Clarissa

“Michael, really?” I let out a sigh and sat back in my chair in my underground cart bunker. A messenger had delivered Michael’s message to me. I had been relieved at first, then annoyed, and then now I had grasped his thought process.

He was going to strike directly at the heart of the Divine Empress’s Dragon Empire. With the knowledge he had gained it was all hanging on a thread. One push could easily send it all toppling over. The problem was the Divine Empress had been in control for so long and there were no other options.

That Lord he had captured was a wealth of knowledge. I wish he could have been brought here to me so I could have questioned him, but Michael had taken him with him. Also giving him points. It made sense, he was utterly hopeless at languages and would need someone to navigate the Empire.

Hopefully my team could make contact with the rebels located in the Dragon Empire and help them disrupt things over there. Still, none of that mattered to the one major question that sat in front of us all.

Was the Divine Empress still alive? And if she was where was she? Already her army had been stalled in Esperanza and it was a monumental effort to keep crystals flowing to support the war effort and upgrade her personnel. The longer they could keep the Divine Empress’s army bottled up, the better things would be.

People had looked, but we had not found a single sign of her. Either she had retreated back to the Dragon Empire or was in a level 3 area or a level 2 dungeon. If we found her and she was wounded and crippled, we would keep attacking her and wear her down with the intent to either kill her or lure her to a void zone and push her in.

I didn’t think we would get that lucky, but I had a plan ready just in case. Blast her from a distance with beam attacks like a ball. Whatever happened she could not be allowed to restore herself if she was injured and barely mobile.

Another stroke of luck was that the main force that had been advancing had been hit by that golden blast. Every time I thought about it, I couldn’t help but feel a cold sweat. Whatever that was, it was far beyond the power of any human being.

I suspected the Astrologer had done something. A super bomb he had planted. It was the only explanation that made sense. What an asshole, using Purgatory as a trap. But we all knew he was one regardless of anything else.

At least he had saved Michael. There was still a chance. If the Divine Empress was dead and we had won, but we just didn’t know it yet. It was too much of a risk and too many things had been put into motion to assume she was dead. I was not risking my life at all.

Ren

“I managed to get some information,” Fuyuka said after she returned to our makeshift camp.

“What is it?” I asked dejectedly. We were being pressed hard by the Envoy. Danian had sacrificed himself to let us escape as he fought to hold the Envoy off. Escape to what? We were finished. Just staying right inside a level 3 zone was a big struggle to kill the monsters. It would bee too easy to find us.

“The entire force suffered a massive defeat. The Divine Empress is missing.” Now that was news. I looked up at Fuyuka. “The Envoy gave up his pursuit of us and went back to the Forbidden City. The army is trying to recover and already there is talk about rising up and taking a city.”

I shook my head. The Empress liked to disappear and let people think she was missing or dead. Then she would turn up and crush everyone. “She will be back, she is always back,” I replied softly.

“Ren. We can’t just sit around. We need to act. Seize a city. Get more stats. Look to the level 3 zones for more points. Build a command center again.”

“And then?” I asked.

“We keep fighting. You know that. It is the motto and oath of the Rising Sun Alliance. We don’t quit until we are all dead or the Divine Empress is, and her empire destroyed. You aren’t quitting, are you?”

“No Fuyuka. No. Alright. If we are going to do this. Then we need to rally several tribes. You already made contact with them?” I asked.

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“Where do you think I got the information. Also snuck into New Beijing. The place is like a nest of bees in a panic,” she said, and I nodded.

“Incoming!” I heard the shout from one of the spotters and quickly shot to my feet. We raced out of the small bit we had dug into the ground for our command post and the astrolabes. I went over to the spotter and looked at the approaching figure. It was Danian.

“I will go,” I said.

“You can’t Ren. You are the leader. I will go,” Fuyuka said. I just smiled at her. If we were going to die, then we were going to die. I shook my head and put my hands on her shoulders.

“Trust me, it will be okay,” I said. She gave me a smile back and reached up to give my hand a squeeze. I left our camp and walked out to meet Danian. This was probably a trap of some kind. He looked worn down but still alive.

“How?” I asked a distance from him.

“Bastard did a number on me, but I kept up the chase for as long as I could to lead him away. He was about to catch me but then he stopped and just left. I thought for sure it was a trap. But nope. He gave up. Took forever to follow your trail and track you guys down,” Danian said, and I felt a sliver of hope return to me.

“Really he just gave up?” I asked.

“I didn’t believe it. I stripped down and killed a tribesperson for some clothes and to blend in better. I keep checking myself constantly, you can check as well, but nothing.”

“Strip,” I said. I was taking no chances. He began to remove his clothing shivering in the cold air. He was right we could not afford to take chances. But something had happened and now we needed to act to build back up while we could.

Envoy Of The Divine Empress

There was silence as we all stood in the throne room. There was no separate meeting room and it felt weird to meet anywhere else. “Is it confirmed?” he asked.

“Yes, the Lord General is no longer with us,” Master Fleshcrafter replied. The Inquisitor shuffled nervously, and the Chief Diviner hung his head. “As for the Divine Empress, she isn’t dead…” he did not like how the Master Fleshcrafter trailed off.

“But what?” he demanded.

“You must have seen the damage. The wall of flesh glowed with golden energy and began to burn. I don’t even know what type it is. I suspect the Astrologer caught her in a city destruction. But the ownership of everything still rests with her. So, she isn’t dead. But I have no clue what state she is in.”

“That was seventeen days ago Master Fleshcrafter. You are telling me the Divine Empress could still be out there wounded yet alive?” he asked.

“It is a possibility. Again, all I know is that she used the resonance link to draw on the energy I had stored. A tremendous amount. Years built up. She spent it all. And she is alive. That is it. I know nothing else.” he frowned at this. The Divine Empress was the center of all existence. She couldn’t die but she was missing, and the invasion had completely stalled.

“We will maintain the Empire in her absence. I will take personal control of the invasion. Inquisitor you must remind the Lords of their loyalties.” Her head snapped up to look at me.

“I cannot do that. The Divine Empress ordered me to protect her palace at all costs. I will not disobey her, not even in death or injury.”

“Then you must remain. Her wisdom is beyond us. Master Fleshcrafter?”

“A tour? Impossible. My experiments and work into energy body development have reached a critical stage after that single drop of blood you managed to recover. The energy density is off the scale, but it is stable somehow. Even now, I only came to this meeting because it concerns the Divine Empress. You have no authority over me Envoy.”

“Another sample can be gathered, but if her Empire falls-“

“Then it falls. Bah! She will come back and put it back into place as she always does. It is the natural order of things. I need to repair and recharge her battery in case she needs it regardless and she will not like my research delayed in any way.” He then turned to look at the Chief Diviner.

“You are coming with me,” he told him.

“To find her, right?” he asked tiredly. The Envoy would have to tell the Divine Empress he required more motivation when she returned, since the Chief Diviner was clearly lacking.

“Yes. We shall take her personal airship in case we have to bring her back quickly.” That made everyone look at me. It was technically under his authority, but the cost would impact the Divine Treasury. Especially since he would need million of points for the cannons to progress through the sky.

It was something he was allowed to do. Only the Empress’s personal chambers were off limits to him. The Inquisitor had been tasked to protect them. Before he had thought it was only to stop assassination attempts and bombs from being planted, but now he suspected there was something else going on.

But the Divine Empress’s orders and will was absolute. It would have been nice to appoint another Lord General, but only the Divine Empress had the authority. To even think about doing something like that would see us motivated to not have thoughts beyond her will.

Touching the Divine Treasury could be done under his authority alone. Not even the Master Fleshcrafter had access or permission to remove a single crystal that was stored from the tribute. The airship was a massive luxury and investment. But with the Divine Empress missing but still alive, no delay could be afforded.

His heart shook on the foundation he had long built. She was alive, he just needed to find her, and all would be right. She was the Divine Empress, the center of all existence and had the Mandate of Heaven itself. Nothing could strike her down.

Even if it cost a billion points, they would be spent without hesitation. And if he made a mistake in interpreting her will, then he would gladly accept my punishment, whatever it was.