The Khmet force is ready to capture the highly-populated northern populations centres. Troops should be diverted through the south until more portal locations are secured as we are being split across too many front at this point. The armies on the third Landbridge and the spewer upon it were originally meant to fight in Esberia. The loss of those troops has severely hampered the Epan War efforts. The opening of a fourth front, in Khmet has pushed our forces to their limits.

Infiltrator spying has revealed that whilst the Imperial lands within Arika are vast and resource rich, the provinces there are generally underpopulated. Could we do damage if we breached the mountain-line in the Kirinyaan Central Mountains? Most certainly. Is breaching the mountain-line feasible? Indeed. Even with the advent of missiles being launched from Kirinyaa, we are still making slow progress in the demolishing of those rocks.

But is it feasible to achieve any amount true damage there? The area known as the Arikan Ashlands, which have been discovered to once be the habitat of a Jungle deity, are off limits due to the wind-cannon that targets the entire area. The mountains are a shield for the entire country. The better case would be to go around, through the currently neutral nation of Aittyopos. The amount of troop expenditure sent there would need to be massive as well. We will need to use a Kassandora-ism here. Will this angle help us win the war? And if so, by how much? The fall of Kirinyaa will be harmful to Imperial morale, of that I am sure. But will it assist in actually, materially, conquering Epa? No.

And for the Empire to be brought down, our troops need to march through every single Epan capital. Ashen Skies have served us well. Their presence still shuts down deployment of this airforce that the Empire claims will destroy us. But it is time to move doctrine on from the slow grind of Ashen Skies. The presence of major Divines has put a stop on all Spewer advancement. We cannot let our shield dictate our offensive capabilities.

Not just in Khmet, but throughout all Epa, it is time to march into the blue of Arda once again.

– Report on the State of the Second Arascan War, written by Demon Prince Semiurge.

Anassa hovered in the sky staring down at a small troop of demons, Fortia had been recalled, National Divines and elven generals were coming to replace the Goddess of Peace apparently. Whether several generals would be better than a single Fortia was a question that Anassa did not particularly care for. She thrust an arm out forwards towards the approaching demons. Tactics were changing here as well. The massive blocks that once were used to drown Imperial Legions under a sheer mass of bodies had given way to smaller units, the largest would be small hordes of five hundred. Still dangerous, and they could still overwhelm individual squads, but they weren’t even attempting to do that anymore.

Instead, the Esberian front had changed to one of pure reactivity. Everyday, supply lines were being raided by creatures who were seemingly being sent off with no intention to return. Tartarus’s commander would send twenty thousand split across hundreds of small teams not to win, not to even seize ground, but to simply harass the trucks and trains that were coming. And from how they were acting, those twenty thousand every day were written off the moment they left the base.

At the very least, Anassa did not need to split herself up and be in multiple front, but she travelled hundreds, maybe even a thousand miles, everyday. Her and Irinika were the response for everything. Packs of greater demons, hordes of lesser ones. Prince sightings or massed flameseerers, it did not matter. And likewise, she had found another pack. This one hadn’t even been reported, they just had the sheer misfortune of being in the area as she moved from one combat zone to another.

A butterfly of crimson energies formed from Anassa’s outstretched hand, it flapped those tiny wings once, twice, then again. The force of a hundred? One-fifty? Most were unarmoured, some were bare even. No prince, no cavalry, no greater demon, not even a succubus in sight. Another group that had been sent off for the sheer purpose of causing chaos in the supply lines.

They must know that Fortia had gone missing, or maybe the Goddess of Peace had simply been apt in managing the front to avoid this overextension. The local commanders were told to just to dig in and hold. Anassa’s butterfly split into two on its next flap of wings. Then into four. A swarm of the tiny insects almost floated down to meet the Tartarian force.

Those demons broke rank and began to roar and scream and rage as they raced in every direction at once. Anassa just stared down at them, then snapped her fingers. Her butterflies disappeared, each one was squashed into a sphere of pure crimson energy. They held their position for a moment and then exploded into all direction. Opaque snakes, the same shade of red as Anassa’s dress but slightly opaque, roared in all directions and plunged towards the demons far below.

Anassa stood there for a moment, staring down at the carnage and the bloodied bodies, their dark blood staining the black-grey ash that had drowned Esberia. Irinika always made more of a mess, and if there was any Divine to look up to, then it was Irinika. It came naturally to that woman though, Anassa silently made a scowling face, turned, and moved onwards.

She took a step, a mile was crossed. A matter of perspective, Divines should be able to cross entire worlds in one step. Another step and Anassa disappeared from her position and then reappeared in the distance. The winds were different here, slightly faster. Anassa’s black hair and crimson dress were untouched under the sky. She slowly peered around the landscape for torches or flames or lights. Towards the north was a military base, although she could see the tell of headlights there. That meant Imperial troops, and Imperial troops meant that the area did not have to be scoured of life.

So Anassa took another step. More mountains again. Another mile crossed, a valley. She looked down at the white lights. Torches moving about on the ground from infantry. There were some corpses around, none of them Imperial though. These small demonic parties could not do much without the support of their more dangerous brethren. Anassa stepped towards them. If troops were away from base, then they were returning from or heading to a battle. The former, she could do nothing about, the latter at the very least was something to do on this endless walk.

Anassa took a step closer to them. She disappeared from her location high in the air appeared a dozen metres above the group. No one noticed her at first, all of them had dirty boots, none had burned clothes. Anassa inspected the magazines on their vests. No fight yet either, under these conditions, no one had thrown any of their magazines away and the Empire wasn’t strict on leaving the empty metal boxes behind. Most had their rifles slung over the shoulders, one man had taped his flashlight to his helmet, the rest just held them low as they waded through the thick ash.

The point-man raised his hand as they neared the zenith of the hill. Anassa took a step above. It was clear, no demons here, just more ash covering the rough rocky countryside. A village was buried in the material, some bumps were too angular for rubble though. Cars then, buried under the storm. Anassa reappeared just above the men once again.

The point-man got low to the ground in the dark as the rest of soldiers turned off their flashlights. He slowly raised his head over the highest point of the hill, then looked around. Half a minute later, he stood up and continued the inspection. Anassa said nothing, she just stared down at the man as he continued. It was starting to get on her nerves now that she still hadn’t been seen. Maybe she should appeared closer to them? But that wouldn’t do. Divinity was supposed to be ever-present. She was to be spotted, not the other way around.

“CLEAR!” The point-man shouted and turned the flashlight back then, then turned around to the team. “CLEAR! WE’RE SA..” He stood there for a moment, his eyes went up and his voice trailed off. Anassa finally smiled, her dress was visible even in lightlessness, it was a conjuration of pure sorcery after all. “GODDESS!” He shouted. “GODDESS ANASSA!”

Anassa basked in the surprise as every soldier suddenly looked up, a few bowed, one dropped to his knees, the rest saluted. That was the usual, Fortia had actually complained about it that the soldiers didn’t know how to react to Anassa’s presence. She took a step down and appeared before the sergeant, the man had his rank displayed on both shoulders. “The local area is clear.” She declared in the same fashion that Irinika would declare the local area being cleared. Her sister always had good turns of phrase. “Why are you here?”

The man mumbled some greeting. Some “I report…” before it became an embarrassed and averted his eyes. Anassa just stared down at him. This was always the issue with Kassie’s soldiers.

“What is it?” She asked. He gave a salute, Anassa just nodded the dismissal, then barked to awake him once again. “Speak, I have not come to salute you. What is it?”

“Towards the west, we lost a full company.” Anassa stared at him as if she was supposed to know what that meant, a company was smaller than a division although she wouldn’t put her money on it. It went army, then division, then something, and it ended at the team and individual. Her sorcerers had simpler systems of organisation. “They called a red alert and then they were cut off. We have no feed from them.”

A prince then. A prince or something worse. Something for her to finally test her teeth against after running clean-up across an entire front. “None whatsoever?”

“No.” Not Be’elzebub them. Probably one of the area-denialists. Although if the demons had worked out how to target the radio, that could make sense too. Anassa did not know or care. Something big, whatever it was.

“Very well.” Anassa said. “I shall go scout it out. How far?”

“Another four or five miles.”

“Which direction.”

“West.”

“Point to it.” Anassa knew her cardinal directions, but down here? Without the stars or the sun to guide her way? She would just select a direction and move forward until she found company which re-directed her. The man pointed over the hill. The way she had been going in the first place. Good enough. Anassa nodded, took a step and disappeared.

One step. Nothing. More rocks and ash. Two steps. Nothing. Ash and rocks and another buried village with a large box that was a bus, van or truck. Anassa didn’t care. Three steps. A small pond that had dried out, or maybe the crater left behind artillery shelling. Four steps. Some minor demons scurrying around more craters. Anassa snapped her fingers once again. This lot had a succubus with them that was hovering in the air and barking some orders.

Crimson string weaved in between the demons. It dashed through the heart of one, bit off the head of another, thickened until it became a snake, burst into lions, then disappeared entirely when nothing but corpses remained. What had they been doing here anyway? Anassa looked around at the long crater, then shook her head. Maybe scavengers? Maybe another units that was moving in to try and harass the environment?

Her gaze swept over the environment. A line of craters, most likely a battle had taken place here then. But then Fortia wasn’t here to harass and explain the situation, Anassa took another step then stopped in mid-air. She turned around as her mind made the connection. A line of craters. She looked at them in the distance again. Rounded at one end, growing thicker towards the north. And all of the same size.

Not lakes.

Not craters.

Footsteps.

Another Archdemon was inbound.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep