The relentless barrage of siege attacks from the Xaos Kingdom had continued for sixty hours straight. Explosive boulders, flaming spears, and massive metal pillars rained down upon the white walls of the capital without pause, testing the endurance of the Azarin Empire’s defenses to their very limits and steadily draining its energy. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the attacks ceased.
Richard stood atop the white walls, his face pale and drawn. Dark bags hung beneath his eyes, clear evidence of sleep deprivation. He had not rested in over two days, nor had his fellow generals. The constant pressure and weight of responsibility wore them down, but they could not afford to falter.
Vlad’s ultimatum loomed over them, pushing the generals to their breaking point. Not only were they tasked with defending against the unrelenting siege, but they also had to manage the terrified civilian population inside the city walls.
Anxiety and dread had filled the streets of the capital. People feared the worst, with many demanding to leave before the battle reached the city. Soldiers too, while prepared to fight, pleaded for their families to be evacuated to safety. Though the warriors were ready to stand and face the Xaos forces, they wanted their loved ones far from the coming danger.
But Richard knew such an evacuation was impossible. The integrity of the faith had to be maintained. Goddess Lucia’s divine presence and power were essential to the strength of the Azarin Empire. Allowing civilians to leave would be perceived as weakness, a signal that the empire could not protect its people, and it would sow doubt in the hearts of the faithful.
Just as tensions threatened to boil over into revolt, the voice of Goddess Lucia spread through the masses, calming them. She reassured her followers that she would safeguard the capital, declaring it the safest place in the world. Though she provided no specific details on how she would protect them, faith did not demand reason.
For the moment, the people clung to their faith, comforted by the presence of the Church of Glory and its holy warriors patrolling the streets. This eased some of the pressure on Richard and the other generals, allowing them to refocus on their primary task: defending the city.
Richard’s gaze shifted to the battlefield. As the dust settled and the barrage of attacks stopped, he noticed a change in the enemy’s formation. The soldiers of the Xaos Kingdom had assumed meditative positions, their energy focused inward, as though preparing for something monumental.
A sharp glint appeared in Richard’s eyes. He turned to the other generals, and they all nodded, coming to the same conclusion.
The enemy would not attack for the next twelve hours. Instead, they would conserve their strength, meditating to keep their energy reserves at their peak before the final push. After that, the forces of the Xaos Kingdom would march toward the capital with all their might, their goal clear: to breach the walls and slaughter everyone within.
The tension was palpable. The full military might of the Azarin Empire had been mobilized, with the Church of Glory’s warriors and priests standing ready. Despite past conflicts, Pope Jerom had joined the generals on the front lines.
Though petty and prideful, Jerom was not blind to the danger they were in. His sharp eyes scanned the battlefield, and his divine power flared subtly as he assessed the situation. He understood that while he was powerful, there was no surviving this ordeal alone. If the capital fell, he would lose everything.
Richard could feel the weight of the moment pressing down on him like never before. He turned to his fellow generals, his expression grim, yet a flicker of resolve burned in his gaze. His thoughts sharpened as he surveyed the army they had assembled. It was formidable, bolstered by the Church’s elite Paladins and Priests.
The soldiers under Richard’s command had noticed the presence of the Church’s forces. While their inclusion was a divisive topic among the generals, Richard could not deny that they had bolstered morale. The people’s faith in Goddess Lucia was the glue that held the empire together. Without it, the empire would crumble from within.
As the armies of the Xaos Kingdom fell silent, Richard sensed that this was the calm before the great storm. Soon, the first true clash between the two armies would arrive, and whoever won would receive a significant boost in morale.
Richard had already done everything he could to enhance their defenses, adapting the military formations to maximize the effectiveness of the Priests and Paladins. The tension was thick in the air, and every soldier stood ready, knowing that the final battle was looming.
Pope Jerom, standing on top of the wall near the southern entrance, narrowed his eyes. Though he exuded arrogance and superiority, there was a hidden fear in his gaze. He knew the monsters they faced.
Richard’s sharp gaze swept across the soldiers lined up along the walls, their expressions grim but determined. His mind raced as he considered every possible outcome. The walls of the capital were still strong, and even though they had lost most of their energy, they could still play a crucial role in repelling the incoming assault.
Richard and the generals knew the key to victory was holding the walls, repelling the enemy’s assault, and preventing them from breaching the city. If they could do that, they might have a chance to win the battle.
Finally, three days had passed since Vlad issued his ultimatum. The moment had arrived. The forces of the Xaos Kingdom rose to their feet as one, their bodies glowing with demonic energy as their power surged.
The air crackled with raw strength as the soldiers of the Xaos Kingdom activated their demon abilities. Those who had sealed the souls of Champions within their hearts transformed, adopting powerful demonic forms, their strength multiplying exponentially in an instant.
From the top of the wall, the generals of the Azarin Empire watched in growing alarm as the Xaos Kingdom’s army roared to life. Their power was palpable, filling the battlefield with a dark, oppressive energy. Then, Vlad’s voice echoed across the battlefield, his words carrying a chilling conviction.
"This battle is not born of anger, nor is it driven by mindless bloodlust," Vlad’s voice boomed. "This battle is a necessary purge—a cleansing of this world from the disease that is the Azarin Empire’s faith. The belief that one group is superior to another, that they have the right to enslave and subjugate others under the guise of divine favor. We reject this notion! The Goddess Lucia is nothing but a symbol of oppression, and the faith she propagates must be torn down, brick by brick until nothing remains."
His words carried an eerie calm, but beneath them was a powerful undercurrent of righteous fury. Vlad was carrying out a mission, a crusade against what he believed to be a corrupt and unjust system.
The soldiers of the Xaos Kingdom, infused with demonic energy, glanced at Vlad, their eyes gleaming with determination and purpose. They had marched through the towns of the Azarin Empire and seen the people marked as "Tainted Blood."
It was not the first time in the history of Terra that a group had claimed superiority over the rest of the world. Being part of the force that would crush such ideology filled the hearts of the Xaos Kingdom’s soldiers with resolve and commitment.
Vlad’s voice thundered across the battlefield as he shouted, "War!" His powerful cry ignited the hearts of his soldiers as he led the charge forward at the head of the Obsidian Phalanx Legion.
Though the Obsidian Phalanx Legion had the fewest numbers of the three legions, their power and skill were unmatched. As Vlad surged ahead, the legion followed, their movements synchronized and precise, like a tide of darkness sweeping toward the towering white walls of Radiance City.
Immediately after the Obsidian Phalanx Legion began their assault, the forces of the Golden Wave Legion and the Shadow Strike Legion followed suit. Thousands of soldiers dashed forward, their feet pounding against the earth with all their power as they rushed toward the thirty-meter-tall white walls. The ground trembled beneath their combined force, and the air crackled with the sheer intensity of their march.
Vlad’s sharp eyes never left the walls as he sprinted ahead. He watched as the white walls began to glow with a faint, pulsing light. Magic matrices flickered to life on the surface, their intricate patterns illuminating as the defensive spells of the Azarin Empire activated. Despite the relentless siege barrage that had drained most of the wall’s energy reserves, it was clear that the defenders had conserved enough for this moment—the final stand.
Even a single barrage of spells from the magic matrices could stall the momentum of the Xaos forces and make penetrating the walls exponentially more difficult. Vlad knew the risk, yet he smiled. His eyes gleamed with a cold, calculating light as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, glimmering gem.
With a swift motion, Vlad crushed the gem in his hand, its shards vanishing into the air. It was the signal to activate the B Plan.