Global Awakening: Apocalypse Ender's Chronicle

552  Tribute

The explosion created by the huge ball of fire shook the ground… Then, the heatwave that followed burned the vampires who were nearby.

Their regeneration was useless against the fire that Otto had created.

Just like that, the tide of the enemy army had turned into their graveyard.

And yet, it didn't end there.

Shane wanted to see if Zephyrion could also do something about the dead or dying Vampires. Since Sol could use their souls to turn them into ghosts, he believed that a Necromancer at Zephyrion's level should also be able to do something about it.

As expected, the vampires who were about to turn into dust suddenly stayed still and were soon covered by darkness. @@novelbin@@

It was something unnatural.

Instead of vanishing into nothingness, their souls were pulled from their corpses.

Spectral figures soon emerged. They were quite different from the Ghosts or Wraiths…

They have turned into phantom-like creatures instead.

"Ohhh… What are those Zephyr?" Shane asked.

"They're called Phantom Warriors, Clan Leader." Zephyrion answered.

As the Phantom Warriors emerged, they suddenly looked at Zephyrion's location and waited for his command. His army had just gotten stronger with their appearance!

In the meantime, far in the distance, hidden beyond the treeline, Statham just watched it calmly like it was not his problem.

"He's not going to attack, huh…" Shane thought as he could tell that Statham was actually strong enough to really cause some problems.

However, the Vampire was too cautious and didn't want to commit just yet.

Of course, Statham's presence was unknown to others as they couldn't see or notice his presence from such a distance.

It was only Shane who didn't need to see him to know he was there. With his high Perception, he could feel the Vampire Lord's gaze on the battlefield.

Nonetheless, at this time, Statham had already gotten what he came for—a glimpse of the Eclipse Domain's true power.

"You're just scouting, huh…" Shane softly muttered as he turned away. "He was simply gathering information. This was just a warning."

Lysandra chuckled. "Do you think he'll still come back?"

Shane's smirk deepened. "Oh, he will. But next time, he won't be testing us."

He looked toward the distant darkness, where Statham's presence was lurking…

"Next time, he'll be running." Shane said as he returned to his room to enjoy some nice drinks that Bart brought to him.

***

On the next day, the Eclipse Domain was as busy as ever.

The morning still came with the faint aroma of cooked meals, freshly baked bread, and in some lingering scent of alcohol from the communal dining area.

The previous night's battle had left no scars on the fortress; instead, the people seemed to be a lot happier.

Nonetheless, Shane could understand them since they had claimed their first defense victory over Statham's vampire army. It was definitely an incredible feat and everyone felt relieved as soon as they realized how safe this place was.

At this time, Edwin, the butler, strolled through the streets of Eclipse Domain. It was his daily task to take note of the changes or things that needed to be changed within the shelter.

Indeed… He would always walk around to find any areas that might require help. There were times that he could fix it himself but most of the time, he would have to consult with Lysandra or Shane.

With his hands clasped behind his back, he observed everything calmly, ensuring the daily operations ran smoothly.

In any case, it seemed that he also had some sort of cleanliness Survivor Skill since his uniform remained spotless, even as he walked past workers carrying lumber and stone to expand the settlement.

Near the central plaza or gathering area, he noticed a few of the newly arrived people... They had come from other Shelters owned by Shane.

What was even more interesting was the fact that many of the merchants who had been visiting the Springriver Manor had also been given a chance to use their Portal just by paying a small fee and as long as they would always conduct transactions to their shelters first.

It was a win-win situation for both Shane and the merchants.

"There are already five merchants…" Edwin muttered after seeing some merchants seeking trade… Of course, this doesn't include the other three stalls selling Silver Items, Spirit Stones, and other materials like talismans, tokens, and other stuff. These three stores were, of course, fully owned by Shane or the Eclipse Revenant Clan.

Aside from these traders, there were also others who had come from Springriver or Silver Camp just to visit this place and one of them was Bartholomew.

He just learned yesterday that he was a brewmaster from Springriver Manor. He had actually brought barrels of finely aged alcohol with him as a gift for everyone who had pioneered this Shelter.

"A fine morning to you, Edwin!" Bartholomew called with a grin.

It was quite early in the morning but Bart already smelled of alcohol. It was definitely not a good practice but since he wasn't a fighter and also just a visitor, Edwin decided not to bother with it. He believed that Bart would leave tomorrow or after the next day anyway.

Edwin then smiled as he recalled his conversation with him yesterday "Master Bartholomew… About the agreement we made yesterday."

"Of course, of course! There's already a portal so I'll be sending them every other week. Just make sure to return the bottles without any damage. I'll also have a few extras for Shane that doesn't need any payment."

Edwin nodded approvingly.

After all, the drinks he could make were not free. Everyone would still pay with Zombie Cores except for the Clan Leader. It was only when there was a celebration that Shane would pay for everything that they could drink for free.

After saying his goodbye, Edwin continued on his way.

His next stop was the training ground, where Captain Flint was putting fifteen recruits through their morning practice…

Captain Flint was a former town guard so he knew what needed to be done to shape up these recruits who couldn't be placed in the kitchen, farm, or forge…

Just last night, these 15 new recruits were actually so scared to even stand on the walls. They were very nervous that the Vampires might reach them and the barriers would fail them.

Because of that, Captain Flint knew that he had to make these people tougher or it would cause problems soon. Although they were loyal to the shelter and Shane, it was simply not enough to be able to defend this place.

"Straighten up! Again!"

Even from afar, Edwin could hear Flint's shout instructions.

 Well, it wasn't really easy to teach them since the recruits needed to learn both firearms and melee combat.

"Again! Keep your stance firm when firing. Control your breath. A shaky hand is a dead hand!" Flint's voice carried across the field as gunshots rang out. Soon, bullets struck the targets lined up at the far end.

Nearby, a separate group sparred with swords under Flint's watchful eye. After seeing that the others were firing steadily, he turned to them.

"You're not swinging an axe! You're wielding a blade! Precision over power!"

Edwin watched for a moment and he was satisfied with their progress, before continuing toward the forge.

Inside, Borek seemed to be working already. His muscular body was already drenched in sweat as he hammered a molten metal into shape.

Soon, Borek stopped as he sensed someone's presence.

"Ah, Edwin!" Borek greeted without looking up. "Came to admire my handiwork?"

"Your craftsmanship never fails to impress, Master Borek," Edwin replied. "I assume these will be distributed among our fighters or is this going to be for sale?"

Borek grinned. "No… Not this… I'm working on something special for Shane. Something he had requested and it'll take a lot of my time. For now, Renz is the one handling the normal stuff. He already confused the Titan Serum, so his creations had already reached a higher level."

"Ahh… I heard about his request for that. So Sir Shane had actually accepted the request." Edwin said with a nod before stepping out of the forge.

He then looked at their small orchard and confirmed that everything seemed fine. However, before he could finish his daily walk, he noticed something different.

As he made his way back to the main building, he spotted Victor Mors standing near the garden. The eccentric sculptor was chiseling away at a new project…

"Ah… Isn't that…" Edwin paused as he looked at the sculpture made of stone.

It had a strikingly detailed figure of Shane himself!

Even if it was unfinished, the likeness was unmistakable

Edwin raised an eyebrow as he wasn't sure if Shane had agreed to this. "A bold choice, Master Victor."

Victor grinned as he turned to the butler. "The people need a symbol, Edwin. And who better than the one who leads them?"

"That's true…" Edwin said as he glanced at the nearly completed sculpture. "But do ensure it remains a tribute, not an idol. Shane would prefer it that way."

Victor chuckled. "Oh, of course."