Chapter 126: In Flames!

The fall of Skyport Arbitrium certainly did not happen quietly. Actually, within minutes of the Demons attack, and Jax’s loud declaration, the illusion of neutrality shattered all across Terra.

Emergency beacons flared in merchant hubs, calling for meetings to assess the damage and reinforce the protection of all their other very important bases.

Encoded distress sigils screaming through arcane channels meant only for internal Foundation use from members who had witnessed what Jax and his subordinates had done first hand.

Even Ledger spirits were awakened from centuries-long dormancy, screaming calculations as losses mounted faster than projections could stabilize.

For the first time in living memory, the Merchant Foundation of Aurelion was blind. They had no understanding of what was going on, their flow of information was completely broken, and they couldn’t react effectively.

And Jax intended to keep it that way.

Standing at the core of Skyport Arbitrium, Jax observed the unfolding chaos with calm precision.

Around him, vast crystal arrays hummed as demonic auditors overrode command permissions. Jax reviewed various contracts the Foundation had made with the other powers, and needless to say he burnt all of those contracts to ash.

He also looked at all the various convoys that were currently en-route, sending his men to intercept them and take all the goods they were carrying, and he made sure to sever all the communication relays one by one.

Floating glyph-screens displayed cascading failures, entire trade lanes going dark, teleport gates locking mid-transfer, bonded cargo beasts panicking as control collars lost authorization.

Everything Jax and his subordinates were doing was working perfectly.

“Proceed with secondary strikes, load everything we have here and send it back to the Capital,” Jax ordered, and his command immediately rippled outward to everyone already waiting in key spots to strike and take down other important locations.

Near the Holy Church, the Twelve Grand Ledger Vaults, repositories that stored binding trade contracts enforced by Church specified enforcers were struck simultaneously.

Demonic infiltration units directly attacked, composed of Vampires, Fallen Angels and DemiHumans who specialized in darkness and other infiltration styles of magic.

They slipped directly into the vault interiors and took out everyone they could, and then burned down all the contracts using Jax’s sigil to counteract the holy power.

Merchants who were deep in a comfortable sleep would wake upscreaming as binding oaths snapped or rewrote themselves mid-sentence.

Meanwhile, near the Authorian Seas, the Sea-Gate of Triune Accord, a colossal maritime transit nexus, found its tide-control arrays corrupted.

Ports that relied on it watched their shipping lanes twist unpredictably, currents shifting against centuries of established routes. Entire fleets were forced to anchor or risk annihilation, their schedules collapsing overnight.

Further inland, Mana-Transit Nexus Theta went silent. Its central crystal simply… stopped responding.

Days passed by, but Mana Caravans remained in these queues, ruining their deals and costing an enormous sum of money to everyone involved.

Kingdoms that relied on its output for enchanted arms felt their reserves drain at terrifying speed. Priests found blessing rituals faltering, not because faith had vanished, but because the mana flow sustaining them had been redirected to try and solve all of these issues.

All of it traced back to one source, the Demon Kingdom.

The various powers wondered how the Merchant Foundation was being toppled so quickly, they barely could prepare a plan to prevent it or slow it down.

Meanwhile, within the Demon Capital, belief surged.

Demons watched trade networks collapse in real time through public broadcasts sanctioned by Jax himself.

Scrying mirrors showed Merchant Lords shouting at subordinates, Holy envoys demanding answers, and neutral city-states desperately attempting to renegotiate supply access but to no avail.

Jax had completely taken over all of the supply routes, assigning Demon Soldiers to watch over them and inform him if anyone comes to push them off.

Merchants begged him to allow them to use the routes, but he denied. In the future, he’d open them back as long as they remained committed to him, but for now, he wanted everyone to learn of how horrible the world feels when they can’t access any of their common reasources.

Think about it, all the Nobles no longer with their soap or other accessories. Farmers can’t access their tools, Hunters can’t sell their spoils. All of it would overflow into frustration, and Jax would capitalize on that.

Hydra carried him across the skies like a living omen. Wherever her emerald form appeared, panic preceded her by leagues. Merchant guards abandoned posts. Sky-couriers scattered. Entire aerial convoys surrendered without resistance, their captains kneeling mid-flight as demonic authority washed over them.

At one such interception, Jax landed atop a massive floating convoy platform laden with weapon crates stamped with Lumerian scripture.

“These shipments are requisitioned.” Was all he said, and everyone let him do what he wanted, knowing his power.

The enchantments binding the cargo to Holy Church recipients unraveled instantly. Demonic sigils replaced them, glowing crimson against gold-inlaid steel.

Hydra snorted, clearly amused. “They never even tried to fight.”

“They can’t, they’ll put all their faith in their Heroes to solve everything,” Jax explained, mounting her again as strike teams secured the convoy, sending it spiraling toward demonic-controlled space.

One by one, communication relays fell.

The Merchant Foundation’s famed information dominance, its greatest strength, collapsed under coordinated demonic interference. Within days, the Foundation could no longer tell where its own assets were.

Within weeks, it would no longer matter.

In Lumeria, panic crept into the halls of power.

Supply projections shattered. Emergency reserves were opened far earlier than doctrine allowed. Knights began hoarding weapons, temples rationing mana crystals. For the first time since the Holy War doctrine had been established, logistics officers held more influence than generals.

And they were all saying the same thing.

’If this continues, we cannot sustain a prolonged campaign against the Demons,’

The Heroes felt it too.

Killian raged at the delays, smashing a table to splinters when informed another weapons shipment had failed to arrive. All the other Heroes could do was train until they could go and battle the Demon King for the 2nd time.

And far from their awareness, Jax smiled.

Standing next to Hydra, watching another trade artery collapse beneath them, excitement stirred in his chest.

“They’ll have to move soon,” he said softly. “They won’t let this bleed continue.”

“Why do I feel like you have a cruel plan for them for when you guys battle?” Hydra said, transforming back into her beautiful Human form and tugging Jax’s arm.

“Oh I do, they won’t see it coming,”

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