Chapter 140: Anise’s Council

I stood on the highest battlement of the Velkrath Imperium.

The wind howled across the dark plains of the Monster Continent. The Ashfall Marches stretched out before me.

Nyssa’s mechanical genius had transformed the entire border into an absolute meat grinder. Trenches were filled with razor wire. Hidden explosive charges lay buried deep in the mud. Thousands of automated heavy artillery cannons pointed their iron barrels toward the eastern horizon.

We were ready for a slaughter.

Footsteps echoed softly against the iron grating behind me.

I did not need to turn around. I recognized the pure, refined mana signature immediately.

"You should be resting with the Pack," I stated, keeping my glowing red eyes fixed on the horizon.

Anise stepped up beside me. The Level 100 Human Hero leaned against the cold brass railing. Her golden hair blew gently in the harsh wind.

"A true King does not sleep before a siege," Anise replied softly. "And neither does his council."

I turned my head to look at her.

"The spy returned to the Academy," I informed her. "They are sending the Corrupted Paladins. And they are sending the apprentices of Archlich Malacor."

Anise’s expression tightened. A deep flash of disgust crossed her beautiful face.

"I do not personally know the apprentices," Anise admitted. "The Zenith Academy keeps their highest echelons heavily insulated. But I know the undead. I was raised as a Holy Hero. I have fought the rotting hordes before."

"Tell me how to break them," I demanded.

"They do not fight like mortal armies," Anise explained, her tone completely clinical. "They do not feel fear. They do not feel pain. Your artillery will blow off their limbs, and they will simply crawl forward on their stumps."

"Kinetic force is useless against a dead nervous system," I noted.

"Exactly," Anise nodded. "Do not let the Vanguard aim for center mass. A pierced heart means nothing to a corpse. You must target the soul-fire. It burns inside their skulls. Shatter the cranium, and the magical tether snaps."

She pointed a slender finger out toward the dark plains.

"And beware of the necrotic aura," Anise warned. "High-tier undead radiate a toxic decay. If your soldiers breathe it in, their lungs will rot from the inside out. If the undead bleed on Rolf’s new biological armor, the dark mana will try to infect the living metal."

"My Law is the perfect counter," I realized.

"Yes," Anise agreed. "Your Fire of Rage. It does not just burn physical matter. It incinerates concepts. You must ignite the battlefield. Burn the very oxygen before the necrotic aura can spread to our lines."

I gripped the heavy brass railing. The metal groaned under my mechanical strength.

"There is something else," I said. "Something I found in Vane’s underground vault."

Anise looked up at me. She waited patiently.

"Vane was trying to summon an interplanetary threat," I revealed. "The Star Devourers. He possessed the seed of a Corrupted World Tree."

Anise did not look surprised. She closed her eyes and let out a long, heavy sigh.

"It all makes sense now," I continued. "I finally understand the grand scale of this world. The True Rulers. The absolute apex beings of this planet. They do not care about mortal faction wars. They do not care that I slaughtered House Vane."

"They do not," Anise confirmed softly. "To a True Ruler, the Zenith Academy and the Velkrath Imperium are just ants fighting over crumbs. They are gatekeepers, Grik. They are busy holding back the void."

"Then why do the True Rulers allow the Zenith Academy to exist?" I asked. "If the Academy is harboring fanatics like Vane, why don’t the gods wipe them out?"

Anise opened her blue eyes. They were filled with ancient sorrow.

"Because the Academy is useful," Anise explained. "The Zenith elites are scavengers. They dig up ancient ruins. They hoard forgotten magic. They passively unearth planetary anchors and relics. The True Rulers allow the Academy to rule the dirt because they are doing the manual labor of finding the tools needed for the cosmic war."

I narrowed my eyes. "So the Zenith Academy thinks they are the masters of the world, but they are just digging for cosmic scraps."

"Precisely," Anise said.

The wind suddenly grew much colder. The ambient mana in the air began to violently fluctuate.

Anise gripped the railing. Her knuckles turned white.

"Grik," Anise whispered. "The Corrupted Paladins are A-Grade threats. They twist holy magic into pure destruction. They wield light attributes that will ignore your physical armor. And the Abyssal Wyverns will rain explosive thralls from the sky."

She turned to face me completely. She placed her soft hand flat against my Ironclad chest plate.

"The scale of this attack will shatter mountains," Anise pleaded. "Let me fight."

"No," I answered instantly.

"My power is sealed," Anise argued, her voice rising in desperation. "But I can break the seal! I am a Level 100 Hero! If I unleash my full authority, I can wipe the Corrupted Vanguard off the map in a single strike!"

I stepped closer to her. My towering frame cast a massive shadow over her body.

"If you don’t let me unseal, your people will die!" Anise yelled, tears welling in her eyes.

"If you unseal," I growled, "the True Rulers will immediately feel your presence. You will become a blinding beacon to the gods. They will descend upon this kingdom and wipe us from existence."

"I do not care about the gods!" Anise sobbed, pressing her face against my cold armor. "I care about the Pack! I care about you!"

I reached down. I grabbed her chin with my brass gauntlet. I gently but firmly forced her to look up into my glowing red visor.

I unleashed a fraction of my Domination Aura. The heavy, suffocating weight of an absolute King wrapped around her mind.

"I am the Sovereign of the Velkrath Imperium," I stated. Every single word vibrated with pure authority.

Anise trembled under my touch.

"I do not hide behind a sealed Hero," I commanded. "I do not cower while a woman fights my battles. I conquer. This is my kingdom. This is my war."

I wiped a single tear from her cheek with my rough thumb.

"I will handle it," I promised.

Anise stared into my eyes. The absolute certainty in my voice washed over her panicked mind. The Domination Aura did not hurt her. It anchored her. It reminded her exactly who I was.

"I believe you, Master," Anise whispered, completely submitting to my will.

Suddenly, the cold wind stopped entirely.

The air pressure plummeted to a terrifying degree.

WHEEEEEE-OOOOOH!

A deafening siren shrieked across the capital city. The magical sensors placed in the Ashfall Marches were flashing bright red.

VWOOM.

The massive Kinetic Dispersion Dome hovering over the city flared to life. Brilliant green and blue hexagons interlocked across the sky, forming a colossal energy shield.

"They are here," I growled.

I looked up at the moon.

It was rapidly disappearing.

A massive, unnatural black cloud rolled over the eastern horizon. It was not a storm.

It was thousands of colossal, leathery wings beating in perfect synchronization. The Abyssal Wyverns completely blotted out the starlight.

Below them, the earth began to shake violently. The heavy, synchronized marching of massive iron boots echoed across the plains. The Corrupted Paladins were advancing.

The Zenith Ultimatum had arrived.