While the Castle Lords traded nostalgia for loot, the core of the Light Empire was descending into madness.
With the Nivara River line gone, well-informed citizens realized the empire was a hollow shell. They tried to flee, but found the teleportation arrays to neighboring empires blocked. The surrounding nations had prudently closed their borders to avoid the Great Aetherium's wrath.
Trapped and desperate, riots broke out in the prosperous cities. The Light Empire's Gods, huddled in their capital, didn't bother to stop the chaos. They were too busy saving their own skins.
However, they weren't just waiting to die. Under the cover of the riots, the core ministers of the Light Empire and a handpicked group of Gods of Truth were moving. They slipped through the shadows, infiltrating the Dark Empire's territory and their military camps.
The defense was not an option anymore. Now, they were moving for the assassination plan.
"Kill them all!"
The core territory of the Light Empire, once a bastion of divine light, was now a slaughterhouse. Hundreds of billions of Dark Empire supernaturals surged through the undefended cities and noble estates. Because the Light Empire's high command had funneled every available mortal troop to the Nivara River and every God to the imperial capital, the heartland was a hollow shell. No guards, no heroes. Only victims.
Vengeance, millions of years in the making, arrived in the form of necromancers and puppet masters.
The Dark Empire's ranks didn't just move; they grew. For every "Light" citizen slaughtered, a new undead thrall or alchemy puppet rose from the remains. Their numbers snowballed from hundreds of billions to five trillion. It was a dark, mechanical mimicry of the Castle Faction' recruitment power.
…
There was a stark contrast between the invaders.
The Castle Lords were, in their own way, "benevolent." They targeted only those who resisted, knowing that senseless slaughter would tank their troops' loyalty. But the Dark Empire was unconstrained by such mechanics. They killed everything, civilians, livestock and even wild monsters, simply to refine them into more troops.
To the Dark Empire, the Light Empire's citizens weren't just enemies; they were raw materials.
…
High above the carnage, the Dark Empire's Gods hovered in the gloom of the Blood Moon.
"The Nivara line has fallen." One God noted, checking the distant reports, "The Great Aetherium and the Castle Lords have won. The Light Empire's army is extinct."
"Perfect." A High God sneered, "That means there is nothing left to stop us. We will turn this prosperous core into a wasteland of the dead."
"Should we withdraw?" A more cautious God asked, "Haru and his Castle Faction will be entering this area soon. We currently occupy half the core territory. If we push further, we risk a conflict."
"Withdraw? Why?" The High God countered, "The agreement was simple: whoever occupies the land, keeps it. We have five trillion troops now. By the time they arrive, we'll have six. If they want a fight, we'll give them one. Besides, the Great Aetherium is focused on the capital and especially Asher. He won't waste his time on us."
The cautious God frowned, his senses tingling, "I feel… a presence. Like eyes in the void."
"You're paranoid." The others laughed, "The Light Empire's Gods are cowering in their capital. They wouldn't dare to step outside."
…
They were wrong.
At the junction of between the universe and the Void, protected by Asher's Divine Power, twenty core ministers of the Light Empire watched the Dark Empire's Gods with a cold, murderous intent.
They weren't there as Gods of the Light Empire. They were draped in the stolen aura of pure Holy Light, their divine auras masked to mimic the Great Aetherium's Angels.
"The bait is set." A voice whispered from the shadows.
Their plan was simple: carry out a brutal assassination of the Dark Empire's royal and noble bloodlines while disguised as Haru's Angels. If they couldn't save their empire, they would at least burn the world down by forcing the Great Aetherium and the Dark Empire into a war of annihilation.
…
While the Dark Empire built its army of corpses and the Light Empire's survivors plotted in the dark, the Castle Lords were busy with a different kind of growth.
It was a new day. Billions of Castle Lords had returned to their bases for their daily recruitment. By 10:00 AM, the 'meat grinder' of the Nivara River had been forgotten. The 8 trillion troops who survived the battle were joined by a fresh wave of 4 trillion recruits.
Twelve trillion troops now stood ready.
The Dark Empire thought their five trillion undead were impressive, but in the face of the Castle Faction' daily recruitment, they weren't even playing the same game.
------------------
Become A Member At My Patreon For Access To Bonus Chapters Or Even Multiple Chapters A Day!
» Patreon.com/LordArchduke