Why would they advance early?
The question echoed through Jax's mind like a hammer striking steel.
If the Empire launched now, their supply lines would be stretched thin.
Their support wagons would struggle to keep pace.
Their mages were still rebuilding.
Their generals had to know that engaging the United Kingdoms head-on was far from ideal.
And yet...
They were coming.
The United Kingdoms had grown stronger.
The peace treaties with the Elves, the Rabbitkin, the Canine Kingdom, the Fairies, and the independent city-states had swelled their combined strength to nearly eighty thousand soldiers.
A formidable force.
But still less than a third of what the Empire intended to field.
And numbers were only part of the problem.
The Empire possessed superior equipment.
Heavier armor.
Magic-resistant shields.
Cannons.
Siege engines.
Mass production.
If the U.K. split its forces, each kingdom could be overwhelmed in detail.
If they concentrated everything into one decisive battle, they might destroy a single army.
And then the remaining four would march over the corpses of their allies.
There had to be another way.
There had to be.
Inside the War Room, Jax looked like a man possessed.
Three days.
Three days without meaningful sleep.
The walls had become a chaotic web of maps, strings, and colored tacks.
Roads connected to mountains.
Portals connected to cities.
Supply lines intersected with rivers and forests.
It looked less like a military strategy room and more like the lair of a conspiracy theorist trying to prove the end of the world.
Which, Jax supposed, wasn't entirely inaccurate.
He stared at the map.
Moved one red string.
Paused.
Followed it with his finger.
His eyes widened.
Then—
"Ugh."
He cut the string with a knife.
The severed line dropped to the floor.
Another plan dead.
Around the room, kings, generals, and advisors watched.
Some saw a man unraveling.
Others saw a genius trying to think ten moves ahead.
Vaelrith watched with narrowed eyes.
He had seen strategists before.
But never one willing to dismantle his own ideas so ruthlessly.
Jax wasn't trying to prove he was right.
He was trying to find what was wrong.
And that made him dangerous.
The leaders had offered suggestions.
Some were practical.
Others horrifying.
Abandon the border kingdoms.
Sacrifice smaller cities.
Consolidate the strongest forces and let the outer regions burn.
Jax had rejected those plans immediately.
He wasn't trying to preserve a handful of surviving nations.
He was trying to preserve the United Kingdoms.
All of it.
Eventually, the Vixens had enough.
They arrived together.
Bunny.
Nyxian.
Llandra.
Zee.
Pixelle.
Lexi.
No discussion.
No vote.
Just a united front.
Llandra stepped forward first.
"My husband," she said softly, "you need rest."
Jax didn't look away from the map.
"Not yet."
Zee moved beside him.
"You haven't slept."
"I'm fine."
Nyxian crossed her arms.
"No, you're not."
Jax finally turned.
His eyes were bloodshot.
His hair a mess.
Stubble shadowed his jaw.
He looked exhausted.
And somehow still impossibly determined.
"We don't have time."
"You can't think straight like this," Zee said.
"My mind is perfectly clear."
The words came out sharper than he intended.
The room went silent.
Everyone understood the pressure he was under.
Everyone also understood that he was pushing himself too far.
Then Nyxian stepped forward.
Hands on hips.
Completely unafraid.
"You've become nose blind."
Jax blinked.
The room froze.
Nyxian continued.
"Nobody wants to say it because they're either terrified of you or in awe of you."
She pointed at him dramatically.
"But you stink."
A few people in the War Room coughed to hide their laughter.
Jax stared.
Then sniffed his armpit.
His expression shifted from annoyance to horror.
"...Do I really?"
Bunny burst out laughing.
Nyxian smirked triumphantly.
"Three days, my beloved."
Jax looked around the room.
No one met his eyes.
Which was answer enough.
He set the string in his hand down slowly.
Ran a hand through his hair.
And finally sighed.
"...Maybe I should take a quick shower."
"No."
Nyxian pointed at him again.
"Bath. Sleep. At least four hours."
Jax opened his mouth to protest.
Then closed it.
He was too tired to argue.
And worse—
She was right.
He turned to the assembled leaders.
"My apologies."
His voice steadied.
"Continue preparations to move the frontier portals farther inward."
Murmurs spread through the room.
That order alone was monumental.
The outer towns would begin withdrawing.
Supplies and civilians would flow toward fortified positions.
The first visible step in a strategy no one yet understood.
"Make sure all possible food and material are brought back with them," Jax continued. "Nothing useful is left behind."
The leaders nodded.
Then Jax finally let the Vixens escort him home.
The moment they arrived at Darquebane Manor, he was marched directly to the private hot springs.
No debate.
No negotiation.
The Vixens stripped him of his clothes and the last three days of stress with equal determination.
Warm water.
Gentle hands.
Soft voices.
Laughter.
The atmosphere changed completely.
No maps.
No troop counts.
No kings.
Only family.
Nyxian was the first to climb into his lap.
"Three days," she whispered dramatically. "Do you know what kind of suffering that is for a succubus?"
"Tragic," Jax said dryly.
"Oh, absolutely."
The others joined in.
The hot springs became a riot of affection, teasing, and long-overdue intimacy.
The Vixens took turns reminding him, in their own ways, that he was loved.
That he wasn't carrying this war alone.
That for a few precious hours, he was allowed to stop being the Summoned Hero.
And simply be their husband.
As the stress melted away, Jax's mind finally began to clear.
The noise in his thoughts quieted.
That was when Jax saw it.
At first, it looked like exactly what he had come to expect from his wives.
Beautiful chaos.
Nyxian, never content to simply enjoy attention herself, had somehow turned the hot springs into a full-scale operation.
She moved between the others like a conductor leading an orchestra.
A whispered suggestion to Bunny.
A teasing touch to Zee.
A kiss that left Pixelle giggling uncontrollably.
A flirtatious challenge that made even composed Llandra blush.
Each of the Vixens was focused on Jax.
But Nyxian had instinctively begun coordinating them.
Without orders.
Without discussion.
Without ego.
When one of the girls became too overwhelmed, another stepped in.
When one slowed, another took her place.
Each playing to her strengths.
Each compensating for the weaknesses of the others.
No jealousy.
No competition.
Only trust.
Only love.
Only a singular goal.
Take care of Jax. Over and over again.
Jax watched through half-lidded eyes as Nyxian guided Zee into a more comfortable position, then leaned over to whisper something into Bunny's ear that made the rabbit girl squeak and laugh.
Pixelle darted from shoulder to shoulder, offering encouragement.
Lexi moved with quiet efficiency.
Llandra adjusted instantly whenever she sensed what Jax needed next.
And Nyxian—
At the center of it all—
Was making them work as one.
Not forcing them.
Not commanding them.
Simply understanding how each fit into the whole.
Jax's breathing slowed.
Not from exhaustion.
From realization.
That was it.
Not elf forces.
Not Rabbitkin forces.
Not Canine forces.
Not Fairy forces.
Not individual kingdoms.
A united force.
Different races.
Different talents.
Different strengths.
Working together so seamlessly that each made the others stronger.
No one competing for credit.
No one insisting on doing everything alone.
A true coalition.
Jax felt another piece of the puzzle slide into place.
The Empire thought in terms of armies.
Columns.
Divisions.
Rigid structures.
But the United Kingdoms had something far more powerful.
Adaptability.
Trust.
Independent units that could support one another and shift roles instantly.
Exactly like the women surrounding him now.
His eyes widened.
Nyxian noticed immediately.
She pulled back slightly, her crimson eyes narrowing with concern.
"What?" she asked.
Jax stared at her.
Then looked at the others.
Then back at her.
A grin spread across his face.
Nyxian's own expression turned smug.
"Oh, I know that look."
Bunny tilted her head.
"What look?"
"The one where our beloved idiot just figured something out."
Llandra lifted an eyebrow.
"What do you know?
Jax was spent. He had exhausted more energy in the pleasure spa than he had ever done before. They had worked together to drain him almost completely of his manly essence.
20 times must be a limit for him in such a short 4 hour span.
And despite his near limitless stamina and endurance, he was still mortal. And in this surrounding, he was willing to let down his guard and relax. And the need for rest overwhelmed him.
"They think that I am dead."
Despite it being only mid-afternoon, Jax collapsed after his statement on the massive bed.
Bodies intertwined around him. They didn't quite understand the epiphany that Jax had. But they understood their place in the moment.
Warm.
Safe.
Loved.
For once, Jax was the first to fall asleep.
The Vixens exchanged soft smiles.
Bunny brushed damp hair from his forehead.
Zee tucked herself closer to his side.
Nyxian kissed his shoulder.
Llandra rested her head against his chest.
Pixelle and Lexi curled up in miniature forms near his collarbone.
Outside, the world prepared for war.
Inside, the man who would stop it finally slept.
And in his dreams—
The impossible began to take shape.