Whispers of a Dead Empire

Chapter 160

"Warriors of Asteria, to me!" I bellowed as I cut down another traitorous soldier. His body blew apart from the sheer force of my strike as I stepped forward.

Around me, the fighting grew more intense as I marched forward. More and more strike teams poured from no-man's-land into the first perimeter, meeting the traitors' forces in a clash of steel and magic. I pushed through a few more soldiers who tried to intercept me. My eyes focused on what I knew to be the command center.

With each swing of my sword, another body fell onto the ground in a broken heap. My stride was relentless, and my focus was unyielding. All who betrayed us will pay the price. I took another step forward as more of my troops rallied around me. My boots dug into the grey gravel that surrounded the outer defense perimeter.

I pushed forward with another step and deflected a fireball that shot towards me with the flat of my blade, sending it into the ground. Shields rose around me in a short order a second later, and magic fizzled in the surrounding air as it slammed into the shield. Once more, I felt my blood boil as a fiery passion coursed through me. Life sparked in my chest as a conflagration lit. It took all my strength to keep my mind from fracturing as a single-minded purpose tried to take root deep within me. I must kill all those who betrayed us. It was my driving purpose, yet I knew that deep down, there was something more there. But I was struggling to keep my thoughts clear.

I pushed forward a few more steps and came up to the giant wooden wall that overlooked the first mage battery. Behind it, I knew that there would be more troops to contend with. Ones that were even better than the ones that we were fighting currently. Ki pulsed through my fingertips as electricity crackled, and with a great heave, I shot my fist through the wooden walls. The wood shattered and flew apart in a thunderous explosion. The filthy traitors behind the wall were unfazed as their lifeless gaze settled on me and my surrounding soldiers.

An unspoken order passed through the ranks as the squads spilled into the rooms. Fighting broke out into a vicious melee as inhuman groans filled the air. Swords clashed into shields, and magic filled the air. Beastial instincts tried to take over as the allure of combat bombarded my eyes and assailed my ears. It took everything I had to not fall into the primal desire for war. Which was never like me. I was the Warmaster, and I had to act like it.

I stepped into the room behind my soldiers and pushed through the fighting. I shrugged off random bolts of magic that slammed into my flesh and the blades that dug through my skin. Each step brought me further into the fray, with it, my sword dancing through the air, cutting through each one of those filthy traitors as if they were nothing more than paper. Inhuman moans rattled my ears as I fell into the familiar memory of stepping and slashing. Heads rolled, and bodies fell in a broken heap as I marched forward. My mind drifted away from me as memories played in my mind. How many wars have I fought in? How many countries have I brought to heel? It was a pressing exhaustion that seeped into every fiber of my being. I was old, and I was only getting older with each passing day. I served the Empress' father, and I served his father before that.

My age pressed into me from all corners of my mind. It weighed me down in a way that I couldn't seem to put into words. It was an exhaustion that transcended something physical. But I wouldn't succumb to that exhaustion. My duty will only end once my job is complete. Maybe then I would be able to finally rest. I could even retire somewhere nice and farm for a few years. It was a strange thought but one that I found comfort in.

I pulled myself from my thoughts and glanced around the room. Broken bodies filled the area, both of my soldiers and those of the traitors. More of the early assault squads poured into the gap that I made and broke through deeper into the interior of the defensive line. I stood there and watched as they rushed forward, broke into squads, and flooded the hallways. The distant sounds of blades clashing reached my ears, and explosions rocked the wooden walls. Now, all I had to do was find the magic batteries and end them.

I strolled through the boundless halls for what felt like an eternity before I came out to a large open room and came across Amari. Her outfit was as pristine as ever, and her blades dripped with dried, congealed blood. All around her, dozens of bodies clad in mage clothing lay strewn across the ground. The ritual circle was long since shattered and coated in decaying blood. "All is well, I'm assuming," I asked as I walked forward into the bombardment room.

Amari flicked her blades and sheathed them, and gave me a single nod. I sheathed my sword and walked across the ground, not bothering to step over the bodies of the falling. Instead, she drove the heel of her boot into them. "Were there any targets that I should know of?"

She crossed her arms and glanced at the door leading into the next set of sprawling hallways designed to confuse and spread out attackers.

"Viator." The words left her mouth and hovered in the lifeless air.

The mere mention of the name made my blood run cold. He was the first governor to fall, and above even that, he plunged this entire province into anarchy and destruction. Furthermore, it was used as a stepping stone to plunge the rest of Asteria into the flames of war. There was a special place in hell for that man, and I would be the one who would deliver him to it.

"Where?" I asked as I crossed the distance between us. My hand remained clenched around the hilt of my blade as I struggled to contain the rage within me.

"Further in. Near the headquarters." Her words were short and brisk, and I nodded my head. She gave me a nod, and her form flickered before she vanished from sight.

So Viator was here. In that case, I would be the one who fights him since no one else with us would possess the strength to fight one of Death's avatars. Perhaps it was out of a sense of greed that I thought that. But I also knew it was wrong of me to have such feelings. If I let them get to my head, personal grudges would lead to my downfall. Yet, I knew I would be the only one that could fight Viator on equal terms. I clenched the hilt of my blade tightly and decided it was time to head over to the door. I would hunt down that arch-traitor and make him pay for each of his crimes. He would pay recompense with every bone in his body and with each scrap of his wretched flesh. It wouldn't be much, but it would be the first step in righting all of these wrongs.