September 3rd, 628

After my deals were made with higher powers, my time was spent moving information.

I had to get everyone in the loop while making sure my secrets weren't further exposed. I had already revealed plenty to them, and while some of it was what they knew, as I had said before, the fact that they knew I was aware changed the dynamic. In their eyes, I had only been a major pawn in the game, someone they could still predict and take action around. Now they knew I had escaped the game, surpassed the matrix, ascended to the position of player. The way they would treat me would change accordingly.

They also knew that my secrets were deeper than they could guess at. This was especially so for the Key Master. In the past, I used to feel like he was omniscient. Nothing I did seemed to escape his gaze, no matter how secretive it had been. It was like he had planted a pair of eyes behind my own, always watching.

Now, there were things he didn't know about. I wasn't sure exactly when he stopped being so capable of collecting information about me, but it was clear that as of now, there was no power that was aware of my most principal secrets. I needed it to stay that way. There were things I wasn't even telling Umara, let alone external allies. That was for good reason.

Some time passed, and while Umara hadn't yet developed the spells to usable perfection, there were still preemptive steps to take. I received plenty of intel from the Key Master about various secret vaults that even my hotspot map didn't detect. My teams at Sector 4 also started verifying the intelligence I received. I trusted the Key Master, but some of it was simply old and needed a pair of eyes on it.

At some point, only two-man teams were heading out to check on things. Sector 4 was stretched thin, as they usually were, but the results were undeniable.

That wasn't mentioning the missions being put out to exterminate more Nephilim. Hundreds were being killed every day, thousands more in the larger operations against towns. Our work continued to drive more Nephilim across the entire Kingdom out of their holes and into the cities where they would have a far more noticeable and violent impact upon humanity. Many would incorrectly assume that I was aiding their cause.

I simply sat back and watched my enemies make their stupid mistakes.

Unfortunately I was soon to fight a three-pronged war. The Heist and extermination could continue without my micromanaging, but there was one thing I didn't plan to leave out of my hands.

……

…

My eyes opened, my hands gently clenching and feeling Umara's smooth skin underneath.

A pool of drool tickled my chest, my eyes glancing down at my fiancé's open mouth. I chuckled before hugging her and rolling, shifting her to her side of the bed before slipping out.

She was out cold, having spent all night working on her spells again. I had told her about my deals with the Key Master and Lady Luna. The success of this operation thus fell on her shoulders, which was stressing her out.

Not that she wanted it any other way. I had a feeling she didn't appreciate being given nothing to do as I took care of everything else, so I let her do what she did best. Besides, this was a good opportunity for her growth. When this was all over, she'd be significantly more adept at spatial magic. I wanted to see how powerful she could become with them.

Unfortunately the problems I was faced with only seemed to be mounting.

I suddenly looked off in the distance, through the wall of our room and off into the ether beyond. I could see the Great Barrier, still on the horizon, only slightly closer than it had been years ago.

It was not what my attention lay upon.

I crawled out of bed, my spatial storage unwrapping my normal garb over my body. Having dressed in a few seconds, I lifted my Aerial and started sending out messages to make arrangements.

Umara stirred, looking at me with groggy eyes.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, yet. The Scourge is moving on the Glass Desert."

"Oh, great…"

She sighed, slumping back down and burying her face into my pillow. Her words came into my mind.

"Is it finally happening?"

"Probably. We've known for a while that this day was coming soon."

"Mm. Just be careful, please."

"Always."

I walked over and gave her a kiss on the head before exiting the master bedroom of my estate.

Erhan was there, my transportation ready. I was soon boarding my plane, in the air a minute after and my destination fast approaching within some hours.

We landed in the base, Erhan dressed in his armor instead of uniform as we stepped out. The base was more active than usual. Not surprising.

I arrived at the headquarters, meeting one of my highest Generals.

"General Gaffney. How's the situation?"

"Progressively worsening, sir, as it has been for the past few months. Might I ask what brings you by?"

He looked at me with some worry. I had been rather hands off recently and Iron Legion was running like a well-oiled machine. There had been no outstanding problems, and after some vetting, we had even brought on some more soldiers from the Whetted City and the Talerria Family, totalling 2 thousand. It wasn't much, but their territories were constantly churning out new soldiers that would increase our numbers. So long as our negligible mortality rate was maintained, we would only accumulate strength.

Unfortunately that's not what my presence usually entailed. When I showed up, it was because something was about to happen. My Generals knew that well by now.

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I puffed on a cigar, looking down at the map.

The Scourge looked like it was advancing at full force. There were reconnaissance planes in the air at all times monitoring their numbers, and there were 300 thousand within 200 miles of our forward bases.

The intestine was also reaching the front lines. Even being constantly bombarded with routine attacks, it was progressively strengthened and empowered, a massive tunnel of power and fuel for the Scourge's war machine that we couldn't break without concentrated attacks costing more armament than it was worth.

It was determined that the armament was better spent simply killing more monsters, but that intestine still served as an indicator of the Scourge's advance.

I glanced across the battlefield, thousands of indicators exposed to my vision when I manipulated the map, overlaying all forms of data available. I saw recent attacks, current attacks, battle history, movement history and progress, and casualty counts in various areas.

I also saw reports of a dust storm approaching, not far behind the intestine. It had been maintaining a steady distance, but over the past year it had only gotten closer.

It painted a crystal clear picture in my mind.

"General, I've come today to make sure you're seeing what I am. I'm well aware that the situation has been getting worse. Scourge numbers are only increasing despite our constant slaughter. Millions are coming from the crossing, ready to bolster their numbers once more. Even so, wars are about timing. We've been relatively reserved over the past year, accumulating and stockpiling in preparation for the day the Scourge decides to throw everything they have at us."

I paused, the moment of silence making the General nervous.

"...Has that day come?"

"It has. From the beginning, I was ready to step out onto the battlefield myself and fight alongside my troops. I haven't because everything up until now has been training, for you and the troops you command. I can only hope that this time hasn't been wasted."

The General looked at the map, at the same image I saw, and frowned.

"Forgive me sir, but I'm not seeing what you are. We've been maintaining. There have been no reports of notably increased intensity."

"Of course there haven't. You guys can't feel what I can. Doesn't matter though. All you have to do is what I command. You know the Maginot protocols I've taught you about?"

"I've memorized every protocol you've written."

"Good. Then start putting them into effect. We're about to go into a state of total war. The Maginot Protocols will rebuff the incoming assault."

The General stared at the map for a short while longer. The Maginot Protocols were extreme. They were one of the three Total War protocols that I had given to my Generals. In essence, the Maginot Protocols demanded that the Line of battle be established and defended to the last man. All restrictions on ammo and ordnance expenditure would be lifted, and all forces would devote everything they had to holding the Line. There would be no retreat. There would be no looking back. No enemy would get past any section of the Line, and terraforming measures would be taken to ensure that the enemy couldn't simply flank the Line.

The biggest weakness of the Maginot Protocols was the fact that it took time to be established. When battle lines constantly shifted, no singular line could be made. When a line was established, troops couldn't go past it. The enemy could retreat and plan, putting the defending force at a disadvantage. There was little force projection to be done.

The Protocols could only be activated at a time when they would do more good than harm. The criteria for such were stringent, demanding full knowledge not just of the enemy's current movements, but prediction of the future.

It was a huge decision to be made, but the General didn't have much of a choice when I was the one ordering it.

Both because of my authority as well as my record of being right.

He finally nodded.

"Yes sir. I will ensure your plans are followed as soon as possible."

"And as correctly as possible. Flaws in the execution will make our defense that much more difficult. We have some time. Use it wisely. I will be watching."

"Yes sir."

General Gaffney lifted his aerial, manipulating it for over a minute before quickly leaving.

I stood there staring at the map, feeling the movement of the enemy.

I wasn't entirely sure how I could feel it. When I looked off into the horizon, I was able to sense the threat to my life. It was getting closer, and I was its enemy.

More gut feelings. I intended to listen to them.

After handing off my orders to the professionals, I made my rounds through the Glass Desert's facilities. I checked on Polly and how her work was going. All was green there. I checked on our stockpiles. What was in our warehouses alone could level the capital. I checked incoming shipments. The cargo headed our way would triple our stockpiles in just a week.

I had already sent some messages to my people at Continuance. As I didn't want my stockpiles of elemental crystals to create a beacon within Kingdom territory, the vast majority of Iron Legion's armament was stored on the island, having been manufactured there. Mining operations on the island took advantage of the incredible deposits of crystals created by the Stabilizers for the Heart. There was more wealth there than I knew what to do with, so all of it was weaponized as fast as it could be mined.

With my command, Iron Legion stockpiles would increase by magnitudes. There would be a virtually endless amount of ordnance and fuel heading our way in just a couple weeks.

It was far more than was needed to rebuff the incoming Scourge assault even at abysmal kill efficiencies. I ordered it all to be moved anyway. My plans hardly ended at a simple rebuff.

For a time I simply watched and took account of all my forces. I painted a picture in my mind, my mental Fortress grabbing all the data and creating a war map. With it, I could see all.

The Scourge couldn't possibly match me, and I was no master of strategy. I simply knew everything I had to. Their battle lines were an open book. Their incoming forces were more exposed than a stripper with hundreds stuffed in her thong. I had an eyeful of everything and I was quite impolite with it.

After mere hours I already saw shifts in our battle lines. The General established a Line, and troops that were beyond it started pulling back. The Line was roughly 250 miles long, one end at the coast, the other near the battle lines of Stronghold Echo. In preparation for such a time, the forward bases were already spread across the Line, only needing interconnection.

Warlocks would terraform the land in the coming days, and engineers would construct fortifications within the earth itself. The Line would become a bulwark that no monster could get past.

And with an established line, other defensive measures could be emplaced. Minefields and traps could be laid with incredible density, which meant the deployment of new technologies. Squadrons of bombers could fly across the new No Man's Land and drop tens of thousands of air-deployable mines, enough to decimate entire armies before they marched within 30 miles of the Line.

Tanks would become emplacements, artillery could be spread out and permanently stationed to be used with maximum efficiency, and transport lines could be strewn across the front to maximize the flow of resources.

In my mind, it would be simplicity itself to defend the Line. My Generals were still operating with maximum efficiency in mind. They had gotten rather good at maximizing resources.

But soon I'd be letting them loose. Soon, they would be more worried about how fast they could get their weapon systems to fire. It would feel like they couldn't put down enough ordnance with the endless swarms of demon spawn charging at their walls.

And with it all, I'd get more footage and records to use in my propaganda war. My covert war extended beyond the darkness of extermination.

I shifted gears mentally. I had been accumulating my own strength and technology for months now. I had been working in the dark, doing things nobody else on this planet could fathom in order to support this very war.

It was about time to start cashing in on it.

I glanced at Erhan, who had remained standing by my side for hours in silence, awaiting my next order.

"Prepare a plane to the front lines."

I turned back to the map, seeing the Scourge stirring. They had been moving like a sleepwalker all this time, refusing to devote themselves to the war against my Iron Legion completely. They had been holding back, waiting, watching.

I could tell that the time for watching had passed. They were ready to play their cards, and I was ready to respond in kind.

I stood turned away and walked out of the headquarters, Erhan following.

"It's about time I stepped out and led my soldiers."

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