When the Blood Moon set and dawn arrived, the accounting was stark. Of the four hundred-plus giant military heavy cities, fewer than a hundred remained. Over ninety percent of the defensive positions had been destroyed. The army's combat strength had fallen to less than one-fifth of its opening numbers.
Then the new day's recruitment arrived. Billions of Castle Lords had returned to their territories during the night to pull their daily troop allotments. Trillions of fresh troops flooded back onto the battlefield. The Castle Faction's total force crossed eleven trillion.
The Light Empire's remaining army sat at under one trillion, half of what had started the battle, reduced by death, surrender, and desertion in roughly equal measure.
When the fresh recruits hit the defensive line, it didn't hold. The positions that had survived the night fell in minutes. The fortresses that had endured until dawn fell before midday.
The collapse was visible in real time, not a retreat, not a managed withdrawal, but a crack, the kind that spreads from one section to the next faster than orders can travel.
The Light Empire's penultimate line of defense had finally collapsed across the board.
…
Pandora arrived at the Light Empire's imperial palace well into the night, and Asher had been awake the entire time waiting for her.
The answer was visible before she spoke. The negotiations have failed. Haru had not stopped the war. On the contrary, overnight the Great Aetherium and Castle Faction had destroyed more than two hundred additional fortresses and captured defensive positions beyond counting.
The battlefield report said over one trillion imperial supernaturals had been killed, captured, or had defected. The losses were catastrophic. Even if the war stopped at this exact moment, the empire's foundation had been damaged enough to require at least centuries of recovery.
One of the core ministers, unable to contain his frustration, said: "That young emperor doesn't even give face to Your Holiness Pandora?"
Pandora looked at him. The look alone was enough, he was a High God facing a late-stage Supreme Goddess, and he felt the gap immediately, going pale and lowering his head without another word.
"His Majesty Kazehaya is a peak Supreme God." Pandora said, her tone light, "His strength surpasses everyone in the entire Endless Continent. In front of him, I am also ashamed of myself. Why would he give me face?"
Asher tried a different angle, "Your Holiness' relationship with the Nature Pantheon, the Great Aetherium's ally, wouldn't that give your words some weight with him?"
"The ally of the Great Aetherium is the Nature Pantheon, not the Light Pantheon." Pandora said, "If Elunara had come to speak with His Majesty, he might have considered it. But Elunara and your empire have no relationship at all. She would not sour her relationship with the Great Aetherium for you."
Asher absorbed this. He knew it was true, but it didn't make it easier to hear.
"Then the Great Aetherium is determined to destroy us." He said, "They will not stop."
"Your Majesty is correct." Pandora's expression remained politely neutral, concealing what she actually knew, that Haru's war plan extended well past the Light Empire.
After the Divine War, the Great Aetherium's next objective would be the entire central region. The Light Empire was the first step precisely because it bordered the Great Aetherium directly. Occupying its territory would give the Great Aetherium access vectors to a lot of empires:
To the North:
Ice and Snow Kingdom
Royal Beast Court
To the East:
Dark Empire
Beyond them would be:
Dwarf Empire
Dragon Empire
Elf Empire.
The geography made the Light Empire's destruction not just convenient but strategically necessary. Asher didn't need to know all of that and she didn't volunteer to tell him.
"Then I assume Your Holiness will fulfill her promise." Asher said, looking at her directly.
"I will." Pandora said, "Under the condition that my own life is not endangered, I help Your Majesty defend this Imperial Capital."
She had already arranged it with Haru. She would have a performative battle with Yvonne, convincing enough to satisfy Asher's eye while causing neither of them real harm. Asher, who didn't know this, was simply relieved to have a late-stage Supreme Goddess on his side.
With these two plus the hundreds of thousands of Gods of Truth already assembled in the capital, maintaining an extremely strong barrier was achievable. It wasn't winning, just surviving long enough, which was considered a win by the Light Empire's standards.
He allowed himself a small exhale, then caught himself. He had returned the Banner to Pandora, and only now felt the full weight of that decision. With the Banner in his own hands he would have had more initiative, more leverage. Now it was hers, and he was entirely dependent on her goodwill. He could only hope she kept her word.
------------------
Become A Member At My Patreon For Access To Bonus Chapters Or Even Multiple Chapters A Day!
» Patreon.com/LordArchduke