The Golem Mage

746: Commander 1.

746: Commander 1.

Morning arrived once again, and this time, Estonia City seemed to have found a moment of peace.

As the ordinary residents had settled in, gradually moving past the horrors of the last Blood Moon War, however, while the common folk might have forgotten how close they had come to annihilation, the same couldn’t be said for the clans that had fought in the battle, or those preparing for the next one that is to come.

For the families who had stood on the front lines in the previous war, the wounds of war were still fresh.

Many clans continued to grieve the loss of their members and descendants, their numbers so depleted that some of the newly integrated clans were now considering returning to their former cities, which were in the process of being rebuilt.

Despite having faced powerful enemies at their respective space gates before, none of their past battles had cost them as much as this one.

The sheer loss from facing such superior zombies had left them fearing that their clan’s power would dwindle so much they would be demoted to a low-rank status.

Yet, despite their doubts, thoughts of leaving were just fleeting considerations, the city lord had personally gone out of his way to provide generous compensation to each of them, allowing them to use their war merits to exchange for valuable resources that could help these clans rebuild their strength.

Many saw this as an opportunity to restore their former power, if not surpass it.

However, deep down, they also knew that if the tides of war turned against Estonia City, they wouldn’t hesitate to flee, they held no deep loyalty to the city and had made no significant investments here; so there was no reason to die alongside it.

In fact, the very fact that they had abandoned their previous cities, despite the heavy investments they had made there, sent a clear message to the city lord, that these were not the kind of clans he could rely on.

And that was why he was now making every effort to mend relations with the Gordons Clan.

It was also why he had been personally visiting the homes of the top clans who had fought in previous Blood Moon Wars, pleading with them to make an exception and return to the battlefield, even though their well-earned respite from war was far from over.

–

While all of this was happening, a major change was about to take place within the Gordons Clan.

As all the mages set to participate in the upcoming Blood Moon War under the Gordons Clan banner had been summoned to the back mountain behind the clan.

Since the Gordons Clan was built around the mountain forest, that entire area had unofficially become their territory.

Now, dozens of mages made their way through the forest toward a massive clearing, responding to the Grand Elder’s urgent summons.

“Are you sure you want to handle this on your own?

You know we could stay to clarify things if necessary,” the Grand Elder said, his gaze fixed on Alec, who sat cross-legged atop a large rock.

Beside him stood the clan patriarch, silent but visibly sharing his brother’s concerns.

He didn’t like the idea of leaving Alec alone to address the gathered mages, especially those of higher realm than him without any elder present to back him up.

While Alec’s personal group was here, the Grand Elder still felt it wasn’t enough, leading mages stronger than himself would be no easy feat, and without proper authority, it could lead to unnecessary conflict.

“You two worry too much,” Alec scoffed.

“What exactly are you afraid of?

Based on your report, you’re only sending out five Tier 6 mages, all of which have become enforcers who protect the clan despite being of pure blood.

Even then, you’ve all but given up hope that they’ll ever reach the High Ranks again, thinking they’ve passed their prime and lost their potential.”

Alec’s eyes gleamed with confidence as he continued,

“The strongest among them is only in the mid-Tier 6 realm, do you really think I need help dealing with them?”

His expression darkened slightly.

“I need to beat them and show them who’s in charge, cause if they don’t naturally fall under my command because they assume I only got this position through family connections rather than my own power, it’ll be a disaster when the real battle begins.”

He met their gazes with unwavering determination.

“A force I can’t control properly is more of a liability than an asset.

Do you understand what I’m trying to say now?”

“Come on, let’s go.

The kid has a point,” the Patriarch said, placing a hand on his brother’s shoulder while still locked in a silent stare with Alec.

“We can’t shield him from this.

If he really wants to take control of all six Tiers, he has to prove that he’s the right man for the job, before we even step in to inform them of our decision.”

The Grand Elder let out a heavy sigh before finally nodding.

“Phew… alright then.

I wish you good luck.”

Without another word, the ground beneath them caved in as if swallowing them whole.

In the next instant, both the Patriarch and the Grand Elder had vanished, leaving no trace behind, the earth beneath them was now smoother than before, as if they had never stood there at all.

That was the level of mastery the Patriarch had over his Earth Escape spell, as long as he wanted to retreat underground, he was untouchable within the High Rank realm, only a peak Tier 9 Mage or a Monarch Realm expert could hope to counter his skill.

Meanwhile, the first wave of mages climbing up the mountain finally reached their destination, however, instead of being the first ones there, they were surprised to find a group already waiting.

“I see you all came early, huh?” a man called out, waving casually.

But only Agnes waved back, while the rest of the team simply looked exhausted.

Initially, it was just Arthur playing up his fatigue, but after seeing how easily Alec let him off, the others shamelessly followed suit, acting just as worn out in hopes of avoiding whatever task Alec had in mind for them all.

“Stick to the flags and stand near the one labelled with your current cultivation realm,” Alec instructed.

Most of the group followed his order without hesitation, not putting much thought into it.

However, one man raised an eyebrow, clearly irritated by being given orders by someone who is not even an elder, he hesitated for a moment before finally speaking up.

“And what makes you think you have the right to command me?, you’re just a Tier 5 Mage like me, even if you’re good at fighting, you can’t possibly be our Tier leader, there are plenty of peak Tier 5 mages in our team just like me that are liable for that position.” The mage scoffed.

Alec let out a small chuckle before finally rising to his feet atop the rock, his hands clasped behind his back, his gaze swept over the mages that were still gathering with quiet authority.

“Who am I, you ask?” he said, his voice calm yet firm.

“I am the commander of every mage that is going to be assembled here today.”