Chapter 187 - 187: Understanding the Three Continents, Next Plans
The Iron Arbiter processed the tactical implications of the recently extracted intelligence. The glowing furnace in his chest burned with a sudden, anxious intensity.
[ Based on the interrogation of the prisoners, King Voranthar is hell-bent on taking full control of the Third Continent, ] the iron colossus rumbled. [ Once that landmass falls, the Second Continent will be completely surrounded by hostile territory and the open sea. If the Fourth Continent launches a full-scale invasion with their remaining Heralds after securing that flank, we are completely finished. ]
[ That will not happen, ] Red reassured him with chilling certainty. [ The Fourth Continent will cease to exist long before they execute that maneuver. I need precise intelligence to dismantle them properly. Send me the complete history logs of all three continents. I want to know exactly how many gods rule over the Fourth Continent and exactly which deity King Voranthar serves. ]
[ I will pull up the archives immediately and speak with the other gods who left our borders to gather that information, ] the Iron Arbiter agreed.
[ Do that quickly, ] Red instructed. [ I am escalating our deployment. I will send three separate voyages of five hundred thousand troops each over the upcoming months. You and any other surviving gods in your situation must gather every available ally and consolidate your remaining forces before the true war begins. Also, grant me direct access to your territorial map. I need a full view of the board to plan this campaign. ]
[ I will transmit the map access immediately, ] the Iron Arbiter confirmed.
The towering digital avatar flickered and vanished. The transmission screen went completely dark. Red leaned back in his hovering chair and stared out at the swirling void of his sanctuary. He was no longer fighting a simple border skirmish. He was preparing to wage a continent-shattering war to reclaim his stolen soul and slaughter the empire that took it.
A green light blinked on the sanctuary's main monitor, followed immediately by a floating text box.
[ SYSTEM ALERT: ENCRYPTED TERRITORIAL MAP RECEIVED. RENDERING PROJECTION... ]
Red leaned forward on his throne and swiped a hand through the air. A massive holographic globe flared to life in the center of the dark floor. He stood up and walked directly into the projection to inspect the tactical board.
The Second Continent rendered in stunning, high-resolution detail. The vast landmass formed a massive, C-shaped crescent moon. The inner curve of the crescent faced the Third and Fourth Continents to completely shield them from the wider eastern sea.
It acted as a massive crescent moon wrapping its outer curves around the eastern sea to shield the inner land from the open ocean. Red traced the upper tip of the crescent with his index finger. His Vanguard forces currently occupied that exact region, utilizing the reclaimed shipyards as their primary staging ground.
He dragged his finger down the digital coastline to the bottom tip of the crescent. Another matching port and shipyard sat right on the southern edge.
Red shifted his gaze toward the center of the projection.
The Third and Fourth Continents sat inside the protective curve of the crescent. Together, they formed a flipped 'D' shape.
The holographic resolution dropped significantly across these enemy territories. Deep geographical rifts, jagged canyons, and treacherous mountain ranges physically separated the contiguous landmass to define the distinct continental borders.
Red could only make out basic topography like sweeping savannas and dense forests.
Red opened the attached intelligence file provided by the Iron Arbiter.
The glowing text detailed a grim, bloody history of the region. Three decades ago, the Third Continent boasted twelve prosperous kingdoms ruled by twelve distinct gods. The relentless expansion of the Fourth Continent had absolutely devastated the region. The notes estimated only three kingdoms remained active today. The invading forces had systematically slaughtered or permanently deleted the other nine ruling deities.
Intelligence regarding the Fourth Continent itself remained scarce. The archives confirmed the hostile landmass contained at least four major kingdoms. Four separate, highly powerful gods ruled those kingdoms in absolute coordination.
'King Voranthar serves just one of those four gods,' Red thought. He swiped the data away and stared at the glowing enemy borders. 'The human king is merely a mortal pawn taking over the board for his masters. But I and the others were summoned by the king through the mages. What kind of power is that, or was it the god's power?'
Red crossed his arms and looked back at the southern port on the Second Continent's crescent. That lower harbor offered direct naval access to the Third Continent's shores. Hunting down Chris and Megan in the desert would grant him his next soul fragments and completely cripple the Fourth Continent's ongoing invasion of those three remaining kingdoms.
"You want to conquer the world, Voranthar?" Red whispered to the empty sanctuary, watching the digital map spin on its axis. "Let us see how your empire functions when I start tearing out its roots."
Red swiped his hand across the projection to minimize the intelligence files. He kept the glowing map of the Second Continent active and opened his command link.
[ Iron-Scale. ] Red projected his voice across the distance.
Down in the eastern shipyards, Iron-Scale stood amidst the bustling Vanguard encampment. He tapped a claw against his chest plate and spoke into the telepathic connection.
"I hear you, Sovereign. We await your orders."
[ Assign Old-Shell to hold our current position at the eastern ports, ] Red instructed, tapping the upper curve of the holographic crescent. [ Leave him a garrison of ten thousand from your fifty thousand troops. You may divide the races and unit branches however you see fit. Instruct him to construct a permanent stronghold over the harbor to secure our rear. ]
Iron-Scale looked over his shoulder at the massive Shell-Kin warrior. Old-Shell was currently organizing a pile of star-iron crates near the docks.
"Old-Shell will lock this harbor down completely," Iron-Scale confirmed. "What of the main host?"
[ Take the remaining forty thousand troops and march directly to the Second Continent's capital castle, ] Red commanded. [ You will meet up with the local forces there. Treat them as your equals. Respect their rules and ideals while in their territory, or at least put in the effort to try. We need this alliance to remain stable. ]
Iron-Scale let out a low rumble in his throat. He thought back to the tense standoff with Apostle Lucian over the executed general.
"We will mind our manners in their halls, Sovereign," Iron-Scale replied.
[ Once you reconvene at the capital, you will plot your marching route to the southern shipyards facing the Third Continent. ] Red dragged his finger down to the bottom tip of the holographic map. [ That lower port will serve as our launch point for the next invasion. ]
"We will prepare the fleet for a desert crossing," Iron-Scale agreed. He adjusted his star-iron sword belt and glanced at the marching formations forming up in the distance. "Are we to expect reinforcements for this push?"
[ More forces from the Seventeenth Continent are currently mobilizing to join you, ] Red stated.
Iron-Scale's eyes brightened with predatory anticipation. "Is Gorak arriving with the next wave?"
Red closed the holographic map with a flick of his wrist. The dark void of the sanctuary returned to its original dim lighting.
[ Gorak has deployed on an entirely different mission. ]