Rising god
Chapter 147: Second Phase & 7th Star

Chapter 147: Second Phase & 7th Star

The bomb obliterated the Iron Brotherhood’s survivors, its violet-black explosion shaking the Blightroot estate’s courtyard. The ground caved into a smoldering crater, charred limbs and molten armor fragments scattered, and no trace of the enemy left.

The battle was over, and the 7th Division emerged victorious, but at a cost—ten members dead, their bodies bloodied, skulls crushed, or guts spilled across the cobblestones. The air reeked of iron and charred flesh, the estate’s marble stained with crimson pools.

Some division members stared at Baines, their eyes a mix of awe and unease. If it wasn’t obvious before, it was now. Baines was the strongest in their division.

Rakel Voss, his golden hair matted with sweat, barked orders. "Heal the injured! Gather the dead! Third chair, take twenty and sweep the estate for stragglers. Meet us in the hall in an hour." He turned and nodded at Baines. "Good job."

Baines sheathed his sword, silent, and his eyes unreadable.

A voice rang out, "7th Division of the Red Sun!" Gilbert Blight led his clan in a deep bow, their extravagant robes quivering. "Please, let us treat you." Servants and guards rushed to aid the wounded, their gilded uniforms stark against the carnage.

"If you will please follow me to discuss," Gilbert said to Rakel and Baines; however, Baines walked away, ignoring the stares, heading to the quarters assigned for recovery.

"Alright." Rakel nodded and followed Gilbert.

Baines went to the quarters they had sectioned off for them to stay. The division would rest before returning to the Red Sun’s castle.

That night, the Blightroot Clan had a solemn mood. They had just survived a terrorist attack with almost no deaths in their ranks. It made them realize just how weak they were. There was also the fact that these were the people they had insulted upon their arrival.

The family used the night to make some important decisions, and in the morning, they hosted a banquet in their grand hall, chandeliers glittering, tables laden with delicacies.

This banquet was to soothe the minds of their traumatized kin and honor the success of the division’s work. The 7th division also saw it as a time for a short reward for their work. Laughter and music filled the air, a fragile veneer over the blood-soaked day.

All attended except the injured and Baines.

"Um, Division leader, if I may ask, where’s the man who fought with you?" Gilbert asked Rakel, sipping wine.

Rakel also scanned the hall, noting Baines’ absence. "He wouldn’t come," he said, shaking his head. If he wasn’t here now, then he wasn’t coming.

Gilbert pressed, "But do you know who he is?"

Rakel paused, then said, "Ever heard of the Darkan hero, Jin?"

Gilbert’s eyes widened, wine glass trembled.

"It-it can’t be," He looked shocked, "But he died."

Rakel said nothing, watching the division laugh, dance, and eat with the Blightroots. Gilbert walked away, reeling. The second chair approached afterwards to talk with Rakel, and when the banquet reached its peak,

BOOOOOM!

With a resounding crash, the roof caved in, the marble and gold crashing, crushing a dozen beneath debris. Screams erupted, Blightroots freezing in terror. The 7th division members immediately stepped in, releasing their mana. Unfortunately, most of them weren’t with their weapons. They could only use mana.

Rakel immediately took charge. "Blightroot soldiers, lend us your weapons and evacuate the family!" Guards dropped ornate blades and spears, clattering on the floor, and herded their sobbing kin to safety.

Through the gaping hole, two figures descended, their armor fused to flesh, glowing molten red, making them Iron Brotherhood members; however, that wasn’t all.

Both were grandmasters, 7 stars.

The hall’s air turned heavy, stomachs twisting. ’Grandmasters?’ Rakel cursed inwardly. ’Jin’s not here.’

The branch’s importance was clear with the appearance of two 7th stars. It meant it was a strategic stronghold. That made the whole situation worse.

"You killed our Brotherhood, don’t expect us to show mercy," one growled, releasing a seal on the sky. And from it, a flaming dog materialized, its eyes blazing like furnaces, jaws dripping molten saliva.

’He’s a summoner?’ Rakel concluded, upon seeing the flames. It was also a high-ranking fire spirit.

The second grandmaster stood back, watching while the first sent the flaming dog to attack.

"Defend!" Rakel roared.

The division’s mana barriers flared, but the dog slammed into them, Booooooom!, cracking the shields.

Relentless fire orbs followed, shattering the barriers in two hits. The division, drained from the earlier battle, scattered as the dog charged, its claws raking a soldier’s chest, flesh sizzling, bones exposed as he screamed.

Another’s arm was torn off, blood fountaining, his body collapsing under the beast’s weight. The grandmaster’s orbs burned through a third, flesh melting, a charred skeleton crumpling.

The division members hadn’t recovered their energies back, and now they were facing the consequences.

The dog snarled and dove in as the division members scattered in severe panic.

...

Unbeknownst to them, a third seventh-star had crashed into Baines’ quarters.

After exhausting his aura and a large portion of his mana, he used the night to recover, and in the morning, he meditated. He ignored the calls to attend the banquet and slipped into his meditation when a figure crashed into his room.

He leaped aside, the building groaning, as he faced a grandmaster, his armor pulsing red. ’Iron Brotherhood?’ Baines gripped his sword, his full aura flaring. The attack had caved in a large section of the building, and if he wasn’t careful, it would collapse on him.

From his position, he could sense the disturbances around.

’Three of them,’ Baines calmed his racing mind as he gripped his sword against the incoming enemy.

"You, I know you." The 7th star pointed at him. "Your face, it’s familiar. Where did I see it again?" Then it clicked, "Ah yes, Jin."

"You are Jin." He spoke casually and smiled. "Wow, who would have thought I would meet you here?" _{f|ree(w)ebn\o.vel.com}

"Jin." His casual tone belied his power. "He’ll be pleased to meet you."

Baines ignored the cryptic "he," calculating. ’If I use ashenfall, my authority, and blood palace, I can kill him, but,’ If he killed this one, he was obligated to assist those in the hall, and how would he explain defeating a 7th star as a 6th star. This was different from the same realm; this was a master defeating a grandmaster. It just didn’t make sense.

’If I show all my cards, my secrets would be out, and I wouldn’t exactly be able to move how I want to, but there is also a risk. I could die here.’

"You’re thinking too much, just surrender and come with us."

Baines didn’t consider his words and focused. ’I have absolute cut, decay, eternal echo, void steps, bladeless sword, and the dark sun’s bead.’ He readied himself and decided; it was high time.

’I need to break through.’