For Victor it was exactly the same situation that Selphira’s side was now facing...
Multiple artifacts converging on the same location, creating a more complex crisis that challenged every strategic assumption they had made against the small mutants.
When the second artifact arrived, mounted on the back of another giant mutant, Victor realized he would need to use all his available power.
He fused completely with his Qilin, but didn’t stop there. He activated the fusion he rarely used: his Winged Qilin, an evolution that combined massive terrestrial power with aerial mobility.
If he used it quickly for less than a minute, it wouldn’t exact too much of a toll for his total exhaustion.
With a roar that made the earth tremble for kilometers around, Victor eliminated both artifact-connected creatures with his cataclysmic elemental power, completely crushing them with a huge mineral attack that reduced them to what could be called basic components.
For a moment, it seemed he had achieved a decisive victory.
But again, the artifacts received no damage whatsoever.
And when the two giant arms found themselves close to each other, without the creatures that had been carrying them, something unexpected began happening...
The small creatures that constantly arrived began going mad, moving faster and swirling around the abandoned artifacts.
No matter how much Victor and his troops attacked them, they couldn’t finish them all, there were too many, arriving too fast.
In the end, an enormous mass of lesser mutants fused into a single entity, absorbing both artifacts.
This time it wasn’t two separate giant creatures.
It was just one, but specifically adapted to handle both arms together.
The new abomination was larger, stronger, and its eyes blazed with an intelligence the previous versions hadn’t shown.
This new corruption was learning, adapting, becoming more than the sum of its parts.
Victor found himself facing something that seemed impossible to beat.
And in the distance, he could feel more big energy signatures approaching, suggesting the convergence pattern wasn’t limited to these two artifacts.
The idea was alarming: the artifacts weren’t just activating randomly. They were being drawn together by some type of signal or mutual attraction.
If that trend continued, they would soon be facing powers that exceeded anything the kingdom was prepared to combat.
The northern sector on Yano’s side carried cold air thanks to the enormous ice wall...
This air smelled of sweat, fresh water, and the tension that always accompanied ’forced alliances’. Luna observed how Morgain’s and Aldric Galehart’s soldiers had positioned their formations in the center, relegating the few local Starweaver troops to the flanks as if they were second-category reinforcements.
The arrangement was deliberate, a visual demonstration of who held real power regardless of whose territory they were defending.
"How shameless," Mayo murmured, her eyes narrowed with the practiced ease of someone accustomed to detecting subtle insults. "They’re not even trying to hide that they see them as invaders in their own territory."
Larissa felt her stomach contract. She had spent months taking refuge in the castle’s security where her only battles were against her own memories. Now she was forcing herself to support her best friends, but still felt a mix of nausea and determination.
The reality was that she wasn’t feeling ready to be out... But she would have to endure it.
"The protocols for Leadership Change state..." Larissa began with a wavering voice, then stopped and breathed deeply. "No. The protocol is garbage when you have the correct documentation." Her voice became firmer.
"Luna, you have the legal right to assume territorial command in the absence of direct family leadership in your own territory. In theory, you’re next in line if your uncles aren’t here... And with the current crisis, any noble present in Starweaver territory must submit to local authority."
Luna nodded, though her hands trembled slightly as she touched the sealed documents she carried hidden. "And if they simply ignore me?"
"Then," Liora intervened with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes, "we’ll have to remind them with a little more fire who has the power."
Finally, the two groups were a few meters apart on top of the wall...
Morgain’s guards escorted her with great calm and slowness, their armor clinking with each step calculated to sound more intimidating than necessary. The sound created an artificial atmosphere of military pageantry designed to emphasize hierarchy and experience.
Luna kept her chin high, but Larissa could see the tension in her shoulders.
Lady Morgain greeted them with a dismissive gesture. She was a middle-aged woman with perfectly styled gray hair and eyes that seemed to not really see. Instead, they gave all possible concentration to her ears that constantly evaluated the political benefits of each uttered word. Her smile was professional, calculated to appear warm without committing to anything.
"Lady Luna," Morgain said with a bow that was technically correct but clearly condescending. "What a... surprise to see you here. I thought your family was... indisposed... to participate in defending this territory. Do you have any reports for me? Or why are you here?"
Lord Aldric, who had been studying his own map of the zone, looked up with scarcely disguised annoyance. He was a man with angular features that had been attractive in his youth but now seemed perpetually sour.
"Morgain," Aldric murmured, "let’s not waste time with empty courtesies. The girl is obviously here instead of in school because someone likely put ideas in her head about ’defending her territory’ or some similar fantasy. She doesn’t know she’s breaking the law by coming to interfere with the defense..."
Luna felt the insult like a slap, but before she could respond, Larissa stepped forward. Her hands trembled for a moment, then stabilized while she unfolded some documents.
"Lord Aldric," Larissa said with a soft but clear voice, "I’m afraid you’re alleging under incorrect information." Each word came out more confident than the last, as if by "playing politics" she was remembering muscles she had forgotten how to use.
"According to the Revised Territorial Code, Section Twelve, Article Forty-Three, any direct heir of a territorial house has the right to assume defensive command in the absence of higher-ranking family authority, especially during national security crises."
Morgain frowned. "That’s a very specific statute, Lady Larissa. Are you sure it applies to a girl so far from a mature age under these circumstances?"
"Completely certain," Larissa responded. "Furthermore, Article Forty-Five clarifies that nobles from non-local territories must coordinate with, not command over, legitimate territorial authority."
She paused, then added with more force:
"Which means Lady Morgain should be reporting to Luna, not the other way around."
A small smile formed on Luna’s face. "Do you have any reports?" she said, looking directly at Morgain. Tʜe source of this ᴄontent ɪs noᴠelfire.net
The silence that followed was thick as molasses.