After leaving the shrine, Circe immediately headed to the Dragon Castle, where a fully healed Drakoth was handling royal affairs.
Once she walked into the hall, everyone stopped what they were doing and bowed, showing their respect.
"We greet Lady Circe." They said in unison.
She lifted a hand acknowledging them and continued to walk until she was next to Drakoth.
"Is something the matter, dear?" He asked, slightly worried.
"How are your injuries?"
"I’m fully healed now, thanks to you." He smiled
She smiled back, hugging him tightly, a rare sign of affection from her, but one that Drakoth learned to cherish over the years.
She let go and put on her serious face. "I need to speak with you about an important matter."
He nodded, dismissing everyone to focus on his wife.
"Are we having another baby?" He asked in excitement.
"What? No. I’m done laying eggs. I had a talk with Lord Bahamut."
"Oh." Now, Drakoth became serious.
She told Drakoth everything, their entire conversation, and what their god wanted them to do and when to do it.
He listed carefully, not interrupting Circe and pushing his own opinions to the side. Once she finished talking, Drakoth opened his mouth.
"I’ve come across the weird weapons Zion has. They’re powerful, very powerful. If we’re going to attack, we have to catch them off guard, because if we declare war regularly, half our forces will be wiped out before we can even deal significant damage."
Circe agreed. "This is why Lord Bahamut gave me some of his power. I can use it to make you and our soldiers stronger. I can also feel his power resonating with me. It’s as if my godhood is being strengthened."
Drakoth nodded. "That makes sense. You’re a demigod, and Lord Bahamut is a god. Your powers are similar, so you should feel at home using them."
Circe agreed. "It feels like when I first became an apostle. Anyway, we will be attacking in one month. Is that enough time to get everything in order?"
"More than enough time. After I recovered, I made sure to focus on rebuilding our military force first before anything else. All that’s left are the civilian areas. Our economy and defense didn’t take a major hit one bit."
"Good. We’ll send a war declaration letter to the Holy Empire, setting the time and place for our war. During this time, we’ll send spies to each kingdom and destabilize them from the inside. And before Zion has a chance to respond, we’ll send dragons to burn their kingdoms and send them into a frenzy. Finally, once all of that is going on, we’ll actually have the ’real’ going on, so by the time they realize everything, it will be too late."
Drakoth agreed with his wife, stating that it was a good plan. However, he did look a bit down
"Dear? What’s wrong?"
Drakoth sighed. "It’s just unfortunate that people whom I respected, considered friends, are now my enemies. In the grand scheme of things, I know this is for the best, but it’s just unfortunate."
"I understand how you feel. But remember that they were the ones who strayed from the right path and decided to go against the gods. We are the right ones here, and its our job to correct them."
They hugged before going back to work.
"And that’s probably what the dragons will attempt to do." Zion finished speaking to everyone.
Currently, he, his mother, sisters, lovers, and the leaders of each division of Heaven’s Bane were all having a meeting about their war strategy. He explained what he assumed the dragons would try to do to get the upper hand over them and went over his plan to counteract that.
"Are you sure the dragons will try to sneak attack us? Aren’t they supposed to be righteous?" Farissa asked.
"You see, they want us to think that way to catch us off guard. Dominance is what dragons love. They will try to dominate us with their power to force a surrender." Zion explained
"And how are we going to stop them from infiltrating the empire? I’m not sure we can patrol every area, even if we use the guards and soldiers of the kingdoms." Helen stated.
Zion smiled while pointing at her. "You’re right. That’s why I had Brok and Eitri come up with the super duper domes. They are protective shields that will protect a kingdom from any threat. I already activated them not only in each country, but around the whole empire. However, the Empire Dome is only one way. They can come in, but they can’t get out. We’ll simply kill every dragon that enters the dome."
Freeda then raised her hand. And how will we deal with continuous assaults, assassination attempts, and the sheer number of the Dragon’s army?"
"That’s the easiest part. I’ve already distributed all military equipment, and we will station soldiers all over the empire. Our satellites are working overtime, and the Helixsphere I recently installed in the atmosphere will really show those lizards who’s the boss around here. If you happened to get assassinated, then that’s on you."
Jill raised her hand. "Can I get a raise?"
"Where do you want my team to be?" Derry asked
"You can stay here, where your main healing base is. Telportation circles have already been set up to take the injured to each infirmary we have around the empire."
"Ohh! Master Zion! Can I use some of my new research in this fight? I’m sure it will come in handy!" Rebecca asked, getting all excited.
Zion then cleared his throat. "Okay, everyone, I want you to listen closely. This battle is one of the turning points that will determine our future. If we lose, then we’re actually fucked. But if we win, then we’ll be one step closer to our goal. We cannot afford to lose or give up. We’ll fight until the last man standing and we’ll win together, or die together."
"Now, let’s get ready for war!"