Very Wrong Reincarnation: Isekai with Game Nation

Chapter 21

Vale, Valur Empire

The grand hall of the imperial palace in Vale was eerily quiet, save for the soft murmur of courtiers and the distant pleasantries of vassals in the confines of the throne room — Auxas sat on his throne, his face a mask of stoicism in front of his vassals. The doors to the hall creaked open, and a trembling messenger, flanked by palace guards, entered.

The room fell silent as the messenger, Tyum, approached. Drenched in sweat and barely able to stand, seemed on the verge of collapsing on spot.

Auxas gestured for the messenger to speak. "Report."

The messenger took a deep breath, his voice shaking. "Your Majesty, I bring news from the Battle of Medan. Our armies... our soldiers fought bravely, but Vokaltia... the demon..."

Medan was just door to the densely populated and very important industrial region of palus earldom, the empire along with the count of palus immediately sent a force of 40,000 defending the medan fortress, or so the former fortress now mere city center as it's worth as being fort disappeared as the Valur expand and there's no enemy countries nearby, half of it's wall was broken and was extended with countless houses and buildings to facilitate urbanization.

"Compose yourself," Auxas said, his voice steady. "Speak clearly."

The messenger swallowed hard. "Our forces engaged Vokaltia's undead army, but we were overwhelmed. The demon unleashed his swarm of undead, like battles in the past, our front lines crumbled. It was hopeless, Your Majesty. Our men fought valiantly, but it was simply impossible, the odds was in insurmountable level."

Everyone in the room murmurs, the courtiers silence, the guards of the emperor looks stoic but certainly listening in the news as it was the empires existence is at stake.

Auxas's grip tightened on the armrests of his throne. "And the counterattack?"

The messenger's eyes widened with a mix of horror and astonishment. "Your Majesty, Vokaltia was poised to destroy us completely. But then... then the forces of Cignus intervened. Jets—they called... machines of unimaginable speed and soared in the skies. The sound was deafening, like the roar of a thousand dragons. They maintained air supremacy effortlessly, forcing the demon, to limp on the ground, with fear on it's eyes as it tried to run away from them."

The emperor's eyes, narrows, how? He asked internally, no his eyes asking the Tyum, how on earth is that?

The messenger continued, understanding emperor's sight, his voice gaining a measure of steadiness. "Vokaltia, the most dangerous being we've ever faced, was suddenly... terrified. It tried to escape, running on all fours like a beast, avoiding the jets. It didn't even dare to fly. The air screeched as the jets pursued it, maintaining an impenetrable aerial blockade. Vokaltia was reduced to a frightened animal, Your Majesty, played with like a fool."

A murmur of shock rippled through the courtiers. Auxas's face remained poker, but his mind raced. How could this be? How could a force so formidable, one that had brought his empire to its knees, be so utterly outclassed? Most specially this unknown cignus.

"And the outcome?" he asked, his voice betraying no emotion.

The messenger's voice cracked. "Vokaltia was decimated, Your Majesty. It is no longer a threat, it was butchered with explosion magic beyond recognition. The Cignus... they are beyond anything we could have imagined. They saved us, but also showed us the vast gulf in power between us and them."

Auxas stared at the floor, his thoughts a revolving at frightening speed. The implications were staggering. His empire, once the apex predator of the continent — now reliant on the mercy of an unknown power. Then, rose from his throne, the emperor's mind was already turning to the future. They had witnessed the might of Cignus, and now, more than ever, they needed to adapt, to survive. The game had changed, and so must they.