The capture of King Felix II and Knight-Captain Rhea sent immediate shockwaves through the newly formed Aesthetic Imperium. The signal from the Serpent's Coil Pass had gone dark instantly after the deployment of the anti-Flow gas.
Back at the Command Center, Chief Evelyn (RC) managed the crisis with flawless, frantic efficiency, perfectly masking her calculated success.
"It was an ambush! A coordinated military strike!" Evelyn declared over the emergency comms to the regional Flow Governors. "Lunio forces intercepted the King's delegation. We are initiating emergency protocols!"
Lord Reginald (GCVTD), though terrified, rallied the digital defenses. "The Global Flow Net is stable, but we've lost our spiritual anchor. The national DF levels are dropping due to panic and uncertainty!"
Evelyn's primary focus was stabilizing the panic and ensuring the Imperium blamed Lunio, thereby justifying the coming war she needed.
Before the Imperium could launch a proper response, the Holy Kingdom of Lunio struck with a powerful, ideological weapon: a kingdom-wide propaganda broadcast, overriding most public frequencies.
The screen showed the austere, somber face of the High Council Speaker of Lunio. The backdrop was simple, white, and profoundly un-aesthetic—designed to project purity and truth.
"Citizens of the Borderlands, and subjects of the self-proclaimed Aesthetic Imperium," the Speaker began, his voice calm, ringing with moral superiority. "The Doctrine of Undivided Light has captured the usurper, Felix II."
The screen immediately cut to heavily doctored, chilling footage. It showed King Felix moments before his capture, his face pale and contorted from the anti-Flow gas, his Flow-Dampening Scarf wrapped around him like a shroud.
"Observe the degeneracy of your 'King'," the Speaker continued, his voice dripping with righteous disgust. "His focus is corrupted. His vanity is a disease. He was captured attempting to smuggle weapons of self-actualized madness into our territory."
The footage was spliced with fake historical documents showing the Original King Felix engaging in genuinely inhumane acts (acts Evelyn knew about and provided to Lunio's agents), portraying the current King as a decadent, cruel successor.
The Demand: Lunio demanded that the Imperium immediately dismantle the Global Flow Net, renounce the Rituals of Gooning, and submit to the Doctrine of Undivided Light. The alternative was immediate, full-scale military and ideological Purification.
The broadcast successfully fueled the national panic, but more importantly, it provided the moral clarity needed for war.
"They have defamed our King and threatened our very way of life!" Evelyn declared, standing before a frantic Command Center. "They are using lies about past conflicts to justify an invasion! This is an act of war!"
Evelyn, the perfect Shadow, had anticipated this move and immediately used it to solidify her control and accelerate the conflict timeline.
She ordered Reginald to use the remaining Meta-Flow reserves to counter-broadcast, not with diplomacy, but with raw, aesthetic rage and defense of the King's honor, further cementing the ideological divide.
She issued a false emergency order, stating that the captured King Felix's last command was to launch a full-scale Aesthetic Retaliation if he fell into enemy hands.
"The King's life is at risk, but the soul of the Imperium is paramount!" Evelyn shouted, playing the role of the loyal leader perfectly. "We will not be conquered by moralizing tyrants! War is now our only aesthetic option!"
The declaration of war was made, officially starting the grand conflict. Evelyn had successfully pushed the Imperium into the military catastrophe she desired, all while remaining the trusted, loyal Chief Strategist.
War is declared and the Imperium is preparing its counter-attack, led by Evelyn (RC) and Lord Reginald (GCVTD). Simultaneously, King Felix II and Knight-Captain Rhea are being interrogated in a Lunio prison.