~~The Legion Gazette~~

May 28th, 629

Iron Legion has crossed the pass!

After tremendous efforts and coordination from warlocks and summoners throughout First Brigade, Hare’s Pass north of the fallen Stronghold Charlie has been bridged! 

With new access to the north, Iron Legion promises swift traversal to key Scourge targets. 

No longer is humanity on the defensive. For the first time in centuries, the fight is being taken to the enemy!

—

June 19th, 629

Yet another Nexus eradicated!

After a major siege conducted by Third and Eighth Brigade, yet another Nexus of Scourge hives and Royal concentrations has fallen! 

Images provided by Iron Legion agents detail the colossal structure and scenes of its destruction, as well as select photos of the undefeatable army as they trampled across monstrous scum to burn the Nexus to the ground. 

With this fallen Nexus, Iron Legion is one step closer to taking the entire western coast of the continent. 

—

June 24th, 629

Escalations in Fairway City; Nephilim holding remaining humans hostage!

As Fairway City saw the rise of Nephilim populations, most humans ended up migrating out of the rapidly corrupting city. However, as Nephilim took control of the City Hall and drove out human guards, escalations with local human Magi resulted in all out battles!

Months later and all Magi have either been corrupted or killed, but now the ordinary human population is powerless to escape. Reports from anonymous sources state that what few humans remain have been held hostage by the city, now entirely controlled and populated by Nephilim. 

Fairway City is only one in a long chain of cities falling to Nephilim control with even more on the downturn. Analysts say that the most dense population centers are prime targets, and those wishing to remain out of Nephilim control should prepare themselves. As demonstrated in Fairway City, escape may not be an option. 

—

July 1st, 629

The last western Nexus reduced to rubble!

With Iron Legion’s advance northward, the furthest Nexus from the reach of the frontlines has finally been brought down! Insider sources say the Legion has now shifted its focus to the east. With the war still moving at maximum intensity, Iron Legion is on track to conquer the entire northern region beyond the River of Desolation. 

Analysts say that the lack of extreme terrain and evidence of Iron Legion’s efficiency could mean that it may only take months for the indomitable Brigades to reach the opposite coast, while some say anything less than multiple years is unrealistic. While Iron Legion correspondents have been silent on estimates for the sake of security, their attitude and confidence is cause for optimism. 

—

July 15th, 629

Calls to resistance sweep City of Kohden!

A rallying cry heard for hundreds of miles, the City of Kohden, ruled by Count Kohden, has called upon Magi of all walks to help local leaders mount a formal resistance against the influx of Nephilim. Having suffered constant aggression from Nephilim populations who migrated from distant villages, official decrees to expel them were passed and enforced with the city guard. 

The City was later met with attacks from external Nephilim groups that sought to strongarm them into reopening the gates, but were rebuffed with the help of Magi who resided in the city. Now, Count Kohden seeks to liberate surrounding villages and towns, enforcing the decree across his territory. 

An example for cities across the whole of the Kingdom, the City of Kohden fights with both resources and weapons. An interview with Count Kohden has revealed that he has no knowledge of where generous donations of previously unseen weapons came from, but has nonetheless put them to good use in order to mount a defensive against any aggressive groups of Nephilim. Continuing to maintain secure connections with surrounding towns for resources, Count Kohden calls on other City Lords to follow in his footsteps.

The Legion Gazette continues to operate their branch within the city to bring you closely monitored updates week after week.

—

August 22nd, 629

Central continental Nexus destroyed!

After months of fighting and systematic siege, a major Nexus in the central region of the northern Scourge territories has been destroyed! On a map this would mean that Iron Legion has swept through half of the Scourge’s territory, and while the battle is far from over, this monumental success by itself is enough for the history books! 

Iron Legion continues its campaign with the same vigor that it started with, no signs of slowing down based on reports from correspondents. While casualties have in fact been sustained, they remain minimal and few deaths have occured. 

—

August 30th, 629

Marquess Assassinated! King Alphon calls for investigation!

The third Marquess to be assassinated this year has sparked outrage among high noble circles, whose populations have shrunk in recent years due to a long series of murders and assassinations that have gone entirely unsolved. No longer able to sit still, King Alphon has launched a formal investigation with the help of the Royal Family and allied Grand Dukedoms to find the culprit. 

Insider sources say the brunt of their scrutiny seems to be aimed at human dominated groups that have resisted the influx of Nephilim, especially including Sawn Industries and their connections with Iron Legion. Although they have yet to give specific statements, it’s impossible to mistake the large groups of Royal Guard outside of Sawn Industry establishments, especially around the Magic Spire. 

—

September 3rd, 629

A Scourge Sovereign has been repelled!

With the advance of Iron Legion into territory that has been dominated by the Scourge for centuries, encountering powerful enemies has always been a worry. 

And yet, in a stunning turn of events, with confirmation provided by Iron Legion sources, another Scourge Sovereign has been encountered and rebuffed with help from Chief Ironheart of the Whetted City. This makes two encountered Scourge Sovereigns since the start of Iron Legion’s campaign, the first being killed as they reclaimed the fallen Treehouse Stronghold. 

With this record, some have begun calling to make the Raven Family that Chief Ironheart belongs to into a proper Grand Dukedom, status that would give them sway over the highest Kingdom politics and earn them a seat next to the King. However, correspondence from the Royal Family has returned only sharp refusals to acknowledge the new Authority 12 Knight, claiming that Iron Legion’s proclaimed feats are “without integrity and severely exaggerated,” all despite photos and video being provided as evidence. 

—

September 7th, 629

Ordinary humans, now becoming Magi!

The Holy See has recently announced a stunning new achievement. While previously only rumors, the Church’s new Invocation technology, released for public knowledge but still strictly controlled, has finally entered mass scale adoption!

Invocations, an enchantment-like series of magical augmentations for both existing Magi and normal humans, have the ability to grant powers to any that receive them. While the type of power depends on what Invocation is inscribed on a person’s body, they are nearly fully customizable, only limited in adoption and capability by the resources needed to grant them. 

For now, only select groups have outwardly displayed their new Invocations. The most notable is the Blind Sisterhood, operated by Sovereign Warlock Hallowlight of the Holy See. Other groups come from a variety of Peerages, and while no unaffiliated organizations have been granted the privilege of Invocation magic, the fact remains that it will continue to spread and grant the ordinary population of the world a new path of advancement and power just like Magi. 

Analysts are already making theories about the revolutionary effects this will have on the world as we know it. On the other hand, we can also expect to see severe competition when the magic leaks and reaches the hands of other parties around both the Church and Kingdom. 

—

September 12th, 629

Catastrophic battle on the horizon!

Recent messages from Iron Legion officials say that another major battle is soon to arrive. As the indomitable army approaches the final phases of their campaign across Scourge territory razing everything in their path, higher concentrations of monsters are gathering to mount a proper defensive. Although impossible to resist, Iron Legion will be encountering one of its largest open field battles to date. Correspondents have assured that they will continue to update with any major news. 

—

……

I flicked through the last article, nodding at the click-baity titles and carefully crafted wording. 

Our newspaper companies had been working overtime recently in all kinds of cities across the Kingdom. Not just them either. Agents responsible for spreading the words and rumors by word of mouth were doing their jobs swimmingly. 

Half of my plan hinged on their success. As much as I didn’t care to propagandize or politic, informing people of what was happening was an important piece of my puzzle. 

Nobody was happy with the current Kingdom. Nephilim were overrunning the cities and were not just actively corrupting them, but killing them and driving them out. Population numbers were going down and people were beginning to feel it and get scared. 

Some people were already up in arms. What I was doing was making sure that nobody would be able to escape the knowledge of what was happening. 

It was happening fast, and that speed was precisely what I was betting on. After all, I was the one who accelerated the explosive spread of the Nephilim. 

The newspaper disappeared from my hands with a thought. 

Word about our upcoming battle didn’t need to be hidden. I had mentioned it to our public liaisons on a whim, but at this point there was nothing the Scourge could do that could catch us off guard anyway. I didn’t care if they knew about whether or not they’d be getting in a large battle soon. There was nothing they could do to prepare, and besides, it wasn’t like they didn’t actually know. I had my generals move as if the Scourge knew their every thought, and so far it had worked. Surprises were a thing of the past. There was no fog of war here for either side and neither of us were acting like it. 

I sat back for a few more minutes, listening to the sounds of rolling metal mixed with a cacophony of violins, lutes, flutes, drums, and oddly enough, tubas. 

I gave my mind time to zone out, thinking about nothing and everything. I stayed like that until I felt rainfall on my skin. 

I opened my eyes, seeing the metal wall of the tank in front of me, not a drop of water on my clothes. 

But it was raining, and after putting on my exosuit, I unlatched the exit hatch above me, pulling myself through. 

I gazed upon the location we were in, the tank rolling to a stop, others surrounding it in practiced formations. 

It was nothing but endless biomat all around us. The color red was damn near the only color we ever saw for months now. It covered sand, dirt, and sometimes even snow and ice. It was simply everywhere, and these regions of biomat were thickened with age. 

Rocky dirt was underneath this area of biomat, exposed only when teams started to tear up those veined roots to clear the campsite. 

My view trailed to the distance though, in several locations only visible due to the towering beacons of fire that indicated them. 

Spore nests had become one of our primary targets, and in these regions, they dotted the landscapes every several miles. Due to their abundance and how entrenched they could be, they started getting slightly expensive to clear out. We couldn’t send bunker buster missiles at every single one we came across just to uproot it. So we did the next best thing. 

We lit them aflame. The spewers were rigged with formations and a few fire crystals, then ignited and set to self sustain. Just like that, the spore nests burned through nutrients and biomatter sending endless amounts of spores into a fiery column. It wasted Scourge resources while eventually killing the problem. 

Spore nests by themselves weren’t actually a major issue. They were responsible for environmental catastrohpe sure, but they weren’t like a Nexus, a direct source of harm to my troops. Therefore, we didn’t need to expend so much to ensure their demise. Igniting them was the best choice. 

That made for the spectacular view before me. Massive torches of flame, some closer than others in the distance. They blazed for hundreds of feet before cooling into heated black smoke. 

Although, perhaps I should’ve guessed what that would lead to. After many weeks of those nests burning without end, so much smoke had flooded the local atmosphere that it had started to cool and condense. 

The result was what I had felt inside the tank just now. 

Except, it wasn’t rain on my skin. Instead I felt thick drops of tarry black fluid spatter on my suit. At first it was sparse, but when it picked up, it started to coat everything. 

My exosuit and the tanks around me were swiftly painted black, the soldiers all raising barriers and protections against the toxic downpour. Before long though, some warlocks got the shields up and running, creating a massive dome around the campsite that stopped the rain. 

I saw the rain create a thick film over the shield, sliding off, but not fast enough to actually maintain sightlines beyond. In minutes we were covered by a black dome, but nobody cared much. 

Although it was the first time I was experiencing it, it wasn’t the first for these men. I wasn’t always on the frontlines recently. Unfortunately I occasionally missed the interesting stuff like toxic tar rain. Not this time though. 

I shook my hand, none of the liquid coming off as it cooled and solidified around my suit. Soldiers had quickly gone from setting up camp to deploying cleaning facilities, getting the rain out of armor and away from where they were setting up tents. 

“My, how attractive.”

Umara sauntered over with a smile, not a single blemishing drop anywhere on her clothes. 

Speaking of her clothes, I quickly noticed some recent modifications she had made to them. Gone were her old warlock robes she used to wear. Her garb had undergone several refinements over time as she became adept at enchanting, and now it was both simpler and more powerful. 

She wore a thick overcoat that matched the black fabric of her witch hat. Around her torso was a complex arrangement of metal plating and protections, every separate piece enchanted and connected to each other in an array. They had several functions, not the least of which was using a new set of spatial magic for defense instead of offense. 

At her waist the overcoat split to reveal her pants underneath, form fitting yet a bit loose for movement and comfort. Then there were her combat boots which meshed with the pants, covered in more metal plates with a variety of functions for enhanced mobility. 

Finally, her hands poked out from her sleeves, covered in armored gloves primarily there for protection instead of magic casting. She was a living foci, so there was little need for another unless it was far more powerful than she was, which was difficult to find and impossible to make at the moment. So therefore, her gloves were enchanted with heavy protection arrays that helped make sure she wouldn’t lose her fingers in close combat engagements, whether by her own spells or by her enemy. 

“I dont have projectable shields unfortunately. Nothing so convenient.”

“Right, all you have is everything else.”

“Maybe after this advancement. I’m quite looking forward to what becomes available. So far it was exosuits and a newer generation of firearms. But if my next authority jumps another generation, I have a hard time imagining what would be in store.”

“Well, I can certainly feel you getting closer. I can tell you’ve been cultivating more. Think the advancement will be soon?”

I nodded to her, the song shifting and making me more comfortable with sending my exosuit away. 

I had comprehended my advancement formation some time ago. Now my time had been spent ceaselessly cultivating my power. I had been using a set of linked Authority 10 White Crystals that had been sourced from two behemoths, and so far things had gone well. 

My power was beginning to reach that tipping point, but at the same time, my mind was filled with what would come after. 

Maxwell had said a long time ago that his Call stopped at Authority 10. It was debateable on whether or not it actually could get me there, primarily due to whether it accommodated breaching the Great Barrier. The man was a genius, but not even he had broken through. That meant he didn’t have the experience to build those things into his Call. 

The advancement formation to Authority 9 was still solid. I could see no ways to improve it or change it that wouldn’t simply make it worse. And since it had felt ‘correct’ while cultivating, that meant nature itself agreed with it. 

But I had seen none of the next advancement formation. It was safe to say that Maxwell and I would be holding plenty of discussions if I couldn’t figure things out myself. 

Besides that though, Authority 9 was swift on approach and I was planning to advance within the next month. The only reason I was here instead of back at my estate cultivating was because of the upcoming battle. 

Not only would there be a Sovereign waiting for us, but we were about to lay siege to a previously unencountered Scourge structure. It was a step up from a Nexus. From a distance, it looked like a trio of Nexuses in one, a massive complex that seemed to me like the perfect place to store an intelligence capable of managing the entire war effort in the northern regions of the continent. I was expecting that intelligence I had fought to be there, which meant there were more than likely two Sovereigns waiting instead of just the one we repelled. Since Ironheart wasn’t in the position to handle more than one, I had already called Anderson and got his agreement to kill the other. The man was more than happy to help. It wasn’t every day the opportunity to fight Sovereigns popped up. 

Umara walked up to me, leaning into me with my arm habitually wrapping around her shoulders. We looked off toward the rest of the camp, everyone moving around, preparing food for the most part. 

“My husband is almost at Authority 9. I might be advancing again soon after though. Honestly, I never thought I’d actually beat you to Authority 10.”

“You underestimate yourself, my beautiful bride. Tomorrow is going to be a long day, so how about we retire early?”

“Sounds like a wonderful idea.”

We exchanged a kiss before heading to our group, all of them preparing food. We sat down by Feiden and Blackblood and ate our food quickly before heading to an open area. 

After throwing down an unassuming, though slightly larger tent, we climbed in and activated the myriad of enchantments across the fabrics and armors. 

And we had our fun before we went to sleep, making sure we were fully prepared for our fight the next day. 

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