EeDechi hurried to World's End and mustered more troops. Tens of thousands of elite soldiers launched an assault, taking Crown Jameson in less than half a day.
Before long, three enemy armies had gathered outside the capital, claiming a combined strength of three hundred thousand. EeDechi had only a little over eighty thousand soldiers.
The decisive battle was about to begin! The enemy armies would launch a combined assault on the capital.
Gazing at the vast enemy host in the distance, EeDechi came up with a miraculous "recycling strategy": organize teams to retrieve the bodies of her fallen soldiers from the battlefield and bring them back to the capital. She would resurrect them, and they could head out to fight again.
That way, the same soldier could be used over and over…
And with no reason to fear death, her soldiers would fight all the more fiercely.
The battle began. Relying on their superior numbers, the enemy surged forward like a flood, only to meet a punishing barrage from EeDechi's artillery. The mechanical golem Artillery Shieldguard also fired one booming fireball after another.
To provide more firepower, EeDechi deployed the war golem Lord of the Stars. To avoid drawing attention, it stayed inside the capital rather than advancing, bombarding the enemy from within the city.
A cannon was mounted on each of its shoulders. The left cannon fired a straight beam of crimson light, triggering explosions wherever its searing radiance swept.
The right cannon launched a steady stream of fireballs. They arced through the air and landed among the enemy ranks, each blast taking out a swath of soldiers.
After the bombardment, the two armies clashed in bloody close-quarters combat. Stone golems and iron golems joined the fighting as well.
Meanwhile, carrying Cheeko in his arms, Franco quietly flew behind enemy lines. He unleashed Cheeko's undead legion and successfully killed the enemy commander in a surprise attack.
The body-recovery teams rushed onto the battlefield to retrieve their fallen comrades, and EeDechi resurrected them inside the city.
By now, EeDechi no longer appeared openly, instead concealing her identity behind a golden mask. This was to keep word from getting out and arousing the Sorcerer Kingdom's suspicions.
With her considerable combat strength and her ability to resurrect fallen soldiers without limit, the army had come to worship her as a "Divine Emperor." Her authority was absolute.
After a full day of bloody fighting, Morden's army collapsed. Soldiers threw down their weapons and armor as they fled, while those who remained surrendered in droves.
A complete victory!
After regrouping, an infantry regiment set out for Lakemere.
Lakemere stood on a small island in the middle of a large lake. The infantry had just reached the shore and were puzzling over how to cross the water and attack when a white flag rose above the town.
As it turned out, the town had never had much of a garrison. What few troops it possessed had taken part in the battle for the capital and been wiped out. The townspeople, who had long suffered terribly, stormed the mayor's residence, tied him up, and delivered him by boat as they announced their surrender.
Then bad news arrived. Sorsen had sent a cavalry force to launch a surprise attack on the poorly defended Esenna, capturing the city.
With all of EeDechi's forces concentrated around the capital, Esenna had fallen into enemy hands.
EeDechi was unconcerned, however. Her army was riding a wave of victories, and morale was high. She simply dispatched a force to attack Esenna.
Of the remaining troops, some stayed to defend the capital while the rest marched on Sorsen. Having sent its forces elsewhere, Sorsen had few defenders left and surrendered after less than half a day of fighting.
More bad news followed. Morden's royal family had marriage ties to the neighboring Kingdom of Oakhaven.
A member of the royal family had fled there, and Oakhaven had now dispatched an army. Joining forces with Morden's remaining troops, it passed through Fort Harth on the border and advanced on the capital in force.
"Hmph. So the imperialists have come to interfere with the revolution?" EeDechi snorted.
Strategically, she held them in contempt; tactically, she took them very seriously.
She deployed her commanders, gathered her troops, and, with the aid of her powerful resurrection magic, swiftly reorganized her army. Then she met the imperial coalition in a decisive battle!
After three days and nights of bitter fighting, the coalition suffered a crushing defeat!
General Stedwell Varen distinguished himself in this war. He slew the enemy commander and cut a bloody path through their forces. Fighting without regard for his own safety, he even died twice, but each time he was resurrected, he threw himself fearlessly back into battle.
With the enemy routed, Stedwell Varen led his troops into Fort Harth and established a defensive line against the neighboring kingdom.
At the same time, good news arrived: Esenna had been retaken.
Despite being outnumbered, EeDechi had won. All of Morden was now firmly in her grasp!
The war was finally over. EeDechi's mysterious army had appeared out of nowhere, bringing advanced artillery, powerful iron constructs, an unpredictable undead legion, the legendary power of resurrection, and a fearless fighting style. The two neighboring countries were scared shitless.
They immediately sent envoys to request peace treaties, and EeDechi readily agreed.
EeDechi selected soldiers with relatively high Justice Values and sent them to serve as officials throughout the country. The army, meanwhile, began cultivating farmland to support itself.
With the war over, it was time to reward those who had distinguished themselves. EeDechi had a batch of gold and silver military medals made, then personally presented them to those who had fought bravely.
Yet she kept frowning throughout the ceremony. The soldiers, who had been delighted to receive their awards, grew confused and uneasy. They wondered whether the Virtuous King had something against them.
And indeed she did. She was deeply displeased with them.
They would find that out soon enough.
For now, however, there were still the spoils of war to sort through.
The capital's lavish royal palace held untold wealth. After taking inventory and setting aside what the army needed, EeDechi distributed the rest to the poor.
Everything in the palace, from food and clothing to everyday supplies, was extravagantly luxurious. Even expensive parchment had been used for nothing more than the royal children's idle scribbling.
Meanwhile, EeDechi had not forgotten about Gray, the lich in the Aetherial Secret Coffer. She kept pressing him to finish the spell that would break Death's Kiss as soon as possible.
Gray had been dragging his feet to keep himself alive. He feared that EeDechi would kill him once he lifted the curse. His fears were not unfounded, since she found him deeply unpleasant.
During this time, Gray had also learned that EeDechi hated evil with a passion.
"Your Majesty!"
One day, Gray hurried over to EeDechi in excitement, waving a sheet of parchment.
"My king, I have found something truly vile!"
"What is it?" EeDechi asked, puzzled.
"This!" Gray waved the sheet of white parchment in his hand.
"What's wrong with that parchment?" EeDechi still did not understand.
"Your Majesty!" Gray held it out to her. "This is made from human skin! It's human-skin parchment!"
"What did you say?!" EeDechi was shocked.
She remembered this parchment. It had been found in the royal palace, where there had been stacks upon stacks of it. Gray had needed parchment for his calculations, so she had given him some.
"Find out where this parchment came from. Immediately!" EeDechi ordered.
…
Two months later, the situation had gradually stabilized, and the country was beginning to function properly. This was now EeDechi's realm, known as the "Land of the Virtuous King."
"Barrett, I think… it's time to begin a Great Purge."
EeDechi gazed into the distance, her face troubled. Her voice, however, was firm and allowed no argument.
"A Great Purge?" Barrett froze.
He knew that when EeDechi was this determined, there was no changing her mind.
Still, after a moment's thought, he tried to persuade her.
"This isn't a good idea. Their Justice Values may be low, but doing this now will make it look as though you're disposing of them after they've served their purpose."
"I don't care what anyone thinks." EeDechi's gaze suddenly sharpened. "I will not tolerate people with Justice Values that low in my ranks!"