Trash Prince and Ice Queen 10th Re - Life

A week passed. With the return of Prince Nikolai and the diplomatic efforts of Eva—representing the Liberta Empire—alongside the kingdoms of Grimgarth and Tartagia from Le Rein Infernal, they finally convinced the Durnhill Kingdom to join the Liberta Empire. Although the empire had already been formed, it had not yet been officially inaugurated.

With this move, all the kingdoms in the world were now united as one, as Fredonia and Rellios had already joined, followed by the merman kingdom of Lenoria, which also decided to join the Liberta Empire. Communication between the southern and northern continents continued throughout the week to discuss the next steps and coordinate the assault on the central continent, or more specifically, the Orthus Empire.

***

In the imperial palace of the Orthus Empire, the senate chamber was alive with fierce debate. Members of the senate argued heatedly over the state of the war, national logistics, and various other matters. Edmund, the Emperor, sat relaxed on his marble throne. He rested his face on the arm of the chair, merely listening to the bickering senators before him.

But suddenly—"crack"—Edmund flinched and looked down. His eyes widened as he saw a letter, delivered by an arrow adorned with a crow feather, lodged directly at the base of his feet. The senate chamber fell into an abrupt silence, every head turning toward Edmund.

Slowly, Edmund leaned down and pulled the arrow from the marble floor. He examined it; the arrow belonged to the Dark Elf tribes of Durnhill, and the crow feather signified the Raven forces of Fredonia. He tossed the arrow aside and took the letter. He noticed a blue wax seal on the back featuring a globe emblem and the words "Liberta Empire."

"Liberta Empire?" Edmund asked.

He broke the seal and pulled the letter from the envelope. He opened it and began to read. The letter contained only three sentences. The first two explained what the Liberta Empire was and listed the kingdoms unified within it as member states of a greater nation. The third line read:

"Greetings, Your Imperial Majesty. Along with this letter representing the Liberta Empire, we suggest that you surrender peacefully to our empire to avoid unnecessary bloodshed. Please send your response within 48 hours. If we do not receive a reply from you within the given time, it will be taken as a refusal. Thank you."

Edmund’s blood boiled when he saw the signatures at the bottom of the letter: "Arden von Liberta and Evangeline von Liberta." He instantly crumpled the paper into a ball and threw it aside. One of the senators picked it up and read it; his eyes went wide, and he held the letter up toward Edmund.

"Your Imperial Majesty, with all due respect, we must respond to this letter immediately," Senator One urged.

Another senator snatched the letter from Senator One’s hand and read it. His eyes widened as well, and he passed the letter to another senator until the entire senate had read the contents. The tone of their discussion shifted instantly. They began whispering about legendary kingdoms like Grimgarth, Tartagia, and Lenoria—realms that were never supposed to exist in the world again. If these legends had joined a Liberta Empire that already included Ateras, Durnhill, Fredonia, and Rellios on the surface, the Orthus Empire was surely doomed if it chose to fight.

A debate broke out, and the room split into two factions: the first group favored a conditional surrender, while the second pushed for a total surrender. Not a single side intended to fight. Hearing this, Edmund’s temper flared. His fingers tapped rhythmically against the arm of his throne, and his face turned a deep, furious red. Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore and stood up, slamming his hand against his chair.

"Silence, all of you!" Edmund roared.

The senate chamber went still in an instant. The fifteen senators turned to look at Edmund, who was clearly at his breaking point.

"Ready our forces. Guard every border. Secure all our supplies and shut down every trade route. We are going to war," Edmund screamed.

Edmund’s words echoed through the silent senate chamber, and the faces of every senator present suddenly turned deathly pale. It was clear they were terrified; they understood the weight of opposing a force that was undoubtedly far greater than that of the Empire, which until now had been the world’s leading power. A senator who appeared to be in his early forties stood up and raised his hand.

"As this letter states, Your Imperial Majesty, it is impossible for us to win against every kingdom in the world—especially with the legendary kingdoms we once thought were mere myths joining them. Surrender is the only way we can survive," said the man we will call Senator Two.

"It’s true, Your Imperial Majesty. Please consider the condition of our people. Currently, we are all under immense pressure due to our assault on the Ateras Kingdom," added Senator One, the first to have picked up the letter.

"We collaborate with Durnhill for our food supply. With that cooperation severed, we clearly cannot rely on our own agricultural strength, especially when facing a war of this magnitude. Please, Your Imperial Majesty, think this through carefully," added the man we will call Senator Three.

"Please, calm yourself first, Your Imperial Majesty. There are still 48 hours left to provide an answer. We ask for your wisdom," added the man we will call Senator Four.

The room erupted into chaos once more, but this time they were all pleading with Edmund to surrender rather than face a massive force poised to annihilate their Empire. Hearing the senators’ desperate urgings, Edmund’s face turned a deeper shade of red as the veins in his head began to bulge; he was truly on the verge of exploding. But before he could speak, a resonant "clang" rang out from the Monastery of Goddess Ophelia located next to the palace. Every head turned toward the sound, and the senators—along with Edmund—rushed to the windows to look.

Their eyes widened as the sky above the monastery split wide open, and a pillar of light descended upon the building. An army of angels, numbering perhaps in the tens of thousands, marched down in formation to the sound of trumpets, carrying majestic banners. The senators stood stunned by the "miracle" unfolding before them, but their shock was interrupted by a sudden "bang" as the doors to the senate chamber swung open.

Everyone turned around, including Edmund. They were shocked to see a tall woman wearing a flowing white-and-gold gown beneath golden armor. She had wavy blonde hair, a beautiful tiara, and black eyes with striking white pupils. She carried a sword and an exquisite round shield.

Seeing the woman, Edmund immediately dropped to one knee. The confused senators behind him had no choice but to follow their Emperor’s lead, bowing before her.

"Greetings, Goddess Ophelia," Edmund said, followed quickly by the senators.

"Rise, my children," said the woman, who was indeed Ophelia.

Edmund and the senators rose back to their feet. Edmund stared at Ophelia’s face, which bore a striking resemblance to Eva’s, and his expression shifted completely. The Goddess noticed this and acted immediately; her body shrank, becoming the same height as Edmund and other humans, making her look exactly like Eva. She stepped forward, closing the distance between them, and pulled Edmund into an embrace.

"Edmund, continue your struggle. This time, I will be by your side and fight with you. We will live together after you win this war. I am willing to be your wife, to replace the sister who holds a place in your heart," Ophelia said, her arms wrapped around him.

"Very well... I will fight for you," Edmund replied, already ensnared and dominated by Ophelia’s influence.

Then, Edmund turned back to face the senators with Ophelia still in his arms, and raised his hand.

"We are at war! With the help of the heavenly host, we shall not fall, even against the kingdoms of legend! Long live the Orthus Empire!" Edmund shouted with fervor.

The senators responded, but the expressions on their faces told a different story. They had just glimpsed the true nature of Ophelia—the being currently manipulating their Emperor, whom they had worshipped as a great goddess for so long. After Edmund exited the senate chamber with Ophelia, the fifteen senators left behind stood in a daze.

"Was... was that Goddess Ophelia?" Senator One asked.

"I don’t know why... but seeing her terrified me. It’s obvious our Emperor is under her influence," Senator Two replied.

"What do we do now? We can’t possibly follow the Emperor’s orders, can we?" Senator Three asked, looking toward the others.

"We have to act. It’s time we gather our own strength and defect," said the man we’ll call Senator Five.

"Right. I agree. I’m going back to my region to prepare. We’re going to overthrow the Emperor," added the man we’ll call Senator Eight.

"There’s no other way. We have to move fast before the Emperor destroys everything," Senator Four added.

"We should leave immediately," Senator One urged.

"Yes," the others replied.

They moved toward the door, but when they tried to open it, they found it had been locked from the outside. Then—"bang"—every window in the room slammed shut and sealed on its own.

"What is the meaning of this?" Senator Two shouted.

Before he could get an answer, an angel appeared in mid-air, clutching a blazing fireball. Without a word, the angel dropped the sphere onto the Emperor’s throne. Flames instantly swept across the room. "Aaaaaah!" The senators screamed as the fire took hold, trapped with no way out. The angel vanished, leaving the room engulfed in flames and the bodies of the senators collapsed on the floor, swallowed by the fire. And with this, the war that would decide the fate of the world began.