Chapter 348: So We Will Break Into
Everyone stood around the teleportation circle, quiet and tense. No one spoke, no one moved more than necessary. Each second, a new Grandmaster arrived in a blink of violet light, their presence adding more weight to the already thick air.
I kept my eyes on every new arrival. Most of them I didn’t know well. A few I had only seen during the earlier war meetings. Only a handful, Dante, Arkas, Cilian, Edgar, were people I’d actually spoken to.
General Cassian showed up soon after, and then Gabriel, followed by the Emperor’s personal bodyguard, Damian. By the time the flow of arrivals ended, twenty-five Grandmasters stood with us.
The sheer pressure they gave off made the Essence in the air feel sluggish, like it was resisting movement. Each breath was a little heavier.
The wind shifted as the rest of the Grandmasters arrived in flashes of light, their powerful auras pressing down on the forest like a storm front. Bark cracked on nearby trees. The leaves themselves shivered.
Arkas was the first to speak. He stepped forward, staring up at the massive ruins floating above.
"Well... damn. You weren’t joking about the size of this place."
Beside him, Edgar tilted his head. His sharp eyes swept across the scarred landscape, the scorched craters, the shattered trees, the lingering scent of burnt Essence in the air. "Looks like someone hosted a war party and forgot to send out invites."
Cilian whistled low.
"Now, this is what a proper realm looks like. And judging by the destruction... I’m guessing that was you?"
He glanced at me with a crooked smile and raised brow.
I gave a small nod.
"It wasn’t exactly a vacation."
More Grandmasters stepped forward, heads turning as they scanned the sprawling realm. Despite their power, even they looked mildly impressed.
"I’ll admit," Arkas muttered, still staring upward, "I didn’t expect it to be this intact after what Dante said. You really cleaned house."
I shrugged.
"I had help."
Suddenly, everyone went quiet when General Cassian stepped forward, his posture straight, eyes sharp as ever. His voice cut clean through the silence.
"As discussed, make it fast and brutal. We don’t want to give them time to react or prepare. No need to worry about the damage we cause, this is war. And the Empire demands victory."
He paused, letting the words settle, then continued as he scanned each of our faces.
"We’ll divide into three squads. Each squad hits a different location. The targets have already been marked and assigned. Use the teleportation circles, we go straight into their bases. No sieging, no waiting. This direct entry is our biggest advantage."
He turned slightly and added, "We’ll have soldiers outside supporting us, but make no mistake, we are the main strike force. Grandmasters don’t wait. We end this quickly."
He clenched his fist and narrowed his eyes.
"Once your target is finished, don’t rest, move to help the others. Don’t let any Holt escape. By sunset, their family should have nothing left to stand on. No power. No limbs. Just a torso crawling in fear."
The place remained silent. There were no cheers or applause. But, the sluggish Essence started churning on its own as if reacting to their emotions.
I slowly exhaled and looked down at my hand, which had clenched into a fist.
So this was it.
My first true war.
I would be part of one of the strike teams, and I’d finally get to witness how Grandmasters truly fought, not just watch videos, but on the battlefield.
The moment the order was given, all twenty-five Grandmasters launched into the air. A thunderous burst of wind echoed through the realm as their combined power surged upward.
I pulled my own wings free—crimson, feathered, sharp like blades. The moment I took off, I noticed a few surprised glances aimed my way. Even among Grandmasters, wings made purely of Essence weren’t common.
I didn’t wait. I shot ahead, cutting through the wind, leaving a violet trail behind. The others followed in formation, but I pushed harder, reaching the portal chamber first.
As I landed, I found Lyrate and Knight exactly where I left them.
One floating in silence and the other hiding in the shadows, watching over the teleportation nodes.
I raised a hand.
"Thank you for the help. Return."
Both of them vanished in flashes of crimson and black light, pulled back into the core.
Seconds later, the chamber rumbled as the others arrived. The full force of the Grandmasters poured into the wide space, the very walls trembling from their presence. General Cassian landed in front, his armor gleaming, his eyes calm and sharp.
He turned and gave a single command.
"Gather all freed soldiers."
One of the Grandmasters nodded and shot upward again. Just a few seconds later, a swirl of dust heralded his return. Behind him came footsteps.
Steve and North entered the chamber, leading the group of freed Master ranked soldiers.
The moment the soldiers stepped into the chamber, a hush fell. Their eyes widened. Some froze. Others saluted out of reflex. The pressure from so many Grandmasters was nearly unbearable.
Even Steve looked a little tense, but he gave me a small nod. North remained still, her eyes flicking around the room.
General Cassian spoke again, this time to me.
"These soldiers are under your command now. As per your designation, any Master-rank individual you meet outside during the operation will also fall under your authority."
I nodded.
General Cassian stepped forward once again and began dividing the forces into three groups. After a brief exchange of glances and nods among the Grandmasters, our group was finalized.
Arkas. Edgar. Four more Grandmasters. Me. North. Steve.
And behind us all the freed Master-ranked soldiers, standing at attention, ready for blood.
"We’ll be taking the eastern continent," Arkas announced. "That’s where one of the Holt family’s largest bases is located. It’s heavily defended, of course but this portal connects directly to their inner sanctum. They think it’s secure. Let’s show them how wrong they are."
The others – Dante, Cilian, Cassian, were already preparing to lead their groups to the capital and the western continent. The teleportation circles around us flared one by one, humming with dense Essence, ready to send us across the world in an instant.
Before we left, Arkas turned to address the Masters.
"This is war," he said, voice hard and clipped. "And war has no place for hesitation or emotion. You may have been prisoners a few hours ago, but today, you’re weapons of the Empire. Do your job. Burn everything that stands in your way. But also—" he paused "—do your best to come back alive."
Several Masters nodded. Others clenched their weapons tighter.
Arkas gave a single sharp nod to me.
"Let’s go."
And with that, we all vanished in a flash of light, our circle activated, and the next battlefield awaited.