Chapter 200: Preparations of Both Sides

Happy 200 Chapters!

At the same time, in the Empire of Mayari, an empire unwittingly shrouded in darkness in more ways than one.

The whole black ops unit of the Mayari military, the one unit that handles matters that the glorious and iconic soldiers of Mayari can't handle, received an order of utmost importance.

This "Order of Utmost Importance", also known as the order of the emperor is a general term in the civil and military department of Mayari, in the former, this order usually means the emperor has discovered an anomaly or a flaw to their department, whether it's in excess expenditures that will cause in the overhaul of the whole department, firing anyone in the department's main headquarters (meaning the main higher brass) or if the emperor willed it to be benevolent, just the secretary, on the other hand, it might also just be a new mass construction order for a city's development.

In short, the civil departments had to gasp when they received such an order, wishing that no idiot from above pocketed money.

For the latter, receiving such an order only means one thing.

War.

No higher ups can embezzle money or even start a revolution, for Emperor Kasikis of Mayari is the commander general and all officers he appoints are his most trusted ones, and the fact that Kasikis of Mayari specializes in managing the military, known for his feat of clawing his way up the ranks of the greatest armies on Pentateuch despite not having an ancient calamity on their side and none but a pair of hero and hero prospect, one father and one daughter, it was almost a certainty that all funny ideas will be quelled just as how fast they came to mind.

And indeed, when the black ops received the two orders given directly by their imperial highness, they seemed to immediately hear the horn of war coursing through the whole of Mayari.

"Orders of Utmost Importance from the commander general, his imperial highness, Kasikis of Mayari.

For the soldiers of Light: You are to focus 60 percent of the forces in the border between Apolaki and Mayari, there, you will wait for the soldiers of our allies, the army of the Queendom of Urduja and the Monster soldiers of the Queendom of Kamatayan, you are not to discriminate or incriminate them in any way, this shall be the positioning of the army suggested by general commander and strategist Sophia Demiurge I... give in to their demands, they are stronger than you.

For the soldiers of Darkness: The assassins inside Mayari shall assassinate all the spies, double agents, and any of the kind that the emperor has assigned you to spy; any family or connections they have made shall be silenced too. For the field agents outside the empire, these orders also apply, with adjustments well suited for your missions.

These orders shall take precedence over any other order given by captains or any actions that are taken as a way to complement an operation, dependently or independently. Any disobedience to abandon the mission for this order upon the conclusion of the acceptance process will be punishable by death.

The invasion of Apolaki is drawing near."

Such were the words written in the copy of the order given by the spy in the quarters of the Emperor, and just like the command have indicated, after the letter of command has been burnt, all of the communications and relay officers of the soldiers of the light and soldiers of darkness immediately conveyed the ordered to the corresponding superiors, after which, there is no need for further questions, the "soldiers of light" moved out in the rendezvous point, in their body are armors bearing the symbol of their empire and in their hands were their weapon familiars, some conventional like sword or spear, some not like tissue paper or moisturizing cream, their awe aspiring march carried an audible sound, a sound of highest pride and honor, an announcement of the empire's fight to reclaim what is rightfully theirs, though of course, the soldiers were not informed on what the council have experienced earlier that day.

They would be informed only on the battlefield to make a no retreat, no surrender scenario.

They continued to trek their land towards the border of their sworn enemy, expecting reliable and strong allies that, maybe, could propel them to their long-coveted victory.

This scene is the stark contrast to the scene the black ops have inspired, for them, there is no honor, only orders, and orders, they shall obey, and they did.

House after house, family after family of the spies, whether it's really fake or the spy really wanted to desert their posts and turn over a new leaf, no one was spared, they were murdered without resistance, some are poisoned, some are punctured in the carotid by a needle, some are drowned in sinks... there are even worse that has their husband or wife kill them on the spot, not even realizing nor investigating that the ones that gave them or bear their children are double spies of Mayari tasked to observe their every movements, with the help of magic and their acting skills, they were sleeper agent that will and can be tapped by the emperor in moments he deemed worthy.

Silent blood spilled in every corner of the empire, yet almost no battle had transpired; thus, the night remained silent, with only the oppressive feeling of the calm before the storm hovering over the civilians' and soldiers' heads.

_________

Still in the imperial capital of Mayari, in the imperial palace, the emperor's armor room, as it's name implies, it's a room that's dedicated in storing the battle armor of the emperor, a piece of wardrobe that only when Kasikis of Apolaki, the Mayari Empire's ruler's brother will also appear in the battlefield.

In the said room, three people are present: the First daughter of Mayari, named Kampilan, and her other daughter, named after Urduja.

These two are Kasikis of Mayari's spoiled princesses, and normally, if they were together, they would be temporarily reliving themselves from any monarchial duties and will tour their empire, yet now, the two ladies both have solemn expressions as they helped their father strap the left and right arm parts of the magic metal made armor, before being the children of Kasikis of Mayari, they are first the second in command in the military and the main negotiator for their imperial majesty respectively, thus with this duty alone, alongside the fact that they are daddy's girls, Kampilan and Urduja can't help but get worried with the current state of their father.

Because of this, the two have remained silent in the entire process of the wardrobe change, but finally, the hero prospect of the empire of Mayari, Kampilan, the one mentioned by Urduja to be the wielder of the strongest weapon familiar of Mayari (a sword, as her name suggests), even stronger than the weapon familiar of her father, who is a hero, spoke, her tone probing, afraid of agitating her father.

"Father... I... heard of what happened in the council meeting during the day..."

Kasikis of Mayari, for a second, seemed to freeze on the spot, but to the relief of his children, he smiled after such a brief breach of his true emotions. The emperor cannot help but shake his head.

"What did you hear?"

Kasikis of Mayari asked, making the one who questioned him, Kampilan's face to deepen its already pronounced frown.

"I heard that you... were coerced by Urduja and Sophia to become the former's subordinate..."

Kasikis of Mayari became silent, as well as her two children, who, at this point, had already finished assisting their father in donning his armor to fall into silence. The emperor looked at Kampilan, and then at Urduja, realizing what the two were worried about the most.

"It seems like I have become negligent as a father..."

Kampilan and Urduja's faces showed that of perplexion, but their father didn't pay them any mind and continued.

"You see, all of my life, I have been worrying about Urduja and the calamity she will inevitably bring to Gjallarhorn and to us... I know I have no fight and can only block a sun one time before evaporating into dusty carbon. If that is to happen, what will happen to my citizens? That's what I'm brooding about every day... who would have thought that her majesty would personally give me a solution and a way to protect myself, the two of you, and of course, my citizens from imminent erasure from existence?"

In the words of the emperor is the pain of saying goodbye to a position he held dear, yet there is also the relief that his potential greatest enemy has become his most reliable ally. Kampilan and Urduja remembered a saying their father had left to them when they were young.

An emperor is a general, an economic and a protector at the same time... but most importantly, an emperor is a scapegoat.

Kasikis of Mayari got out of his fitting chambers and walked towards the exit of the palace, without looking at his daughters, without even visiting his throne.

He has only one thing in mind: Mayari shall and will survive.

__________

Apolaki, imperial capital.

Kasikis of Apolaki, the emperor of Apolaki, clenched the letter in his hand in front of his council, his anger imminent. The elders in the council once again had their legs chattering in fear for their lives as they once again braced themselves for another stupid decision of their King.

The reason for his outrage this time is one report from his black ops department, all of the spies in the Empire of Mayari suddenly vanished without even a single hint for their reason of disappearance, alongside this, the spies that Kasikis of Apolaki has planted all over his empire were reportedly targeted by the spies of Mayari.

This is obviously a provocation! A challenge to go to war!

Kasikis of Apolaki was livid, and because he was, no one disrupted him from his chaotic thoughts.

"If war is what they want, then war they shall receive!"

Kasikis of Apolaki bellowed, ordering the one representing the military to get ready to intercept Mayari's advance, not even thinking about the strain to their army numbers by sending them to both Valentine for the war against Kamatayan and for the war against Mayari.

Kasikis of Apolaki could have sent a letter of negotiation, seeking a temporary truce to mitigate the potential danger of Urduja's invasion on the side of Mayari, but alas, the meeting ended without even someone brave enough suggesting such a thing.

And in Kasikis of Apolaki's return to his room, he pulled out a letter and tapped a pentagram on his study table twice, causing it to light up and suck the letter until it disappeared.

_Everything is as Loki has predicted._

That's what Kasikis of Apolaki believed.

________

Kingdom of Valentine, Royal Capital, Eris City, in the throne room of the Queen of Valentine and the Dictator of Time, Eris Darkbringer.

The woman who controls time itself looked beneath the platform of her throne, in their is her brother, the King of Devils and the official demigod of darkness, Loki Darkbringer, with him is a letter that has the seal of Apolaki in it, the king of devils used wind magic to let the letter fly towards his sister, there is no words needed for the "report" from Kasikis of Apolaki is already in the letter.

In front of Loki, Eris opened the letter, and as she did, she smiled.

The only use of Apolaki for a being such as herself is a node for her one of the few requirements for herself not to get purged by the time loop, in short her own power, she just have to receive a letter, a letter that doomed all of Sophias, Urdujas, Eleanors and Bakunawas she have met without fail to failure.

Her smile broadened until her jaw seemed to be moments before dislocation. Seeing this, Loki remained silent, her crimson eyes reflected her sister's image, the image of a vengeful person who has given up her very life for the sake of her personal revenge.

Loki looked up, remembering what the queen in front of her had gone through, and he then sighed.

_I wonder if she can succeed._

And as Loki was musing, the king of devils received an order high up from the throne, and in her hand appeared several small pocket watch like blue shards of dust, shining in blue light that condensed and pulsated until it stabilized into that of an envelop, Loki have already seen such a spectacle in every time loop, for he was allowed to see every loop (the gods are too high for Eris to have authority on their vision, yet still, they are bound by their actions during the War of Gods to replay their life and death again and again), however he still can't understand why does Eris needed to make the letter of Aerendil turn back in time when it was still a plain paper, but anyway, using her time authority, the ink of the future of the letter emerged and writhed into shape of letters.

Eris then looked at her brother.

"This is a letter for Sophia. Wait for her reply before reporting to me."

Loki received the letter that flew back into his hands with the illusory granules of small blue pocket watches, and then bowed like how a butler should be and then, with a torrent of black wind, disappeared from the throne room of his sister.