The war banners of three armies fluttered in the salty sea wind. On the western shore, the forces stood ready to board: Julie's Underworld Legion, three thousand strong in obsidian armor; Boreones, the human emperor, with twenty thousand soldiers in gleaming steel; and Nike and Bia at the head of ten thousand Sky Legion warriors.
Three ships waited at the dock. One was a giant vessel decorated with intricate wooden statues and equipped with massive crossbows. Another was slightly smaller but equally impressive. The third was a pathetic wreck, little more than rotting wood, seemingly on the verge of collapse—assigned to the Underworld Legion.
Boreones and his soldiers pointed and laughed, their jeers carrying across the water. "Hahaha! Careful when you board, Underworld dogs—wouldn't want your mighty warship to crumble under your pride!"
The Sky Legion soldiers joined in, the mockery washing over Julie's ranks. She stood perfectly still, but a muscle feathered in her jaw. Mia leaned in, her voice a whisper lost in the din. "They're baiting you. Looking for an excuse."
"I know," Julie breathed out, the words tight. She didn't look at Mia, but caught Elfir's eye and gave a sharp, almost imperceptible nod.
Elfir stepped forward. He didn't roar or shout; he simply drove his fist, wreathed in sudden, silent flame, into the hull of the wreck.
BOOM.
The ship didn't just break; it vaporized into a cloud of splinters and ash. A geyser of water erupted, drenching the front ranks of the laughing soldiers. The sound—the laughter, the jeers—was severed. In its place was a ringing, profound silence, broken only by the patter of falling water. Two thousand faces turned pale, their eyes wide as they stared at the space where a ship had been, and at the unassuming soldier who now dusted off his hands.
Julie stepped into that silence. She didn't look at the horrified crowd. She simply tossed a marble into the sea. A small whirlpool formed, and from the depths, a leviathan of a ship erupted. Its hull was forged from stygian iron, decorated with gold, and a statue of a golden phoenix graced its prow. The flag of the Underworld fluttered proudly from its mast.
Julie turned a sweet, terrifyingly bright smile directly at Boreones. "Mia," she asked, her voice carrying perfectly in the new quiet. "The punishment of souls falls to whom, again?"
Mia sighed, playing her part. "The Underworld gods and their Legion."
"The Underworld," Julie repeated, her smile never wavering. "I'll see you soon, then."
Boreones's face mottled, purple with suppressed fury. The leather wrappings on his sword hilt creaked in his grip. "What are you all gawking at?!" he bellowed at his frozen army, his voice cracking with rage. "BOARD!"
Boreones and his army quickly sailed south. Nike and Bia set their course north, the Underworld ship sailing parallel to their own.
---
The sun hung directly overhead when the light suddenly died, swallowed by a dense, yellowish fog that rolled across the water. The world fell into a dead, muffled silence. The gentle lap of waves against the hull became distant, as if heard through wool.
A young soldier on their deck coughed, then clutched his throat, his skin taking on a sickly, greenish hue.
"Julie!" Mia's shout was sharp with alarm from the deck below. "It's toxic!"
Julie's eyes narrowed, her instincts screaming. "Mages, Aegis, now! Sylphy, get this filth out of my sky! Amar, purge the poison!"
The response was instantaneous. A dome of shimmering energy snapped over their ship, and a matching one flared to life over the Sky Legion's vessel. Above, Sylphy's Aerynders swirled into the fog, their bodies moving through the thick air as if it were a current, summoning a gale that tore the poisonous veil to shreds. As daylight returned, Amar's angels rose, their forms radiating a serene, warm light that washed over the ships, the golden rings above their heads burning away the last vestiges of the miasma.
Nike and Bia stood at their ship's rail, amazed by the swift, efficient response. Nike murmured, "The Underworld Legion is in another league." Bia met her gaze and gave a single, solemn nod of agreement.
"Commander! Othrys is near!" a voice shouted from the watch post.
Soon, the jagged outline of the enemy island appeared. As they made landfall, Nike and Bia's army departed for the western land.
Julie watched them go, her voice a low murmur. "We have to be quick."
She turned, her voice ringing in the sudden stillness. "Attention!"
Every soldier snapped to, their focus absolute.
"Two objectives!" Julie shouted. "Win the battle with zero losses! And protect our allies on the western front! To do that, we end this—now! No holding back! Unleash your true strength! Do you understand!?"
"YES, MA'AM!" The roar was unified, shaking the very ground.
As the soldiers began their final checks, Mia fell into step beside Julie. "A bit dramatic, don't you think?"
A faint, wry smile touched Julie's lips. "You start to enjoy it after a while. Even the cringe."
"You're starting to sound like the Skullhead," Mia noted flatly.
Julie's smile didn't fade. "Now that's just harsh." Mia simply shook her head and moved away.
"Scouts," Julie ordered, her tone all business again. "Disarm the traps. Report enemy movements."
Hundreds of soldiers melted into the jungle without a sound.
---
Shadows flitted at the edges of the dense foliage. A scout phased through a giant spiderweb, its strands coated with a neurotoxin that glistened purple, without even rustling a leaf. Another spotted the subtle tension wire for a rockslide, carefully clipping it with a tool that absorbed the kinetic energy silently. The path was not just cleared; it was made to look as though no trap had ever existed.
The Underworld legion arrived at the battlefield. An army of thousands stood arrayed against them. At the center, a giant with bronze skin sat upon a massive boulder, knuckledusters of dark iron on his hands.
Julie's gaze swept over him, barely registering the threat, and fixed on the white temple atop the distant, cloud-shrouded mountain.
The Northern Pillar. Atlas's, she thought. I'm not ready to confront you yet. But I will be. I will surpass you.
"Hahahah! Only this much?" the giant boomed, his laughter scornful. "Are we really at war?"
Julie let out an exasperated sigh. "Oh, for fate's sake. I am so tired of these nutshells."
Mia's voice was calm and analytical beside her. "Brontar. A giant among Titans. Divinity of iron skin and iron fist. From his aura, he's a peak high god. The same as you."
A spark of interest finally lit in Julie's eyes. "Peak high god level…" She raised her voice, clear and commanding. "Raise the flag. Formation!"
As her order echoed, the Underworld flag was hoisted high. A moment later, a battle horn rang out from the Titan ranks, answered by a deep, resonant blast from the Underworld Legion. The air crackled with impending violence.
The Legion moved with practiced precision. Tylon and Geo took position with the vanguard unit, soldiers clad in heavy armor bearing giant shields. The cavalry unit positioned itself at the center, lances ready. The remaining units formed up behind the protective wall of shields.
"Buffs and debuffs—execute!" Julie commanded.
A symphony of magical energy erupted from the Legion's ranks. Golden light washed over their forces—regeneration, enhanced strength, and stabilizing weight for the vanguard. Simultaneously, sickly green and purple energies streaked toward the enemy lines, carrying debuffs of disorientation, sluggishness, and creeping fear.
Mia's voice cut through the organized chaos. "Terrain alteration ready."
Julie didn't hesitate. "Quagmire, now!"
The ground beneath the Titan army groaned. Solid earth turned to thick, grasping mud as Genomes and Sirakels worked their magic. The massive Titans, burdened by heavy armor and weapons, sank rapidly.
"My foot's stuck!"
"I'm sinking!"
"Archers, volley!" Julie commanded.
Harley's archer unit loosed a barrage of arrows that darkened the sky. The Aerynders caught the projectiles, weaving currents of air that accelerated them to terrifying speeds.
SWOOSH!
The arrows rained down, piercing Titan flesh with sickening thuds. Cries of pain and anger echoed across the field.
Brontar roared in frustration, tearing himself free from the muck. "Cowards! Using dirty tricks! Do you not have any honor?!" He surged to his feet, and with a bellow that shook the very air, his entire army—bipedal monsters, Titans, hybrid creatures, and dragons—charged.
Julie's commands came rapid-fire. "Aerynders, Devils—air superiority! Angels, focus on healing!"
Dire laughed, a wild, joyful sound. "Finally! My turn!" He shouted to his devil unit, "Let's go, boys! Time to play with the flying lizards!" He launched skyward, his unit following like a swarm of dark locusts.
"Wait for us, Dire!" Sylphy and her Aerynders ascended in a graceful, swirling motion, ready to meet the aerial threat.
Julie turned to Mia. "Take command. I'll handle the giant." As Mia nodded, Julie's form shimmered and vanished from sight.
BANG! The enemy vanguard crashed against the Underworld shields. The sound of metal on metal echoed for miles, but the formation held firm, unmovable.
"Vanguard, open! Cavalry, charge!" Mia commanded.
Tylon leapt from behind the shield wall, his hammer smashing a Titan's skull with a sickening crunch. He began spinning, clearing a circle of devastation around him. Nearby, Geo abandoned his defensive stance, slamming his hands on the ground. The earth trembled as massive stone spikes erupted, impaling advancing Titans.
"HEIGH!" The cavalry thundered through the gap, lances piercing everything in their path.
Brontar stared in astonishment. What's happening? They're only 3,000 against our 40,000! Why are we losing ground?
His thoughts were interrupted by a searing pain across his back. He spun, but saw nothing. "Aaargh! Show yourself, coward!"
Another slash cut his heel. In a blind rage, he smashed his fists into the ground, sending columns of earth exploding upward. "FACE ME!"
"You really are thick-skinned," a feminine voice mocked from behind. As Brontar turned, a blade flashed, and one of his eyes went dark.
"AAAAHHH! MY EYE!" He stumbled blindly, swinging wildly. His massive fists crushed friend and foe alike in his agony.
Mia's eyes swept the battlefield, analyzing everything. The coordinated movements, the controlled chaos—it was all proceeding according to plan. Her gaze flicked to the hourglass. Forty-two minutes.
"Phase three!" she shouted. "Sound the disengage!"
A single, deep horn blast echoed across the battlefield. Instantly, the Legion's forces began a disciplined, orchestrated withdrawal. The vanguard locked shields and retreated in perfect formation. Cavalry wheeled away from the fray. Within moments, a clear killing field opened between the Legion and the confused enemy forces.
As the last soldier fell back, the air around the empty space where Julie had vanished began to warp. A corona of crimson energy, visible as a raging heat haze, erupted into being. Julie materialized, the playful cunning gone from her face, replaced by the serene emptiness of a reaper. When her eyes opened, they held no emotion, only the flat, dark promise of an ended thing.
Across the field, Brontar's pained roars died in his throat. A chill, profound and unnatural, swept through the sweltering air. The cacophony of battle seemed to dampen, as if the world itself were holding its breath. His single remaining eye widened, his primal instincts screaming of a predator he had only just noticed.
"W-what...?" he stammered, cold sweat trickling down his temple.
Julie stood motionless as tendrils of scarlet mist—the essence of his fallen army—streamed from the battlefield and flowed into her. The haze around her grew more vibrant and dense with every passing second.
"FIRE!" Mia's command cut through the unnatural silence.
Brontar looked up. Ten glowing arrows streaked into the sky like falling stars, then arced downward. His world slowed, dimmed, and turned silent. The last thing he saw was Julie standing amid the crimson haze, her form beginning to glow with terrifying power.
The enchanted arrows struck the center of the enemy formation. For a heartbeat, there was only brilliant, expanding light. Then the sound—a world-ending roar of pure energy that swallowed Brontar's entire army in one cataclysmic sweep.
When the light faded, only silence remained. Julie stood at the epicenter, the last tendrils of red mist flowing into her. The air around her crackled with newfound power, and the ground at her feet blackened and crystallized. She opened eyes that now glowed with faint, crimson light.
"Low Chief God," she whispered. They feel right. The power feels right. She turned to her perfectly organized, untouched army and gave a single, satisfied nod.
The Western Pillar was theirs.