Looking out of the front window, I saw the city of Cairo in front of us. “Go over the wall, I see beam cannons?” Captain Francis asked me.

“Keep going. If they fire, they are just writing their own death sentences,” I replied. They didn’t appear to be pulling troops back when we flew based several cities on the way here, but that was their choice. One they would regret.

The soldiers and general in charge of New Kochi were settling in well. On our second pick-up, word had already spread, and several groups were headed towards The Abyss. The transport airship would be getting its share of work bringing people back and forth. In the second trip we confirmed that it was possible to make the trip without running into the zone monsters, and only dealing with a limited number of aerial monsters.

It would be a challenge, and the beam cannons would have to be used, but it was possible to make the trip without Michelle or myself providing support. At least the population pressure on the rest of the Empire would be reduced.

“There is an airship port near the plaza, stop there or hover?” Captain Francis asked me.

“Can it handle an airship our size?” I asked.

“It doesn’t appear they have purchased that upgrade,” he replied, and I nodded. That was my observation as well.

“Bring us in right over the plaza. It is the best option, since their biggest buildings look like they are nearby. No inner wall either. No plaza structures,” I casually pointed out.

“Perhaps they have other things to focus on?” Captain Francis suggested. I shrugged at that. They clearly had beam cannons on the walls and towers. So, they weren’t poor. It was an interesting sociological question on how each nation organized itself with the same starting options.

The Divine Empress’s Forbidden City made an impression. A terrible impression, but an impression regardless. This capital city of Cairo was disappointing. Captain Francis had the Crystal Vortex fly in over the plaza and stopped in the air in front of their largest building and maintaining a height advantage above their airship port. They just had a small air boat docked.

“Well, that seems to be my queue to make an entrance,” I replied and went to the door at the side of the bridge. I opened it and leapt out, slowing my impact before I hit the ground. Soldiers and other people were rushing about. They hadn’t even prepared for me, even when I had given them a heads up. That was a big minus in my books.

No one came up to me, and people were retreating. Was this a trap? I began to walk towards the largest building. I tried the door, but it was locked. “Really?” I looked around, but no one had come up to speak to me. This reception was getting worse by the second. Perhaps I should have shown up earlier.

That was the problem about being diplomatic, you allowed your opponents to prepare. I made my way towards the store pillars in the center of the plaza. Only a level 4 city. That was incredibly weak in my opinion, but not a surprise.

A middle-aged man and several soldiers were walking quickly across the plaza towards me from the direction of the largest building. He was breathing a bit heavily and clearly had no stats once he arrived in front of me, I made sure to step away from the store pillars, to give me a bit of room in case a fight broke out.

“Greetings, I am Amir, the voice of the Emperor. Why have you come to our city?” he asked. I turned to fully face this man, my patience quickly running dry.

“I informed your Captain Habib Saluda I would be arriving today. Why is there no reception? In addition, it appears you have not pulled back your troops as I ordered, which indicates you want war. Explain yourself,” I demanded.

“You have no authority here. The Emperor of the Nile commands this city foreigner. You are asked to leave at-“ I moved forward and gripped him by his neck and lifted him up. He let out gagging noises as his hands gripped my immovable arm and his feet kicked. His guards quickly brought out their swords and kept a free hand ready to make hand signs.

“Put away your swords before I kill you all. You have three seconds. Three, two, one.” Acid Shot x20. The soldiers kept threatening me. So, I melted them without hesitation. They died so quickly they didn’t have a chance to scream. Amir began pissing himself as I kept holding him up by his neck.

“Where is Captain Habib Saluda?” I asked. At least that was someone I could speak to. I lowered Amir so his feet were barely touching the ground, so I could relax my grip slightly to allow him to breathe.

“He was executed for abandoning his post and conspiring with an enemy nation,” Amir said.

“Executed? I actually liked the guy, since he was reasonable. Where is your Emperor or Leader?” I asked.

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“The palace behind me,” the man said.

“I can tell you are lying. Where is he, don’t make me ask again,” I demanded.

“I don’t know. He fled when your airship was spotted at the wall,” Amir replied. I glanced up and saw lots of people moving onto the small airboat at the airship port. I twisted my hand, breaking the man’s neck. Air Burst. Air Burst.

I quickly landed on top of the tower. All the people froze as I looked about. The person in the most impressive outfit tended to be in charge. Really? Trying to distract me in order to flee? You didn’t flee sooner. You knew I was coming, but then this is your response? You couldn’t even wait to see if I showed up first before killing your own soldier.

“You look like the Emperor of the Nile?” I asked a man as several soldiers unleashed skills and rushed at me. Acid Shot x100. The attacks were countered, the soldiers killed, and the other Emperor scrambled back across the gangplank to the air boat just before it was melted. Air Burst. I landed on the air boat and tossed the three other people besides the Emperor overboard and sent another wave of Acid Shots right after them.

Even if they survived the landing, they would not survive that follow up attack. “Please. I am sorry. I didn’t know. Please!” the Emperor in front of me was screaming on the deck of the air boat. I felt a headache forming.

“I let you know I was coming?! What did you think would happen? That isn’t rhetorical, answer,” I demanded.

“My advisors told me that Captain wanted power and was trying to start a rebellion. I am just a figurehead. You need to talk to-“ I was done with this trash. I reached down and grabbed his face with one hand as he screamed into it. I lifted him up.

“Good news, you will have a chance to be useful, as target practice,” I said and threw him away from the airboat. Radiant Beam. Void Beam. Both attacks hit him precisely in the air creating an annihilation effect blowing the Emperor apart. I watched as a single foot flew away.

I went over to the controls of the airboat. Well it was mine now and its engine was filled up. I flew it next to my airship and docked it next to the bridge. “Orders?” Captain Francis asked me.

“They have declared war through stupidity. I will purge the city, move to the gates and secure them. We have the troops?” I asked.

“Not if there is a concentrated push to get out of the city, and they could use the beam cannons,” Captain Francis said.

“Well consider your objective the South gate, sweep the main road in that direction. Use the cannons. I will sweep to the North. We will then both sweep along the wall to the West gate and then leave,” I replied.

“You don’t want to look for information?” he asked. That was a good point.

“Leave a detachment of five with the airboat. They can move directly West,” I decided.

“I won’t be joining this,” Michelle told me, from her spot on the bridge. I gave her a nod.

“That is fine. Just provide air cover and defense please,” I told her, and she nodded. She clearly didn’t want to engage in the massacre that was about to take place. There was no other option at this point. If people don’t take a threat seriously, me being polite would just compound the issue and they would think that I was afraid to kill people.

It wasn’t that I wanted to kill these people, but their leaders were too stupid to be allowed to live with a slap on the wrist. I had high hopes after speaking with the late Captain Habib Saluda. Apparently, he had been the most intelligent person in his government, compared to the idiots running this place.

Even if some people survived, they weren’t ready like Clarissa was. Their soldiers would panic, and would fragment into warlords, that my people could cut their teeth on while taking zones and cities. But crushing their capital and purging it, would create a massive power vacuum and panic. I expected New Kochi would get offers of surrender.

The general running the city, wouldn’t accept, since my government wasn’t conquering anything. We were just softening things up for my people to fight over the remains. If they had focused on peace, their nation wouldn’t be fracturing like was going to happen. I would pass through here on the way back and do another purge if they made any trouble.

I left Captain Francis to handle the details of the soldiers while I leapt off the airship once more. I landed in the plaza, and went to the biggest building, kicking open the door. It shattered easily and there were screams. “Maps and information? Where?” I asked.

People were running away others were talking in a foreign language. Three soldiers used skills, which I countered with Acid Shot, melting them and another two people near them. “Maps and information?” I repeated my question and advanced.

No one wanted to talk. They either attacked, didn’t know English, or ran away. It was quite annoying as I murdered my way quickly through the building. “Speak English?” I grabbed another soldier I had caught up to.

“Yes!” he quickly said.

“Maps and information? Where?” I asked.

“Yes!” he said. I tossed him into a wall, shattering his body, and leaving him in a pool of his blood.

“Yes is an English word, but not communication,” I muttered as I quickly found another soldier. This one didn’t speak any English and I killed him. One after another, I killed everyone I came across. Finally I ran into a teenager, who was in a uniform.

“English?” I asked as I put a hand on their shoulder.

“Yes, I speak English,” they quickly replied.

“Finally. I thought I was going to have to kill everyone in this stupid building. Maps and information? Where?” I asked.

“Um, the war room most likely? I can show you the way,” the teenager said.

“Alright, hurry up now,” I said and released them. They ran and I was right behind them. They quickly pointed me to a room on the top floor. I put my hand on the teenager’s shoulder as I used the palm of my other hand to slam the door open. It shattered more than open, but it was the same thing. I entered the room and saw a large table with hand drawn maps and notes all over it.

“Perfect. You can read this?” I asked the teenager while pointing at the maps.

“Um, yes,” he said nervously.

“Good, you earned a job as a translator. Begin packing everything up in here. Don’t run. I am going to clear the rest of the building and tell my soldiers to bring you and the maps to my airship. You will be treated as a proper prisoner as long as you don’t cause trouble. Do you understand?” I asked.

“Yes, yes!” the teenager quickly said. Well, that was easy. Time to clear out the rest of the building, but there weren’t many people left that I could spot.