bring victory to, and who they would bring destruction upon.