Amelia and Ophelia: The Former Grand Duchess and Saintess.

Elsewhere in the world, as the dual monarchs were busy uniting their own continent, their former home was in a state of conflict and war. Ever since the collapse of the Hillsbrooke Empire into numerous rebellious states that were busy fighting one another due to now Emperor Visnet's harsh human supremacy laws, the remnants of that former empire were united in their cause to crush Visnet who had renamed his empire into the Leonite Empire based on his sigil of a golden lion, but had little success in crushing this new empire. Despite being surrounded from all sides with their backs to the Cobalt Ocean on their western border, the Leonite Military was able to hold the line on all fronts but never able to push out, being forced into a containment zone of their own making due to their military being made up of highly xenophobic and zealous conscripts from the massive human population within the empire. The Leonite Empire also boasted having a robust economy as Visnet's deals with other nations from other continents allowed his empire to trade away resources and harvested monster crystals to his allies, filling the coffers of the empire and using a 'stick and carrot' method of spending that won the loyalty of his people. In a year after the collapse of the former regime, Visnet's empire was looking mightier than ever and was preparing for an all-out offensive to finally take back the rogue territories. 

Resting on the coast by the Cobalt Ocean was the new capital of the Leonite Empire, the capital of Visnetania. A massive city with a large castle known as the 'Imperial Pride' which was built to be so sturdy that it was labeled as indestructible. 

Inside the throneroom of the castle, and sitting on his throne of blackened ivory was the crimson-haired emperor himself. Visnet was clad in a beautifully regal white suit with gold accents and a few gold chains around the pockets and his collar, he had a slimy grin on his face as he was looking down at the people before him. He was flanked by his twin brothers Marwick and Nerwick who were both dressed in black military uniforms and coats that gave off an intimidating sight, with both of them holding onto swords holstered at their sides. The trio of brothers looked down at a group before them, led by the ost prominent and powerful mage of the empire, the blue-haired short stack bastard known as Emilio Taiharo, and his partner, the enigmatic elf Roimir. 

"So, I hear that you are almost done perfecting that global searching magic, am I right?" Visnet asked with his slimy grin growing large 

"Yes....Your Majesty...I have" Emilio answered him, doing his best to stop his disgust from surfacing 

"Good. Good...it was a good thing I invested in the Magic Tower, you know Emilio. I have always respected and admired your work long before all of this went down, even back in the academy" Visnet added as he locked his eyes onto the blue-haired mage 

"I am grateful for your...praise...Your Majesty" Emilio answered him, his disgust clawing at his throat 

"Oh? Are you experiencing some sort of throat problems Master of the Magic Tower?" Visnet taunted with the smirk growing larger 

"A small flu Your Majesty. It will blow over"  Roimir chimed in as he could see what was going on 

"I see, well, I do wish to tell you both one thing before you go" The crimson-haired emperor stated as he looked at both of them 

"And what is that Your Majesty?" Roimir asked him 

"Do keep me posted on that searching magic of yours, as Emperor, I do believe I get priority. Otherwise, it would be a shame if the enemies at our gates suddenly destroyed the Magic Tower don't you think? With how spread out the mages of your organization are, I would not be surprised if someone is able to destroy them while they are away, thankfully my army is keeping it that way" Visnet stated as he shifted his pose, leaning back into the chair and looking at the two of them with amusement in his eyes 

"We will keep you posted Your Majesty and we thank you for your protection" Roimir replied as he gave the crimson-haired emperor a bow with Emilio following in kind, both of them clearly seeing the barely veiled threats Visnet gave them 

Watching the duo leave the chamber as the doors finally closed, Visnet looked to his twin brothers who were also looking back at him, both of them wearing unreadable expressions as they looked at their older brother. 

"Status of the preparations?" Visnet asked with an unamused voice as he turned to Marwick on his right

"We are almost ready brother. The armies are nearly filled with fresh troops and the magic crystal stockpiles for our siege weaponry are nearly full, we will tear down the rebel's walls with our new catapults" Marwick answered him 

"Hmmm good. And what about our internal situation?" Visnet asked as he turned to Nerwick 

"The Shadow Legion are doing their best brother. We have succeeded in keeping tabs on our enemies but none near the level we want them. They are also doing a great deal in silencing any dissidents inside our own borders" Nerwick answered 

"Hmm good. Those nobles should really be reminded from time to time who runs this nation. But those damn rebels" Visnet said the last of his statement with an audible venom in the low growl 

"Those rebels will pay in blood for taking away everything from us, including my beloved who left us that day. Once Emilio has perfected his magic, and thanks to Jacon and his clergy out of the picture, there will be nothing stopping us from taking who is rightfully mine" The crimson-haired emperor finished as his grip tightened around the heads of his throne 

Back inside the main Magic Tower, Emilio screamed in rage as he tore up his laboratory, throwing away flasks and test tubes filled with magical liquid onto the ground and destroying shelves, and tearing up old books in his fit of rage. All the while Roimir nonchalantly sipped some freshly brewed coffee on the side. Once Emilio had finished his tantrum, Roimir walked over to the main laboratory and then looked him up and down

"Done with the little tantrum you child?" Roimir asked, dodging a knife thrown by the tiny bastard of a mage 

"Fuck you! I don't need anyone to speak on my behalf like you just did in front of that fucking bastard!" Emilio roared at him 

"I did it because you couldn't stuff down that pride of yours far enough for it not to surface, you were about to do something stupid and so I acted accordingly" Roimir fired back calmly 

"Shut the fuck up! I do not need anyone, especially you! knife ears! To tell me that I didn't handle that well" The blue-haired mage shouted in anger 

"Uhuh, sure thing short stack" Roimir replied as he rolled his eyes 

"I fucking hope this coup of ours comes soon because I cannot wait to be fucking rid of you, you useless elf!" Emilio shouted as he fired off an ice spear that Roimir blocked with a wooden barrier conjured from his fingers 

"I feel the same, I no longer need to be the assistant to a tantrum-ridden child such as yourself" The elf replied with a calm demeanor that made Emilio go into another fit of rage, which made Roimir roll his eyes and then leave the laboratory to its temporary destruction 

.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

The main opposing force against Visnet and his empire was the Coalition of Free Kingdoms which were made up of the rogue states that had broken off from the empire and were built on the backing of several other nations on the continent. Chief of this coalition was the Kingdom of Amadite in the southeastern portion of the former empire that was set up by the Kingdom of June both financially and militarily. The leader of the Kingdom of Amadite was King Antwerp I who was a former Varangian Guard serving Emperor Gaius before his death.

Now, inside the Amber Castle in the walled capital of Koal was a meeting between King Antwerp I and the daughter of the current ruling Queen of the Kingdom of June, the feared 'Bloody Princess' who had slaughtered hundreds of nobles when she arrived in the Kingdom of June a year ago, Crown Princess Sharon Halfriva. 

The two sat across from one another in a private meeting room along the eastern portion of the royal castle, the two of them looking at one another while at the side was the aide of King Antwerp, the commander of the Amadite Army, High General Lance Triost. 

"It is a pleasure to meet you once more Princess" Antwerp stated, still encased in his gold and red armor from his days as a Varangian Guard 

"It is a pleasure to meet you as well King Antwerp. I must say, I wish it was in better times" Sharon replied to him with a nod before glancing over at Lance and giving him a nod as well which was reciprocated 

"Agreed. I shall go first and tell you right now that Visnet and his armies are preparing for a new offensive sometime in the near future. Probably a year or two from now" Antwerp stated 

"The best timeframe we have estimated for it is within the next two to five years. No more and no less" Lance chimed in 

"Hmmm...and the rest of the coalition?" Sharon asked 

"The rest of the coalition is heeding our advice, building up their armies, and fortifying the outer walls they had built along the new borders. But I do not know if we can throw them back this time" Antwerp answered her 

"I see...I will see what I can do, with the rest of the major powers on this continent being occupied with wars against one another and the Duchy of Warszawa content to just sit on the sidelines, there is no one besides us who your coalition can rely on" Sharon stated as she leaned into the couch she sat on and pinched her eyes 

"Indeed...but let us remove ourselves from tiring and stressful matters for now. May I ask if you have heard anything from your friends who left us more than a year ago?" The former Varangian Guard asked 

"No I have not. But since Amelia's blessings are still residing inside me, I can state for certain they are not dead, at least Amelia, but then again, the two of them are hard to kill and I believe there is nothing in this world that can harm them" The Crown Princess answered him 

"That is reassuring...especially since the World Council Meeting will occur in a few years and we will need your help to ensure that our coalition is recognized by the great powers of this continent and others to provide us some legitimacy" Antwerp nodded 

"Yes, but let us focus first on more pressing matters, such as ensuring the survival of your coalition and the destruction of Visnet and his putrid empire before anything else" Sharon told him with a nod of her own 

{!} 

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door and all three of them turned their heads to it. Sharon noticed that Lance had a confused expression on his face and that was all she needed to immediately break the diamond necklace she wore that transformed into a beautiful set of amber-colored plate armor that was fully functional, with each plate reinforced with magic to ensure that they could also absorb spell attacks. This action prompted the other two in the room to also ready themselves as if Sharon sensed something was wrong, then they should get ready as well. 

{!} 

Their suspicions were confirmed when a few moments later, the door was busted down, and several figures in large robes that made them look like specters rushed into the room with swords and knives drawn. They split into small groups that attacked each person in the room individually, dividing their attention. 

Antwerp was attacked by a group of 4 assassins who rushed him from all sides after he jumped behind the couch he was on and moved to a corner of the room. The first assassin tried to land a stab, accompanied by a thunderbolt attack fired off by his fellow assassin behind him. Antwerp dodged the stab and the thunderbolt, replying with an uppercut with the large gauntlet of his armor into the abdomen of the first assassin, lifting them into the air before quickly grabbing them by the head and then chucking them at the assassin that fired off the electric spell, knocking them both of them to the ground before his attention turned to the other two assassins attacking from the left. 

The first assassin attempted a thrust with their knife towards Antwerp's protected neck. The former Varangian countered by grabbing the incoming wrist and then pushing the assassin into the path of their compatriot who was also rushing forward, with both assassins stabbing one another in the neck and heart respectively before they died. With two assassins handled, Antwerp fired his own stream of lightning from his metal fingertips into the two downed assassins, cooking them alive and killing them in the process. 

Meanwhile, Lance in the middle of the room was busy fighting off three assassins who wielded bastard swords and swung them in a pattern that always ensured that there was always one sword about to strike Lance. He dodged one upward slash and then dodged another downward slash before he blocked a third slash that was bound to punch through his chest if he reacted a second slower. When the assassins tried to swing again, Lance countered the first thrust by shifting his body to the right, letting his sword deflect the incoming thrust with a downward block that caused sparks as the two swords clashed. When the assassin passed him, Lance quickly pivoted on his heels and impaled the assassin through the back with a quickfire thrust that caused the assassin to cough up blood and also absorbed a slash and another thrust aimed at Lance from the other two assassins. 

The assassins were stunned for a brief moment as they saw them attack their partner instead of their intended target, and in this brief moment, Lance killed them both with a swift horizontal slash as he pulled his blade out and pushed the corpse onto the other two assassins that caught the corpse before they were decapitated. 

Then there was Sharon who was fighting six of the damn assassins much to her surprise. She did the same thing Antwerp did and jumped behind the couch she was sitting on, bringing out the jade twin-headed halberd that Amelia had gifted her during her training. She thrust her halberd forward and skewered two assassins who tried to rush her immediately, she then pushed the halberd the rest of the way through as she gripped the second head of the weapon, pulling out the second halberd inside the first and then immediately and quickly spinning around fast enough to decapitate the assassin that had gotten behind her.

She then defended herself from two assassins with swords that rushed her, using the sturdy shaft and head of her weapon to block their thrusts and slashes, but as she fired off a slash that struck the two assassins in front of her and ripped them in half, the last assassin she was facing got behind her and stabbed her from behind and through the heart. But instead of seeing Sharon die, the assassin heard the Crown Princess roar in anger as she backhanded them across the face, sending the knife and themselves flying into the nearby wall and then dying as Sharon decapitated them in a swift slash. 

"Are you okay Sharon?!" Lance asked as he rushed to her

"I am fine, it's a mere flesh wound" Sharon answered him as she looked down and saw her flesh repairing itself and her heart returning to normal, although the armor she wore did not do the same 

"Amelia's blessings?" The High General asked 

"Yep, it's how I have been able to survive this long despite me being poisoned, shot at by arrows, skewered by spears, and stabbed. It is mighty handy" Sharon stated with a satisfied smirk 

"So, these are the dreaded Shadow Legionnaires of the Leonite Empire. To think they were able to penetrate even my castle" Antwerp stated with a hint of fear in his voice 

"Mhmm. Seems that we will need to hasten defensive preparations. I suggest using this assassination attempt to galvanize the entire coalition to increase their force sizes even more and I suggest that you all increase personal protection for I will be doing the same" Sharon stated, with the two men nodding at her 

"Seems that war is on the horizon. A war for survival...and a war we must win...fuck" The Crown Princess added as she looked at the corpses before her 

A/N: And here we go! A chapter showing what is happening back in the former home of the dual monarchs! Hope you all enjoyed the chapter and if you have questions or comments leave em below! As always, Stay Safe and Enjoy Your Day!