The yellow-auraed men could no longer hide their panic under Elara's piercing gaze.
Overwhelmed by panic, they seemed to dread the fate awaiting them at the Emperor's hands.
"I do not know who sent spies into these imperial forces."
Elara then raised her left hand, aiming her open palm at the magical prison. "But... there is no mercy for spies like you in this empire!"
A moment after those words were spoken, Elara's fingers slowly began to close.
What happened next was the structure of the light magic prison suddenly shrank. The barred walls moved inward, drastically reducing the space for the nineteen men trapped inside.
Realizing death was approaching from all sides, the confined soldiers were struck by an uncontrollable panic.
Pleas for help, weeping, and desperate cries for mercy echoed incessantly from their mouths. A few of them tried to halt the advancing bars with their weapons.
Sizzle...
Their swords melted instantly the moment they came into direct contact with the searing light element.
Yet, Elara seemed deaf to their pleas, completely ignoring their screams. Her fingers continued to curl into a fist at a deliberate pace, as if inflicting psychological terror before dealing death.
When the magical prison contracted entirely into a single central point, the screams abruptly ceased. Every soldier inside perished instantly, leaving behind severed, charred remains upon the grounds.
The nine commanders and the hundreds of soldiers still standing in the headquarters courtyard could only stare in horror as they witnessed firsthand the execution carried out by their emperor.
Her Majesty truly shows no mercy. one of the commanders thought, cold sweat trickling down his temple.
Fear and respect now blended together within the chest of every soldier.
Elara lowered her left hand. She turned her body, facing the main ranks of the imperial forces, who now stood far stiffer than before.
"I don't care if this world considers me a cruel emperor!" Elara declared in a loud, straightforward voice. "But I will do whatever it takes, eliminate whoever I must, to maintain the safety and security of all the people of this empire!"
Hearing such conviction, the fear that had momentarily crossed the soldiers' minds slowly faded. They saw an unwavering resolve in their leader's eyes. A resolve for the absolute protection of the people's peace.
In their eyes, the Emperor had proven that she would never allow any form of betrayal to exist within the territories of the Erthland Empire.
"Now, reform your ranks!" Elara commanded the imperial forces. "Divide this formation! Form four separate squads, each containing exactly two platoons. As for the remaining platoon, stand in the center of the formation!"
Hearing the clear military instruction from the Emperor, the soldiers began to separate, moving with swift and efficient steps. The sound of stomping boots and clinking armor once again dominated the grounds.
In less than three minutes, the new formation was established. Four large squads, each led by two commanders, stood ready, while the one remaining platoon stood separately right in the middle of the formation.
Once the formation was perfectly assembled, Elara closed her eyes and began mapping the destination coordinates in her head, visualizing the points for the north, west, south, and east gates of Gias City, along with one central point in the middle of the city.
"Very well, we depart this instant!"
The departure instruction was given. However, the soldiers in the ranks felt confused by what the most powerful woman in the Erthland Empire had just said.
They had heard the command to depart, yet from what they could see, their supreme leader was doing nothing at all, merely standing in place with her eyes closed in silence.
However, the hundreds of soldiers' confusion instantly evaporated, replaced by immense astonishment, as five gigantic golden magic circles suddenly materialized and glowed brightly right beneath the feet of each formation group.
"W-What magic circle is this?"
"What is happening to the ground?"
"Why did a magic circle this massive suddenly appear here?!"
Murmurs of panic began to spread through the rear ranks upon seeing the magic circles emerging beneath their feet.
Hearing the chaotic panic from her troops, Elara had no intention of quelling it with a lengthy explanation. She merely opened her eyes and issued one absolute command.
"Close your eyes!"
The command, voiced loudly, instantly subdued the rising panic.
Not a single soldier dared to disobey. In unison, the hundreds of troops and their nine commanders shut their eyes tightly, placing their fates entirely in the hands of their leader.
Seeing the entire army calm and ready in their respective positions, Elara immediately activated the mass teleportation magic to its fullest extent.
"Mass Iauna Teleport!"
Zap!
The entire army, which had been standing in tight formation just moments prior, vanished without a trace, transported hundreds of kilometers away to Gias City.
According to the coordinates set in Elara's mind, each squad consisting of two platoons was transported with precision, surrounding each of Gias City's main gates. As for the one remaining platoon, they were teleported directly to the center of the city.
The impact of their arrival in Gias City immediately generated a massive wave of shock. From the city guards stationed at the gates to the civilians just beginning their morning routines, everyone was utterly stunned. Some even fell to the ground in sheer disbelief at the sudden manifestation of hundreds of fully armored imperial soldiers appearing out of thin air right in their midst.
"I am Wartz Doern, commander of Platoon Three of the Erthland Empire!"
The announcement, amplified by wind magic, pierced through the air. It rang crystal clear across the entire city, seizing the attention of every single person residing within it.
Everyone, from the merchants in the market and citizens inside their homes, to the staff and adventurers at the guild, instantly halted their activities and craned their necks toward the source of the voice.
"By direct order of Her Majesty the Emperor, from this exact moment, we are taking control of and locking down this city!" Commander Wartz Doern's voice boomed once more, rooting everyone to the spot. "Not a single one of you is permitted to leave the city gates! Anyone who dares to break through our defensive lines will be executed on the spot!"
Hearing this declaration of martial law, the atmosphere in Gias City shifted drastically. Panic began to creep in, spreading rapidly to every corner of the city.
Murmurs filled with confusion, fear, and wild speculation quickly circulated from mouth to mouth among the city's populace.
Not a single one of them understood why the central imperial forces had suddenly laid siege to their city, going so far as to issue a full-scale lockdown under the threat of execution.
Meanwhile, at every main city gate now heavily guarded by hundreds of soldiers, one of the two commanders on duty broke away from the defensive line. Taking their entire platoon with them, they moved swiftly into the streets of Gias City.
Now, the purge and the hunt to track down every spy, syndicate member, and imperial traitor hiding within Gias City had truly begun.