The Castle in the middle of nowhere.

I was sitting on the ramparts of the Upper Castle, contemplating the view. The serene plains around my city were painted with various farms and pastures woven between the small forests and meandering rivers. The powerful beasts that once ruled these lands had been driven away or rooted out. While monsters still plagued the lands of Arcadia, I never planned to truly get rid of them. I only intend to make it easier for people to travel between the cities and even remote villages relatively safely. Nilmerthis wasn't Earth; the monsters and warbeasts in this place were equivalent to animals on Earth. Killing them off entirely could have disastrous consequences, which would be hard to predict and probably even harder to fix. Also, not all were hostile or even harmful to the people. In a world governed by the World's System, levels, and magic, driving the wild monsters to extinction seemed fundamentally wrong to me. Nonetheless, I couldn't allow the people to live in fear compared to when Josla ruled.

But that was a job for the Guardsmen. With each day, their ranks grew, and their skills increased, but their loyalty was unwavering. The people of Arcadia also needed them; people like them who always stood guard, protecting them from the monsters. However, the mindset of my subjects slowly changed, and they started to differentiate between good and bad monsters. After all, I should have been one of the most feared monsters or even something beyond those monstrosities, yet they considered me their saviour. To be honest, I hardly felt like one. From the very moment I appeared in Nilmerthis, my life was a constant struggle. At first, due to my carelessness, I struggled to earn just enough mana to pay the few first upkeeps. Then, before I could even notice, I was fighting a war for the very survival of myself and all who trusted me. I could only be glad that my efforts paid off. With the help of everyone, I overthrew Josla Cridia and established Arcadia. For most of the people, the war was over. But war never truly ended; it only went away. It... After so many, many years of war, I could swear she was a person. I knew Lady War and her beautiful and deadly dance very well. I knew the demanding dancer she was; I knew her whims and her customs. So I knew she wasn't gone.

Berna was still a threat, a snake with knocked-out teeth that couldn't bite me anymore but would most certainly try to strangle me, given a chance. Fortunately, time itself was my ally. Each day brought me closer to finishing the repairs of HMS Victory and the end of the construction of HMS Scimitar and HMS Longsword. However, I wasn't that concerned about Berna. My Slime Spies finally managed to infiltrate all their government agencies without being noticed. There shouldn't be any more nasty surprises waiting for Elisabeth, but that never could be taken for granted. Hopefully, the new ships, with the help of the Dragon Riders, would be a sufficient force to end the war. I hoped that their surprise effect would allow my forces to deal a decisive blow that would crush the fighting spirit of Bernans, and I couldn't imagine a better way than forcing them to fight dragons.

Suddenly, I felt the source of an incredibly powerful magic, and the air-raid sirens started broadcasting a warning. So, it was a surprise after all.

"People of Avalon! The enemy army has been spotted in the city's vicinity," one of my Praetorians' emotionless and calm voice sounded throughout the entire city. "Do not leave Avalon until the situation has been resolved. Remain calm and follow the instructions given by the Guardsmen! Pepole of Avalon!..."

The voice repeated the warning as I teleported to the external wall closest to the mana concentration spot. A moment later, I was joined by Hestia and Luna.

"It's a Bernan God, Theon. Be careful," Hestia told me as her clothes started burning with a scarlet fire. Once her flames died out, she was already wearing her battle armour.

"Which one?" I asked, unamused, as I observed the Bernan army forming a strange and loose formation in the distance.

"Hur'zhun..." Hestia shrugged. "I doubt their lesser Gods would have dared to challenge me. Not now, when I have regained enough power to fight them."

"All right then..." I watched the people still close to the city turn around, helping each other and ditching anything unnecessary. A detachment of Hussars left the city following the order to help evacuate the civilians. "Luna, inform the rest of the Queens..."

"Lavender is already doing that, Theon," Luna interjected and looked at the lines of Bernans. "They are stronger than the forces of Korkas, but there are far fewer of them. They don't have Golems..."

As if waiting for someone to say something like that, the earth shook from a few powerful tremors. The spacing between the enemy army became obvious as ten large metal Siege Golems slowly straightened. The Bernan army waited for their colossal siege engines to move forward, unlike the Cridians who had mindlessly attacked my walls. The metal golems moved much faster than the earth and stone we had faced earlier. But I was ready for something like this, so I just snapped my fingers. The Fog of Avalon rose from nowhere and swirled before us, forming an unnatural tornado that roared with fury. It spun for a few long moments but did not move towards the enemy. The wide column of white, dense fog created a pillar that momentarily connected the sky and earth. The people fleeing the Bernans tried to avoid the storm in front of them, but some just simply stopped and watched the pillar in horror. I could sense the fear of Bernans watching that spectacle, and I smiled grimly.

Once the fog dissipated, the War Titan stood in its place. His armour was finally complete, and the sun reflected off its polished metal, silver, and gold details. Its battle standards waved unnaturally as if the material they were made of refused to be blown by the wind. Its single barrel, an enormous, left-hand mounted magi-cannon, emitted a faint blue light from its casing. His other arm pointed to the ground, with his claws casting reflections that suggested their incredible sharpness. As the pilots awakened his battle systems, Avalon's Wrath warhorn blared with majestic fury. The air around the towering machine shined with the blue light of a solidifying shield. Titan raised his leg and moved forward to intercept and destroy the foes of Arcadia. The people who saw it were inspired by the magnificent sight of the metal colossus and doubled their efforts to reach safety behind him. The Bernans, however, froze in fear, giving precious moments of escape to all the refugees.

"Thor, Sentinel, Gawain. Prepare the army to support Avalon's Wrath," I called the names of three of my scions. "Morrigan! Prepare the Praetorians."

No one replied to me except for the four deafening explosions on the shields of my Titan, which flashed after absorbing the massive spells cast by the enemy mages. Thankfully, the enemies seemed to be fully focused on Avalon's Wrath, so the civilians managed to run far away from the Bernans. I raised my hand and slowly lowered it, pointing at the enemy.

"Fire." Manned by the constantly vigilant Legio Aegis, the city artillery came to life, covering the enemy’s positions with devastating explosions.

The lines of magi-cannons positioned on the exterior city wall blazed with fury. But the Bernans stood, unfazed in the slightest. Their shields were as impressive as ours; there was no doubt that the power of their deity had enchanted the shields' effects. The fire from my walls reached them nonetheless and forced them to change their formations. It was only a matter of time before their shields, strained by our barrage, would fail. The ground shook violently with each step the Titan and Golems made, with Avalon's Wrath clearly moving to cover the retreating civilians. A blood-curdling roar deafened the steps of the mighty giants made of steel as Gawain arrived on the battlefield, followed by the ten largest Wyverns. That sight seemed to finally terrify the Bernans. Some of the pikeman's regiments broke their ranks, and panic momentarily spread across the enemy army. However, their shields mostly held, and the relentless fire of my artillery reached only a few of the panicked men. Seeing the fate of those who tried to run away, the rest of the Bernans closed their ranks.

"Came on..." I eyed the people fleeing from the Bernans and saw another flash on Titan's shield. Because of its proximity to the unprotected people, Avalon's Wrath couldn't use its formidable weapons. Sparing a moment, I quickly glanced at Luna. "Take Aoi and check if Victory can take to the air. If she can fly and shoot, be ready to bring her to the battle."

"Be careful. I sense a massive power build-up in the forest." Luna vanished, and I nodded, looking behind the Bernans.

"It's him?"

"Yes. It's Hur'zhun." Hestia nodded. "I think he tried to teleport his army much closer to the city, but something failed. I don't think I can use my powers to teleport more than one or two people with me." She hesitated for a moment and nervously fixed her hair. "He is dangerous."

"So do I..." I said calmly and watched the giant cannon of Avalon's Wrath awaken as the last survivors ran past him. "Heh... It's a shame his teleport failed. It would have been funnier if he landed right inside our garden."

Hestia giggled, imagining the wrath of Amber, Irene, and Lavender if the Bernans caused damage to the gardens. The last thing the enemy army heard was a buzzing sound of coils and the grim warhorn of the Titan before a massive, blue beam hit one of their precious Siege Golems. The overheated plasma melted the torso of the Golem, spraying the enemy army with molten droplets of metal that passed right through the enemy shields. Dozens of enemy soldiers were burned alive or boiled in their armours the moment such droplets hit them. That finally forced their commanders to issue the attack orders to their units. The Golems slowed and faced the Titan as if their summoners had received new orders. But the only chance the Bernans had was already gone. The effectiveness of the surprise attack had already vanished as my excellently trained Guardsmen started manning their positions. I noticed a few wagons leaving the city and collecting the fleeing people with no more strength to run further.

"I will make this bull regret the day he made me his enemy..." I promised, looking in the distance.

•••

"What is that monstrosity?! Fagnar!" Hur'zhun shuddered as another of their Siege Golems was destroyed.

"I-I don't know, my Lord! It's much bigger than our Golems."

"Order the mages to take it out!"

"But the Dragons..."

"These Wyverns are merely a distraction! If we don't destroy that thing, we are doomed!"

"How?" Fagnar looked at his panicked God and realised that attacking Avalon was a huge mistake. "You promised to teleport us inside the city, but we are many leagues away from it. I don't know what that thing is, let alone how to destroy it. You must take us away before it will be too late."

"You fool! We can't just retreat! If something like that happens, that bitch who blocked me from getting into the city will gain more power!"

"What are you talking about...? My Lord?!" Fagnar's eyes went wide, but he managed to correct himself in time. However, his God could only be referring to some other deity. "Their Goddess is there?"

"She is..." The screams from the closest formations interrupted Hur'zhun.

The third Golem shook violently and rang loudly like a giant bell, forcing many soldiers around them to cover their ears. Hur'zhun used that moment to swear profoundly and look at the ranks of soldiers. Their confidence melted with each minute, but he was still sure they could be victorious.

"We still have the advantage!" Hur'zhun yelled loud enough to be heard by the soldiers. "They failed to close the gates! Attack!"

Unconvinced, the Spymaster ordered his people to attack. The third Siege Golem was destroyed, showering the field with shrapnels and molten metal droplets. The mages tried to take down the Dragons, but it was unlikely that they would succeed. Fagnar took a deep breath and started issuing orders to begin the pincer attack on the enemy capital. The city itself was huge, and it was obvious that they had only one chance to win. They had to capitalise on the initial surprise factor, or they would die. The terrifying warhorn of the enemy Golem tore the air once more, forcing Fagnar to look at the enemy. The Avalon's Golem was unbelievably fast and nimble, considering its size. It sometimes dodged the projectiles directed at him, but more often, he tanked the hits with its impressive shield. However, that brief observation made the old lord start considering why the enemy would decide to strain its shields instead of dodging the flying piece of rock.

"He is protecting the people..." Fagnar's eyes widened as he realised something. "Summoners! Make sure to hurl projectiles towards the road behind the enemy Golem!"

The Five Golems, ready to hurl the boulders, slowly turned their massive bodies and executed Fagnar's order. The enemy Golem once again shielded the fleeing people, which meant they could benefit from such an obvious weakness. "Keep attacking him like that!"

The mages cast their spells, and it was a question of time before the Golem's shields would fail. However, Fagnar cursed as he noticed the mounted warriors who clashed with his light units on the flanks. Their long lances gave them superior reach that far exceeded the length of the pikes of pikemen. His soldiers started dying, unable to even scratch the heavily armoured riders and their mounts. Fagnar gritted his teeth, recognising the unmistakable signs of his defeat. His soldier's ranks were disrupted, and the enemy riders made a wide and mockingly slow turn-around, taunting his Paladins to chase them.

"What are you doing?!" Hur'zhun yelled at him. "Attack the city!"

He looked at his God with an empty gaze. The Bull's hooves started shining with yellow light. He gazed at the small detachment of the enemy riders, and he stomped the ground. The enemies were smote by his God's skill and died alongside their mounts. The force was so great that nothing except red stains remained. Fagnar nodded to himself and started barking short and precise orders. The enemies deployed some wagons, but almost instantly, he chuckled as he noticed that it wasn't a new weapon but yet another way to save more peasants. However, his laughter died shortly after, the same moment as the last wagon turned around and hastened towards the open gates.

"It's a trap!" He yelled and looked at his God in fear. "It's a trap, my Lord..."

"Nonsense!" Hur'zhun scoffed with growing impatience. "Onwards, brave soldiers of Berna!"

The Bull-god left the uncertain man behind him and started running towards the city gates. That sight forced some of the younger and more zealous men to follow his example. However, the more experienced soldiers looked in terror at pale Fagnar, awaiting his order. The Spymaster stood in silence, trying to come up with any plan that could give them a chance of winning. But the situation was dire, and with each wasted moment brought them closer to final defeat. Half of the army rushed forward, disregarding the fighting Golems while the rest of it tried to regroup. Unable to figure out any other way to avert disaster and knowing that only the entire army would have a sliver of a chance to capture a safe foothold within the city, he grimly looked at the still-open gatehouse.

"Everyone! Attack!" He drew his sword and started running after his God. "Follow Lord Hur'zhun!"