Stand of Saeward

## Summary

The Stand of Saeward is a red-zone in the Perennial Vastness that replayed an attempt by the Monarch Saeward to advance through unorthodox means. It continually replays a scenario of a fight between Hero Spirits and regenerating D-Grade puppets.

Kruta the Second invited Zac on an adventure to the Stand in **Chapter 1020** and which lasted from **Chapters** **1024-1,039**, during which Valsa Panur ambushed Zac in an attempt to steal his Flamerbearer Seal.

## Description

* Red Zone. Restricted Battlefield. **Chapter 1,020**
* This wasn't the unadulterated anger, bloodlust, and irreconciliation that had poisoned the Bloodwind Planet. Those feelings were all there, but they were subordinate to the blazing sun of an endless fighting spirit. **Chapter 1,025**
* The Stand of Saeward seemed to have occurred on a meteor soaring through space. It was shrouded by a perpetual night sky, though it wasn't actually that dark. Nebulas and radiant stars drenched the world in ethereal light, creating an ambiance that belied the dangers of this zone. **Chapter 1,025**
* The land wasn't the sparse rock you'd expect from a world hurtling through space. Neither was it quite what you'd expect from a still semi-active battlefield. Blue knee-high grass covered the ground, and bushes and small trees weren't an uncommon sight. **Chapter 1,025**
* Eventually, they reached the edge of the grassy plains, where a xeric tundra replaced it. **Chapter 1,026**
	+ "This is the entrance to the real battlefield," Kruta commented as he pointed at a 20-man Hero Soul squad flying in the distance. **Chapter 1,026**
* The Edge wasn't an actual cliff but a vast river that could be considered one end of the Stand. The river itself was made from liquid metal and contained shocking amounts of deadly eruptions of the Dao of Conflict. There were even dangerous beasts hiding in the depths. As far as E-grade cultivators were concerned, it might as well be the underworld river since crossing it meant death. **Chapter 1,027**
* Three Dangers
	+ The Hero Souls were the lingering spirits of Saeward's armies. Millions had died during that ancient battle. And while the bodies had turned to dust, their will remained. It mixed with the environment, forming transient spirits called Hero Souls. **Chapter 1,024**
	+ The puppets once belonged to the mysterious force that had attacked and eventually defeated Saeward and his army. They were pure killing machines, some equivalent to Late Hegemons in strength. The more intact ones even had lethal skills they could unleash. **Chapter 1,024**
		- Red Caps were the weakest puppets, named after their blood-red heads. They were the equivalent of Early Hegemons, though their durability was one grade higher. **Chapter 1,026**
		- Above them were the Blue Cloaks, and then came the White Sigils. White Sigils were solidly in Middle D-grade and almost impossible to destroy. **Chapter 1,026**
		- Finally, there were the very rare Golden Champions. If you saw one of those puppets, you were better off running for your life than fighting it. **Chapter 1,026**
	+ The final threat was the War Fortifications. All kinds of array towers and contraptions were strewn across the battlefield that was the size of a country. **Chapter 1,024**
* Such was the danger of the Stand of Saeward. It was easy to get into a fight but hard to extricate yourself. There was a reason this place was not only a Red Zone but one with minimum requirements to enter. **Chapter 1,025**

## Saeward's Castle

* He had expected the channel to lead them to the moat he'd spotted outside Saeward's Castle, but they'd been ferried into the castle proper. By the looks of it, they'd been deposited at the bottom of a well. **Chapter 1,032**
* The two peered over the edge and discovered the well was situated in a remote corner of a flourishing garden. **Chapter 1,032**
	+ The flowers and shrubbery, all of which emitted strong auras of Conflict, seemed to be carefully planted to create a good ambiance. **Chapter 1,032**
* The castle felt very incongruent that way. It was flooded with so much Dao and Energy that even Zac had some trouble coping, yet no Hero Soul seemed to form within the walls. **Chapter 1,033**
* The rest of the castle was quite sparse. There were just endless corridors and stairs, with walls covered in lines and patterns. It wasn't hard to figure out what was going on. "This is an array," Zac said. **Chapter 1,033**
* It turned out that the central section of the warfront castle was a large atrium with a diameter of over three hundred meters. The whole square was covered in dense scripts, and intense fluctuations of Conflict were released from the glowing lines. **Chapter 1,034**

## Saeward

* Atop it sat a five-meter puppet.It actually looked like the thing was meditating. The complex array provided dense streams of Cosmic Energy and Dao, and a terrifying cloud of resentment swirled around it. **Chapter 1,034**
* Its quality was also on a completely different level. The puppet was made from the same purple metal as the floating orbs, and it was so vividly detailed that it looked more like a statue than a puppet. **Chapter 1,034**
* "Exactly. This whole castle is gathering… I don't know exactly what, but something like the essence of war. There are hints of the Dao of Impetus hidden within as well. I think he used the resentment and desperation of his men to elevate his Dao and fuel a breakthrough." **Chapter 1,034**

## Scenario

* He would have failed whether you came crashing into his array or not. Like he's done a thousand times. He's never gotten past the fifth bolt, even when aided by one of you brats." **Chapter 1,037**
* "Saeward hoped to trick the Heavens and reincarnate using the captive souls of his followers in a loop of war and despair," Sendor smiled. "This scenario was actually his eighth 'final stand,' and the one where he'd finally accumulated enough impetus to make his attempt. Alas, he fell one step short of success, and the Heavens disintegrated his soul." **Chapter 1,037**
* "Saeward's choices, this thread of fate… It has potential. ... So I disentangled the scenario from the river of time. ... Every Cosmic Gallery, the scenario starts anew." **Chapter 1,037**