Last, but not least, Nandi had gained full dominion over the world energy and used it to feed his fellow Eldritches.
Between their Mirror Magic and the might of their bodies, not even Divine Beasts could slow them down as they butchered their way through the battlefield.
The moment Thrud had died, the last shred of hope had followed her.
None of her soldiers was a leader, they were followers of her dreams and ambitions. With Valeron the Second allegedly dead and the True Queen slain, they had no will to fight anymore.
By the time Sylpha had offered them a truce, they had already been decimated.
“Now you know.” Ophius wiped the tears that were streaking down Leari’s cheeks. “There’s no such thing as Thrud’s army anymore. What you see here is what’s left. Of her 32 Divine Beasts, Leegaain only saved those like you and me.
“The eight of us are alive because we are unique existences, not because he felt pity for us.”
“Eight?” Leari’s echoed, her voice deadpan from the shock.
“Including Protheus and Ufyl, yeah.” Ophius nodded. “I guess that a few of our fellow disciples have been captured, but there were just a few hundred of us to begin with. Even if all those who surrendered were spared despite the frenzy of the battle, I doubt they reach the double digits.”
“It’s over. It’s really over.” The Thunderborne’s knees buckled and her expression was now no different from that of the other new inhabitants of the biome.
The War of the Griffons had plagued the Kingdom for months yet it ended in the Empire. The moment Leari let go of her weapon there were no soldiers of the Mad Queen left, only survivors.
***
White Griffon Academy, at the same time.
Right after all the members of Thrud’s army had been captured or killed, the White Knight had gone back to its academy form and the Royal Array had been deactivated.
Sylpha was still there to supervise the cleaning of the rubble and the collecting of the equipment of fallen soldiers and Divine Beasts. To make sure that Meron was alright, she had to settle for a call and arrange with him the finishing touches.
No one would ever know about the true form of the White Griffon thanks to Thrud’s information blackout and the fact that only mages from the army and members of the Council had taken part in the battle.
“What’s the casualty rate for our side?” The Queen asked.
“We were lucky, Your Majesty.” General Vorgh replied. “Since the army only fought from the backlines and our main task was buying time for the Awakened, we have lost just a few hundred mages.”
“A few hundred mages.” Sylpha’s bitterly echoed.
They had all been veterans and loyal subjects to the Kingdom. Very few mages had the talent and the will to pursue such a career instead of their own interests. A few hundred would have been a small number for regular people, but for mages, it was a huge blow.
“Better than thousands.” Vorgh shrugged. “Better than complete annihilation.”
“Point taken.” Sylpha nodded. “What about the Council?”
“It was a bloody massacre.” Raagu was barely containing her fury as she checked the number of missing runes from her amulet. “We have lost over one hundred elders and a few hundred members.
“We have lost millennia of history and knowledge, maybe forever. Our only hope is that before joining the battle they chose their heirs and arranged their legacies so that they can be mastered even without a mentor.”
“Is there anything that the Kingdom can do to ease your losses?” The Queen asked.
“For starters, keep your word.” The Human representative snarled. “Try to pull anything funny and you’ll have another war at hand. Second, we are taking half of the collected equipment.
“The Royal Forgemasters can learn a lot by studying Thrud’s enchantments but so can the Council.”
“It’s a fair request.” Sylpha nodded.
“My advice is to keep one piece per type for study and have someone melt the rest into Adamant. Losing the ingredients and the crystals employed to Forgemaster them is a waste, but keeping enchantments tailor-made for someone else would be even worse.” Raagu said before walking away.
“Headmaster Marth, how are things on your side?” The Queen asked via the communication amulet.
“Peachy. The students and the staff have no idea what happened since the White Knight kept them inside gyrostabilized panic rooms. I’m already reassuring them that the war is over and that I’ll free them as soon as our front lawn is clear.” Marth replied.
“Perfect. What about you?”
“It’s hard to tell.” The moment the power core had gone back to standby mode it had expelled Marth and the Headmaster’s ring. “I’ve never been so powerful so now I feel as weak as a kitten.
“I have no idea if it’s because of the battle or if I just miss my powers already.”
“Feel free to consult a specialist if you think you are suffering from withdrawal symptoms.” Sylpha said. “Even if it was just for a while, you were no different from a cursed object and there’s no telling what the side effects might be.”
“I will follow your advice, your Majesty.” Marth nodded.
“One more thing.” Sylpha pressed the runes of the rest of the Headmasters, having them join the conversation. “Take care of your students, because they are our most valuable currency.
“Today, hundreds of loyal mages have died and we have yet to deal with hundreds of traitorous mages. The fate of the Kingdom now rests on your shoulders as well as on the Royals’. Those kids are our future. Think about it before doing something stupid.”
***
Ernas Mansion, in front of the mausoleum, a few minutes later.
Tyris wanted to spend time with Valeron the Second and Lith couldn’t stand being there one second longer so the Guardian had opened a Warp Gate leading to the Desert.
Orion and Jirni still stood in front of the stone gate, but their expression was now relaxed. Relief and sadness were mixed together, twisting their faces non-stop.
“It’s finally over.” Orion sighed. “There’s nothing more we can do. It’s time to say goodbye to Phloria as well and move on with our lives.”
“If only it was that simple.” Jirni sighed as well. “But you are right. We have to at least try.”
A long silence fell between them and it took them a few minutes to find the strength to enter the mausoleum and bid their daughter goodbye. The stone gates weighed nothing thanks to the Royal Fortress armor but closing them felt harder than shifting Mogar’s orbit.
“The War of the Griffons is over, but we are far from done.” Jirni said. “I now have to train my magic and mana core while you need to find a way to Awaken. On top of that, there’s the matter of making a new child.”
“Not today.” Orion shook his head. “I don’t want to create another life out of grief or as a part of one of your schemes. If we are going to do this, it must be an act of love like for all of our children.”
