Chapter 283: Gearing up for War

It would take seven full hours for the LionArk members to arrive at Lotus City.

The time indicator showed eight in the morning, which meant they would not reach their destination until three in the afternoon.

Kai had already returned to the city by then. Without wasting time, he went straight to the military barracks and began organizing the formation of a standing force.

Red Javelin did not have the luxury of endless manpower, so everything had to be planned carefully.

They started with swordsmen.

The barracks system only allowed one formation queue at a time, and each queue took three hours to complete.

Once finished, a single queue would produce ten swordsmen. It was slow, but reliable.

Ethan had given Kai strict instructions. He was to remain in the city and oversee every formation cycle personally.

The moment one queue ended, another was to begin without delay.

By the time the ten LionArk members arrived later that afternoon, they would have a total of twenty sword units ready.

Combined with the stationed guards, that number would be more than enough to secure the canyon from the lower level.

For now, that was the best they could do.

Meanwhile, Ethan remained in the canyon.

He stood near the edge, his gaze fixed on the sky above the tropical plains. Lyodra was still airborne, moving freely across the green horizon, gathering information from above.

Ethan would only receive a full report once her aggressive mode ended and she returned to her passive state.

Until then, all he could do was wait and let her continue scouting without interference.

The canyon remained quiet.

Too quiet.

In the middle of Lyodra’s reconnaissance, one of the Red Javelin members suddenly pointed downward.

“There!” someone shouted.

The call immediately drew attention. Several heads turned at once, including Ethan’s. He narrowed his eyes and focused on the base of the canyon.

Two figures stood there.

They were wearing guild uniforms, clearly not locals. They had stopped just outside the canyon entrance, making no aggressive movements.

Ethan raised one hand, signaling the others to stand down.

“Do not attack,” he said calmly.

Before anyone could question the order, Ethan jumped down from the canyon cliff, landing a short distance from the two visitors.

He studied them carefully, evaluating their posture, equipment, and reactions.

“Sir Ethan!” one of them greeted him quickly, bowing slightly.

Ethan frowned. “Who are you?”

“We’re from the White Eagle Wing Guild,” the man replied. “A non-permanent member of the Eastern Alliance.”

White Eagle Wing?

I feel like I’ve heard that name before.

“If you’re part of the Eastern Alliance,” Ethan said slowly, “then you should know the password.”

The two men exchanged glances. Then they looked upward, toward the canyon ridge, where Red Javelin members were still watching closely.

“I… I’m worried they might hear us,” one of them admitted.

Ethan glanced up as well. Their concern made sense. The Eastern Alliance password was more than a formality.

It was a shared symbol of trust and identity. If outsiders learned it, the consequences could be severe.

Without another word, Ethan motioned for them to follow him. The three of them walked away from the canyon entrance until they were far enough that no one else could overhear.

“Speak,” Ethan said.

“The Sun of Hope Always Rises in the East!”

Ethan nodded immediately. That was the correct phrase.

Their identities were confirmed.

Clearly, they had not come here by accident.

“What is it?” Ethan asked. “And how did you know I was stationed at this canyon?”

“Desert Eagle,” the man answered. “They announced your location publicly.”

Ethan’s expression darkened slightly. “And?”

“Our captain sent us with urgent information,” the man continued. “A combined force from the Redemption Sword Alliance is moving toward this area.”

Too soon.

It’s far too early for Redemption Sword to confront me directly.

Which means…

They’re sending their allied guilds instead.

“We don’t know what to do,” the man admitted. “That’s why we came to you.”

Ethan nodded slowly. He asked about the number of central plains guilds currently operating in the tropical region.

The two men couldn’t give an exact count, but they were certain the number was significant.

“From what we’ve heard,” one of them said, “Avalon and Star Shield are already established here.”

“I see,” Ethan replied.

“There’s more,” the other man added. “Scavenger is also operating in the tropical region.”

Ethan nodded again. That was enough information.

“LionArk is currently based in the desert,” Ethan said. “It won’t be easy for us to reach you directly.”

He looked at them firmly. “Go to Avalon or Star Shield. Tell them LionArk is in the desert region.”

Both men understood immediately. They bowed again and took their leave, departing the canyon after delivering their warning about the approaching combined forces of the Redemption Sword Alliance.

Ethan returned to the canyon and informed the Red Javelin members that the two men were not enemy scouts, but members of the Eastern Alliance.

They accepted his explanation without question. In their eyes, Ethan was not someone who could be easily deceived.

He leapt back up onto the canyon ridge.

Standing there, he stared into the distance, his thoughts racing.

He didn’t know exactly when the combined attack would come. But if he had to guess, it would likely be at night.

Night was always the most dangerous time.

Fatigue set in more easily. Guards became drowsy. Visibility dropped sharply with limited light. Mistakes were far more likely to happen in the dark.

Lyodra finally completed her flight.

Her aggressive mode ended, and her body glowed with a bright red light before shrinking back into her chibi form.

She floated toward Ethan and settled near him.

The moment she returned, Ethan began receiving her reconnaissance data.

Through Lyodra’s perception, he could see enemy cities scattered across the tropical region. He saw their guild members moving in coordinated groups. He saw city forces being organized.

He hadn’t expected so many guilds to secure positions in the tropical lands.

Even more concerning, Lyodra’s vision showed military barracks glowing throughout multiple cities. Units were being formed everywhere.

They were preparing for war.

With this level of activity, an attack would not happen today. It would take time to mobilize such a large force.

Two days.

Maybe three.

That was his estimate.

They were uniting for the canyon.

No.

That’s not it.

They’re not uniting for the canyon.

They’re uniting… to kill me.

Ethan turned back toward the city direction. Red Javelin’s ability to form troops was limited, either by time or by available resources.

He couldn’t push them any further.

The responsibility fell back onto him.

And LionArk.

Luna was still on cooldown. Sera hadn’t been deployed yet. But Ethan hesitated.

If he used Sera now, he would be left without any defensive fallback beyond his own strength.

That was a risk he couldn’t afford.

He opened the team chat.

[Team Chat:]

[Ethan: Hanss. Begin troop formation immediately. Allocate resources for military units.]

[Hanss: This is sudden. Did something happen?]

[Ethan: It looks like… a large-scale war is coming soon.]

[Nathan: That’s way too fast!]

[Giroud: I’m ready to fight.]

[Patricia: We’ll need a lot before starting a war.]

[Ethan: Good news. Avalon and Star Shield are both in the tropical region.]

[Ethan: If we want to grow stronger, we need to go there and unite with Avalon and Star Shield.]

[Ethan: We need a massive army.]

Ethan closed the panel and exhaled slowly.

The canyon was no longer just a strategic point.

It was the fuse to a continent-wide conflict.

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