CHAPTER 855: BEFORE DEPARTING

At this moment, there were more than five hundred interstellar vessels surrounding the Barisan Continent. The troops gathered from various places reached over fifty million.

This scene truly resembled the start of preparations for a great war, and that was exactly what these people believed. They would be the ones to initiate another great war and reclaim the fallen star cluster.

The populace of the Aster Empire, especially those living along the coastline, were in awe of the sight. At this moment, millions of troops were floating outside the vessels, forming neat lines like disciplined and well-trained troops. They had just received a message from their leader to form ranks and face the direction of the floating land.

With all of them floating steadily, their cultivation must have been at least at the emperor stage, and the sheer number alone made everyone who witnessed them tremble. If an army of this scale were to attack an entire world, perhaps even a world the size of the Ancient Blue Gate World would fall.

The leaders of each organization stood at the forefront of their respective lines of troops, looking toward the floating land in the distance. All of them were already wearing their armor, showing that they were ready to depart at any moment. Their expressions were serious, as if they were waiting for something.

As countless eyes focused on the floating land in the distance, Aldrian was at this moment standing on the vast training platform within his palace grounds. With his control over energy and laws, he created large screens across the sky of the Ancient Blue Gate World.

The moment countless people saw those screens, they knew Aldrian the Great was about to speak, so they turned their attention toward them.

One of the screens appeared in a special location near the Tree of Life. Sylphia was not cultivating at this moment, which allowed her to see the screen. Sylvia sat on her lap, and she hugged the spirit child from behind as they both watched.

The moment Sylvia saw Aldrian on the screen, her eyes sparkled, and a joyful expression appeared on her face. Her body moved with excitement, unable to stay still in Sylphia’s embrace.

"Majesty... Majesty." Sylvia said, her gaze never leaving the screen. Sylphia could only sigh in resignation at the spirit child’s happiness. This child was truly eager for everything related to Aldrian. She often asked about when Aldrian would return, speaking in her still-broken speech.

Although her real body, the Tree of Life, had already lived for eons, the spirit itself was still newly born, so she still needed time to adapt to her physical form. She was a quick learner, as she had already learned how to communicate, for example, by showing her intentions or expressing her feelings.

Still, Sylphia smiled as she watched the child’s joy. Knowing her history from Aldrian made her want to stay by the child’s side forever. She understood her eagerness and simply let her be. Her gaze returned to the screen.

Countless people across the world looked up at the sky and saw Aldrian’s figure. He was wearing his red and golden robe, and his handsome face caused countless women to blush despite the serious atmosphere. His blue eyes gave the illusion that they were gazing directly into the souls of all who watched.

Even through the screen, they could feel the charisma of the great emperor, and their souls felt drawn to him. They felt an urge to listen to every word that the emperor was about to say.

Behind Aldrian stood Baek Jimin to his right and Xin Haotian to his left. Angelica stood beside Baek Jimin.

After a few moments of silence, Aldrian finally opened his mouth.

"To all cultivators and ordinary mortals who see me now, thank you for your attention. I will be brief." His voice carried to every corner of the world.

"After this, we will depart for a war in which I cannot guarantee your safety. You may lose your lives there."

"You may lose your life in a war you could otherwise avoid. If you choose not to join, nothing will happen to you. This is not a mandatory war for you, but my situation is different. I must do this for personal reasons."

"To be honest, I did not expect the participation to be this great when I announced that I wanted to reclaim the fallen star cluster. But the moment I realized that so many wished to join and still gathered here, it made me understand that I had underestimated the spirit of cultivators who are willing to face danger and wage war against the devils in the fallen star cluster."

"I know you each have your reasons for joining me in this war, and those reasons aside, you have become the strength of this joint force against the devils. I thank you for that."

"Still, I must ask everyone here whether you truly wish to continue and join me in this war. If you think this is not worth it, then you may stay behind. I will not force you, and once again, this war is not necessary for you. This war is for my own reasons. I do not want you to feel regret once we arrive in the war zone."

Aldrian’s eyes swept as if he could see everyone who watched him. He knew that not all of those present had joined voluntarily, some had been dragged here by orders.

There were also powers who had come simply because others had come, they were following the tide, not truly excited for war. They did not want to appear different while many forces from other star systems sent troops to fight the devils. After all, that could be bad for their image in front of so many.

"We will not back down! We will follow Emperor Aldrian to war! Let those devils face their judgment! Give the devils hell! Let those devils meet their end! Give them hell! Give them hell! Give them hell!"

Suddenly the troops of the Aster Empire, drawn from various royal families, shouted in unison from their positions near the central region, where an interstellar vessel was already waiting to transport them.

Their voices resounded and could be heard everywhere, leaving those who heard them slightly stunned. However, one by one, the other troops from different powers joined in unison.

"Give them hell! Give them hell! Give them hell!"

Their unified roar made the very air tremble and ignited the fighting spirit of countless people across the world who heard it.

"Give them hell! Give them hell! Give them hell!"

Unconsciously, everyone had begun shouting. No one backed down. All of them displayed the spirit of war, ready to face whatever consequences awaited them.

Even those who had still been unsure, dragged into this by orders from their superiors, were moved by the atmosphere. Their spirits ignited, and they too shouted with all their strength.

The voices of tens of millions soon grew into hundreds of millions, and then into billions, as people across the world joined in.

"Yeay... yeay... yeay."

Sylvia, who saw Aldrian and heard the shouts, also cheered happily. Sylphia watched Aldrian with pride, though a trace of sadness lingered in her heart.

She could not follow him.

She had to care for Sylvia, and she knew that leaving the child alone would be dangerous, as her mind was still not fully developed.

With her lonely experience that spanned eons, Sylphia knew that if Sylvia were left alone again, no one could predict what she might do. The child possessed cultivation at peak pseudo immortal stage, and with such power, she could become a danger if left unchecked.

’Oh well, at least I have my cute Sylvia to keep me company,’ she thought, looking down at the smiling child on her lap. Her arms tightened gently around Sylvia as she turned her gaze back to Aldrian.

Aldrian could hear the voices echoing across the world and nodded to himself, truly satisfied with the people’s spirit. He then unsheathed his sword, the Sword of the End, and raised it high into the air.

"I hear all of your spirit and determination! Let’s give them hell!"

"UWOOO!" The roar of countless people made the space itself tremble as they saw Aldrian raise his sword. At this moment, there was no one whose spirit was not lifted. Even mortals felt the urge to join the army and march to war.

After hearing the endless shouts and battle cries, Aldrian finally sheathed his sword and shouted, "Depart!" before the screens disappeared. Yet the burning spirit remained as the troops began to enter their interstellar vessels, cheered on by the people watching them.

Once the screens faded from the sky, Aldrian turned to look at Baek Jimin, Xin Haotian, and Angelica, each ready to follow him into war. Then his gaze shifted toward his parents, and Eleine who stood watching him from not far away.

He showed them a warm smile as he approached. His mother was still in the early stage of pregnancy, so her belly had yet to swell. His father had his arm wrapped around her shoulder with affection, his expression filled with pride as he looked at him.

When Aldrian reached them, he took both of their hands.

"Father, Mother."

"Be careful, son. This is your first time traveling so far from our world. We don’t know what may be waiting for you out there," Aldrey said.

"If you find the situation too dangerous, you can retreat, son. Your life is what matters most," Irene added, her expression full of worry.

Aldrian nodded with a gentle smile. "I will, Father. Mother, you don’t have to worry. I’ll make sure to come back safely. Just stay calm and take care of my little sibling. All you need to do is wait for my return." He stroked both of their hands as he spoke.

Aldrey smiled and nodded. "Then go, and bring those devils hell."

"I will, Father," Aldrian replied firmly. Releasing their hands, he turned to Baek Jimin and the others.

"Let’s go."