Scores of hours ago, within the last surviving garrison that guarded Polonia's borders from invaders...
The headquarters within the large office of the last, remaining stronghold, the one that was located to the west, was completely beset in a chaotic storm of panicking individuals who kept bickering and shouting at themselves due to their anxiety: who wouldn't after all, since the horrible nature of the news they had just received was something that could make even the sternest, most unfeeling men feel their faces pale and blood curdle.
The northern stronghold had been mercilessly demolished by a sudden enemy attack, and from what the surviving witnesses could see amidst its destruction, there were armies upon armies of what seemed to be gigantic, metal automata that marched and trampled upon its ruins, as these behemoths appeared to be making their way towards the one place that the Neugomian garrisons were supposed to protect: the capital of the Holy Kingdom, and now there was little they could do to halt their triumphant march.
"It couldn't have been destroyed! How can such a massive fortress be annihilated so quickly?!"
"Precisely! Surely, this must be some form of illusion magick casted upon us by the enemy?"
General Marthann, who remained sitting upon his wooden chair, could only rub his temples in frustration as a sigh of frustration came out of his mouth. "... I'm afraid it's true... The sky knights we sent out, as well as our scrying mages, have verified these incidents to be as real as the air we are currently breathing..."
"...W-what... T-then..."
"Does this mean...?"
"Correct, it means..." The imperial general spoke with a voice of authority. "That the enemy forces have already managed to greatly reduce our fighting capacity by a great magnitude, and are most likely making their way towards the capital as we speak..."
"... A-and what of the southeastern fortress? Has it already been destroyed as well?"
"While none of the scouts we sent out to confirm this other detail have returned yet, the long-ranged observation spells that our mages casted have confirmed that this has already happened..." the general answered with a solemn voice. "... Of course, given how fast the northern stronghold was annihilated, this was already a highly likely outcome..."
It was completely unprecedented: the 3 fortresses the Empjre built throughout the Holy Kingdom's borders were supposed to be impregnable barriers where no enemy could ever hope to cross. These structures have fulfilled their sole duties ever since they had been constructed, and for them to have failed so miserably at such a terrible time, was something that made them feel as if defeat was already certain for them.
"... What do we do then, general?" one of the high-ranking officers within their assembly asked. "Do we stand our ground here... And perish like what happened to the 2 other garrisons?"
Almost immediately, his words were met with vile scorn and fuming rejections: most of them had a sense of pride as warriors who would never back down from a fight, and the thought of even running away was a complete disgrace to many of them.
"What the hell are you suggesting, Gallius?!"
"Are you trying to say that we must flee our very own base-of-operations with our tails tucked between our legs?!"
The general quickly shushed them into silence using his authority, as he immediately saw the point of his words: it was pointless to perform a last stand right at this very place, and it would be better for them to retreat and reinforce whatever defense was available in the kingdom's capital, since the enemy's forces were likely already about to arrive there and wreak havoc.
"Sir Gallius has a point, my friends." Marthann spoke once more after dispelling the noises of their petty bickering. "To make a stand here would only lead to pointless deaths that will not serve our empire's cause. I hereby conclude that we must make a retreat back to the capital and make our stand there instead, since the enemy forces may probably arrive there in a few days. "
"... V-very well then... If that is what the general commands, then we shall obey..."
"We shall obey your orders as well, general..."
"Good, now as for me..." Marthann said with a hint of resignation in his tone. "... I shall remain here and do what I can to distract the enemy should they perform an assault here, which they will most likely do. Bring the princess with you and let her lead you. Her power will be essential to stopping the encroachment of these monsters."
Quickly, the men who were with the general in the assembly room fell into befuddled states of shock and disbelief, as they couldn't believe nor accept what the imperial general had just stated to them.
"General! Please don't do such a thing! If we are to retreat, then you must come with us!"
"Indeed! Besides, you're a far greater strategist and leader than that monster could ever hope to be-"
Marthann's face quickly turned cold as he heard such a phrase: the man was insulting the princess after all... Though what drove him mad was not because of his high regard for Aldyth's name, but because of the fact that they might all get in trouble should the wrong pairs of ears manage to hear what the man just spoke of.
"You have a point there, but it would be best for you to watch your words." The general uttered sternly. "While the princess is certainly what you describe her as... Her power is not something you can simply disregard."
Aldyth von Neugomia... Ever since her very birth, there was a great strength that lied dormant within her young body, which the emperor utilized and pushed to the extremes amidst his insanity in ordee to further his goals. After years of forbidden research and magick rituals with the help of his most loyal retainers, what was once supposed to be a normal human woman had grown and turned out to become a monster of inhumane, physical strength and agility... A superweapon that the empire could use to conquer countless more nations...
And because of such a miserable past, many of the Neugomians saw her as a monster that never should have been born in the first place despite the numerous conquests she had already won for them: though of course, they would never dare to say such things outright while the princess was within earshot, lest they be reduced to bloody corpses the moment they even tried to shame or insult her.
"... And besides, I have already lived quite a long and fruitful life." the general's face shifted to a light one as he then smiled a bit while saying these words. "I'm already about to die in a few months anyway... So I would like to die with a bit of style. Would this be alright for you all?"
A temporary silence ensued, as they would all quietly nod their heads in unison: it was obvious that the general wasn't going to relent to them no matter how much they begged and urged him, and so they allowed him to fulfill his final wish instead.
"Now then, please begin the preparations for our... No, your strategic retreat..." Marthan said. "... For those who wish to stay here with me... Please feel free to do so. Though of course, I would prefer if all of you were to retreat without me in order to maximize the effectiveness of the capital's defense."
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"... L-look... I'm sorry, okay? You don't have to be so mad still..."
"..."
As the portal that facilitated their transportation gradually decreased in size and eventually faded away, both Whitlea and Novus, who were in charge of destroying the last remaining Neugomian fortress, which was the one located in the Holy Kingdom's western outskirts.
Unfortunately though, as they came out of the ethereal light of the gateway they came from, the 2 still found themselves at odds with each other due to the misunderstanding that had transpired just a few short days ago.
"... C'mon... Look, I'm sorry..." Novus pleaded, with his clad in his jet-black, Valkyrie power which he had once used to slay that crimson dragon they previously encountered. "Can't you just forgive me already?"
Whitlea continued to remain quiet for a moment, looking away from him as she gave a semblance of a decent reply. "... Are you really sorry?"
"I am... I really am..." he begged. "... L-look, how about this... I'll do anything you want afterwards... Just forgive me this once, please?"
"I'm really, really sorry for not paying attention to you and Speranza for the past few weeks... And..." he continued as he looked down in shame. "... I-I'm also really sorry for... You know... Spending time with Thurien more than you guys... I know it's making you feel sad... So..."
"... You won't abandon me in the future, right?"
A look of shock immediately formed on Novus' face, as the sheer ridiculousness of Whitlea's words rendered him quite shocked: where was this even coming from? And why would she think that he was going to abandon her?
"W-where did you even get that idea from?" he stuttered a bit as he uttered this, still confused about what she just said. "You've been with me for so long already... Why the hell would you think that I'll throw you away?"
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"... I don't know... It's just..." Whitlea reasoned. "... I care about you, but... Lately, I feel like you don't even feel the same thing for me..."
"... And with how you've been paying less attention to me and Spera lately... Well, surely you understand what I mean by this point, right?"
"... Yeah, I do... Anyway..."
He'd wrap his arms around her all of a sudden in an attempt to comfort her- Whitlea, despite being quite the dutiful and stubborn individual, was ultimately a woman with emotions, and the thought of her loved one slowly drifting away from her horrified her quite a lot... Which led to the disappointment she had been displaying towards him for several days already.
"... I'm sorry, okay?"
"... You care about me, right?" she asked as her voice shook a bit. "... Look, I'm sorry for being erratic these days... But you see..."
"I don't want to lose you too..."
That hit him like a truck- just how much pain did he unknowingly cause these 2 women during the past few months? He was such an idiot, he thought... They were feeling this way for quite a long time already, yet why hadn't he taken notice of this?
"... I really have been quite the big jerk to the 2 of you, huh?" he said gently. "... Don't worry, Whitlea... I promise you that I'll try to spend more time with you both after this... Just..."
"Forgive me, just this once... Pretty please?"
"... Hmph... I don't want to forgive you just yet, but..." she spoke as she turned towards Novus after several moments of looking away from him. ".. The promise that you'd do anything I want after I do forgive you sounds tempting though... And the fact that Spera kept urging me to forgive you a while ago certainly isn't helping either..."
"... C-c'mon... Please?"
Suddenly, a mischievous smile formed on Whitlea's face. "... Fine, but~... You better prepare for what I'm going to make you do later..." her expression became that of pure slyness. "It's going to be completely humiliating~"
A bit of sweat poured down from his forehead, as the slight fear and anticipation about what she was planning scared him quite a bit. "W-what are you going to make me do?"
"That's a secret~ It's more fun if you only find out during the day you're going to do it~" she said, with her grin seemingly growing slightly wider. "And besides, we have something important to do right now, after all..."
"Something important?" he wondered about what could she possibly be referring to, which he would of course quickly realize eventually. "... Oh, right... That..."
"Yes dear... That..." Whitlea replied as she chuckled a bit. "Now if you'll excuse me for a moment..."
"I'm going to make the very ground they're standing on quake before my sight~"
She then raised her arms, as her signature, faint lilac aura began enveloping her entire body, and simultaneously, the ground beneath the skies they hovered upon became increasingly unsteady due to the sudden forces that shook fervently underneath it...
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He had already accepted that it was time for him to go. He was already quite the old fart anyway: despite working in a profession where men would often die young, he had managed to prevail against all the odds and reach the wonderful, old age of 72.
"... Well, at least it's finally peaceful around here..."
Only Marthann, and a few of his most loyal men remained outside the sacred space of their now-desolate garrison, as they were all gathered outside in small formations that would serve as the first and only pockets of resistance should the enemy choose to perform an assault here: they were too few in number to manage to put up a decent fight though, as most of them have already left in accordance with the imperial general's last command.
By now, the general was awaiting the enemy assault that was supposedly about to arrive, though instead of feeling fear, Marthann felt at peace and was in complete calmness despite the horrifying nature of the situation he was in.
"... W-what... I see then..."
Suddenly, everything around him shook violently as tremors from beneath the very ground where their fortress was built on trembled violently; it was too strong of an earth tremor, as even the stone foundations of the stronghold couldn't resist such powerful forces, with cracks and fissures forming on their previously-smooth surfaces.
This was the manner of attack that their enemy had chosen to unleash against them, and Marthann couldn't help but feel a bit of fear in his heart as the chaos continued to transpire before him- if the enemy was this strong, what hope would the forces the forces he commanded to retreat have against such a terrifying power?
... He shouldn't think about that too much though, since in a few seconds, everything else would no longer matter to him anymore.
"It has been an honour serving with you all." as his finality would rapidly draw to a close, he would thank those men who had stayed with him to die at this very place that they were supposed to protect: in fact, one of the reasons why he chose to die here was because of his failure in ensuring that the strongholds were still up and standing- the moment he failed such a task was something that the emperor and the other imperial generals couldn't accept, and Marthan would prefer to die in battle and be remembered as a hero rather than to live and be shamed for his failure for the rest of his short, remaining life.
"It has been an honour serving with you as well, general!"
"Indeed it has! May we be able to serve you in the next life!"
Even amidst the chaos, their wills remained strong even though it was apparent to all of them that they were all about to die after a few minutes. Eventually, the powerful earthquake would swiftly kill them indirectly, as immense piles of rubble that fragmented from the rapidly shattering foundations of the garrison fell onto their soft bodies and quickly claimed their lives.
This was how the Imperial General Marthann met the pathetic, yet ultimately admirable, concluding epilogue of his life, and even as he perished, he couldn't help but be proud of what he had achieved in life: he had conquered a nation for his people, and he had managed to successfully guard this treasure and its riches from those who would try to take it away for them for most of his long life, with the only moment of failure he had being that of today.
...
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...
The saintess was alone in her sleeping quarters once more after a long and tiresome day, as her unconscious, motionless body rested itself upon the soft mattress of her white bed, with a thin blanket covering her smooth, fair skin, while her weary head rested upon the comforts of a fluffy, comfortable pillow.
"..."
Weak, unconscious murmurs came out of her mouth as she remained asleep with her eyes glued shut from the fatigue: it seemed that she was having another one of her dreams again, though this time, it would be one of the greatest, most enlightening dreams she had ever had whenever she slept to rest and perhaps earn the chance to commune with the Lord she worshipped.
"... My Lord... You've appeared within my dreams again..."
Within her subconscious realm, the saintess found herself in a majestic paradise of soothing splendor: bright, yet gentle pure lights radiated from every direction, while the thick, solid, yet soft clouds beneath her feet served as a gentle ground for her to tread on.
What was most important, however, was the magnificent figure whose presence was currently before her very eyes- an even greater source of light glowing with its intense, passionate radiance in front of her, a spherical, golden ball of luminosity that, despite having appeared to be so bright, was not causing any form of pain nor anguish to the saintess' weary eyes.
Almost immediately, she would fall on her knees and become in awe at the presence of the very almighty deity she worshiped. She knew all too well about her Lord after all, even if he had chosen to take a different form in his current appearance.
"Adelaide..." his voice was powerful and full of authority, though its tone simultaneously seemed to sound incredibly soft and gentle.
"... I have heard the cries of your people... I have seen the oppression that the Empire has inflicted upon your nation..." he continued to speak with his ethereal elegance. "And I have heard your cry... The deliverance you seek is finally at hand..."
"That man I have spoken of in our last meeting... He will free your people from your suffering... Let him come into the city's gates undisturbed, and you will all finally obtain the freedom from tyranny which you seek..."
Finally... Finally... Even when she had been a child, the saintess could remember how cruel and vicious their conquerors had been to them for all their years of servitude under them. The Holy Kingdom had remained subjugated for far too long, and now their freedom from the shackles that had been forced onto them could finally be taken off.
However, she quickly found herself in a wonder as she pondered about what her Lord said for a moment: what did he mean when said that they must let that man into their gates?
"... My Lord... I am most thankful for the deliverance that is about to come... However..." she stuttered, slightly hesitating in asking her question to him. "... How will we be able to let him into the gates? The Neugomians guard these barriers with such ferocity... I'm afraid that many of our people will end up dead in the process..."
Unsurprisingly, the deity would respond with an understanding tone: unlike most gods, he was a compassionate one who sought to love instead of to rule, and he immediately understood the confusion that had risen within the saintess' thoughts.
"Do not fear their weapons and power, Adelaide... I shall give your people strength when that time comes..." he answered kindly. "Most importantly however... Your people must move only when that blue dome of light appears in the sky..."
"A Blue dome of... light, My Lord?"
"Yes, Adelaide... It will be a massive, towering dome of cyan light whose size will make it visible even from far away..." he spoke again. "With its appearance will come the defeat of the imperials' strongest warrior... By then, your people will have the ability to permanently drive away the Neugomians from your home..."
"... I see..." the saintess uttered meekly, as tears began streaming down from her eyes... Finally, they would be free from the suffering they were constantly experiencing, and all they had to do was to wait for that oncoming day to arrive. "T-thank you... My Lord..."
"But of course..." the deity said softly. "Now go... Wake up from your slumber, and begin making your preparations..."
"Do not worry about anything else, for I shall make sure that your freedom shall come to pass, no matter what happens..."
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A flashback... Why was she having one of these brief nightmares amidst the terrible circumstances she was in right now?
She could remember those terrible individuals who worked in accordance with her mad father's insanity-induced ambitions... Figures who mercilessly experimented with her body and soul in order to mold her into the weapon she was right now.
That pain... That searing pain whenever she failed to meet their expectations...
The suffering... The anguish she felt with every 'modification' and 'improvement' they made on her combat abilities using their twisted experiments...
But most importantly... The punishments they would quickly give her whenever she chose to disobey their sickening rules and difficult orders for even a moment...
Aldyth never had a normal childhood, and many would, in fact, call her a monster that only seemed human in appearance due to the terrible experiences she went through.
Even her family... None of them cared for her to the same extent as 'him'... Her father obviously only saw her as a tool to be used... The 3rd amongst the king's concubines, who was the one who gave birth to her and was biologically her mother, had already died long ago before Aldyth had even reached the age of 7... And of course, her 2 elder brothers, who perceived her as merely a monstrous weapon that should have never existed in the first place...
It was only her little brother who had shown her any form of love or compassion amidst her miserable life: Roland... That sweet, little, innocent boy with that cheeky smile on his face whenever they played together when they were young...
She remembered those times with quite a bit of fondness, as a certain sadness began filling her heart with grief and solemnity again... Why had her little brother suddenly disappeared all those years ago? Was it because of the rumors that he was completely magickless, that the vicious people of their twisted family chose to erase him for good as a result? No, even if that was the case, there was no way they would just suddenly choose to get rid of a child hailing from the royal family...
She then began to wonder... Just where exactly was that unclear line where everything started to go wrong...
Inevitably though, the princess would snap out of her dream-like state, as her senses would finally come back and reveal the reality of the terrible world she was in...
...
...
It had only been a few hours since the effective transportation performed by the translocation spell they used to arrive back to the capital, and yet the remaining Neugomian forces, who were now being led by the princess, were quickly met with thousands upon thousands of spiteful Polonian citizens who quickly rushed and mobbed their arrival without respite.
"Your reign of evil ends here, tyrants!"
"You're all finally getting your asses kicked! We'd call that karma, by the way, HAHAHAHA!"
"Give us back our freedom! Give us back our lands!"
In truth, the swarming, Polonian commonfolk had already heard of the massive losses that the imperials had just incurred: the saintess and her dream-visions were quite popular amongst the commonfolk, and terrible rumors were incredibly quick on their feet in spreading from ear to ear after all: because of these moments of vulnerability, the citizens had finally chosen to voice out the years of pent-up anger and hate that they felt for their horrid conquerors, who they knew would no longer be able to do anything much to them due to the terrible situation they were in.
"What did you just say?!"
"You fucking barbarians! You dare act disrespectful towards us?! We can have all of you fuckers killed if we so desired!"
Their shouts and jeers would only grow more intense because of these rebukes: these people knew that their once iron-grip hold over them had drastically weakened, and there was no way for them to be intimidated by such shallow threats that they easily just disregarded as a result.
"Punish us?! And then what? Waste your time on killing us instead of fighting the so-called 'enemy' that you shitheads have lost so much men to already?"
"Go ahead, kill us, you bastards! We know you don't have the time to waste for it anyway!"
"Tch... Damn barbarians..."
Their points were quickly proven, as the soldiers who were angered by their remarks found themselves unable to respond any longer- bantering with them was pointless, killing them even more so: causing mayhem upon these crowds by killing one of them would only make the figurative flames they've caused to become larger, which would make them waste even more precious time... Time that they could in order to better prepare for the enemy assault that was about to come to them instead.
"Princess Aldyth!" the 2nd highest ranking man in their forces, an imperial mage who went by the name of Kaansor, then approached the princess as he knelt before her. "You are our only hope against the enemies that are about to arrive at any moment! Please guide us from here on out, and let the Imperial General's sacrifice not be in vain!"
What a pain, Aldyth thought to herself. Not only had her workload gotten even bigger, but she also had to lead these people into an impossible victory that she knew they could never obtain. These enemies... Monsters... Even Aldyth herself knew that there was something incredibly dangerous about them, as she was even unsure whether she would be able to face off against all of them using her power...
Regardless, however, she would try to do her best in this situation- she had no other option after all... And disappointing her father's expectations was definitely not something she could afford to happen once more...
Most importantly though, she didn't want to feel that 'pain' again... The thought of re-experiencing it made her shiver a bit in terror, and it quickly became the most effective motivator for the plan she was about to unleash...
From within the thick coat that enveloped her battle-armor, the warrior-princesss would pull out a scroll whose contents were empty, as a servant behind Aldyth would simultaneously walk towards her and provide her an inked quill that she could use to write- they knew all too well about the princess' muteness, and so they had already made some preparations should she need to speak or convene about something...
"Assemble all the available soldiers and mages at once. There is no time for us to rest: we shall band together to reinforce the capital's walls and make our stand."