Wars usually began with declarations.
This one began with silence.
No banners crossed borders.
No envoys rode with threats.
No drums announced the coming storm.
Instead, the system chimed once. Slowly. Heavily.
As if history itself had exhaled.
[Century Defining Conflict Triggered]
War Classification: Total Era War
Scope: Regional to Continental
Outcome Impact: Permanent World Structure Change
Victory Condition
Enemy Coalition Military Collapse
or
Enemy Political Fragmentation
Failure Condition
Dynasty Disruption
Capital Fall
Blendi did not sit when the alert appeared.
He stood.
Every instinct he had learned across two lives aligned into a single understanding.
This was it.
Not survival.
Not dominance.
Definition.
Lady Mira entered the chamber with urgency she no longer tried to hide.
"They have stopped negotiating," she said. "All of them."
Blendi nodded.
"That means they have stopped pretending."
Total War Authority Unlocked
The system unfolded a massive interface. Larger than any before.
[Total War Governance Mode Activated]
All National Systems Temporarily Amplified
Effects
Recruitment speed doubled
Gold generation increased from all sources
Elite unit cap increased
Construction time reduced by 50 percent
Duration
Until War Resolution
Blendi exhaled slowly.
"Summon everyone," he said.
"Everyone?"
"Yes," he replied. "This is not a council war. This is a people's war."
The People Answer
By nightfall, Krujë overflowed.
Commanders.
Builders.
Clergy.
Merchants.
Veterans with missing fingers and sharp eyes.
And the heir.
Ardian Kastrioti stood beside Blendi, posture straight, expression calm beyond his years.
The system reacted instantly.
[Dual Sovereign Presence Detected]
Heir Authority Amplification Active
Army morale increased
Dynasty continuity reinforced
Blendi spoke once.
"This war will decide whether Albania is remembered as a warning… or a foundation."
No cheers followed.
Only fists against chests.
Once.
In unison.
Instant Total War Rewards
The system did not wait for battles.
It invested.
[Emergency National Investment]
Instant Buildings Constructed
• Great Arsenal of Krujë
Effect
Weapon production tripled
Gunpowder stability increased
• Hall of Veterans
Effect
Veteran retention permanent
Elite unit experience loss reduced to zero
• War Foundry Network
Effect
Armor and siege equipment output doubled
Gold surged and then stabilized.
[War Treasury Activated]
Gold Reserve Protected
Emergency Mint Enabled
Gold Reserves Locked at: 35,000 minimum
Excess Gold Usable Freely
Army Expansion Across Eras
Men did not trickle in.
They arrived in waves.
[Total Mobilization Results]
Infantry +3,500
Cavalry +1,100
Support and Engineers +900
Elite Conversions
Veteran Regulars Promoted: +600
Standing Army
17,900 → 23,400
Elite Units
1,900 → 2,500
New silhouettes appeared.
Legendary Units Unlocked
Century Guard
Elite defensive formation
Unit Size: 400
Bonus
Cannot be broken
Gains strength as casualties rise
Black Eagle Artillery Corps
Early cannon units
Unit Size: 120
Bonus
Fortress destruction
Psychological devastation
Ash Guard Prime
Veterans of mixed eras
Unit Size: 300
Bonus
Immune to morale damage
Retain experience permanently
Lady Mira stared at the projections.
"You are fielding an army no one understands," she said quietly.
"That is the point," Blendi replied.
The World Burns First
The coalition struck from three directions again.
But this time, Albania did not wait.
Blendi issued one order.
"Advance."
The system froze for half a second.
Then complied.
[First Strike Doctrine Activated]
Albanian forces may initiate war without penalty
Enemy mobilization disrupted
Battle rewards increased
The Battle That Changes Maps
It happened on open ground.
No mountains.
No ambushes.
Just fields and sky.
Enemy armies expected a defensive legend.
They met an advancing state.
Cannons spoke.
Shields locked.
Smoke rolled forward instead of backward.
[Battle: Plain of Unmaking]
Enemy Forces
Combined Coalition Army: 62,000
Albanian Forces
Total: 23,400
Outcome Projection
Impossible
The projection shattered.
[Reality Override Detected]
Doctrine Supremacy
Morale Collapse Cascade
Command Decapitation
When it ended, the field was no longer green.
Battle Resolution
Enemy Casualties
Killed: 28,000
Captured: 19,000
Routed: Unknown
Albanian Casualties
Killed: 4,900
Enemy Command
Eliminated or Captured
Rewards That Rewrite History
The system exploded into gold light.
[Century Victory Achieved]
Rewards
Permanent global intimidation
Era acceleration removed penalties
Albania becomes reference state for warfare
Gold Reward: 18,000
[Legendary Building Unlocked]
Pillar of the Eagle
Effect
All future rulers gain authority bonus
Nation wide morale permanently increased
History texts altered in world memory
[Title Acquired]
Founder of the Unbroken Age
Effects
Dynasty cannot collapse from war
Foreign powers hesitate for generations
Internal rebellion chance near zero
Final Status After the War
Gold Reserves: 53,000+
Standing Army: 23,400
Elite Units: 2,500
Buildings
Great Arsenal: Active
Pillar of the Eagle: Rising
War Foundries: Full Capacity
Albania Status
Era Defining Power
Sovereign Reality
Unignorable
Eternal State Route Progress
92 percent
As night fell, Blendi stood beside Ardian on the edge of the battlefield.
The boy looked out over the torches of prisoners, the distant sound of rebuilding already beginning.
"Is it over?" Ardian asked.
Blendi shook his head gently.
"No," he said. "It is decided."
The system chimed one last time for the chapter.