Jax appeared—
High.
Too high.
For half a second, there was nothing beneath him but open air.
Then instinct took over.
His body adjusted mid-fall, boots landing lightly on a thick branch of a towering tree.
No stumble.
No fear.
"…Convenient," he muttered.
The Shadow Gorilla had chosen well.
He moved downward, branch to branch, fluid and controlled, until he reached the forest floor.
Ahead—
The Empire column.
Still hundreds of yards out.
Still marching.
Then—
Thunk.
Something tapped the back of his head.
Jax didn't move.
Not even a fraction.
He reached up slowly… and pulled a small rock from his shoulder.
"…Really?"
He turned.
Nyxian stood there, barely holding back laughter.
Beside her—
Flower.
The massive shadow tree beast.
Also… smiling.
Jax stared at them.
"You threw a rock at me."
Nyxian grinned.
"Well, yelling your name felt less… tactical."
"You could've waved."
"Where's the fun in that?"
A tiny voice chimed in—
"Told you it would work."
Pixelle emerged from Nyxian's cleavage, stretching her wings as she floated free.
Jax sighed.
"…Are we ready?"
Nyxian's expression shifted instantly.
Playful → lethal.
"Oh, you know it… my beloved."
She slapped her fist into her palm.
Flower mirrored the motion.
Jax raised an eyebrow.
"…You've been practicing that."
Flower nodded proudly.
"…We're going to talk about that later."
He looked at them all.
"You two are up."
Flower stepped forward—
And sank into the ground.
Gone.
But the forest…
Changed.
Branches twisted.
Roots shifted.
Leaves trembled without wind.
Something alive…
Moved beneath the surface.
Pixelle floated forward, stopping just inches from Jax's face.
Her tiny hands rested against his cheek.
"You can count on me, my King."
She leaned in—
And kissed him.
Then zipped away into the trees.
The Kill Zone
The Empire entered the forest cautiously.
Scouts first.
Eyes sharp.
Weapons ready.
They passed the hidden group without noticing.
Barely a glance.
Then moved on.
Jax didn't move.
Didn't breathe.
He waited.
Soldiers.
Archers.
Knights.
Hundreds.
Then thousands.
Then—
The mages.
Surrounded.
Guarded.
Protected.
Jax's eyes narrowed.
Now.
The Forest Turns
The attack didn't start with sound.
It started with movement.
Trees bent—
Not with wind…
But with intent.
Branches snapped downward like claws.
Roots burst from the ground—
Wrapping.
Crushing.
Dragging.
Men screamed.
Pixelle's magic rippled through the forest—
Warping nature itself.
Trees began firing splintered branches like spears.
Armor cracked.
Bodies fell.
Flower moved beneath them—
Unseen—
Turning solid ground into thick, sucking mud.
Mages stumbled.
Sank.
Panic spread.
Jax Enters
The moment the knights turned back—
Jax dropped.
Guns already drawn.
Infernal Requiem thundered.
Shots tore through barriers like paper.
Mages died mid-cast.
Heads snapped back.
Bodies collapsed.
No resistance.
No recovery.
Only—
Execution.
Peacemaker
Jax landed—
Spun—
Holstered—
And summoned Peacemaker.
The massive blade roared through the air.
It didn't cut.
It erased.
Men—
Armor—
Magic—
All parted before it.
Those who dodged—
Didn't escape.
Limbs separated.
Bodies broken.
The sword returned—
And Jax was already firing again.
Collapse
The mages tried.
They gathered.
Chanted.
"Dispel—!"
Too late.
Too few.
Too broken.
The magic fizzled.
And they died.
The Field Ends
Jax stood still.
"…Make the ground mush."
Beneath them—
Flower obeyed.
The terrain turned into thick, tar-like mud.
Trapping.
Dragging.
Ending what little resistance remained.
The Call
Jax lifted his Tele-Stone.
"We are under attack at Prominence. We need support."
He didn't hesitate.
"On my way."
He grabbed Peacemaker.
Pulled it back as if to throw it at her.
Nyxian froze.
For a split second she doubted what she was seeing.
Was he going to launch it at her?
She thought—
"…My beloved…?"
Then—
Jax touched his forehead.
Gone.
In his place—
A Shadow Spider.
"…Whew."
Nyxian exhaled, walking over.
She gently patted the confused creature.
"I knew he wouldn't stay mad about the rock."
A pause.
"…I'll flash him later anyway. Just to be safe."
War Room – The Turn
The room was tense.
Then—
The report came in.
And everything changed.
"They didn't go to Campbell."
Silence.
"They diverted."
Vaelith stepped forward.
"Where?"
The answer came—
"…Lisbeth."
No one spoke.
They all knew.
That town wasn't theirs.
Not yet.
And it had not wanted to be.
Too many Empirialist Sympathizers.
Lisbeth
The Empire entered to cheers.
People lined the streets.
Welcoming them.
Applauding.
Relieved.
Safe.
For a moment—
It looked like a parade.
Then—
The orders were given.
And everything burned.
The Massacre
Fire spread first.
Then steel.
Then screams.
Men.
Women.
Children.
No distinction.
No mercy.
Archers fired into fleeing crowds.
Knights cut down those who ran.
Mages turned homes into infernos.
The town collapsed inward—
Like a trap closing.
Too Late
A mile away—
Bunny stood frozen.
Behind her—
Elves.
Forces.
Prepared.
For the wrong place.
"…No…"
The smoke rose in the distance.
Screams carried through the wind.
They were close enough to hear it.
Close enough to know—
They had missed it.
By miles.
By minutes.
By everything that mattered.
The evacuation portal—
Still unused.
Waiting.
Pointless.
Ash
Lisbeth burned.
Thirty thousand lives—
Gone.
No defense.
No warning.
Nothing.
Only fire.
And silence…
After.