But even though she has every faith in their strength, becoming complacent might cause their downfall. She must inform her father and the council, they need to know that the empire knows thier plan.

She urged the horse to move faster. Every passing moment, the noose tightened.

---

[Ailleen's War Council – King Lorenzo's Hall]

The news came immediately to the king, carried by a Emilia , though a trembling messenger whose boots were still covered with mountain frost, came bringing in the same news.

"Your Highness," he bowed, voice quivering. "The ambush has failed… our forward unit was wiped out."

Emilia sat in her carved chair, eyes fixed on the flicker of the braziers. Her lips curved — not into a smile, but into something colder.

"We are already aware of that information, perhaps you could provide us something aside fromt that," she said, voice smooth as silk draped over a dagger.

King Lorenzo, standing beside her, narrowed his eyes, seeing their servant sweating so badly, "It looks like you don't havve anything to report, you may leave"

the messenger immediately obeyed afraid to be beheaded from his lack of information.

"Father we should move," Ailleen advise as her father take his sit, rising to her feet. Her gown shifted like storm clouds gathering. "We must take this chance to move ahead of them, currently even if the ambush failed and information leaking it still hadn't reach the archduke. We still have a chance to take them off guard."

She swept her gaze across the war table, where miniature flags and carved figurines marked the empire's provinces.

"The armada remains unseen," she continued. "The skies above the capital are clear, unsuspecting. When the order comes, they'll descend before the Imperial family can even raise their barrier."

One of her advisors hesitated. "Your highness, if they've already heard of—"

"They haven't, I am sure of it. Their communication still haven't fix as far as I know," she cut in, her voice sharp enough to silence the room. "If Eros learned of it during the skirmish, he will report immediately but seeing no reaction from the capital means they are still unable to communicate."

She turned away from the table, her shadow stretching long across the hall.

"Ready the armada. We strike not in weeks, not in days… but the moment I say now."

King Lorenzo just watch her daughter, happy on how she is handling the meeting. Even when the generals were looking at him wanting to ask to change the order, he didn't all he wants is too how will Emilia lead.

The council bowed. The flicker of her ambition cast her eyes in a different light, the princess who had already decided the fate of thousands move to finally start the war. An event thats been plan for generations.

The day slowly ends with everyone being put on edge. The war sirens in many cities began to rang. The people that barely survive the blood season, were thrown into another chaos. Some were panicking though some were compose, they tried to help out making the evacuation faster.

The first tremor was felt as soon as the night arrived.

By the second, the ground groaned like a wounded beast, and the capital's watchtowers lit their beacons. The barriers spark up, a dome of light formed over.

The citizens were immediately evacuated right under the city, now the capital became a battlefield. One that will soon be engulf in flames.

On the horizon, the black silhouettes of warships emerged an armada of made of iron hulls cutting through the mist and cluster of clouds like predators. From the surface of its reinforced body several objects began to fall. From afar they drop those projectile, and as soon it land on the ground it transform into siege cannons, accompany by homunculus soldiers. The watchtowers protecting the walls trigger, it acted like a spell tower, firing spells while the imperial soldiers aligned their formation, ready to attack upon the given signal.

The smoke created by the spells soon seized revealing the enemy lines being unharm. The soldiers didn't take it negatively, they have expected as much knowing the kingdom they are up against with.

The air was filled with the bone deep thrum of war horns. The aeriel warships of Aileen was repairing to seal the capital though the mages inside were able to a cancellation it.

"What is going, why cant we sealed this place?"

"Commander, there seems to be a powerful spell breaker residing in the capital"

The Aileenian commander narrowed his eyes thinking if they should start the siege.

"Was their any command from the king?"

The lieutenant shook his head, "As of now the initial command stays and haven't been replaced nor added"

The general just nodded, took out his communication device and ordered.

"The command hasn't changed, fire at wil"

The first layer of warships have finally fired at will while the soldier manipulating the ground troops, finally gave his command over the homunculus army.

The capital was surrounded and could only defend while the four cardinal dukes race to aid them.

The armada attack and defend at the same time while the city below tried its best to block the ground troops of the enemy began breaking the gates. Everyone was fighting to protect what they hold dear, they were all on edge, though the fleet was only the beginning.

Attacking the capital wasn't the only plan they had in mind.

Far from the main battle, monstrous roars and the metallic march of homunculus soldiers echoed, their aim is to attack those in close relationship with the emperor. One of them is the Mage Tower, from the four forest that surrounds it. A massive army of homunculus army arrive, accompanying them are cannons and battling ram. From afar it seems they are determined to raid the walls.

"It seem its starting" Apollo mumbled while Alicia stood beside him.

"I need to go now" she said her expression became unreadable even for Apollo.

"Ah.... could it be that you are worried about the capital?"

He realized and Alicia nodded, Apollo couldn't help but understand her, though he wasn't worried knowing its capacity to protect itself. Still he can't ignore his friend acting like that.

"Ask Aaron to teleport you, I will take care of everything here"

He said wanting to reassure her, but it seems that his words didn't help.

"What are you worried about?" He couldn't help but ask not understanding her worried expression.

"If I were to go, would I affect your plan?"

"Ah" the boy thought, "So that was making her worry" he added in his mind. He never thought that Alicia would think in that way. He never anticipated in such dire situation, and with the importance of the imperial family to her, she would still consider his plan. one that selfishly lead the event to this war. Though its something that cant be avoided, Apollo's involvement could have lessen the damages.

However despite knowing the scale of the incoming disaster the main reason why he didn't interfere, was because he doesn't need to.

"Alicia" he smiled, feeling a sudden lightness. "Go, even with your interference

Tower's wards shuddered under a rain of explosive spells, their casters hidden behind a wall of chitin-skinned beasts.

The Association's territory found itself swarmed by creatures birthed from corrupted mana pools, while the domains of the Four Dukes and even the Archduke himself were struck simultaneously.

It was no reckless charge—this was a strategy of suffocation.

The enemy sought to divide the empire's forces, sever communication, and burn every stronghold that could mount a unified counterattack. By striking all fronts at once, they forced the empire to fight in fragments, every city a drowning island.

Apollo stood at the edge of the northern watch post, eyes tracing the distant glow of the capital's flames. Every instinct told him to remain still—to watch, to measure, to wait for the right moment. But the Eternal Oath pulsed in his veins, a cold, unrelenting command that clawed into his soul.

Move.

Fight.

Defend the empire.

His fists clenched.

"Fine," he muttered, stepping forward. The air shifted as his base form surged to life—no demonification, no overwhelming displays, only the raw strength of his unaugmented self.

The streets were already chaos. Shouts. Steel on steel. The acrid bite of burning alchemy powder. He struck fast, cutting through advancing homunculi, redirecting spells before they could breach the last defensive gates. Yet the battle around him was far from won.

The empire was bleeding.

And then—the tide shifted.

From the inner city's sealed armories came the grinding of stone and the hiss of awakening mana cores. Colossal golems stepped into the streets, their runes igniting in molten gold. Mechanical soldiers, forgotten relics of the last continental war, emerged from underground vaults, their steel bodies bristling with arcane weaponry.

The sky itself answered when the capital's ancient mana cannons, hidden beneath its spired towers, roared to life. Lances of light and fire carved into the enemy fleet, scattering ships into burning wreckage.

The empire struck back, every hidden weapon and dormant machine unleashed at once. The ground trembled—not from the enemy's advance this time, but from the awakening wrath of a nation that refused to fall.

And Apollo… kept moving forward, blade in hand, the Eternal Oath whispering in his ear.

The war had begun again.