★137
ASTERI'S POV
The empire's outlying territories, once bustling with soldiers and strategists, now lay buried beneath an endless sheet of ice.
Velzard, the White Ice Dragon, descended like a divine judgment. Entire divisions were flash-frozen before a scream could escape their lips. The proud Eastern Empire, long independent, rich in magic technology and militaristic strength was blindsided in mere seconds.
Civilians and soldiers alike were swallowed by the blizzard. It was the first move in a war none had believed would come so soon. Michael had made his move.
'The Empire wasn't a threat, so why strike them now?'
A chill ran through my thoughts.
'Could it be a diversion?'
This move was too sudden. Ten per cent of the original plan, at the very least, had already been thrown off balance.
"Star Supreme Commander, any portal that's ready is to be used immediately. The Eastern Empire has fallen. The war has begun."
I ordered.
'S–so soon… Roger.'
The line cut, replaced almost instantly by another voice.
'Master, Dino and his crew are here in Tempest.'
It was Ban.
You're kidding. Now it's thirty five%. If this keeps up, we'll have to forge a new plan while the world is in flames. Not on my watch.
"Head to Tempest first. The enemy is invading the Labyrinth."
I said, the words leaving my mouth faster than my thoughts could catch up.
"This is urgent."
Raiden cut in, his voice sharp enough to slice through the tension.
"An anti-magic barrier's been activated in Tempest. Our previous portals aren't working."
For a split second, everything felt too still.
"Lightless… Elaine."
I called, forcing my voice to stay steady.
"Get down there. Do something—anything. Reconnect the portal. And this time… use something different."
'On it.'
In the blink of an eye, the war has begun and two nations have been struck simultaneously.
Far from the icy devastation, another betrayal unfolded in silence. Deep beneath the surface, within the endless, trap-ridden depths of Ramiris' Labyrinth, Dino, the once lazy and seemingly harmless Demon Lord, revealed his true allegiance. He struck without hesitation.
Using Ban, I sent invincible eyes all over the Labyrinth. I need eyes in Tempest. Opening a portal from within, Dino let through angelic soldiers and elite undead, conjured by Feldway's schemes.
'Angels can't inhabit the Physical Plane, they need a vessel. And these must be it. Someone out there has used tricky magic.'
I sent a few more eyes into the continent, hoping to find them if they're foolish enough to do so on enemy territory.
These were not mindless corpses, but vessels, specially prepared bodies hosting reincarnated angels and other warriors with awakened-tier strength. Some had once been heroes but now they served only Michael's vision of perfect, angelic law.
Ramiris' Labyrinth, a seemingly impenetrable fortress that had protected Tempest's forces for so long, became a war zone.
Beretta fought with relentless fury, Veldora's rampage echoed through the subterranean halls. Even so, the enemy's numbers kept growing, each death replaced by a new, manufactured elite.
"It's done… took longer than I expected."
Elaine's voice came through.
"Guess what? The portal won't hold for long."
In what felt like no time at all, a new portal shimmered into existence, flickering defiantly against the anti-magic barrier. Yet even as it pulsed with unstable energy, my mind refused to settle. This… this wasn't how it was supposed to happen.
"That's impossible."
I muttered, disbelief threading through every syllable.
"I know."
Elaine said, her tone low.
"But that's reality. Their magic system… it's strong. Comparable to ours in some ways, though still inferior."
I couldn't contain it.
"Feldway… that bastard."
My hand slammed down on the armrest with a force that rattled the console, sharp enough to mirror the frustration clawing at my chest.
'Has he anticipated we'll use our magic to overthrow the world's local magic?"
"That'll be enough."
Raiden said, his voice calm but edged with calculation.
"I'll send the Noble Squad first. Actually… I'll make some rearrangements—Yasu and Natsu will go instead."
"Do it."
I replied, a hint of hesitation masked by resolve.
A careless brat like Natsu was unpredictable—a wild card—but sometimes, that was exactly what urgent times demanded.
With Ban and the rest of the Noble Squad already inside, I let myself observe how the battle unfolded.
Blue flames danced around Natsu as he tore through the enemy, leaving nothing but ashes in his wake. His reckless energy, chaotic as it was, carved a clear path forward.
The Labyrinth's endless corridors seemed almost to bend around him, each step bringing us closer to the heart of the threat.
But after a long, exhausting run, Dino—the real threat—was nowhere in sight. Natsu needed direction, so I guided him to the administrative room, where he finally encountered Ramiris and the crew. That was enough for now.
I leaned back, letting the tension ebb for a moment, my mind already racing. I need to prepare for a comeback.
Outside, the world watched in horror as one by one, the balance of power tilted. The Empire, powerful but alone, was crushed beneath Velzard's frost.
The Labyrinth was under siege. Tempest, though not yet attacked directly, now stood isolated, its defences pulled thin to aid its allies. Michael's plan was working.
From his throne in the heavens, he's watching the world unravel, confident in his control. With the Seven Angelic Virtues at his command and the army of artificial saints and revenants growing by the day, he believed this world would be reborn and cleansed, ruled by absolute order.
He called it JUSTICE, while others called it the beginning of the end.
I wasn't going to let it end so I lent a hand. With the intended Star Military flooding the Labyrinth and Tempest itself, Dino and his crew were cornered and we kept pushing in.
The troops set out with cannon outside, the wyverns kept watching while the rest of them made their way into the Labyrinth.
But that wasn't all, for a proper counter, I need to cut off the enemy's communication link. The MID with Elaine by their side, this one simple task won't be a problem.
The frost had not yet melted when the next wave came.
Michael's forces moved with precision. Having razed the Empire's borders and undermined Tempest's strongholds, they set their eyes on the rest of the world. The Sorcerer's Dynasty Sarion, a realm of mysticism, was the next to fall under siege that same day in the afternoon.
Yes, Michael didn't know he had lost to Tempest because the MID and Elaine sealed off the communication between Tempest and the rest of the world. He caught us off guard, and now it's time for me to return the favour.
Allies were distracted and killed, resources were split, and responses were delayed. The perfect plan.
The skies above Sarion shimmered with the wings of angelic-class warriors, while its forests burned under the wrath of divine fire.
These weren't mindless monsters; they were purpose-forged soldiers, created via Dead Birthday, hosting souls prepared for war. I've found the caster, Kazalim.
She's using a forbidden magic that allows the user to create powerful Deathmen using thousands of corpses. Kazalim was on sight, but I have something really important to take care of now.
"It's time."
As the enemy forces were about to make contact with the mainland of Sarion, their fragile army which consisted of mages and civilians who hadn't known war in decades braced for impact against trained angels and warriors who were born in battle.
Right between the Divine Tree and the enemy forces in the distance, a single thunderclap boomed across the heavens, louder than any Sarion had ever known. Clouds churned in wild spirals as the very air grew heavy with pressure.
Then, with a sound like tearing cloth stretched across the world, the clouds split apart. A rift bloomed in the sky, vast and jagged, seething with white light. Not a clean circle portal, but a titanic wound in the firmament, pulsing with unstable energy as if the sky itself bled white.
The enemy has stopped, they were the only force sent here so this must be an enemy. Sarion soldiers however lost all hope that an enemy of such magnitude had appeared before them.
An azure lightning bolt emerged from the portal, the enemy, the allies, and Sarion itself had their gaze drawn to the Field Marshal clad in lightning. Both forces were murmuring, Who's this guy? And the likes.
He paused for a moment, the sound of wind howling in the distance. He didn't say a word and neither did he move, he had a one-minute silence for what was about to unfold. After finishing his ritual, he spoke.
"By the decree of our Founder, Lord Asteri, we stand as guardians of the Lady Fourth's domain."
His voice rolled across the land like distant thunder, deep and commanding, shaking the very air with its weight.
Through the rift came the soldiers—rows upon rows, hundreds upon hundreds—until I counted over 1,800, lined in perfect formation, moving as one relentless tide.
Delicate, glowing wings—translucent and ethereal, like something from a dream—were affixed to their uniforms, holding each soldier aloft as they defied gravity itself. They hovered, unwavering, a spectacle of both discipline and otherworldly beauty.
At the forefront, standing beside the General of the Army, was the Air Force Major General 1—Freya. Her presence alone radiated authority, a living symbol of precision and power, and every soldier around her seemed to draw strength from her very being.
'So this is what Elaine had in mind. I was hoping for something futuristic.'
Eruptions shook the southern reaches of Sarion, drawing every gaze toward the chaos. Eyes fell on another portal, shimmering ominously against the afternoon sky.
From it, fourteen heavily armed ships emerged, their hulls bristling with weaponry, floating like harbingers of escalation. On deck, the Vice Admiral of the Main Port, Lina, waited patiently, her posture radiating readiness, awaiting only a single command.
Then the wyverns followed, wings spread wide, circling the breaches with the patience of predators, like vultures poised over their prey. Each carried two soldiers: a rider and an attacker, their presence a perfect blend of mobility and lethality.
About fifty wyverns dotted the skies, mouths sparking with contained fury, each breath ready to ignite the battlefield in searing flames.
The enemy forces staggered backward, fear etched into their faces as the tide of attack turned against them. But the surprises weren't finished.
A neat, long horizontal portal ripped across the earth, followed by a third colossal portal opening for the day, its sheer scale dwarfing everything around it. The battlefield was swelling, brimming with reinforcements, and the enemy had nowhere left to hide.
The Land Army Major Generals 1 & 3—stepped through the portal, their eyes scanning the ground littered with fallen monsters. A tense silence hung in the air, broken only by the faint rustle of dying creatures.
Then came the low, resonant rumble of heavy footsteps, growing louder, echoing from the portal behind them.
One by one, 1,500 armoured silhouettes emerged, their banners snapping violently in the wind, a tide of steel and determination.
The enemy wasn't outnumbered, but sheer force alone wasn't what mattered. They were trapped, hemmed in with no escape, no room to breathe. Overpowered, outmatched, and utterly exposed.
"Protect the land."
Raiden's voice rang out, sharp and commanding.
At once, the wyverns swooped, soldiers charged, and floating ships unleashed volleys of fire. The battlefield erupted into chaos, every angle assaulted simultaneously, leaving the enemy with nowhere to turn.
Six ships unleashed volleys from both magical and conventional cannons, tearing through the enemy's aerial divisions, while the rest rained destruction down on the hostile foot soldiers below.
The Star Air Force, supported by more than half of the wyverns, engaged the remaining enemy fliers in a deadly dance of speed and fire, while the other wyverns swept the ground, burning everything in their path.
Seven hundred soldiers of the Land Army, led by Major General 1—Ito—charged forward, clashing violently with the few who had survived the relentless onslaught.
The remaining eight hundred formed the last line of defence, stationed for any who might have slipped through the forest, their stance tense but unyielding.
The war had only just begun, but already I felt the currents bend in my favour. Compared to the Demon Lords, my influence here was undeniable, shaping the battlefield even before the first true clash had fully erupted.
To be continued...