A war of multiple fronts

Following Seth’s departure from the Death Kingdom, he arrived in space just outside the planet, where the elite of Asteria’s armies were already mobilized, the mix of energies surrounding the ascended shining bright to convey their excitement.

Seth’s appearance alongside Maya did nothing to alleviate that excitement, the ascended appearing even more eager to fight in a battle against the gods.

And the ascended of Asteria were not the only ones present. The former hidden rulers of the continent, most members of the Council, with Raven taking the lead, were also there, eager to assist Seth in his endeavor.

“Your Excellency,” said Raven loudly, falling to one knee before Seth and his women, followed closely by Worm and the others performing the same gesture.

“Thank you for coming. We could always use your help.” Seth nodded and gestured for them to stand up.

As Seth spoke, a wave of water overshadowed the armies, putting everyone on guard as Razim manifested not far away from Seth, her feet drifting through space to approach him.

“Is everything ready?” asked Seth, moving his gaze from the Council to Razim.

“Yes. My armies will join in the war,” replied Razim as a massive blue planet appeared in the distance. A tremendous wave of water energy washed over the gathering from the gigantic world, showcasing the power Razim has gathered inside her domain over the years.

“They are most welcome,” replied Seth with a smile, prompting Razim to turn around and wave her hand.

From the direction of Razim’s world, wave after wave of demigods gathered, all moving to form their group parallel to Asteria’s ascended, even outnumbering Seth’s troops.

Seth knew they would face three gods, of which two were the oldest in the universe, Gaia and Yggdrasil, so he was more than happy to have as many demigods on his side as possible.

After Razim nodded toward Maya and took a spot at Seth’s side, Seth turned his eyes to Hollie, who immediately started speaking.

“As you have asked, the ascended here are all at the ninth shell and have been organized into two distinct armies, each led by the two best ascended Asteria has to offer, given the ranks of Asteria Captains. The two armies are also split by affinities, ascended of the same affinity forming different platoons.”

Seth nodded and looked over the ascended to get a good idea of their formation before turning toward Razim again, “Can you defeat Dukbium only with your armies and half of Endora’s troops?”

“I can,” replied Razim shortly.

“That’s perfect, but remember, I need you to finish him as soon as possible and come to assist us against Gaia and Yggdrasil.”

Razim pondered momentarily before asking, “Cleansing the demigods under him and fighting him off is not an issue, but I don’t think I can destroy his divinity quickly. We’ll be fighting in his domain after all.”

Seth found her words reasonable and turned toward the back, smiling, “Leora, will you help Razim?”

Leora approached Seth and said, “I can, but are you sure you won’t need me to help against Gaia and Yggdrasil?”

“Since we know Dukbium has assimilated Vayu’s former domain and the demigods under him, having two divinities go against Dukbium might be more reasonable. This way, your victory should be assured. As for Gaia and Yggdrasil, we’ll manage somehow until you arrive.”

Leora said nothing else and silently joined Razim’s side with a nod.

With the armies facing Dukbium selected, Seth looked over Asteria’s troops and shouted, “Captains of the Asteria. Step forward.”

Out of Asteria’s army ranks, two ascended wasted no time rushing to stand before Seth.

The first one to reach Seth and fall onto one knee was a young man with pitch-black hair cut short and some surprisingly feminine, delicate features. His long Asteria-styled robes fluttered even in space along his air energy, and his eyes were firm and calm. A scabbard created entirely out of air energy hovered gently at his waist, and Seth could feel a tremendous amount of energy stored inside that scabbard.

The second one to arrive’s body features were much more masculine and muscular, while his hair was bright red and covered entirely in flames, spiking upwards. The man’s hands had a small vortex on their backs, proudly displaying the man’s double fire and earth affinity.

“Your Excellency,” said both men, lowering their heads.

Seth had no issue recognizing the black-haired ascended, knowing she was Blair. As for the other one, the system had to lend Seth a hand.

< He’s a double affinity for fire and earth ascended and was the first to break through the ninth shell, even surpassing Blair, which is quite the feat considering his double affinity. The influence of the greater will make him quite weak in the next war, so caution is advised. Also, his name is Thorb, and he is a native of Endora.>

Seth nodded and turned toward Thorb, saying, “Your affinities conflict with the mission’s objective since our enemies have divinities in both of your energies.”

After Thorb raised his head pleadingly, Seth smiled and continued, “But don’t worry. I won’t take this chance from you. I just wanted to tell you to be careful and not let your energy control you. You will take your troops and assist Razim and Leora in fighting against Dukbium. Try to use your earth energy around Dukbium, and don’t allow him to use your fire source against you. Can you do it?”

“Yes, Your Excellency,” replied the man with a stern look, earning a nod of approval from Seth.

“Good. Razim and Leora’s orders are from now my orders. Now go to their side and not let our empire down.”

As Thorb stood up and started walking toward Razim and Leora with renewed determination, Razim said, “Tell your troops to join mine. You’ll work alongside Blue, one of my most loyal followers, commanding the troops.”

Following Razim’s words, a handsome merman from her armies approached Thorb.

After finishing with Thorb, Seth turned his eyes to Blair and said, “I see that your father’s words have stuck with you.”

“Your Excellency?” asked Blair with a confused look.

“Paxon’s teaching about you dressing as a man to get respected by the others. It’s quite a surprise to see you have chosen to create a man’s body for yourself after entering the demigod ranks.”

Blair looked up and said, “With the creation of the Endora Kingdom, father has told me it was not necessary anymore, but I somehow got used to things like this. Even my fellow ascended know me as man, so it would mean a lot to me if Your Excellency did the same.”

“Sure do. It’s not my decision to make about it, and as long as you’re still the warrior I know you can be, I’ll still treat you just the same.”

“I need you to lead our armies to victory in the following war. We might be strong, but the enemy won’t be weak either. We’ll also be busy dealing with Gaia and whatever she throws at us, so fighting her armies will be left to you and the rest of the ascended.”

“Also,” said Seth, turning toward Raven. “The council demigods will also fall under your command, so use them as you see fit.”

Raven nodded and joined the ranks of Endora’s armies alongside the other council members.

“Blair, you’ll also be outnumbered at the start, so no matter what, fight safe and hang on until support arrives from Thorb and the others.”

“I understand. I won’t let you down, Your Excellency,” replied Blair with an intense look.

“I know you won’t. Go back and have everyone prepare for long-distance teleportation.”

Blair stood up and dashed back to her troops as Endora’s armies broke in two. Half of them followed Thorb to join the ranks of the ascended attacking Dukbium, while the other half moved under Blair’s orders to prepare for the assault on Gaia’s domain.

Until the troops organized themselves and prepared for departure, Seth walked to Hollie, Maya, and Henrietta, who were waiting on the side.

Looking at Henrietta, Seth said, “You will have to teleport everyone close to the target domains of Dukbium and Gaia since your energy is practically limitless, and I want to save mine.”

“No problem,” replied Henrietta, taking a deep breath. “Are you sure we can win?”

Even Hollie and Maya had a troubled look as Henrietta asked her question. Everyone knew that dealing with Gaia and Dukbium was no issue, but even Seth might be at a disadvantage when it came to Yggdrasil and whatever the Tower might throw at them.

Seth shook his head, “I don’t know. Leora and Razim will certainly be able to deal with Dukbium, while you, Hollie, and Lisa should have the upper hand regarding Gaia.”

“As for Yggdrasil, the tree is weak, so she’ll no doubt release Fenrir. I’ll see what I can do. We’ll be fine if the Tower doesn’t get involved. Anyway, this is the best we can do. This is the peak of our strength, and delaying anymore serves no purpose.”

“But are you sure it won’t be better to have Leora help us instead? Razim should be able to handle Dukbium on her own,” said Henrietta.

Seth turned to look at Razim, who was busy organizing the troops, before shaking his head, “I don’t need her to handle Dukbium. I need her to win and fast. Having two divinities on that front is better. We can stall for them to arrive if we find ourselves at a disadvantage.”

Henrietta fell silent, as did the others, trusting Seth’s plan.

After about an hour or so, all the preparations were complete, and the troops were ready to depart. Seth shared a few words with Razim and Leora before having Henrietta teleport them and their army toward Dukbium’s domain.

After Razim’s troops’ departure, Seth turned his eyes on the mass of ascended all waiting for the battle’s start and used Hollie’s energy to speak to everyone.

“Ascended of Asteria. Get ready. We’re all departing for Gaia’s domain.”

Under the cheers of the ascended, Henrietta spread her energy to cover everyone, teleporting them right to the edge of Gaia’s domain.