Now that I am within it, I can give an accurate account of how the Empire actually functions. Every member of Arascus’ family is decisive, and needs to be accounted for when dealing with the Empire, although it should be noted that some of them are far more decisive than others. Arascus himself, of course, stands as the pillar that connects all the other floors of the tower together. Whereas there are types like Fer or Irinika, who are naturally charismatic and social, those are the exceptions. Not just to his family but to Divinity as a whole.

Baalka, Olephia and Neneria, of which Neneria is the worst although Olephia is a close second, are natural recluses. Of course, I am sure they have their own reasons for these things, anyone is able to work out why Olephia, for who the act of speaking causes untold destruction, has learned to isolate. Malam and Anassa are unique for being completely unbearable. Malam, at the very least, has a certain magnetism to her in her humour and wit, but Anassa is a despicable character. Her power is her claim to the family, for she is so difficult to get along with that even her sisters complain about her. Kassandora, whilst not particularly difficult to get along, seemingly has no drive to get along with others. Kavaa, in this regard, is the exception and Kavaa is difficult in her own regard.

These characters are joined together by Arascus, who also manages the civilian bureaucracy of the Empire. I have come across multiple factories which have a little red phone that is a direct line to the Emperor. Supposedly, the God of Pride actually does spend his time checking up on the affairs of local managers and the like. The Empire would not run without him, that much is certain.

Back in the Great War, the White Pantheon considered Irinika the greatest threat, and we juggled whether it was Malam or Kassandora or Irinika who were Arascus’ number two. At this point, it is obvious, the God of Pride has no number two, but there are a pair of Goddesses who more than pull their weight. We were correct back, it is indeed Malam and Kassandora. The former manages Imperial counterintelligence and half-fills the role that Maisara did in the White Pantheon, which is to serve as an enforcer of rules. Riots, revolts and rebellions do not occur under Malam’s gaze because the Goddess manufactures riots, revolts and rebellions pre-emptively to crush them later. The pro-active method is the antithesis of Maisara’s reactive enforcement. I would dare say it is more effective.

But Kassandora is easily the second most important individual in the Empire. We did not consider it back then, although from the inside, it goes so beyond obvious that one may not even notice it. Kassandora’s presence is as ubiquitous as the presence of air, where we can forget it even exists. If Arascus is the pillar and foundation of the structure, Kassandora is ground floor.

Not for her strategy, or her wisdom in warfare, or anything else of such regard. Rather, it is for Kassandora’s eye at talent. The fastest way to become a manager of anything in the Empire is to first become an officer in her army. Some roles, such as Malam’s SIS or secret projects, recruit exclusively from the Imperial Military. There are civilian pilot schools, and yet to have a pilot who has not sat in the cockpit of a fighter or a bomber is unheard of.

Kassandora, for all her wisdoms, does have a talent that one has to witness to truly notice. She can take any character, any kind of man or woman, break them down, and rebuild them into a soldier. If the Empire had to take and refine its citizens into a role, then I am sure it would be a lethargic monster. But the Empire does not take from its citizens, it takes from its soldierly.

And War naturally selects for a certain breed.

– Excerpt from “Under the Black, Red, White”, written by Goddess Helenna, of Love.

Malam blew the smoke away from the barrel of her rifle as she stared down at the sight. The succubi had been taken by surprise, obviously. They must have not seen her as she crossed the summit. Their loss, she had managed to fell a full twelve of the wicked little creatures in the opening salvo. She clicked the trigger on the magazine release, expecting the box to slide right out of the rifle. Instead, it remained in.

Of Hatred rolled her eyes in annoyance, here she thought that the use had smoothed out the edges enough for her to make a stylish quick reload. Apparently not. The SIS she had brought when Kassandora gave her the order were those she could catch in Aris, who could make it to the bullet train, and from other towns on the way. More than two hundred members in total, all veterans, although everyone in the SIS was. Why bother with training up fresh blood when she could just pilfer from her sister? They raced down the hill, a few providing covering fire to supress and force the succubi away.

Malam loaded another magazine into her new rifle. Its holster, practically a sword sheath on her belt bumped against her leg in the biting wind as her black eyes scanned the entire region for any threats. Fools and amateurs would be drawn to the battle in the sky, where a team of Imperial mages had just been getting decimated by a swarm of flying succubi. Fire still dashed in the sky, walls of ice mashed together tried to form barriers. Snakes of flames raced and smashed into each other as long-range magic created tiny suns which swallowed demon or man whole.

Malam held her rifle up once again and tightened her core. The trick was to be tight, but not so tight that your bones and muscles locked up. The recoil was to bounce from your shoulder and back down to the legs. Her eyes went to the ground were rapidly raised stone barriers now sat charred with men cowering behind them. Pistols only, Kassandora had been correct that the Plateau D’Albion needed a proper defence. Of Hatred’s lips twisted into a smile. Save for those vehicles spewing flame into the forest line as they failed to escape from pillars of flames which crashed down from above or roared upwards straight from the ground below, there was nothing about.

Ruined silos, their tops cracked open, did not spew forth insects. Then Be’elzebub had been routed out of the area. And if Be’elzebub was rounded, that was more than enough of a green for Malam to engage. Against a Prince, she would call backup. Against these creatures though? Malam pulled the trigger and not succubi was ripped in two by a shell which would fell aircraft. And she pulled again after a moment’s aim. Who did they think they were? Ardan Divinity had come to the scene. They better flee whilst they had the chance.

The Goddess worked through the flying swarm from her vantage point on the cliff. There was no reason to move from this good spot. Everything had a range, succubi just happened to be rather unfortunate that magic had been outdone by gunpowder in this day and age. The troops on the ground started firing in short bursts, putting a hail of lead into the succubi in the air.

The demonesses began to drop like flies being sprayed by poison, thin trails of blood came upon them. They stopped their assault, rearranged slightly, a few escaped even higher. Those, Malam would get with her cannon. The smart ones dived back down to the ground in an effort to seek shelter amongst the burning forest. The RugRats sprays of napalm which had been meant to drive the succubi out now served as the barrier would prevent chase.

In the sky, a huge wall of flame appeared. Malam shot into it, her bullet burst through the flame. A scream came from the other side, a piercing wail of a screech. Then they were moving. And that fire was to serve as a smoke screen. One more shot for good measure, ammunition was cheap after all. Definitely cheaper than whatever the price that Tartarus set for succubi infiltrators. It slowly moved downwards. Malam kept her rifle steady and aimed for any head that would pop out. Flames still burst towards the mages; tendrils of fire which flashed forwards like lightning, all sharp twists and turns. Malam idly filed away to report to Kassandora that the local commander should be replaced. The mages should be pulled back for defence. Her SIS reached the first stone barrier. Men in black coats came to replace the sweaty Pesticide Team who had been trying to shoot with pistols. That lot gave up their positions easily. Most didn’t even run away, they just collapsed behind the barriers as the teams of mages still underground kept on raising more.

Malam’s eyes caught sight of a disturbance, a fire ball coming straight at her. Malam stared at it for a few moments, then her gun and fired straight into it. She didn’t know what exactly she was expecting to happen, for nothing did. The large round passed through flame as easily as it would through air. Malam’s legs kicked into motion as her mind caught up to her body moving. She skipped along the ground, her steps light and breezy, as if she was a little girl playing hopscotch.

The ball of flame flew harmlessly past her as she put another pair of shells into flame. Or tried to, the gun clicked on the second time, another ball of came out, and a dashing straight for her. Of Hatred raced down the hill towards the groups of magicians. “RAISE BARRIERS!” She shouted frantically, then made a quick turn and a jump to the side as fire burst out underneath her. Too accurate, someone was looking at her. Her eyes peered through the wall of flame, rifle coming up. She caught sight of the culprit. Or at least what she thought was the culprit. A succubus that too large to be a succubus, fire swirling around.

Malam twisted on the ground around that ball of fire, she bent her ankle, kicked up a dagger from the inside of her boot as she spun around. One hand caught it mid spin, she gave one twirl and threw it away, clicking the magazine release again. Nothing happened as the succubus made the dodge of the knife seem lethargic. Another pillar of fire from below, the grass cracking as it rapidly withered under heat being called up was the tell. Malam ducked and slid, carving out a small trench for a stream behind her. Another pillar of fire from below, this wasn’t a normal succubus. The Goddess pirouetted to the side again, her finger held down the magazine release, she crashed the rifle into the ground to forcefully eject the damn thing.

Finally, the magazine fell out. Malam flicked one of her spares from her belt loops and slid it into the gun.

She took aim.

Gone.

No more. The succubi had disappeared intos the trees, that massive fire in the air but up as a smokescreen slowly began to shrink. It left no smoke, instead only a thin shimmer of heat that unfocused the eye. Malam pulled the bolt back into her magazine and stared at the destruction. There were definitely more Imperial corpses than succubi here, some of her SIS too. The smell of burned rubber and charred flesh filled the air with a disgusting, sickly scent. Even the wind from the valley that overlooked the nuclear missile silos didn’t do much to clean it out.

Malam descended to the closest group. One of her SIS officers, in a singed black coat that fell down to his ankles and with his rifle hooked over his arm, came up to inform her of the obvious. “They’re running away.” Great. As if she didn’t have eyes to see that. The SIS, their Goddess, the survivors of the Pesticide team and the magical relief squad all stared into that flaming wood.

“That they are.”

“Are we giving chase?”

Malam turned to the burning woods, the black smoke was like tar being spread across the sky. It would be a risk. She took a step forward. What had ever been achieved without taking a risk? She took one step forward. But then… it was the woods. There could be a succubi behind every tree. She looked up at the clear grey-blue sky. If only it hadn’t been soiled by ash, she could request air support. Helicopters with thermal cameras to give them perfect

No.

It was the woods.

She had not gone thousands of years on this world to wander off into woods alone. The sort of fools who did that had died off long ago. She pulled out her phone and scrolled to her contacts. No, she was not stupid, nor desperate, and she had far too much paranoia to go up against what was obviously a higher-class of succubus. Some things, she could hunt alone.

Some things, she had family for.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep