A small but powerful explosion erupted as the shields and armor of the soldiers shattered from the extreme vibrations, causing them to erupt and explode. Hundreds of deep cuts appeared, and lifeless soldiers dropped as their eardrums burst, killing them.
"What?" Argon stood in shock. Luckily, he released his own energy, known as constellation energy, to protect himself.
Sean wasted no time. He appeared in front of Argon, grappling him by the throat and pushing him back into the tent. Before Argon could escape, a knee to the abdomen caused him to spit out a mouthful of saliva. Sean wasn't done—he channeled energy into his left fist and slammed it against Argon's helmet, causing it to slightly shatter.
Crack! Boom!
The surroundings of the tent were blown away as a few of Sean's personal guards dropped in, engaging in a skirmish. One Magic Knight faced off against four soldiers or two Athenian Knights.
"Fuck!" Argon snapped, distancing himself from Sean and drawing his sword. But Sean didn't give him time to breathe. Slashing downward, Sean forced Argon to block, feeling immense pressure. Instead of continuing, Sean kicked him in the chest, sending him stumbling back a few feet.
"Where is your honor as a knight?" Argon shouted, using his sword as a cane to rise.
"What does honor have to do with this battle? It changes nothing," Sean replied coldly. Ignoring him, Argon attempted another slash, but his earlier injuries caused him to stumble forward. Sean slapped him with the blunt side of his sword and drew a dagger.
"Orders from the Emperor were clear: capture the commander alive by any means necessary," Sean said, his eyes cold and emotionless beneath his mask, hardened by the harsh training in the "rooms."
Woosh.
An audible scream echoed as Sean stabbed Argon's calf, slowly twisting the dagger to spill blood.
"Don't worry. I'll heal it and make sure you're made an example to the enemies of the Empire," Sean said, withdrawing the dagger and signaling for medics. Guards were tasked to watch Argon while Sean met Ares, who was gathering prisoners and loot.
"So, casualty count?" Sean asked as he removed the blood-soaked helmet.
"We only suffered a few major injuries and a dozen minor ones, but overall, it was a success," Ares replied.
"How about the enemies?" Sean asked.
"Out of the 15,000, only 7,000 survived. The others died from the earlier bombardment and infantry attack. Right now, they're being ordered to move to the main camp," Ares explained.
"Good. Gather every bit of treasure—we might melt it down or repurpose it," Sean ordered.
"Then give 40% of the weapons. I want them to arm my army—they might be of good quality," Ares suggested.
"As long as you agree to fight under the Empire when we are at war," Sean said, shifting his tone to a diplomatic one, as forming alliances was one of the Sentinel's duties.
"Yeah, I know you're planning a war with the Tiamat Empire. Give me a few years, and an empire will be fighting under you," Ares responded, eager to start a conflict with that troublesome empire.
"Seems like there's no King of Pantheons," Sean said, gazing out at the ruins of the camp.
"In a few years, a vote will take place. Since my father has died, things need to be reorganized. As for who will take the throne, I might guess the Eastern Pantheons will push for their claim. For us, we might suggest Zeus, but I doubt he'll accept. I think the best candidate is Alex, as he's leading the Neutral Faction," Ares explained.
It made sense, as a quarter of the gods were part of the Neutral Faction. Their power was largely unknown but formidable, with backing from the Draconian Empire. The empire had spent over 5 billion Dracs in the past five years (equivalent to over 20 billion Drachmas in Olympian currency), funding this war.
Alex had field agents and special operation units deployed to ensure the two other factions didn't cause unrest during the war. However, now that it was ending, he might begin a gradual withdrawal.
"I don't know how the Emperor's mind works, but I doubt he'll get involved in another political mess—he'll likely just play the political game in Olympus," Sean commented.
"Bwahahahaha! Of course, he treats it like a backyard experiment. What else can we expect?" Ares laughed. Alex treated Olympus as a playground for experimentation. The other factions were harder to infiltrate due to their strict standards, and the Empire's disguise department was still in its testing phase. Alex focused instead on intelligence gathering and infiltrating governmental ranks.
Allies' War Camp
Alex sat inside the tent, positioned on a wooden, carved, elevated throne adorned with the sigils of the Imperial House. Zarina stood at his side with her ice sword sheathed, radiating a cold energy. On the left stood Zeus in full battle armor, wielding a gold-encrusted lightning sword. Behind him loomed a spectral figure—a man with a reaper and a skull face. Two Imperial Guards stood nearby, their spears tightly gripped, one hand resting on their swords.
The Sentinels stood at the edges of the tent in their battle armor. Erik radiated power, making the atmosphere suffocating. In contrast, Alex exuded no aura or energy. Without his mask, his face remained impassive, devoid of any emotion or movement.
As the tension in the room mounted, an Imperial Guard entered and spoke, "Your Majesties, representatives of each camp. Out of the fifteen summoned, only seven have responded. The others left after receiving the message."
He stepped aside, allowing the delegates to enter. Each diplomat was accompanied by two powerful guards. As they crossed the threshold, they immediately felt the oppressive pressure of an aura. In response, they released their own energy to shield themselves and the diplomats. Still, their barriers vibrated under the hammer-like pressure.
"Introduce yourselves," Alex commanded emotionlessly, increasing the pressure slightly. After a moment of strained breathing, one of them managed to speak.
"I am Hosef, an assigned diplomat of the Golden Chaos Empire. Behind me are my guards from the Imperial Guard—two Grandmasters," he said. The two golden-armored men bowed slightly out of respect, though jealousy flickered in their eyes—they had heard tales of the Imperial Guards' battles against the Titan Guards.
The remaining representatives introduced themselves one by one. Among them, three were identified as part of the Athenian Accord, accompanied by low-god-level guards who seemed visibly uneasy, knowing escape was impossible.
"So, let's get to the point. We know why you're here, but you're too late to the party," Alex said sarcastically, his posture unchanging.
"But Emperor Alex, our nations have endured the same trials as others. We must receive compensation for defending our borders," one delegate argued, glancing toward Zeus. Zeus merely shrugged.
"The war has spilled into many countries. So, I offer this," Alex said, shifting slightly as a strong aura began to emanate.
"You will be paid 10 million Dracs, given access to selected medical items from my empire, and receive a few hundred Titan POWs alongside designated territories. In exchange, you will recognize the new nation replacing the Chronos Horde and formally withdraw any embargos," Alex declared.
This offer was substantial, as the medical market opening provided significant benefits, even if only selected items would be exported. However, one delegate voiced dissent.
"My nation wishes for the Draconian Empire to sell old weapons and ammunition at a fixed price," said a half-elf diplomat, flanked by a powerful elf and dwarf. It seemed the Federation sought to secure the weapons.
Before anyone could add further, Alex leaned forward. A crushing pressure filled the tent, forcing even the powerhouses to their knees.
"Do not tell me how to run my nation. You have yours, and I have mine. Stay out of it," Alex growled.
Under the escalating pressure, the delegates reluctantly signed the contract. A magic seal materialized as Ling introduced the concept of magical contracts, stating that only Alex or he could remove the seal to invalidate the agreement.
As the delegates exited, Alex and the two leaders were met by Sean, who approached on horseback, covered in blood, holding a chained man.
"Your Majesty, this is Argon, the right-hand man of the current regent of the Athenian Duchy. He led a force of 15,000 soldiers, planning to attack the main camp," Sean said as he removed his helmet. Those who recognized Argon were shocked—a knight under Athena had been defeated.
"Emperor Alex, can we pay the ransom—" Before the man could finish, an Imperial Guard blocked his way.
"This man is a prisoner of war and shall be sent to the empire for interrogation. Whether he lives or dies depends on his honesty," Alex responded.
He gestured for the guards to take Argon away. What followed was the march of two lines of chained Athenian soldiers, stripped of their armor and clothing, with only garments covering their private parts. Female knights were permitted to keep their clothes, though their armor was confiscated.
"This is a travesty," one diplomat under the Athenian Accord muttered, wishing to free them. But seeing they were outnumbered, he relented, abandoning the offensive plans that had been secretly agreed upon. Instead, he appeared satisfied with the contract, though the limited access to the market necessitated bulk purchases.
A few days later, Alex received a full report on the total casualties and economic damage. The oath-taking ceremony for the new Titania Republic was scheduled to take place in a year to allow for the relocation of people and the reintegration of POWs into civilian life. To aid in rebuilding, Alex assigned Titans who had studied under the Empire as new government officials to start repairing the nation.
Imperial Office of the Emperor
"Alex, you'd better come back. The amount of paperwork is increasing by the hour," Kalvin said with a hint of tiredness.
"Don't worry, sir. The Emperor is already returning with a victory march," Alex responded.
With that, Alex left two legions and prepared one more to be deployed for a few months before establishing a Territorial Defense Corps. This corps was to be formed by National Guardsmen officers and Titan soldiers.
This plan was necessary since Alex had chosen units requiring reorganization. Meanwhile, people were flooding the capital in anticipation of the victory march, using military roads leading to the city. As a result, governors had to request mobilization orders to deploy the National Guard for maintaining order and preventing crime. Dimitri selected specific units for mobilization, and even police reserves who were off duty had to be called in.
"In a few days, it'll be the Day of Victory and Alex's declaration of triumph. But we have other matters to address," Dimitri said with a sigh.
Kalvin agreed, acknowledging that while this was one front being closed, it was just the beginning of other challenges to come. Nonetheless, both were relieved to see one chapter finally coming to an end.
To be continued...