I waved my hand and made the Witch King's baton fly to me. I grabbed it and examined it over. Something that could survive such a blast with no scratch wouldn't be a simple thing. The dust started to settle, and soon, I heard crisp footsteps on the crystals around me.
-"Eno."-Lemuen was first to come to my side.
-"It's done. Order Apostolic Knights to secure the area. Don't let anyone enter the underground without permission."
-"On it."-She nodded and started to relay my commands.
-"Holy Son!"-Empress Hildegard started to approach me with a sword in her hand, only to be stopped by Cellinia before she could reach me.-"What right do you have to take over this place! Your actions are affront to Leithanian sovereignty! Is Laterano going to declare war?!"
-"Empress."-I spoke calmly, the divinity still affecting my mind and body.-"As a guest, I was involved in an accident of this magnitude, caused by nobles of your country, not to mention withholding the information about the corruption occurring here. While it's the first time I've seen this thing, I read through the restricted part of the Lateran archives, so I can make an educated guess what that thing is, so I doubt you are unaware."
The moonlight emanating from the markings on my face and armor made me appear much more authoritative, silencing even the angry empress.
-"Laterano will secure this space, building defenses to prevent further degradation of the barrier between our worlds. This accident shall be addressed at the Summit of Nations that the Pope is arranging; until then, I demand Leithanian cooperation. Are we clear?"
-"Holy Son, I can understand your anger, but such a drastic step will only make it more troublesome to move forward."-Empress Lieselotte tried to intercede.
-"Empress, you should understand the importance of what took place here, not to even mention the danger of those 'Collapsals' as the Columbians coined it. Even if I wasn't involved in this personally, I would have to step up to uphold international agreements."
-"Even then, this accident wasn't caused by Leithanien but rather by a terrorist organization under the Witch King."
-"Both of us know that Echoes weren't just a terrorist organization. I have enough proof to positively link Empresses to their actions."
-"Stop this word game, Lieselotte."-Empress Hildegard finally calmed down enough to think logically.-"What are your demands?"
-"We will enter a cooperative agreement. Laterano and Leithanien will jointly secure this space. What happened here can be kept secret if you want, but the legacy of the Witch King belongs to me. Rhodes Island will be our witness and independent party to the agreement; they will act as the face of the cooperation so neither country is treated as secondary."
-"Is that all?"
-"Of course not, this is just about how to handle the situation, not the compensation for other things."-I shook my head.-"Due to an accident, as a thanks for Lateran action to help citizens, the Empresses agreed to grant us the right to spread the Lateran Church within the borders of Leithanien, allowing for the building of churches. In addition, the Laterano was granted one part of the Güldenesgesatz as a sign of our eternal friendship. What do you think, Empresses?"
-"Outrageous."-Empress Hildegard instantly commented.-"Even asking to share your faith is already taking an arm and a leg, yet you also demand Güldenesgesatz?"
-"No, I think this agreement is worth considering."-Empress Lieselotte stopped her sister.-"What will be the Laterano stance on this incident?"
-"That the Echoes acted against us, forcing us to get involved."
-"I can agree to your conditions if you add two more points. First Laterano involvement won't be due to being attacked, but rather by being invited by us to resolve the Collapsal threat that Echoes caused. Second, Witch King Legacy and Güldenesgesatz can be granted, but they cannot be separated from Leithanien. The achievement of defeating the Witch King will be granted to Son, along with the title of Kurfürst and a Spire in the Zwillingstürme."
-"You want to use my name and actions to centralize power? At least six Kurfürsten were personally involved in the incident, so stripping most of their powers wouldn't be impossible"-I started to analyze.-"If Laterano helps you gain the moral high ground, the reform would indeed be much easier. I can agree, under the condition that the title Kurfürst will become hereditary."
-"Only if Son takes a wife from Leithanien nobility."-Empress Lieselotte smiled.
-"Empress, the position of Son's wife is not something that can be simply arranged like that."-Lemuen spoke from the side.
-"I know, but I also believe that Son can understand my meaning."
-"While I understand, I won't agree to that. I'll leave that to fate."
-"Then let's meet halfway. The title is to be given to Son, and it can be either passed onto a Leithanian descendant or the next holder will be appointed by joint agreement."
-"I agree."
-"Then can we count on Lateran assistance with centralizing the power?"
-"I can agree to assist, but not directly. I suggest inviting a neutral third party to be the judge and holding a public court to sentence nobles before the eyes of the nation. Laterano will be a prosecutor so that the Empresses are not seen as power-hungry. That way, Lateran assistance will be viewed as demanding accountability, not a political move."
-"Interesting idea."-Empress Lieselotte considered viability of my approach.-"This can work, but who should be a judge?"
-"I suggest a country that isn't deeply involved in the Leithanian noble web of relationships, such as Yan, Higashi, Kazdel, or Sargon."
-"Kazdel and Yan are out of question."-Empress Hildegard got involved in our negotiation.-"Kazdel won't convince the public, Yan, on the other hand, is connected with nobles."
-"Yanese nobles are indeed connected, but their emperor doesn't need those connections. This would be a good chance to gain an ally and weaken Ursus that is much more interconnected with those nobles."
-"What about Higashi and Sargon?"
-"Both countries are much more isolated; neither possesses much connection to the Leithanian nobility. I suggest forming a court with three judges from those three countries, with Yan as the primary one. If this can be formed properly, we might create precedent for the international court."
-"Such matters are for later consideration. Your idea is worth considering. We will discuss it with our supporters. But we need to first deal with this place."-Empress Hildegard brought us back to the beginning.-"What does Son plan to do?"
-"That depends. This space is like a barrier between Terra and the outside; it needs to exist. I hope it can be repaired, but I'm afraid that after so long, the corruption is beyond our capability to resolve. I hope to work with Rhodes Island and the Ludwigs-Universität to research Kargereich, formulating a plan of action for moving forward."
-"While I'd like to agree with you, Eno, we might not have that much time."-Fremont joined our conversation.-"This space is crumbling; without the Witch King, it will collapse soon. We need to act quickly."
He pointed at the sky where cracks started to appear. Looking at it, I knew that my plan of action just fell through; there was no time for research. The speed at which the crack expanded gave us at most hours to deal with the issue.
-"Can it be repaired?"-Empress Hildegard asked him.
-"Yes, but it would require someone to stay here, slowly corroding him like the Witch King was. It isn't a long-term solution."
-"Old Lynx, any idea?"-I looked at Kal'tsit who was unusually silent this whole time.
-"Not my field of expertise. I can check our archives, but we might not be able to be of much assistance."-She answered me, but her eyes were still on my left arm.
-"Please try to find everything that can help us. Fremont, can you organize teachers to strengthen this place?"
-"It won't work."-He shook his head.
This complicates things. Without a clear understanding, repairing this place was all but impossible.
-"My research on the Realm can help."-Otto's voice appeared in our minds.-"But repairing this place isn't advisable. Collapsal influence is too great. I suggest you replace this space with a new one."
His voice made everyone nervous, recognizing it as belonging to the Witch King.
-"Wait... Don't tell me."-Fremont thought about something, looking at me with surprise.-"It's Voice, isn't it?"
-"Haha, you've gotten old, my friend."-Otto appeared by my side, his appearance hard to link with the tyrant.
-"Who wouldn't?"-Fremont rolled his eyes.-"Congratulations, your plans were successful."
-"Thank you, but let's not waste time. Eno, you should consider replacing this space with yours. It would help you strengthen it as well as establish permanent link to Terra, which might be useful in your future travels."
-"What about the Collapsals?"
-"They need to be destroyed."-Promulgator appeared as well.-"There is no other way."
As she spoke, the oil-like substance started to flow from the cracks in the sky, monsters emerging from it. Everyone quickly moved back, avoiding the Collapsals emerging from everywhere. I could feel the corruption intensifying so I quickly jumped into the action.
-"Lemuen, secure the research left by the Witch King and retreat quickly."-I gave the command while using magic to slow down the approaching Collapsals.-"Old Lynx, can I ask you to help others?"
-"I'll make sure no one is left behind. How long can you buy us?"
-"At the rate those appear, an hour is all I can guarantee."
She nodded and started to act.
-"Empresses, can you cooperate with Fremont to prepare the formation outside. Fremont, I need that formation to help me later. I don't want to turn the entire city into crystal."
-"Leave it to me."-He nodded.
-"What do you need us to do?"
-"Prepare the Spires in the city as if Güldenesgesatz was to be played."
Two of them nodded, arranging Gesatzswächter to move as quickly as possible.
-"Laqeramaline, I'll need your help later."
-"Sure."
Everyone started to move; the threat in front of us was a priority far beyond our squabbles and motives to matter. I focused on the Collapsals, while Otto and Promulgator prepared everything in my inner world. Nothing could go wrong.
As I was delaying the Collapsals, the outside world finally learned what happened inside, at least the version the Empresses wanted the world to know. The public is unaware of what Collapsals are, so there was no panic; everyone just followed orders.
But the issues quickly started to appear. In the chaos, many Spires were damaged, some partially losing their capabilities. The most damaged was the Spire of Kurfürst of the Sturmland, the Werner's Spire. Until not long ago, the spire was still held by the remains of Echoes; it was recaptured just now. The one leading the attack on the Spire was Viviana, who took charge of everything happening on this side.
Her swift actions and quick resolution of the chaos made her a hero in the eyes of the people, while her strength and ability in Arts impressed nobbles, gaining their recognition. Her name was already popular in the Leithanien from her time in Kazimierz, but now she was put on the same pedestal as the Empresses, a war hero.
But all that stopped mattering to her when she stepped into the Spire, as in the main room, she found the body of her father. She stood there, unable to understand why this had happened. She found a letter in his hands. After taking it, she quickly read her father's last words.
The letter stated that he knew that we arranged protection for him, but he couldn't let the family name be stained by his dealings with the Echoes, so he stood by his choice. He apologized to her, but only his death could ensure that Empresses wouldn't take back the family's title and privileges. He told her that he wished her to find happiness, not to be afraid to fight for it.
Viviana took the letter, but didn't cry; she barely showed any emotion. She continued arranging tasks, focusing on returning the Spire to the working order first. When asked about her father's body, she ordered it to be left in place.
Thanks to her work, the Spire was restored in time for Fremont to include it in the formation. When she was leaving, she looked at her father's body one last time, her usually gentle and calm eyes now held a dangerous spark in them. She was prepared for this eventuality, but knowing that her father still ignored everything she wished for, she made her decision.
Meanwhile, Fremont made all available Casters take positions around the city, preparing to assist when needed. Our formation was prepared with a situation when I would need to fight in the city in mind, so it acted as a funnel for a magic power, so that I wouldn't accidentally crystallize the city. But such an amount of magic power, Originium for Art Casters, was hard to control, and as such, Fremont mobilized hundreds of Casters to minimize the danger of such an operation.
As he was working, Otto gathered others to coordinate on other aspects of the plan.
-"There are a few more things we need to prepare for. First, Eno will need absolute focus in the casting process. You'll have to ensure his safety, while Collapsals will do everything that they can to stop him."
-"We will order Gesatzswächters to assemble."-Empress Hildegard nodded.
-"Apostolic Knights will never let any harm reach the Son."-Patrizion spoke solemnly.
My knights also nodded.
-"Good that you are motivated, but remember that our enemy isn't normal. Your job is to stop them, not defeat them."
-"How long will we need to buy?"-Kal'tsit was much more grounded.
-"Two or three minutes. I'll assist you as much as I can, but both Her Highness Promulgator and Miss Laqeramaline will have their own tasks."
-"We'll not let anything pass us by."-Ace spoke up, his words making others who were preparing for the fight cheer.
-"Then get ready. Eno is already backing toward the passage. He'll need to be at the border between spaces, so you'll have to be a step before him."
His words acted as the command to depart, making everyone move into the crumbling Kargereich. Otto watched everything, his face stoic, but his eyes weren't so calm. Promulgator appeared by his side, her eyes also held some worry.
-"There won't be any issue?"
-"We can only try our best. Eno's state is as good as it can be; the emotions in his heart are no longer so volatile."
-"Volatile or not, making him unleash what he suppressed for so long isn't something easy."
-"He needs to face it. Without it, he would never make another step forward."
-"Sigh. I hope that my and Laqeramaline's actions will be enough to keep him grounded."
Otto didn't respond, as someone whose original got lost in a similar power, he couldn't offer any words of assurance. He stared at my flying figure, his thoughts unknown. He just waved his hand, music sounding around him, announcing the start of the battle.