Apocalypse: Starting With Three Unique Blessings-Chapter 49: Getting Prepared.

All eyes snapped towards Magnus as he emerged, followed by four hundred of his summon. Their combined aura silenced the training grounds. Every clang of steel ceased, every shouted command died in the air. Jaws dropped open in unison as the soldiers stared, frozen in place. The air crackled with the raw power emanating from the newly arrived force.

The silence stretched, thick and heavy, until Magnus cleared his throat. As if released from a spell, the soldiers snapped to attention, bowing hurriedly. "Lord Magnus!" they chorused, their voices echoing across the now-still training ground.

"Where are the commanders?" Magnus inquired, his voice calm amidst the palpable tension.

One of the men, still slightly dazed, pointed towards a building at the edge of the training grounds. "Over there, sir."

Magnus nodded in acknowledgement. "Carry on with your training. Don’t let me interrupt," he instructed, his gaze sweeping over the assembled soldiers.

The men exchanged glances, still clearly awestruck by the presence of the four hundred summoned beings, but they obeyed. The clang of steel on steel resumed, though their gazes continually flickered back towards the imposing group behind Magnus.

Turning to his summon, Magnus addressed them directly. "These are your companions now. Get to know them," he commanded, his voice carrying an undercurrent of authority. Without another word, he turned and strode towards the building indicated earlier.

Inside, he found his commanders, all except Robert, gathered around a large table in the center of the room. Their faces were etched with concern as they discussed strategy for the impending beast horde. A grave silence hung in the air, broken only by the rustle of maps and the occasional hushed whisper.

The sound of the opening door drew their attention. They turned to see Magnus enter, his expression unreadable. "Lord Magnus!" they greeted, bowing respectfully.

"Hmm," Magnus responded, his brow furrowing slightly as he noted Robert’s absence. A moment of silence passed before he spoke again. "Where is Robert?"

Godiva stepped forward. "Lord Magnus, Robert sustained injuries during the last battle. He’s currently receiving treatment and will rejoin us as soon as possible."

"I see," Magnus murmured, his frown easing slightly. "When he returns, tell him to go home and rest. He needs time to recover fully."

"Of course, Lord Magnus. We will relay your message," Godiva assured him with another bow.

"Good," Magnus replied, then turned his attention to the remaining commanders. "How are the preparations coming along? What’s the current situation?"

Kelvin’s face was grim as he answered. "Frankly, Lord Magnus, the situation is dire. We lack the manpower to effectively counter the approaching horde. Even if we manage to repel them, it will come at a devastating cost to our forces."

William added, his voice heavy with concern, "We are simply outnumbered, Lord Magnus. Our current forces are insufficient to handle the scale of the threat we face."

Magnus listened intently, a thoughtful expression on his face. Then, a slow smile spread across his lips. "So, our only problem is manpower?" he asked, a hint of amusement in his voice.

The commanders exchanged puzzled glances, unsure of the reason for Magnus’s sudden shift in demeanor. They looked at each other in confusion, then nodded hesitantly.

"Yes, Lord Magnus. Manpower is our primary concern," Godiva confirmed, still bewildered.

"Then we have no problem at all," Magnus declared, his smile widening.

The commanders were completely baffled. They stared at Magnus, their confusion growing.

Godiva, unable to contain her curiosity any longer, blurted out, "Lord Magnus, what do you mean?"

"Why don’t you take a look outside?" Magnus suggested, his grin now unmistakable.

The three commanders, their curiosity piqued, rushed towards the entrance. As they looked out, their eyes widened in astonishment. The training grounds were teeming with soldiers, far more than they had seen before. And among them were numerous unfamiliar faces, each radiating the distinct aura of an awakened individual.

The commanders exchanged shocked glances, the realization dawning on them. These new faces were Magnus’s summons, just like them. But the sheer number was staggering. They had always been impressed by Magnus’s effortless summoning abilities, how he could conjure forth people without the complex rituals and resource expenditure required by other summoners. But this... this was on an entirely different scale.

They had always assumed there must be some limit to Magnus’s power, some constraint on the number of beings he could summon. After all, such an ability without limitations would be an incredible advantage, completely unfair. But the sight before them challenged their assumptions. Was there truly a limit to Magnus’s summoning abilities? If so, what was it? How many more could he summon before reaching that limit? The questions swirled in their minds.

Little did they know, the only limit to Magnus’s summoning power was the amount of Evolution Points he possessed.

With sufficient Evolution Points, Magnus could summon enough troops to fill entire planets and more, if he so desired. The thought of such a feat would likely send his three commanders into a state of utter shock.

Oblivious to their internal musings, Magnus stood behind them, a smile playing on his lips. "It seems we have no manpower issues after all," he announced. "We’re well-reinforced now."

The three men sighed, a mixture of relief and bewilderment washing over them. Their master was an enigma, a wellspring of mysteries they couldn’t fully comprehend. However, this particular mystery was undoubtedly beneficial to their current predicament.

Their relief was short-lived, however. In the next instant, their jaws dropped as a cascade of weapons and armor materialized out of thin air, piling up before them in a gleaming, metallic mountain.

"I’ve also brought an upgrade in armor and weaponry for the troops," Magnus explained casually. "I trust you can handle the distribution?"

The commanders stared, mouths agape, at the impressive arsenal before them. The quality of the equipment was clearly superior to anything currently used by their soldiers. Considering their existing weaponry was crafted by the territory’s finest blacksmith, this new cache must have originated from elsewhere. The question that hung unspoken in the air was, "Where did he get all this?"

The sudden appearance of the items didn’t surprise them; they had witnessed Magnus perform similar feats before. They surmised he possessed some sort of spatial storage device, a magical treasure capable of holding vast quantities of items. The mystery, however, remained how Magnus, a seemingly ordinary human without access to mana, could activate such a treasure. It was a puzzle they had pondered before, eventually accepting it as just another facet of their enigmatic leader’s abilities.

Recovering from their initial shock, the commanders turned their attention to the task at hand, examining the weapons and armor with practiced eyes.

Magnus, having delivered his instructions, departed, leaving the distribution to his capable commanders. There wasn’t much more for him to do personally; they were more than capable of handling the logistics.

He proceeded to the infirmary, delivering a batch of potent healing potions acquired from the system. He entrusted these to the healers, explaining their use and emphasizing the improved healing efficiency they would provide. From there, he went to meet with Augustus for a brief but necessary discussion.

The meeting concluded quickly, as there wasn’t much to discuss, and Magnus returned to his quarters seeking rest. Summoning four hundred individuals at once, coupled with the previous hours of intense combat, had taken a toll on his energy reserves. He needed to recuperate.

Lying down on his bed, Magnus quickly drifted off into a deep, peaceful slumber.

-

Night passed swiftly, and Magnus awoke with the first rays of dawn. A few moments later, Helen entered, leading a group of maids who began their morning routine of tidying the room. Magnus, meanwhile, commenced his own morning routines.

Dressed in his armor, sword secured at his waist, Magnus left his quarters. The territory was already a hive of activity, buzzing with preparations for the impending beast horde, even though it was still several hours away.

Instead of heading directly to the command center, Magnus decided to tour the territory, assessing the overall preparedness. He observed the bustling activity, noting with satisfaction that most of the injured soldiers had recovered and were ready to rejoin the ranks. A sense of purpose permeated the air, tinged with an undercurrent of apprehension.

After completing his rounds, Magnus arrived at the training grounds. Several soldiers greeted him respectfully as he entered the command building. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Inside, he found only Robert and Kelvin. William and Godiva were absent.

"Greetings, Lord Magnus," Robert and Kelvin said in unison.

"I trust you both rested well," Magnus replied, a warm smile gracing his features.

"Yes, we did, Lord Magnus," they responded together.

"Excellent," Magnus said, his smile widening. Turning to Robert, he inquired, "I heard you sustained some injuries yesterday. How are you feeling?"

"It’s nothing serious, Lord Magnus," Robert assured him. "Just a minor cut. The healers did an excellent job patching me up."

"That’s good to hear," Magnus responded, relieved. They then moved towards the strategy table to finalize the remaining preparations.

William and Godiva arrived shortly thereafter, and the command team began their final discussions. Magnus’s newly summoned troops had already been assigned their respective duties, and the upgraded weapons and armor were being distributed among the soldiers, who were understandably pleased with the improvements.

All the necessary preparations were in place. Now, they could only wait for the next wave of the beast horde to arrive.