The Capital of The Ascension Empire was just as gorgeous as one might imagine. Even if you spent your whole life dreaming, building up a fanciful image of what it might be like, you would still find yourself stunned beyond compare.
The Capital of Earth was like a blooming flower. Its lowest layer spread out like the petals of a lily, intricate lines drawing the roads and residences where there would have been the veins of a flower.
The second layer of The Capital of Earth shot upward like the trunk of an ancient tree. Its branches and foliage formed the quarters of the wealthy and noble. It rose into the skies taller than any mountain to ever exist on Earth, reaching heights never before seen.
The final layer of The Capital of Earth was like the canopy of this ancient tree. Even from down below, one could see the brilliant precious metals and gems that reflected the sunlight. But, compared to the astounding wealth, the nature captured the heart and refused to let go.
The sparkling waters of falls sprayed into the air, leaving a perpetual rainbow hanging over The Capital. Lush greenery perfectly melded into the high-tech society, making one feel refreshed with every breath. Stars twinkled in its sky, balls of lights hovering about seemingly without aim that made the city seem more like a fantasy land than a true place.
And, in the center of it all, there was the Palace. No matter where you stood in The Capital, it was possible to see this magnificent building. It loomed over top like a protector, existing above all.
It had the rounded edges of Ancient Indian architecture, the Feng Shui of Ancient Chinese botany, the grandeur of Ancient American skyscrapers, the innovation of Ancient Middle Eastern vision. It existed on a plane of its own and was the symbol of the Fawkes Royal family.
However, at this moment, a Capital that had even taken the citizens of a Fourth Dimensional world like Terrain aback, was under siege from all sides.
Of course, it had been like this for a long time already. However, those who surrounded the base of the capital, trying to gain a foothold on its large, curling petals, had never been able to make much progress at all.
Though The Capital was a gorgeous site to behold, it was also an impenetrable fortress the size of an entire Province.
The beautifully formed flower petals at the base of The Capital, each larger than the size of a main city, gave the people of Earth a perpetual higher ground advantage. By the time one got to the 'tree trunk' of the second layer, one would have already exhausted much of their resources, only to have to fight another uphill battle.
As though this wasn't bad enough, the canopy and the highest third layer was yet another challenge to behold. Without certain strategic points, the only choice to reach the highest layer would be to fly or climb. If one chose flight, you would be asking for death. And… If one chose climbing, you would be asking for death.
The entire Capital was practically a death trap… Or, rather, that's what it began as.
The tides of the battle began to shift. For some unknown reason, the citizens of Earth began to feel sluggish and their abilities became less receptive to their calls. In fact, if it wasn't for the terrain advantage, the people of Earth would have been bulldozed over already.
On a battlefield on a northern petal, Noah's expression changed.
He pulled Jessica back from the blade of a soldier of Terrain, his leg extending and blowing the soldier back.
"What is wrong with you?"
Noah frowned. He held onto Jessica's slender arm and spun her toward himself. But, even then, she seemed to react slowly.
Jessica raised a hand to her forehead.
"I… I don't know… I don't feel too good…"
Noah looked around him, shocked by what was happening. He thought it was just Jessica at first, but soon the number grew. From Nile to Nika to even the members of the Dove family entourage, everyone's combat prowess seemed to plummet.
There were a few that were doing better, but Noah couldn't tell why. As for those completely unaffected, there was only him and Tyrron who didn't seem to experience any issues.
Noah's expression changed. "Watch out!"
Nile's parry was too slow. He was used to relying on his ability to hold down his enemies, but for some reason, he found it impossible to do so now. No, it wasn't that it was impossible, but rather that there seemed to be a disconnect between him and his ability, almost as though he was no longer as familiar with it as he used to be.
His spear missed the mark and a sword suddenly ran through his shoulder, slicing through his ribs and lungs before plunging toward his heart.
Nile coughed up a mouthful of blood, his control over his spear faltered, causing it to slip from his grip and clang to the ground.
"Dammit!"
Noah's fury rose, his body increasing a size as he punched the responsible soldier into a meat paste.
The youth troops stood around Nile, watching his life drift away. Was he really dying?
Despite all the dangerous situations they had been in, the youth troops had never lost a single member. Not once. Their talent was too great, and even when they ran into trouble, they always managed to find a way out of it.
The closest any of them had ever come to death was when Nile faced Leonel. But, even then, they had been facing one of their own. Leonel was one of them…
This was the first time their lives had ever been on the line against a person of Terrain.
"Retreat!" Nile roared. "I said: RETREAT!"
**
All across Earth, repeats of these matters seemed to wind on like the re-run of a sick movie.
Earth had less people, but they made it up with their talent. Earth had weaker foundations, but they made it up with their talent. Earth was just a fledgling world… but they made it up with their talent.
What would they do, then… If that talent disappeared?