"Tell me about the updates with the Aldreach Laboratory."
"Affirmative, Captain Themus. Prince Marcus successfully reclaimed the Aldreach Laboratory and exterminated all of the rebels."
"All of them?"
"Well, Prince Marcus reported that one rebel went missing, so he might have survived."
"Tch! It doesn't matter. Once the rebels' main base is dealt with, we won't have to worry about the rest." The captain, Themus Arygal, scoffed as he led the army through the Velsaber district.
According to their intel, there was a base to be dealt with here. Although it wasn't the main headquarters, it was still a place they needed to destroy so that they could take down the rebels.
Plus, if Themus did well, he might be able to become the next military general, which was his biggest drive when participating in this battle. Unfortunately, he had no idea that Vekas was still alive.
The position of Captain was just below General, which already granted enough authority as it is. However, who didn't want more power? Naturally, Themus was such a person.
Hence, this was his last thought before steeling his resolve and charging into the base.
***
"So this is the base in the Knight District?" Captain Karo muttered to himself as he stood before a fortress.
Soon, his suspicions were confirmed as several cloaked men burst out of the gates, surrounding him and his forces.
Clicking his tongue, he sighed before his gaze sharpened. He took out his sword and unleashed his oathweight. His drive to remove this plague known as the rebellion surged in his heart.
Of course, since the position of general was seemingly open, Karo naturally also felt heavily attracted to the idea of becoming general, but knowing Themus, he was most likely going to be chosen.
Hence, Karo didn't have much hope in himself. Despite this, however, his eyes shone with resolve as he turned to a major accompanying him. "Begin the firing, Major Farod."
"Yes, Captain!" With that, Major Farod signalled to the mages, and the battle began.
***
"Come out! We, of Aethelgard, have surrounded your base!" Captain Regur exclaimed, his battle axe out and ready.
Regur and his men were sent to the Mount District to deal with the rebel base there. His eyes sharpened as he gazed at a bunch of cloaked men flying out of the gates of the fortress, which was the very base the Aethelgard soldiers were besieging.
These cloaked men stretched out their hands, and fire erupted from their palms, rushing at the army. It was [Fire Beam], a fairly common technique.
Regur sighed as he swung his battle axe. Immediately, pure energy erupted, dissolving the fire at once and sending the rebels back.
However, this was not the end. More rebels came out, this time with weapons like swords, daggers, and so on. They rushed at the army, but Regur merely smirked in response.
"Everyone, charge!" He shouted and rushed forward, his army following behind as the battle began.
***
Tehrun De Voldero sighed. His deep red eyes shone in the moonlight, while his brown hair fluttered in the wind, reaching to his shoulders. His eyebrows were furrowed as he glanced up at the huge fortress that was the rebels' base.
"Hehe! It's barely been a month, and you're already part of a big thing, aren't I right, Sir Tehrun?" Another man laughed lightly, wrapping one arm around his shoulders and pulling him close with a carefree smile.
"It seems so, Captain Trunks," he replied solemnly. He had been assigned the position of head minister of the Social Security department. He had his own battalion of troops, and the captain had his own army.
Together, they had been tasked with dealing with the base in the Margalla District.
This district was special to Tehrun. It was actually named after one of his ancestors, Margalla De Voldero. She was the one who turned the entire Voldero family into a noble family in the first place. Her contributions to the empire were legendary, even after tens of millennia.
Even his father's, Karun De Voldero's, contributions would pale in comparison. She had also ascended to the Spirit Realm, no longer residing in Aethelgard. It made Tehrun wonder if she was still alive there.
It was also what inspired his father to abandon Aethelgard and enter the Spirit Realm, living there forever. Now, he only had his elder sister with him, since their mother had already died.
Still, he didn't feel any sort of sadness at this. He respected their decision and understood it well. After all, who wouldn't want to live in the Spirit Realm and explore its mysteries?
Setting these thoughts aside, both Captain Trunks and Tehrun glanced at each other. They nodded and gestured to their men. Tehrun's men immediately unleashed a torrent of fire while Trunks' men charged into the building, wearing elemental armor to protect themselves from the torrent of fire.
***
"Alright, we are close to their Headquarters. Now what?" Augustus asked as he, Vekas, and Sierra stood in an alleyway.
In their view was the headquarters Sierra had initially found. Its gates had more guards than before, which wasn't surprising. After all, word had already spread that the rebels' bases were being attacked.
"Now we swoop in and attack them."
"That's charging in without a plan. It's a terrible idea, Sierra." Vekas cleared his throat. "I'd say one of us distracts the guards while the other two sneak in."
"Horrible idea, general." Sierra scoffed before lunging out.
"Wait!"
"Sierra! The hell are you doing?!"
Both Vekas and Augustus were dumbstruck, turning to each other with dazed expressions.
Yet these expressions turned grim as they saw how all the guards were dead in a matter of seconds, while there wasn't even a single blood stain on Sierra's black robes.
She turned to them silently, her ocean-blue eyes shining brightly, as she nodded her head in the direction of the gate. Vekas and Augustus looked at each other once more, nodded once, and then moved to accompany Sierra.
She's dangerous. That was clearly obvious, but this display of power just further confirmed that for Vekas. The three were luckily shrouded in black cloaks.
No, that's for Sierra and Augustus. Vekas, on the other hand, was actually using a white cloak to hide.
They continued to explore through the tall, extravagant, and fascinating building. There were guards here and there, which Sierra killed silently without alerting anyone else.
"Hmm, this is odd," Vekas mused, "the security here may be tight, but it seems a bit inappropriate for a main headquarters, don't you think?"
"You have a point." Augustus nodded, stroking his beard. "The attacks the kingdom is carrying out on the other bases should be well-known already, so it should make them more worried and double security. However, if this is their double security, then I am actually pitying their normal security."
"Or perhaps, this isn't their real level of security at all," Sierra muttered, causing both men to turn to her.
Before they could ask what she meant, she dashed into the main chamber, which was on the top floor of the whole building. Augustus and Vekas followed, only to discover that they were surrounded.
The rebels were gathered there, each one clad in a black cloak. They had their weapons ready, while three rebels stood forward.
"Greetings, dear intruders. The three of us are among the many executives of the rebel society." One rebel who stood forward spoke, a small smile visible on his face. If Cronos were to see this man, he would immediately identify him as the man who had once invited him to join the rebels.
"Since we were well aware of a potential ambush, we set this trap specifically for you," the second executive added in a flat tone, brandishing his sword.
"I'd suggest you start getting ready to die!" The third executive sneered, readying his spear and pointing it at the trio.
Vekas scoffed and brandished his own sword. Augustus summoned his sword, which had the thickness of a butcher's blade, while Sierra charged at the rebel group with a cold gaze.
All that was heard next was the shedding of blood and bodies being cut down. In the span of the next thirty minutes, only the executives were alive from the rebels' side, injuries covering their bodies as blood flowed out.
Meanwhile, the trio was completely spotless and unscathed. Sierra gazed at them coldly.
"Tell us, where is your grandmaster?" Her voice was cold as she pointed her sword at them.
In response, each of them simultaneously spat on the ground, showing their defiance before getting into formation. Their bodies began to glow as they prepared for one final attack.
Sierra, however, remained calm as she stretched forth her hand, her fingers spread wide. Then, before anyone could understand her actions, she curled her fingers to form a fist.
At that exact moment, the glowing bodies of the executives turned into mush before disappearing instantaneously. There wasn't even a trace of their existence left.
[Spatial Manipulation]... Vekas thought to himself. Although he was unconscious during Sierra's battle against Revan back then, he later heard how she had used this authority to try and squeeze Revan to death, only for him to dismantle it in an instant.
However, these executives were not Revan. They weren't even semi-spiritual lifeforms. Crushing them to death by limiting the space around them to absolute zero was child's play.
"Their souls have been destroyed as well. Since they were contaminated with darkness, we couldn't have searched their souls even if they were to have survived," she remarked as she turned to them.
Their expressions were grim. Since the grandmaster was nowhere to be found in this building, where could they possibly be?
(Vekas, can you hear me?) Hearing the prince's voice in his mind, Vekas immediately became alert.
(Indeed, Prince Marcus. What happened?)
(I sense an underground channel near the rebels' main headquarters.)
(Huh? You are nearby?)
(Yes, how far have you infiltrated?)
Vekas sighed heavily. (We have searched every nook and cranny of this place, but were unable to find the grandmaster.)
(This means that their headquarters isn't actually this building, but the underground facility beneath it.)
Vekas's eyes shone upon hearing this. Underground, of course! That makes perfect sense. Why else would they have such an extravagant base? It was to conceal the fact that their real base was below that building.
Vekas turned his attention to the other two standing beside him and told them of the situation. Their eyes widened before they nodded. The three broke through the windows and descended directly to the ground.
Thanks to Wind Magic, they were able to slow their descent, though Sierra actually used [Spatial Manipulation] to reach the ground instantaneously. After the three reached the ground, Sierra scanned the underground area using [Sage Insight].
She soon frowned. "There's interference in my analysis."
She then concentrated, her pupils contracting and revealing more of her ocean-blue irises. Her analysis finally detected a faint underground network.
She showed this to the other two using [Mind Web]. After seeing this, the other three nodded as Vekas stepped forward, stretching out his hand. A beam of energy escaped his palm and landed on a specific area on the ground, opening up a pathway.
Without any delay, Sierra dashed into the pathway, while the other two followed behind. It took only a little bit of walking to find themselves in one layer of the underground base.
That was where they truly faced a swarm of rebels. The numbers were staggering, easily surpassing hundreds. Yet, Sierra blitzed, ending many of them before even a second could pass.
By the time the other two even realised what happened, Sierra had already gone deeper to the other floors. Vekas and Augustus jumped at this.
"Damn it, Sierra! Leaving us here like this," the chef sneered at this behaviour, while Vekas wondered why she was in such a hurry.
The two then fought the remaining number of rebels, which still surpassed hundreds. The duo grumbled, frowning as their seems to be no end to them.
Although they could also just leave them behind like Sierra, these rebels would then follow them and start the battle again. It would be highly inconvenient for that to happen.
Just then, an army of Aethelgardian soldiers burst forth. Led by Marcus, these soldiers also started fighting the rebels, and after another hour, the massacre was over. Not even a single rebel was spared, as all that was left was meat paste, blood, and corpses.
"Prince Marcus!" Vekas bowed immediately. "This is only the first layer. I suggest being cautious when going to further layers."
Marcus nodded and glanced at Augustus. "Where's Revan?"
"He went to visit the king, if I recall correctly."
"The king, huh... well, father will be arriving soon, so we don't have much to worry. Let's go." With that, the prince led his army forth.
Augustus and Vekas frowned. Although Revan might arrive, who was going to tell Marcus that Revan helping Aethelgard was by no means a certainty and only a high possibility?
They sighed before following the army. They quickly figured out, thanks to later analysis, that just like Aethelgard's dungeons, this underground base also had nine layers.
When they reached the seventh layer, the sight that greeted them was different than the previous six. Only one person was standing there, their cloak obscuring every part of their body. Most likely, Concealment Magic was involved.
Vekas frowned. Where is Sierra?
Augustus also frowned. She isn't responding to any of my calls from [Mind Web].
Marcus stepped forward, his sword ready. "Identify yourself."
The figure didn't respond. They only waved their hand as a huge gust of wind made entirely of Vyr flared at them. All the soldiers, even Marcus, raised their arms to protect themselves.
Vekas and Augustus immediately stepped forward. Since they were semi-spiritual lifeforms, they weren't bothered by this attack.
Summoning his sword, Vekas dashed forward, swinging it directly at the figure... only for the sword to stop midway.
"Huh? [Innate Barrier]?" The invisible force suddenly pushed him back, making his boots scrape against the ground.
"That... that seems like an evolved version of [Innate Barrier]," Vekas muttered, his eyes turning cold. "Are you the grandmaster of this rebellion?"
At this, the figure nodded their head, not even trying to hide it. Everyone stiffened at this moment. They were currently facing the one person who started this entire rebellion.
The figure took one step, but soon, they couldn't take another as an intense burst of Vyr was directed at them, similar to the one they themselves had unleashed.
Turning to Augustus, Vekas saw the man's eyes wide and filled with a cold light. His palms were outstretched and pointed at her as he directed this surge of Vyr.
"Augustus?" Vekas muttered in a daze. He had never seen him this angry before.
"To think you have gotten so advanced in hiding your presence and oathweight compared to the last time we fought. Had you not used that attack, I would've failed to recognise you so early on," the chef muttered, his brows furrowed deeply.
Vekas's eyes widened. Did this chef know who this person was?
The figure, meanwhile, raised their hand, as if getting ready to swat the surge of Vyr away. However, just then, Augustus stiffened his right hand as straight as a blade before shoving in the figure's direction.
Immediately, a new, sharper surge of Vyr was directed at the figure. Thanks to Vekas's [Appraisal], he was able to detect how the Concealment Magic of the figure eroded. The black cloak also flew away at this moment, revealing the figure's appearance.
The figure they spotted was a woman whose features were spotless, a peerless beauty with a shining radiance and a glow of innocence. Her skin was white as porcelain, highlighting her ocean-blue eyes that seemed to shine on her face.
Her long hair was a shade of dirty-blonde, reaching all the way to her waist while also being tied into a bun with a hairpin attached. She wore a black, sleeveless dress that clung to her curves and reached her bare feet. Accompanying that were fingerless gloves that extended to her elbow.
Her breasts were neither too big nor too small. She had a figure that screamed elegance and power. Her nails on both fingers and toes were golden. With such a figure, who wouldn't be left stunned?
However, it wasn't the appearance that primarily made everyone present widen their eyes in shock. Instead, it was the identity of this person, one with a peerless beauty that seemed to shake the world.
"Sofamy...?" Marcus's voice was frail and barely above a whisper, his pupils and irises shrunk to the size of a pin.
She stood silent, her face utterly impassive. Her eyes shone with dark light as they scanned everyone present.
"Princess Sofamy?! What is going on here?!?!" Vekas exclaimed, stepping back in a daze.
Who could have expected her to be like this? Who could have expected her to lead a rebellion that caused absolute chaos in the kingdom? It was unsettling. It was wrong. It was preposterous.
And yet, it was reality.
Sofamy waved her hand, and suddenly, the surge of Vyr directed at her was all extinguished as if it never existed. She remained silent as she turned to Augustus.
However, a shrill, loud, and cold voice suddenly resounded in the entire seventh layer. Every single person, aside from Sofamy, jolted in utter surprise, while the woman merely glanced at the small space between Vekas and Augustus.
"ATHYMA!!!" This is what the voice had screamed.
At the next moment, a black and blue blur passed between Vekas and Augustus in a flash of lightning. The two could barely use [Vyr Perception] to see that it was Sierra, her figure still covered in the black cloak she wore.
She jumped at Sofamy, her sword amplified with Vyr as she swung it straight at the blonde princess. However, the blade soon came to a halt, not because its foe had been beheaded, but because it had been blocked by a mere finger.
To be more precise, it was Sofamy's index finger, while she maintained eye contact with Sierra.
Her lips soon curled into a small smirk. "Ah... is this how that Revan fellow blocked your sword?"