The Devil’s Cage

Kieran was not a person that would compromise easily.

Even if he knew Broker’s men had entered [Blade of the Daybreaker] earlier than him and gained a huge advantage ahead, he didn’t think of giving up.

Every second that went by, he was thinking about how would he regain the advantage.

Now before him, he seemed to have noticed some hope!

Therefore, he didn’t mind trying.

As he glanced over at Walloon and the few Burning Dawn soldiers, Kieran emanated another white light in his hand, enveloping the few around him.

Unlike the tenacity of Dawn Force, [Holy Light] was more tender and it had the effect of slowly recovering HP.

The effect was obvious though.

Everyone that was bathed in [Holy Light] was more refreshed, energetic, and their tiredness faded away. Especially some of the small wounds they suffered during the last panicked situation, they were recovering with exponential speed that was visible to the naked eyes.

“Brilliance protection?!”

Walloon who fought side by side before with the Grand Duke of Dawn felt the familiar presence. When he saw the familiar scene before him, he almost broke down in tears.

He felt like he had returned to his youth where he could see the great figure in light before his eyes, just like what he saw before his eyes now… it was exactly the same!

“M-My lord!”

As he muttered out of instinct, Walloon quickly regained his senses. He stared at Kieran as no one understood what this meant more than him.

“My lord, please follow me back to base. They should know of this!”

“As the blazing flame shines, dawn has arrived! Burning Dawn needs the blazing flame to expel darkness, it needs the dawn that brings forth light and not some outrageous man!”

Walloon said in excitement.

The other Burning Dawn soldiers even knelt on one knee.

They expressed their resolution with their actions and just like what Walloon said, Burning Dawn needed the guidance of the Burning Family and the Dawn Family, not some general sent by the Imperials.

They wanted to charge forth amidst the blazing flame, fight dauntlessly under the guidance of light and not some panjandrum who only knew how to fight for power and wealth.

Burning Dawn, the biggest stationed militia around Supreme Road.

Its name originated from the ancestors of the Marquis of the Burning Family and the Grand Duke of Dawn Family.

Burning Dawn didn’t just open up Supreme Road, they also expelled countless robbers and bandits, built military outposts around, developed new living areas for the people and also took Golden City, which was originally an independent city, under their command.

The achievements of the two great figures were enough for the later generations to write two thick books about them.

On the other hand, the royal family of Saint Cyanda was nameless and unheard of.

People only knew of the Burning Marquis and the Grand Duke of Dawn.

The former was addressed as Lord and the latter was addressed as his Excellency by the people.

As for his Majesty? Not a lot knew about him.

Back then, Saint Cyanda V didn’t care about the name and was quite happy with his status. However, not all shared the same vision as the king, when the Saint Cyanda V passed away, Saint Cyanda VI ascended to the throne.

While the Burning Marquis and Grand Duke of Dawn were in their old age, the Saint Cyanda VI started his majestic plan.

He succeeded, causing the Burning Marquis and the Grand Duke of Dawn return to Dawn City.

He succeeded, causing the disappeared robbers and bandits to roam Supreme Road again.

He succeeded, causing Golden City to comply in appearance but oppose him at heart.

He succeeded, causing Burning Dawn to be filled with a filthy and foul atmosphere.

He succeeded and in the end, he was assassinated by an assassin from Golden City during a royal ball.

Then, Saint Cyanda VII took the throne yet he maintained caution and vigilance towards Burning Dawn like his predecessor.

The VII was kinder than the VI but he was not as generous and open-minded as the V, he was not willing to let Burning Dawn go out of control.

Then, the VII ordered an assault on Golden City.

Three times! Three assaults on Golden City ended up in failure and it took a severe toll on Burning Dawn. The branding of Burning and Dawn within the militia had started to vanish, at least it was how it looked like back then.

However, deep in their bones, as long as Burning Dawn continued to use the brands of Burning and Dawn, it would never vanish.

Every soldier that joined Burning Dawn asked about the meaning about Burning and Dawn and every veteran soldier would tell the newbies the greatness of Burning and Dawn.

Even if a hundred years had passed…

As long as the “soul” didn’t change, the “legacy” would prevail.

They were waiting quietly; they were protecting quietly.

They were waiting for the return of those who left, strongly believing that the glory they lost would shine on them again.

Now, the time had arrived.

Kieran glanced over Walloon and the few soldiers.

The result was much better than he expected.

Starting from that point, he could imagine what the atmosphere in Burning Dawn was after this.

Kieran never thought for the past hundred years, the roots of Burning Dawn didn’t vanish and the soldiers still remembered their vows and promise they had back in the day.

A hundred years, it was enough for seas to turn into mulberry fields and vice versa; it was enough for a human to live several lives even.

It was hard for him to imagine how these soldiers held it in for so long.

“Burning Dawn eh? The Burning Marquis and the Grand Duke of Dawn…”

Kieran muttered softly.

For the first time, he had the slightest of interest of the ancestor of his identity and the friend, but he didn’t make the soldiers wait.

“I was actually planning to pay a visit to the Burning Dawn base with you guys, I want to see what is it like but I think before that, we need to lay them to rest.”

Kieran pointed at the scattered bodies as he spoke.

Being tortured when alive, the soldiers weren’t laid to rest even after death.

They deserved at least a proper burial.

Gregori’s ability to control earth and rocks was perfect for a mass burial.

The ground was moved slightly before pits appeared one after another, allowing the others to lay the bodies inside neatly.

However, a lot of the soldiers were dismembered, all they could do was try their best in patching the dead up.

Kieran carefully placed the broken limbs beside their respective bodies one after another before he tidied up the dead for burial.

His actions were conscientious and meticulous, there wasn’t the slightest disgust on his face.

It wasn’t just for show though, Kieran really thought the native soldiers who were stationed on Supreme Road when they were alive helped the commoners in defending against robbers and bandits, they should be well respected even after they died.

What was real and unreal, it was hard for one to tell apart yet the roots were different altogether.

Walloon and the soldiers saw Kieran’s manner and actions, their respect from their eyes got heavier.

Even the female hunter, Evie Dan looked at Kieran in a different way but promptly, she felt something was stinging her back.

She turned around and noticed that Sharly was glaring at her.

Evie Dan frowned without giving much thought to the werewolf lady.

Given the relationship, both of them had no need to converse whatsoever.

If they really did converse somehow, it would be with swords and claws, not words.

“I said it, I have my eyes on you! And… stay away from 2567, you ****!” Sharly said.

The last part of her sentence was mixed with some tribal slang but even without asking, Evie Dan knew it wasn’t a pleasant word.

Evie Dan wanted to refute sarcastically but before the words escaped her mouth, a thought came to her mind and she showed a smile instead.

“Stay away from 2567? Why the hell should I listen to you?”