Kilrun Duke Ascension

 Another two days passed by, and the defenders of the capital were more tired than they could have ever been. Across the two days, they were forced to defend against countless assaults from the Mizalas.

 They even take the chance to attack during the night to make the defenders tired. Thankfully, there are still some abilities the formation has that the defenders have not shown yet, resulting in heavy casualties of the Mizalas without them being able to get close to the walls.

 The Mizalas learned their mistake and did not launch another night's assault. Their daytime assault however had doubled afterwards, hoping to cause the defenders more casualties.

 The result of the two days of fighting was even worse than the previous seven days for the Kilrun defenders, losing more than a hundred thousand soldiers during the two days compared to less than a hundred thousand soldiers during the first seven days.

Not to mention, they also lost 2 Genesis Sea experts, one of the Generals previously guarding the frontline, and one of the Vice-Captain of the guard force. Losing the two Genesis Sea experts put the defenders in a tough spot, especially after the Genesis Sea experts of the Mizalas Duchy had shown they could combine their strengths and beat the Kilrun Genesis Sea experts.

 As the dusk of the 9th day occurred, both sides retreated to their base once more, though both sides knew that the defenders of the capital were on their last legs.

-x-

 "Looks like this is it for us. I do not think we will survive after tomorrow," the Grand Advisor said, pouring a cup of wine before having a toast with the other members of the High Command.

 "It is a pity but the fact we can hold them all this long is a miracle indeed. All thanks to the young lord giving the Duke the method to create this super-formation," the High Captain praised.

 Ryker accepts it, ignoring the remark of him being the young lord. It is something that had been considered by them and they all agree to give him the title of young lord. Aside from the fact he had done his best to command the defenders and pretend to be the Duke and not fail during the entire time, he was also someone the Duke approved for his niece.

 And yes, the three of them knew of the relationship between Hylla and the Duke, they are his most trusted subordinates for a reason. So, there are more reasons for him to be called a young lord.

 "When the capital falls, I will help you get away from the battlefield, young lord. At least you should escape and protect the young lady," the High Captain told him. 

 Ryker was about to rebuke the man when he felt the ground shake. A look at the others showed that it was not just him, the others also felt the shaking of the ground.

 The Marshal seemed to sense something and took out a communication token, sending a message before waiting for two seconds before receiving a reply.

 "The other part of the capital also felt the shaking, though it seems the shaking is the worst at the center of the capital," the Marshal reported.

 "Is this the Mizalas doing?" the Grand Advisor asked, feeling like this was something done by their enemy.

 "Why, does dog-" "No," the Marshal rant was stopped by Ryker, whose wide eyes seemed to be joyful even as the shaking grew even worse. "This is good news!" he proclaimed.

 The others looked at each other, confused before asking him, "What is so good with the shaking?" the Grand Advisor asked.

 Ryker looked at them with a smile, "Because, this shaking is caused by a certain someone ascending,"

 "But, who-" the Marshal stopped speaking, connecting the dot immediately. 

 "So, the Duke is?" the High Captain asked, shaking in excitement.

 "It seems so, but we need to make sure the Mizalas did not realize something is wrong," Ryker said, his serious expression returned.

 "Marshal, contact the captains and order the soldiers to put their qi into the formation. Grand Advisor, contact the leader of the Five Great Families and check their conditions. Help them with their job and bring in the rest of the Genesis Sea experts along with you.

 High Captain, I want you to come with me, we need to cover the capital with illusions so the Mizalas will not notice anything weird," he ordered the members of the High Command, who saluted him and began to do their part.

-x-

 "Sir, are you sure about this?" one of the captains asked, doubt in his voice. 

 "Yes, this shaking is the result of one of the Duke's plans but for it to be successful we need the soldiers to help power the formation," the Marshal insisted, the captain nodding before realizing the Marshal could not see it.

 "Understood, I will make sure it will be done, sir,"

-x-

 "Looks like they are going strong," the Grand Advisor said, looking at the figures of the Five Great Families. 

 The reason why the five family leaders had been absent was not because they had abandoned the Duchy like many soldiers think. Instead, they play one of the more important parts, just it was concealed by the higher-ups. 

 They had supplied the energy-gathering formation underneath the capital with their qi, making sure the energy-gathering formation brimming with energy for the use of the Duke. However doing so had tired them, though thankfully they did not suffer from their cultivation regressing.

 The Grand Advisor looked at the other Genesis Sea experts, who gave the older man a nod before joining the five family leaders and helping them with their tasks. The Grand Advisor joined them after, hoping they would be able to help the Duke with his ascension.

-x-

 Ryker and the High Captain flew towards the top of the capital. There they activate the illusion formations inside the super-formation. Thanks to the soldiers supplying their qi to power the formation, creating the illusion that could cover the capital is easy.

 The hard part is maintaining it as controlling the formation of this scale and size for just a single person, even if they have strength equal to a Genesis Sea expert, makes it much more bearable. 

 Thankfully, there are two Genesis Sea experts so they were able to control the formation easily. Nonetheless, it is still straining for both of them, though the two maintained the illusion, even when the exhaustion started to creep in.

 As they both control the illusion, the two of them pray that the Duke will ascend soon.