In Stronghold 19, Edmond dispensed with any pretense of peaceful negotiation; he simply unleashed his powers to destroy the entire structure in a display of overwhelming force, defeating those who dared oppose him with swift, shadowy precision, and then spreading the liberating news to the bewildered citizens, who gradually embraced the change.
Edmond pressed on relentlessly, taking two full days to decimate the leaders of various strongholds who stubbornly disagreed with his demands, his path marked by crumbling fortresses and awakening populations.
He continued this campaign until he reached Stronghold Five, the pinnacle of human resilience on Astrid.
Edmond had heard legendary tales of the top five strongholds, revered as the true safe havens for all Astrids, bastions of unassailable security amid a hostile world.
