Chapter 596: Empire’s Invasion [14]

Evening dawned on the lonesome manner. The aftermath of a gruesome battle, beautifully constructed walls were stained, tiles cracked, and a few empty armors coated in vile mushy-like substance. The many retainers fled to Glenda where at the far edge of town, near a crystal-clear river, laid a secondary manor. Smaller and less obnoxious of a build compared to the first. The size of its land was what made it worth the trouble. Trucks filled with passengers arrived promptly.

The amber sunset stripe of clouds marred into purple and pink shone dimly onto the banner of the Blood-Kings Clan. A promenade about the premises, especially the study, revealed crucial information, in it, the report of spying subject Ig. ‘Quite an intricate job,’ the paper crumbled into a ball which soon tossed into a trash can. ‘-The reports are mostly about the surrounding villages. Apid village is a throwaway estate, the people are far too oblivious to make any progress. Oda’s on par with Glenda, mostly due to Eira’s intervention. Her vassals... I should visit lady Aoi. She has a few things to answer for. Now then, about the surrounding forces,’ the interface activated to show a downward view of the area. “éclair,”

“Here,” said he, “-I’m currently circling the region, no traces of foreign troops.”

“Obviously,” returned Igna, “-could you come around and land at the manor. I have a gut feeling the troops are hidden inside a barrier. Running away after three hours isn’t easy, on foot and without vehicles.”

“On it,” the jet circled to arrive in mere minutes.

“Igna,” hailed Intherna, “-you going out?” asked she in an apron.

“Yes, I need to clean out the remaining forces. We can’t allow this land to be soiled by the blood of the enemy.”

.....

“Be careful,” added Miira, “-we’ll have dinner ready.”

With gentle smiles and provocating outfits, Igna jumped on the cockpit and made for the skies. ‘Those three are teasing me again,’ he thought.

“You there?”

“Yeah, I’m here. How’s the jet holding up?”

“It’s better than before, Phil did a great job on it.”

“Was it a black project?”

“How did you know?”

“Because I never knew of Phil until we met. éclair, Phantom has more secrets than I’d ever imagine, don’t we.”

“Correct. We have a secret base known to only the elite of the research force. Our weapons are supplied by them, advancement into the missiles would have taken another decade if not for their intervention.”

“A hidden research facility, well, doesn’t matter if I know the location. As long as they’re willing to work, nothing will go astray,” scanning the controls and wings, “-the heart of the beast is very loud...”

“A spell’s nullifying the sound. I tell you, Magiology is a subject of wonder.”

historical

“Oh yeah,” a chuckle escaped, “-I forgot about that. The days of research are far gone.”

“Not necessarily,” interjected éclair, “-Igna, if you don’t mind, I have a request.”

“Which is?”

“Return to Phantom’s research division. From unmanned planes to cars, we’ve done it all. One thing is yet to be accomplished, the synthesis of a magical element, the binding of a soul. In this age of rapid advancement, we’re miles ahead; imagine a war without bloodshed, soldiers of metal ravaging the battlefield. You had the same idea, an immortal army, not just an idea, it was turned into reality. The inspiration for said army did come from you.”

“What of it?” the mind rattled in thought, “-what happens next, who’s going to control the army?”

“Me,” he smirked, “-I’ll be in charge of the army, or would have been. My core can be corrupt and exploited. I’m the only liability to Phantom as thing stands now.”

“Worried about human intervention. Isn’t the core hidden someplace...”

“Yes and no, the conversation with the other self-reminded me of an idea. Beings can exist in multiple dimensions. What if we copied my soul and transferred it to the Shadow Realm. Then, an identical replica would be here, I’d be able to operate on a grander scale without the fear of being infected,” enthusiasm and a will to move forward.

‘I can’t possibly ignore éclair; he’s done so much. The affair sounds hard and tedious... for someone other than myself that is.’

“Stop being so smug.”

“Fine, whatever. I’ve already cast a detection spell; it should pick up any traces of life.”

“Ok,” they circled and searched.

‘The All-seeing eyes, a power I thought I’d lost after my reincarnation. The Nox clan’s curse. I’ve regained it, albeit a tidbit stronger. Should be fine,’ eyes shut and focused, it reopened into the right iris embroidering multiple ancient symbols in a circle. White to a deep melancholic blue hue, the evolution completed. ‘Halving the power seems to work fine. The pain is bearable at least.’ Dots lit over the ground, ‘-let’s see, those are monsters, animals, there,’ pointing onto a map, “-that’s their location.” A seamlessly innocent hill covered in tall trees and vegetation. It had a direct line to the Manor, the closer one got, the more subtle details of a path lit as clues. ‘I can see through walls, the innate mana inherits to people of the Empire, the eyes of truth are an unrivaled tool for reconnaissance.’

“They’re at least a Battalion’s worth of fighters hidden inside the hill. A strange device bestowed by the power of gate, a lower tier of teleportation. Uses relay and constant mana supply to work. Tis how they arrived, Lucifer... the plan was so all along, he was in cahoots with the church from the very start. I doubt they know he’s the lord they pray to every day.”

“The coordinates are locked and loaded; we’ll dowse the hill in missiles.”

“No need,” said he, “-a forest is a sacred place for the animals and monsters. The dryads might be angered. Instead,” the fingers twirled, “-there’s a gate.”

“What of it?”

“Fire missiles, the portal leads inside the hill, are you so daft?”

“Excuse me for not expecting such a high-level spell.”

“Actually,” he exhaled, “-it’s not that big a deal. Go on, fire, I can’t hold the portal for too long, my mana’s running low.”

“What a cry baby,” the targeting system automatically toggled. Target, the portal, four rockets fired and disappeared.” The darkened ground lit in a flash; loud explosions burst the hill’s summit into a tunnel of smoke. ‘Casualties, a thousand soldiers, and the loss of Lieutenant Colonel Amrose.’

“Let’s continue the onslaught, I have two rockets left. Would be wise to use ’em.”

“No,” he gasped for air, “-I’m at my limits. Head on back.”

On said night, reports reached the Capital. Eira barely managed to leave the area, her presence was met by one of Lucifer’s generals. In a spat of whether she had failed or not, the news eroded a piece of the advance party. A thousand men lost including promising officers left a quiver. Who could have done such damage – no idea nor clue. A single attack forced Major General Alpath to order a full-scale retreat. The advance forces stuck in skirmishes over Hect and Ect acknowledged the orders. Months of constant defensive battles were to come to an end.

The next day rose after much hassle, pain from the newly inherited power had the entire body tremble. The purple hue eased into vivid crimson; the feeling of pain simply disappeared. A night of assimilation, one very common to those of special abilities.

“Good morning, clan leaders,” greeted Serene in good spirits.

“Why’s the mood so blissful today,” inquired Alaric slipping into the warm seat.

“Why you ask?” grinned Elvira, “-have a guess.”

“Lady Elvira, this isn’t the time for games,” commented Julia, “-we’re on edge about the decisive battle.”

“Wrong, wrong, wrong,” her index bobbed in disagreement, “-yesterday, my nephew captured the barony of Glenda.”

“How so, we had reports of a secret base controlled by a nobleman of the Empire, did we not?” wondered Aurora.

“Indeed, I remember it quite clearly, the reason why we couldn’t make a move on Glenda. Bringing the people into battle wasn’t worth the victory. He basically held a whole town as a hostage,” said Alaric with much information.

“How did the boy manage such a feat?” inquired Julia, “-seems too good to be true.”

“Remember,” said Elvira proudly, “-the boy is a member of Phantom. I have the full report right here,” pages flung across the table. It took a few minutes to read, the baffled expression was most befitting. Her ego rose, a little nudge from Serene returned her to reality.

“He fought off the princess and defeated the true inquisitors. No sign of their dead bodies. The Librarian of Nexsolium is too strong, she’s a threat to our campaign. The slaughter of a battalion should force a retreat.” They quoted many sentences to build an image of the fight.

“It bodes well for us,” exclaimed Elvira, “-the news of the lost fight must have instigated fear amidst the troops. We need to add fuel to the fire. I’m certain, once the airfield and fort have been captured, we’ll launch a pincer attack and destroy the retreating forces. We’ll exterminate the Scouting Division and end the pointless skirmishes.”

“They can always ask for support from the Empire.”

“Wrong,” said she, “-the invasion was triggered by the Church. Intervention from the Empire will break the agreed pact. No matter how strong a kingdom is, if there’s no trust in the ruler, the land is sure to fall. We’ll be able to buy a few months’ time. We’ve effectively gained the upper hand.”

“Frightening,” said Serene.

“Also, Phantom will be providing air support. I’ll have the jet move to a closer location and wait. If things backfire, the report speaks for what damage can be done.” In the span of a single night, a relatively unknown man turned the tide of battle. Success rate going into the next operation heightened, morale’s at an all-time peak.

“We agree on one thing,” voiced Elvira concluding the dialog, “-Igna Haggard shall become the Baron of Glenda and its villages.”

“Agree,” nodded they in tandem.

*Beep,* a text message lit the phone, “-good job on the fight. I’m proud to have you, Igna. Guess the money was well spent. Carry on with the plan and don’t worry about the war, we’ll take it from here. éclair spoke of the injuries, rest, for now, my boy. Tis only a step in a marathon, the objective is still fighting against the Empire.”

After breakfast, a messenger from the faction arrived with a degree and the crest of nobility. “-Baron Igna,” he bowed, “-here are the papers and crest.”

“Good,” held in a pinch, ‘-go on Mark of Undrar, swallow the crest of Glenda.’ A black-mist led into the dragon devouring the newly acquired title.

“Lord Igna, messengers have been sent to the villages. Your conquest has been made known to the public. They shall be grateful for the man who saved their lives from the tyrant of the Empire.”

“Very well,” dressed in a simple turtle-neck shirt and pants, “-I’ll head into town. There must be things to attend to.”

“Sire!” exclaimed the messenger, “-leaving the manor unattended is an invitation for bandits to invade.”

“Don’t worry so much,” at the entrance, *Open, door to another realm, I, Igna, humble comrade of the Goddesses of the Shadow Realm, implore for thy assistance; Dimensional Transfer.*

A legion of hardened fighters dawning weapons and armor arrived to respectfully kneel. “Lord Igna, Lady Miira’s asked for us to assist thee.”

‘A hundred men, should be good enough for the time being.’

“How can we be of help?” wondered the strangely serious officer.

“Might I have your name first?”

“Major Ehta, leader of the Runa Force. We’re here to serve.”

“Using the same military grading system, yes?”

“Affirmative, my lord, we were split into ranks per lady Intherna’s request. Said it would be easier to discerned members from members.”

“Very well, Major Ehta, my orders are simple. Defend the manor and its land from monsters, enemies, and any who acts suspiciously. There should be a direct relay to my personal butler, he’ll give orders as need be, is that understood.”

“YES SIRE!” loud salutes reverberated.