Dean hadn’t spoken much to Harry since then.
He’d simply handed him a piece of paper with the castle’s address written on it, then given him Liam’s number and told him to say that Decanus had asked him to call.
After a two-hour wait, the angels began to emerge one by one from the tents they’d entered.
The changes in their energy were truly incredible.
Each of them now looked brighter and more beautiful. It had become possible to understand where the angels had obtained this beauty and radiance.
Whatever the case.
The angels had quickly gathered the people in the group.
Dean was the first to ask:
"The others have been assigned tasks by the system; it’s clear what they need to do. But what about me?"
As soon as he asked this question, the leader of the angels said, "It’s clear that the system you mentioned has given you a survival mission. I think you’ve managed that well so far. However, since the mission isn’t complete, there must be something you’ve overlooked."
"Is that so? What could it be, then?" Dean asked.
"Perhaps you need to escape this area entirely, young Master Decanus," the angel replied.
When Dean heard these words, he shook his head.
What the angel had said... made perfect sense.
If Dean still hadn’t completed his mission, if, despite coming here and spending so much time in a safe environment, everything still wasn’t over, then he might need to set off again and leave this area entirely.
"How are we going to do that?" Dean had asked.
"The energy within our bodies will not diminish even after charging this barrier with a full two weeks’ worth of energy. Once this energy transfer is complete, you must come with the other angels and me. We will take you north, to that place where fighting has been directly forbidden by the Chaos-Born themselves."
Dean smiled at the angel’s reply.
"They banned something?" he asked.
"Yes, young master. As the war lies directly at the very edge of Aether’s outermost boundary, non-combat zones have been established in this region that encircles the realm like a ring. These are areas where lesser gods and goddesses who do not wish to fight can live and develop naturally. If we take you there, you’ll be safe... and if we take you there, we can return here with more allies to protect this place."
After all these words, Dean glanced around at those nearby in his usual manner, then turned to the leader of the angels and asked, "Right then, what’s the plan?"
The group, or rather, the group comprising the angels and Dean, would be discussing matters for nearly four hours.
The attacks coming from beyond the barrier and from a distance were almost deafening.
Many angels were venturing out and occasionally attempting to wound the enemy angels.
Although they weren’t killing them, it was becoming possible to drive them away from the barrier by inflicting serious injuries.
Meanwhile, Dean had managed to get to grips with the plan.
It was the first time he’d ever seen a map... physically, that is.
It was a huge map showing the circles of Aether.
When Dean examined the map carefully, he learnt that the Chaos-Born themselves lived in that core region at the very centre of Aether, and he’d seen exactly 112 circles radiating outwards from that core region.
He, however, was currently right in the middle of a battlefield that lay even beyond the 112th circle.
It would take just under four days to reach the inner layers of the circle, the conflict-free zones.
Nevertheless, the fact that the fighting was currently at a very serious and intense stage suggested to them that this journey might take as long as six days.
Dean and the group would begin their journey into the inner layer from the western side of the barrier, following the high trails.
Although these areas were high up, they were, as their name suggested, places where it was easy to hide due to the abundance of hiding places.
The end of the trail would reveal a slope, and once they had descended this slope, all they had to do was make their way through various ravines and ruins over the course of several days to reach the inner layer.
This journey was not easy, yet at the same time it was incredibly straightforward.
All they had to do was keep moving forward. That was what would make the journey arduous.
Angels never tire, and most do not sleep unless they choose to.
This was not the case for Dean.
He could sustain himself with his Mana and Holy Power; he had learnt this through the angels explaining their plans to him and giving him clues.
Even so, his energy would eventually run out.
He was not like the angels.
He couldn’t draw energy from his own body.
Even when he’d asked the angels how to do this, he’d learnt that it was something unique to angels, something only holy beings could do.
This meant he would need to rest.
It was a little... frightening.
Dean could very well die on this journey.
But what else could he do? Apart from pressing on, of course?
The plan had been swiftly communicated to everyone, and everything was now in place.
After Dean had said goodbye to Harry, they’d waited for the area, at least the two-to two-and-a-half-kilometre radius around the barrier, to clear out a little.
Presumably due to the barrier’s strengthening, the attacks directed at this spot had ceased almost entirely within a short time.
This served as a warning to the others to spring into action.
The angels had leapt straight over the barrier, just as Dean and Percival beside him had done.
The plan really did have only one chance of success, and they had to seize it and act swiftly.
So Dean, Percival and the nearly ten angels standing beside them began to run straight away. They had reached that broad, gap-filled path above.
From here on, it would be a matter of reaching the slope itself, and from there, running towards the main area.
Dean was already out of breath.
Although he had gained energy, he was still a person with a human body; the limits of what he could do were what were putting him under strain.
Still, at least for the moment, it was possible to press on without any danger.
Of course, this situation wouldn’t last very long.
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