Her Eternal Excellency (Raiden Ei reborn as Argella Durrandon)

I shared 4 pilot chapters for my stories in this link in Questionable Questing. They include : Mortal Considerations - Hela X Original Male Character, Percy Jackson and the Powers of the Unholy Triangle - Percy Jackson with Bill Cipher's powers, End of Days - Doomsday in Invincible Universe, which I already posted under its own thread, and the Many Heroes : MHA x League of Legends. You can check them to see what we have going for the future.

Hello there,

If you enjoy my stories, you can read up to 9 chapters in advance per story on my Patreon page / patreon.com/Samael61.

Readers who enjoy the premise of a strong main character like Ei will definitely like my original story, Arrival : Ruptures. Comments, likes and reviews are appreciated. Here are the links for : AO3, Spacebattles, Royal Road and Webnovel.




Myr

The golem raised its remaining arm to crush her, but it was too late. She planted her feet firmly on the ground, cracking the stone, and leaped. Once above the golem's head, she began to fall, pointing her sword down. She spun, becoming a twirling tornado of electro.

The stone shattered into shards, flung away from the point of impact. She drilled through the head, down to the chest. The moment the tip of her blade touched the artifact, it shattered like glass. While she carved her way down, the golem began to disintegrate.

Falling in free motion, she sought a safer way down.

The rain of boulders and buildings gave her an idea. She waited until a suitably sized piece of the golem was close enough. Using her sword to latch onto it, she propelled herself forward at another boulder.

Running over the ship-sized rock, she leaped up, going through a building. Crashing through the ceiling into the roof, she kept moving, using each piece to move closer to the sea.

The last platform, a section of the white towers that once dotted the city center, crumbled beneath her feet, giving her the last push necessary.

An electroplatform appeared in the arc of her fall, creating a straight path back to the ship. She jumped off the last one, spinning in the air, and landed with both arms open.

"Ta da."

"That was… well, I don't have the words to describe it," Sasayuri said, watching the dust cloud rise from the ruins of Myr.

"Excellent work," Ei said.

The sailors erupted into cheers once they processed what had happened, chanting Chiyo's name.

She waved her hands, beaming. "Thank you, thank you, we will be here all the time."


The fleet sailed away from where Myr used to be with conflicted minds. The Oni Maiden had destroyed the monster that arose from the city's corpse, yet the population was gone once more, possibly dead.

The possibility of this tragedy repeating in the rest of the cities worried the sailors.


Tyrosh

The smoke rising from the high walls of Tyrosh gave them hope that at least some may live yet. The docks and what vessels that had remained were ashes. Soldiers, with Ei and her companions at the helm, pushed inside once the bridge was lowered.

The gates were shut, and the mechanism was jammed. Chiyo wrapped her hands around the bars and pulled. The wall shook with each attempt. The metal bent, and the third pull ripped the gate four times her height off the wall.

She stumbled back and laid the gate on the side.

Inside the city, chaos reigned.

The citizens were fighting one another. The children, the adults, the elderly, and even the animals were in a blind frenzy, attacking one another. She watched a child bite a grown woman on the ankle, mouth stained with blood. An old man was bringing a cleaver down on a deceased young woman, butchering her corpse.

Sasayuri ordered the soldiers to intervene and neutralize, but Ei saw that R'hllor's influence was the cause. These people could not be stopped unless the source was gone.

"There, that brazier," she said, raising a finger. In the middle of the city, a bronze brazier laid on top of a tower stood above even the high walls. Red flames, the same kind she had come to recognize as R'hllor's, kept rising higher and higher.

The flames were not just for show. She could sense the madness spreading in the city, like a pervasive, invisible mist.

Sasayuri pulled the string of her bow, eyes on the top of the tower. Electro gathered at the tip of the arrow. The triple comma sigil flashed, and she released. It cut through the air, traveling the distance in the time it took to breathe.

Two elements clashed.

Fire and lightning vied for domination for a moment. The explosion destroyed the brazier, along with the top of the tower, shards raining down on the roofs beneath.

"No! Not yet!" A serpentine voice hissed.

The frenzied citizens of Tyrosh ceased all movement. She saw the elderly man blink at the cleaver on his hand and the blood covering him. He dropped the murder weapon, pulling on his hair with blood-soaked hands.

The screams were gut-wrenching.

It was not the only example either. The grief of knowing they killed their family, their neighbors, friends, and lovers was too much to bear. Screams and apologies could not wash the deeds away, no matter what.

The four of them were quick to act.

Sasayuri ordered all living citizens to be taken into custody, while the wounded received treatment. Chiyo and Kage took on the daunting task of leading the cleanup efforts. The sheer amount of corpses was enough to give even the most resilient soldiers nightmares. They worked in shifts to not overwhelm the men, switching with the peacekeeping efforts.

Ei summoned the storm, creating rain to put down fires and wash the blood once the people were housed safely.

The dead would be released to the sea due to the lack of land on the island city to bury the corpses. Fortunately, it was also how the dead were sent off by the Tyroshi. As all vessels were burned down, they had to get creative.

Planks from houses in uninhabitable condition were tied with all manner of binders, ropes, leather pieces, and clothing. The dead were tied to the rafts in groups, sent as far from the city as possible to avoid a plague.

The citizens were catatonic and could not be questioned on the details.


Ei stood at the top of the tower where the brazier had poisoned the city, watching. The raindrops bent around her form while washing the city clean.

She was incapable of feeling disgust, yet the sight of blood flowing in the streets so freely came truly close to achieving it.

Sasayuri landed behind, fluttering her wings to dry them. "We housed everyone. The men are keeping watch over the suicidal citizens, of which there are a lot."

"Contact the Sea Lord; tell him to send men to watch over Tyrosh. We need to reach the remaining cities to prevent any more of this madness. We can't be bogged down here."

"I'll prepare a contingent to stay here until the Braavosi come. They can join us afterwards."

"Do so, thank you."


By their count, almost three quarters of the city's population was dead. Considering the states Myr and Pentos were in, it was a major victory by comparison.

The contingent left behind was small enough the lack of ships would not be felt. None knew what awaited them in Lys, but a clear pattern was emerging.

The Royal Navy set course once more, hoping for a less grim sight.


Lys

The sight of Lys was suspiciously normal.

There were no flames or any other sign of a struggle in sight. The ships of the city were docked, and there were guards on the docks, patrolling.

She stood at the bow, seeing the commanders atop the wall waving white flags before the watchers could inform her.

Sasayuri ordered the ships to spread for security. Guns were trained on the docks should the Lyseni choose treachery. Thunder's Call approached first, followed by two more. Members of the city's council had come out of the gates atop galloping horses.

The troops took their places on the deck, armed and ready.

Ei's feet left the metal floor. She gently floated towards the council members, waiting. They pulled the horses to a sudden stop, dismounting. The first one, an old, balding man with a goatee, fell on his knees, forehead almost touching the ground. His contemporaries followed, creating quite the interesting view.

"Your Excellency, we surrender," the man said, falling silent.

"First of all, rise. I do not like prostration."

The oligarchs and their men did as bidden.

"Second, explain to me how Lys is undamaged when the rest of Myr, Tyrosh, and Pentos are ruined."

"A trader of your kingdom was stranded here. He guided us to destroy all symbols of R'hllor and burn down his temples to pray to you for safety. It has kept us blessedly safe."

Ei blinked. She had not extended her presence to Lys; hence, she could not offer them any protection. This situation had more to do with cutting R'hllor off, she was sure.

"Please accept us into your domain. You are the only one who can stop Maegor from butchering us for his mad god."

"Very well. Henceforth, you are all subjects of the Unified Kingdom, with the benefits, laws, and restrictions it brings."


The oligarchs were quick to send criers to the city. By the time she passed through the gates with her friends, the citizens were flooding the streets in droves. A woman threw herself to the ground, praising her glory.

She was simply the first.

A sea of humans clogged the streets, praying and praising fervently. Ei responded with a tight smile, waving at the crowd. Her friends were at the back, hiding their sniggers behind sleeves.

At least they enjoyed the situation.


"Your Excellency, this is the greatest honor of my life. I am Sevros Malin, a humble servant of yours." The man knelt before her in the council room.

He was young enough that an act of this magnitude would be seen as prodigious. Clean shaven, his deep black eyes conveyed a sense of weariness.

"I believe you have quite the tale, Sevros. Such as starting by how exactly you were stranded in Lys while everyone else had left on my orders."

"A string of unfortunate accidents, Your Excellency. I was meeting a friend when the order came. My friends believed me asleep in the cabin and simply left me there. By the time I realized what had happened, it was too late. None would grant me passage to the kingdom."

Ei huffed. "And your part in converting this city to me?"

"We had refugees from Tyrosh and Myr, who spoke of what Maegor had done in R'hllor's name. We knew it would not be long before Lys shared the same fate. I simply gave them a way to survive."

The man's bravery spoke volumes. Standing against the religion that dominated the city was a sure way to get killed.

"Seros Malin. You have done a great service to the citizens of Lys, saving tens of thousands of lives. Your act of bravery deserves a reward in equal measure. Name it, and it shall be granted."

"Your Excellency, I fell in love with a woman here. She is pregnant with my child. There is no greater reward you could have given me by saving this city. I ask nothing as a reward, for I can not think of anything."

"As you wish."


"Glory to Her Excellency! May she reign forever with her name spread to all corners of the world," Chiyo screamed, holding a hand over her heart, kneeling in the middle of the quarters assigned to Ei, biting her tongue at the end.

"Ha, ha. Very funny," she drawled, her lips twitching at the overexaggerated act.

"It is. I mean, sure, we saw religious zealots before, but this was something new. " Sasayuri joined the merriment, dropping the documents to the table.

"Don't remind me. I am the one who has to listen to their cries, not you."

Kage, who was in cohorts with Chiyo, coughed to compose herself. "Committing heresy by tormenting Ei aside, what is our plan for tomorrow? Do we leave for Volantis?"


The Lands Beyond the Wall

Brandon sighed.

"Listen up, you fuckers. We get it, you are afraid, but you will not cross the Wall without accepting Her Excellency's grace," he growled at the Wildlings, who were suspiciously marching south.

"We are no fucking kneelers," several screamed at him. Hollers of agreement rose from the rest, drowning him out.

Having had enough, he pulled his rifle, firing a single shot to the sky, silencing the Wildings.

"Then keep away from the Wall unless you all want to die."

One of the scouts pushed the savages aside, saluting. "Lord-Governor, we found their tracks. They are past the First of the First Men, heading towards the Valley of Thenn."

"Back in the warmachines. We are going to finish this, once and for all."


The good side of having machines that kept you out of the cold was almost offset by the shaky ride. Rocks, uneven paths, three stumps, the ice—it all made for a very stomach-churning journey.

It was worth it though.

The walls of the machine vibrated, and the driver pushed the brakes. "What is happening out there?"

"The Thunder Dragon, my lord. It destroyed a cliff. The valley is closed off; those bastards are stuck on this side."

"Then what the heck are you waiting for? Fire!" he ordered, pushing the hatch open to see the situation. He pulled the binoculars to his eyes, grinning. The Others were stuck, desperately looking for a way out. The Thunder Dragon was swatting them down like flies at every attempt.

He burst out laughing once the warmachines struck. The bastards that had terrified the living for thousands of years were now scurrying away like rats. Only there was nowhere to run to.

"More like fish in a barrel," he muttered. Most of the Wight army was used to slow them down. Each bloom of purple lightning forced the enemy closer to the dragon. Its humongous tail came down, crushing the creatures of frost to shards of ice that broke like glass.

"Advance! Push the bastards closer to the wall," he ordered, eyes on the battlefield. The warmachine lurched forward, firing as the enemy sought holes to hide in.

The blizzard had started to ease off, he noticed. The blade-sharp winds dulled, their vision cleared, and even strands of sunlight began to peek through.

Brandon could already taste the wine of the victory celebrations.

Just as he was about to order the infantry forward to clear the elusive White Walkers, the blizzard intensified. His face began to numb at an alarming rate, forcing him to go back down, though not before ordering the same to his men.

"Can you see anything?" he asked the watcher.

"Nothing. It's pure white out there. I can't even see the dragon."

"Bloody hell. Turn back. I don't like this one bit."

The war machine reversed, moving away from the cusp of a decisive victory. Whatever those blasted bastards had done, the Thunder Dragon would crush them.

He counted the seconds, waiting for the crew to give the signal.

His military training kicked in. They had to leave the blizzard and find a vantage point to assess the situation. If the Others had one final, desperate trick up their sleeves, by divine lightning, he would not let it come to fruition.

The cold that was seeping into the warm confines of the machine receded. He grasped the handle of the hatch, ready to leave.




In the next chapter:

The dragon opened its jaw, dropping what she assumed to be the god of night and terror on her feet.

He looked surprisingly human. Pale blue skin, sharp ice spikes for hair, donned in crystalline armor, and a very human yet not-quite face.

"Is he dead?"

"Almost." She flicked her finger, sending a small bolt of electricity to wake the creature up. He flinched, opening his light blue eyes.



Curious about the next chapter? Please consider supporting me on Patreon.

Hello there,

If you enjoy my stories, you can read up to 9 chapters in advance per story on my Patreon page / patreon.com/Samael61.

Readers who enjoy the premise of a strong main character like Ei will definitely like my original story, Arrival : Ruptures. Comments, likes and reviews are appreciated. Here are the links for : AO3, Spacebattles, Royal Road and Webnovel.




The Lands Beyond the Wall

"Fuck," Brandon cursed.

"Lord Governor, what is happening?"

"I don't know. Something just knocked the dragon down."

"That's not possible, is it?"

"Wait, it's getting up."

Brandon kept his eye on the Thunder Dragon. Whatever that pillar of ice was, it did not seem to do any damage to the divine construct. It took off, shaking the snow and ice stuck to its body.

The serpentine construct glowed with lightning. Its roar pushed the air away and dispelled the globe of churning ice. He crouched inside the warmachine, pulling the hatch down. Even inside, the sharp, cold winds bit into their bones.

Once the howling ceased, Brandon tried to push the hatch open. He gritted his teeth, exerting more force than she should have to. He used both hands, forcing the hatch to snap open.

"Bloody hell," he muttered, seeing a layer of ice coat everything in sight. The warmachines were stuck; the trees were breaking down like glass, a fate they no doubt would have shared without the warmachines.

The Thunder Dragon was fighting a White Walker, though this one was different from the rest. Twice the height of one, a thick mist that froze everything it touched to dust.

It fired a white pillar that sucked the heat off his soul at the dragon, who met the attack with an equally large ray from its maw.

"Drive, get us the fuck out of here," he screamed to the men. This was a battle between divine forces. He and his men held no place here.


Once sufficiently away from the valley, Brandon turned to watch the battle.

The Great Other, for that creature could be nothing else, was fast. Once the Thunder Dragon's attack pushed it back, it changed tactics, flying around like a bug to strike from different angles.

The dragon was slower by comparison, but it was not defenseless. Sections on its long, serpentine body fired purple lightning orbs at a frightening speed, forcing the Great Other to abandon its assault.

Her Excellency's construct pursued the God of Night and Terror amid the purple orbs, unrelenting, yet unable to. The game of cat and mouse continued with neither side gaining the upper hand.

Then, the dragon stopped.

He did not know why, but it ceased returning fire against the Great Other, simply braving the blinding white pillars. A layer of frost began to cover its head, but the divine construct continued to endure. Brandon's brows furrowed, but the reason became clear in moments.

A section of the dragon's trail sprung out of the ground, behind the God of Night. Detached from the body physically, only strands of divine lightning kept it connected.

The tail wrapped around the Great Other, pulling him down through the hole in the ground. The Thunder Dragon's eyes glowed. Its maw snapped open, shattering the ice. It flew up, piercing the clouds, dragging the enemy to the sky.

Its head came to an abrupt stop, but the body continued to rise. The dragon's tail disappeared above the clouds and came down hard. It unfurled at the last second, slamming the Great Other to the ground.

The hit created fissures like the web of a spider, shaking the war machines. The frozen trees were blasted away, creating a ring of mist around the valley.

The tail rose and came down again. The dragon continued to smash the Great Other to the ground over and over again, each blow widening the fissures.

"Drive away, now!" he screamed once more.

The warmachines moved again, shaking violently under the quakes. They drove far enough to merely hear the sound of the blows, which ceased after agonizing minutes.

Only for the world to turn purple.

The periscopes carried the divine light inside the warmachine, and the crews felt their hairs rising on end. When Brandon found the courage to get out and see what had happened, he found that the valley was gone. Hills on both sides were annihilated for at least a kilometer, leaving nothing but flat, scorched land.

He could see a hole where the great fractures on the land originated from. The depth was not clear from his current distance. However, the sudden warmth he felt, amidst all the ice and cold, made it clear that the Great Other was defeated.

"Fuck yeah!" he cheered to the top of his lungs.


Essos

Lys

It was time to sail once more to Volantis this time and end R'hllor. Lys was a bright spot in this otherwise dark war. R'hllor's purpose in causing these massacres and destruction still evaded her.

The answers would not be far from Lys. Volantis and its towns, Volon, Therys, Valysar, and Selhorys, hosted great populations. Volantis alone had over a million citizens, and the towns were close in numbers.

R'hllor's actions could cause a death toll reaching over three million, the greatest to be seen on this side of the planet.


Volantis

The city appeared to be eerily calm. There was no one in sight, but she could feel something dangerous brewing inside.

That is, dangerous by this world's standards.

"Your Excellency?" the admiral asked, waiting for orders.

"Stay here. Something is happening inside; I will investigate by myself," she said, leaving the bridge.

"At least take us with you," Chiyo said, walking to catch up with her.

She put a hand on the oni's shoulder, stopping her. "Whatever is in there is out of your league."

"Be careful," Chiyo said, squeezing her hand.

"I will be."


She soared over the outer wall, heading for the inner part of Volantis, where the source of magic she felt resided. She did not have to reach there, for the creature inside flew out to meet her.

Crimson flames took the shape of a cobra's head over a humanoid body covered in dark, glossy plate armor. It carried a scimitar and a shield and was twice her height.

"The foreign god. The one whose origins are unknown."

"R'hllor, I presume," she said, inspecting this god.

It was nothing like the gods she had seen in this land. Even the Drowned God shared similarities with the old gods, from what she had seen of them, yet R'hllor was a foreigner.

Just like her.

"You presume correctly, interloper. You have meddled in my ascension for the last time, and you will pay for it."

Musou Isshin's handle left her chest, and she swung the blade at the serpentine god. R'hllor was fast. It managed to dive down quickly enough to avoid Musou no Hitotachi, though the now-ghost city of Volantis suffered the full brunt of her divine might.

Her attack carved the city in half. The gorge she left in the land pushed the two parts of the city apart as the electro-elemental energy created violent explosions.

R'hllor turned around, seeing the destruction a single swing caused, its serpentine eyes wide, its throat bobbing.

Ei prepared to strike again, and the so-called god of light ran.

She lowered her sword, watching her enemy abandon the shell it was using. It transformed into a serpent and split into three, trying to fly away. Each one was fast, leaving shockwaves behind as the air collapsed.

She gave chase, faster than the serpent.

A purple comet appeared next to the snake escaping towards Valyria. It was already dead by the time it realized escape was impossible. She struck the middle one heading towards the Dothraki Sea. It suffered the same fate as the other.

The last one, the actual consciousness of R'hllor, was flying to Qohor. She brought her blade, ready to cleave the head from the body.

As a last-ditch effort, R'hllor separated its soul from the power, leaving behind an empty shell and disappearing into thin air. She destroyed the not-quite-divine energy left behind, but her quarry had managed to scurry away like a vermin.

Ei's lips twitched. Regardless, all the power R'hllor had gathered was gone. Hunting the spirit down would be simple since she had its signature.


"Is it dead?" Chiyo asked. The battle was short and hopefully meant victory.

"No. Its spirit managed to escape but left all the power it had behind. It is nothing more than a bug to be crushed now."

Sasayuri was quick to get the armed forces into motion. "Admiral, approach the city. We'll keep away from the gorge and search for any sign of life."

"As you command, general."

"All that massacre and dead humans, yet it proved to be useless," Kage said. How had R'hllor been so weak after consuming all those souls?

Ei huffed. "The gods of this world are weak compared to the Archons. The Dendro Archon was not a fighter, yet I am certain she could have defeated them."

"What do we do now?" Chiyo wondered. Certainly, they would have to hunt R'hllor down. But they did not know where it escaped.

"Qohor has to be secured, as are Astapor, Yunkai, and Meereen."

"Kage and I can take ground forces to march to Qohor and secure the city," Chiyo offered. She was getting bored aboard the ship; it would give her a chance to stretch her legs.

"Then we will sail to Freedom's Bay."


"What has happened, worm? Why has our arrival been delayed?"

It cowered before the pulsing flames. "The interloper god. She is too strong. She almost slew me with a single strike."

"Useless. You had one chance and managed to fail after all these centuries."

"Wait. The mortal souls are untouched. She has yet to reach them. I can still open the portal."

"Then there might be a use for you yet. Return to the soul cage and open the portal."

"At once."

"If you fail us once more, there will be nowhere for you to hide."


Volantis was empty, as she had sensed. The civilians were gone, consumed by R'hllor most likely. She would find and kill the creature for its transgression against humans.

They would send scouts to check the Volantene towns, but if the city itself had fallen, the settlements did not stand a chance.

At least good news was approaching her.

Above the skies of the city, the Thunder Dragon circled down to land. There was something between its teeth, a creature that was nothing but cold and a void that smothered all heat.

It was almost dead.

The dragon opened its jaw, dropping what she assumed to be the god of night and terror on her feet.

He looked surprisingly human. Pale blue skin, sharp ice spikes for hair, donned in crystalline armor, and a very human yet not-quite face.

"Is he dead?"

"Almost." She flicked her finger, sending a small bolt of electricity to wake the creature up. He flinched, opening his light blue eyes.

"The God of Eternity they call you," he said with a breathy voice. She could see that the dragon had beaten him to the edge of death. Couple more blows, and it would have certainly perished.

"Indeed." She pulled her sword, ready to finish what her creation had started.

He raised a trembling hand with great effort. "Before you kill me, you must know the truth."

She considered his words and lowered her blade. "By all means, enlighten me." He was not pleading for his life; she could see that much.

"R'hllor, it's not a god. It's a monster from another realm. It gathers souls, the purer the better, to summon its lords and their armies to this world."

His words chilled the atmosphere more than his powers ever could.

"And your purpose in this historic battle?" Ei asked. Killing R'hllor was a matter of existence now, if she were to believe his words.

"To destroy the souls so it cannot use them. Better a dead world than one left to their mercies."

"I can think of better ways for you to stop R'hllor, mainly by not being the enemy of the humans in the first place." Though, she sensed there was more to it than merely not considering the option.

"It was not possible. My essence kills them slowly even by being near them."

"My apologies then."

"But you are different. I felt R'hllor's power wane before yours. You can finish what I could not."

"I intend to."

Ei erected a barrier around the God of Night and brought her blade down to his heart. The explosion of bone-chilling cold was contained, and another god came to an end.

If his words were to be believed, then R'hllor was indeed a foreigner to this world, just as she was. She did not know where it came from, but if it wanted to bring more of its kind to this planet, she would stop it. Only four cities had left to check, and the enslaved souls could be in any of them.

The stakes had just risen higher than ever.


Come morning, the fleets sailed and the army marched.

She did not know where R'hllor kept the souls, but they would find them. She sent the dragon with the army for support. In its weakened state, the false god was easy prey for any of her friends.

Sailing southeast at the edge of Valyria, she gazed at the shattered home of the dragon lords of old. Her gaze pierced the Smoking Sea to see what had remained of Valyria.

Nothing.

The volcanic eruption was so violent there was nothing that resembled any sign a civilization ever existed in the peninsula.

The expeditions sent to the island would not find anything, though; the crews would die from the toxic fumes before they could realize that fact.

A cruel, slaving empire annihilated by nature itself, where their superiority meant nothing.

Poetic.


A brazier was lit atop each city, extending R'hllor's influence, no doubt the means it used to enslave the mortal souls. Sasayuri took down each with one shot before the ships approached.

With the haze covering the cities gone one by one, she found them to be abandoned, with nary a sign of a human.

Plenty of blood, viscera, and corpses were left behind, however.

Three more cities dead with over a million humans gone.


South of Qohor

Her aide for this operation, a Northerner sergeant, rushed up, saluting. "General Chiyo."

"What is it?"

"Our scouts report a massive horde of undead humans marching to our location."

"Are they sure the enemy are monsters?"

"Yes, most of them are naught but skin and bones. They are just charging ahead mindlessly."

"Numbers?" Qohor had a population close to half a million. If R'hllor had enough power to create an army out of corpses, then the enemy would outnumber them significantly.

"It is difficult to count due to their state, but more than a million by estimate."

Chiyo snorted. It explained where all the dead in abandoned cities were gone.

"Have the warmachines and the light cavalry create a line in front of the troops. Get the artillery and mortars ready. I want as many heavy weapons as possible on elevated platforms."

They might be outnumbered, but this would merely slow them down.

"Yes, General."


Notes: What do you guys think about how this story is going so far? I racked my brain for a believable way to make the Targaryens declare a war without outside influence, but nothing came to mind that didn't make them some dumb villains who would ignore the fact that their enemy was a god.




In the next chapter:

She watched the purple spots leave holes in the grey and black mass, only for them to be quickly filled. She tilted her head, lowering the binoculars to rub her eyes. Artillery wiped out dozens, but the size of the horde did not seem to shrink.

"You noticed it too," Kage said.

"Something else is at play."

"We need another reconnaissance flight."

Chiyo nodded. "I'll get the dragon ready."



Curious about the next chapter? Please consider supporting me on Patreon.

Hello there,

If you enjoy my stories, you can read up to 9 chapters in advance per story on my Patreon page / patreon.com/Samael61.

Readers who enjoy the premise of a strong main character like Ei will definitely like my original story, Arrival : Ruptures. Comments, likes and reviews are appreciated. Here are the links for : AO3, Spacebattles, Royal Road and Webnovel.




South of Qohor

Chiyo looked down at the ravenous horde. They were charging forward with a frenzy you would not see in the living. All humans in various states of decay, the horde seemed to be buzzing with the nefarious magic they had encountered all over the empire so far.

The swarm was not that far off from the position the army had taken.

"This is nothing more than a delaying tactic," Kage said, standing next to her on the dragon's head.

"Then we deal with them swiftly and push forward. It won't take Ei and Sasayuri long to clear Freedom's Bay and join us."

"Provided there is anything left to clear," Kage said. So far, the number of people they saved was abysmal compared to the Empire's population.

Chiyo's lips tightened. "Let's go back and get ready."

—

"General Chiyo. All units are in position."

"Fire as soon as the enemy is in range. We have to reach Qohor without losing any more time," she ordered. This battle would be challenging, but victory was in sight.

"Understood."

—

The chaotic but clustered structure of the swarm was disrupted with violent falling stars. The artillery fired at maximum range to destroy as much of the enemy as possible before the horde reached the lines created by the warmachines.

The mindless undead made for easy targets, but the constant need for corrections prevented a steady rate of fire.

Chiyo and Kage knew the artillery alone wouldn't be able to stop the enemy. The dragon would be used once it had more time to recharge. Fighting a god had depleted much of its energy.

She watched the purple spots leave holes in the grey and black mass, only for them to be quickly filled. She tilted her head, lowering the binoculars to rub her eyes. Artillery wiped out dozens, but the size of the horde did not seem to shrink.

"You noticed it too," Kage said.

"Something else is at play."

"We need another reconnaissance flight."

Chiyo nodded. "I'll get the dragon ready."

—

Artillery encampments fell silent as the Thunder Dragon took off.

Chiyo peered down at the undead, searching for anything more out of the ordinary. Something was replenishing the numbers of the horde. Without destroying the source, the army would be overrun.

Scanning such a large number was time-consuming. Time, which they did not have.

"I don't see anything." Kage, even with her advanced body, had a difficult time finding any clues.

"Damn it."

"Maybe we can redirect the undead. Give them something else to chase."

Chiyo nodded, patting the dragon on the head. It descended, still above the horde but close enough for them to attack. She drew her sword and swung. Waves of electro energy cut through the walking dead, splitting the corpses in half. Kage joined with Engulfing Lightning, firing a concentrated beam, turning flesh to ash.

She stopped, lowering her naginata. She squinted, focusing on the ground.

"Wait, stop." She laid a hand on Chiyo's shoulder.

"Did you see something?"

"I think so." She spread her feet apart and swung the naginata with all her strength. The force of the attack sent the corpses flying away. She spun with the attack and jumped.

Her eyes glowed with power.

Landing in the middle of the clearing, she twirled the naginata, creating a purple, deadly umbrella to widen the clearing. An electric lash leaped from the blade of her weapon, pulling a corpse to her.

She bisected it in the air, letting the parts of the corpse hit the ground.

It melted into the earth, confirming what she had seen. She leaped up, creating a shockwave in her wake, and landed on the dragon.

"Whatever the source is, it's underground," she screamed to her horned friend.

She leaned down, looking straight at the dragon's eye. "Launch me up," she said and ran to the end of the tail.

The dragon's body curled upwards. When she was at the last segment, decorated with wood shaped like intertwined lightning bolts, the body snapped down. The segments came down as a wave. The force sent her soaring through the sky.

Before she could start to fall, she flipped in the air, facing the ground.

Spinning with electro energy gathered at the tip of her naginata pointing down, she didn't know how deep the source of the undead was. It was not the time to take chances.

The world turned into a blur. She didn't even feel the impact on the ground. The only indication was the spiraling blur taking a dark color.

When her momentum died and she looked around inside the crater, a dark-purple orb of light zipped away. She leaped after it in pursuit.

The orb was not only fast but somehow intelligent enough to take unpredictable turns. She cut through the swarm, each step propelling her forward at untraceable speeds.

Chiyo joined the chase, letting herself free-fall. Seeing the oni in her peripheral vision, Kage fired small electro bolts, pushing the orb towards her.

She waited with her sword drawn, ready to strike.

The orb suddenly dove to the ground, trying to burrow again. Chiyo struck the ground and pulled her sword forward. Her enhanced strength tore the ground up in warmachine-sized chunks.

Using the dirt as cover, Kage danced between each one and brought the naginata down. The orb was perfectly split in half vertically, spasming in the air.

It detonated, expelling black clouds high up in the sky.

The swarm of undead stalled but did not stop. They were walking in different directions, bumping into one another. Then the cloud let out a mind-numbing shriek. The undead groaned as if in pain, which concerned the oni and the puppet.

What was this creature to cause pain to the dead?

The cloud condensed, taking the shape of a humanoid skeleton. Its hands were large enough to hold either of them as toys, connected to an upper body with a third eye, a dark orb in a purple field.

It did not have a lower body, though, and seemed to have no need for it. It was preparing to attack, but Kage and Chiyo acted first. They darted in from opposite directions, crossing paths in front of the creature, striking in a zigzag pattern. The ribs, the neck, and, finally, the third eye were cut in a crisscrossing pattern. Landing on the sides where they started, the two leaped up and forward again. When the sword met the naginata, the force disintegrated the entity sliced apart.

They each twirled their weapons once, waiting.

The undead were not neutralized with the death of the creature. As the closest living beings, they became the target. Leaping on the dragon's back at the same time, Chiyo ordered it to return.

—

She landed near the artillery command, giving them the command to fire. The creatures were charging forward again, though this time without the ability to replenish their numbers.

Weaponized lightning struck the enemy once more. Purple domes created gaps in the horde that were filled slowly this time. With the time they lost on hunting the source, the undead were collapsing on the army quickly.

Men took their places behind the warmachines, guns at the ready. Chiyo and Kage stood in front of the metal line, waiting to greet the horde at close range.

The warmachine operators were ordered to fire once the enemy was in range, and the artillery barrels barely warmed up before they joined the chorus.

Each shot killed dozens, but the sheer numbers would be upon them soon. The oni and the god creation lashed out with purple waves from their weapons simultaneously with the infantry.

Every second that passed, the horde swarmed closer. The two were ready to dive into the fray and draw attention to give the army more time.

The dragon lumbered out of the camp. It did not have the time to charge properly but still had enough to buy more time for the army. Electro beams smaller than what it usually fired pushed the line back, cutting down the horde like a harvester going over grass.

The battle became one of attrition.

Line after line, the dead fell in droves. The nonstop fighting tired the men out first. The supplies were plenty, but without the soldiers to use them, they were useless. As the sun began to set, aim faltered, and the uniform fire broke down. The barrels heated gradually, but they could not afford to silence the guns.

The support corps rushed to the field, taking away the soldiers who fainted from exhaustion. The ones who could continue were fed with their own hands even as they continued to fire.

The Thunder Dragon eventually ran out of energy, but not before one last daring move. Rather than being before the soldiers and blocking their line of fire, it rose as high as possible. The massive body blocked the clear moonlight for a moment. Then it fell on the horde, crushing hundreds and sending hundreds more flying away.

It lay there, dividing the horde into two. The decrease in the enemy's speed gave the royal army room to breathe.

Until the morning, the battle continued.

—

Chiyo screamed, bringing down her blade on the final undead in sight.

Its head rolled to the side, its rotten body finally embracing death. She fell on her knees, sword stabbed into the ground, and took deep breaths. Saiguu might have improved her body beyond what even the toughest oni would be capable of, but even she had a limit. Fighting against a horde over a million and a half strong seemed to be it.

The only one who could still stand up was Kage. Her robust constitution as a puppet kept her going beyond what anyone else could.

"Are you alright?" Kage asked, laying a hand on her shoulder.

She nodded, pushing herself up with a groan. "I will be. As soon as I sleep for two weeks."

The sun was rising from the east, but a small shadow fell on her. She raised her head, seeing Ei come down.

"You are late to the party."

"I wouldn't call this a party."

"Can I leave the cleanup to you? I really need to rest."

"Do so, you and everyone else," she ordered, turning to the dragon. Her creation was buried under a hill of corpses, covered in decaying flesh and blood turned putrid. The clear skies darkened with clouds. Divine lightning struck the Thunder Dragon, recharging it in an instant. Organic material stuck to the dragon turned to ash, allowing it to rise relatively clean.

"Burn the bodies," she ordered.

The dragon turned around to carry out its orders.

She helped Chiyo to her feet, guiding her inside to rest. Men were asleep wherever they had fallen—inside and over the warmachines, on the ground, and every place with a flat surface.

"They were awake since yesterday morning, preparing."

"Let them rest. They have more than earned it."

She found Chiyo's tent, decorated with more blades than any person would use. She helped her to the bedroll, wishing her a good sleep. As everyone else was in the same state and she loathed the idea of waking men and women who had fought so hard, Ei chose to help the dragon clear the corpses.

The army would need a day or two to be ready to march again. The sheer amount of rotting bodies would wipe any army out with sickness. She also wanted to show these poor people at least a sliver of respect in death by burning the corpses.

There was nothing else she could do for them for now.

Quietly, she released a sphere of lightning around herself. The heat turned the organic matter to ash the moment it came in contact. She floated throughout the half of the field closer to the army camp while the dragon burned the other half.

Thus, the Field of Ash came to be known.

—

Once the mess was cleared and the air no longer stank of decay, Ei returned to the camp. The soldiers were still tired, with the support corps running around the clock to see to their needs. She kept out of the way on purpose. The men would tire themselves out at her presence, trying to appear as if they had not fought for hours.

The situation was urgent, but forcing the soldiers beyond what was reasonable would not help. When Chiyo woke up, she would get a full report and move forward accordingly.

Sasayuri was marching to catch up to them after leaving a portion of the army to protect the ships. Time constraints meant they could not wait, but the path to Qohor seemed open. They just had to find and kill R'hllor permanently this time, and they could return home.

—

"Report," she ordered, serious as she had to be.

"The enemy used another artifact, most likely taken from Kandac. An army of undead, a million and a half strong, was detected a day away from our position. We dug in and prepared to annihilate the horde. However, no matter how many we destroyed, they seemed to easily replenish. We discovered an artifact underground and destroyed it, and the creature inside," Chiyo reported.

"Which makes three now," Ei commented. Kandac would have to be dealt with after this.

"The rest was a matter of destroying the horde before they overran our position," Kage supplied.

The Electro Archon nodded. "Your actions were exemplary. Each and every single member of this army has proven why they were a part of the greatest army in this world. Let this be a monument to your victory and granting salvation to the dead."

The command staff, except Chiyo and Kage, stood at attention, invigorated by the small speech. "For the Kingdom, for Her Excellency."

"No," she raised a hand, stopping the cheering, "for all of us."

"For all of us." They echoed her words in earnest.

—

The army marched two days after the Battle of the Field of Ash. Their target was Qohor, to finally and hopefully put an end to this madness. Maegor Targaryen had not been sighted for the entire duration of the war. He had nowhere left to hide except the City of Grain.

It was also where she would find R'hllor.

Capturing the High Archon would go a long way in avenging the dead, though she could not help but wonder if he was simply a puppet. R'hllor was certainly mighty by this world's standards. It could have easily subverted Maegor without resorting to strength.

The Unified Kingdom was aware of the rumors only spoken in hushed tones in the darkest corners of the empire. One included the fact that Maegor and his mother had died once. R'hllor's vile sorcery resurrected them in return for a great cost. Maegor's mental health problems were known, no matter the lengths he had gone to hide them.

Nothing would be certain until the man was captured and questioned, if he were not just another casualty in R'hllor's scheme.




In the next chapter:

Qohor's sky was burning.

A pillar rose to the clouds, trying to burn the heavens. Ei could recognize when space was being manipulated, and this felt like the enemy was trying to hammer its way through. She didn't know where the tear would lead to.

She also didn't wish to learn.



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