Capital city Raven, Rynberg Empire:
In the ongoing chaos two figures stood tall in the throne room, Edward Hadrian Rynberg and Marquis Lennard. Edward stood tall his height easily eclipsing his throne whilst basking in the starry light of stars above.
"Hoooh..." Taking several breaths Edward calmed himself, his body trembled ever slightly, his faced adorned by a mad grin, his teeth glistening in white splendor.
" Lennard, my friend...finally. Where countless have fallen I will succeed. It's time to end this war. "
Lennard stood pensively staring at Edward, with subtle memories flooding his mind.
Edward, Ryan and Lennard's friendship went beyond just being academy acquaintances. Their friendship was bathed in blood and born in blood. Before the year 1009 RRE, Lennard trusted his back to them and knew come whatever may he won't die, they wouldn't allow it.
After Linnaeus decimated the combined forces of the nations in 1001RRE, the trio had fought in multiple battlefields overcoming the undead and monsters that sought to devour the Rynberg kingdom back then.
The Rynberg kingdom's position in the center of the Vlaris domain did not save them from the onslaught of the demon army from the east. Post annihilation of the Arz kingdom on the east side of the Vlaris domain, monsters marched in between the borders of the kingdoms as they were funneled through with no nation being capable of withstanding the might of the demon army.
King Rowan, Edward's father despite his injuries after having fought Linnaeus was forced to return to the frontlines for 8 years further aggravating his injuries. While true that Helios, Lennard's father and Rowan had accepted summoning the Ar'garths, it took five years to configure the summoning magic as not to summon another Linnaeus. In those five years, the primary eight were established. Those 8 were planets with which they could summon and control the creatures with relative ease and they didn't have to face the wrath of the guardian's of those worlds.
Along with the summoning of the conventional species, soul magic with enough binding power was needed. Past species either overcame the binding with pure strength like the dragons or their spiritual nature allowed them to overcome the binding, such species were the banshees or wraiths.
In that time of vetting, Lennard and his friends fought to buy enough time for the success of the ritual project. It was in that time that Ryan earned the title the immortal magician as his light element affinity and synergy eclipsed anyone on the planet including members of the church of Minthes.
While true that 100% affinity opened the door to the saint rank and allowed one the ability of bend an element to one's will. That was a half-truth in that synergy between the element and the individual was key, that synergy was the embodiment of oneself as the element.
The elemental towers in the Mergard planet, more than the question of increasing one's affinity posed the question of synergy's origin and to what extent it impacted the path of a magician and a knight. James Chronos had opened slightly the door to truth but even synergy was a door firmly shut before his mad inquiries of all that was truth.
As Ryan grew stronger and overwhelmingly decimated the monsters from battlefield to battlefield, Rowan's ambition to make him subservient deepened and with his failing health he sought to find a nail, a nail which he could put the boulder that the world and it wouldn't buckle an inch. That nail was Ryan, his boundless strength and purity was soon confined to be ever subservient to the Rynberg kingdom bound by a 7th tier soul magic spell, Naedum.
Originally Rowan wanted to used the 9th tier soul spell Sonas Umbra , developed for the Ar'garths but Edward had talked him down to using a 7th tier instead. While it might have benefitted them to bind him for eternity, that eternity was impossible and he would overcome any magic laced on him. The 7th tier was to pacify and show Edward's feelings for him. But as to whether Ryan would see it as such when he breaks loose was unknown.
Lennard more than Ryan was worried about Edward, the self loathing Edward inflicted on himself was deep, deep enough to drive his advancement into the saint knight ranks at just 38 years old. For most, they entered the saint rank at just 50-60 years of age, post 60 the chances of doing so grew slimmer. That was the reason count Von Stein could not afford to delay and was in a rush to crush the weakened duke Marcius after his folly with the emperor. Duke Marcius was younger that him at just 47 years of age and he was already a peak grandmaster knight.
Edward loathed weakness and more than anything his own weakness. He was old enough to see, listen and live in a time where despite the Rynberg kingdom's riches, they were subservient to the whims of the larger and more powerful kingdoms. Their path of financial power severely limited whatever independence they sought to claim as they were constantly kept in check. So, Edward grew up chained in restrictions that further revealed themselves as he grew up.
So, he sought independence but not the independence of drawing strength from those around him but the independence that came from his own overwhelming strength. His father's death and suffering long before it had sharped his ambition along with his loathing of the other nations that sought to use them but discarded them as if filth gnawing on their pristine hands.
So, when his father before his death marched the army of ar'garths to torch the other kingdom's lands and make them subservient, he made a suggestion; The right of challenge. Most of the other nations would have rather seen themselves devoured by monsters rather than plead subservience especially given that the ar'gaths were of the same nature as the creatures of Linnaeus that had devoured their loved ones and set ablaze any ambition for the future as they were forced to survive in the present.
The right of challenge afforded each kingdom that became a vassal, one opportunity to challenge for the Rynberg throne despite who sat on it. Edward sought to punish them, overwhelming despair wrought from a miniscule hope. He trained constantly despite having left the battlefield when he became emperor in 1009 RRE, the year of his father's death.
Moreover like with the policy to restrict the flow of mana stones all round the nations, he often pushed their limits, how low they would kneel, how long and to what extent would they kill themselves, their pride, identities and their own inherent nature as men.
Edward paid no heed to their flattery laced with political pitfalls in their silvery tongues. All his loathing for them paled in comparison for his loathing to Linnaeus, he hated Linnaeus for his inability to use his strength. Such overwhelming might should gnawn on one's foes such that the abyss of annihilation seems ever sweeter, the disparity crushing like a boulder leaving no smoldering flames of hope.
Strength ought to skin bare the man, rip him from the heart and his mind forever drowned in weakness. Linnaeus to Edward, felt like a being who did not understand such a simple truth. The audacity to toy with one's prey is an insult to one's strength. Edward felt chained, for he could not bring his wrath on his foes, constantly annoyed by the bug that was Linnaeus.
Wherever he came from Edward couldn't care less but his foot obstructing his path forward was a slight he could not, and would not forgive.
" Lennard, since we are incapable of summoning new forces I believe the time has come for the decisive battle lest we are whittled down. How many forces do I have?" Edward inquired.
" My lord, our kingdom houses roughly 9 million civilian souls and of those 2.5 million are soldiers of the kingdom. Of the ar'garths, 560 000 are soldiers and 920 000 are currently in training for the war on the battle fronts. From the surviving kingdoms; Belford, Klasor, Theria, Niria, Zairus , Sovaria, Destrith. Their total forces are 21.5 million war able soldiers. The Kingdoms of Melbourne and Ares recently fell to the demon army in collusion with forces that deemed survival is guaranteed if they joined hands with the demon army. The Ares kingdom fell to a mercenary named Arthur and the Melbourne was besieged by millions of undead and creatures of the night. A spatial isolation barrier was cast so the defeat was overnight and we were caught off guard."
" 25 million... What of the forces of Linnaeus?" With a glance, his attention full shifted to Lennard.
" Our estimates are that his forces are 50 - 60 million strong my lord. 40% of that being undead, 30% creatures of the night and 40% being intelligent creatures with mastery of elements and secret magics." Lennard spoke, fists clenched as he understood that they were no match. For 6 years Edward ordered all capable nobles and military officials to withdraw from their army to build up their forces as if the war prolonged they more likelihood of destruction of the nations.
So, the battlefronts were left momentarily in the hands of incompetent nobles that would be of hinderance later and needed to be weeded out. Likewise most of the ar'gaths currently at the battlefronts were meat shields while they fostered most of the useful ones and were held in reserve.
" What about the saint ranks?" While true in a frontal clash they stood no chance the true decisive factor was whether they could kill Linnaeus. The being seemed to have unlimited forces no matter how much they cut down.
" For the saint ranks including my Lord, we have 205 saint ranks. 145 saint knight ranks and 70 magician saint ranks. Most of the magicians are from the elemental towers as they have an oath to aid us in only one attempt since you, my lord became emperor."
King Rowan did not just subjugate only the nations, the elemental towers, the church of minthes and the adventurer's guild had all come under agreement lest he turn his sword on them. Although the elemental towers called themselves recluse, they could not survive without the resources found in the nations as mana stones were owned by nobles, the magical herbs were in noble's territories and the towers themselves were located in the Vlaris domain not even counting the limited number of magicians compared to knights.
For the adventurer's guild, most mercenaries were civilians that couldn't qualify for the magician or knight path in existing academies. Nobles controlled the civilian masses so the adventurer's guild had no choice they too signed the agreement.
Most important in the subjugation was the church of Minthes. While most baron to count rank nobles would think of religion as something not worth mention in terms of threats to the nobility, kings and dukes thought otherwise. The church if powerful could rally the civilians with authority rivalling the kings or emperors.
If left unchecked chaos would befall the nations, so it was paramount that the church and all its healers join the war effort. If not to heal the soldiers then to shave off their numbers in the midst of battle.
All nations would be weakened after fighting the demon army and it was an opportunity for one to proclaim themselves as the ruler of the world. King Rowan understood this along with marquis Helios and they sought to prevent a future where magicians ruled over the nobles again, as it was written the horrors that befell the common man were unsettling. It took the effort of one man to light the path forward in rebellion, millennium twilight, for man to escape from the clutches of the magicians.
Millennium twilight stood as an eternal sword paving the night sky as an immortal that lived for more than one millennia, even some consider the fact that more had joined in rebellion and not one person could live that long.
For the guild, most noble statuses would be revoked and new noble bloodlines would be born but such an outcome might involve years fighting to establish new nations and the magicians would not wait, it was not their inherent nature.
For the church to be in power it would spark another calamity like the fourth calamity for the humans of the world.