“If she can pull all of them over to her side and get them to believe in her even more, then they will give her more devotions. Hell, if they’re just scared and hoping to be saved and give her more power hoping that they’re going to be saved, she starts racking up a whole lot of energy she can use directly against the Earth Lord and the Dark Lord,” Josh said.
“It’s just a matter of when and how she wants to push Earth and Dark’s forces off her island. If she waits, she gets more power, but she will lose more soldiers and she will be seen as their savior in the hour that they needed her the most. If she acts now, then she might not win. She will keep more of her angels and her soldiers, but she will be seen as a defender, not a savior, meaning she doesn’t get as many panicked and fearful devotions.” Kim shook her head.
“She is one smart and brutal bitch.” Cassie said what they were all thinking.
“Putting it mildly.” Josh sighed. The battle between the two groups was only just starting.
The army of Light used bugles, calling back their force, reforming them and readying them for another attack. Many weren’t able to get free from the fighting in order to get back into formation.
Spells lit up the night sky or descended it into darkness. The contrasting lights illuminated a brutal battlefield in the sky and on the ground.
“Kol says that the first warclan worth of Devastator armor is ready,” Dwayne said.
“How effective were they?” Josh asked. The Devastator armor had been awarded to the dwarven protectors who had been hiding away from the world. When in the armor, their abilities had a sharp increase, making them incredibly powerful. Also, as all dwarves, they had trained to be in warclans, so they had been organized once again as shield bearers.
Josh had seen some of the training. There was nothing quite as terrifying as three-meter-tall armors using massive dwarven shields and blades advancing on the enemy as their contracted beasts flew over top of them, lending support.
“Scary effective. We’ve got three more warclans’ worth training up now. They’re going to be used as drop forces for the Pandora’s Box Initiative. There aren’t many of them but they can shift the flow of a battle,” Dwayne said.
“I want them on standby, ready to deploy with our Terra forces if we need it. Those angels are some bad news.” Josh looked at the holy warriors that floated in the sky and were stuck in close combat with the Dark forces on the platform.
Even with the powerful spells, and their advantage at night and around Dark Mana, the people on the platform were barely able to defend themselves.
The angels were tearing through the creatures and creations that lay in their way, batting away or destroying the spells shot at them. Their power was impressive and scary, their soldiers able to fight against mages who had not only range, but the time to cast multiple spells.
Josh ground his teeth in frustration and fear of what might happen when the Terra Alliance clashed with them.
***
Light looked over the different interfaces and screens in front of her with little interest, luxuriating in a large bath that was filled with sweet-smelling soap and bubbles. She sipped from a goblet, drinking a golden wine that smelled refreshing and made one feel relaxed just being able to smell it. Light sipped on it as if it were no different from water.
She was “recuperating” from her last efforts to create champions from the angels under her command. To the angels who were on the battlefield, she had made a display of pouring her power out, raising them to be her champions in their greatest time of need.
They looked to save the armies of Light but it was a losing battle.
Still, the sacrifices and the ways that the Lady of Light had severely injured and worked herself to the point of exhaustion were a great rallying cry to her followers.
A number of people had fled Markolm under the cover of war. These people were those who had been suppressed by Light and Daeundra’s fallen angels, but had never really been supporters of Light’s.
Daeundra and her people looked out for these people, killing them silently, not allowing word on the conditions people were living in to get out. Some spies might report back to their leaders, but that was different from them having someone who had been there—a regular person of Emerilia.
People were pouring in their devotions, wanting their Lady of Light to win the battle, for her to support their loved ones on the battlefield. Even those who died on the battlefield sent their final vestiges of power to the Lady of Light in the shape of devotions as the end came for them.
A cold and hungry look spread across Light’s face as the corners of her mouth raised into an ugly smile. She sipped on her wine and relaxed in her massive bath, attendants quietly standing in all corners of the room.
“Daeundra, have them do a fighting retreat. Pull them in the direction of one of the farming communities. Have the Light army try to pull the citizens out but in the midst of the fighting so that a few of them die and the army of Light tries to defend them but falls. It will be a heroic moment—shows the way that the Dark Lord and Earth Lord don’t care about the people. Maybe get a few images and videos of people who are being sacrificed or used by the invading forces, incite anger and fury in the people’s hearts.” Light coordinated a massive loss of life, only caring about the impact of it on her own devotions.
“Yes, mistress,” Daeundra said.
“When that is going on, I’ll drop a pillar of light, destroying everything. Then I’ll do a speech about fighting them back and all of this. Something to inspire them all.” Light waved her cup slightly, already seeing the scene of her people bowing before her, as she stirred the coals of rage within their hearts.
“Yes, mistress,” Daeundra repeated, in her same monotone voice.
“Good pet.” Light relaxed into her bath, her alluring figure at odds with her cold expression.
***
The Dark Lord raised his hand; a pillar of metal rose from the seabed. Water rolled off it as it breached the waves, spreading out and growing into a new semicircle island. The Earth Lord flashed into existence near him; he tossed out seeds that hit the sea below.
The churned water revealed different plants that interwove with one another, piercing the seabed, and created a second island that rested beside the one the Dark Lord had made.
The Earth Lord and Dark Lord nodded to each other as they arrived at the neutral ground they had created in the middle of the sea between Opheir, Heval, Ashal, and Markolm. The Earth Lord and Dark Lord both descended to the island. From the ground, seats rose with a thought. Different viewing pools and orbs floated around them, showing the battle between their two forces and Light’s.
“Seems she is trying to build up the power held in her divine well,” Earth said.
Dark sneered at Earth’s words; under the hood, Earth couldn’t see the expression on his face. “She can try, but it is a losing plan.”
“Her angels are incredibly powerful now that she has started to raise many of them to champion status,” Earth said.
“We have also raised any Creatures of Power that we have to the status of champions. Our forces together are much stronger than any of the armies that she can send against us. Fighting the legions will be difficult but we will only need to show a bit of our power in order to help them break through the angels’ legions.” The Dark Lord, too, didn’t like how strong the legions of angels had become but even if he lost all of his forces here, his true plan hadn’t been revealed.
He cast a hidden look at Earth, who was concentrating on the screens.
They had fought in the Pantheon constantly, but this was one of the first times it had been so blatant. They were aiming not only for the forces of another member of the Pantheon, but their hall and seat of power. Markolm was Light’s continent and island. Stepping onto it was a declaration of war. If any of the other members of the Pantheon even thought of stepping onto Markolm, let alone trying to invade it, Light, with her narcissistic ways, would not s
top until she destroyed those who profaned her island.
Earth was rightfully nervous. Light had home ground advantage and she had been growing her power rapidly over the last couple of weeks. If they lost this fight, then Earth would have little power to hold onto what he had left.
It was a big bet, but if it paid off, then Light, one of Dark’s and Earth’s biggest threats to power, would be removed.
They descended into silence on their perfectly split island. Waves rippled out from the island as they watched the progress of their forces and wondered what Light’s actions would be. Neither of them gave the people of Emerilia nor the rest of the Pantheon any thought.
They worked with the weakest of people; in their minds, there was no way that they could even offer a resistance once they had defeated Light. They only needed to look at Light’s armies made up of the people of Emerilia who were getting slaughtered under the attacks of Earth’s and Dark’s advancing forces.
Chapter 15: Use Every Moment
Lox and Gurren looked over the ranks of Devastator armor in front of them; a feeling of pride welled up in their chests.
They looked to the warclan leader Redal. He was a figure of legend, a dwarf who had led his warband into the depths of the Aldamire Mountain to rescue a group of children who had been captured by creatures of the Dark. They had come back barely alive but they did come back; carrying every child that was taken by the Dark.
When the dwarves went down to see where the creatures were hiding, they had found a bloodbath. All of the dwarves in Redal’s warband had fought with their all, pushing past their limits and defeating these powerful creatures. Redal grew in fame from that first legendary fight, becoming a figure that demanded respect and an impressive tactician. He was a part of the war council at one time. He had been retired due to his advanced age. Now, with some of Jung Lee’s revitalizing potions and some of the anti-aging treatments that the Terra healers could use, he had once again risen out of retirement and taken command of this Devastator warclan, the first of its kind.
Each and every dwarf was a powerful person with a storied past; with the armor they were even more terrifying.
In just a few weeks, they were able to not only adapt to the armor but take the teachings of Lox and Gurren and make it their own. On their shoulders, their summoned beasts rested; their eyes looked for the next target as Mana circulated their bodies, ready for combat at any moment.
“Well, you’re certainly a sight to scare the shit out of some god’s minions.” Gurren laughed.
Redal chuckled as well. “They are an ugly-looking bunch, aren’t they?” Redal looked to the other dwarves lined up in ranks.
Lox chuckled as the sets of armor let out amused laughs. Redal had pushed them to their limits but he had been right there with them, working two times harder than them and working to make them the best. He had earned their respect and undying loyalty.
“We wouldn’t have become as strong as we are without your help, brothers,” Redal said in a moment of seriousness, looking between the two of them.
Working with the armor, they had learned how to figure out what others were thinking by their actions and words.
Lox felt embarrassed and proud at Redal’s words. “If it wasn’t for the warclan’s work and each and every shield bearer coming together, I don’t think that another clan would have been able to train so fast,” Lox said.
“Damn, you are a flatterer. Want to get me a beer before ya try to jump in my pants!” Redal stepped backward slightly. Those who heard started to laugh as Lox shook his head.
Even Gurren laughed at Lox, who was struck speechless by their words.
“Me and my clan appreciate everything you two have done—knowing the truth of Emerilia, the Jukal and all of it. It’s not going to be an easy path, but hopefully we can do our part to get our freedom back and kick these bastards off our planet.” Redal’s light tone and joking manner faded away, his words biting and hard.
Lox nodded and looked at those in front of him.
There were two more warclans of five thousand that were also training with the Devastator armor. A few of the people from the first training group had been picked to teach them, as well as Lox and Gurren helping out as they could.
From their armor, Dave had made the armor that they now saw in front of them. Their numbers were low but the armor allowed these experts to become even more tyrannical.
Lox’s thoughts soured as he remembered the images and videos he had seen of the war happening in Markolm. The news of the Jukal had broken through the ranks of the Terra Alliance leadership.
With it, a large number of people had been moved to the Pandora’s Box Initiative.
They were getting closer and closer to wakening day—the day when they would pull all of the players from their simulation and wake them up. More and more facilities to wake players up had been created with that single goal in mind. Players now made up the vast majority of those within the Pandora’s Box Initiative. Some of them couldn’t wrap their heads around what was happening, getting a place to live and doing as they wanted. They were watched closely by Jeeves to make sure they didn’t do anything that might put the Initiative into jeopardy.
A number of them helped with research and development, building and training to use the equipment that was coming online.
Every minute that the Pantheon was fighting was another minute that they could get their people ready for the coming fight with the Jukal.
Hopefully they could hold back their strength and defeat the Pantheon. Even if they deployed the Devastator warclans, it shouldn’t be too big of a deal. But if they started to teleport or use some of their more powerful weapons, then the Jukal might be alerted to the fact that Emerilia was preparing to break free of their imprisonment.
***
Frank and all of the players who were training to man the different ships of the Emerilian fleet were excited. The first group had finally finished what was being called basic training. They had memory crystals taken and added into the minds of the second round of players who would be joining their ranks.
Afterward, the three different fleet groups had been pitched against one another in massive battles. They had commanded Jukal ships as well as Emerilian vessels. For days, they would simulate battle after battle and fighting engagements, sometimes not coming out of the simulation until their force was wholly destroyed or they made it to a checkpoint with vessels hitting them along the way.
It was as realistic as they could get without being in actual combat.
After a week of that, their leaderships had given them three days off. Frank and his fire control teams were in Ice City, having beers and food when notifications started to come in.
Frank opened up the notification and saw a video. The remaining legions of angels had finally taken to the sky and were moving on the forces of the Earth Lord and Dark Lord.
They had been fighting for three weeks now, with the Dark Lord’s and Earth Lord’s forces committing atrocities on the people of Markolm, inciting the rage of the entire continent as the armies of Light did their best to destroy those who attacked their homes and families.
The angels continued to slow them, just barely holding the lines it seemed. They flew up from all over Maphrol, the capital of Markolm, and where Light had placed her hall above the tallest tower.
The golden armor of the angels shone in the morning light as they moved. Their white wings extended as they moved into flying legions and filled the sky. It was a powerful sight to see as they advanced toward the battlefield.
It took them just a few minutes to reach where the fighting was happening. As they arrived, pillars of light fell from the sky, falling upon the angels who were fighting. All of them were blessed by the Lady of Light, becoming her champions.
The Earth Lord’s and Dark Lord’s forces separated themselves from the battles they were in, regrouping as the angels moved into the legion formations. The armies of Light looked up at their saviors, str
uck by the beauty and power of the angels.
With these guardians above, there was no way that they could fail now.
A light appeared in the air, showing the Lady of Light in front of the legions of angels. “You have gone too far, Dark and Earth. For your bloodied hands and cold souls, you will feel my judgement!” Light yelled out.
Powerful golden streams shot out from her hand. Those who weren’t under the protection of a Mana barrier were torn apart under the power of her attack. It smashed against the Mana barrier that covered the platform and the ground below it, making it shake as the Dark Mana barrier started to become lighter.
“For the true goddess!” Khanundra yelled.
The angels’ war cries filled the air, their wings flapping as they shot forward into battle.
The Mana barrier failed, Light’s attack cracking it and breaking through.
The twin pillars of light tore through the black smoke that covered the platform, punching a hole through the platform itself and a half dozen of the legs underneath, and making it shudder and shake.
The Dark forces jumped from the platform. Pillars shot up from the ground, catching them and pushing them up to meet the angels of Light.
Those on the ground shot upward. Roots and plants sprouted under their feet; flames covered their bodies; air tunnels shot them upward and water streams coiled underneath their feet.
The invaders rose up, the creatures of hell meeting the creatures of heaven.
Fights broke out throughout the angels’ legions. In the sky, fighting happened in every direction.
The angels’ strength was incredible. With their training and Light doubling their strength by making them champions against the Dark’s and Earth’s invaders, they were unstoppable.
Creatures and people who were part of the Myths and Legends of Emerilia clashed: Massive beasts of the sky, creatures from the depths of the Earth and stone. Angels who had struck fear into Emerilia and a goddess who was talked about in lore.
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