[Billion’s PoV]
I landed back in our temporary camp in the Peanu capital with Steve, Primus, and Lara at my side.
The camp was almost empty, quieter than I expected. Only two grandmasters remained, seated on simple chairs, passing the time with a board game.
The moment they noticed me, they pushed their pieces aside and stood at attention.
"Commander," they said together, offering a sharp salute.
I gave a small nod in return. Their gazes flickered briefly toward Primus and Lara, then returned to me, curiosity clear in their eyes though neither dared to ask.
I stepped closer to one of the older men and spoke. "Could you arrange a place for them to stay? They’ll be returning with us to Vaythos."
The grandmaster bowed his head once. "Of course."
With that settled, I turned back to Primus and Lara. "We’ll speak later," I said quietly, then left them in the grandmasters’ care.
I bid the demons farewell and walked on with Steve, heading toward the center of the camp where a large wooden hall had been built for meetings and command.
The hall was vast and dimly lit, the high wooden beams casting long shadows across the polished floor. Rows of seats lined either side, filled with grandmasters. At the far end, beneath a broad banner of the Empire, the Emperor sat on a raised dais.
As Steve and I entered, the room stirred.
The hall fell silent and the low murmur died away as the grandmasters in the front rows fixed me with looks that mixed fear and respect; their gaze pressed on the air like heavy chains, but I met it calmly and walked forward with Steve at my side.
The Emperor rose halfway, a faint smile on his lips. Yet behind it, sorrow lingered. His eyes betrayed it, shadows of grief that could not be hidden. The loss of his sister in the war weighed on him still. For a brief moment, the sadness in his gaze softened the room more than any words could.
We stopped before him, bowing briefly before being guided to two seats near the center. The hall exhaled as we sat.
"Commander Ironhart," the Emperor began, his voice steady but touched with emotion. "On behalf of the Empire, I thank you. When the phantoms descended, you saved not only the day but countless lives. Without you, our Empire might have fallen."
His words carried across the hall, and I could feel the shift in the room, respect, recognition, and happiness.
The Emperor leaned slightly forward. "Tell me... what are your thoughts regarding Peanu now?"
I paused only a moment before replying, my voice calm. "I am fine with whatever the Empire decides."
The Emperor’s gaze shifted to Dante. "What of Sukra?" he asked.
Dante stepped forward with slow, deliberate steps. The disguise was convincing, an old, hunched man leaning on a cane, voice thin and gravelly.
He cleared his throat. "By this evening they will know what happened here," he said. "If you plan a surprise, it must be done this afternoon at the latest."
"Do we have a way in?" the Emperor pressed.
Dante’s shoulders dipped. "Not anymore. I had to channel every resource we had into Peanu. Sukra was left to the side." He sounded tired, and even through the disguise I heard the strain. It felt like a quiet confession.
General Cassian cut in, urgency tightening his voice. "Your Majesty, the condition in Peanu is deteriorating. The abomination zones will start overflowing in a week. If that happens, the cities will be lost. We need our grandmasters here, but there are no extra hands to spare."
A dozen heads turned toward me as if I were a hinge that could swing the whole hall. I felt the weight of those eyes settle on my shoulders. I breathed out slowly, letting the air carry some of the pressure with it.
"What I can do," I said, "is make a quick round around Peanu and clear the worst of the zones. After that I’ll do the same sweep in Vaythos. Once those fronts are stable, you can station some of our grandmasters here to hold them."
The Emperor’s expression softened into a small, grateful smile. Dante’s chuckle came next, a wet sound that showed the gaps in his teeth even under the old-man mask.
General Cassian nodded, relief bleeding into his face. "Yes. That would be very helpful. We will forever remember this debt, Commander Billion."
I only bowed my head once. "Do you need my help with Sukra?"
The room went quiet. General Cassian didn’t answer; he looked to the Emperor instead. The Emperor took his time, eyes moving over the crowd.
"Yes," he said at last, voice low. "But I do not want killing on Sukra. I want you to help us capture their grandmasters, alive."
I let the word sink in. Capture, not kill. It changed the plan and the risk. I thought it over, picturing how it might play out, then asked what was on my mind. "Wouldn’t taking their emperor be enough?"
The Emperor shook his head slowly.
"Sukra is weaker than us, yes, but their ruler is seen as benevolent. If we simply seize him, it will look like revenge.
They would have cause and justification to strike back. We need to take them all at once, swoop them up in a single stroke, then open negotiations.
We must show overwhelming strength. The news of Peanu’s fall will already frighten them; show them we can finish the job and they’ll think twice."
I let his words settle. It was brutal politics dressed as mercy. I nodded. "I can handle the capture and the show of force. It shouldn’t be hard to pull off. How do we get there?"
Dante answered, voice creaky beneath the old-man disguise. "We have an outpost near Sukra. We’ll move to it first. From there we force our way in, brute strength where stealth fails."
The plan was blunt and simple. Move to the outpost, gather the power, then strike fast and loud. I liked the clarity of it. There was less room for half-measures.
I met the Emperor’s gaze and saw the same tired hope I’d seen earlier. "Very well," I said. "Tell me when to move. I’ll be ready."