The mont the Crimson Purgatory shattered, the Gale Prairie was once again
bathed in the serene, silver wash of the moon.
Kaito stood atop the Bone Dragon, looking down at the mangled landscape of the
tactical theater. Millions of undead, once his enemies, were now frozen like a
silent forest of grey statues across the center of the plains—anchored by
Thanatos's final [Space-Ti Cage]. They were caught in an eternal split-second:
so lunging with rusted blades, others mid-incantation.
The grey Mana-chains binding them were ironclad, holding even their soulfire in
a state of absolute stasis.
Kaito rubbed his eye sockets. To be honest, he was nursing a significant phantom
migraine. It wasn't the war itself—the battle had been a total structural
override in his favor. No, his headache was purely logistical. He couldn't yet
unravel a Tier 7 sealing Authority with a snap of his fingers.
He would have to rely on the "Brute-Force" thod.
[Mobilize all active units,] Kaito commanded via the Soul Link. [Begin a
mass-injection protocol. Flood the sealed units with Erald's Respite and raw
Mana. Force their systems back online.]
[As commanded, my Sovereign,] the Seven Generals responded in unison.
Within the hour, tens of thousands of mobile Imperial soldiers were swarming the
frozen ranks. They uncorked vial after vial of Erald's Respite, drenching the
shackled bones in the glowing green fluid. The dicine seeped into the
microscopic fissures of the Mana-chains. Simultaneously, circles of Liches
surrounded the frozen clusters, pumping a continuous stream of Od into the
victims.
It would be a slow, expensive process. But Kaito wasn't in a hurry. If there was
one thing the Undead possessed in excess, it was ti.
Kaito turned his skull toward Skele-Lust, who had manifested beside him.
"The Planar Teleportation Array," Kaito vibrated. "Did you extract the data?"
Lust bowed her head, her voice carrying a note of scientific ecstasy. "My
Sovereign, while a total mastery of the formula will require further
calibration, we have recorded the frequency and the spatial harmonics of the
enemy's casting sequence. A few field tests should yield a perfect replication."
Kaito gave a slow nod. Inter-planar transit. It was a high-value asset. With
this, the Evernight Empire wouldn't just be a localized power—it could beco an
active predator in the Multiverse.
But now was not the ti for expansion. The Empire had just weathered a Tier 7
breach; they needed to stabilize and process the gains. Moreover, Thanatos had
escaped. Kaito had no data on the depth of the enemy's reserves. He needed to
ensure his own house was in order before chasing a shadow into the Void.
Kaito scanned the ruined prairie. Craters marred the earth, the grass was
scorched black, and shards of bone were scattered like macabre snow.
[Have Skele-Gluttony dispatch the Aegis Legion's logistics units,] Kaito
ordered. [Repair the terrain. Harvest the unviable bone fragnts—reforge what
can be used and process the rest into agricultural fertilizer. Nothing goes to
waste in the Evernight.]
[Understood, my Lord.]
With the imdiate cleanup handled, Kaito turned his mind toward the political
necessity: The Decoration Ceremony.
He had formulated the plan while reviewing the logs of the Gale City defense.
First: Reward the exceptional performance of the soldiers and citizens. Second:
Consolidate the fanatical loyalty of the populace. Third...
Kaito tapped his chin. He needed Faith Points. The total mass-ascension of a
hundred million units to Tier 6 had drained his reserves to the absolute bottom.
He was tactically "broke." A public display of benevolence was the most
efficient way to harvest the spiritual resonance required to refill his well.
[Broadcast the mandate,] Kaito's voice echoed through the link to the Seven
Sins.
[In three days, a Grand Decoration Ceremony shall be held in Gale City.]
[All residents who participated in the defense are hereby granted the title of
Honorary Citizen. This title provides the hereditary right for three generations
to receive full Citizenship and Imperial welfare without condition or trial.]
[The rank of every officer in the Vanguard is elevated by one tier. Centurions
to Millurions; Millurions to Myriad-Captains.]
[Furthermore, every soldier of the Seven Armies stationed in the Gale sector is
to be awarded one hundred Commorative Sovereign Coins and a set of
custom-enchanted gear.]
The Soul Link erupted into a riot of fanatical devotion.
[LONG LIVE THE SOVEREIGN!] [GLORY TO THE EVERNIGHT EMPIRE!]
The collective roar of millions of souls vibrated through Kaito's own core. He
allowed himself a small, weary sigh. The sudden assault after the Chess
Tournant had been a taxing variable.
Behind him, the hundred-million-strong main host began an orderly withdrawal
under the command of the Generals. Their purpose was fulfilled. Now ca the
harvest.
Gale City, Central Plaza.
When the Sovereign's decree was announced by the local criers, the city
underwent a seismic shift in atmosphere. The residents, who had just walked
through the shadow of total annihilation, were struck dumb before exploding into
a deafening, hysterical cheer.
"We won! We actually survived!" "The Empire stands! The Evernight persists!"
"ALL HAIL THE SOVEREIGN!"
In the middle of the crowd, the rchant who had tried to flee the bunker was
currently embracing an Orc warrior, weeping openly. "We're alive... by the Gods,
we're actually alive!"
The Orc patted his back with a massive, green hand, grinning. "I told you,
at-bag. The Empire always wins."
The rchant nodded frantically, his tears washing the dust from his face.
Nearby, the Sisters of the Evernight Cathedral knelt in a circle, their voices
joined in a soft, lodic prayer of gratitude. "Thank you for your shadow...
thank you for your iron rcy..." Their exhaustion was evident, but their eyes
burned with a renewed, terrifying piety.
On the battlents, the citizen-defenders slumped against the stones, gasping
for air. Their armor was shredded, their weapons notched, and their bodies
mapped with cuts. But every one of them wore a smile.
"Honorary Citizen..." an Elven tracker whispered, staring at his trembling
hands. "We're actually nobility now..."
"Three generations of guaranteed citizenship," another human added, his voice
breaking. "My children... even my grandchildren... they'll never have to crawl
through the dirt again. They'll have the Empire's protection from birth."
Beside them, the Dwarven smith slamd his hamr against the stone. "Worth it!
Every damn second!"
"For the Sovereign, I'd march into the Void itself! LONG LIVE THE KING!"
The cheer was taken up across the walls, a wave of sound that rolled out over
the prairie.
At the city gates, the Aegis Legion Centurion stood as still as a mountain.
Behind him, his Giants remained in their braced positions, their shields still
anchored into the earth. They were the "Unbreakable Wall" of the Evernight.
The Centurion's soulfire pulsed with a steady, quiet pride. He had seen the
decree in the link. Promotions. Gold. Gear. None of those variables moved him.
The only thing that mattered was the singular phrase recorded in the logs, a
direct transmission from the Master:
"Aegis Legion, you have done well."
To a subject of the Evernight, that was the only glory that didn't turn to dust.
☆☆☆
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