After everyone dismounted from Goldwing's back, Goldwing shrank his body and perched on Evan Chu's shoulder, then the group headed straight into the main hall.
At this moment, the crisis at the manor had been fully resolved. Skylar Yule, Elder Warren, and Elder Wayne were deep in anxious discussion.
Skylar Yule's eyes blazed as he saw Evan Chu and the others stride in, their clothes slick with blood. He shot to his feet, voice cracking with urgency: "What the hell happened at the Great General's Manor? Are there any survivors left?"
"The Great General's Manor? It's a graveyard now. Aside from us three, everyone else was butchered! That damned old dog Ying—what kind of monster stoops to this level of betrayal?" Yvonne Qin spat, her voice trembling with fury.
"Yvonne, enough! That bastard Ying has been scheming this for years. The fact you're alive is a miracle. Right now, we need to crush this crisis before it swallows us whole!" Elder Warren snapped.
"Roland, if it weren't for Rowena and her friends arriving in time, I might never have seen you again. How are your injuries? What Rowena told me about your condition scared me half to death," Yvonne Qin said, voice trembling.
Skylar Yule glanced at everyone and said, "For old thief Ying to throw the Royal Capital into such chaos only proves we underestimated him. Our top priority now is to seize military authority over the Royal Capital Guard. We don't even know the full extent of casualties among the Guard—it's almost impossible to know where to start."
Evan Chu knew nothing about military command and didn't dare speak out—he could only watch the others quietly.
"Right now, nearly half of the Royal Capital's forces are under Ying's control. That's the most worrying problem. We have to seize the command tokens from him as soon as possible, but we don't even know if the tokens are in his hands," Elder Warren said.
"How many troops does the Royal Capital actually have right now?" Evan Chu couldn't help but ask.
"I've got fifty thousand men under my banner, but right now they're locked in a bloodbath with that old dog Ying's lackeys. The worst part? Ten thousand of them might be traitors—snakes slithering in our ranks, daggers at our backs, waiting to strike. It's hell—every step could be your last!" General Roland Lowell snarled.
"I've got ten thousand blood-steel guards holding the palace, keeping the royal family safe. Ying's loyalists are under thirty thousand, but his venomous moles are everywhere—rooting them out is like trying to dig poison from your bones!" Skylar Yule growled.
This is the deadliest crisis staring us down. If we don't purge these traitors, even if we slaughter every enemy outside, civil war will tear us apart from within. And right now, the Border Front is surely already ablaze. The Heavenly Dragon Empire might boast a million troops, but with no one at the helm, we're nothing but scattered sand—helpless before the coming storm. If this war erupts, our empire could vanish overnight.
Skylar Yule closed his eyes for a moment, weighing the crisis before speaking: "The chaos in the Royal Capital isn't what terrifies me most—it's the war at the Border Front that's truly bone-chilling. If I'm right, we'll get word by tomorrow at the latest, and the fallout could be catastrophic beyond imagination."
"General Roland, I know you're wounded, but the Border Front needs you—no one else can command there. It's a bitter pill, but there's no other choice. With Elder Warren and me holding down the capital, we should be able to keep things from collapsing here," Skylar Yule said, voice heavy with responsibility.
"Rest easy, Your Highness! Even if I fall on the battlefield, I'll make damn sure the Sea Dragon Empire never sets foot past our border! No time to waste—I'm heading out right now!" General Roland Lowell roared, eyes burning with fighting spirit.
"Evan Chu, Auction Master Selena—I'm counting on you two to escort the Great General! The survival of our empire hangs by a thread—this mission is everything. Succeed, and I'll reward you beyond your wildest dreams!" Skylar Yule thundered, urgency ringing in his every word.
Evan Chu didn't hesitate for a second. "When the nation is in peril, every citizen has a duty! Even if you hadn't asked, I'd charge in myself. As for your promised reward—save it for when we come back victorious! I'll make you cough up a prize you'll never forget!" he grinned, his fighting spirit blazing.
Inside, Evan was all but ecstatic—this was his golden chance to snatch the Fire Spirit Pearl! No way was he letting this slip, not with Selena—the Dream Maiden—watching his back. No matter the odds, he was going to smash this mission and seize victory!
"Your Highness, I'm going too! Fighting for the empire has always been my dream as a Royal Capital Guard. Now that the chance is here—how could I possibly back down?" Gavin Wei shouted, his voice trembling with excitement.
"Good! This journey is dangerous—watch your backs out there! I'll have the victory wine waiting in the palace for when you return in triumph!" Skylar Yule promised, clapping Gavin on the shoulder.
Rowena Luo wanted to rush out with them, but her mother Yvonne Qin was still badly hurt and needed her care. Besides, for a girl to charge onto the battlefield now would be crazy—she could only clench her fists, grit her teeth, and swallow her frustration, forced to stay behind.
"Let's move!" Evan Chu barked, rallying the group.
Without another word, the group strode out of the hall. Goldwing, the golden vulture, instantly swelled to his towering battle form. Evan Chu, Selena, General Roland Lowell, and Gavin Wei vaulted onto his back, and in a streak of golden light they shot into the sky, vanishing above the manor—leaving Skylar Yule and the others gaping in stunned disbelief at the spectacle.
......
Even with Goldwing's legendary speed, flying from the Royal Capital to the Border Front would take most of a day. Everyone's nerves were stretched tight—every minute felt like a century, the urgency gnawing at their hearts.
At that moment, two middle-aged men in golden armor stood atop the Border Front's towering steel walls, eyes locked on the endless sea of armored bodies below—black as night, stretching to the horizon. Worry carved deep lines into their faces, the tension thick enough to choke.
"Who knows when General Roland will get here? The enemy's army is a tidal wave—we can't hold out for more than a few days," one of them muttered, fists clenched tight.
"This sudden, massive attack was clearly planned long in advance. I bet something's gone wrong in the capital—otherwise the Great General would already be here. With his strength, he'd only need a day to reach us," the other replied, jaw set.
"No matter what, we've got to hold this city! If the enemy breaks through, the consequences will be too horrible to imagine!"
Suddenly, two armored Sea Dragon officers soared into the air. One glared down at the defenders and bellowed, "Drag Roland Lowell out here to fight me! Is the Heavenly Dragon Empire nothing but a nest of cowards? Besides slamming your gates shut, you seem good for nothing else!"
"Save your breath, Miles Sun! With your pathetic strength, you aren't even worth a glance from our Great General! If you've got any guts left, come down here and get crushed!" one of the border generals shot back, his voice booming like thunder.
"Just as our commander predicted—your Great General isn't here at all. Get ready to die, you weaklings!"
The two Sea Dragon officers soared back to their lines. One roared, "Roland Lowell isn't here! Sea Dragon Legion, smash this city—let those Heavenly Dragon weaklings tremble before the might of our million lion army!"
His words had barely faded when a thunderous roar erupted—"Kill! Kill! Kill!"—the Sea Dragon soldiers' bloodlust boiling over, the air shaking with murderous excitement.
"Charge!" the Sea Dragon general howled.
In an instant, the Sea Dragon Empire's black tide of troops surged forward. The two border generals roared, "Loose arrows—fill those traitorous dogs with steel! Let them choke on our fury!"
A storm of arrows exploded from the walls, cutting down attackers by the dozens, painting the ground red.
The Heavenly Dragon Empire rained arrows, but the Sea Dragon Empire answered in kind. For a while, the sky was a deadly blizzard—both sides fell in heaps, blood soaking the earth, the agony of war echoing in every scream.
The Heavenly Dragon Empire was trapped—forced to fight passively, unable to sally forth. All they could do was unleash arrows and hurl fireballs and stones from the ramparts. But the enemy's numbers were overwhelming, their defenses blunted at every turn. Soon, swarms of Sea Dragon soldiers battered the walls, pounding furiously at the steel gates, each over a meter thick—the fortress groaned under the relentless assault...
[Author's Note skipped per guidelines.]