"Your majesty, the remaining prisoners of the Athenian duchy range over 4,000 left. Some of them died when serving hard labor, and some of them were experimented on and died in the process," the warden to his side spoke.
"I see. Cut their fingers to prevent them from wielding a sword; blind them to prevent them from seeing future riches that they seek; destroy their magic inside to not allow them the luxury of gaining anything of their past talents. And a quarter of the high-ranking silver and gold knights will have no tongue to prevent them from making a rally cry. Only those who are young are allowed to keep their tongues. I have tolerated their interventions long enough. I will send my shadows to investigate why the goddess Athena has made no appearances, and lastly, carve out a warning on their backs and make it permanent," he said with cold eyes and an emotionless voice.
The warden had to raise his eyebrow a bit—this was a very excessive punishment, and the reason was simple.
They had been impeding his progress on the western nations, as the Athenian religion had been deeply embedded within the superpowers of the west. Alex noticed that Athena had made no public appearance, and this grudge still held him back from giving them a breathing room because of the attack on his city years ago.
"Lastly, for this one," Alex said as he approached Argon, who opened his eyes a bit and saw Alex approaching. He tried to move, but the chains held him firm.
Tap
"AAAASSRRRRRRGGGHHHGG!!!!!"
As Alex tapped his finger on his forehead, a little surge of power entered his mind, and he began screaming. His eyes and ears started bleeding. This was more painful than the torture he had gone through.
Thud
The chains loosened around him, and Argon, instead of running to escape, curled up and cried in despair.
"There. Remember those faces of your nightmares—all of those you killed. Don't think I'm blind, that I did not see you attacking my city on that fiery day," Alex muttered in a very cold tone. Turning around, he looked at the warden for three seconds before speaking.
"Turn him into a statue, but make sure my warning is imprinted on him. Tell them I knew of their involvement when they attacked my city," Alex finished his words and headed back to the central corridor of the palace, the location of his office. But before exiting, he stopped midway and spoke.
"Also, make sure he's alive."
He left a final remark, and the warden immediately snapped his fingers. Two imperial wardens appeared behind him, their uniforms red, with justice scales on their left shoulder plates. They carried Argon to a 'special room,' where his screams escalated into the sound of a soul screaming for the pain to stop, until it quieted to a whimper.
Across the empire, prison cells were opened, and prison guards flooded in. The inmates—recent and former Athenian knights—tried to question what was happening, but they were beaten until they couldn't speak and were brought to rooms for a 'makeover.' The soundproofed rooms weren't able to fully cover their screams. Those who weren't treated that way could still hear them. Once released years later, their stories came to light, but no one reacted within the empire. Those outside, however, began fearing the empire's cruel methods.
Thus, it earned the name Draconian—in another meaning, cruel or harsh treatment or methods.
Third Person POV - Emperor's Office
Alex entered the office with measured steps. Arriving at his desk, he saw it was empty of the usual paperwork. He took this time to have a few short minutes of rest. Resting his head on the leather cushion, he felt the burden slowly lifting. When he was about to drift to sleep, a knock forced him to prop up.
"Enter," Alex said with a tired tone. The person entering his office was another member of the group of architects.
"Okay, speak. What do you want to show?" Alex said, since he was quite tired and wanted to rest a bit.
"Our leader has a proposal, and it's a structure to be multi-used in the empire. Lastly, it's a government building," he said as he pulled two blueprints.
The first one resembled a colosseum but was increased to a dozen. Looking at the format, it could be refitted for different occasions. Additionally, looking at the proper pipe-laying and different sections that could house guards, this design was great.
"Okay, to say—if this structure gets approved, how long will it take to be finished?" He turned to the man, who pondered for 10 seconds before speaking.
"It will take 3 years to complete, since currently the capital is undergoing reconstruction. So, due to the queue, construction will begin once all other projects are done," he said.
"Okay. I will bring in more workers, but I have a proposal," Alex said as he directed the man to a room.
A Few Minutes Later
"There is this island I found in a realm, and it's literally floating—almost like the floating fortress in the empire, but it's a landmass that can fit your project," Alex soon arrived at a room. The portal in front of him shone with familiarity.
Demnos Realm - Demonic Imperial Capital
"It's been a while, Yarindus," Alex said as he entered the Demonic throne room. Below the steps from his own demonic throne, Yarindus was working on documents at a wooden table. The demon looked up and saw Alex with the architect.
"Oh, it's been a while, Your Majesty," he said cheekily.
"Yeah, I know it's been a while… Like, what, 4 years here?" Alex said, with a more friendly tone.
"Yes, and your army here has been a great help," Yarindus replied.
"Good. Since a plan to conquer the unknown regions will happen very soon, I need such resources. But to the objective—why I'm here," he said, turning to a window. Yarindus followed suit, and his eyes widened.
"Don't tell me you need that island?" Yarindus asked, turning back.
"I need it since I'm building a large colosseum in my capital," Alex responded, and Yarindus nodded, standing up.
"Okay, so currently military preparations have been growing steadily. About 40% of the nobles have left, and the Draconian army stationed here has been a great help since they also joined in the offensives. The demon kings praised their bravery. Currently, we have over 4,000,000 soldiers active and in legion standards—4 of them. Two are stationed at the border of the unknown regions, and another two are sprawling across the empire. Thanks to imports from your other empire, the economy has been growing steadily. Let's say, due to your marital status, multiple high lords have sent offers, but I turned them away since they are not notable and lack achievements other than their beauty," he finished.
Alex chuckled a bit as they left the imperial palace.
The Demon Guard
Units established to keep order and peace in the palace and capital. Made up of veterans of the 1st legion, they are equipped with antimatter swords, spears, and arrows. Their armor is made of Demnos ore, similar to antimatter ore.
"Okay, the island you want is just parked not far from the palace. Look up," Yarindus stated, pointing upwards. Alex followed the direction and saw the expanse, which was the size of a small medieval city.
"Okay… building it here," the architect muttered.
"Okay, I approve of it. Only you and two other associates I allow can come here. The workers will be citizens of this capital," Alex said, pointing down.
"For the other projects, focus on this one since resources here are abundant. Currently, the same change that is happening in the imperial capital is also happening here, but on a massive scale," Alex said.
The man nodded, accepting the emperor's words.
"Alright. The portal is always on, so talk to Kalvin about those you wanted to invite. And remember… Don't disappoint me," Alex said. The last part came out with a cold tone.
Alex POV
Arriving back at my office, I felt the softness of my bed, which was stationed closer to the wall on the left and hidden from others.
"Ahhh, this is life," I muttered.
Ever since becoming the emperor, more and more I strayed from my true goal.
'An internal peace for myself only—or maybe with someone,' I thought, as a small tear streaked down my cheek.
A best friend that I could ever ask for had helped me in my early years of being a city lord.
Alex ordered a small mansion to be constructed on an island not far from the main island. The land was quite big, housing estates for the elite squads, self-sustainable with infrastructure. Yet, the builders focused on his mansion, despite his insistence to take their time.
The mansion was perched on a hill at the center, standing four floors high with two subfloors. These lower floors held time chambers for Alex and the sentinels, per their requests.
'No suitable heirs,' I thought bitterly, recalling Kalvin, Dimitri, and nearly the entire government urging me to marry to secure succession.
'Or risk an empire fracturing after I pass.'
I considered giving Kalvin the throne, but that man would kill himself rather than take on the mantle of emperor.
'I can already think ahead—that the empire will collapse on itself. Leave my enemies alone, or the hidden factions that are trying to gain the throne…'
"If they really want their blood on my throne, I will allow them," I said aloud. After a few more thoughts, I drifted peacefully to sleep, while the sentinels worked hard to maintain balance.
1 Month Later
Manuel POV
"Sir, the ride is ready," his personal guard captain said as he entered the room where Manuel was finishing touches on his attire.
"And how about the president of the Dominican Federation? Is he ready?" he asked, placing his overcoat over his suit.
"Yes, sir. He's currently in the vehicle, waiting," the captain said, leaving the room.
After finishing combing his hair, Manuel left the room and headed to the armored Humvee, his personal car. Around it were two more Humvees with mounted .50-cal turrets.
"Ah, good to see you, Wilfried. How long has it been?" Manuel smiled slightly at the middle-aged man, a close associate.
"Yes, it's been months since your invasion. But, oh well—both of us are entering a viper's nest. At least we brought protection," Wilfried replied, glancing outside the bulletproof windows. Blackwatch personnel and Federation guards moved about, finalizing things before departure.
"Well, when worse comes to worse, we can first evacuate to the safe house of Assassin X. If that fails, we'll get an exfil," Manuel said.
"I can see that. But let's hope her deposition won't lead to her death. I still have interest in that empire," Wilfried said, narrowing his eyes.
"Yeah, don't worry. Most of them are killed and kidnapped. We'll transfer them to you if they continue resisting," Manuel replied.
"Sure. Just send me the details, and we can start a second faction to take power once it erupts into a civil war. Oh, also—I already seized the last shipments of Draconian cement before they reached the borders. I made sure it looked like a bandit attack and planned to send some of it to you, at least so you'll have more materials."
"Thanks for that, but keep the majority of them. The emperor intended those shipments for you," Manuel said.
"And how about the ones within the Thanatos Empire? What's your plan?" Wilfried turned back to him.
"At a synchronized time, about two days from now, explosives planted by the 'insurgents' and Assassin X will detonate. The air force will support this, so we won't worry about them trying to use it without supervision. As for the current structures, they won't have the resources to maintain them," Manuel said.
He had already ensured that those knowledgeable about the materials were eliminated.
Knock, knock.
A Blackwatch soldier knocked on the window. Manuel rolled it down.
"Sir, we are ready to leave," the soldier said.
Manuel nodded, giving confirmation.
The sound of engines roared to life as over five armored vehicles and two trucks began their journey. The guards wore winter camo, while a selected squad donned traditional black gear. Their destination: the capital city of the Thanatos Empire.
To be continued.