The Martial Unity

2914  Reporting Intelligence

The Martial Sages of the Virodhabhasa Theocracy were among the most dedicated forces, eagerly taking on their battles and offering their little victories with each battle in the war as a tribute to Lord Virodhabhasa.

Sage Sariawar, in particular, had become a force of devotion. The madwoman launched herself like she didn’t care for her own life to maximize the number of monsters and beasts she slayed, culling them as the Antithesis had personally instructed them to.

She had also grown progressively stronger as her powerful Martial Drive had caused her growth to accelerate unusually fast for a Martial Sage who had spent as much time in the Sage Realm as she had.

“The Martial Sages of the Marinaera Kingdom, unfortunately, have had one of the most unsuccessful battles among the Siege of Sages,” the Director of the Intelligence Bureau of the Kandrian Empire pointed to the latest analytical report on the progress of the Solution of Harmony.

Opposite him was the Emperor of Harmony, seated at his table in the Royal Office as he skimmed through all the compiled reports from all the Martial Sages in the Kandrian Empire. Upon the departure of the Martial Sages to the Beast Domain, the Emperor of Harmony had removed himself from the direct chain of intelligence and strategic decision-making. The imperativeness of speed had risen, due to the fact that they were constantly in battle.

There was no time to engage in slow and tedious presentations to the Emperor of Harmony before a decision could be made, thus Emperor Rael had wisely entrusted the handling of the strategic decision-making to the most competent officers in intelligence and analysis he had at his disposal.

He also trusted the Martial Sages to make better decisions among the choices presented by the intelligence and analysis teams than he did, leaving him behind the loop many a time. That was just fine by him, of course, since he had countless other duties that required him to be on top of the game rather than matters of the Central Highlands that were far from his expertise.

His eyes sharpened. “…A jormungandr? There really exists another one?”

The air grew tense.

The Director of Intelligence nodded with a grim expression. “Unfortunately, this does appear to be the case. The worst part, however, is the fact that this one is infected with the primal frenzy from the roar of the Beast That Roared.”

This was very bad news. Humanity was very fortunate that the known Jormungandr had essentially slumbered for as long as man had known it. However, if it mated with the corrupted jormungandr of the Central Highlands of the Beast Domain, then the world would face a much worse outcome than ever before. Nobody wanted to face a Beast Incursion from the Great Nam Ocean.

“We have already drafted plans to reinforce the Martial Sages of the Marinaera Kingdom against the jormungandr so that we slay it then and there,” the Director of Intelligence offered. “Unfortunately, the Martial Sages of the Marianera Kingdom and the Nest of Terra aren’t the only ones to have faced much greater difficulty than the others.”

“The Martial Sages of the Hive have faced a quasi-Transcendent abyssfeeder?” The Emperor of Harmony grew incredulous. “Yes, Your Majesty,” The Director of Intelligence replied with a hardened tone. “They have experienced the greatest difficulty out of all the Martial Sages in the depths of the Beast Domain. Unfortunately, the abyssfeeder is extraordinarily powerful. According to the reports from the Martial Sages, it adaptively evolved to them with the Topaz of Time that it used to exacerbate their greatest weakness; the lag they have due to fighting as a group rather than as individuals.”

The Emperor of Harmony’s body language reflected the severity of the situation they were in. “If that creature is allowed to set foot out of the Beast Domain, then we are doomed to destruction.”

The Director of Intelligence nodded. “That is why we have sent reinforcements from other groups to ensure that the monster is killed. In accordance with our estimates, victory should be much more likely compared to before.”

The Emperor of Harmony nodded. “Good, it appears that the Nest of Terra, the Marinaera Kingdom, and the Hive are the only Sage-level powerhouses that have had difficulty with their respective territories, correct?”

“Yes, Your Highness,” the Director of Intelligence nodded. “The progress of the other Martial Sages is not the most optimal, but still well enough. Another report of importance that I wish to highlight is the discovery made by the Namgung Dynasty.”

FLAP

The Emperor of Harmony shifted to their section of the large pile of sheets in his hand as he frowned with visible surprise in his widened eyes. “…A Lost City? This deep in the Beast Domain? With a diameter exceeding a thousand kilometers?”

The Director of Intelligence nodded with a mystified expression. “It has come as a shock to everybody, Your Majesty. No one could have fathomed that the most mysterious and untouched parts of the Beast Domain harbor such massive ruins of an ancient civilization that most likely existed during the Empty Ages.

The Empty Ages were what historians classified as all the unknown history prior to the past few thousand years.

They were simply a mystery.

There were no records, intentional or otherwise, across most of humanity. Archaeological evidence was gone, almost like something had sabotaged humanity by rewriting the entirety of heaven and earth.

Even geological evidence was corrupted, in some ways.

They were simply left with a blind shot at some clues here and there.

The Lost Cities left everybody completely baffled, leading to all manner of wild theories and conjectures.

But as shocking as ancient city ruins in the depths of the Beast Domain were, none were more shocking than the ruins of a whole country discovered in the depths of the Beast Domain.

“That’s not all, Your Majesty,” the Director of Intelligence remarked. “The Reverend of Reckoning has made some shocking discoveries in the depths of the Lost City.”

The Emperor of Harmony’s eyes widened with shock. “This…”

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