The Start Of The Greatest War

The echoes of labored breathing resonated beneath me as our enslaved rowers propelled our vessel toward the accursed city of Xaetl'Thek. Despite the city's nuisance to the Empire's finances, as the captain of a mere flotilla, my influence on the High Council was inconsequential. I shot a disdainful glance at my quartermaster, a noble-born but feeble being who cowered under my gaze.

"What is it?" I growled, impatient with his timidity.

"Captain, there seems to be disturbance ahead," he stammered, casting fearful glances downward.

"What kind of disturbance?"

"The fog ahead appeared suddenly," he replied, directing his gaze towards our flagship's front.

"No fog, there's noth—" My words trailed off as the previously unnoticed fog materialized before my eyes.

"Sound the alarm! Prepare for battle!" I shouted, sensing a surge of mana beneath the ships. A colossal water hand emerged, crushing one of the guard boats filled with soldiers.

"Damn it! That boat was our defense!" I exclaimed, urgency in my voice. "Coatl riders, take flight and scout our adversaries!"

Gripping my mace, adorned with the insignia of the water god Zaresh, I activated a forcefield around our fleet. Crafted by our ancestors to disrupt nearby mana and nullify magic, the forcefield dispersed the lingering fog, revealing a horde of shark-like beings armed with maces.

A grin crossed my face; the thrill of battle hadn't abandoned me, even after years away from the Emperor's Gladius. Roaring with exhilaration, I swung my mace, dispatching multiple foes with each strike. As the battlefield unfolded, lizard men fell to the relentless assaults, and I sprinted to their aid, crushing enemies with every swing.

"Do not yield! Fight back!" I bellowed, my mace cleaving through the adversaries. Amidst the chaos, a comrade's voice was cut short, his head devoured by a shark creature.

Fueled by a surge of adrenaline, I tore the gills from one of the aquatic foes. Above, Coatls unleashed thunderous attacks, while their riders impaled enemies on the ground with spears.

"You peasants dare to assail the Xarianos Empire!" shouted one of my men before meeting a gruesome end, his head bitten off by a shark. Surveying the carnage, I continued my assault, determined not to let these invaders overwhelm us.

Hearing a hiss behind me, I swung my mace as I destroyed a strange disk made of ice. Looking back I saw a strange woman glowing white and blue, a weak woman without scale to protect her, what a weakling ! 

I rushed toward her as I swung my mace making more shark people fly, she slowly left her hands as the ground started to freeze slowly she squinted her eyes.

'The force field is still having an effect, good !" I thought as I arrived before her, jumping her frozen field my mace raised above my head, from my right as I a tentacle of water coming right for me at blazing speed. I used my mace to parry it but then I lost the initiative against the glowing woman as she created another ice disk and threw it toward me, I parried the hit with my mace again but I sensed that I started to tire.

I roared again as I threw myself toward the icy woman but I suddenly sensed the force field being destroyed inside the ship's cabins.

The woman smiled as a literal blizzard was unleashed on me, I sensed my body freeze rapidly as I tried to protect myself but it was all futile as in less than five seconds I suddenly sensed nothing, all that I saw was the smile from etched on the woman's lips

'Sorry, my Emperor' I thought as my conscience disappeared.

–

Yafei, the Yuki-Onna, the general of this attack on the foes of her kingdom looked at the carnage around her with a frown, the lizard men were ferocious warriors and their mounts, the Coatl were dangerous beasts as the Lotus Kingdom didn't have the means to fight against flying enemies.

The ice statue that she created was shattered as she touched it, killing the red lizard man inside.

The two Coatl stared to escape but a lightning spell was flung from another boat and fried the two mounts

'It seems that the Queen's magic has once again improved' she smiled as the rest of the army took the cargo from the ships as they killed everyone on board.

They wanted to help the slaves but it seemed that with the deaths of all the guards, their collars suddenly siphoned their life force, transforming the once alive animal people into dead husks. 

A truly disgusting display of dark magic without a doubt.

The naval blockade will help the war effort of the Archipelago, our first front in this long war, all generals from all factions were not dumb, this war will be a very long war so we don't need to precipitate our forces in this, let the enemies make the first mistake then we'll strike.

"My queen" I said to the beautiful white haired medusa in front of me, but with Shalassa blessing the only thing that was serpentine was her tail as her now beautiful white hair were dancing in the wind as she looked painfully around her.

"Yafei," she acknowledged my presence as she looked back at the now sinking ships "We lost so much in this fight" she said as we dived back inside the ocean

"This is not your fault my Queen, we didn't know that they had some kind of magical disruption " I replied to her as I was transported inside one of the bubbles of our Kingdom, the bubbles were means of transportations for members of our race that couldn't swim, well just us Yuki-Onna and Snow Spirits were not able to swims as we were well, snow spirits and water was not our domain.

Soon the beautiful sight of our city was seen, the Capital of our kingdom Shalassana. The beautiful blue lotus, symbol of our Empire looming above the imperial palace. The architecture was far different from Ashan's one but it was nonetheless a beautiful sight.

We soon arrived at the palace's gate guarded by two Kensei guards; they bowed seeing the queen and opened the doors. The halls in the interior were full of beautiful corals and pearls.

"I'll go directly to the war room, I'll contact Belketh to tell him about the disrupters " said the queen as she blitzed toward the war room.

I chuckled, seeing the young Queen trying to act all thought was a sight to behold, but I knew that she needed to act like that otherwise the rest of the army will not follow a weak ruler despite her being Shalassa's chosen one.

I was the teacher to her Majesty concerning the Water lore of magic, despite my limited knowledge and my not so good pedagogy, her Majesty was like a sponge for my knowledge.

I pushed open the massive blue door adorned with exquisite pearls, stepping into the room where the two other generals from the kingdom awaited – Lord Mukata and Lady Hisana, a Kensei and a water spirit.

"You've returned, Yafei," Mukata greeted me, his gaze fixed on the map spread across the table, detailing the surroundings and the naval routes that required disruption. "I trust the battle went smoothly?"

Seating myself near the table, I replied somberly, "We suffered significant losses, Mukata."

"In war, losses are inevitable. Her Majesty must come to terms with it," remarked the gentle voice of Lady Hisana. She delicately moved the piece representing the enemy fleet on the map.

"You seem quite heartless, Hisana," I hissed at the Mizu-Kami.

"And you are far too sentimental, my dear. Their sacrifices will be honored by the waters," she replied dismissively.

"I agree with Lady Hisana," grumbled Mukata. "Her Majesty is still too young to lead our legions across the perilous waters of this new world."

"Do you realize what you're saying, Mukata?" I cried out, feeling his gaze upon me as if appraising a piece of meat. "You're undermining Her Majesty!"

"I am not, Lady Yafei. You're imagining things. Perhaps the battle has taken its toll on you as well," he retorted coolly.

Then the door were pushed open in a grand fashion as Her Majesty came in, her body adorning a beautiful dress complimenting her well

"We greet Her Majesty" we all stood up and said as the guards entered with her.

Her Majesty took a seat on the throne that was on the room as she looked with a smile at us

"I told Belketh about the disrupters, he replied that it didn't matter at all and we are to continue our blockade around the archipelago" she said as she eyed the map "The rest of our allies have been informed too about this device of the enemies"

"So now, tell me Mukata, how do you see me ? " said her Majesty as she eyes the Kensei with a gentle smile that sent shivers down the spine of everyone

'It seems that you grew well, Lyza ' I smiled inwardly as I looked at my pupil.

–

Fire burned everywhere as the bodies of hundreds of slaves and Lizardmen layed everywhere either dead or burnt to a crisp, body parts everywhere as blood flowed like a river in the small agricultural town of Xiran'atha

The attackers could be seen using fire magic to burn the town

"Lord Veyer" said one of the Lilim that accompanied Veyer to destroy this town "An order came an we must regroup to attack the next city then we'll retreat back into Ur-Chanal to avoid the reinf-" 

Veyor took a hold of the delicate neck of the Lilim and cracked it in an instant

"Far too long" he said as he looked back at the rest of the army that were assembling before him

"Follow me" he said as a dark portal appeared in front of him.

–

On the proud walls of the Shagr'Ahari city, three Lizard Men could be seen looking toward the horizon

"What do you think the legion of General Stak-ra encountered ? " asked the far younger lizardman compared to the other

"There is nothing in this world that General Stak-ra needs to fear, this is the eleventh legion we're talking about " replied one of the older one

"Stikiak" said the far older one looking at the young one "You don't know of our history, but in the far past we were just a slave race of another empire, but we escape from their clutches and destroyed them" he looked at the sunrise with a smile

"We are the great inheritors of the world, Stak-ra fear nothing a-" the old Lizardman was going to say something but a purple dagger pierced him, the same happened to the other lizardmen on the section of this wall

The invisibles beings continued their walks around the wall as they disposed of all the sentries in a swift manner.

A hand appeared from the darkness holding a medaillon

"Lord Malarion, we can launch the full scale assault" said the shrouded being as the group jumped toward the ground as they brought silent death in their wake

–

"I received the confirmation to start our assault " said the young dark elves clan leaders to the two others leaders near him

Nur looked stunningly beautiful as she looked toward the city, Lucas was next to her, his silver armor looked even more polished as light seemed to shine upon him from Heaven.

"Then we begin the first step in this war" said the human king as he looked at the Praetorian Legion that he brought with him and slowly turned his head to look upon at least a thousand war golems from the Academy, their imposing frame made of blue stone were incredibly looking, their two swords ready to cleave through the enemies.

"Indeed King Lucas" said Nur as she motioned to the golems to advance toward the city "my Gargoyles and your Griffin will dispatch these pesky Coatls as we lay waste to their ground force" 

The sound of thousands of metallic feets hitting the ground at the same time was heard all around them as Lucas motionned to his golem to advance at their turns but he looked to the new pieces that Tholgar gave to him for these assaults. The catapults and trebuchet were ready to launch enhanced rocks as Lucas made an enchantment that made the rocks heavier when they left the engine.

"Prepare the attack ! " Lucas cried out as the Golems loaded boulders inside the war engines.

'Let the first siege of this war begin' he thought as he looked grimly toward the city.

–

Reem could be seen killing one of the last noble Lizardmen inside the main city of this island, these bastards were just horrible slavers just like the Wizards back on Ashan they didn't deserve her pity in any way. She witnessed the poor childs wither away as she tried to help the kids go with her toward their encampment.

And this Belketh, a terrible monster he was, saw him transform an entire part of the city into Sheogh for an instant as he rained fire upon the enemy army.

Her wyvern took care of the Coatl defenses as the rest of her army of orcs and others created by the Wizards back on Ashan destroyed the enemy ground forces, especially her Jaguar Warriors, truly the strongest warriors of the orcs.

Suddenly Reem sensed something and as she drew her bow, she turned and let loose the arrow that pierced the head of another Lizardman.

'Still two city shorts of the ownership of this archipelago' she gloated as she saw her wyverns roar in victory with every other orcs and warriors in the city

–

Tholgar and Jenova could be seen strolling inside a fortress previously owned by the Lizardmen

"The losses were too big " grumbled the dwarf as he looked at the report that one of his runesmith gave him, forty of his warriors dead, a worrying numbers for the dwarf king as he looked at the beautiful elf that looked around curiously

"Will you not mourn your losses, girl ? " he asked her with a snort

"They nourish Sylanna, tis is the greatest wish of any of us " she replied curtly as the dwarf snorted again

"Then next time, use your troops to shield mine, my men value their live" he replied to her as he stormed out of the room as the elf looked at him with a frown

"I didn't say that we didn't value life stupid dwarf" she muttered as she took a seat on the throne of this city 

'Cozy' she thought as she closed her eyes to commune with her Goddess

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And that's all for today folks.

I hope that you'll like this Volume as much as the last one, see you soon :)

The next chapter will be Lucas centric.