Chapter 387
Seraphina looked surprised. "Yes, but I already sent confirmation message this morning. He responded saying his forces depart at dawn and arrive in two days."
"I know. But that was before today’s battle. Before we lost Second Line. Before the humans confirmed we have demon lord support and decided to deploy all four heroes tomorrow." Lyra’s golden eyes were intense. "Loki needs to know how critical the situation has become. He needs to know we might not last two days."
"What are you suggesting?"
"Send him another message. Explain that Elric is deploying all four heroes tomorrow. Explain that Third Line will likely fall by tomorrow afternoon. Explain that we’re facing possible annihilation before his reinforcements arrive." Lyra’s voice hardened. "Ask if there’s any way he can accelerate his march. Even arriving half a day earlier could mean the difference between survival and total defeat."
Seraphina considered this carefully. "Magic Communications aren’t instant conversations, Lyra. They’re ritual magic that takes time to manifest. Sending a message now... Loki might not receive it until tomorrow afternoon or evening. By the time he could adjust his plans and respond, it might be too late to change his march schedule."
"Then we send it anyway. Because doing nothing guarantees we fight with the timeline we have. At least trying gives us a chance he might be able to help." Lyra’s strategic mind was working through every option. "What about bringing more forces? Could he send additional reinforcements?"
"Loki is already committing fifteen hundred fighters plus himself. That’s a significant portion of his military strength." Seraphina’s voice carried understanding of demon lord politics. "He can’t send more without leaving his own territory vulnerable."
"What about Morgana? His strongest mage. Could she—"
"No." Seraphina cut her off firmly. "Morgana guards Loki’s kingdom against demon lord Chronus. Chronus has been probing Loki’s borders for months, looking for weakness. If Loki pulls Morgana to reinforce us, Chronus might see it as an opportunity to attack. Loki’s entire kingdom could fall while he’s here saving our settlement."
Lyra absorbed this political reality. "So Loki can’t bring his strongest forces without risking his own territory."
"Correct. And I’m in the same position." Seraphina’s expression showed frustration. "I sent two hundred corruption specialists and my elite demon warriors. But I couldn’t bring my strongest warriors—my kingdom’s primary defenders. If I pulled them to reinforce here, my own territory would be vulnerable to attack from rival demon lords."
"So both you and Loki are supporting us with secondary forces, not your primary military strength."
"Yes. Which is still significant—two hundred corruption specialists, elite demon warriors, plus Loki’s fifteen hundred reinforcements. But it’s not our full power." Seraphina paused. "Demon lord politics are complicated. We support our allies, but not to the point of destroying ourselves."
Lyra understood. It was the same calculation human kingdoms made—help allies, but preserve your own survival first.
"Still," Lyra pressed, "send the message. Tell Loki how desperate our situation is. Even if he can’t change his reinforcement timeline, he deserves to know that we might not survive until he arrives. And if there’s any possibility he can accelerate even by hours..." She let the implication hang.
Seraphina nodded slowly. "I can send the message. Demon lord communication works through ritual magic—I create a message construct encoded with information, bind it to Loki’s magical signature, and send it. The construct seeks him out using his mana signature as a beacon."
"How does it work exactly?"
"I need to know the recipient’s image—what they look like—and their mana signature. The magical construct tracks them across distance using that signature." Seraphina’s eyes glowed as she explained. "It’s more reliable than messenger birds or physical couriers because magical constructs can’t be intercepted or killed. They travel through the ethereal plane directly to their target."
"How long does it take?"
"Depends on distance. Loki is approximately few days’ march away. The magical construct travels faster—it should reach him within six to eight hours."
Lyra calculated. "So if you send it now, around midnight, he receives it by dawn. That gives him the full day tomorrow to potentially adjust his march if he can."
"Correct."
"Then do it. Send him a detailed message explaining our situation." Lyra’s voice carried command authority. "Tell him Second Line fell today. Tell him Elric is deploying all four heroes tomorrow. Tell him Third Line is incomplete and probably won’t hold more than half a day against full assault with hero support. Tell him we’ll retreat to settlement core but our survival past Day Five morning is uncertain."
She paused, then continued with steel in her voice.
"And tell him that if we fall before he arrives, the humans will have time to fortify the settlement as their own base. They’ll have a forward position to launch attacks against his territory. This isn’t just about saving our settlement—it’s about preventing the Church from establishing a military foothold this close to his borders."
Seraphina’s expression showed approval at the political framing. "That’s a compelling argument. Loki might risk accelerating his march if he sees it as preventing a strategic threat to his own territory."
"Exactly. Make it clear this is about his interests, not just ours."
"I’ll compose the message." Seraphina paused, then asked, "Should I also contact Satou?"
Lyra felt a surge of emotion at the mention of the settlement’s founder. Satou was still five days away, scheduled to return Day Seven. He didn’t even know his settlement was under siege.
"Can you reach him at this distance?"
"If I have his mana signature, yes. The distance doesn’t matter for magical constructs—they track the target regardless of how far away they are." Seraphina studied Lyra’s face. "You want to tell him what’s happening."
"He deserves to know. This is his settlement. These are his people." Lyra’s voice carried complexity—loyalty to Satou, but also awareness that he couldn’t help. "Even if he can’t return in time, he should know that we’re fighting for survival. That we might not..." She couldn’t finish the sentence.