"I have no plans for the armies of Olympus since my initial plan for this kingdom is to have 5 active armies while the rest are stationed in the Chronos region under the pretext of peacekeeping and security. This move will make them more loyal to my empire," Alex spoke, and this made Ares and Poseidon take a moment to process and look at Alex as if he was a masterful tactician.
"And the personal soldiers of the gods under Hera's faction, I plan to send them acting as assault units," he said, and the two gods looked at him, seeking answers.
"Sending them as the first wave while 'accidental' artillery shells land on them, we could kill off potential knights and also limit the presence of veterans when they replace them, like sending them to their deaths before they could face the real war," Alex said with an evil smile. It was one of the few times Alex smiled like the devil he is, as a businessman focusing on the development of the empire since he doesn't care if people are starving. It's his people's hard work.
"So we just need them to charge recklessly at the enemy and take the majority of the losses as your artillery rains upon them," said Poseidon, as he imagined his Atlantean soldiers being killed by Draconian artillery.
"Yes, but we need the navy for this job," Alex said as he turned to the battlefield as the mock battle rose to a new level.
BOOM
A tank fired a round, causing red paint to splatter at the target, and tanks rolled forward as tracer rounds hit the Olympian soldiers.
"When do you think they will get the idea of your scheme?" asked Ares, aware of how long the cover of the excuse of using these knights would last.
"We can use their pride and ego to continue the suicidal charge, and by the time they discover it, the Olympus civil war will already be in full swing. Their fresh recruits will not be able to adapt quickly," he responded, and the two nodded.
Present Time: Olympus Castle
The imperial guards of the empire were stationed around the castle or palace, patrolling with high alert and never letting their guard down. A dozen marched with precision as the leader looked around. There were more of these groups; some were hiding in the shadows, waiting for people to come out and show themselves.
The Children of Nyx
They are knights of Nyx, second only to the assassin X, but they can't easily escape under the eyes of the imperial guard. As one of them was about to jump shadows, he was met with a spear to the chest and died instantly. Another shadow, seeing his friend die, tried escaping but was beheaded in a matter of milliseconds.
A four-man imperial guard patrol found a dozen Children of Nyx wearing light armor, most likely leather and chainmail, equipped with poisonous daggers, and their eyes gleaming with killing intent.
"Kill them and bring their bodies," said the leader with no emotion. As they leaped, some charged straight while others tried to flank them. Those who went to the front were swiftly cut down by the long spears, while in the rear, two held experimental rifles, firing automatic bullets made of mana, killing those who tried to flank. As the battle ended, body parts and blood were spread throughout the hall since their battle took place in the 1st party hall.
The news was brought to Nyx, who was in the city, located in a safe house. She was mad as she destroyed the table in front of her.
"This was the 10th time we tried capturing the castle and an imperial guard, but they keep moving in groups," she muttered in frustration, trying to calm herself. When Nyx finished some of her monologue, she looked at her commander. As she opened her mouth, she heard a loud bang on the floor below, followed by silent gunshots and flashbangs.
"Draconian special forces have located us, your radiance. You must escape," said the commander as he drew two short swords coated with poison.
TCH!
Nyx clicked her tongue and swiftly entered a nearby shadowed corner of the room. Just in time, the door burst open and the commander charged at the first figure he saw. A loud bang echoed, and the commander's head was blown off by a shotgun blast. The lead figure fired a few more rounds into his chest before scanning the room. Nyx felt a slight fear as cold sweat dripped down her forehead. The special forces operative scrutinized the corner for more than a second before leaving.
They were codenamed the Red Right Hand. Alex tasked them with cleaning up the city alongside the imperial guards. While the left hand was for justice, the right hand was for death and bloodshed. They were trained to face the world's horrors, their primary mission being the emperor's right hand of blood. Meanwhile, the Chaos Insurgency committed terrorism in hostile countries, stirring unrest. Back in the city, most of the action happened at night. The Red Right Hand spread sleeping powder, ensuring that even during artillery bombardments, the city's inhabitants would sleep soundly. Every night, the streets were dyed red, only to be clean by morning.
"This is Alpha Squad. We've cleared out all safe houses of the Children of Nyx in Sector A," said the man holding the shotgun as he walked out of the room. He glanced back at where Nyx was hiding, then threw a flashbang before closing the door and regrouping with his unit down the hallway.
BANG!
"AAAARRRRGGGGHHH!" Nyx, who had hidden in the shadow, had to cover her eyes. Burn marks appeared on her body after the flashbang exploded. In seconds, her black hair had turned partly white. The flash grenade they used was called the Flashier, designed to affect shadow beings like Nyx, causing her intense pain as she struggled not to scream aloud.
Next day
Draconian HQ Center
Alex observed the lineup of units for an offensive. The gods were not present and were ordered to fight alongside other soldiers rather than their personal knights. They were helping to secure the coast, led by Poseidon and the admiral of the second fleet.
"Order the knights under Hera and her followers to charge the Titan defenses. Call up artillery to begin saturation bombardment on them," Alex said with no emotion, as orders were orders.
Vanguard Unit Trench Line
"Orders from the Supreme Commander: Hera's knights, along with different gods," said an officer as he handed a telegram to the group's leader and rode back on a motorcycle.
"You are ordered to charge along with your allies," the commander spoke, repeating the words with a visible scowl.
"You shall have artillery support to capture Sector A," the commander finished, crumpling the paper in frustration. This objective was a target for capture, but Alex couldn't easily send his soldiers, as he was waiting for the supply route to be completed. He knew moving a large force would only damage his allies' soldiers.
"Assemble the soldiers!" shouted the commander. Out of the 10,000 who joined the war, only 7,000 remained; 2,000 were either dead or with Hera.
A few minutes later
Over 20,000 Olympus knights were lined up across the trench, armed with weapons from swords to spears, some only with spiked knuckles. Their armor varied, reflecting their gods, with Demeter's knights also part of the assembly. Though their primary job was farming and cooking, Demeter unofficially followed Hera, so they were involved as well.
Alex knew he couldn't remove the equation of civil war from Olympus politics. Zeus had been caught cheating on 4,000 by a magical mirror, angering Hera. Alex had decided to limit the knights under them through a law enacted the previous year.
A year ago
Great Council Hall of Olympus
The entire council room was filled with important gods, while the less significant ones were absent. Alex stood in the center and spoke.
"I hereby request a vote to pass a law limiting the forces like the Olympian knights under these gods when conflicts end," he said, projecting a hologram screen like a PowerPoint presentation.
"I call it peacetime order. When the war is over, each lower god can have 200 knights, mid-level gods can only have 1,000 knights, and for us high gods, we are allowed to maintain a force of 10,000 knights. This will be regulated by Ares and Poseidon to oversee the enactment of this law, to keep the amount of knights in check. Gods that have private armies, like myself as the Emperor of the Draconian Empire and the biggest financier to this high kingdom, are excluded from this," he finished with the tone of an investor ready to back out.
"I see your point, but there's only 30 under you in this kingdom," Zeus spoke.
"Yes, since they guard the embassy, but that will increase over time," he said, Hera looking at him, trying to understand his purpose in enacting this law.
"I can agree with this law, but what if war erupts suddenly and we have only 10,000 knights each?" she spoke, echoing the concerns of some of the other gods.
"It's a yes and no. For external wars threatening the existence of Olympus, the forces under the gods can double. The council can reconvene to decide whether to increase or decrease the forces. For civil wars, the number of knights under each god must not increase under any circumstances. This is enforced by an oath and contract. Violating it will result in punishments outlined in the paper, and everyone will receive a copy," he said. Every god received a 50-page document, over 100,000 words long, meticulously crafted to eliminate loopholes.
One hour later,
"I shall not agree with this!" said a lower god. The contract also stipulated funding for payment of their knights' wages, with equipment provided being standard issue by the state.
"Since it's peacetime, the Kingdom of Olympus will focus on internal problems, rebuilding, and compensating the families of fallen soldiers. Why should the kingdom pay for your own soldiers? They're part of your private army, not the state's concern, as they're not part of the armed forces," Alex stated, making a solid point. This argument silenced the gods, as some might have already squandered their funds and wouldn't be able to pay their soldiers when needed.
Everyone knew Alex wanted to preserve the kingdom's treasury. He was a trader, a merchant, and this was just one facet of his personality. On the other side, he was a man who maintained his army as the hegemony of weapons. The gods tried to persuade Alex to arm the Olympus soldiers but settled for muskets trained by Draconian officers.
After a few murmurs, the vote began, and the law was barely enacted. Everyone, except for her followers, disliked Hera. She knew she couldn't increase her private army and understood that any attempt to expand the armed forces would be met with the Draconian army at their doorstep.
After the enactment, every god signed the original document, which would be secretly placed in the Draconian embassy guarded by two imperial guards. However, two gods were absent: Hades and Athena. They both sent excuses, but their reasons were dismissed by Alex. He had already been sending assassins to dismantle smuggling rings in their territories and had been kidnapping their knights. He knew they were increasing their armed forces, not to support Olympus but to contend against each other. Alex speculated that after that conflict, he might have to eliminate their existence (except for Athena).
To be continued