"Is everything prepared?" Circe asked as she walked down a hallway with Drakoth.
Around two weeks had passed since she sent Zion and the Holy Empire the declaration of war, and they were now making sure every little thing was perfect before they launched their invasion.
Drakoth nodded. "Yes, our army is back up to full strength. They’re stronger, in fact. Also, we’ve deployed the Dragon Wardens just like you commanded, and we have our scouts keeping an eye on things in the Holy Empire."
Circe smiled, rubbing her hand against her husband’s arm. "Good. You know, our children wish to take part in this battle as well. Of course, I declined, but their dragon spirit is just like yours when you were younger."
He blushed, remembering his past as well as the many ways he attempted to court Circe until she finally accepted him.
"Ahem, they are just full of energy. I do not wish for them to lose their lives in this battle."
"I agree." Circe shifted back to a serious expression. "I’ve seen Zaleena’s power. It’s hard to believe that a human has reached the Mystic Stage."
"I remember her telling me that Zion is the reason for that. Apparently, after researching dragons, he found out that humans, dwarves, elves, and beastmen weren’t using their mana correctly. So, he learned how to use it properly, which led to him figuring out how to enter the mystic stage. At least that’s what she told me in our conversation before she started fighting in the arena."
Circe looked at him with shock, then she started thinking to herself. ’He figured out that they were using mana improperly? That’s a thing? Wasn’t it just that their bodies were too weak to handle the sheer amount of mana it takes to break through to the mystic stage?’
"I know what you’re thinking, and I thought the same thing as well. But trust me when I say that whatever the reason may be, it doesn’t matter. All that matters is that Zion did what was known to be the impossible."
"You’re right." She smiled. "But this is also something we need to pay attention to. If Zaleena managed to become that strong, then we have to assume he has other people in his army with that same level of strength as well."
Drakoth agreed. "I’ve compiled a list of people who I can confirm are Mystic beings and who I think may be." He handed the list to her
She started reading it. "Confirmed Mystics. Zaleena Zagan, Raven Blackstar, and Ignis Brightburn. Potential Mystics. Hanna Zagan, Reina Zagan, Lidia Brightburn. Just these six?" She asked
"That’s all the information we were able to uncover, so yes, just these six."
"Good job. Keep an eye out for things and assume they have a few more mystics on their side. If we’re going by how hard it is to break through to that stage, assume they have at least thirty of them."
"Do you think thirty mystics will make a difference?" Drakoth asked with a smile.
"Of course not. We have an army of 1.5 million troops, and each of them is a mystic dragon. They don’t stand a chance. The only thing they have is Zion’s power as a demigod and his weird weapons. I guess he will probably have more troops than we because of the Holy Empire’s size, but that’s about it. We have already taken countermeasures against those weapons as well, so even they will be rendered ineffective or at least be greatly weakened."
"An army of ants is still ants."
"Especially when faced against a dragon."
"Hahahahaha! That’s what I like to see: five million mystic stage mages and knights with five million more to come! We’re going to absolutely fuck them so hard it’s gonna be insane."
"That’s pretty sus, not gonna lie."
Zion turned to see Lidia sucking a popsicle while leaning back in a chair.
"Have you been reading my lingo book?" He asked
"Gross. Anyway, look at this masterpiece! I’ve never seen anything so beautiful!" Zion spread his arms and looked down at all the weapons, vehicles, and other pieces of technology being developed.
It had been a while since he came down here, and just seeing everything in production made him smile. Everything here was made entirely out of Zionite, the strongest ore on the planet, and Mythril, the second strongest ore on the planet.
His weapons and vehicles were powered by a combination of photon, nuclear, and magical energy, all combined with some holy and demonic energy thrown in there as well.
Lidia wrapped her arms around Zion, resting her head on his shoulder. "Do you think this is enough to beat the dragons?"
"For the most part, yes. The dragons wont be caught off guard by our numbers since our land is massive, but our strength will throw them off greatly. Then, once they get a feel of our weapons, that’s when they’ll know they fucked up."
"They’re still dragons, though."
"Dragons being the strongest is a thing from the past. I’ve managed to cultivate over 5 million true Mystic stage knights and mages, WITH each of them having a spirit and obviously using my mana method. Now, combine this with my powerful weapons and armor. We’re destroying them!"
Just then, a person from Zion’s stealth force appeared right next to him.
"Master, I’ve come with important news." The man said as he knelt.
"We have spotted two dragons arriving at our borders."
Zion smiled. "Are they royal messengers?"
"We have confirmed that they are scouts and spies. Lady Helen suspected that they are probably trying to learn about our current strength and sabotage us while we arent suspecting it."
"Ha, I knew those flying lizards would show their fangs. Let them in without any conflict and monitor them. Don’t engage or approach them until I give the signal, do you understand?"
"Yes, master!" The man vanished.
"Are you sure that’s a good idea? What if they learn something that can be used against us?" Lidia asked with a worried expression.
"My dear, do not worry. Everything of importance is underground. They won’t find anything. In fact, this will make them more confident. Let them have their fun. The look on their faces when they realize that their information was wrong will be priceless."