After sending the seriously injured Wanderers to the ships waiting in the West Sea of the Continent, Thirteen and his allies headed toward southeast, where the Planar Mountain Range was located.
He had also asked the Wanderers to send a message to Renz Elrod, the main strategist of the Alliance.
Thirteen would not be able to defeat Prince Aurelion’s army without the support of the Wanderers.
Knowing this, he asked them to provide cover fire or send their elite fighters to the Planar Mountain Range for a grand showdown with the Jinn Alliance.
The inevitable all-out war everyone initially tried to avoid had finally come.
Since the technology of the Wanderers was not working in the Cygni Continent, most of their weapons, including the guided missiles, were useless.
Even Nautilus’ main cannons couldn’t be used in fear of friendly fire.
The only thing left to do was to fight the way Wanderers did in Solterra.
They had to rely on their skills, items, avatars, and battle experience for this final struggle for survival.
After getting Zia’s message, the leaders of humanity convened and unanimously voted to send everyone who were capable of fighting to the Planar Mountain Range.
Arthur and the rest of the Leventis Family’s fighters left as soon as the meeting ended in order to reinforce Zion’s army.
The Central Government had also mobilized all of their warships and ordered them to go as near the continent as possible.
These warships would provide fire support if the Wanderers needed to flee back to their Naval Base.
"This sucks," Douglas Griffin said as he sat at the back of his flying mount, which was none other than a Gryphon.
Trevor Remington, Wendell Elrod, and Lawrence smiled faintly, understanding what the Monarch was talking about.
The Thrones of the Prestigious Families were already waiting for their order to advance and head to the continent in order to meet up with Zion’s forces in the Planar Mountain Range.
The Ashford Clan and the Stallard Clans, who were desperate to gain some achievements in battle, all had solemn expressions on their faces.
After losing their Monarchs, they had fallen from grace and were no longer dared to act arrogant, unlike before when they didn’t even conceal their disdain for the other families, relying on the fact that they had a Monarch as their backer.
"There might be some of us who will not be able to survive this war," Lawrence said calmly. "I’m sure that all of us don’t want to risk our lives, fighting monsters stronger than us.
"In fact, even now, I know that people will prioritize saving themselves when faced with a strong opponent. There is nothing wrong with that. But if we lose this war, only Sirius and Aldebaran will be left.
"It might take a decade or a century before another genocide gate appear. But when it does, humanity will be one step away from complete annihilation.
"Of course, I’m sure the Jinns will not kill all the humans. But their lives will be worse than slaves. They will create human farms for consumption and use the brightest minds of humanity to create weapons of destruction for their cause."
Lawrence paused for a bit before raising his hand to summon his Dragon Avatar.
"I’d rather die than see humanity in that state," Lawrence stated. "The most this old bones can do is protect the younger generation, who will carry the torch that I will pass on."
"Can you stop being a sentimental old man?" Douglas scoffed. "If you want to die, just die quietly. We don’t need your pep talk."
Trevor and Wendell chuckled.
The other Thrones couldn’t help but smile as well.
Lawrence wasn’t offended by Douglas’ remark. In fact, the Grand Marshal of the Central Government smiled faintly.
"We will go there and show those bastards the power of humanity," Douglas declared. "Damn... if I had known that this would happen, I would have engaged my great, great, great granddaughter to Zion. If their child could inherit half his brain, I would die happy knowing that the Griffin Clan would outlive everyone else."
Lawrence laughed out loud after hearing Douglas lamentation. After all, the Monarch who just spoke had yet to know that Zion and Shana were already secretly engaged.
Even Tristan was smirking. While Douglas was still trying to play matchmaker, Zion and Shana’s engagement was already a done deal.
Of course, if the Saintess’ grandfather and father knew that Zion had already scored several home runs with Shana, they would have probably smacked Arthur’s no-good grandson for doing the deed before marrying Shana!
"Let’s go," Douglas declared as he patted the back of his Gryphon, which had already spread its wings in preparation to fly. "Destiny awaits."
The Gryphon screeched loudly before flying to the sky.
Soon, more flying Avatars rose from the warships that had lined up in preparation for this battle.
The sound of horns reverberated in the surroundings as each faction flew in battle formation, with the Monarchs at the lead and the Thrones right behind them.
Renz sat on the back of his giant eagle, looking at the lands before him with determination.
’This might be the final battle of humanity,’ Renz thought. ’What a good day to be alive.’
The strategist then remembered the image of the teenage boy who had shown him things that he didn’t know existed.
Since that day, Renz’s goal was to stand on the same peak as Zion Leventis.
A teenage boy who had managed to create miracle after miracle.
’Zion my boy, work your magic once more,’ Renz mused. ’It has been a while since I felt so alive.’
As the countless Wanderers set off toward the battlefield, those who were left behind saluted them from the warships.
"I’ll fight for your share, Shana," Erica hugged her friend and sister, who loved the same person she did. "Don’t feel bad, okay? The battle you will fight here is just as important as standing on the battlefield."
"I know," Shana replied, a little sad that she could not go with them in battle. "Please be careful, Erica. Don’t be too reckless. Don’t go too deep behind enemy lines."
"I won’t," Erica promised before moving closer to whisper something in Shana’s ear. "I still want to give birth to Zion’s baby, so don’t worry about me."
Roland, Derek, Mildred, Diana, and Joshua all summoned their Flying Avatars.
Char and Clark were going to travel alongside them as well.
They were part of the Apoc Rangers, and only when they were together would they be able to unleash its full powers.
"Ride for honor!" Roland shouted. "Ride for glory!"
A cheer broke out among the young generation of Wanderers, who would be following behind the Hero Party.
The adults would take the lead, and the younger ones would follow suit.
The Monarchs and the Thrones had no intention of using the younger generation as cannon fodders in this war, for their future selves would decide the fate of their world.
As Roland took the lead and the Hero Party took to the skies, the rest of the Wanderers followed without hesitation.
Shana watched them go, clutching her staff firmly, as if in a prayer.
Perhaps she was indeed praying, for her lips moved as if she was saying something.
She watched as the Wanderers disappeared over the horizon, knowing that many of them would not be able to return alive from this war.
But humanity had already cast the die.
And soon, their war cries would spread in the battlefield, and their fleeting lives would paint the starry skies with shooting stars that would fall like rain.