The sudden turn of events raised many questions in his mind. Still, he held them back, knowing he would see the answers for himself in a moment.
As expected, he soon felt the siege protocols of the Alexandria take hold as the space around him grew heavy. It was the unmistakable sensation of the Space Lock activating. At the same time, the ship's hatch, which had previously been open only a crack, began to open fully.
This finally revealed the scene below.
Outwardly, there seemed to be very little change to the fortress. There was no sign of any struggle. The fortifications were completely intact, and not a single stone appeared out of place.
The only difference Zeke could see lay with the troops once stationed in the heavily guarded mountain fort. There had been a full company of at least a hundred Ehrenlegion soldiers within its walls.
Zeke could still recall the exact positions of every lookout and guard post. Yet no matter where he looked, he could not spot a single person manning the fortifications.
His brows furrowed. Unfortunately, he could not use his Sphere of Awareness while the space lock was active. Otherwise, it would have been easy to determine what had occurred.
Instead, he was forced to rely on his eyes alone, which struggled to discern the truth in the darkened night.
His gaze swept over the campground directly beneath the Alexandria's current position. This was where he had previously spotted most of the Ehrenlegion forces, the heart of the camp where they spent their leisure time.
Here as well, there was no sign of life. Instead, Zeke noticed something else. Piles of equipment lay scattered across the ground: dark armor, spears, boots, even daggers. Each pile was neatly arranged, every one a complete set. It was as if the legionnaires had stripped themselves of all their gear and fled without it.
The thought was absurd, yet it pointed clearly toward what must have happened.
Zeke finally turned his gaze to the woman beside him.
Rather than looking down at the aftermath, Irisen was watching him instead, far more interested in his reaction than the result of her spell.
"...Were those the spores of a carnivorous plant?"
A faint smile appeared on her face, but she shook her head lightly.
She finally glanced down at the fortress, her expression unreadable. "What I released was closer to a mobile ecosystem. Dormant, incomplete, harmless on its own. It only becomes whole once it finds warmth, moisture, and a living host."
Her fingers curled slightly, as if remembering the weight of the grains. "Inside a body, it grows faster than any natural organism. Not outwardly. Inwardly. It feeds, replicates, and exhausts the host before pain can even register. By the time the first man fell, the rest had already inhaled it."
Zeke's gaze returned to the empty sets of armor, unease washing over him. "...Grows into what exactly?"
Irisen's smile widened, taking on a teasing edge. "What? Is the young lord afraid of a monstrosity emerging?"
Zeke did not reply at once. Among the dead in the courtyard, more than a few had been mages of similar rank to himself. It would be foolish not to be wary of a power that could kill them in an instant, without even a single scream.
Under normal circumstances, he could rely on Akasha to warn and protect him from such threats. But with his Sphere of Awareness blocked, there was little she could do.
Reading his unease, Irisen slowly shook her head. "There is nothing to be afraid of. One drawback of these lifeforms is that they must feed within minutes or perish. That means no danger remains after even a short time."
Zeke nodded, though it did not fully ease his concern. "What about the ones that did find a host?"
Irisen gestured toward the courtyard. "See for yourself. It should be about time."
Even without her prompting, Zeke would have noticed it moments later, when the entire fort was suddenly bathed in radiant light. The glow did not come from a single source, but from dozens igniting at once.
From each discarded set of armor, a tiny, luminous creature rose into the air.
They resembled butterflies, yet were nothing like the ones Zeke remembered from the fields of his hometown. Their wings shimmered with intricate patterns, and they left trails of glowing particles in their wake.
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Hundreds of them emerged at the same time, forming a spectacle of rare beauty. Their wings flashed in every color of the rainbow, bathing the courtyard in a magical light reminiscent of the fairy realms from children's tales.
Yet instead of feeling entranced, Zeke grew wary. These creatures had been born from the stolen life force of elite soldiers and mages. They could not be harmless. In nature, there was no such thing as a truly benign creature.
Before he could ask, Irisen answered his unspoken question. "They are Venomwing Moths," she said. "Their wings can bewitch the mind, and their spores carry a paralytic poison. That is why none of the guards were able to call for help."
Zeke was not even given a chance to ask how they should deal with the creatures before Irisen took action. It was no more than a faint pulse of mana, yet it seemed to act as a signal. In the blink of an eye, the creatures dispersed and vanished from the fort.
Darkness returned to the area at once.
Zeke did not waste a moment. Now that the fortress was deemed safe, he could not afford any further delay. To prevent the prisoners from being used as leverage, he had already sent orders to the Bloodguard. They would need to secure the prison as quickly as possible.
While waiting for Zelkara to arrive, Zeke cast a sidelong glance at Irisen, who stood calmly beside the exit.
This woman was far more formidable than he had expected.
Zeke had always known that Archmages were not to be underestimated. David, under his command, was formidable in his own right. But having only recently advanced, he still had a long way to go before he could fully display the power of his new stage.
Raileh, on the other hand, was a healer. That did not make her weak, but her offensive abilities were almost nonexistent.
Because of that, Zeke had underestimated the true power of an Archmage. It was a mistake he would not repeat after today's display.
He had become far too smug.
Commanding a force like the Bloodguard had given him a taste of power. By any standard, they were an elite force. Even the Ehrenlegion, which had trampled Rukia underfoot, could not contend with them.
But what Zeke had witnessed moments earlier was a sharp reminder. He had no doubt that Irisen's parasitic butterflies could have wiped out his entire force if they had been caught unaware.
Perhaps Zelkara might have survived, but the regular members of the Bloodguard would likely not have stood a chance. If even the Legion's Grandmages had no means of resistance, his own elites would have fared no better.
It was a reminder of why mages ruled this world. Compared to the physically superior and far more numerous Chimeroi, a single mage, given enough time to prepare, could kill hundreds before they ever had the chance to notice they were even under attack.
This was likely also why most top-tier forces did not bother cultivating legions of high-level foot soldiers. Losing such a force to a superior enemy would be devastating, wasting all the resources invested in them.
It was far more efficient to field regular troops led by a small number of exceptional individuals. In the event of a complete defeat, only the loss of those few truly mattered, rather than the destruction of an entire legion of experts.
A moment later, Zelkara arrived. She did not pause to greet Zeke, leaping from the ledge the instant she reached it. The Bloodguard followed close behind. One after another, they used their serpent-like lower bodies to hurl themselves from the edge, shooting toward the fortress below like arrows loosed from a bow.
Dozens descended within moments. Even without Akasha's guidance, their formation and coordination were formidable. With only a few hand signals, Zelkara directed her troops with ease. In less than a minute, the entire exterior of the fort was secured.
That was only the beginning. Having done this before, the Bloodguard wasted no time pushing underground to seize the prison.
This time, Zeke did not join them. Neither did David, nor any of the other Archmages.
They already understood the layout of the prison and the level of resistance they could expect, which was to say, almost none. With the Legion already eliminated, the hard part was over. At most, Zeke anticipated the presence of a Mind Mage inside. Even then, no matter how skilled, they would stand no chance against so many attackers at once.
As expected, Zelkara reappeared at the entrance less than a minute later.
Zeke felt a subtle pull on his core, a clear sign that Akasha was using his mana to communicate with her.
The report followed a moment later.
[Notice]
The prison has been secured. A significant number of prisoners are being held in isolation. Captain Zelkara suggests it may be advisable to send someone else to free them. I agree with her assessment.
Zeke considered this briefly. It would indeed be unsettling for prisoners who had known only darkness and isolation to be greeted by a horde of unfamiliar Chimeroi upon their release.
Thankfully, he had someone perfectly suited for the task.
Zeke turned to the woman beside him. "I need you to play the hero for a bit."
***
With Irisen's help, the liberation of the prison went smoothly. The half-elves were ecstatic when they learned who had rescued them. Irisen was clearly well known in Rukia, and many of the prisoners fell to their knees at once, swearing to follow her from that moment on.
Others might have been bothered by the fact that Irisen received all the credit for the rescue, but Zeke was not.
If her influence allowed him to recruit even a single additional mage, he was more than willing to give up any recognition demonstrating the act. As for whom the half-elves would choose to follow once the war was over, that mattered even less to him.
He had never intended to keep them under his command long term. While he would not turn away capable allies, he could not expect true loyalty from those who joined him out of desperation.
Only those raised within his household from a young age could develop a genuine sense of belonging, not those who took his banner out of necessity. But these matters would be decided in the future.
Tonight, it was time to celebrate.
The mood was festive as the prisoners were brought aboard the Alexandria. It was a stark contrast to the arrival of the inmates from Irisen's prison. These former resistance members were welcomed like victorious heroes returning from battle.
A sense of harmony formed at once, further highlighting the difference in how the elves who had mutilated their ears were treated. Zeke arranged for a lavish banquet, welcoming these people and nourishing their depleted bodies and minds.
He was in high spirits. Buoyed by the easy victory and the addition of twenty-three new Grandmages, he ordered the Alexandria to set course for the next prison.
At last, things were going according to plan.