From Secret Clan to the Divine Dynasty

Emerald Lake Province, on the outskirts of Banyoles City.

Sunlight filtered through the sparse clouds, casting a faint glimmer on the brass medals on the shoulders of Cyart soldiers and the barrels of their flintlocks.

The soldiers, dressed in uniform, lined up in formation on the grassland, with feathers on their caps swaying gently in the breeze. Officers on horseback wore military garb with gold trim.

Soon, the officers gave orders, and their soldiers began to move in an organized manner. The air was filled with the scent of horses and gunpowder—the so-called smell of war.

Heavy artillery was towed to the rear of the troops, a type of muzzle-loaded smoothbore gun. Undoubtedly, it was an important force within the army, its presence a comfort to the soldiers.

The silhouette of Banyoles City gradually became clear in the distance, but at the moment, the army made no rash moves; they simply assembled there quietly, like a solid fortress awaiting orders, everyone could feel the intense tension, a decisive confrontation that would determine their fate was about to unfold here.

By now, the army supporting the Adley Royal Family had arrived near Banyoles City in Emerald Lake Province, a city that had been under the sole rule of the Romann family for centuries.

Due to the curfew implemented during wartime, the city streets were deserted, and the faces of the citizens inside their homes were marked with worry and unease. Some who wanted to flee the city, soon to be engulfed in warfare, found themselves without the means to do so.

Others stood at street corners, staring blankly into the distance, their hearts filled with fear.

"What do we do? What can we do?"

"There's no way out, just hide."

"The Duke is dead, can we win?"

"I don't know, why are we even fighting a civil war... We're all Cyart people!"

Dark clouds slowly amassed in the city sky, as if foreshadowing the impending "storm," making the moods of the citizens of Banyoles even heavier.

Extraordinary nobility, primarily locals from Emerald Lake Province and from all over Cyart, had now gathered in the meeting room of the Romann family, with several combat maps and various charts hanging on the wall.

"The enemy has finished assembling outside the city; they just haven't attacked yet. It seems we still have time!"

Lively exchanges filled the meeting room as noble officers discussed tactics, personnel deployment, and supplies, seeking the optimal plan of action.

Beyond tactical discussions, they considered ways to boost soldiers' morale, strengthen discipline, and devise more scientific training schedules.

They were mostly noble officers with rich experience from the Rhea war, although this was their first encounter with a civil war.

An elderly noble officer said, "In the end, what will really be decisive in this war are the Monarch powerful experts. At this level of war, the army can only serve a supporting role..."

"Indeed."

The others agreed, acknowledging that the mobility and destructive power of Monarch powerful experts were unmatched by any other military force at present.

Byrne and Chris of the Fischer family were also in this meeting room.

The two heard that the enemy forces originally targeting the East Coast Province had suddenly turned and marched toward Emerald Lake Province, so they immediately came to support.

Their strength was formidable enough that they could arrive ahead of time, though without being able to bring along the rest of the Fischer family.

While "Stars Mortal" Ariel was the nominal head of the Romann family, the actual commander of this war was "Dragon Taming Lord" Aldrich Romann.

Everyone had confidence in him as well.

"Everyone, come over here."

Aldrich motioned with his hand, beckoning Byrne and dozens of familiar Extraordinary nobles. He then calmly analyzed,

"Well, the 'Blood of Salvation' Adley Royal Family, 'Flaming Blood Proud Dragon' Castleton family, 'Fog Wayfarer' Abernathy family, and 'Ruins Song Spirit' Middell family— the forces of these four families have all assembled to the west of Phelps Port, and there's been no sign of their advancing for the moment."

He pointed at the map of Banyoles City and drew a circle on it with a pen.

"The city barrier of Banyoles has already been raised in advance, and it is of a high level. Although they could attack at any moment, they definitely don't have the confidence to take down this city for sure."

Whenever it came to defending a city, the presence of a barrier unquestionably put the defenders at an advantage.

Byrne nodded lightly and said, "Another siege battle, huh? I'm a bit nostalgic. After calculating carefully, the number of enemy Monarch powerful experts is probably around ten, but it's hard to say for sure how many there are from the 'Words of Tranquility' side."

The Salvation Church and the Tempest Church had, after communicating, decided not to participate in this secular battle and had sworn an oath to God, entering into The Oath.

Therefore, they had fewer variables to consider.

Thinking this through, Aldrich nodded and said,

"Let's first assume the 'Wordless Elder' isn't dead. In that case, our known enemy Monarch powerful experts would be three from the Adley Royal Family and the Words of Tranquility, two from the Castleton family, two from the Abernathy family, and two from the Middell family... After the Rhea war and a series of other events, the number of Monarch powerful experts in Cyart isn't that high, actually."

Ariel suddenly interjected, "A high-level Monarch, two mid-level Monarchs, and six low-level Monarchs? Plus a few hundred Transmutation Extraordinary Exponents?"

"It looks like we're not at a disadvantage on our side."

Sighing, Aldrich said with a troubled expression, "Only thing is, after this civil war, I wonder if Cyart can still stand its ground among the Eastern Four Kingdoms?"

"Blazing Fire" Amos suddenly shouted angrily, "Words of Tranquility doesn't care about these things, maybe they think the more people who die in this civil war, the better! After all, they do love soul sacrifices!"

Thinking of this, he clenched his fists in rage.

Aldrich shook his head at Amos, saying, "Originally, according to our initial plan, Amos should be breaking through to Monarch Level right now, but the current situation simply doesn't allow us to spare anyone to help him."

"If the enemy launches an attack while he's breaking through, we'll be in big trouble."

Byrne glanced at Amos and suddenly said, "When we're dealing with the Royal Family and enemies outside of Words of Tranquility, we must prioritize our own survival, do you understand?"n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Everyone was startled and turned their gaze to Byrne.

Byrne smiled and continued, "I've dealt with Marquis Vlad before, and I'm sure many of you have had some contact with him as well. A person like him couldn't possibly be completely loyal to the Adley Royal Family."

"Currently, the Adley Royal Family's overt strength is not great, and I absolutely don't believe that Marquis Vlad has no ambition."

"Besides Marquis Vlad, do you think the other great nobles have no thoughts of their own?"

He paused, then continued:

"Therefore, our enemies are not necessarily all enemies, and I think most of the great nobles also don't have the idea of fighting us to the death..."

In the end, this is a civil war, not a war against external forces.

Moreover, the political system of Cyart means that the Royal Family is just the strongest among many great nobles, naturally not possessing such high power of governance.

After listening to Byrne Fischer's words, everyone except Aldrich fell into deep thought. Marquis Vlad, the "Volcano Dragon," and Marquis Samuel, the "White Spirit," could also be persuaded!

"The situation really is quite chaotic right now," Ariel remarked.

Byrne bowed his head in silence, then looked up to the north.

"They should already know that we've come here..."

"I hope nothing goes wrong over there."

He took a deep breath as if the more he thought this way, the more likely something would go wrong.

——

East Coast Province.

In the vast expanse of sky, a Monarch powerful expert soared with flame as wings, the color of the flames changing from deep red to golden yellow, as resplendent as a phoenix rising from the ashes, his silhouette particularly striking in the afterglow of the setting sun.

Marquis Vlad was clad in a black alchemy battle robe made of special material that shimmered with a fiery luster in the light of the flames. Every fiber seemed to be ignited by fire, emitting waves of heat that commanded awe.

His face was resolute, and his eyes flickered with ambition and malice. As he waved his wings of flame, the surrounding air ignited, forming a sea of fire in the sky.

"Nasir City should have no Monarch powerful experts now…"

At last, Marquis Vlad had Nasir City in sight!

From his view in the sky, Nasir City looked like a delicate miniature painting, fully displayed before his eyes.

In the afterglow of the sunset, he descended swiftly from the sky like a burning meteor streaking across the horizon, the giant flaming wings behind him gradually dissipating into wisps of light smoke in the air.

"Boom!"

When he landed, the ground beneath his feet felt the immense force, shaking violently!

Marquis Vlad lightly stepped onto the ground of Nasir City, each step as if leaving behind the residual warmth of flames, causing the surrounding air to tremble.

The city's barrier of Nasir City rose quickly!

However, Marquis Vlad just looked at the scene coldly, without the slightest hint of nervousness or fear in his heart.

Without a Monarch powerful expert here, what use then was a city's barrier?

As a mid-level Monarch Extraordinary Exponent, he alone had the power to burn this city to the ground, to ash!

"Although setting fire to the city would deeply offend the members of the church, once I become the king of Cyart, such trivial matters will be of no consequence!"

Just as Byrne thought, Marquis Vlad was not wholeheartedly loyal to the Adley Royal Family; he had long instructed his family and the "Fog Wayfarer" family to conserve their strength during this suppression war.

He hoped to slowly weaken the forces of both sides by maintaining a balance.

Now, coming to eradicate the Fischer family was also a part of Marquis Vlad's plan to balance the power of both sides.

The next moment, the air around him seemed to ignite, forming a blazing halo of red light that gradually spread, enveloping his figure within it. Marquis Vlad was like a deity walking out of the flames.

"Fishermen of the East Coast! Usurpers! Let me burn down your lair!"