404 Chapter 403:We Were Wrong
The news of Arkham and Kinley soldiers being wiped out soon spread like a wildfire.
It was like a tight slap to the face of the rulers of the two Empires.
Kinley was in chaos.
Forces were deployed in quick succession one after another.
The Kingdoms in the west were asked to support troops.
But something horrifying and shocking happened as soon as they reached the place.
The entire Western Front had been covered by miasma which was destroying the land.
It was horrible but not to the point that they had to retreat.
The miasma in itself wasn’t the problem but rather the beings guarding the place.
No one knew how it happened or when it happened but the unimaginable thing had occurred.
Beyond the destroyed mountains, a defence line was laid by the arch-nemesis of peace.
The Demons.
It was too startling even for them as there was no report of a Demon invasion.
The intelligence department doesn’t know how demons appeared in huge numbers and masked their presence.
They could accept Arkham sneaking in as it was beside them but Demons who were in the far north were able to show up here.
It only meant one thing, the ridge where the eastern part of Arkham and the northern part of Demonland meet have fallen into demons’ hands.
Till now demons only posed a threat to Arkham but now it seems that Arkham wasn’t the only one who was in danger because the demon had already occupied the western fort.
The blow was big for Kinley.
But it was too severe for Arkham.
They waged the war, and shed blood and sweat but when it came to eating the pie it was snatched by the demon which shook their entire foundation.
Just like Kinley, Arkham had been boiling with rage.
Similar events occurred in Arkham.
The whole Empire of Arkham became wild and alert.
Unlike Kinley’s loss, the losses suffered by Arkham were quite severe to the point that even commoners came out to occupy the streets and surrounded the noble’s houses in their region.
They were armed with their daily tools.
Anything that was sharp and could be cut was picked up by them.
Riots and coups could be seen throughout Arkham.
Those who heard the news were shocked wondering what was going on.
Was it a rebellion or protest?
Is there going to be a civil war to overthrow the reign of the current Emperor?
Fortunately, it was neither.
This wasn’t a protest against the ruler.
This was the call of the war. They wanted to fight and take down revenge.
Because the rising sun of the Empire which everyone loved dearly had set.
Their beloved Second Prince was killed.
Every commoner knew just how much effort the Second Prince had put to help them.
He even walked on the roads and distributed food, asked about their well being and took care of their troubles.
But the feeling of being unable to see the man who was like a God to them broke their heart.
No one among them was unaware of the recent situation.
Each one of them knew exactly the situation of the Empire which was slowly falling into ruins.
And since they were already going down, they intended to go down with the other side.
Their fate would be worse than today’s if the Demon occupied their land.
There would be no more freedom for them. All of them would either become slaves or die cruelly under the demon’s hands.
Instead of waiting for death to come for them, they would sacrifice their lives for revenge.
While riots and protests were happening all over Arkham, inside the palace.
A man who seemed to be aged a lot looked outside the palace with an inexplicable gaze.
His eyes were tired and restless.
Seeing his people like this makes his heart.
“These are the people who due to the current situation weren’t able to fill up their bellies but just hearing your death, they have cast away all their grievances and braced themselves to sacrifice their lives for you.”
“Is this the fate of my Empire?”
“Have we reduced to this point that the common men have to arm themselves to fight?”
“Have we become that miserable?”
His questions were heavy and dreary.
He didn’t know why he asked such stupid questions but the questions remained questions as there was no one to answer him nor he knew the answer.
Observing the outside for a moment, he spoke with a sigh.
“It seems 600 years of this Empire’s existence would fall in my reign.”
“I have betrayed the ancestors who had worked their hearts and gave all for this Empire.”
“Our downfall seemed to be predetermined.”
His eyes seemed to tear up as he thought about the recent situation.
He wanted to rest.
He wanted to let go of this burden that was pulling him down.
In his life of 80 years, he had lost many things.
His wife, his son and now it seems that he will lose his Empire.
Yes, the man who was resting against the couch was none other than the Emperor himself.
“It’s not over yet.”
He heard the frail voice and looked at the man who was staring at the ceiling with a hollow gaze.
His body was full of wounds.
“We were wrong.”
“The answer we sought wasn’t wrong but looked for it in the wrong way but it’s okay.”
“I have already found the answer.”
“We will survive and prosper.”
“Cause I am sure that he is still alive.” The man spoke with a smile trying to cheer the old man up.
“I hope what you said becomes true.”
“Cause we neither have the time nor any more resources to avert the crisis.”
The man chuckled hearing the Emperor’s words and looked outside.
“Resources Huh!”
“We have more than what we can imagine. It’s just that we never took other options into our eye. We have something that could shake the entire world.”