I received Dino's report.
The content was ridiculous.
But the most important detail was simple:
Feldway had moved.
Feldway was acting alone now — or rather, acting without the one who once stood at the center of the angelic system.
That alone changed everything.
What surprised me wasn't the attack.
It was Obera.
She had withdrawn her forces from Feldway's command structure.
That was unexpected.
Feldway losing pieces before the first strike?
Interesting.
But not enough to relax.
"Where?" I asked calmly.
"El Dorado," Dino answered. "Leon's territory. They're sending officer-class only."
That made sense.
Without Michael's absolute domination ability active, Feldway could not afford reckless expansion.
He had to win through precision now.
I processed the information instantly.
Blizzard over El Dorado.
Velzard.
Officer-class mobilization.
Insectars aligned but not deployed.
Zelanus waiting.
And most importantly—
No Michael to rely on.
Feldway had lost his greatest control mechanism.
Which meant one thing:
He would move faster.
More aggressively.
To compensate.
There was something else that mattered.
When Michael existed, the angelic system was unified.
Now?
It was fractured.
The remnants remained.
The structures existed.
But there was no central will binding it together.
And that meant Feldway's advantage had limits.
He knew it.
I knew it.
Solarys confirmed it.
[Analysis: Angelic system cohesion reduced. No active supreme dominion detected. Feldway operating independently.]
Good.
That meant we weren't walking into the same trap twice.
I gathered the executives in the Labyrinth Control Room.
Argus surveillance showed the blizzard over El Dorado.
Velzard's work.
No communication from Leon.
Interference likely.
I turned to Benimaru.
"They're sending elites."
He nodded.
"Then we respond in kind."
No panic.
No shouting.
No overreaction.
Atem does not scramble.
He prepares.
I made the assignments cleanly:
Veldora remains. He is a target.
Zegion and Apito defend the Labyrinth.
Dragon lords remain in reserve.
Treyni, Beretta, and Charys reinforce internal control.
Then my strike unit:
Benimaru.
Souei.
Ranga.
Kumara.
There was no longer a scenario where I could "talk it out."
Michael had no humanity.
Feldway has conviction without flexibility.
That means the only language left is force.
But here is the difference now:
Michael underestimated me once.
He thought domination was absolute.
He learned otherwise.
Feldway saw that.
So this time, he will not underestimate me.
Good.
Before Departure
I looked at them.
My generals.
My comrades.
No fear in their eyes.
Not because the enemy was weak.
But because they believed in the one leading them.
I am not naive.
I am not careless.
I am not a soft ruler trying to make friends with invaders.
I am the King of Eterna.
I ended Michael.
If Feldway believes he can succeed where Michael failed—
Then he will learn the same lesson.
But harder.
I raised my hand.
"Objective: secure Leon. Repel officer-class invasion. No unnecessary casualties. Return alive."
Benimaru smiled confidently.
Souei's presence sharpened.
Ranga growled low.
Kumara's aura flared.
Solarys activated.
[Spatial alignment locked. Blizzard interference accounted for. Countermeasures prepared.]
Good.
I looked forward once.
Calm.
Certain.
"Move."
Space folded.
Teleportation activated.
The battlefield opened—
By the time Atem of Eterna finished issuing orders in the Labyrinth, the war had already begun.
There was no declaration.
No warning.
No formal opening.
Only impact.
The surprise operation hit El Dorado like a thrown spear—fast enough that even seasoned defenders had only moments to react.
And on the invading side, the first thing that went wrong was the most predictable thing:
Vega went out of control.
"Damn it," Feldway snapped under his breath.
"Can't he follow the plan even once?"
The purpose of this operation was not to destroy El Dorado.
It was to seize the owner of 'Purity King Metatron', bring them before Feldway, and force them into the ranks.
A clean extraction.
A precise capture.
A conversion.
That was the intent.
But Vega didn't care about intent.
Mai's Instantaneous Movement folded space.
In one blink, the strike force appeared in the blizzard-covered land of Leon's domain.
They came as an officer-class spearhead—no armies, no baggage.
Just the sharpest tools.
Feldway.
Velzard.
Zalario.
Pico.
Gracia.
Vega.
Orlia.
Arios.
Mai.
And the rest of the newly strengthened combatants—reborn vessels carrying power far above what they once were.
Thirteen in total.
The plan was simple:
Rampage.
Crush whatever interceptors rose.
Search for the angelic-skill owner.
Extract.
Leave.
If Leon truly held Metatron, the operation would end the moment he was secured.
If it wasn't Leon, it didn't matter.
They would seize the true target when it revealed itself.
And if defenders refused to come out—
they would storm the royal castle directly.
That was the plan.
Then Vega ruined it in the first breath.
The moment they appeared—
Vega lunged.
No signal.
No order.
No coordination.
He slammed into the city's defense barriers with brute force and shredded them like paper.
A shockwave rolled through the blizzard.
The barrier cracked.
Collapsed.
And Vega surged forward, sprinting straight for what looked like the royal castle.
Feldway's jaw tightened.
The entire strike force felt the rhythm of the operation warp.
Vega had just done the one thing you never allow inside an elite formation:
he had proven he was uncontrollable.
Violations of orders were not tolerated in any organization.
And if an executive did it openly, it poisoned discipline.
It forced leadership to either make an example—
or lose authority.
Feldway's eyes narrowed.
That problem would be handled later.
For now, the operation was already in motion.
Feldway made the judgment immediately.
He did not waste time chasing Vega.
He would use the chaos as cover.
"Myself and Velzard will act as a diversion," Feldway said coldly. "Zalario, Pico, Gracia—remain here. Stabilize the field."
His gaze shifted to the rest.
"I'm placing the remaining officers under field command. Find the one I want."
He wasn't shouting.
He didn't need to.
In this blizzard, Feldway's presence was command enough.
Then the order came—short and brutal.
"Hit the enemy with everything you have. If you cannot win, retreat is permitted. Go."
The permission was all they needed.
Most of them had gained tremendous power.
Unlike Vega, they had enough discipline to keep themselves intact.
But they were still hungry.
Hungry to test what they had become.
So they moved.
All at once.
A wave of killing intent, splitting into multiple lines and angles.
Searching.
Hunting.
Waiting for the owner of Metatron to reveal themselves.
And behind them, the blizzard deepened—
Velzard's storm turning the battlefield into a white graveyard where distance meant nothing and vision lied.
The war began not with speeches—
but with barriers breaking.
Castle gates shaking.
Defense lines collapsing.
And Vega's laughter echoing through the snow as he charged into the heart of El Dorado like a starving beast.
Feldway did not smile.
He did not enjoy it.
He simply calculated around it.
Because the goal wasn't destruction.
The goal was acquisition.
And the moment El Dorado's defenders responded—
the target would surface.
Then the strike force would close its hand.
And the first piece of the Cardinal World would be taken.
By the time Atem of Eterna completed his preparations, the war had already begun.
There was no declaration.
No messenger.
No warning.
El Dorado was struck in silence.
Leon's subordinates reacted instantly.
They had trained for this day.
They knew it would come.
But training and reality were never the same.
A knight burst into the throne chamber, blood staining his armor.
"There are only eight intruders—but their strength is overwhelming! They've breached the outer defenses and entered the city! We are in chaos!"
Leon dismissed the knight with a nod.
The man returned to the front without hesitation.
Leon turned toward Guy.
"Have you contacted Atem?"
Guy clicked his tongue.
"No. We're cut off. She's above us. Velzard. Which means this isn't just eight."
Leon understood immediately.
Cut communication first.
Isolate the battlefield.
Prevent spatial reinforcement.
It was textbook.
Atem was monitoring all allied territories with surveillance magic. Even with interference, he would notice something was wrong.
Reinforcements would come.
They only had to endure.
Guy stood.
"If Velzard gets serious, this entire region disappears."
Leon's eyes narrowed.
"Then we cannot remain idle."
Mizeri and Raine rose behind Guy.
Today, there would be no holding back.
Even Leon, who usually found Raine irritating, admitted one truth:
She had grown stronger.
Much stronger.
And now, that strength was needed.
A black laugh echoed from the side.
"Kukuku… I do not enjoy assisting Guy. But I follow Atem-Sama command. I will join you."
Diablo stepped forward, smiling faintly.
Raine glared at him.
Guy scowled.
Mizeri sighed.
They were loud.
But they were reliable.
Leon watched them leave.
There was no time for reflection.
He had his own battlefield to command.
Reports flooded in through the Telepathy Net.
"They are not targeting the city center," Alrose reported. "They are advancing toward the castle."
Leon nodded.
"Seal the castle."
The command was immediate.
"Isolate all intruders inside the castle grounds. Cut spatial pathways. No communication outward."
"Yes, sir!"
If they confined the enemy within the castle, the city would be spared.
And if they stalled—
Atem would arrive.
Leon did not like relying on another.
But he trusted the King of Eterna.
He had seen that authority.
He had felt that presence.
If Atem came—
This invasion would end.
Until then, Leon would hold.
The Magic Knights moved.
Yellow Knights: Barrier restoration.
White Knights: Recovery support.
Red Knights: Offensive interception.
Blue Knights: Mobile strike reserve.
Alrose executed commands flawlessly.
Before Leon, six figures knelt.
The demon generals under Guy's command.
Misora, leader among them.
Kahn, her counterpart.
And four more elite demon peers.
"Permission to engage."
"Granted," Leon said. "Coordinate with the knight captains."
They vanished into battle.
Only Alrose and Claude remained beside Leon.
He wanted to send them too.
But he was the target.
They would not leave him exposed.
"It is frustrating," Leon muttered.
"Patience," Claude replied calmly.
They waited.
And the castle trembled.
The fiercest shockwaves came from Vega.
He rampaged through stone corridors like a living catastrophe.
Existence Value: Over 10 million.
The demons opposing him?
500,000.
700,000 at best.
The gap was absurd.
And yet—
They held.
Misora led the stall formation.
Demon peers rotated in and out.
White Knight Maetel supported from behind, restoration magic flowing constantly.
Injured demons withdrew.
Healed.
Returned.
Again.
And again.
Vega roared in manic laughter.
"Too weak! Too weak!! No—I'm just too strong!"
His arrogance was their weapon.
Demons read emotion well.
They fed his ego.
Let him rampage.
Let him overextend.
As long as he remained entertained—
He did not advance further.
But this was only delay.
Not victory.
Arios was worse.
He was intoxicated.
"Hahaha! I can kill as much as I want!"
The Ultimate Enchantment 'Punishment King Sandalphon' manifested as a divine pistol in his hand.
In his other, a bastard sword forged by Orlia's 'Multiple Weapons.'
Each shot obliterated knights.
Each swing tore through reinforced armor.
Blue Knight Commander Oxian and Demon Marquis Kahn confronted him together.
Magic layers stacked over blade and body.
Auxiliary reinforcement.
Defensive enhancements.
Durability boosts.
Still—
Arios was overwhelming.
Victory was not the goal.
Delay was.
Oxian's objective was simple:
Do not let him reach Leon.
No matter the cost.
Orlia moved with caution.
She lacked Vega's insanity.
She lacked Arios' bloodlust.
She was analytical.
Fran of the Red Knights and Kizona of the Yellow Knights engaged her.
Orlia wielded a tower shield and morning star.
Every magical assault struck her shield and dissolved.
She tested her weapons mid-battle.
Adjusted weight.
Measured recoil.
Calculated angles.
Fran pressed hard.
Kizona reinforced.
But Orlia wasn't fighting to kill.
She was learning.
If she chose to escalate—
The battle would end instantly.
The only reason it continued…
Was restraint.
Mai stood apart.
Her crescent bow formed in her hand.
The Ultimate Enchantment 'World Map' whispered coordinates in her mind.
She could see the entire battlefield.
Every pulse.
Every presence.
She could shift instantly anywhere.
And yet—
She did not fire.
She did not intervene.
"If this continues, everyone loses…"
She did not want to slaughter knights.
She did not want to defy her chains.
She could not resist Feldway directly.
But she hesitated.
That hesitation alone kept El Dorado alive a little longer.
Leon stood still.
Listening.
Feeling each tremor.
He could not move recklessly.
Domination remained a risk.
He would not hand himself to the enemy.