The Legend of the ruthless Empress Freya

Chapter 280  What brought us here

[N/A: New volume : Vincere aut mori (in Latin "Conquer or die")]

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– POV General –

Several kilometers from the Capital, an encampment had been set up on the small hill slightly overlooking the city and its surroundings. Here was the main base where the nine female Chaos Commanders and their Lieutenant were also preparing a strategy to leave nothing to chance. All was calm, and unlike in the human camp, smiles and laughter filled the air, although fear and apprehension were also present.

None of the Empire soldiers were paying any attention to the camouflaged figure as it made its way through the facilities to the large central tent. Once there, the shape ceased to use any skills, revealing a young man half-man half-leopard. Passing the two Minotaurs guarding the entrance, he stopped in front of the ones he'd come to see, clicking his heels and raising his fist to his heart in greeting.

"Good morning ! Commander Luna sent me with today's news, Commanders !"

Inside Nixia the black-scaled lamia, Emilia the cat girl, Persya the dryad, Caipy the dark elf and Ralph half-vampire half-wolf were on the right. Opposite them, of course, were Thorunn the group vampire, Trioa the half-wyvern, Ynir the half-butterfly and Naïa the fire fox. The nine in charge of leading the army were gathered all around a table, each of their Lieutenant standing proudly behind their seat.

"Hello, we've been waiting for you, please tell us."

Nixia had been the first to speak, signalling that he could rest and do what he'd come to do. Silence reigned in the room, but that didn't stop the young man from shivering under the intensity of the auras circulating there. The weeks of hard training and preparation had taken their toll, the nine women had become more powerful and Ash, who was used to meetings, found himself somewhat disturbed.

He could never have imagined this scene, he was now a Lieutenant and although he served Luna, he was proud and above all intimidated by her friends. He could feel their eyes on him turning to questioning glances, given the time he was taking to speak. It was finally Ralph, as direct as ever, who drew him out of his thoughts, clearly impatient to know what was going on inside the Capital's walls.

"Well speak up Lieutenant Ash, what's the matter ?"

"A-Ah uh yes sorry ! Early this morning, the two Princes Erzian and Iolas Zal set up a strategy to destabilize us. They're using all available slaves to make real sacrifices who will be placed in the front line at the start of the battle. A literal line of defense serving as a living shield protecting the Knights and Paladins."

This news raised eyebrows as a silent, understandable anger slowly began to build. Faced with the limitless cruelty of humans to their fellow creatures, how could one remain unmoved ? No one spoke, but the more the seconds passed, the more the infernal spiral of hatred took root in hearts, at least until a sad, judgmental voice rang out from the entrance to the tent.

"That sounds like something my brothers would do in this situation..."

It was young Alayna, former Princess of Zal,now an officer in the Elysium army and girlfriend of Commander Luna. She wore armor and her long blond hair was tied back in a ponytail, although some rebellious strands fell over her face. Called in earlier for her knowledge of the city and her sense of strategy, she'd heard it all and couldn't help commenting on Ash's words.

Her blue eyes were sad, but above all filled with a guilt that would probably never really go away. The young woman was not responsible for her brothers' actions and had disowned them, but their blood ran through her veins and it was unbearable. Noticing this state of distress, Persya the gentle dryad raised her voice, changing the subject back to what was presenting itself as a problem for their original strategy.

"We'll find a solution. That said, if Lieutenant Ash is right, then this prevents a direct and powerful attack in the crucial first few hours"

As they all knew, their plan relied on the surprise effect, which was an advantage because none of these humans had fought their army before. Time was of the essence and the very first attack was planned for when the sun was setting, when human eyes were limited. Naïa and Nixia, Commanders of the same section, were quick to point out what they saw as the problem, trying to find a solution.

"The idea of our strategy is to strike hard and fast to wipe out as much of their strength as possible before the squad from Vancesia arrives as reinforcements. I don't know how we can do it, do we have to wait for Her Highness and Her Majesty to arrive ?"

"Impossible. If we don't get rid of as many of their soldiers as possible, we'll find ourselves surrounded and overwhelmed from both front and back. The Empress has warned us, she's on her way with reinforcements, but we must take into account the possibility that the dragon riders will arrive before them."

"And in that case, no matter how many we are, we'll be at a distinct disadvantage..."

Indeed, only the squad of Trioa the Half-Wyvern and her Lieutenant Nella the Harpy, specialized in aerial combat. Elysium's army had grown considerably, but the Commander was at the head of the section with the fewest soldiers among the eight others. And fighting a dozen dragons alone was a risky gamble that would undoubtedly lead to heavy losses, so she had to rely on the help of the other squads.

So how to go about it ? Inflict as many losses as possible on the enemy, so that the troops on the ground would be less overwhelmed and able to attack from the air. That's why the slaves on the front line were bad news, bad and cruel as ever. Could they be saved ? While this question remained, Ralph's eyes lit up as she thought of only one other person who could help them.

"And what about Commander Luna ?! Has she formulated any idea about this ?"

"She and her men slipped in among the Knights yesterday to strike from within when the time is right. Helping the slaves can't be done, not without the price of their cover being revealed...I'm sorry..."

"I see."

Ash knew it well, not being able to do something had been torturing her Commander ever since she'd discovered the Princes' plan. She young woman could perhaps try to save as many as possible.

Yes, during these long weeks, Luna had put aside her deep-seated was even undoubtedly still thinking about it, but keeping a low profile was essential, she couldn't rush everything now, not after a month of hard work. Only half a day, only a few hours left, and the young woman could perhaps try to save as many as possible.

Yes, during these long weeks, Luna had put aside her deep-seated hatred for her girlfriend's brother, Erzian. He who had tortured her parents to death for her unique eyes, he who was solely responsible for the extinction of her bloodline and her life of remorse. She couldn't now let herself be guided by the feelings she'd repressed so hard for the sake of the Empire and the Empress's dream that everyone, including her, shared.

The young woman had never spoken of this mental ordeal, but she didn't need to, her friends and her love knew it. Each of them even felt a little guilty for leaving her there alone to deal with everything, but more than pity, they felt pride in her courage. When Freya had first met her, she'd been unable to fight, but still stood bravely between the humans and this little boy.

Today, she had not changed, and instead of sullying her courage with pity, they all praised it proudly, feeling the urge to do everything in their power to achieve their goals by remaining true to their ideals. Ash, who admired his Commander, never failed in his duties, making sure to live up to his leader's standards, so shaking his head, he straightened up to finally announce what he most dreaded to say...the biggest problem of this battle.

"However there is still the threat of the Supreme hanging over us, they didn't get out of the Castle but having seen them with my own eyes, they are not to be taken lightly. With all due respect, the Commander and I think it would be fatal for even one of us to come face to face with them, they're up to something but even today we haven't been able to find out what..."

The man remembered the chills he'd felt as his instincts screamed at him that this person wasn't human and that he should flee. Was it because of their power ? No, it was more sinister, as if the rottenness of this world, all its ugliness, could be transformed into sensation. The Supreme was for sure powerful, only what they gave off was a bit like the smell of death, of a tainted soul filled with pure evil intentions.

"Hidden under their toga we don't even know who he or she is...we know nothing"

"And to think they're the one who's after the Princess. I've never seen the Queen and Empress so angry."

"We've got to stop them"

But could they ? It might have been a suicidal plan to try and deal with them , but still, the Supreme wasn't so powerful that they could defeat them all together, was them ? Realistically, they'd be busy leading their own section and thus the entire Elysium army, so they didn't belong in front of the Supreme. They hadn't left the castle, but what if they showed up much sooner than expected ?

Add to that the slaves, could they carry out their swift and devastating attack on their own kind ? That said, none of the Commandantes wanted to sacrifice the lives of these poor souls who had suffered so much, but how could they ? The more the seconds passed, the more doubt and uncertainty crept in, like a contagious poison creeping silently into hearts to break their will and courage.

"Let's contact Her Highness first and..."

"No !"

While the younger Naïa had been the first to give way in panic, the voice of the one next to her rang out firmly. It was the black-haired catgirl with red highlights, Emilia, Commander of the Close Combat Section and girlfriend of the Fire Fox. She had kept a cool head, and even if the situation was very uncertain at the moment, the young woman was convinced that under no circumstances should this be done.

"We must find a solution, and for that we must not count on Her Highness."

"Emilia ! You..."

"Listen to me ! Empress Freya left trusting us, but if we still rely on her power how can we continue to live up to her expectations ? At this very moment it's up to us, it's up to us to lead the Empire's army, that's what brought us here...her Highness's trust."

It was true, and Naïa could only sit back in her chair, quite ashamed not to have thought of it all along. They had grown stronger, they had always supported each other like a family, they had to trust each other to fly on their own. They had to make the impossible possible, they had to manipulate the threads of destiny like Freya before them and they could...today, they were now capable of it.

"Emilia is right, in the absence of the Empress and the Queen, the lives of all these soldiers are in our hands, whether we like it or not. We are no longer the trembling young women in the mountains of the Dark Forest praying for a miracle to happen. So much has changed and today...we can make the difference...it's up to us"

"And then leading an army is impressive but Her Highness has always done it alone, ain't no way we're not capable of doing it with ten of us, girls~"

Caipy and Ralph were the next to speak, while the others nodded in total agreement. They were going to find a solution, even if it was at the last minute, nothing had started yet which meant everything could still change.

"Do we know exactly how the slaves will be placed ?"

"Not exactly, but we've heard that they'll probably be a single line to cover all the fronts of the human army. Unfortunately, they'll all be chained together, which will make movement difficult and invasion impossible. What's more, the right end of the line will be attached to the watchtower and only Erzian and Iolas' royal mana is the key..."

Ridiculous and absurd, this was a true open-air sacrifice. Even equipped with shields and swords, these unfortunates hadn't stood a chance from the start. But it was out of the question to play the Princes' macabre game, out of the question to have the blood of these innocents on their hands. Commanders and Lieutenants alike were all walled up in silence, looking for a solution, just...something that might make that difference.

"I-...I might have an idea."

Suddenly, Alayna's voice sounded again as she made her way to the table where the Commanders were seated. After all, since her arrival in Elysium, she had honed her sense of strategy, demonstrating an aptitude that was almost genius on the subject. How ironic it would be if the plan of the useless, missing little sister were to derail that of the big brothers, who had no idea of her presence among the enemy ?

"We're listening"

"If I'm not mistaken, with perfect timing I'm sure we'll be able to free the slaves, destabilize the opposing army and protect ourselves from the dragon riders if they arrive before Her Highness and Her Majesty..."

Thorunn, the only vampire in the group, gazed her red eyes into hers, curious as to what her brain had to offer. There were still a few hours to go before nightfall, a few hours to make a decision, and while the warriors outside were relaxing, under the tent it was different. It was in this tent that the future of operations was decided, in the form of a mental battle between a sister and her brothers.

- Hours before the start of the invasion: 10H -

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