NOVEL NEXT Chapter 417: Iron And Sky
Thorn leaned back against the wall with a long, loud yawn, the sound muffled against his palm.
His bone arm tapped dully against the stone floor, a rhythm that showed just how restless his mind was at that moment.
He tilted his head back, staring at the low ceiling. He'd already counted how many times are in it, catalogued the type of stains, and was currently trying to organize the scratches per square meter ratio in his mind.
After a few minutes of aimlessly finding a way to occupy his thoughts, something occurred to him, and he looked at Ren.
"Wait," Thorn muttered, his tone hesitant but still holding a hint of suspicion. "The Blurred Man gave Aurelius the Shard of Oblivion, right? Used the Choir's silence to weaken Carthage's leadership and make his coup possible in order to start this war."
Ren's eyes narrowed slightly, but he didn't interrupt. Thorn's shoulders stiffened as he leaned forward.
"So if he already played that card once, what's stopping him from doing it again? What if," he swallowed, "what if the Blurred Man throws another Calamity, or more, into this war?"
Lilith paused where she sat as she processed the thought, her gaze turning to Thorn. For all her calmness, her fingers had tightened faintly in the folds of Ren's cloak, revealing a flicker of unease.
Ren didn't answer at once. Instead, he tilted his head downward, staring at the floor between his boots.
The fire pit crackled softly, its glow flickering against his face. When he finally spoke, his voice was low.
"I can't discount the possibility," Ren admitted. "If anything, I'd say it's almost guaranteed."
Thorn cursed under his breath, dragging his flesh hand down his face. "That's what I was afraid of."
Lilith glanced between them, her expression composed but her eyes glinting faintly. "Then let's not pretend we're blind. Ren, go through them. All of them. Which ones we've dealt with. Which ones could still be waiting."
Ren exhaled through his nose, straightening. His eyes lifted, hard and focused, as if he was pulling up the memories from deep in his mind.
"Fine," he said. "Let's start from the beginning."
He raised one hand, counting them off.
"There's the first Minor Calamity, the Red Plague." His voice roughened with the memory. "Blood that carried death. Once it touched you, it spread, multiplying, corrupting. Elnoria fell into chaos because of it. We fought it. Destroyed it. But I still see the faces of the people who didn't make it."
For a moment, everyone in the room could remember the experience.
Halwen. The retired soldier that had helped his little village survive the plague.
Vesper Rosefield, the arrogant Albion noble that had become the Red Prophet after merging with the Red Tree.
Lilith closed her eyes, recalling the stench of blood in Elnoria's streets, the desperation in the eyes of its citizens.
Ren lifted another finger, moving on.
"Then, there's the second Minor Calamity, the Hungering Deep. The sentient rift that appeared in the Mare Dulce Sea. If we hadn't stopped it…" He trailed off, shaking his head.
Thorn gave a humorless laugh. "I still can't look at water the same way after that."
Ren's gaze flicked to Lilith, then back to his hand.
"The sixth Minor Calamity, the Silent Choir. Also the most recent. Carthage bled for that one. But it's gone now."
Lilith shifted beside him, her voice softer. "And then, there's me."
Ren looked at her, something indistinguishable flickering in his eyes. Slowly, he nodded. "And you. The third Great Calamity you were meant to become. Soul Dominion twisted beyond control. But that path's gone. Not with me here."
Her grip on his cloak loosened slightly, her gaze lowering.
Ren's tone hardened as he continued. "That leaves six."
He raised another finger.
"The first is the third Minor Calamity, the Endless Night. Back on Earth, they never really explained where it comes from, but its effect is the same as its name. An endless night."
"There'll be no stars, no moon, and definitely no sun. Just endless black swallowing the sky. Every light you try to make gets smothered. Lanterns, fire, it all dies. The whole world becomes blind. I don't think it's meant for this war, though. Too large, too absolute. Not the kind of sword the Blurred Man would draw here."
He raised another.
"The one we should be wary of is the fourth Minor Calamity, the Iron Legion." Ren continued.
"It's an army of sentient suits of armor. They replicate by fusing with iron. They spread. Consume."
"You can't reason with them, you can't bribe them, and they don't stop until you've drowned under iron. The only way to end them is to kill their Iron King."
Thorn grimaced, his bone arm clenching into a fist. "That one… that one sounds like war incarnate. It'll definitely appear in this war."
Ren didn't deny it. He only lifted another finger.
"There's the fifth Minor Calamity, the Blightwood. A forest that grows like fire, and devours like hunger. It spawns twisted beasts from its roots. But that one's not here. I already sensed it back in the Greythorne forest from the day I entered it to claim Unfettered Enhancement. And once we get the Primordial Flame, it'll be easy to destroy."
Lilith tilted her head slightly. "Then that's one we don't need to worry about."
Ren's face remained grim as he lifted another finger.
"The seventh Minor Calamity, the Skybreaker. A titan of metal, older than history, older than nations. It doesn't fight battles. It ends them, destroying both sides."
"Cities crumble under its steps. Mountains split. The land is scarred just by its passing. If the Blurred Man wants chaos, Skybreaker would bring it."
Silence filled the room. Neither Thorn nor Lilith spoke. The fire popped, the sound loud in the quiet.
Ren hesitated before raising the final two fingers. His voice dropped lower, more reluctant.
"Then there's the first Great Calamity, Kronos. A parasite latches to the world itself. It drains time. Speeds it up. Slows it down. Freezes it. If left unchecked, the whole concept of time collapses, and everything will be erased."
Thorn's face paled, his usual humor gone. "That's… beyond nightmare."
"And the second Great Calamity, the Devouring Star. A star that will one day graze too close to the world. Its heat scorches the land, dries the seas, breaks the sky itself. It pulls chunks of the world into its orbit, reducing everything to wasteland."
The fire crackled faintly. Even Lilith's expression had turned blank with horror.
Finally, Thorn cleared his throat, his voice rough. "So. Out of all of those… which do you think we're actually facing here?"
Ren's gaze hardened.
"The Iron Legion. And maybe the Skybreaker."
He leaned forward.
"They're perfect for war. Armies made of steel, never tiring, never breaking. And a titan that can shatter walls just by walking. The Blurred Man wouldn't waste his chance. If he wants to bury Carthage in chaos, those are the Calamities he'll bring."
Lilith's jaw tightened, her hands clenching faintly in her lap. "The Iron Legion… Skybreaker…"
Ren nodded once. "Iron and sky."
Thorn leaned back again, exhaling hard. "Iron and sky."
For a moment, none of them spoke.
Lilith finally broke the quiet. "Then we prepare for iron and sky."