The battlefield erupted once more as both sides clashed brutally.

Not far away, Sally stood atop a broken stone structure while calmly chanting spells under her breath, and several glowing magic circles appeared around her before dozens of fire spears shot toward the enemy lines.

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

The fire spears rained down continuously and exploded among the Beastmen ranks while flames spread violently across the battlefield.

"AAARGHH!"

"Water mages! Stop the fire!"

Panic spread briefly among the enemy forces as soldiers desperately tried to extinguish the flames consuming their frontlines.

Meanwhile, Christina remained near the rear formation while directing troop movements calmly, and although she was not directly fighting at the front, her commands continuously stabilized the battlefield.

"Move the injured back first."

"Third squad, hold the right flank."

"Archers prepare another volley."

Her voice remained composed despite the surrounding chaos, and every order she gave was quick and precise.

The Blanks’ children had already spent nearly two years fighting across different battlefields, and the innocence they once carried had long faded because war forced people to mature quickly.

Very quickly.

Not far away, several soldiers looked toward the battlefield with shocked expressions while watching the children fight.

"Damn! From where the hell did these kids even come from?" one soldier muttered.

"They haven’t even reached thirty yet, and the oldest one is already at Emperor rank," another replied while gritting his teeth in disbelief.

"Emperor? Fuck that... there is even a kid who reached Master rank at seventeen. I mean... is this some kind of joke?"

"Hiss..."

Several soldiers inhaled sharply while looking toward the battlefield in awe.

The Children of Demons.

That was the title many people on the battlefield had started calling them secretly.

Not because they were evil...

But because their talent and growth were simply too monstrous.

At another side of the battlefield, one of the younger Blanks sons narrowly avoided a massive axe strike before gritting his teeth and activating the amulet Ethan had given him.

FLASH!

A glowing shield instantly appeared around him just as another Beastman slammed downward heavily.

BOOOOM!

The impact shook the surrounding ground violently, but the shield held firmly without breaking.

The young man’s face turned pale immediately.

"...Damn it," he muttered while breathing heavily.

If not for the amulet...

That strike would have crushed him instantly.

At that moment, Ethan’s words echoed clearly inside his mind.

"Surviving is of utmost importance."

"Know when to retreat and when to advance."

The young man clenched his jaw tightly before immediately retreating backward instead of charging recklessly again.

Not far away, another Blanks child helped drag an injured soldier away from the battlefield while arrows continuously flew overhead.

"Move quickly!"

"I know!" the injured soldier shouted painfully while clutching his bleeding shoulder.

Even amidst the brutal war, the children still remembered Ethan’s teachings carefully.

Do not fight foolishly.

Do not throw your lives away for pride.

Survive first.

Everything else comes later.

Because of that mindset, the Blank’s children had gradually earned a strange reputation among nearby troops.They fought fiercely whenever necessary.But they never fought recklessly.

And more importantly all of them managed to survive in this gruesome war.

Inside one military camp later that evening, several exhausted soldiers quietly discussed them while resting around a dim fire.

"The Blanks’ children are monsters."

"No kidding. Did you see Arnold cut down that Beastman commander earlier?"

"And that mage girl... her fire magic was insane."

A wounded soldier sitting nearby laughed tiredly while wrapping bandages around his arm.

"The most ridiculous part is they barely panic."

Another soldier nodded immediately.

"They really deserve to be called Ethan Blanks’ children."

Meanwhile, inside a command tent nearby, Arnold sat quietly while cleaning the blood from his sword.

Sally leaned against one side while slowly drinking water, and Christina carefully checked battle reports spread across the table.

Although all of them looked calm outwardly, exhaustion was still visible on their faces.

After several moments of silence, Sally suddenly spoke softly.

"Do you think father is doing alright?"

Arnold paused briefly before nodding slowly.

"He is father," he replied simply.

"He will be fine."

Christina lowered her eyes slightly toward the reports in front of her.

"I just want this war to end already," she said quietly.

The tent slowly fell silent after that.

Outside, the sounds of the battlefield still echoed faintly in the distance while smoke continued rising beneath the dark sky.

And above them all the war still showed no signs of stopping anytime soon.

...

After several days of travel, Ethan finally arrived near the capital of Arcadia, and the moment the massive city appeared in the distance, even he could not help but narrow his eyes slightly while observing it carefully.

The capital was enormous.

Gigantic walls stretched endlessly across the horizon while towering defensive structures stood firmly above them, and countless magical formations faintly glowed faintly across the surface of the walls like hidden stars.

Even from far away, Ethan could feel the heavy pressure lingering around the city.

This was the true center of Arcadia and the very heart of the Empire.

"Have you ever come here?" Ethan asked while turning toward Rathlos.

Rathlos folded his arms and fell into deep thought for a moment before answering.

"I have, and it was not a pleasant visit," he replied.

Ethan raised his brows slightly.

"Why? What happened?" he asked.

The moment the question came out, Ethan saw Rathlos’ face crunch deeply while a strange look flashed across his eyes.

"Nothing..." Rathlos muttered before letting out a breath.

"I was chased by a guy who wanted to tame me, and I had to hide away."

A trace of hatred flashed in Rathlos’ eyes while speaking, and Ethan immediately noticed it.

"Haha... it’s okay," Ethan said while trying to ease the mood slightly.

"You can take revenge on that person’s descendant."

Rathlos immediately shook his head.

"I can’t," he replied.

Ethan frowned slightly.

"Why?"

Rathlos looked ahead toward the distant Imperial Palace before speaking in a strange tone.

"Because he is the father of the current Emperor."

"..."