Surprisingly, things turned out far better than expected after an initial bloody clash.
After breaking through Milis’s line of defense, there were a few other complications, of course, but nothing truly worriso.
Any noble house, rchant organization, or military institute remaining outside Milishion surrendered or was crushed by the Iron Legion.
There was resistance, yes, and fierce battles, but no position managed to hold back the Legion’s rciless advance for long. In so regions, the re shadow of one of the divisions approaching was enough to prompt an imdiate surrender.
Of course, the war was not without heavy casualties. In a conflict of this magnitude, expecting a clean conquest was unthinkable.
Many fell, including so important nas who now could only be rembered by the living.
But in the big picture, the Legion’s advance was unstoppable and irresistible, sweeping through the sacred territory like a well-coordinated storm.
The Iron Legion’s main leaders and strategists—Rygar, Verdia, and Taes—still did not fully understand the high command’s mindset within the Church of Milis.
But it was clear that losing five or six generals, with the army completely defeated in open field, was not part of their plans.
This exposed that there were certainly limitations in the so-called Divine Visions of Pope Lucios Galard.
After all, under his command, a large-scale ambush had been ordered against the Second Vanguard Division. However, that order failed in its intent.
The Division, thanks to one of its Generals, Verdia, perceived the signs in advance and intercepted the attackers with fury, turning the ambush back on its authors.
Another unexpected act was the autonomous maneuver of the King of Milis, who, in a desperate gesture, attempted to organize the assassination of the Beast God.
That act, however, resulted in the capture of two high-ranking generals at Rygar’s hands. When he left the Marble Fort, he left them confined within a God‑level Barrier, sealed with an exclusive magical code.
Naturally, Rygar ordered that the nearest division retrieve them as soon as possible, delivering the magical code to deactivate the barrier.
Thus, a few days later, the First Division reached the fortress ruins, deactivated the barrier, and officially took the generals as prisoners of war.
They were not mistreated, however, despite being prisoners of war. Only their freedom was restricted.
What Rygar did not yet know was that his decision to send soone to fetch them was even more astute than he could imagine.
A highly unpredictable being had visited that place shortly after the First Division’s withdrawal.
Had the two Generals still been imprisoned there at that mont, the results would have been hard to fathom.
The campaign lasted a full four months. That was already considered very rapid, given the extensive territory of the Kingdom of Milis.
Each division followed its preestablished route, traversing the country with agility and resolve, eliminating resistance and consolidating the occupation with discipline.
At the end of that period, except for the contingents that remained stationed at strategic points to ensure order and maintain diplomatic relations with the surrendered regions, all the Iron Legion’s divisions began their gradual movent toward Milishion.
The final siege was approaching.
---
Rygar obviously did not remain idle during those months. He understood better than most how dangerous proper preparation is in a conflict, especially when magic is involved.
Both he and the Iron Legion had already experienced the bitterness of invading fortresses protected by unforeseen magical circles.
It was dangerous knowledge, and considering that Pope Lucios had encouraged the Iron Legion to invade Milishion from the outset, it was reasonable to assu that he trusted in their ability to confine or even kill the Beast God.
Of course, that did not prevent Rygar from learning from his own challenges.
In addition to maintaining his regular training, he devoted himself to developing a new ability—sothing that could make this siege two or even three tis easier than it would be if he simply stord Milishion without proper planning.
And, with the little ti he had, he refined this technique to the utmost.
That is... if the assault was truly to be a siege.
Rygar was growing increasingly doubtful about invading Milishion with a full army. From the start, he had begun to consider the possibility of assaulting it with an elite group—no more than fifty fighters.
Aside from the fact that a huge Barrier covered the sacred capital, it was also surrounded by a lake, hindering the advance of a large-scale army.
Moreover, they would likely be targets of large-scale spells, which would cause many unnecessary casualties.
Of course, invading with a small group also posed its own difficulties, but Rygar believed that this was the best strategic option.
Still, before making a final decision, he needed to hear his commanders’ opinions.
---
Outside Milishion, still at so distance, an intimidating spectacle was taking shape as the days passed.
The Iron Legion’s Vanguard Divisions arrived one by one, each victorious after countless conflicts.
The Second Division, commanded by Verdia and Ghislaine.
The Third, led by Taes and Lerov.
The Fourth, by Gretta, the Demon King.
And alongside them, the Dragon Knight, Eris Adoldia.
The only one still yet to arrive was the First Division, under the command of North Emperor Ornthorn and Kilian.
Both sides knew that a massive battle was imminent. And yet, neither struck first.
The soldiers stationed in Milishion refrained from attacking, knowing they stood no chance in direct combat with the Legion.
Their armies were in ruins, their generals mostly defeated or dead. Nurical superiority, command advantage... all had vanished.
All they retained was the advantage of terrain. And to attack outside Milishion would an certain death. Rygar alone could annihilate thousands with his magic and divine speed.
For the sa reason, the Iron Legion had not advanced. Storming the sacred city by sheer force was folly. The course of action would be decided by the generals, strategists, and the Beast God himself.
The tension in the air was palpable. So of the demonic and bestial races, naturally eager for combat, struggled to contain their impulses.
The human, elf, and dwarf races maintained greater restraint, though not always. Eris was living proof of this, representing humans with an intensity that rivaled any demon.
With no imdiate enemies in sight, the Iron Legion amused themselves with friendly duels.
There were several level Saint healers, so capable of casting healing magic without chanting, and though the fights were intense, they were not to the death.
Eris fought against various warriors, defeating them all with her relentless speed—until Gretta stepped into the arena. The duel between the Demon King and the Dragon Knight was sothing present that none would ever forget.
Their movents were so fast that ordinary eyes could not follow. The power they displayed left fissures and craters in the ground.
In the end, Gretta won. But only because it was not a fight to the death. The contest was so fierce that predicting the outco in real combat would have been impossible.
Still, Eris was dissatisfied with her defeat and began training imdiately.
Rygar, as always, was more than happy to "comfort" her after her loss.
And after that, he himself challenged Gretta to a friendly duel and won with a single violent strike—a feat that drew smiles and tense glances among those present. Everyone made a ntal note never to cross the Beast God’s wives in the future.
Taes also showed interest in dueling Gretta.
Of course, not everyone took part in the fights. Many trained, planned, or reinforced strategies. The Iron Legion’s camp was a gigantic structure, with collective power rising to the heavens as the troops assembled.
Eris soon returned to the combat arena with renewed enthusiasm.
The siege had not yet begun, but the atmosphere was one of imminent war. The entire world was watching.
---
One day, at last, the First Division, under the command of North Emperor Ornthorn, arrived.
Their arrival was t with a mixture of tension, fear, and anticipation for what was to co.
A eting was convened exclusively among the Generals imdiately upon their arrival. Gathered in the main tent were Ghislaine, Eris, Ornthorn, Gretta, Taes, Kilian, Lerov, Verdia, and Rygar.
The eting began almost imdiately after everyone had arrived. After hearing everyone’s ideas, Ornthorn spoke:
"Invading Milishion with fifty n is madness. We would be abandoning the imnse advantage we gained by winning the open‑field war."
Verdia refuted him calmly:
"But what Rygar said has rit. After all, the Pope did not bother to evacuate civilians from Milishion. That could be both to restrain Rygar from his large‑scale magic and a trap for when the Legion’s armies enter the city."
Gretta agreed:
"Yes, humans excel at tortuous tactics. Let us not forget that. We may have superiority in troop numbers, but we also have superiority in elites. The decapitation tactic will serve us. Of course, that presus the Beast God can kill the Divine Warrior..."
She looked at Rygar, and everyone did the sa. Rygar nodded expressionlessly:
"I can."
He looked at the map of Milishion before him:
"What worries is not their individual forces, but the Seven Magic Towers. I’m certain I’ll be forced to confront Galgard when we invade. Perhaps several of them will attack at once. So soone will need to take responsibility for destroying the Towers or, at the very least, killing the Magic King who controls them."
Taes replied:
"I suggest sending ladies Ghislaine, Gretta, and Verdia for that."
He looked at Rygar and explained his logic:
"Lady Ghislaine has the Magical Power Eye and will be able to identify magical traps. And Gretta and Verdia have extensive knowledge of magic and magical circles in general. Moreover, we will still have enough firepower to deal with the hundreds of knights from the noble houses."
Everyone thought for a mont and seed to agree. Then Verdia spoke:
"So, we agree that this will not be a common siege but rather a small troop attack?"
Most nodded. Only Lerov and Ornthorn did not seem so convinced, but the majority decided. They continued discussing various things: targets, attack districts, battlefields.
But in the end, no plan would be absolute. Battle confusion generally threw all plans to the wind, especially in engagents of this scale.
They could only prepare for as many unforeseen events as possible.
It was at so point that Eris, who rarely spoke in this type of eting, surprisingly said:
"Huh, what will we do if they use the giant light sword that cuts continents?"
So smiled at her words. There was certainly a legend about Saint Milis splitting the continent in two.
So thought she was joking. But Eris was serious. And, like her, Rygar, Verdia, and Gretta were also serious.
The rest seed to grasp the atmosphere. Taes asked, confused:
"That’s just a legend, right? They can’t do that... can they?"
Rygar thought deeply; he had not considered that possibility.
Surely, Saint Milis was an extraordinary figure in history. His deeds were so great that a religion was built around him.
The most detailed description of that morable clash was in the religion’s bible.
Saint Milis is depicted as having to channel that devastating strike while his allies held off the invasion and bought ti.
And in the end, the blow cut the Demon King who was at Zant Port and created the Holy Sword Highway across the Great Forest.
Which indicated that it was most likely a magic. Probably a spell from the Divine Attack school.
The point was: was there anything preventing Galgard from attempting sothing similar? Perhaps on a smaller scale, but still potentially devastating.
Shockingly, Eris’s words were, in fact, more serious than everything else discussed up to that point.
An attack of that magnitude would likely kill even Rygar if he were hit directly.
Rygar replied:
"We don’t know whether they can or not... Faced with an extinction‑level threat, Milis’s elders will pull out all the stops. We cannot underestimate them."
Everyone grew serious at his words. And Rygar continued, a smile appearing on his face:
"However, you have ; I have my own version of a ’Giant Light Sword’ if they want to try it, and you are stronger than they are. With this group assembled, what I aim for is not just victory. I want an absolute victory. That is what we are going to achieve."
He looked at all those present with flas in his eyes. They all reacted in mixed ways: seriousness, determination, and so who were carefree and confident.
Rygar gave the final order:
"Gather the hundred warriors, we depart imdiately."
-----
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