The Shining Star Above The Heaven-Chapter 456: First Attack

Aldrian, who had just arrived, looked calmly at the sea of soldiers. He hovered five kilometers away from the troop formation and couldn’t help but feel "honored" by such a grand reception—this was the largest army formation he had ever seen in his life.

His gaze then shifted to the top of the city walls, where he finally spotted someone clad in low divine-grade armor.

That figure stood behind the city’s protective barrier, with many powerful individuals gathered behind him.

He had blond hair and a handsome, youthful face. Since Aldrian had already glimpsed the memories of certain people in the past, he immediately recognized the man upon seeing him face to face. The information from his Eyes of Heaven also confirmed it—it was indeed the second prince, Wilmar Losaris.

When he turned his gaze to the people standing beside the prince, a grin formed behind his mask.

Grand Duke Donovan. That traitor, Cardinal Carsius. All of them had gathered in one place, which was perfect.

He wouldn’t need to hunt them down individually, it made his work that much easier.

And then, he finally laid eyes on a man he had never seen in person, yet this man shared a hostile history with him. This man had once tried to have him killed by hiring assassins from the Thunderous Shadow Pavilion.

He is Carlson Harris, the head of the Golden Swan Commerce.

Aldrian closed his eyes, as if the massive army before him was of no concern at all.

There was still silence between both sides, even after Aldrian arrived, as if they were waiting for the other to speak first.

The soldiers felt more tense than ever after seeing Aldrian’s figure hovering five kilometers away. They could only wait to see what would happen next, especially since their commanders also showed no intention of starting the conversation.

Many people in the city who were able to see beyond the walls had already taken out their information crystals, which were also capable of recording. This was a major event, one far too significant to go unrecorded.

After all, this moment could decide the fate of the Atria Empire.

Prince Wilmar kept his eyes locked on Aldrian, and he couldn’t help but feel a surge of fury, finally, he was seeing him face to face.

The man who had repeatedly ruined his plans. The one who had shaken his position in this civil war and kept it from ever stabilizing.

He is the man who kept pushing his dream of controlling the empire and expanding its reach further and further away.

Wilmar gritted his teeth, unable to hold back any longer, and shouted at Aldrian.

"Aldrian! Surrender yourself and accept your death! You’ve stepped into this place, don’t even dream of leaving here alive!"

Many people were stunned upon hearing the name of the mysterious swordsman for the first time. This moment, right here and now, marked the beginning of Aldrian’s name spreading across the continent.

It was a true name, belonging to the man who had shaken the continent in the past, who stirred it in the present, and who would continue to shape its future.

Aldrian opened his eyes, and in that instant, his presence changed completely. He allowed his aura to seep out from his body as he looked directly at the second prince.

He was not surprised that Wilmar knew his real name. Cardinal Carsius had most likely already told him. However, that did not matter. His name was bound to be known sooner or later.

This moment simply became the starting point.

Although he released only a small amount of aura from his body, even the space around him seemed to distort slightly, growing wobbly under the pressure. The second prince felt as if he were being stared down by someone of far higher status, causing him to flinch instinctively.

"To all troops in this city, especially those standing before me!"

Aldrian’s booming voice echoed across the vast city, carrying all the way to the horizon. He ignored the second prince’s earlier declaration and continued speaking.

"I’ll give you a choice. Put down your weapons and let me punish the second prince and everyone who supported him in harming the people of this empire. His actions during this war have been devastating and harmful to the future of the nation."

"All I want is him, along with a few of those standing behind him. That is all."

"There is no need for the rest of you to lose your lives for his sake."

"You already know that I keep my word. Your comrades in Bermin and Padina are proof of that. They chose not to block my path, and I let them live."

The troops below felt their hearts tremble, genuinely tempted to follow Aldrian’s command. But before any of them could move, another voice boomed from the city walls.

"Do not be swayed by his words! Anyone who surrenders or even lowers their weapon will have their family executed!"

Prince Wilmar’s voice thundered with fury.

What Aldrian said also fueled his anger. The troops in those cities had made no effort to stop Aldrian and had simply let him pass. Even one of the large brigades that was stationed in Padina, which was equipped with a flying fortress and was originally meant to reinforce the capital, had refused to come.

To Wilmar, those soldiers were already traitors. And once this was all over, he fully intended to punish every last one of them who had defied his orders.

The soldiers who had been tempted to surrender felt their hearts turn cold. One by one, they buried their hesitation and silenced any thoughts of giving up. They chose instead to steel their resolve and face Aldrian head-on.

Even if they died, at least their families would live and not be executed by the second prince’s order. And perhaps—just perhaps—they still had a chance against Aldrian with the power of this massive army behind them.

The second prince turned his gaze to Aldrian, then shouted with fury in his voice.

"Aldrian, no matter what you say, it’s futile! First wave—attack him now!"

At his command, pressure surged from the six flying fortresses as the lightning cannons lit up.

Moments later, the deafening sound of thunder rolled across the sky, followed by blinding beams of lightning shooting through the air.

From behind the frontline, countless cannons also fired toward Aldrian. Their numbers were easily in the hundreds.

Boom!

All of the bombardment was directed at a single person, and the sheer power behind it was enough to annihilate even a peak Emperor-stage warrior.

But Aldrian was already prepared. His aura flared, sweeping across the huge army like a wave.

With a swift of his will, he opened a massive rift in space, a dark, gaping maw that swallowed every incoming attack.

However, he noticed the force behind the combined assault was strong enough to throw the void itself into chaos, stirring a violent spatial storm.

Rumble!

Without hesitation, Aldrian opened another spatial crack a kilometer above him, this one directed toward the sky to safely release the destructive attack.

Rumble!

The rumble of lightning echoed everywhere as the redirected attack tore through the sky in another direction. However, the new spatial crack also brought with it a raging storm. The sky turned chaotic as clouds were sucked into the rift, swirling like water spiraling down a drain.

The spatial storm created a powerful suction that dragged everything toward the void. Everything in front of the spatial maw was destroyed, and even the frontline troops, stationed five kilometers away, began to feel its pull as they were slowly dragged toward the crack in front of Aldrian.

"Hold on! Use your techniques to resist the pull or you’ll be dragged into the void!" each battalion commander shouted, rallying their men to hold their ground.

Boom! Rumble!

The lightning cannon attack finally stopped as the flying fortresses began recharging their cannons. However, the spatial crack continued to expand, and the storm grew even more violent. The suction force started to spread across a wider area, and even Aldrian could feel his body being pulled toward the spatial rift.

This was one of the shortcomings of his spatial redirection technique, a method he often used to deflect incoming attacks from enemies. The spatial storm was unpredictable. Sometimes it appeared from the smallest crack, while other times, even a massive rift caused nothing.

Even with his deep comprehension of spatial laws, Aldrian had not fully grasped how to control this phenomenon—at least not yet. He had found a way to trigger the spatial storm, but he could not yet control it. It was a double-edged sword, one powerful enough to hurt even himself.

Aldrian decided to close the spatial crack to stop the spatial storm. As the rift gradually shrank, he noticed another wave of attacks coming—this time from normal cannons aimed directly at him.

While still focusing on closing the spatial crack, he simultaneously formed a spatial barrier to shield himself from the incoming projectiles.

Boom! Boom!

Dozens of explosions erupted right in front of him as the shells detonated mid-air. The blasts carried enough force to heavily injure even a peak King-stage warrior, but Aldrian remained calm. His gaze never wavered, and the spatial barrier surrounding him did not even tremble under the intense barrage. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓

Seeing that Aldrian did not even have a scratch after enduring such a massive barrage, many people gasped in shock. For the first time, they realized with their own eyes that Aldrian was truly a monster in human form. They had never witnessed anything like it.

A combined assault from six lightning cannons and hundreds of standard cannons should have torn anyone apart—yet not even his clothes appeared scorched or damaged.

Ridiculous!

Suddenly, black energy began to surge from Aldrian. At first, it resembled a small flame tinged with a dark hue. However, it grew larger and larger until it formed a swirling vortex that rose toward the sky, like a tornado. The sky began to change as well, and black clouds started to form above, churning as if a thunderstorm was about to descend.

The massive army felt the horror radiating from the black energy. All they could do was stare in stunned silence, their expressions frozen with shock as a chill touched their very souls.

Even Prince Wilmar and the other high-ranking figures also felt the terror emanating from the black energy. They stared solemnly at the dark energy as sweat rolling down their foreheads.

What the hell is that?!