A Song of Blood and Sunlight (ASOIAF / Warhammer Fantasy / Soulsborne)

[ATP]

Good,but how they survive in Land of always Winter? our Lich friend do not even need to engage them,only freeze to death and blind with snow.

P.S Why Aerys do not go ballistic yet over some foreigners makinbg deals with HIS Lords ?

 

[Trafford]

October of Year 10,280 of Lordranese Callendar, Lands of Ancient, Holy Arcadia Empire, Reikland, Anor Londo.


Several months passed since the creation of the Stormcast Eternals, and it was time for the Crusade against the barbarians of the Stormwind's Badlands to begin.


All the preparations were done, and the pieces were on the chessboard.


The Imperial Bashar of the Imperial Military has completed all of the preparations to invade the Badlands of the Grand Province of Stormwind. Imperial Bashar Jacques d'Orleáns was working on the strategies and plans for several months.


The entire HighCom of the Imperial Military created several plans in case something went wrong, and now, they had prepared an overall invasion of the Badlands. Not only that, but they also prepared for the genocide of the Barbarians.


The orders were clear; nobody from the Badladns could survive. The entire Barbarian population was considered as the ultimate enemies of the state, and they were also the vilest heretics to the Healing Church.


They assembled several Imperial Legions from the Grand Province of Caladan, Grand Province of Munn, Grand Province of Faelor, Grand Province of Orleáns, and Grand Province of Stormwind.


The 4th Imperial Legion of Orleáns, 5th Imperial Legion of Faelor, 8th Imperial Legion of Caladan and 10th Imperial Legion of Stormwind were all gathered in the Stormwind and ready to invade the Badlands.


Just the 9th Imperial Legion of the Grand Province of Munn was attacking from the sea, using parts of the fleet that was commanded by one of the newly promoted Admirals of the Imperial Navy, Euron Greyjoy.


The Imperial Navy was still in the fledgling phase, but now, as the Euron Greyjoy was personally soul-bound to the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder, the Holy Imperator let him lead the charge.


Not to mention, that madman was enjoyed and thrilled to finally participate in some war, because he was impatient of just sitting around. Aside from that, he would have the possibility to test the warships and other things that were given to the Imperial Navy.


375,000 soldiers from the Imperial Legions were deployed, and this was just the start because they were deploying many other units. This was one of the most impressive setups of the Imperial Legions that was deployed in a long time on the Lands of the Ancient Lords.


Aside from the Imperial Legions, 2 Legions of the Silver Knights and the majority of the Stormcast Eternals. The Silver Knights of the Silver Knight Order deployed two Legions, which was something unseen because that was already half of their numbers.


The remaining Silver Knight Legions were only two, one stationed at the Skycrown Gate and another stationed at the Orklands, at the wall separating the Orklands from the lands under the control of the Imperium.


2 Chambers of the Reiksgard Temple under the leadership of their Lord Celestant Prime Atreus Atreides, 1 Chamber of the Judicator Temple under the leadership of their Lord Celestant Prime Gurney Halleck and 2 Chambers of the Paladin Temple under the leadership of their Lord Celestant Prime Ludwing the Holy Blade.


This would be the official debut of the Stormcast Eternals. They would be shown on the battlefield for the entire Holy Arcadia Empire to see its Angels of Death and ultimate bulwark against the forces of Chaos and Ruin, against the Heretics, Traitors, Orks and others...


The only thing that was lacking to the Stormcast Eternals was their Lord General-Kommandant, as the position was still vacant. Within the entire Imperium, there was no other person whom Karl Franz trusted with the power over the Stormcast Eternals.


The Lord General-Kommandant had complete and utter control of the Stormcast Eternals and the Stormcast Eternals were the most powerful military unit and organization within the entire Imperium.


With their standardized power reaching the various degrees of the Level 4 physical state, they had the best armor and weapons, the best training possible and everything that the Imperium could give them.


While there were only 4,500 of them, it wouldn't be wrong that they could massacre the entire Imperial Legions altogether with minimal losses.


The Stormcast Eternals were in the best of the best; they were the Holy Imperator's Angels of Death. They were his bulwark against the forces of Ruin and Chaos; they were the sword protectors of the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder.


For that reason, Karl Franz could command over the Stormcast Eternals as the Lord General-Kommandant only to a single person within the entire Imperium. And he was already working on it, as he spent a few weeks, convincing Maria to take the mantle of the Lord General-Kommandant.


"Maria, I am telling you for the hundredth time already, that only you could take the mantle of the Lord Celestant Prime."


Karl Franz looked at Lady Maria Vileblood because they had had this discussion already countless times. He knew that Maria didn't want to be in some official position because she loved her freedom and ability to do what she wanted.


"And before you repeat the non-sensical arguments you are constantly spinning; you are the only person within the entirety of the Holy Arcadia Empire that could assume the position of the Lord General-Kommandant."


Karl Franz was sitting on his chair in his study, with Maria Vileblood was sitting across him as they were having another discussion about this topic.


"The power of the Stormcast Eternals could be commanded only by someone from the Imperial House, something that you should know very well. Aside from that, once you assume command of the Stormcast Eternals, as the Lord General-Kommandant, you will still have a significant freedom..."


Karl Franz explained once again as he tried to convince Maria to take up the position of the Lord General-Kommandant, hopefully, this time with much better results than the last time. When he saw that this time, she wasn't refuting him outright; he knew that he had a good chance.


"Okey... if there is no other way..."


Even though Maria didn't want to be tied down and do something that she didn't wish, she knew that this decision was extremely important for her beloved and even for their future.


She was aware that the power of the Stormcast Eternals was too great to be left entirely in the hands of the outsiders that were not a direct part of the Imperial House. Even the various Lord Celestantises that commanded the Chambers were chosen from the most fanatically loyal followers of the Imperator.


"Splendid, then from today, you are the Lord General-Kommandant of the Stormcast Eternals with all the command over the organization."


Karl Franz stated with his authority as the Holy Imperator of the Holy Arcadia Empire and declared Maria as the Lord General-Kommandant of the Stormcast Eternals. Now, with that being done, they had all positions filled and the Stormcast Eternals were battle-ready for the action.


"Of course, of course... now that you have managed to push this responsibility on me, I will have a lot of work to do. Anything I need to know before I assume my official position within the wheels of the Imperial Administration?"


Maria asked her fianceé / lover as she was sitting down, more irritated than before because she was already named as the Lord General-Kommandant of the Stormcast Eternals. Getting responsibility that she was trying so hard to avoid.


"Not much; I have just one request... when you will step on the battlefield against the Children of Bul-Khatos, you must showcase the strongest side of the Stormcast Eternals for the whole Imperium to see."


Karl Franz stated that the Crusade against the Barbarians of the Badlands wasn't just about clearing them out from the Grand Province of Stormwind but also about showing the force and power for the wider Imperium.


It would also be an ultimate showcase of the power of the Imperium for all others to see.


As the Holy Imperator of the Imperium, he needed to remind everyone of the power that he commanded and what was the better opportunity than the Crusade against the Children of the Bul-Khatos.


"Of course I will..."


Even though Maria avoided politics and everything related to it, she was aware of the significance behind this move and knew that this was also the ultimate show of power of the Imperial House Holswig-Schliestein von Reikland de Anor.


For the debut of the Stormcast Eternals, she knew that it was essential to make a show out of it; she needed to show everyone that was watching the entire endeavor how powerful the Stormcast Eternals were and that they were part of the Imperial House.


"Then that was everything that I wanted to say... everything else, administration duties included, would be handled by the Lords Celestantises of the respective Chambers, as they are in charge of the matters over their Chambers and naturally by the Lords Celestants Primes of the respective Temples."


Lord General-Kommandant of Stormcast Eternals, was someone who wasn't very hard-pressed by the administration duties because he knew that otherwise, Maria would never agree to take the position.


He wanted to have someone whom he trusted the most, so the only option for the position was Lady Maria Vileblood.


On top of everything, he knew that her mother, High Lord Magistrate Annalise Vileblood, would be delighted to see her daughter holding such a prestigious post within the Imperial Administration.


"Imperial Bashar prepared everything for the Crusade, and it has been decided that this time, it would be most prudent that if the Stormcast Eternals would be acting directly as my guardians and lead the Vanguard together with me... at least part of the Reiksgarde Chamber."


Karl Franz stated, that he planned to lead the vanguard and participate in the Crusade personally.


While technically speaking, there was no need for such a decision, as there were other high-level professionals that could take up the position, it was more for propagation purposes.


Aside from these reasons, it was also the Holy Imperator himself, who wanted to test his might against the Children of Bul-Khatos, as there were many powerful Barbarians among their ranks.


This was just the culmination of the problem that they had decided not to solve immediately, and the Barbarians were growing stronger with each passing decade, and they were, right now, stronger than the entire Grand Province combined.


From a certain point of view, it was a pretty terrifying perspective, considering the might of every single Grand Province of the Holy Arcadia Empire.


"As you wish... it would be glorious to participate in the combat together. Two students of the Gehrman on the same battlefield... the old must be proud or at least something along those lines."


Maria remarked as she thought it over because Gehrman the First Hunter would be overseeing the entire Crusade from the side. There were not enough information about the Immortal King of the Children of Bul-Khatos.


***


MC POV


Dealing with the things around the upcoming Crusade against the Barbarians of the Badlands within the Grand Province of Stormwind to exterminate the threat of the Barbarians was tiring a bit.


Not to mention, I decided to participate in the Crusade personally; it would be a good morale boost for the troops and also a heaven-sent propagation material for the Imperium.


Aside from that, it was tempting to fight against some of the most powerful Children of Bul-Khatos, perhaps even the Immortal King himself.


"Also, I wanted to ask... how is your guest taking the training and everything at the Cainhurst?"


While I was getting reports about how she was doing at the Schola Progenium and everything, I wanted to hear it from Maria. She was also personally teaching her how to fight and mastery over combat, so she would be able to put a more precise image how the things were developing.


"Rather good... she has a talent for combat, not like to put her among the most powerful combatants of the Holy Arcadia Empire, but strong enough to put her on the potential of the true Elites of the Imperium. Aside from that, her studies are progressing very well, and her motivation is very strong."


Maria knew that Cersei Lannister was driven by the concept of power.


She wanted power and to use it; for her it didn't matter what kind of power it was, and this motivation was driving her further on her journey.


"And how is she overall? Has her personality problems been culled entirely?"


I knew that Cersei had a very deep arrogance and attitude that was deeply rooted in her bones, and it was something that would be very hard to destroy entirely. It was a relatively sensitive problem because it could lead to grave consequences if not handled correctly.


"Yes... it seems that she managed to acclimatize herself to the society of the Imperium rather fast, and she even started making friends... which was pretty surprising considering her attitude at the start, but now it is getting better."


Maria knew that Cersei was undergoing a very potent character development within the Schola Progenium because the environment was not something pampered "nobling" like her could really withstand.


Yet, at the same time, she was also smart enough to know how to acclimatize to prevail in such a competitive and cruel environment.


"That's actually very nice to hear..."


Still, I knew that once she was put through the machine cogs of the Schola Progenium and lived some time within the Holy Arcadia Empire, it would beat out her arrogance and self-centered personality out of her.


The Schola Progenium already got far worse cases than she was, so only a few months and she was already as good as the new one. She was being prepared for the role of one of the Empresses of the Holy Arcadia Empire.


And as I knew Maria, she would never act on her position as the Empress of the Holy Arcadia Empire; such a thing was impossible.


I already considered it as a miracle that he managed to convince her to take the place of the Lord Celestant Prime of the Stormcast Eternals.


I seriously doubted that Maria would be doing all those "boring" things that the rulers of the nations usually do. Due to this, I was already sure that Cersei would be needed to do all the political work and maneuvering...


"For now, you should be going to the rendezvous point of the Crusade."


The meeting point for the Crusading Army was set to the Fortress where the 10th Imperial Legion of the Grand Province of Stormwind was stationed, but another part of the Army was gathering at the Castle Greystone, which served as home to one of the retired Level 6 Hunters of the Workshop.


Though originally, it was home to a powerful female Sorceress who married the said Hunter at a later date, but that wasn't really important right now.


"Head to the Greystone Castle, bring there the parts of the Stormcast Eternals that were agreed and wait until I arrive to start the Crusade into the Badlands officially."


The Crusade into the Badlands against the Children of Bul-Khatos would commence from three directions. One of them was the Fortress of the 10th Imperial Legion, one from the Castle Greystone and another would be a through seat that would strike directly the lesser parts of the Badlands.


That one would be commencing from the Grand Province of Munn and would target primarily the ports of other places until they were to disembark and march onto the capital city of the Barbarians within the Badlands.


Basically, pincering all of the Barbarians and cut all of their possibilities of escape, slowly but surely exterminating them one by one until no none of them survived. The HighCom of the Imperial Army meticulously prepared a genocide plan for the Barbarians of the Badlands.


"Within a few days, the last reports from the Imperial Military Intelligence would arrive at the HighCom and after reviewing them, we could start the Crusade into the Badlands."


Unfortunately for the Imperial Military Intelligence, it was very hard to infiltrate the Barbarians, due to their distinctive characteristics, which were hardly replicated even with the usage of advanced Magic.


Not to mention, their entire society was very distrustful towards the outsiders; they were a closed society, and even entering the place was pretty much impossible. As unfortunate as it was, the lack of information they had was something that worried me greatly.


Unfortunately, this wasn't even technically speaking the fault of the Imperial Military Intelligence because infiltrating the Barbarian society was nearly impossible from the start, and that was not even talking about their higher-ups.


They were also pretty much paranoid because it had been noticed that many places were highly guarded, as the Shamans and their Druids were using some of their weird powers to scan for any signs of Magic and other things.


Through this method, they managed to uncover many spies and people that the Imperial Military Intelligence sent there to scout and gather information. This in turn, resulted in a state, where the HighCom had relatively little information about high-end combatants of the Children of Bul-Khatos.


And that was something that was deeply worrying me.


***


Fortress of the 10th Imperial Legion


Like the rest of the Fortresses that served as the homes to the Imperial Legions, even this one was an enormous structure of stone, steel and Magic. Everything is put together and built in the heart of the Grand Province of Stormwind.


Fortresses like these were common across the entire Holy Arcadia Empire, as they were constructed to house the Imperial Legions or at least, the parts of the Imperial Legions.


Aside from the main fortresses that acted as the headquarters for their respective Imperial Legions, there existed also smaller forts, among which the Imperial Legion was divided to cover the entire territory of the Grand Province equally.


Naturally, within the Grand Province of Stormwind, smaller forts also existed, but right now, all of the Legion was congregated within the Fortress. Aside from it, there were another one Imperial Legion stationed here.


Two Imperial Legions would be departing from the Fortress Storm together with one Legion of Silver Knights and other special detachments, while the same amount of troops would depart from the Castle Greystone.


And the last Imperial Legion was departing from the Grand Province of Munn by sea.


Right now, the Fortress Storm was packed with soldiers because it was housing two Imperial Legions, which numbered 150,000 soldiers, 10,000 Silver Knights from the Silver Knigth Order, and one Legion of Silver Knights had arrived.


And then there were around three thousand of other troops, that were mainly the newly established Stormcast Eternals, Battle Wizards, Sorcerers and other specialists that were departing to the Crusade.


This caused the entire Fortress Storm to feel a bit cramped already, but that would only last for a few days, because after the preparations are finished, they would be soon initiating the invasion into the Badlands.


Everything was prepared, from the soldiers to the machines of war, like the Heavy Armored Regiments and Artillery Regiments that had tens of machines of war, the pinnacle of Imperial Engineering and technology.


The Battle Wizards that were dispatched by the Byrgenwerth and the Eight Orders of Magic, were already in place and checking their final supplies for the Crusade. The Magic Users of all Classes and types would be playing a crucial role during the Crusade against the Barbarians of the Badlands.


The General of the 10th Imperial Legion was Anduin Lothar, former Head of the House Lothar; he was a middle-aged man with short brown hair reaching to his shoulders and piercing azure-blue eyes.


Someone who spent most of his time within the Imperial Military and was part of the war machine for as long as he could remember. However, he was raised to the position of the Imperial General only ten years ago, when the last Imperial General retired after a grave injury during class with the Barbarians of the Badlands.


Aside from him, there were two other people in the room, which was located in the highest tower of the Fortress Storm, which served as the office / home to the General of the Imperial 10th Legion.


One of them was the General of the 5th Imperial Legion from the Grand Province of Faelor, General Zangru Baruch von Lutheris. He was probably the youngest person to be ever raised to the position of the General of the entire Imperial Legion, which spoke highly about his capabilities and power.


He was a man who looked rather feminine with his short white hair, wearing golden-purple armor. However, behind that feminine appearance was one of the most dangerous warriors that the Imperium had ever produced.


At the age of forty, he was already named the General of the Imperial Legion and he was often titled the Warmaster due to his high mastery over the art of War. Within the Grand Province of Faelor, General Zangru Baruch von Lutheris was famous for eradicating the enormous colony of the Skavenblight a few years ago.


That was in the event when the Imperium started taking the Ratmen rather seriously and actively eliminating their species wherever they found their foul and ruinous presence.


Approximately five years ago or so, within the Black Mountains that was a mountain range spreading through the Grand Provinces of the Stormwind, Orlenáns and Faelor; some locals had clashes with the Skaven.


Until then, the Skavenblight could be found only on the Norsca Peninsula, within the Grand Provinces of the Fenris and Khaz-Modan, or within the enormous landmass that was known as the Daemon Lands.


But they were rather reluctant to enter into the deep areas of the Imperium, and yet, ever contrary to their typical mindset, the Skavenblight was observed within the Grand Province of Faelor.


This, in turn, put many of the high-ranking military personnel on high alert because it was rather close to the Grand Province of Orleáns, which was at that time under constant siege of the Orks from the Orklands and it also bordered partially with the World Edge Mountains.


Thus, General of the 5th Imperial Legion of the Grand Province of Faelor, General Zangru Baruch von Lutheris, got the order to eradicate the presence of the Skavenblight with his Imperial Legion as soon as possible.


While at the same time, similar orders were sent across the whole Imperium, by the Holy Order of the Holy Imperator, that the Skavens are to be actively searched, hunted and exterminated with extreme prejudice.


And General Zangru Baruch von Lutheris didn't disappoint, as within a mere few days, he managed to track down their major lairs, which were hidden in the end of the Black Mountains, bordering the enormous Blackwater Lake and started the siege.


His masterful approach to the siege resulted in the complete annihilation of the Skavenblight, with over several hundred thousand Ratmen exterminated of various ages, genders and subspecies, including some of the Chieftains and Shamans.


Meanwhile, the 5th Imperial Legion suffered only minimal losses during the entire endeavor.


This gave General Zangru Baruch von Lutheris very high prestige among the citizens of the Imperium.


And the last person who was in the room was someone whose fame preceded them all within the lands of the Holy Arcadia Empire. His silver armor reflected the light and radiated power and respect, just with a single look.


Artorias the Abysswalker, was someone who commanded respect, awe and majestiness of the Silver Knight Order. He was Legion Master of the 1st Legion of the Silver Knight Order and was peak Level 5 Professional, who entered the Abyss and returned back to tell the tale.


He was an ancient relic from the past long gone, one of the original knights that served Lord Gwyn, together with the Ciaran, Hawkey Gough the commander of the 3rd Legion of the Silver Knight Order and Executioner Smough Legion Master of the 4th Legion of the Silver Knight Order.


Ciaran the Lord's Blade was right now, in charge of the entire Temple of the newly established Stormcast Eternals, namely the Vindicator Temple of the Stormcast Eternals, as she was raised to the position of Lord Celestant Prime of the Vindicator Temple.


Right now, there was only one Chamber in the Vindicator Temple, but soon enough, within the near future, there would be more Chambers established within the Vindicator Temple, because the work for them would only increase.


The Holy Imperator knew the importance of sabotage, assassination and other similar activities and how important they were for the glory of the nation.


"We have approximately 24 hours or something in those lines until the Crusade starts, and we would be invading the Badlands of the Stormwind."


The General of the 10th Imperial Legion, Anduin Lothar, as he was tasked with being the leader of the Army Group Alpha, not only because of his personal power but also because he was also the most experienced person when it came to fighting against the Children of Bul-Khatos.


"Now, the situation is following. The Barbarians of Badlands, don't really have any fortifications or castles or any other points of interest that could be well defended against invading force, so in this aspect, we would have an easy time advancing."


General of the 10th Imperial Legion Anduin Lother stated as he looked at the map of the Grand Province of Stormwind, which was very detailed and showed all points of interest, cities, towns, forts, castles and so on...


"But that isn't that much of a win..."


The General of the 5th Imperial Legion from the Grand Province of Faelor, General Zangru Baruch von Lutheris, stated, much to the dismay of the people present.


"Yes... it would be far better if they had something like that because they would then subsequently congregate within the places and we could siege them and bombard them to oblivion. On the contrary, right now, we would be forced to deal with them head-on, greatly lowering our capabilities, especially that of the artillery."


Indeed, as the Army Group Alpha and Army Group Beta would be advancing into the deeper parts of the Badlands, there were little to no points of interest that the Children of Bul-Khatos built or operated.


Aside from their capital, Harrogath, which was built on Mount Arreat, there were only a few small settlements, fortifications and so on. But most of their population was living either within the capital, Harrogath, since their entire species was united under one banner or were living on the road.


Moving from one spot to another one.


"That is indeed a problematic element, but we could solve it relatively easily... we only need to send out some Battle Wizards and scouts with specific Danger Beasts to carry out the reconnaissance of the terrain. Through this, we should be able to locate the incoming Barbarians from several tens of kilometers away and give enough time for the Heavy Artillery to send a few gifts to them."


General Zangru Baruch von Lutheris proposed the idea, which was accepted almost immediately by both Legion Master of the 1st Legion of Silver Knights, Artorias the Abysswalker and General Anduin Lother of the 10th Imperial Legion.


"This indeed has a great merit. The journey to the Harrogath would take several weeks with the current speed; even with the fastest speed, we should be able to reach their capital within fifteen days."


Harrogath, the capital city of the Badlands and the sacred place for all Barbarians was built on the ancestral site of the Bul-Khatos and their very first Immortal King, on Mount Arreat.


And the Mount Arreat was located on the edges of the Badlands, so they would need to cross through the entire Badlands to reach the Harrogath. This would be a very arduous journey and nobody doubted that they would be harassed and attacked by the Barbarians during their entire journey.


That also made sense, as their entire civilization and society revolved around the martial might and even their youngest children could be drafted into their armies and be used as the foot soldiers in times of need.


"Yes, it would, but as long as we are careful and exterminate them to the last one, we don't have anything to fear. Still, we need to be careful to no leave anyone alive because if they attack our supply lines before we reach the destination it would be problematic."


General Zangru Baruch von Lutheris stated that before they reached the Harrogath and Mount Arreat, they would depend on the supply lines from the Grand Province of Stormwind for ammunition, weapons, armor, food, health supplies and miscellaneous things.


After they reached their destination, the Wizards and Scholars that the Byrgenwerth was sending would lay down mini teleportation arrays and they would be getting supplies and other things through teleportation.


Such was the tremendous advantage of a powerful and advanced magical civilization.


"As long as we destroy Harrogath and Mount Arreat, their entire spirit would crumble and the rest of their race won't be in danger and we can then systematically annihilate them and the last internal danger to the Imperium would be gone."


General of the 10th Imperial Legion of Grand Province Stormwind stated that for the people of Stormwind, the Barbarians of the Badlands were sworn enemies for centuries.


There was too much of hatred and bad blood between the species and peace was never an option, so even though, the Imperator wanted to recruit at least part of the Barbarians due to their inante gifts, it wasn't possible.


In the end, the Holy Imperator was rather content with the fact, that the Byrgenwerth would be working hard on replicating the gifts of the Children of Bul-Khatos through Magic and advanced research.


Their innate strength or innate resistance to Magic of any kind was too huge a motivator for the Holy Imperator and not only to him but also to the many of the HighCom and upper levels of the Imperial Administration.


Though at the same time, they also knew that it was of utmost importance to exterminate the Barbarians species from the face of Lordran to ensure the utmost loyalty of the Grand Province of Stormwind by destroying their most hated enemy.


***


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[ATP]

Interesting,but why waste time for writing about barbarians? they are arleady dead.
Wrote about enemies who could be dangerous.Like Chaos,Lich in North,or other - for example yellow King from Cardossa.

 

[Trafford]

Fortress of the 10th Imperial Legion, One Hour Later


After one hour, the long-awaited thing happened when the provisionary teleportation array activated, and the Holy Imperator himself exited the teleportation array, surrounded by the Stormcast Eternals in their bulkier runic armor.


Not only him but next to him was his fainceé, Lady Maria Vileblood of the Astral Clocktower, clad in her typical Hutner outfit because she appreciated the freedom and agility, while her lover was wearing the more armored version of the Hunter outfit of the Old Workshop.


Maria's fighting style revolved around overwhelming speed advantage, dexterity, and superior reflexes over their opponents. This required her to have freedom in her movements, so heavy armor was something that was greatly hindering her.


That didn't mean that her Hunter outfit was a weak form of defense; on the contrary, without overwhelming strength, it was almost nigh impossible to even think about damaging the Hunter outfit and the leather coat she was wearing.


It was made from the leather of Super Danger Beast that was comparable to the Level 6 Professional, so even though it wouldn't be enough to defend against some attacks that were comparable to the Level 6, it was still sufficient to protect her against the average Level 5s attacks and spells.


Together with her overwhelming speed, which made it almost impossible for the enemy to land a hit on Maria, and her combat style, she was a pretty problematic enemy to deal with.


Meanwhile, Karl Franz was wearing the armored version of the Hunter Outift, which had some metal plates on certain places of his body. His combat style didn't really revolve around overwhelming speed and such, but rather on overwhelming offensive power that he could release.


In combination with the Longinuslansze Testament, he was walking destruction incarnate on the battlefield. Even during this Imperial Crusade, it was known and anticipated that the Holy Imperator would be one of the heavy hitters during the Imperial Crusade.


***


MC POV


When I exited the provisional teleportation array, I noticed that the mood within the Fortress Storm was rather tense. This wasn't that surprising actually, considering the situation that was coming, but at the same time, the morale was high.


It seemed that having me present, leading the offensive, and bringing with me Maria and Stormcast Eternals boosted the morale several times over. In the individual clash, the Imperial Soldiers of the Holy Arcadia Empire were inferior to those of the Barbarians.


Average soldiers of the Imperial Legions were just ordinary humans who drank the weakest version of the Old Blood available, which only gave them a prolonged lifespan and more powerful physique that elevated them to the human limit.


Contrary to the Barbarians, the Children of Bul-Khatos were physically much, much stronger because even their weakest ones were at Level 1 in terms of their physique and the average warrior was at the peak of Level 1.


But the Imperial Legions were making up for their lack of physical strength with their superior equipment, armor, weapons, runes, Magic, and other means.


Through everything, they were able to fight against the Barbarians, and with specifically developed tactics, that was called Anti-Barbarian Tactics, they were even able to kill them if they acted really fast.


The greatest advantage that the Barbarians had was their vitality and physical strength, yet this also resulted in their disadvantage in another aspect. As most of the Barbarians were too confident in their physical power, they neglected the aspect of defense.


This, coupled with the fact that their entire society was relatively primitive and backward, they didn't really have a means of smelting and forging the armor and weapons that were at least a bit advanced.


Soon enough after we arrived, we were welcomed by the General of the 10th Imperial Legion was Anduin Lothar, General of the 5th Imperial Legion Zangru Baruch von Lutheris and Legion Master of the 1st Legion of the Silver Knight Order Artorias the Abysswalker.


"All Hail the Holy Imperator!"


"All Hail the Holy Imperator!"


"All Hail the Holy Imperator!"


All of them saluted me, as I then waved my right hand as a form of greeting and then, together with Maria, we were led to the main planning office. Within the room, there were zero people, as it was reserved just for me and Maria, for a brief time we would be spending at the Fortress Storm.


Now that I was present at the Fortress Storm, it was only a matter of time until the Imperial Crusade could officially begin.


"How is the state of the Army Group Alpha?"


I asked as I sat down on the sofa, with Maria sitting next to me.


The one accompanying us from the Stormcast Eternals was Lord Celestant Prime of the Reiksgarde Temple, Atreus Atreides, who was in overall command of the Stormcast Eternals that were accompanying me.


"We can move at any moment; the sole problem is with the speed of movement, as we are taking all of the siege engines and other machines of war so that we would be moving at a relatively slow pace."


I nodded because this was within the exceptions of the Military HighCom; while not welcomed, it was noted to be of necessary sacrifice.


Even though I would welcome much faster traveling speed, that would require the Army Groupds to give up many of the machines of war.


And that would, in turn, significantly weaken our capabilities, and the machines of war were of the utmost importance to us because they were of strategic importance during the Crusade.


Without them, we would be much more vulnerable and it would be harder to break through the defenses of the Harrogath and Mount Arreat. And at the same time, there were several plans on how to use them in the field battle against the Barbarians.


"In two hours, I will officially declare the start of the Crusade to the Army Groups Alpha, Beta and Gamma."


I said to the three men that were gathered here, as they then saluted and left the room to prepare their troops for the march. It would be a long and arduous journey, where we would need to advance with utmost caution.


According to the plan, before the official start of the Imperial Crusade, I was to give a motivation speech for everyone. Something that I wasn't really thrilled about, because I didn't really like giving speeches to people.


It wasn't about the skill, but it was more or like tied to the fact that I needed to think deeply about what I was to say and so on because every speech given by the Holy Imperator of the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder was something that would be memorized for the millenias to come.


And the effects it had on society and people listening were great.


"While everyone is tense, many people are getting impatient with this entire endeavor..."


Maria remarked as she leaned over me, and I knew that what she was talking about.


"Yes... this would be the biggest opportunity to obtain Noble Status or to rise in the social ladder; there are even some of the Free Companies congregating on the Borders of the Badlands and would be joining us in this Crusade."


According to the reports of the Imperial Military Intelligence, there were approximately fifteen thousand mercenaries of the Free Companies that would be joining the Crusaders on the Imperial Crusade against the Children of Bul-Khatos.


That was because it was easiest to obtain the Noble Status within the Holy Arcadia Empire; through war, one could easily accumulate tremendous merit and be raised to the highest Noblity within the Imperium.


There were even cases where some people were directly raised to the Viceroy Status during one conflict.


"I saw that many of the Noble Houses sent personal expeditions into the Crusade in aim to obtain Merit."


Maria said, as I was already aware of the thing. While the lands of the Holy Arcadia Empire, aside from the Household Guards, the Nobiltiy of the Imperium possessed no armies, soldiers or levies.


Greatly contradictory situation to that of the Westeros or even parts of the Essoss, where most, if not all was concentrated in the hands of the Noble Houses.


Yet, despite this, the Noble Houses were focusing on producing powerhouses, powerful warriors, or Mgaic Users. Many mighty Professionals and Sorcerers actually stemmed from some of the Noble Houses of the Imperium.


This, in turn, gave the Nobility a certain degree of power and through this power, they could contribute to the Holy Arcadia Empire because, in the conflicts like this, there was a constant need for high-end Professionals.


Naturally, the Imperial Crusade attracted the attention of many Noble Houses of the Holy Arcadia Empire and many Nobles decided to participate in the entire endeavor to obtain presite, glory, and merit for their House and Lineage.


"That is good; it would increase the number of high-end Professionals by several degrees, which would be really needed to combat the Barbarians effectively."


Most if not all of the nobles of the Holy Arcadia Empire were high-end Professionals, as it was the elementary requirement of the Impeirum to raise someone into the status of the aristocracy.


***


Two hours later, Fortress Storm of the 10th Imperial Legion, Grand Province of Stormwind.


The two-hour deadline passed relatively fast; the only thing that happened during the two hours was that the entire Army Group Alpha got into the march-ready state as they were to commence the invasion into the Badlands and fight against the threat of the Children of Bul-Khatos.


I was already prepared to deliver the speech for the invasion forces of Army Group Alpha, Army Group Beta, and Army Group Gamma. Everything was prepared by the Scholars of the Byrgenwerth who were present as part of the Imperial Crusading Force.


"Everything is ready, Your Holy Imperial Majesty."


I heard someone say, noticing that it was one of the Scholars of the Byrgenwerth that was in charge of building up the transmission array to the other Army Groups, the one that was not far from them at the Grand Province of Stormwind and the Army Group Gamma that was at the Grand Province of Munn.


"You can activate it."


I said, after which I looked at the small magic circle that was in front of me.


"Proud sons and daughters of the Holy Imperium, this day, marks the great milestone in the history of our glorious nation. We stand on the side, before the decision and war that will see the complete unification of the Lordran and extermination of the enemy that has been plaguing the lands of the Imperium for whole centuries."


I started the speech, after a while, I made a pause before I continued.


"The Children of Bul-Khatos are cancer in the heart of the Imperium, destroying the stability of the entire Grand Province and thus, they are aiding the foul powers of Ruin and other heretics to the Great Ones that want to wipe us out. And yet, we stand strong, unbent, unbroken and undefeated and we will address the threat that is before us. Our enemy will be broken and destroyed by the might of the Imperium."


Even though I wasn't present among the troops, I could sense that the excitement was rising as was the morale among the troops, because of my speech.


"They would be annihilated under the might of Faith, Steel, Magic and Gunpowder of the Holy Arcadia Empire. They would be hunted to the last person and their entire species would be exterminated from the face of the Known World of Azyr and be buried in the annals of history. In these words, we would fight the Barbarians in their towns and cities, in the plains and forests, in the ground and sky, let them witness the fury of the Imperium, as I declare the Imperial Crusade."


Making a short pause for approximately a few seconds.


"Proud sons and daughters of the Imperium, we shall march and achieve victory; let them witness the might of the Imperium; let this be remembered as our finest hour."


"All Hail Imperium!"


I knew that this speech wasn't transmitted just to the Crusading forces, but with some minor delay, it would be transmitted across the whole Imperium. From the smallest village to the Holy Cities of the Imperium.


"It was a glorious speech, Your Holy Majesty."


Immediately some of the people present here were coming to kiss my ass, not something that was unusual literarily, and I already got used to it.


"You could really pass as someone from the Department of Propaganda."


Maria snarked from the side as she attempted to tease me or maybe even insult me, I didn't know which one, but I was proud of my ability to spout propaganda.


"Thank you very much... something like this is an essential skill for every skilled politician, my beloved fianceé."


I said back with faux haughtiness while I went to join the Stormcast Eternals that were part of the Army Group Alpha.


***


3rd POV


Fortress Storm, Headquarters of the 10th Imperial Legion


As the speech of the Holy Imperator was transmission through all of the Army Groups participating in the Imperial Crusade against the Children of Bul-Khatos, sooner enough with a small time delay, the speech that was given at the start of the invasion was broadcast through the whole Imperium.


The morale among the Crusading Troops was rising with every word being said and with every single sentence that was finished.


The soldiers of the Holy Arcadia Empire, be it the Imperial Legionaries of the Imperial Legions, the Knights of the Silver Knight Order or various special units such as the Household Guards and Aristocrats, the Battle Wizards, and Scholars of Byrgenwerth were eager for the battle.


Be it for various reasons, everyone now felt eager for the conquest and extermination of the Barbarians.


It was either the fanatical loyalty of the Imperial Legions, Silver Knights, and Stormcast Eternals that would do everything that the Holy Imperator ordered, or the officers of the military that sought opportunity for military accomplishments.


Or the members of the Aristocracy of the Imperium, who aimed for the merits that they could obtain during the Imperial Crusade or the Battle Wizards and Scholars of the Byrgenwerth who wanted to achieve something so they would get more resources for their research.


For the Scholars of Byrgenwerth and the Battle Wizards of the Imperial Battlemage Legion of the Faust, this entire Imperial Crusade was nothing more than a means to the end. And that end were the resources for their research.


Most of them cared a little for the material matters, aside from the fact that they were using this to further their own agenda, which stemmed in pursuing the deepest secrets of the Arcane.


And then there were the mercenaries from the Free Companies across the entire territory of the Holy Arcadia Empire who wanted nothing more than to achieve glory and achievements on the battlefield so they could obtain either the status of Nobility or something that they wanted from the Imperium.


With a single command from the Holy Imperator of the Holy Arcadia Empire, this enormous machinery of soldiers, knights, wizards, war machines and others started marching into the Badlands.


With a single command from one man, the fate of the entire species was decided to be extinction and extermination, as everyone was eager to see the Children of Bul-Khatos annihilated from the face of the earth.


***


Badlands, One Day Later with Army Group Alpha


The Badlands or often also called the Barren Lands, was a very inhospitable region that was located in the southernmost area of the Grand Province of Stormwind. The Badlands were the most sandy, dead desert with many mountain ranges and high hills, even though there were not used for much.


According to the various analyses of the Badlands, enormous richness was hidden within these mountains in the form of many precious ores that were not found across the Imperium.


Fortunately enough for all parties that were interested, the Barbarians were not advanced enough to carry out large-scale mining operations and smelting operations. In order to melt the ores into the metals and create advanced weapons and armor.


Even if they attempted to do so, they were sabotaged through the efforts of the Imperial Military Intelligence and House Marian, who were doing everything they could in their power to keep the growing power of the Children of the Bul-Khatos as low as possible.


From a certain point of view, they succeeded in the aspect of hindering their progress as a civilization, which was successful.


If the Barbarians were armed properly, with powerful weapons and armors, that were for example, carrying a certain degree of magic resistance or something along those lines, then, they would be far more dangerous enemies.


So yes, from a certain point of view, this was a great success to cull the civilization of the Children of Bul-Khatos, so they remained rather primitive, which was greatly advantageous to the Holy Imperium.


Right now, an enormous caravan of armored vehicles, war wagons, siege engines and other machines of war that were built either by the Byrgenwerth, Engineering Guild or Dwarves of Khaz-Modan was moving through the Barren Lands under the protection of tens of thousands of soldiers.


Among them, one could see countless Danger Beasts of various Grades, that were serving as mounts for the Silver Knights of the Silver Knight Order or the Stormcast Eternals that were using all Griffons as their mounts exclusively.


Other common Dangers Beasts were a special type of warhorse that was used by the members of the Imperial Legion or the Silver Knights of the Silver Knight Order.


Tens of thousands of soldiers were moving in perfect unison, as their target was clear this time.


It was the first major point of interest for the Barbarians and one of the few that their species had; it was called Almorel, which was a small Fortress City that was operated by one of the more powerful and larger Barbarian Tribes of their society.


Fortress Almorel was one of the gates into the deep Barbarian territory and if the Imperium wanted to breach their fortifications and reach the heart of the Badlands, they needed to breach both Almorel and Quaraband that was on the path of Army Group Beta.


"We would be arriving at the vicinity of the Almorel in ten or twelve hours..."


Karl Franz I. Holswig-Schliestein von Reikland de Anor was sitting on the back of Deathclaw, with Maria sitting next to him and hugging him from behind as they were flying above the entire convoy of the Army Group Alpha.


Basically, Almorel would be the first step in the conquest of the entire Badlands and unifying the Grand Province of Stormwind under Imperial rule for once and all... Among the higher-ups of the military command, everyone knew that Almorel was a poor excuse for the Fortress according to the Imperial standards.


However, nobody doubted the fact that the Children of Bul-Khatos would defend the Almorel with all of their military might, and they would give Imperials one hell of a fight for them to gain control over the Fortress City.


And even despite this, nobody had a heavy heart or was nervous because their strategy regarding the two cities of Almorel and Quaraband was clear. They could be destroyed into piles of ash and rubble because they were of no importance.


The Barbarians didn't have any kind of infrastructure or anything that the Imperium wished to preserve and keep for their own use. Due to that fact, they could use the thing that was giving them their greatest advantage in this Crusade.


Their overwhelming firepower of the Aritlleries and Battle Magic of the Battle Wizards.


With that, they will be able to raze all and any fortifications that the Children of the Bul-Khatos would prepare to the ground until nothing remained from them. As unfortunate as it was, the Barbarians didn't have anything that the Imperium considered important to keep for the future.


Thus, the usage of nondiscriminatory artillery bombardment was allowed, together with the free use of War Magic that could envelope large scale. The Army Group Alpha was advancing slowly on the Almorel and in a few hours, the first theatre of war would be opened.


***


Grand Province of Munn, Fortress City of Starlight


The Capital City of the Grand Province of Munn was located on a small island that was in the middle of the Azure Bay. The entrance itself to Azure Bay was protected by the enormous gate that rivaled or even eclipsed that of the Skycrown Gate.


It was an enormous construct that prevented anyone from entering Azure Bay.


In the middle of Azure Bay was a small island, that was often called the God's Eye Islands, due to its solitary position, and the entire Island has been transformed into the Capital City of the Grand Province of Munn.


Right now, the entire Azure Bay was filled with enormous warships, there were countless of them, numbering in hundreds, and each one of them was filled with thousands of soldiers, war machines, materials, and other things that were part of the Imperial Crusade.


The City of Starlight was one of the marvels of the Imperium; it was the white city with an enormous citadel of Stars that was located in the middle of the entire City. The whole city has strong defensive structures.


The walls of the Capital City of Munn were very high and thick, countless watchtowers were built every few meters. On the top of the walls were countless cannons, mortars, scorpions, and other machines for war.


On top of that, every few hundred meters, there were Mage Towers, that served the sole purpose of empowering the Battle Wizards that served on the military garrison of the Starlight, together with several Magitek Machines of War.


The harbor part of the Starlight was well-developed port facilities with docks, warehouses, and shipyards to accommodate a variety of vessels. The harbor was designed to provide shelter from the storms, safety for the ships, but it was it was armed and built with defensive purposes in mind.


The 9th Imperial Legion of the Grand Province of Munn was going to invade the Badlands through the sea, led by the newest Imperial Admiral of the Imperial Navy, Euron Greyjoy.


Their task was also to create a blockade in case the Children of the Bul-Khatos decided to evacuate some of their members through the sea, this was not really possible, but the Imperial Military Intelligence had noticed some connections between the Barbarians of Badlands and Orks of the Orklands.


Euron Greyjoy was standing on the deck of the main battleship of the 1st Imperial Fleet, he was also given an entirely new battleship, that was named Kos's Silence, after a mythical creature from the religion of the Great Ones that dominated the seas and oceans.


"How long till everything is loaded?"


Euron Greyjoy was spending a few past months within the Imperium...


After he was captured by the Holy Imperator himself, when his entire crew was slaughtered, he was soul-bound to the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder and given a position within the Imperial Administration and Warmachine.


He knew that as the outsider, he wasn't really met with trust or anything, but because he was bound to the Divine Throne of Sunlight and Cinder, he was aware that the moment he showed even the slightest thoughts of betrayal of the Imperium, he would die in the most gruesome death.


Yet, he didn't really care about that; the only thing that he cared about was to sail through the seas and make his own name known across the entire Known World of Azyr as the explorer and sailor, the one that would be remembered through the annals of the history for all eternity.


"We would be done in one hour."


The man who answered him was the General of the 9th Imperial Legion which was native to the Grand Province of Munn, Mazer Rackham. He was a bald man, visibly a bit aged, converted with runic tattoos.


He was born in the Grand Province of Munn, to a tribe of people that were native to the Grand Province of Munn and lived in the deserts of the Munn, called Namyr-Tharos Tribe, the dwellers of the sands.


"Also, the Elector Count's son, Rhuen Allander, would be joining the Crusade together with several hundred of the Household Guards of the Allander; we would be having one of the best swords of the Imperium with us."


Mazer Rackham of the Namyr-Tharos was a natural-born warrior like everyone from the Namyr-Tharos Tribe. From an early age, he was considered as the prodigy of the Namyr-Tharos and after he reached adulthood, he created his own Free Mercenary Company.


After thirty years of acting as the leader of the Free Company, he was scouted by the House Allander and was drafted in as captain of the Household Guards of the House Allander, which was already a very prestigious position within the Grand Province.


Approximately another twenty years later, he was personally approached by the previous General of the 9th Imperial Legion of the Grand Province of Munn and entered the Imperial Legion, where he was soon, in only a few years, promoted to the General of the 9th Imperial Legion.


As the General of the 9th Imperial Legion, Mazer Rackham has proven himself to be one of the most capable Generals of the entire Imperial Legion and the entire Imperial Military; within certain circles, he was even considered the next Imperial Bashar of the Imperial Military.


"After establishing the blockade, we will disembark on the shores of the Badlands and take stand where they have built some primitive docks, from there on we will advance onto the Harrogath's southern area, where we will build the fortifications and wait for the Army Groups Alpha and Beta."


The plan of the Imperial Crusade was excellent and there were no blank spots; for that, the role of the Euron Greyjoy as the Admiral of the 1st Fleet that would be leading the attacks on the Baldands was clear.


Nobody can leave the Badlands; not even the smallest ship could leave the shores of the Badlands and he knew this task he was given must be completed splendidly, or else, his head would roll.


After everything was loaded onto the ships, the 1st Imperial Fleet, which was numbering something around one hundred ships of various Classes, started sailing towards the Star Wall, opening the path to them, as the Admiral gave the command to the march.


***


A few days later, somewhere around the Badlands. On the deck of Kos's Silence.


Approximately one hundred ships were now sailing around the seas of the Badlands, not far from the shores of the Badlands itself. Till now, they hadn't seen even a single ship that belonged to the Children of the Bul-Khatos.


"Ships on the horizon!"


Someone shouted as they spotted several ships of very crude design, clearly indicating the Barbarian origin, on the horizon.


"Everybody on the position! Load the cannon and fire at the moment of distance!"


As the Admiral of the 1st Imperial Fleet, Euron Greyjoy was in charge of the assault, so the moment they finally spotted some enemy, everyone was eager for action, because it was becoming a bit boring in here.


There were only a few of the Barbarian ships, but, making up for their small numbers, they were rather huge, even bigger than the average Imperial Warship. This was already some sight to behold because the Imperial Warships of the Imperial Navy were already huge enough to house hundreds upon hundreds of soldiers.


As the ships of the Barbarians were approaching the 1st Imperial Fleet, the sailors and soldiers that were on the ships, all assumed their position, and if they didn't, then those who couldn't get into the combat-ready state.


"Fire!"


The Admiral of the 1st Imperial Fleet shouted when the ships of the Children of Bul-Khatos were close enough, in the distance of their cannons and other machines of war, as the thunderous roaring of the artillery firing was heard through the entire area where they were.


Hundreds if not thousands of cannons and mortars were firing as one, all aiming at the sea hulks of the ships that were built by the barbarians. And as expected, the ships of the barbarians, couldn't withstand the concentrated firepower of the Imperium and were being sunk down one by one.


Only a few of the barbarian sea hulks were still floating on the sea, though they were too heavily damaged from the artillery bombardment. Seeing this, gave Euron Greyjoy the idea of boarding the ships and capturing the people, perhaps they would be able to find some useful information from them.


"Send down the order to prepare for the boarding, we will capture the ships and interrogate the Barbarians."


As soon as the order was passed down, several ships of the 1st Imperial Fleet split from the rest of the Fleet and started surrounding the damaged barbarian warships from all sides, while at the same time, the scorpions from the ships started firing hooks on them, while pulling the ships a bit closer.


When the distance was lowered enough, Imperials outstretched several makeshift bridges in between them, as the soldiers of the Imperium started pouring onto the warships of the Children of Bul-Khatos and massacring barbarians here and there.


It was relatively easy for the Imperials to know who was important and who wasn't because, in the Barbarian society, usually those with higher social status were bigger and stronger, but aside from their physical traits, the greatest indicator were clothes and tattoos.


The barbarians on the ship were already injured from the artillery that was being fired at them some time ago, and when they were met with the ferocious charge of the Imperial Legionaries, they stood no chance as they were quickly killed or subjugated.


***


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