"There is still one problem," Andreas said, raising his voice just enough to draw the attention of the entire chamber. The quiet conversations died immediately. "To complete this plan, we must commit most of our forces to maintaining order inside the kingdom. That means we can no longer support the war at the front."
Whispers spread around the circular table. Several bishops leaned toward one another, speaking in hushed tones. The tension in the room rose again. Pulling soldiers away from the battlefield was not a small decision.
Luciana did not let the uncertainty grow.
"You will focus your forces here," she said firmly. "I will join the battle myself."
The murmuring stopped as heads turned toward her.
Nicole frowned. "You are only one person."
"I am near S rank," Luciana replied calmly. "And I will not be alone." She tilted her head slightly toward Liam.
The sudden attention made Liam stiffen. Dozens of experienced clergy and warriors studied him with measuring eyes. He resisted the urge to shift his weight.
Michael spoke after a moment of silence. "You believe your presence can replace the forces we would have sent?"
"Yes," Luciana answered without hesitation. "A large army will slow the enemy but I will break their momentum entirely. Those are not the same role."
Her confidence settled over the room like a heavy curtain. Even the bishops who had looked doubtful earlier no longer argued openly.
The discussion continued for several more minutes. They spoke about supply routes, communication with the northern forces, and how news of the church's new direction would spread across the kingdom. Luciana answered every concern with calm certainty until the resistance in the room slowly dissolved.
At last, Andreas placed both hands on the table. "Then the decision stands. We proceed."
The meeting ended soon after.
The doors of the council chamber opened, and the gathered bishops began to file out into the wide cathedral corridors. Their voices remained low, but the tone had changed. The uncertainty from earlier had been replaced by determination.
Luciana and Liam stepped into the hallway together.
Liam moved closer to her as they walked. "Why didn't you suggest this approach in Flesa?" he asked quietly. "It could work there too."
Luciana kept her eyes forward as they passed tall windows that spilled pale afternoon light across the corridor.
"There are several reasons," she said.
"Such as?"
"If the idea spreads from Flesa first, it risks becoming rumor before it becomes truth. Rumors give people time to resist. They give scholars, nobles, and priests time to invent explanations. People enjoy debating belief when they feel safe enough to question it."
Liam nodded slowly, following her reasoning.
"The capital is different," she continued. "When change begins here, it becomes authority instead of rumor."
They turned a corner, their footsteps echoing softly.
"There is another factor," Luciana added. "The enemy may have spies inside this city. If the plan began in Flesa, they would hear of it quickly. They would prepare a counter before we could secure the church's support here."
"So we move here first to deny them time to react."
"Exactly."
Liam thought for a moment. "And the other reason?"
"When Flesa continues spreading the Creator's faith while the capital does the same, the two movements will reinforce each other. News from multiple cities will make the change feel inevitable instead of experimental."
Understanding slowly replaced the confusion in his expression.
He nodded. "That makes sense, I think."
Luciana allowed herself a small smile but said nothing more.
They reached the outer corridor, where the cathedral's scale felt even larger. Priests and paladins moved quietly through the halls, their footsteps muted against the polished stone floors.
The day had grown late. Orange light now filled the tall windows, painting long shadows across the walls.
"We should rest," Luciana said. "We leave for the north tomorrow."
A paladin stepped forward to guide them through the cathedral complex. He led them through a quieter wing reserved for honored guests and high ranking visitors. The noise of the main hall faded behind thick stone walls.
They stopped in front of a pair of heavy wooden doors.
"These chambers are prepared for you," the paladin said, bowing slightly before stepping away.
Luciana opened the door and stepped inside. The room was spacious but simple, furnished with polished wood, soft carpets, and a wide window that overlooked the city rooftops.
For the first time since the meeting began, the silence felt calm instead of tense.
The long day had finally ended.
…
Timon Warns stood high in the sky, looking down at the battlefield spread beneath him. Two armies faced each other across a wide stretch of rough ground. The soldiers of the Kingdom of Light held a disciplined formation, their armor reflecting the pale daylight. Opposite them, the northern army stretched farther across the plain, larger in number but less organized. Still, the most important figure was missing. As always, there was no sign of the prince.
On the ground below, Archmage Hellen moved behind the front lines. Her summoned creatures roamed across the field in every direction, wolves made of wind, heavy beasts formed from stone, and winged constructs circling above. They searched carefully for traps or hidden spells the prince might have prepared.
Even without an enemy S-rank present, Timon refused to relax. The prince never relied on strength alone. Every battle hid a trick that could cost the lives of his soldiers if they grew careless.
For several long minutes, the armies stood in tense silence. Then the horns of battle finally echoed across the plain, deep and loud. Both sides began to move.
Timon remained in the sky and watched the first clash unfold, leaving the battlefield to Hellen for now. Steel met steel and magic flashed across the front lines. Hellen quickly intercepted the enemy A ranks, her summoned creatures overwhelming them and forcing them back.
After dozens of minutes, Timon finally descended and joined the front. Several A3 fighters and an A4 mage rushed him with enchanted crystals and glowing scrolls, releasing their prepared spells at once. None of their attacks broke through his defenses, and he cut them down in moments.
The northern army began to falter. Their lines broke, and soon they turned to retreat.
The soldiers of the Kingdom of Light surged forward to chase them, eager to finish the battle and cut down as many fleeing enemies as possible.
At that moment Timon felt it, a sudden surge of mana rising from beneath the ground.
"Stop! Retreat!" he shouted.
But the warning came too late. The earth trembled violently, cracked open, and the first rows of soldiers fell as the ground collapsed beneath their feet.
Another trick from the prince.
He didn't hesitate. Timon's main path was shadow, but he also wielded enchantment, and his skill with both made him a formidable warrior. He was a Nightforged Knight.
Before the army could falter even more, a massive circle of glowing runes under their feet. The spell pulsed with energy, a floating platform large enough to hold thousands of soldiers. Enchanters used this spell to stand above a battlefield, but this one was scaled for an army.
Before he could even draw a breath, a colossal sphere of blue fire plummeted from the clouds. Timon's mind raced: one of the prince's alchemical attacks. He didn't have time to counter when suddenly a second of the same spell flared beneath his platform, scorching the ground with magic.
Timon pured his power into the shadow beneath him, swallowing the rising explosion. Darkness twisted around the fire, crushing it before it could spread, but in doing so, he left himself exposed to the sphere above. If it struck, the army below would pay the price. This was the prince's signature: layered attacks, traps designed to divide and punish.
Then, a circle of conjuration tore open in midair. A massive worm surged from it, gaping jaws swallowing the falling fire. Light leaked through its translucent skin as the spell strained to detonate inside. With a sudden twist, the worm vanished back into the portal, leaving only silence where destruction had threatened.
But the sky was far from safe. Ten more spheres of fire rained down, spaced to overwhelm any single defense.
Hellen stepped forward, her hands glowing with power. She called forth her strongest summon, a blue Lóng, a serpentine dragon near S-rank. This creature had carried her through countless battles. With a swift, fluid motion, it surged through the air, snapping up each fireball in its massive jaws, leaving only empty space behind.
When the last sphere disappeared, the Lóng hovered above the army, scales glinting in the fading light.
The soldiers below erupted in cheers, the sound rolling across the battlefield like thunder.
Hellen, on the other hand, wore a strange, tense expression.
"What is it, my lady?" one of the mages near her asked, voice trembling.
Hellen's eyes snapped wide. "Run. Tell everyone to run, now!"
The mage's eyes widened too, but it was already too late. The Lóng twisted in the air and surged toward them with terrifying speed.
Timon's jaw clenched, anger flaring. It was all that bastard's plan. The fireballs weren't meant to explode, they were meant to control Hellen's summon. And once again, they had walked right into the trap.
Hellen struggled to regain control of her creature, hands glowing with frantic magic, but the Lóng ignored her commands. It barreled forward, each beat of its wings sending gusts of wind whipping through the army below. Then, just meters from the soldiers, it suddenly halted.
A hush fell over the battlefield. Every pair of eyes fixed on the creature in fear.
Then, slowly, a woman descended from above. Her long silver hair trailed like a river of light, and her red eyes glinted with cold amusement. She landed gracefully on the Lóng's head and, almost tenderly, ran her hand along its scaled crown.
Then she looked at an empty space in the middle of the air.
"Did I ruin your plan?" she said, a smirk curling her lips.
Where she gazed, a massive eye appeared, burning with scrutiny. It held her attention for a few seconds, then vanished as suddenly as it had appeared.
The woman leapt from the Lóng, landing on the ground with effortless grace. At the same moment, a man descended from the sky, riding a massive eagle, his cloak flaring like shadowed wings. They hit the ground together, a perfect landing that drew the gaze of every soldier.
Timon, finally free to move with the explosions below dissipated, strode toward her. As he approached, the woman bent slightly at the knees, lowering her body in a poised, almost ceremonial gesture, her hands lightly brushing the sides of her skirt.
"I am Luciana," she said, her voice calm but carrying a strange authority. "One of the Creator's angels."
…
Iason Starlight sat alone in a quiet room, a slow smile tugging at his lips. Rarely did his plans fail, but today had been different. His forces, striking from the north to take Errenor, had been cut down by Arthur, now an S rank.
"Looks like you're starting to get pushed back," a calm voice said from the darkness..
A figure stepped forward, emerging from the shadows. Thomas Caelum, the Abyssal Knight. Like every member of the Caelum family, he was a prodigy. Even standing still, he radiated danger, his presence sharp enough to make lesser men sweat.
"You can leave Arthur to me," Thomas said, voice steady and confident, his dark cloak brushing the floor as he moved toward the door.
"Are you sure you don't want to face Timon? He's an expert in shadow, just like you," Iason asked, trying to mask the unease creeping into his voice.
"Don't compare that weakling to me," Thomas replied without hesitation. "Besides… I want to see my nephew." He passed through the door, but not into the corridor. The air shimmered around him as he vanished into a portal.
A bead of sweat slid down Iason's temple. He prided himself on his noble bearing, his superiority over others, but Thomas always unsettled him.
Thomas' main path was Void, yet he also commanded Shadow and Necromancy. He was a masterful warrior, able to wield multiple paths simultaneously without losing control, a feat almost no one could manage.
By the rules of the paths, two S-ranks rarely rose in the same domain. When one created a personal domain, it consumed massive portions of Ethereon, making it nearly impossible for another to grow in the same path. Conflicts were inevitable.
But Void was different. Iason knew of three S-ranks who had mastered it, Thomas Caelum, Iralian Desimus, if she was still alive, and a powerful Orc he had encountered not long ago, whose aura suggested he was at least S2.
Iason let a slow, calculating smile spread across his face. The pieces were falling into place. Arthur would be surprised when the real challenge arrived.