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A Song of Blood and Sunlight (ASOIAF / Warhammer Fantasy / Soulsborne)

Chapter 31 - The Imperial Crusade of Badlands: Interlude of Ehri-Ra (2)
As the fight between the Ehri-Ra Thoth concluded, the battle between Horus Guards Free Mercenary Company was also nearing its climax. Fortunately enough for the Horus Guards, their disciplined advance against the Flesh Eaters was giving them an edge in the combat.


Aside from their superior Magic, that they were using for the whole time to either weaken the Barbarians or to Control the Battlefield.


While the forces of the Horus Guards Free Mercenary Company were not the best of the Free Mercenary Company within the lands of the Imperium, they were still elite warriors and had superior tactics and training to that of the Unclean Tribe.


The Horus Guards Free Mercenary Company suffered minimal losses because they lost only a few of their warriors to the brutal charge of the Flesh Eaters. When Ehri-Ra finished the fight with the Chieftain of the Unclean Tribe Aletur, the forces of the Barbarians were shaken by the death of their leader.


The Elders of the Unclean Tribe were killed when she used her trump card of the Chaos Solar Flare that killed two Elders of the Flesh Eaters, so when there was nobody to assume the leadership position among them, the only thing that ensured was pure, unbridled chaos.


When panic ensued among the barbarians of the Unclean Tribe, the moment of opportunity was exploited by the Horus Guards Free Mercenary Company as they started pushing forward and forward, killing more and more Flesh Eaters.


Ehri-Ra didn't join the combat directly; instead, she remained to observe the entire situation from the sideway as her Mercenaries were destroying the last remnants of The Unclean Tribe at an almost systematic pace.


"We suffered far fewer losses than anticipated, Captain."


As she was standing a little far from the actual battlefield, she heard the voice of Setesh, the prime manager of the Horus Guards Free Mercenary Company. This was indeed something that was making her situation better, as the results were excellent.


"I know... though at the same time, we had a great deal of luck in this one, if not for the Chaos Solar Flame obliterating most of them even before the clash started and me killing the Chieftain at the start, together with the Elders, the results could be vastly different."


Ehri-Ra observed how the forces of the Flesh Eaters were destroyed while she drank a concoction made from the Old Blood to accelerate her healing rate. In the fight against the Chieftain Aletur, she suffered pretty severe injuries and was exhausted Medically and Physically, so she needed to regenerate as fast as possible.


"There are new orders coming from the HighCom of the Army Group Beta. After the extermination of the Flesh Eaters; the Horus Guards Free Mercenary Company is to depart and clean the path from the Dangers Beats... and appearance Daemons started appearing in the Badlands. Right now, there are a few roads that could serve as supply lines, but they are infested with the supply lines."


The leadership of the Army Groups was in constant communication with the Free Mercenary Companies that were tasked with cleaning some troublesome places on the maps. Hearing that Daemons started appearing within the Badlands was indeed troubling news.


That was something that the HighCom of the Imperial Military didn't really count on because it was out of their expectation.


It meant that either this was the natural occasion or... or somebody opened the portal to the Abyss and allowed the Daemons to pass.


"They expect us to clear the Daemons? Are they out of their mind?"


Ehri-Ra was enraged beyond belief because the last thing that she wanted was going to clear out the supply lines from the Daemons, as this was probably even more dangerous than fighting the entire Barbarian Tribe by themselves.


"Either we do it, or someone else will do it, but... the rewards are very tempting for it."


Her brows furrowed hearing that, so even though she was skeptical about the entire ordeal, at the same time, she knew that the rewards for something like this would be too tempting.


She was already calculated within her mind that coupled with achievements of annihilating the Unclean Tribe; she would get enough merit for the Aristocratic Status from the Imperium, probably only the lowest one of the Grand Paladin, but even that would elevate her status within the Imperium tremendously.


She would also gain access to the meetings of the Landsraad and obtain access to the highest politics of the Imperium. And that was something that her own people desperately needed at all costs.


"Relay them the newest that the Horus Guards Free Mercenary Company is taking up the mission."


In the end, Ehri-Ra Thoth decided to take the mission, even though something in her was warning her not to, but as Setesh stated previously... the rewards from the Imperium were too tempting to be just outright refused.


"Also, after we clean the battlefield, order everyone to rest for a few hours before we depart to search for the Daemons and exterminate them."


She said with a grin as her sharp tooth sparkled in the light because one of the most prominent Magics of the descendants of the Nehekhara Dynasties was that of the Lore of Light.


The ancient Magic of the Nehekhara Dynasties was its very own anti-thesis of the Daemonic Essence. The sole thing that made Ehri-Ra doubt about the orders was that it was possible that they would encounter a powerful Daemon...


Something that she would wish to avoid at any cost unless she wanted to use the last part of the Artifacts to pacify such a creature.


The clean-up of the battlefield that followed after the battlefield was relatively short, as the Horus Guards Free Mercenary Company methodically exterminated the Barbarians to the last one until the last remaining cannibal of the Unclean Tribe was killed.


The sole unfortunate thing about the entire battle was that there was almost zero loot from the cannibals because they didn't have anything precious on their person, but that was something that was already expected from them.


***


Three hours later, Plains of Silas, Provisionary Command Tent of the Horus Guards Free Mercenary Company.


While those who were injured were being healed or those who were not were preparing for another battle, this time against the Daemons. For that purpose, they were preparing the Anti-Daemon Weaponry, Divine Symbols or Runes or other means of combat against the Daemons.


As this was going on, Ehri-Ra, together with the officers of the Horus Guards Free Mercenary Company, were planning their next steps against the Daemons of the Chaos who were appearing in the area and harassing the supply lines of the Imperium.


Having the steady supply lines that provided the war effort, such as weapons, medicine, armors, Runes, potions, ammunition and other things for the Army Groups that were leading the Crusade, was of the utmost importance.


At least, until the moment they arrived at the Harrogant at Mount Areat, where they would construct the Teleportation Arrays, which would allow them to transport the supplies directly from the Imperium straight to the frontlines.


Until then, they needed to have secured supply lines for the army to function properly.


"Sorcerers attached to the Army Group Beta reported that to the southeast of the Plain of Silas, there was heightened Ruinious Energy typical for the Daemons of Chaos, so it is most probably that in this place, a portal to the Abyss has been opened."


One of the officers of the Horus Guards Free Mercenary Company reported that he was the one tasked with the Imperial Millitary Intelligence for the entire company and, thus, in charge of communication of the Military HighCom.


"That is problematic because the entire area is covered by a small mountain range, which gives the Daemons an advantage on the field... they could be hiding almost everywhere."


Another person said, who was probably the eldest from the group, judging from his appearance of an elderly man with a white beard and hair.


"Yes, it is... the best strategy would be sending only a few of the squads targeting the portal to banish the Daemons from the Material Plane. Appearly, they have descended only for a very short time, so if we play our cards right, we can banish them back to the Abyss without fighting them directly."


Ehri-Ra knew that if they destroyed the portal that was connecting the Abyss and Azyr, all Daemons would be banished back to the Abyss; if that didn't work, then probably killing the Summoner or the person who opened the portal would also work as well.


It was clear that the Daemons had descended on the Material Plane only for a short time, or else, at least the majority of the Plains of Silas would be turned into the Ruinious Area, filled with the Daemonic Miasma.


"We should use interconnected Runic Formation with Eye of Ra to call the descent of the Sun's Blessing; that would give us enough power to enter deep into the mountains and have all weaker Daemons avoid the squads without a problem."


Everyone agreed with Captain Ehri-Ra's proposal because this would be the safest method of entering the dwelling of the Daemons. If the Runes of the Sun were powerful enough, then even Level 4 Greater Daemons wouldn't dare approach them lightly.


Coupled with the fact that all the people that Ehri-Ra planned to send there were Level 4 and some peak Level 3, she believed that they would be okey with this mission.


"Then prepare the Runic Talismans and distribute them to the Level 4 Warriors and a few of the Battle Wizards; assemble the team within the twenty minutes."


With that being said, the strategy was concluded and everyone knew what to do; they would now need to assemble a ten-man team of the strongest members of the Horus Guards Free Mercenary Company that would be part of the squad that Ehri-Ra would lead personally into the depths of the Daemon infested area.


The rest of the Free Mercenary Company would remain here, as they would only wait for their report, possibly reporting back to the Military HighCom in case something went wrong or if the situation was worse than the HighCom suspected.


***


Sahratesh Mountain Range, several kilometers southeast of the Plains of Silas.


Sahratesh Mountian Range was like most of the places within the Badlands of the Stormwind. It was barren, sandy, dusty, gloomy and overall thriving with the creepy environment and atmosphere.


Additionally to that, one could sense the presence of the Ruinious Powers in the air, without much of a problem, which signified the strongest presence of the Chaos in these parts of the Lordran.


That was naturally troubling for the squad of the ten strongest members of the Horus Guards Free Mercenary Company, which was advancing carefully into the Sahratesh Mountain Range right now.


All members of the strike team that were participating in this near-suicidal mission were wearing Runic Amulets with the Hieroglyphs for Ra, the ancient deity of the Sun for the Nehekhara Dynasties from the past.


Due to this, the Sun and Light themselves were protecting them from the powers of the Ruins that were in this place and basically allowed them an unhindered journey through the valleys and roads of the Mountain Range as they were advancing deeper and deeper.


"There are a lot of Daemons here... though most of them are only Lesser Daemons, but the numbers are high."


One of the people, wearing the garbs of the Battle Wizard, muttered as he was scanning their surroundings with his Magic. Most of the Lesser Daemons were running from Level 1 to Level 2; only some were at Level 3.


Aside from them, there were a lot of Daemon Beasts running around the entire Sahratesh Mountain Range, but none of them dared to approach the group due to the very powerful presence of Sun and Light that were lethal for them.


"It seems that the portal leading to the Realm of Ruin is big... we need to hurry; it seems that the situation may be even graver than the Military HighCom anticipated."


Ehri-Ra gritted her teeth in a mixture of annoyance and frustration because she knew that it was highly possible that the Military HighCom had the wrong information about the situation in the Sahratesh Mountain Range in the first place.


That was especially dangerous to them because, from the point of view of the Imperium, the Free Mercenary Companies were just a bunch of disposable pawns in the grand scheme of things.


If they succeeded and destroyed the Daemons of Chaos, then everything was okey, and it was counted as a win for the HighCom.


If they failed and instead, their forces were exterminated by the Powers of the Ruination, then it wasn't okey, but at the same time, it also wasn't a failure for the Military HighCom.


In that case, it was also a win for the HighCom because they would obtain valuable intelligence about the strength of the Daemons hiding within the Sahratesh Mountain Range, and they would send Hunters or someone equally powerful to deal with them.


In the end, it was the Free Mercanry Companies that pulled for the shorter end of the stick.


Not to mention, because their Free Mercenary Company wasn't sponsored or created by some of the Noble Houses of the Imperium, then the chances of them getting some reinforcements from the Imperial Forces were practically zero to low.


"Increase the speed... if there are too many of them, then perhaps they will try the wave tactics on us."


Ehri-Ra commanded as all of them increased their running speed because the last thing that they wanted was to get caught in the waves of hundreds or thousands of Daemons.


Upon her command, they started running at their top speed, as they were aware that while the Daemons feared the Sun and Light, at the same time, they were also aware that all it needed was one smarter Daemon that was more cunning and more powerful than the rest.


Through that way, they would be able to gradually break through the blessings of the Sun and Light that were protecting the strike team that Ehri-Ra Thoth was leading to the depths of the Sahratesh Mountain Range.


Fortunately enough for them, there were not powerful and smart enough Daemons that would take command of the Lesser Daemons. Within a short time, they managed to locate the place where the Abyssal Miasma was the densest.


It was clear that the portal leading to the Abyss was located somewhere beneath the Sahratesh Mountain Range, so that was the place where they were heading.


***


Underneath the Sahratesh Mountain Range, approximately around the same time.


Deep under the Sahratesh Mountain Range, there was an enormous underground space, that was evidently man-made, judging by the various stone pillars that were all around the place, though most of them were half-destroyed or already collapsed.


"Daemon Noble and a very powerful one at that..."


From the hidden spot, Ehri-Ra and her group of warriors from the Horus Guards Free Mercenary Company were observing the layout of the entire underground space.


The one thing that Ehri-Ra noticed about the entire place, was its origin was related to the Nehekhara Dynasties. That was mainly due to the various Hieroglyphs of the Nehekhara Dynasties that were inscribed on the ceiling and collapsed pillars.


It seemed that this place was very, very old and it was outside of the area of the Munn, where the Nehekhara Dynasties were first established. Most of the history of the Nehekhara was lost in the passage of time, so it was a great surprise for Ehri-Ra to find a place related to their ancestors outside of the Munn.


Or at least, within the records of the Tribes that survived till now, there were almost no records about places under the control of the Nehekhara Dynasties outside of the Munn...


"It seems that this place is related to the Nehekhara Dynasties; judging on the Hieroglyphs over the pillars, this should be related to the 3rd Nehekhara Dynasty that was ruled by the Pharaoh Nagash."


Nagash, known by many names such as the "Great Necromancer," the "Great Betrayer," the "Usurper," the "Undying King," the "Supreme Lord of Undeath" or simply "He Who Shall Not Be Named".


He was the ultimate personification of death and the Undead, an ancient, evil being who sought to conquer this cruel, chaotic mortal world and bring about an age of Undeath that would rule for all eternity.


"Then it could be explained why this place was chosen for the experiments by the 3rd Nehekhara Dynasty."


During the 3rd Nehekhara Dynasty, in the times when their nation was still unified, powerful Sorcerer Nagash became the Pharaoh of the Dynasty. He who was obsessed with uncovering the secrets of the Magic and Arcane, started conducting various forbidden experiments.


At the same time, he was also conducting research on the Powers of the Ruins, something that was probably the most dangerous thing. Yet, despite all of this, at the start of his rule, Nagash and those who followed him, started conducting the research in the places outside of the Munn.


"We are probably within one of the first places where accursed Pharaoh Nagash started his research in the Ruinious Powers."


Ehri-Ra said with a grave voice because it seemed that they had found something really dangerous, but at the same time, something that possibly contained a lot of treasures and ancient knowledge.


After the fall of Nagash and complete destruction of the 3rd Nehekhara Dynasty, the empire crumbled and from that day, we could talk about the Nehekhara Dynasties as a whole, because the the enormous Dynasty was devolved into countless smaller Dynasties fighting among each other for the resources and Legacy of the 3rd Nehekhara Dynasty.


It was no wonder that the portal between the Abyss and Material Plane opened exactly here because it was the most suitable place. Probably somebody found the research lab of the Pharaon Nagash and started tinkering with the place and things that were left there.


"It's not only the average Daemon Noble but also a peak Daemon Noble that is on the verge of evolving into the Daemon Lord and it is a Bloodthirster. Far more powerful than the Chieftain of the Unclean Tribe Aletur... aside from that, I have a feeling that he is directly sponsored by one of the Chaos Gods."


The Elderly Setesh stated as he looked at the Daemon Noble, who was standing near the enormous purple portal, surrounded by tens of Greater Daemons that were at Level 4 and hundreds upon hundreds of Lesser Daemons.


The Bloodthirster Daemon Noble was a massive Daemon with crimson skin that perspires blood and a fearsome appearance overall. It has the lower legs of a beast, blending the traits of a goat and bull, with the upper body of a man, though covered in thick, curly black hair sodden with gore.


From its back spread two massive leathery wings, not unlike those of a Dragon. Atop its neck is a bestial, tusked, dog-faced head fitted with two bull horns that spread to either side.


The horns and head of this Greater Daemon are decorated with profane symbols of the Blood God, including the Mark of Khorne. Covering its body are plates of brass Chaos Armour bolted directly to its bone and fused to its flesh.


Many Drinkers of Blood also tear the faces of their victims from their skulls to add them to their armor like some perverse purity scroll.


This armor is forged upon the Daemon's flesh by Khorne himself and thereafter becomes a living part of the Daemon's physical form, even while maintaining a brutal intelligence of its own. As such, even the Bloodthirster's armor is wrathful and longs for slaughter.


"We are severely outnumbered... and it seems that the existence of the portal into the Realm of the Ruination is connected to the Daemon Noble, so by killing him, we would most probably banish all of the Daemons back into the Abyss..."


Ehri-Ra looked at the Daemon Noble after she looked at the people of the strike teams, as they needed to decide the strategy.


'The Abyssal Miasma within this place is too strong and too powerful; we would need to lower the density by a great degree before the confrontation could even begin... somewhere within the place, there should be some Hieroglyphs Suppressing the Abyssal Miasma.'


Even though the madmen of the 3rd Nehekhara Dynasties carried out almost free and unbridled research into the Powers of the Ruination, they were still smart enough to install a few Hieroglyphs whose purpose was to suppress the Daemosn and Abyssal Miasma.


"We need to activate the Chaos Suppressing Pylons; at least part of them should be functioning, and they would be of great help in the fight against the Daemons; at least they could suppress the Daemons greatly and allow us greater movement freedom."


Soon enough, they divided into three groups, from which two groups had a mission to activate the Chaos Suppressing Pylons, while the remaining group would confront the Daemons and take their attention on itself.


'Even under the suppressed state, Bloodthirster that reached the Daemon Nobility is way above my capabilities, so the sole choice would be to use the Divine Descent...'


This was her final trump card, aside from the usage of the Runic Tattoo of the Twin Dragons of Ra and Apophis... the Divine Descent.


Even though the religion of the ancient deities of the Nehekhara Dynasties was heavily replaced by that of the Healing Church, that didn't mean that the power of the ancient Gods once worshipped by them had diminished.


Every time, here and there, some people would be born or be gifted the ability of the Divine Descent and right now, the number of the people within the Holy Arcadia Empire who could achieve something like that could be counted on one hand.


Naturally, the most notable was the Holy Imperator himself, The Lord of Sunlight and Cinder, Heir of the Old Blood, Karl Franz I. Holswig-Schliestein von Reikland de Anor.


"I summon the power of the Sun, by the will of the Gods and by the will of the Aten, let the might of the King of the Gods, the God of Sun and Light, flow through my body and let me be its vessel on the material place, witnessing the glory of the long-forgotten past and banishing the enemies of Sun and Light into the eternal damnation and oblivion."


As she finished the prayer, instantly, her entire body was enveloped by gentle light.


Her hair started turning from the previous raven black to the bright golden, like she had in her childhood and her younger years before they turned raven black, and her eyes turned from the previous amber-colored to shining gold.


At the same time, this transform alarmed practically every single Daemon in the vicinity as they all started rushing toward her position, as two imaginary dragon-like wings created from the Sunlight appeared behind her back, allowing Ehri-Ra to fly in the air like the aerial Daemons.


She gripped the Bloodviolet in her right hand, whose crimson-red appearance turned into a flaming sword of light as she rushed directly at the Daemon Noble Bloodthirster that was commanding all other Daemons to attack Ehri-Ra.


For a certain moment, she appeared like an Angel as she was enveloped by the Holy Light of Sun that belonged to the God King Ra, which was burning away all Abyssal Miasma and turning all weaker Daemons near her into the dust.


Yet, even that didn't stop the Daemons of Chaos and Ruin from mindlessly attacking her as they rushed at her in hundreds and hundreds. Before the Daemons could pounce on her, Ehri-Ra flapped her light wings.


In a split of a moment, rays of light burst from her wings and turned all of the Daemons into ashes, and even the stronger and more powerful Greater Daemons were severely injured by the rays of light that Ehri-Ra released.


She then looked dangerous at the Noble Daemon Bloodthirster, who already appeared in front of her, swinging at her with an enormous waraxe, as she flipped in the air, flying behind the Noble Daemon Bloodthirster and attacking him from behind with the Bloodviolet.


But the Bloodthirsters were the Greater Daemons of Chaos God of Blood, SKulls and War, Khorne, so his combat instincts were absolutely out of the norm, as the enormous Daemons Bloodthirsters.


Sensing the danger, Ehri-Ra used her wings of light to protect against the sudden attacks as the waraxe of the Noble Daemon Bloodthirster clashed against her wings of light, creating an enormous explosion that threw both of them away.


From the explosion, the entire underground space shook greatly; the tremors penetrated into the depths of the ground.


Meanwhile, Ehri-Ra stabilized in the air; she looked at the Noble Daemon Bloodthirster because, from the brief clash, she sensed its power very well... she knew that the Bloodthirster was an extremely powerful Daemon of Khorne.


'Far more powerful, the Sunlight of Ra is lethal for them; the Noble Daemon Bloodthirster is too powerful, so unless the Chaos Suppressing Pylon is activated, I will have a very hard time injuring him severely enough.'


Ehri-Ra thought, but her train of thought was shortly destroyed once the Noble Daemon Bloodthirster attacked her once again. Though with the Divine Descent Abiltiy that she called upon, Ehri-Ra was able to fight against them on the relatively same level.


She kept exchanging one blow after another with the Noble Daemon Bloodthirster, but she was purposely attacking certain places on his body to lower his fighting capabilities. This plan was a rather good plan because it was working as the Bloodthirster was sustaining were slowing the humongous Daemon down.


After approximately ten minutes, even Ehri-Ra's body was full of injuries; her armor was cracked in several places, and an entire part of the armor covering her right arm was missing from the last attacks by the Daemon of Khorne.


To her advantage, the Divine Descent Ability also gave her an unprecedented healing rate that allowed her to regenerate injuries rather fast because if not for that, then she would be already blind in the left eye.


As she assumed a different battle stance in an attempt to lure the Daemon into a trap, she suddenly felt the appearance of some very weird energy over the entire place, which meant that the Chaos Suppressing Pylons were already activated by her subordinates and were in full power.


Not only that, but they were working way better than she anticipated because she could see that all around the place that now became one huge battlefield, the Daemons started losing strength, as their connection to the Abyss and Ruination was diminishing at the visible rate.


Even the weakest of them were already getting banished back to the Abyss one by one at rather a fast rate because they couldn't withstand the strong suppression of the Chaos Suppressing Pylons.


Even the Greater Daemons that were present started losing their strength at a visible rate, something that was naturally welcomed; Ehri-Ra even noticed that now that they lost the connection to the Abyss, their combat prowess dropped tremendously.


While the Daemons had inherently powerful physiques and physical capabilities, one of their strongest abilities was access to the Abyssal Miasma that they could draw either from the Abyss itself or from the more powerful Daemons or the Chaos Gods.


But with the Chaos Suppressing Pylons, such a thing was impossible and the only thing that was left for them were their physical capabilities. And now, at the moment when the Pylons started working, all the Daemosn were being ambushed by the warriors of the Horus Guards Free Mercenary Company one by one.


Even Ehri-Ra used this opportunity to the maximum, as she unleashed all the power that she could muster after drinking another vial with the Old Blood Concoction and attacking the Noble Daemon Bloodthirster.


Her wings, which were already in a wingspan of three meters, now grew to ten meters as they were enlarged by the flowing power of the Sun God King Ra as she commanded the Light and Sun to congregate in the Bloodviolet that was almost burning with the light itself.


She shot toward the Noble Daemon Bloodthirster at the speed of light itself, with the Bloodviolet piercing through the shoulder of the Daemon of Khorne, who shouted in pain as the Holy Light of Ra started penetrating deep into his very own existence.


Using the small window of opportunity that was presented to her when the Daemon of Khorne attempted to purge the Holy Light of Ra from his body, Ehri-Ra attacked once again, this time aiming at the lower part of his neck, which wasn't protected by any armor, as she buried her sword deep into the neck of the Daemon Noble.


Instantaneously, she pushed all of her power into the Bloodviolet, which resulted in violent explosion of golden light as the entire upper part of Daemon Noble's body was obliterated from existence.


The very second the Daemon Noble was killed and his entire being, including his soul, destroyed by the Holy Light of Ra, the already weakened portal connection between the Abyss and Material Plane crumbled entirely faster than one could blink.


The portal was already greatly weakened and on the verge of collapse the moment when the Chaos Suppression Pylons were activated, but Ehri-Ra knew that just the Pylons wouldn't be enough; killing the Noble Daemon Bloodthirster was needed to banish them all completely.


"We succeeded... and we even found something so miraculous as the Chaos Suppressing Pylons... if they are sold to the Imperium, then the situation with the descendants of the Nehekhara would be solved overnight..."


While Ehri-Ra wasn't really privy to the state secrets of the Imperium, for that, her social status was technically speaking non-existent, from her travels, she knew that the Byrgenwerth was researching something that would act similarly like the Pylons of the Nehekhara Dynasties.


"This could even fetch me Baron Title and entire Barony..."


She muttered as she looked at the corpse of the Daemon Noble that was decomposing at a visible rate due to the Holy Light of Ra destroying it from the inside and at the ruins of the place, which was filled with treasures from the Nehekhara.


***


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Hopefully, these changes will have some positive impact on the number of paid subscribers...

Thank you very much for your support and hopefully, we would see each other on the patreon; only thanks to it am I able to write and publish.

Trafford
 
Promotion of my Works New
Saga of Astral Mysteries - Promotion of New Primary Fanfic
Main Setting: A Song of Ice and Fire (ASOIAF) - Game of Thrones (GoT) x Lord of the Mysteries (LOTM)
Characters from: League of Legends (LoL) / Arcane
Elements from: Warhammer Fantasy, League of Legends / Arcane
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"My life spans across the centuries. Legions have risen to test me… My ascendance is inevitable. A day, a year, a millennium—it matters not. I hold the patience of stone and the will of stars. Your striving is insignificant. Your efforts are useless. From the grandeur of the Valyrian, surviving the Doom, overcoming dangers of the Valoran, rise of the Noxus, and Divine War of the Gods. There is no call we do not answer and no challenge we do not overcome! For we are the Noxus, Forever Strong!"
- Immortal Emperor's Ceremonial Speech of 400th Celebration of the Empire of Noxus
***
Tags: Alchemy, Army, Army Building, Alternate World, Aristocracy, Beautiful Female Lead, Calm Protagonist, Character Growth, Charismatic Protagonist, Cunning Protagonist, Dark, Depictions of Cruelty, Destiny, Dragons, Devils, Elves, Evil Gods, Evil Organizations, Evil Religions, Family, Fnatasy Creatures, Fantasy World, Fast Learner, God Protagonist, Godly Powers, Gods, Hard-Working Protagonist, Harsh Training, Hidden Abilities, Immortals, Industrialization, Kingdoms, Kingdom Building, Lost Civilizations, Lucky Protagonist, Magic, Male Protagonist, Manipulative Characters, Money Grubber, Multiple Realms, Mythical Beasts, Mythology, Nobles, Overpowered Protagonist, Pets, Philosophical, Religions, Schemes and Conspiracies, Secret Identity, Secret Organizations, Sentient Objects, Skill Assimilation, Souls, Special Abilities, Spirits, Strategic Battles, Time Skip, Transmigration, Vampires, Wars, Weak to Strong, Strong to Stronger, Wealth Characters, Werebeasts, Demons, Early Romance, Harem, Polygamy, Firearms, Knigths, Leadership, Loyla Subordinates, Magic Technology, Mediaval, Modern Knowledge, Monsters, Multiple POV, Politics, Royalty, Technological Gap, Conquest, Strong Love Interest, Gate to Another World, Strength-based Social Hierarchy, Sword and Magic
***
Dungeon Overlord: Unexpected Results of Worshipping Outer Gods

"Worshipping the Outer Gods isn't really the best idea, and for many, it won't really end well.
For me, though?
At the start, it was shit, but now I am Dungeon Master of the Interdimensional Dungeon, tasked with Harvesting Fate, Magic, and Life from the worlds. I am bringing the End Times to the worlds in the name of the Great Old Ones.
Oh yes, did I tell you that I managed to have several beautiful, overpowered wives on top of that?"
- Archaon the Everchosen of the Great Old Ones

Theme: ASOIAF, Bunny Black, Dungeon Hunter, Dragon Age, Warhammer Fantasy

***

Sigmar Heldenhammer in World of Wacraft

"When the sun rests, and the world is dark, and the great fires are lit, and the ale is poured into flagons, then it is time to sing sagas as the Dwarfs do. And the greatest saga is the saga of Sigmar, the mightiest warrior. Harken now, hear these words, and live in hope."

—Excerpt from the Legend of Sigmar "Heldenhammer" Hinderstern, The Orcbane, The Demonslayer, The Justiciar and Master of Holy Thunder, The Hero of Great Wars, Hero of Stormwind, Protector of the Azeroth, Hierarch of the Holy Stormcast Templar Order and Founder of Covenant

Theme: World of Warcraft x Warhammer Fantasy + Age of Sigmar Elements
***
STARLESS: Transmigrator's Debuchery Life

Just your average story of an ultra-rich, morally depraved transmigrator who has a harem of his wife and daughters and other women, as they enjoy debauchery of all kinds and...
Based on the STARLESS Series from the EMPRESS

Theme: STARLESS, GREAT DECEIVER, SLEEPLESS SERIES

* Read on your own risk

***
DxD: Seraph God of Destruction
"So I have been reborn... that is good.
In the Highschool DxD... could be better; reality is often worse than a shitty presentation.
Fortunately, to the son of Shiva the God of Destruction, and Thashamal the Seraphim of Doom, that was certainly good.
But you know what wasn't good?
In a few years, the Khaos Brigade would be making a mess, awakening the Trihexa and machinations of the Spirit Gods of Etoulde. Those self-righteous bastards have drawn the attention of Evies to Draconic Deus and other threats."
-
Theme: Highschool DxD, ???, ???, ???
***
Records of Magic

Beyond majestic mountains, across the emerald dale, on the ivory standard united, we prevail. Records of Magic, the records of the rise of Magic in 21st Century, through the World War III to the Invasion of Burning Legions.

We are the Yotsubas, the Untouchable; we fought against the Dahan, we fought against the USNA, and we fought against the Demons of the Burning Legion.

From the distant shores of Amani, the ruins of the Troll Wars, it was recorded that a new power would rise for every trial suffered and every ally mourned; they would be the guardians of Azeroth.
-
Tags: Alternate World, Anti-Magic, Fantasy World, Magic Technology, Military, Nobles, Politics, Clan Building, Domestic Affairs, Power Couple, Schemes and Conspiracies, Kingdom Building, World Hopping, World Travel, Gate to Another World, Demons, Dragons, Magic, Sci-Fi, Wars, Strong Love Interests, Special Abilities, Overpowered Protagonist, Army, Army Building, Conquest, Magic Formations, Orcs, Sword and Magic, Wars
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Theme: Mahouka Kokou no Rettosei / Irregular at High Magic School, World of Warcraft, Type-Moon Elements
***
A Song of Blood and Sunlight
It was the 10th Millennium; for more than several centuries, the Emperor and High Lord Magistrate sat on the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder. He is Lord of the Lands of Ancients by the will of the Gods and Master of the City of Gods by the power of his inexhaustible armies. (Soulsborne influence)
-
Tags: Antihero Protagonist, Army Building, Calm Protagonist, Daemons, Dragons, Elves, Fantasy World, Gate to Another World, Gods, Domestic Affairs, Handsome Male Lead, Kingdom Building, Male Protagonist, Management, Polygamy, Harem, Ruthless Protagonist, Sword and Magic, Vampires, Wars, Conquest, Knights, Politics, Nobles, A Song of Ice and Fire, Dark Souls, Bloodborne, Warhammer Fantasy, Game of Thrones, Religions, Interdimensional Travel, Aristocracy, Elemental Magic, Multiple POV, Royalty, Special Abilities, Strong to Stronger, Early Romance, Industrialization, Magic, Marriage, Romantic Subplot, Schemes and Conspiracies, Strong Love Interests, Elves, Strategic Battles, Technological Gap, World Hopping, World Gate
-
Theme: A Song of Ice and Fire (ASOIAF) / Game of Thrones (GoT), Warhammer Fantasy, Bloodborne, Dark Souls (partially - more lore-wise)
 
Chapter 32 - The Imperial Crusade of Badlands (3) New
3rd POV

Somewhere in the Badlands, Grand Province of Stormwind, some time later, En Route on the Harrogath


After the Fortress City Almorel fell and was razed to the ground, the Crusading Army of the Army Group Alpha continued into the depths of the Badlands, marching onto the final destination of theirs.

Harrogath and Mount Arreat, where the headquarters of the Barbarians was located and where their kind would meet their most unfortunate and certain demise, where the Lordran shall be united under the might of the Imperium.

And he would become the Emperor of the Known Lordran, with everything aside from the Dark Lands and Orklands, as those were full of Daemons and Orks, yet they would become targets for the expeditions to gather resources.

As the Holy Imperator, Karl Franz was resting within the private chambers of the G-1 Mobile Base when he was suddenly woken up by someone knocking on the door.

While he didn't really need to sleep per se, he still found enjoyment in the moment and it brought him one of the world's pleasures.

"Your Holy Majesty, Lady Maria is calling you to the command center and she says it is the most urgent."

When he heard the voice, he noticed that it belonged to one of the officers of the Office of the Imperial Military Intelligence or the O.I.M.I., who was stationed on the G-1 Mobile Base.

So, even though he wasn't really excited about this, he was forced to wake up, albeit with a good addition of irritation, when he noticed that Maria was saying that it was most urgent situation.

She would never make assumption of things, so it really meant that something indeed happened that certainly warranted his immediate attention. When the Holy Imperator arrived at the commander center of the G-1 Command Base, he attracted many gazes, as he was wearing his sleeping outfit.

"So, what was that important that you needed to crush my sleep?"

Karl Franz asked with an irritated voice as he looked at Maria, who in turn smirked on her fianceé before she turned on the projection of something on the table.

It projected certain objects, which Karl Franz didn't really recognize at all, but judging on the gazes of others; he knew that it must be something pretty important.

"Approximately one hour ago, one of the Free Mercenary Companies, named Horus Guard Free Mercenary Company led by Ehri-Ra Thoth, finished the mission within the Badlands that was assigned to them by the HighCom. After they exterminated The Unclean Tribe of the Flesh Eaters, which were a problem for the supply lines, they were tasked with investigating the Sahratesh Mountain Range..."

Karl Franz knew something about the Unclean Tribe, as he heard that they were the worst of the worst barbarian tribes; they were the outcasts of the entire barbarian society, mainly due to their practice of cannibalism.

"Within the depths of the Sahratesh Mountain Range, they found an entire smaller Daemon colony, led by Noble Daemon..."

Hearing that the Noble Daemon that was comparable to the Level 5 Professional this made him wonder how the hell were they able to kill the Daemon Noble. According to his knowledge, the descendants tribes of the Nehekhara Dynasties didn't produce anyone that reached Level 5 for several millennia already.

"And if you are asking how they were able to achieve this feat... the answer is pretty much simple and is the reason why I was calling you right now. It seems that they were fighting in the depths underneath the Sahratesh Mountain Range, in the abandoned research center of the Nehekhara Dynasties, where they were studying the Ruinious Powers and it seemed that as the insurance against the Chaos, they had there several Pylons... fully functioning Pylons were found there..."

After hearing that, not only Karl Franz but even other people who were present within the Command Center looked at Lady Maria in shock and disbelief because they knew what the Pylons represented.

"This is... Pylons... they found the Pylons..."

Karl Franz wasn't even able to think straight because he was probably more aware of the significance of the Pylons than most. They were the pinnacle of the Magitek of the Nehekhara Dynasties, and because most of the Magical Engineering was lost with the fall of the Dynasties, some records remained.

The Pylons were the peak they achieved, the ultimate weapons against the forces of Chaos. If the Holy Arcadia Empire was able to get their hands on the Pylons and recreate them, they would be able to ensure the ultimate protection against the powers of the Ruin.

"Immediately send there an entire Sadality of the Stormcast Eternals and squad of Battle Wizards and transport the Pylons back to the Anor Londo... make this mission of the highest priority..."

Karl Franz instantly decided to send there his best and most powerful to oversee the transportation of the Pylons back to the Anor Londo.

If they were able to recreate them, then all major cities would be essentially safe from possible Daemons Incursions and they could also tremendously strengthen the Skycrown Gate.

With the addition of the Pylons at the Skycrown Gate, they would handle all future invasions of the Daemons with ease because the Pylons were extremely powerful weapons against the Ruinious Powers.

Unfortunately, till now, it has been lost in the passage of time...

Until now, it was recovered by the mercenaries.

"Also, tell the leaders of the Tribes that I want them to present themselves at the Imperial Palace of Anor Londo after the Crusade has been ended."

It seemed that they would need to spend more time excavating the ruins of the Nehekhara Dynasties, something that wasn't really done before as there were more important matters and nobody really thought that something could have survived the passage of time.

But now, it seemed that it was false, and some artifacts indeed survived the passage of time.

And if the Pylons have survived, it meant that other things may have survived...

Gods knew what the tribesmen were hiding there... everybody in the Grand Province of Munn was ignoring the Tribesmen who were descendants of the Nehekhara as they were already slowly on the verge of extinction.

And yet... it seemed that Fate had smiled at them and given them another chance, this time, in the form of Pylons that were found underneath the Sahratesh Mountain Range.

"It seems that their civilization will have a certain level of revitalization..."

Karl Franz knew that they would need to invest more resources into the natives of the Grand Province of Munn...

Their people had a lot of potential, especially when it came to magic, but they were mostly neglected due to their reclusive and secular nature. Now it seemed that Karl Franz would award one of their people the Aristocratic Status of Baron, hereditary one, of course, together with the entire Barony.

This would be the first time for them and would signify the rise of the entire population because as long as they had someone with such achievements as Ehri-Ra Thoth, they were sure to get a certain degree of state help.

Her achievements of annihilating The Unclean Tribe of the Children of the Bul-Khatos, annihilating the possible Daemons Incursion and Banishing the Level 5 Daemon Noble was no small feat.

Even Karl Franz was a bit impressed by it, considering that she was only a Level 4 Professional...

Not to mention, the Chieftain of The Unclean Tribe was confirmed Level 5 Barbarian, and yet, he fell to her blade, which was very surprising and shocking in itself.

"On a different note... it is confirmed that the leader of the Horus Guards Free Mercenary Company is Divine Descendant of the Ancient Nehekharan Deities Ra the God King of Sun and Thoth the God of Moon and Wisdom and other things..."

When Maria stated that, Karl Franz stopped in his tracks instantly because Divine Descendants were rare... like very rare things to happen and for the ones that could control their powers, those were even rarer.

"I want to see her... how the hell managed someone like that be undetected by the Imperium for more than three decades or so..."

This was almost mind blogging because the Imperium was watching for all of the Divine Descendants either to conscript them to the Imperial War Machine or they were silently disposed of if they proved to be a threat to the rule of the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder...

"Who knows... most probably because she spent most of her life living with her tribe hidden from the sight of the wider worlds; their people are living in places where it is impossible even for the members of the Office of Imperial Military Intelligence to infiltrate effectively."

The Imperium didn't really pay attention to the descendants of the Nehekhara Dynasties much because they were not of the points of interest.

"Is there anything besides this discovery?"

Seeing Maria shaking her head in denial, Karl Franz decided to return to his quarters to just laze around, enjoying his privilege as the Holy Imperator. And because he was here to be just a heavy hitter, he didn't really participate in the strategy meetings and other activities.

Sometimes, acting like a hired thug was the best thing, and enjoying the luxury of the G-1 Mobile Base was the best thing.

***

The entire Imperial Crusade against the Barbarians in the Badlands was progressing smoothly, as all of the Army Groups were advancing at the capital of the Barbarian race, Harrogath, at Mount Arreat.

Army Group Delta, under the leadership of Admiral Euron Greyjoy, completely cut the entire Badlands from the sea and blocked the sea paths that the Children of Bul-Khatos could possibly use to escape from the Badlands.

Aside from that, the Army Group Delta secured the shores, cleared out the area of several smaller Tribes and Clans that were living there, and started advancing toward the Harrogath.

Meanwhile, the rest of the barbarians have also retreated back to their capital and Mount Arreat where they were building their last stand. Now that the forces of the Imperium were pressing them too much, they decided to fight till the bitter end.

This wasn't really surprising, and it was even something that was anticipated by the Imperial HighCom as they were prepared for the barbarians resisting till the last man.

After the description of The Unclean Tribe, there was nobody who would harass the Imperial supply lines, so the Imperials had steady arrival of supplies. After the destruction of the two initial Fort Cities, there were only some minor Tribes that refused to move and decided to die in their homeland.

Which was fine, as they were either bombarded to oblivion or Battle Wizards blasted their entire Tribes from the face of the earth. From there on, the path for the Harrogath was rather clear, because all of the remaining forces of the Children of Bul-Khatos were within their Capital.

***

MC POV

Some time later, Grand Province of Stormwind, Badlands, Mount Arreat, Harrogath.


The capital of the Barbarian race was something that wasn't surprising anyone or rather it was only mildly surprising because it was enormous in size and compared to the other pathetic attempts of cities, this one clearly was more advanced and proper.

They even attempted to build some walls and fortifications up to a certain degree naturally, while it wasn't anything excellent, it would probably fulfill its purpose of hindering the progress of the Imperial Troops.

Probably the most problematic on the other hand, were countless trenches and huge trench lines that were all around the barbarian capital, entirely blocking the progress and possible advance of our War Machines into the Harrogath.

Still, the entire city was right now being surrounded by the three Army Groups of Alpha, Beta and Delta. All routes of escape and survival for the Children of the Bul-Khatos were cut entirely and the sole ending that was awaiting them was extinction.

Everyone was lying down the siege equipment, especially the artillery of various types and Battle Wizards were building up a provisionary teleportation circle so that we could teleport the resources directly from the heart of the Imperium.

"How are the preparations?"

Overseeing the siege wasn't anything thrilling, even though I enjoyed the sounds of artillery firing, which was practically non-stop since we arrived. We were bombarding the defense lines of the Children of Bul-Khatos and even the capital Harrogath with everything that we had.

For several hours already the approximate losses of the Barbrains were already numbering in the thousands, but it was hard to tell. With their physical capabilities, unless they were hit directly by the artillery shots, they would be able to survive the explosions with some luck.

Not to mention their frightening regeneration capabilities.

"They won't be giving us the luxury as it seems..."

With my keen eyesight as a Level 6 Professional, I was able to clearly see that they were already preparing to stick back at our forces. It seems that the newly crowned Immortal King, the Barbarian King Worusk was leading the charge.

And when I laid my eyes on the man, fortunately enough he didn't reach Level 7 as many feared and predicted, but still... he was standing at the peak of Level 6 and had even the ancestral armor of the ever-first Immortal King, Bul-Khatos.

Fortunately enough, the Imperial Engineers, which consisted of humans, dwarves, and gnomes, worked very fast to build our siege lines so that we could defend against their counter-attack, and I would need to fight against the Immortal King personally.

This would be a good opportunity, in fact, because he was the sole person in the authority over the other Barbsarfains. Even though Worusk evidently unified his people, it was only faux unification and the control over the respective tribes still fell onto the Chieftains and Elders of their respective tribes.

That wasn't anything surprising because it would take decades or even centuries until the stubborn Barbarians transitioned from a Tribal-based society into the idea of a proper civilized nation.

So If I keep the Barbarian King Worusk occupied, he won't be able to command his army, which in turn would leave the command for the Chieftains, and due to nothing that even remotely reminded that of the chain of command, every Chieftain would command his troops individually and do what they wanted on the battlefield.

Chaos ensued, and we could use this to our advantage by picking the barbarian up.

"General Lothar, I give you the overall command over the Crusading Forces now that are to begin the battle. Cooperate with the other Generals of the Imperial Legions and Chapter Masters of the Silver Knight Order... the moment the battle starts, I will be taking the Barbarian King together with the Hunters and the Stormcast Eternals."

I said to the General of the 10th Imperial Legion Anduin Lothar, the native of the Stormwind ,as gave him the overall command over the Crusaders. He was the most experienced of all present Imperial Generals participating in the Imperial Crusade, and he was most knowledgeable about the Children of the Bul-Khatos.

Not to mention, there was a need for someone to coordinate the other forces to advance unitedly and not chaotically...

"And what of Lady Maria?"

Maria Vileblood was another Level 6 Professional aside from the Senior Hunters who would be targeting the strongest powerhouses on the side of the Barbarians together with some of the most powerful Scholars of the Byrgenwerth that were here for the Shamans of the Barbarians.

"I ordered her and some of the Stormcast Eternals to remain on the standby in case something unexpected happened. According to my prediction, my own strike force against the Immortal King should be enough, but nobody could be sure of everything..."

Even with the abilities like Sha Naqba Imuru, I couldn't be 100% sure of the future, thus I ordered Maria to be on standby in case something unexpected happened so she could intervene in the matter.

She was one of the most powerful Professioanls in the Lordran in the end and would ensure the protection of the Crusading Army. In case some powerful Barbarian managed to slip through my eyes or those of the Senior Hunters and decided to wreak havoc in the Imperial Army.

Maria would be there to take care of them.

While she wasn't thrilled at the idea, she also understood that this was a tremendous responsibility and that somebody needed to do it, or else, the consequences could be devastating for the Imperium and the Imperial Forces.

"As you command, Your Holy Majesty."

General Anduil Lothar gave me a bow before he departed back to the G-1 Mobile Base to assume the overall command of the three Army Groups, as just ten minutes later after he left, the Barbarians started charging toward our positions.

I also saw the new self-proclaimed Immortal King, Barbarian King Worusk who was holding rather ominous looking two-handed war axe as he was leading the the charge together with his closes, all of the most powerful Barbarians of the Harrogath were at his side.

Indeed, it was undeniable that the Barbarian King Worusk was powerful, very powerful, but he was in no way Immortal King Bul-Khatos. Even though he had self-proclaimed himself as the one, he wasn't.

If he was, then the armor and weapon would, have already reacted to him, but seeing that the entire famous Immortal King Set was in some kind of semi-active state confirmed my idea that Worusk didn't obtained the complete Legacy of the Immortal King Bul-Khatos...

At least yet.

But with me being here, he won't ever have the chance to obtain it as he would die.

Stuikll, just the fact that he was able to wear the Immortal King Set and the ancestral weapons of the very first Barbarian King meant that Worusk had very strong Blooldine and was a descendant of the Immortal King Bul-Khatos himself.

Such valuable specimens would accelerate the research of the Byrgenwerth by entire decades.

All around us, hundreds of artillery weapons started firing as much as they could; most of them were directly aiming at the humongous barbarian army numbering more than two hundred or three hundred thousand that was charging at the positions of the Imperials.

The Battle Wizards of the Imperial Battlemage Legion were doing their job in support of the Scholars of Byrgenwerth in casing the Super-Tier War Magic, which required the effort of tens of Magic Users combined together.

And I, as the Holy Impererator of the Holy Arcadia Empire, donned my runic armor and gripped the Longinuslanze Testament in my right hand as I looked at the enemy that was coming to us.

With each salvo from our marvels of weapon engineering delivered, hundreds upon hundreds of Barbarina were killed in the explosions, while many more were injured, and this was being repeated over and over at a frightening pace.

There were several Senior Hunters of the Workshop that would be fighting the strongest experts on the side of the Children of Bul-Khatos. The Longinuslanze Testament cracked with the Golden Light of Holy Destruction as I awaited the combat.

"Dispose of the Elders and Chieftains, target those who may be the commanders of the horde, while I will take care of the Barbarian King Worusk."

Aside from the Barbarian King Worusk, who reached the peak Level 6, there were a few Level 6 Barbarians, but none of them even had part of the power that the Barbarian King held.

All of them were the Chieftains of the strongest and most powerful tribes of the Badlands among the Children of Bul-Khatos. I wasn't really keen on engaging in close-quarter combat against the Barbarian King because that was the department where I would lose for certain.

While I was very confident in my combat skills and martial capabilities, I knew that Worusk was certainly on an entirely different level. Not to mention he was also eclipsing me in the department of the physical prowess.

I also saw that in the distance, the entire Army Grop Delta already started moving closer to the Harrogath as they attacked the defensive positions of the Barbarians, while the Barbarians were attacking the positions that were held by the Army Group Alpha and Beta.

Because Barbarian King Worusk mobilized a large part of the Harrogath's army in aim of killing me and ending the Imperial Crusade, he left a large part of the city and surroundings of Mount Arreat underpowered.

The entire southern part of the Harrogath's defense lines were now facing the assault from the Army Group Delta, as it would take approximately half an hour to break through the defenses and reach the Harrogath's gates.

"Prepare for the impact!"

I shotued as I looked at the incoming barbarians as the first ones were already in front of our lines, as I swung the Longinuslanze Testament. In a split of a moment, enormous wave of the Golden Light of Holy Destruction that swept away the Barbarians.

Turning thousands of them to nothingness, not even ashes remained from them after they were hit by the Golden Light of Holy Destruction. Kicking off the ground, I gripped the Longinuslanze Testament and shot toward the Barbarian King Worusk, who was about to attack several of the siege engines.

As we clashed in the air, a small shockwave erupted from the force behind our strikes, as he was visibly surprised that someone matched him in power. While I was severely behind him in the physical department, even though we were both Level 6, I was making up for the difference with the usage of Arcane Energy.

Briefly, I contemplated if I should use some Mgaic, but I quickly dismissed the motion because the Magic Resisnce of the Barbarian King was too high, and even someone on the level of Supreme Patriarch Balthasar Gelt would struggle to cast a spell that could severely injure him without a proper preparations.

Both of us started at each other for a moment, before the Barbarian King Worusk charged at me once again, holding the enormous spiked two-handed war axe, as he swung the humongous weapon at my head, only for me to dodge as I attempted to strike him with the Longinuslanze Testament at his neck.

Most of the barbarians when wearing armors, they were not protecting all of the vital, but only a few of them. It was part of their culture and traditions, but at the same time, it also suited their combat style.

Unfortunately for me, the Barbarian King Worusk managed to dodge the blade of Longinuslanze Testament easily, as I found myself flying as he kicked me in my chest.

I crashed onto the ground but managed to quickly get ahead of myself and assume the battle position before Worusk could strike at me again.

***

3rd POV

The clash between the Holy Imperator of the Holy Arcadia Empire and Barbarian King Worusk was slowly, but surely coming to the end.

While the Barbarian King Worusk was very powerful, especially in the aspect of his physique, he was still losing severely to the Golden Light of Holy Destruction that was used by the Imperator.

The power of the Golden Light of Holy Destruction was something that was entirely eclipsing any kind of defense that the self-proclaimed heir of the Immortal King of the Barbarians could muster and it was all crashing onto him.

While it was clear that the Holy Imperator was mildly losing in the confrontation, in the area of pure martial skills, because that was the area where he coukdl't even hope to match the Barbarian King with the skills he currently had.

While Karl Franz wasn't a slouch in this area, no, in fact, he was one of the best fighters within the Holy Imperium, but at the same time, his age and experiences were a bit against him because the Barbarian King was far stronger and far more skilled.

If it was a pure showdown of skill, Karl Franz suspected that he was only a tad level below that of the Gehrman, the First Hunter of the Workshop. Yet, at the same time, the area where the Barbarian King Worusk was losing severely was the raw power.

That was an area where Karl Franz was several leagues above him, especially when he used the Golden Light of Holy Destruction, which was tearing through the Barbarian King's defenses like a hot knife through butter.

Just out of nowhere, the entire battlefield stopped, and nobody moved for several moments as everyone looked at the same point within the battlefield. Everyone was looking at the same place on the battlefield without a pause.

And yet, some were shocked, some were delighted, some were angry, despaired, or cheering outright, depending on the side they were fighting on.

But everyone was looking at the same place, at the same two people; from which one of them was holding a golden lance that pierced through the heart of the second man.

The second coming of the Immortal King of the Children of Bul-Khatos, the Barbarian King Worusk has fallen to the Holy Imperator of the Holy Arcadia Empire, Karl Franz I. Holswig-Schliestein von Reikland de Anor.

Till now, the Imperial Legions under the leadership of the Stormcast Eternals that were acting as the speartip of the offensive were tearing through the Barbarians like their cold and methodical precision leaving behind thousands of corpses.

But now...

With the death of the Barbarian King Worusk, the morale of the Barbarians was broken in mere one moment. From there on, things went to shit for the Barbarians as most of them lost the will to fight and were slaughtered without any problem.

Karl Franz joined the fray as he was searching for the more powerful Barbarians who were posing a threat to the advancing Imperial Forces, as he was cutting them down in droves. With the death of their King, the Barbarians were not really a threat.

Even in this situation, probably on the verge of extinction off their species, they were still arguing against each other, because various Elders refused to listen to each other and maintained only the most basic rudimentary cooperation which was far from enough.

From stopping the ruthless advancement of the Imperial Forces.

It didn't take long for the Harrogath to be breached by the Imperial Legions and the Stormcast Eternals, as the Hunters and the Officers within the Stormcast Eternals disposed of the stronger Barbarians.

And with the fall of their capital, the entire Mount Arreat soon enough followed shortly and was stormed by the Imperials.

The fall of Mount Arreat signified the end of the Children of Bul-Kathos; their entire civilization and species were ruthlessly slaughtered to the last infant. The sole members of the Barbarian species that survived the genocide were the ones that were captured by the Byrgenwerth to serve as material for experiments and research.

Karl Franz remained on the battlefield for some time, as he joined the fight alongside the common Legionaries and Stormcast Eternals, as they were finishing up the scraps of the Barbariasn that resisted till the bitter end.

Surrendering was not in their dictionary and nobody would even accept that.

The Barbarians were actually very proud people, who would never bend the knee to the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder and that was something that Karl Franz couldn't really tolerate as they represented threat.

They were not under his control, and they were strong enough to resist the Imperial Legions; this entire Crusade was proof of that fact. If they were given even more time to develop and better equipment, then the losses that the Imperium would suffer would number in hundreds of thousands.

Karl Franz and practically not only him, but also the entire HighCom were aware of the more unfortunate and cold truth that the Children of the Bul-Khatos didn't lose because they were not skilled or powerful enough.

Or even numerous enough.

No...

They lost because they were divided and they had practically non-existent industry and their equipment was terrible. They lacked proper strategies, armaments and other things, especially those that were common for the more advanced civilizations.

As the Holy Imperator of the Holy Arcadia Empire overlooked the battlefield with scattered corpses, he saw that the Imperium suffered losses numbering in tens of thousands. They won, yet the price was high, at least for the Imperial Legions, Free Mercenary Companies and personal soldiers of the Imperial Aristocracy.

The losses were heavy because the Barbarians, with all they had, were still able to fight and kill many of the Imperial Legionaries. Only the Stormcast Eternals from the Imperial Force sustained very little and minimal losses.

"The Mount Arreat has a large underground structure, and we are currently breaching their defenses there, Your Majesty. It would be done within a few hours, they have prepared a lot, possible to give the non-combatants time to escape."

As the Imperator was observing the battlefield, he heard the voice of General Anduin Lothar as he contemplated the words of the General of one of the Imperial Legions.

"Send in Hunters and all of the Stormcast Eternals that are not necessary on the main battlefield; order the Battle Mages and Scholars and every single Magic User you can find to create a barrier as large as possible, reaching deep into the earth..."

There was still a possibility that underneath Mount Arreat, there were some hidden paths leading to some places unknown to the forces of the Imperium. They couldn't allow even a single of the Barbarians to escape.

"It shall be done, Ave Imperator!

After saluting, the Imperial General left the Imperator, who continued staring at the battlefield as if he were counting the casualties of the Imperium. With the countermeasures in place, it would be impossible for the Barbarians to escape.

The last thing that Karl Franz wanted to see were the Children of Bul-Khatos escaping and rising somewhere else and becoming problems once again.
***
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Chapter 33 - Aftermaths and Situations Overseas New
MC POV, sometime later

The Imperial Crusade against the Children of Bul-Khatos was successful... indeed it was.

The Harrogath was destroyed, and the mighty city was laid to ruin and bombarded to oblivion. Mount Arreat, which was their Holy Mountain, and the underneath complex, which was large enough to be considered a smaller city, were also torn down by the might of the Magitek.

Everything was destroyed: their idols and totems were destroyed, their sacred places were ruined, and their people were all exterminated to the last person. It was very bloody and, at a certain point, also morbid...

Nobody survived from the Badlands; everything was killed due to my order and the orders of the Landsraad.

In fact, I felt a bit regretful because the Barbarians were very powerful... yeah, they were very powerful.

They would have been a great boon for the Holy Arcadia Empire, but unfortunately, they were too proud folk, and they would never bend the knee to someone who was no bearer of the Lineage of the very first Immortal King.

And actually, that was something that I couldn't accept just like that... that was something out of the question.

One could call it my own arrogance or something, but the fact that there existed a nation of people that were very powerful, on the Lordran, bordering the Imperium and not under our control.

That was something that I couldn't really allow.

They would have to go... one way or another, and obviously, they did.

Interestingly enough, I was taking a luxurious War Wagon back to the Anor Londo because I wanted to ponder over things. With the speed of the War Wagon, I would arrive at the Anor Londo in one or two weeks, mainly due to the newly installed Magitek Engine in the War Wagon.

The experimental Magitek was proving itself stable enough to be installed in various War Machines of the Imperium. Maria remained in the Badlands, mostly on my order because I needed to have her there.

The Stormcast Eternals were needed to be present until the entire Badlands were scoured at least several times over, in case someone survived. And this was something that only the best Magic Users and Stormcast Eternals could do.

Maria was naturally pretty unhappy about that, because I was returning back to the comforts of the Anor Londo, and she was stuck in the middle of nowhere, so she wasn't really thrilled at the idea.

Yet, she didn't complain much and carried out the order as she was told. It was unfortunate, but she knew that with her new position as the Lord General-Kommandant of the Stormcast Eternals, she had different kinds of responsibilities right now.

I planned to return through the Grand Province of Stormwind, to the Grand Province of Caladan, and then through the Grand Province of Bretonnia before finally arriving a the Grand Province of Reikland.

During the time of the journey, I would also be stopping at a few places and inspecting a few places.

So, I think that I would give a few people a heart attack when I appear at their doorstep together with the procession of the Stormcast Eternals and a few Brigades of the Imperial Legion and Silver Knight Order.

I especially planned to stop by the Arakeen for a few days, which was the Provincial Capital of the Grand Province of Caladan, and discuss something with the Sword Masters of Caladan to improve the weapon training regiment of the Stormcast Eternals.

A large part of the Stormcast Eternals was actually drawn from the Sardaukar and Knigths of the Caladan, who were most well-versed in swordsmanship. The Stormcast Eternals needed to be best in everything, not only in the Augmentations that they received but also in everything other.

And Caladan was a place that was full of weapon masters and masters in various martial arts, mainly due to the history of the place. The entire region of Caladan was considered a holy place for martial artists, and they have been developing their martial arts and weapon arts for the entire millennium.

The current Elector Count of the Grand Province of Caladan was even the previous General-Kommandant of the Reiksgarde, Atreus Atreides. And right now, he was Lord Celestant Prime of the Reiksgarde Temple and was in charge of the protection of the Imperial House and Imperial Palace in the Anor Londo.

Aside from that, I also needed to check on the progress of the Bretonnia with my own eyes, because the Bretonnians were having mild problems after the disbandment of the Grail Knights as they were incorporated into the Stormcast Eternals.

The Grand Province of Bretonnia was actually a place where the Greenskins and Beastmen were concentrating in huge numbers; in the ancient forests of the Bretonnia, where it was incredibly hard to search for them, there were huge populations of both.

Both the Greenskins and Beastmen were thriving there, and often, they would raid the towns and cities of the Bretonnia.

For that, the Provincial Army and Imperial Legion, the 7th Imperial Legion, which was stationed in the Grand Province of Bretonnia, was constantly clearing out the forest and conducting expeditions to the depths of the ancient forests.

The Bretonnia was also a place where the finest Knights and cavalry of the Imperium were trained and created. It was the land that took the Code of Knights and concepts of Chivalry and Honor to new heights.

***

Imperial Capital of Anor Londo, The Landsraad, Office of the High Chancellor of the Landsraad, December of Year 10,280 - of the Imperial Lordranese Callendar

With the conquest and assimilation of the Badlands and extermination of the Children of the Bul-Kathos as it was called... very nice word for genocide, not something that the elderly High Chancellor of the Landraad Luca Brewster fully supported, but he was also aware of the risks.

And risks were something that the Imperium never took with anything and anybody.

Right now, as the High Chancellor of the Landraad, it fell to him to manage the territories of the Badlands that were conquered by the Imperial Crusaders and to make things right.

Afterward, they would be assigned to someone, probably to some Aristocrats that were risen to the Aristocracy for their merits. There was a lot of work to do with the aftermath of the Imperial Crusade into the badlands.

The High Chancellor of the Imperium was already in the state, where he wished nothing more than to retire, somewhere nice where he would have some peace. Not being buried under the paperwork and other administrative duties, which was slowly killing him.

Not to mention, his age was already catching up with him, or at least he was telling himself that, as he had a lifespan of entire centuries, but the mental burden was too high on his mind.

"Enter."

He said before the person who was standing behind the door could even knock on the door as soon someone from the Office of the Imperial Military Intelligence entered the office of the High Chancellor of the Landsraad.

"What do you have for me?"

Dealing with the spooks from the Office of the Imperial Military Intelligence wasn't something that he was very accustomed to during the past centuries, but it was becoming more and more often.

With the Ciaran officially being separated from the Silver Knight Order and the second Legion of the Silver Knight Order was now merged into the Office of the Imperial Military Intelligence, while a new Legion of the Silver Knights would be established to take the place of the 2nd.

Now the Imperium and especially the Imperator were giving more and more resources to the Office of the Imperial Military Intelligence and paying more attention to the happenings in the world.

As they said, information was power, and thus, they needed to create a professional spy agency, something that wasn't that much necessary before.

Mainly due to the lack of targets and uses, normally the Office of the Imperial Military Intelligence was only monitoring the domestic subjects and possible threats on the home front.

Now, the field of the Office of the Imperial Military Intelligence was spread towards the rest of the Known World, which was a lot, and they were still establishing their network all around the world.

While in Westeros, the network was already growing promisingly, in Essos, it was very scarce, and only in the biggest cities, the Office of the Imperial Military Intelligence had some presence, which wasn't very good.

"Latest news from the Seven Kingdoms of the Westeros, High Chancellor. It seems that the civil war that his Holiness has foreseen is very close."

The man from the Office of the Imperial Military Intelligence was covered in combat gear, with a mask covering his entire face. Nobody knew the identities of the members of the Office of the Imperial Military Intelligence; probably aside from the Holy Imperator and Director, their true identities remained mysteries to everyone.

"Invitation to the Tourney of Harenhall?"

This was certainly weird; he would understand that if some of their allies were invited as they were technically speaking Westerosi and subjected to the Iron Throne, but the Holy Arcadia Empire were foreigners to Westeros.

"Organized by the Crown Prince of the Seven Kingdoms, Rhaegar Targaryen. He sent invitations to several of the major players, or it would be better said that he invited everyone to fish for support for his coup against his mad father."

The officer from the Office of the Imperial Military Intelligence stated stoically, with his voice didn't give any emotions at all.

"Did Starks and Lannisters receive the invitations as well?"

This was becoming interesting, but it was also crucial for the plans of the Imperium. As one of the members of the High Council of the Holy Arcadia Empire, High Chancellor Luca Brewster was privy to the true plans of the Imperator.

Which was for the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros to fracture into independent kingdoms as they were before they were conquered by the Aegon the Conqueror. With the resurgence of the Magic, they would become a serious threat if they were somehow unified.

While at the same time, due to the rising presence of the powers of Ruin, the Imperium couldn't afford to send their forces to conquer somewhere far from the lands of the Lordran; that was totally out of the question.

"Yes, he sent them practically to everyone... those who could read the political climate astutely would know that those who would show up at the Tourney of Harrenhall personally would join him in his ambitions. It is anticipated that a lot of Lords would show up, with the King acting madder and madder with every passed day, and the return of Magic to the Westeros didn't really help it. Apparently, he now sees enemies really everywhere, even among the members of his own House."

Yes, it was only a matter of time until that keg of gunpowder exploded and took everyone with it. They needed to profit as much from the civil war as possible, with the Citadel of the Maester Order being the prime target for their ambition.

"Have the preparations been finished all or at least a large part of them?"

Office of the Imperial Military Intelligence was responsible for planting their people within the crucial areas, where they would strike amids of the civil war, to loot the knowledge of the forgotten of old.

Westeros once had many powerful Magicians and Sorcerers; most of the knowledgable was lost, but at the same time, it was not and was collected by the Maester Order. The grey rats that feared Magic collected everything even remotely connected to it as they were keeping it in their Citadel.

"Mostly done... planting of some of our agents into the City Watch of Oldtown is finished, but to get some into the Citadel is harder. They are really a bunch of people who are not trusting almost anyone, and the fact that there is some sort of spell formation in the Citadel is not really helping because it is rendering most of the Illusion Spells, Mind Spells, and other similar types of Spells ineffective."

This partially confirmed the theory about the Magic Zones within the Westeros. Such areas were exceedingly rare even within the Lordran, as they were saturated in the Mana and Magic for countless centuries.

It seemed that the Citadel and the entirety of the Oldtown was built on the Leylines; the congregation of Magic was once in the past tremendously strong in that place. Coupled with the fact that the entire place was seethed in Magic, it penetrated its very own existence and developed some sort of resistance against certain types of spells.

As if the Magic in the place was sentient and protected the entire Citadel, which proved to be most problematic for the Imperial spies. However, at the same time, it wasn't anything that the Office of the Imperial Military Intelligence couldn't handle with enough time and preparation.

"What are your orders, High Chancellor, for this?"

The officers from the Office of the Imperial Military Intelligence asked as he looked at the High Chancellor Luca Brewster, who was right now in deep thought.

"Nothing... do nothing... relay the orders for the Elector Count Stark an Russ to participate in the Tourney of Harrenhall and to be on guard, he should know what to do and for what to search for..."

This was the best course of action they could take because with little tug, most of their problems within the Seven Kingdoms of the Westeros would resolve themselves with enough time and care.

"And about the situation in the Essos?"

Essos was proving to be a true headache for the Office of the Imperial Military Intelligence and the Imperium as a whole. Especially with the rise of the Celestial Empire of Grand Cathay, they had one serious opponent on the world stage.

Albeit not right now, but in a few decades?

The Celestial Empire of Grand Cathay would be every powerful nation capable of fighting against the Imeprium, at least in certain regards. The secrets were not known to many, but the Living Gods of Cathayan Dragons were not opponents that even the Imperium could dispose of.

"What are the latest reports saying in that regard?"

The High Chancellor Luca Brewster asked as he finished the last paperwork that was on his table and was ready to call it a day, so he could finally return back home.

"We confirmed that they won't be spreading beyond the Bone Mountains; right now, they are in a stage where they are preparing an invasion of the Bone Mountains and also constructing their enormous wall and series of fortresses to protect them. Certain isolationist tendencies are confirmed, so the people at the Office of the Imperial Military Intelligence are thinking that the Celestial Empire of Grand Catahay won't be expanding further west and crashing with our interests."

Office of the Imperial Military Intelligence conducted a lot of examinations on the plans, steps, and intentions of the Celestial Empire of Grand Cathay. Only a selected few new the true nature of the Celestial Dragon Emperor Xen Yang and Moon Empress Quai Yin.

And it certainly gave a few among the higher-ups of the Holy Arcadia Empire frights, but not even the Gehrman the First Hunter would be able to even severely injure such beings, much less defeat them or kill them.

"Increase the surveillance and spy network, but don't do anything to them. It seems that all of our thoughts about the nature of them are true so we left them alone."

Celestial Dragon Emperor Xen Yang and Moon Empress Quai Yin were basically like the Great Ones that took mortal form. They were beings of unprecedented power, and their true nature was beyond that of the mortal understanding.

Two of them only acted as guides for their subjects; from their modus operandi, they knew that they wouldn't create conflicts or anything, and they wouldn't be expanding and seeking to destroy everyone who opposed them.

Such was confirmed by the Holy Imperator.

But the same couldn't be said about their future descendants or the actual ones.

Those ones were much weaker, much, much weaker, but at the same time, they were not bound by the Rules of Interference, and thus, they could act freely.

"Per your order, may I excuse myself, High Chancellor?"

Luca Brewster just nodded as an officer of the Office of the Imperial Military Intelligence disappeared from his office.

***

North of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, Next Day, December of 280 AC of Westerosi Callendar / December of Year 10,280 - of the Imperial Lordranese Callendar

The mornings in the Winterfell were getting colder and colder, or so the Elector Count of the Grand Province of Fenris thought. It was clear that the increasing density of Magic within the environment was having some effects on the climate as well.

Simultaneously, he was also thinking about the notice that he received from the High Chancellor of the Holy Arcadia Empire that instructed him to participate in the Tourney of Harenhall mostly to observe the developments.

He wasn't very keen on going to such events, but as it was an order from the High Chancellor himself and bearing the sigil of the Holy Imperator, there was no way he could refuse such directions.

Naturally, his daughter and son were much less thrilled about the idea, but they didn't protest... much at least.

Aside from Ysgramor's traditional whining, there was nothing much to do.

"Observing the sunrise?"

He heard the voice of their host at this place, as they were already staying at the Winterfell for more than one month. The greater host of the House Stark an Russ, was host to the Starks of the Winterfell for a whole month as they were doing what they were ordered by the Imperator.

"Partly... I got instructions from the High Chancellor to participate in the Tourney of Harenhall, much to my dismay."

The Lord of the House Stark frowned a bit because from what he understood about the Imperium, the High Chancellor of the Landsraad was probably the second-highest ranked person within the entire Empire.

Aside from the fact, that compared to the Hand of the King within the Westeros, the High Chancellor had far more of real political and military power, with even powers of mobilizing the Imperial Legions and the armies of the Empire in case of threat.

He was also the man who acted on the behest of the Imperator, and he had more than enough authority to order the Elector Counts around, something that the Hand of the King within the Westeros could do only by personal written full power from the King himself.

"So something is indeed happening in the backround."

While Rickard Stark wasn't a politician of the caliber of those like Tywin Lannister or Olenna Tyrell, he was still good enough to tell when something was happening. And it was clear that the Tourney of Harrenhall was something that would decide the fate of the Realm for the decades to come.

Perhaps even for the centuries to come.

"Yes, and per the orders of the Imperator, I now have to entertain these paltry schemes and things... how much easier would it be if everyone could just solve their issues with their fist and axe."

The Elector Count of the Grand Province of Fenris sighed deeply, as Lord Rickard Stark standing next to him chuckled lightly because the Elector Count of the Imperium had an even higher distaste for politics than most of the Lords of the North combined together.

"It seems that your son is once again training in the yard..."

Suddenly both of them were attracted to the sounds of metal clashing when they noticed several people fighting in the training yard of the Winterfell.

One of them was obviously the son of the Elector Count Leman Stark an Russ, Ysgramor Stark an Russ and the others were members of the Winter Knights that were private guards of the House Stark an Russ.

For the average Westerosi, it was very hard even to follow their moments because they were faster than ordinary humans. Every single one of the WInter Knights was pushed to the peak Level 1 at least, though most of them were standing at Level 2 with their superior Rune Sets.

He was holding his runic waraxe Wuuthrad in one hand, while he had a runic shield in the other. Wuuthrad was a huge war axe that should be held in both hands, but in the hands of Ysgramor, it was easily held in one hand without any problem.

Leman Stark an Russ could see that his son was fighting against five titled officers of the Winter Knights almost effortlessly, while they had an enormous crowd of observers that were watching them spar.

For the ordinary Westerosi, such a showcase of supernatural powers and strength was something known only from the stories. Something that was just told in the myths and legends, something that had already become a long-forgotten past.

"Your son fights like a devil..."

Rickard Stark managed to say after watching a duel between the son of Elector Count of Fenris and their House Guards, where the Ysgramor was winning on all fronts without much effort.

"Tsk... that boy has nothing in his head aside from combat; if it were up to him, then our House would become either extinct or bankrupt in a few years."

Hearing that, even though it may sound harsh, Rickard Stark was forced to agree with the statement of the Leman Stark an Russ. Their guards from the Lordran were staying in the Winterfell for some time already, so he knew that Ysgramor was something that the Imperial termed as battle-maniac and training-maniac.

He wasn't interested in anything that wasn't related to training, combat, battling powerful foes and getting stronger. Fortunately enough, Astrid Stark and Russ were far brighter than her older brother was, and she was proud of her father.

At the same time, she was his heir that the House Stark an Russ would survive the next generation, something that couldn't be objectively left to her brother for many, many, many reasons that could be named.

Rickard knew that despite her cold and tough look of shield-maiden, Astrid was cunning as a snake and was a very intelligent young woman. In Westeros, there were almost no cases aside from Dorne, where women ruled the lands, but within the lands of the Ancient Lords, only one sole thing decided everything.

Ability.

The birth, gender, origin...

Nothing of that mattered in front of Ability.

It was a very surreal concept to the Westerosi, where their origin and lineage decided the fate of almost everyone.

Within the Imperium, the Ability was everything that mattered; it was land where even the lowest of the commoners could rise to the Ranks of the Elector Counts if he was capable enough.

From what Rickard Stark knew from time to time, some of the Viceroys that arose within the Lordran's Grand Provicnes were from simple and humble origins. Yet, he could see the merit in this because the Imperials were strong, powerful, disciplined, and without an equal in their vastly dangerous lands.

At the same time, it made him worry about his own future and that of the North in Westeros because the reconnection with his distant kin didn't bring the reconnection itself.

Leman Stark and Russ were also bearing with them information about the Resurgence of the Magic in Westeros, and that was something truly troubling.

"Would he be joining us in the Tourney?"

Hearing the question from the Lord of Winterfell, Lord Elector Count shook his head in denial to the question.

"Out of the question, he would create a scene there and necessary problems. He will go to the True North beyond the Wall and scount the Lands of the Always Winter for the presence of the Lich or whatever is hiding there. The spooks back home don't know themselves for sure, but some are telling tales of Grand Necromancer or even Lich King."

Hearing that, Lord of the Winterfell frowned deeply because he understood the gravity behind those lines after learning from the Imperials. Lich King was something that could obliterate entire Westors in a few weeks, as it was right now.

However, with the return of Magic, the odds didn't look as bad as they were previously.

They would have a chance to fight back against the Lich King or whatever was hiding and preparing their forces within the Lands of Always Winter. Though, for now, that was a thing for the future, right now, there were other things to deal with.

"Everything is going to ruin... impending Civil War, the situation in the Lands of Always Winter and lately, the resurgence of the Weirwood Trees... and from what I heard the situation in the Westerlands is also getting more tense with each passing month."

The five-pointed leaves and the sap of Weirwoods are blood-red, while the smooth bark on their wide trunks and wood are bone white. Most Weirwoods have faces carved into their trunks.

The children of the forest did this in ancient days and it is now done by the free folk as well as other descendants of the First Men, such as followers of the Old Gods in the Seven Kingdoms praying to Heart Trees in Godswoods.

In some cases, the sap has collected in the crevices of the carved faces, giving the trees red eyes known to drip sap as if the trees were weeping. A Weirwood will live forever if undisturbed.

And now, with the Resurgence of Magic, the Weirwood Trees have started appearing all over the North in great numbers. There were even reports in the Winterfell that, once again, Greenseers, Wargs, Druids, and other Magic-Blessed individuals from the old myths and legends started appearing in the North.

Obviously, this, together with the situation in the Westerlands, was not taken kindly by the Faith of Seven, and there were already talks of the impending Holy War. However, this time, it would probably be vastly different because the Faith was greatly weakened from the reign of the Targaryen Dynasty in Westeros.

"I heard... it seems that Lannisters have put everything behind the Healing Church, and they got chummy with the Vicar of the Westerlands, especially now that the Healing Church was officially merged into the Divine Throne, and Imperator leads the Religious matters as well."

Lord Rickard Stark didn't know if Tywin Lannister converted to the Religion of the Great Ones or not, but he knew the cunning lion would do everything to gain advantage and consolidate his power.

With the creation of the standing army of the Westerlands, the might of the Lannisters was increasing, and now that they had a close relationship with the Healing Church, a pretty bloody situation followed in the Westerlands.

Many of the Septons and Septas were killed, their places of worship burned down and desdtoey, their followed hunted by the fanatics of the Healing Church... it wasn't really nice sight.

Though from what he understood, Rickard knew that it was inevitable because the Faith of Seven would never tolerate any other religion besides their own. In the North, the last Sept was closed off, and Septons were banished several weeks ago because the Warden of the North wished for a more peaceful approach as it could get.

"Faith of Seven represents a potential danger to both you and North as well... the Andals were never satisfied that we stopped them at the Moat Cailin and halted their advance further north."

Elector Count of the Grand Province of Fenris nodded in agreement because now, when the Magic was returning to the World, it meant that even the Gods and other beings that were above their understanding would meddle more in the mortal affairs.

However, it was a question of what exactly the Seven were...

Some within the Imperium were saying that they were another trick from the Lord of Chance, the Architect of Fate, Chaos God Tzeentch. Some, on the other hand, was saying that they were extremely powerful Sorcerers from the long-forgotten past who wanted to achieve Godhood through worship.

"How is the reconstruction of the Moat Cailin going on?"

Since the Imperium first landed in Westeros, sometime later, the Starks of the North started implementing many of the changes that took place in the Westerlands.

"Could be better, but the dwarves are saying that it would be complete within a few months. They are even making the fortress to be even more impenetrable and powerful than it was several thousand years ago."

Starks of the Winterfell hired some dwarves to start reconstructing some of their forts and castles, especially the Moat Cailin, because it was an enormous fortress that halted the advance of the Andal Crusaders several thousand years ago when they wanted to spread their faith into the North as well.

Hoarding money for several thousand years, together with living in modesty and most spending much, made wonders of the treasuries of the Hosue Stark and they had a lot of money to spend.

And right now, most of that money is put into modernization and reconstruction.

"I even paid Gnomes to install some of their traps and inventions as you suggested, including Air Defenses against Wyverns, Gryffons and other creatures..."

Killing young wyvern wasn't anything problematic for the inventions of the Gnomes and Dwarves. In the Ironforge and Gnomeregan and other Forge Cities across the Imperium, there were many things that could kill such beings.

Right now, some crucial places of the Westerlands and North were armed with things that would be highly effective against most types of Valyrian Wyverns. As long as it wasn't some mutated Wyvern or a very old one like Balerion the Black Dread, then they could defend against them.

Even though killing larger ones would be hard, it won't be impossible to at least fend them off from their territories. It was only a matter of time until the Targaryens hatched some of the Wyverns once again now that Magic was returning back to the world.

***

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