The sky belonged to Arcadia.
On the ground, a massive army filled the available space. They were led by two massive figures of death and destruction. The Arcadian Titans strode forward crushing everything under their massive feet. Their rune cannons shredded the surprised Bug Titans and their shields absorbed the weak and sporadic return fire. The Immortal Legions of Arcadia moved in a frightening unison with one goal: the destruction of the enemy of their Lord. Behind them, the five most elite Guardsmen Corps regiments prepared for their assault and defence of the rear of the field army. Between them, the Noble Slimes and Fenrirs formed smaller strike teams and vanished into the forest to hunt. Not a single bug was safe any longer. The battle had been overwhelming in scale before it even began but, in an instant, everyone's resolve was steeled when they saw a single warning that made their hearts race.
<
But this enemy wasn't paralysed by shock for long. From behind walls made of living trees emerged a horde of flying monsters so thick that they momentarily blocked the last rays of the sun. The Arcadian warships' point defences opened merciless fire and thinned the horde. From various gate-like openings, the tide of bugs spilt like a river as they rushed to clash with the approaching Immortal Legions. The exchange of fire between the fleet and the fortified Dungeon wasn’t decisive, without either side gaining a visible advantage. The Dungeon slowly covered itself with a canopy of the unnaturally quickly growing trees. Their branches began to project a strange shield, which was significantly weaker than Arcadian's and much smaller in size. However, many smaller shields overlapped with each other, much like fish scales.
Their enemy, despite being surprised, reacted quickly.
???
I observed the battle from my throne in the throne room. My wives, without exception, were sitting on their thrones but they were exhausted. They supported the mana gathering for the jump. The corvettes without a jump drive couldn't Teleport on their own and the mana cost needed to extend the jump field around them was steep. In a few hours, they should be rested enough but, for now, even after chugging down a few mana potions, they were simply exhausted.
"Do you think it's Vestargo?" Amber asked with a tense voice.
"Never before have we faced a Dungeon so well protected within his Empire. That name... The Heart of the Forest Dungeon. It must be him." I said quietly.
She simply nodded and looked at the huge screen. I was gripping the armrests of my throne tightly.
"The siege of the enemy Dungeon has begun," Aoi said with a voice full of uncertainty. "The first true siege during this war..."
???
The fight lasted the entire night. The bugs were fiercer than ever before but they were pushed back. This battle determined the next step of the operation. The Heart of the Forest Dungeon was eventually surrounded by the Immortal Legions and the Guardsmen set up their field bases that acted as both camps and defence in case other forces tried to attack the back of the Arcadian Army. The Slimes and Fenrirs were patrolling the nearby forests because the risk of counterattack was too great to ignore. Once the Legions secured footholds, the artillery battalion was Teleported and quickly took their positions. Both airships and self-propelled guns began to mercilessly crush the enemy shield under their relentless fire. Each dreadnought approached the target from a different side and positioned themselves in a manner that allowed them to fire with their full broadside. Flaming flowers blossomed over the shields and consumed them but even the overwhelming power of the Iowa-class Battleships wasn't enough to simply crack this fortress open. The skies belonged to Arcadia and thanks to the Storm Eagles and Noble Wyverns the Royal Navy could fully focus on the siege.
Whoever commanded the enemy troops had evacuated the two dozen remaining Bug Titans into the Dungeon along with the remaining bugs. The massive abominations fired their guns at the ships of the Royal Navy but they were barely adequate to force the Arcadians to lightly correct their positions. There was little the bugs could do at this point. They were surrounded and outgunned so it was only a matter of time before their defences were breached. The sun slowly rose over the horizon and as its first rays hit the shield it solidified slightly but its layers were still flickering in and out. However, the intensity of Arcadian fire didn't change even a little bit. The vast armies surrounding the Dungeon stood patiently with their massive banners raised proudly. The spells Arcadian Titans were steadily firing made the banners fly in an artificial wind. In one of the newly built forts, on a flat roof of the wooden keep, stood a watchful Galahad. His eyes observed the battle and made minuscule adjustments in firing patterns.
The forts had become a prime target for the bugs which amused Galahad. The forts, on their own, posed a minimal threat and he would have personally ignored them in the first phase of a counterattack. However, Vestargo's forces focused on attacking them nonetheless. When the tunnel ants tried to breach the foundation and create entrance to their tunnels, they were immediately filled with toxic gases and then set ablaze. This time, the Guardsmen and their Familiars were vigilant. The Fenrirs and Greater Wolves sniffed out and eliminated every bug that tried to sneak onto the soldiers’ ranks. Galahad made sure to allow the Mortals to rest because it was obvious they wouldn't manage to conquer this Dungeon as swiftly as usual. He wasn't surprised that this was the case if this Dungeon was Vestargo himself. It was only natural that he would have developed the means to protect himself.
The news from the frontlines was concerning. All bug forces that tried to push through the JDF pulled back and returned deep into the forest. Of course, Lady Freya gave an order to pursue them. It aligned with the will of the Emperor and, while the risk was great, it was the only viable course of action. The entire nation was on alert and in the regions close to the Ancient Forest, martial law was in effect. Every capable body was drafted to support their cities’ defence in case Vestargo managed to mount a counterattack. All the Arcadian Dungeons were redirecting their forces under the guidance of His Majesty. One thing, however, bothered Galahad above everything else: he had obtained secret orders that Victory was preparing to be Teleported here. That meant the Empresses were going to join the battle.
But why?
???
We were standing on the northern gate while Avalon's residents were either evacuating or taking up arms to join the defence.
"It seems I was too late..." I sighed as I crossed my hands behind my back as I stared into a flickering rift torn in the sky.
"For what?" Amber asked as she fixed her hair into the thick braids with magic.
"To send you all to Galahad so you could finish off Vestargo, before they made their move," I answered with a nod and a stoic tone and saw her pout cutely.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
"Oh, don't be like that, King Theon!" The voice of the Hero of Darkness called towards us from the rift. "I would love to meet your wives. You should welcome me as your fellow King and Hero."
Behind me, my wives tensed and I felt their formidable spells' pressure growing. Cahrona's mana swirled especially violently. The self-proclaimed Demon King wore a mithril crown on his head, a legacy that should belong to her.
"Scary, scary!" Sartuuh laughed and crossed the Void portal as it stabilised. He then looked at me with a fairly angry expression. "You don't seem surprised."
"Seriously?" I sharply took in a breath. I was offended by his insult. "I literally sent most of my forces to deal with Vestargo. When, possibly, would you have a better chance to attack me if not now? I'm not surprised. I'm only disappointed that your foul patrons decided to send a small fry like you instead of Urbil."
For a moment he was furious and I knew that I hit his ego. However, after a heartbeat, he started laughing as he descended into the ground. Behind him, a score of corrupted beings descended and landed heavily on the road before the still-open drawbridge. I simply grinned and snapped my fingers.
"Anyway, I have a present for your foul patrons. I really hope they will like it. It starts with a song..." I said as a monstrous cylinder of a Minuteman ICBM accelerated over our heads, engines screaming as it left the spatial silos. "Here comes the sun..."
Devil King Sartuuh stared incredulously at the missile but it was obvious he had no idea what exactly he was looking at. His face was a mix of disbelief and contempt as the ICBM entered the Void Rift accompanied by a mighty roar of its afterburner kicking in. As it disappeared inside, more creatures of Void and Chaos spilt out.
"That was... Utterly pointless, Hero of Eriar." He said with a light chuckle as he crossed the bridge. "I'm very glad you haven't clo-"
Behind him, a bright flash of light enveloped the portal and all the abominations still leaving it were instantly vaporised. The portal closed violently, cutting silent the initial deafening sound of the explosion, leaving Devil King Sartuuh and a few dozen of the Voidborns stupefied. Their faces were full of a disbelief that slowly moved to realisation that ended mostly in fear. However, some of them became enraged and started roaring like wild beasts. Meanwhile, the formidable shield of Avalon was washed by the heavy radiation and flashed when it was hit by a tiny but concentrated ray of blast wave that escaped the Void Portal before it closed. Devil King Sartuuh stood staring at the place where the portal disappeared in focused silence before he pressed his right hand to his face and started laughing. It was maniacal laughter full of spasms and completely over-dramatised but I knew that he was bluffing. For the first time, Devil King Sartuuh was terrified.
"So they liked it!" I laughed as I jumped down from the height of the gatehouse and cleaved in half one of the loudest abominations that was moving to cross the bridge. "Could you just shut the fuck up? You are ruining the effect."
The Voidborns looked at me with fear but then another nine of them fell to the ground, dead, pierced with spells of my Wives. In a flash of a Blink, I emerged in front of Sartuuh and cut across his face with the intent of killing him. He was fast enough to barely block my sword but not fast enough to remain unscathed. My weapon left a gash on his face that started bleeding after a moment. The strike and his reaction was enough to push the man away but he recovered before I could follow up with another attack. He drew and held two shining swords in a slightly too stiff of a grip as he eyed me closely. Sartuuh, in turn, aimed at my head with a cut but one of my swords dropped from the sky, blocking his strike. Now, he was inside my barrier spell.
"I'm somewhat glad that you waited for so long. I'm definitely glad that you opened a Void Portal right above my capital." I chuckled jovially. "It was so convenient!"
"Fuck you!" He sneered at me and swung his two slim katanas widely.
"Not in the mood for a chat anymore? Perhaps something stings?" I laughed as I avoided his swipe by simply leaning slightly back.
"What have you done?!" He, once again, pressed his right hand to his face, but with the hilt of his sword still in his hand he looked slightly awkward.
His previously muscular body started deflating as he lost his impressive height.
"It looks like I killed that patron of yours... What was he called again?" I grinned more to myself than anything as I taunted him more with my laughter. Suddenly growing serious, I cut my laughter short and added in a cold voice. "Immortal and all-powerful my ass. Nothing in this world is immortal. I will find a way to butcher all your patrons. That was nothing more than an experiment. It's only the beginning."
"No!" He howled in fury as he pounced at me.
The exchange of blows was short but it allowed me to realise that he had trained a lot since we last fought. Devil King Sartuuh considered his positioning with the corners of his eyes, trying to assess his situation, but the only thing he could see was the pitch-black fabric of the barrier and my glowing swords slowly orbiting around us. I dashed forward and sliced with a half-spin that carried a tremendous force behind it. Again, Sartuuh had to use both of his swords to block my hit and his eyes narrowed in disbelief as he looked at his slightly trembling hands.
"I admit that you are powerful, Hero of Eriar." He growled begrudgingly as I raised my left hand.
I furrowed my brows and caught another sword that fell down from one of the rings surrounding us. Without losing momentum, I slashed down, causing him to stagger back. However, he wasn't quick enough and the tip of my blade left a thin groove across his breastplate. The indentation wasn't particularly deep but surprisingly it ruined the tip of that blade.
"Blade of Glory: Durandal." I activated one of my skills and felt the sword transform.
Honestly, I hadn't exactly figured out how Durandal worked. My other swords were straightforward in their skill names and easy to figure out what they did. Blade of Doom: Gram, Dragon Slaying Blade: Ascalon, Daemon Slaying Blade: Galatine, God Slaying Blade: Excalibur. Of any of them, the signature skill of the Doom blade, Gram, might have been slightly misleading but, even then, its working was quite obvious. Blade of Doom annihilated anything it sliced, damaging even its user who touched it. That was another thing about my skills. They didn't work like the skills in a typical RPG where the skills you obtained at the higher levels were usually stronger than those from lower levels. My Blades were comparable in power except for being utterly destructive against their intended targets. That was what made Durandal confusing. Unlike my other Blades, Blade of Glory had no additional damage against a specified enemy. Blue-white electric arcs coiled around my weapon and I flashed again in a flurry of attacks. Sartuuh's swords barely kept with my pace and I marked him more than once with shallow cuts or thrusts.
He roared and tried to channel void power but it refused to gather. The entity that granted him power must have been dead or fatally wounded. I smiled at that. There was no Geneva Convention to protect abominable monsters that wanted to consume the entire universe. It was just a checklist. And I was going to work very hard to create new entries... I observed the cut-off Voidborn as he violently recoiled from trying to use a skill that tapped into the power of Void. He was desperate but I still struggled to find any openings in his defence. He had become an excellent fencer after training. Better than I. But I had an immense power reserve to fill where I lacked and my overwhelming speed was enough to correct any mistakes in my technique. My wives killed the remaining Voidlings and they surrounded the seal I created around our duel. I could almost feel Cahrona's demand to let her finish Sartuuh.
Suddenly, a violent and strange power filled the Demon Lord. I saw him regaining his confidence but that vanished the moment he saw my smile. I vanished and appeared behind him and, in a miraculous display of luck, Sartuuh only lost his arm instead of his head. He roared with pain as the black blood gushed out of his shoulder. My second sword cut the tendons in his right leg and the large Daemon collapsed. He rolled away and quickly rose to his knees. He was panting heavily and visibly paled but he was already defeated, even if he didn't want to admit it. I dissolved the barrier and nodded towards Cahrona who smiled in glee. She conjured a crackling blade of light that enveloped her own rapier and she prepared to execute the man who had planned to kill her.
"You have no idea what you have started, you fool! You have just declared war!" There was fury in Sartuuh's voice as the sword slipped out of his hand.
"They want war?" I asked with a low, rumbling voice that stirred all the fears in those who heard me. It was a voice that belonged to one of the Primordial Powers. "I am one."
At that moment, Cahrona Blinked and buried her rapier in Sartuuh's throat, killing him on the spot.
Thank you all for reading.
I wish you all a great day and as always I wait for your comments.
A big thanks to who edited the chapter!
The map of Aderon is on my Discord :)
https://discord.gg/G6SVrBeDdG