Return of the Mythic Bloodline-Chapter 415: The Empire’s army arrived

One day had passed since Vyaghra returned to the fortress with Voltrex.

The Banes had prepared themselves as thoroughly as possible for the inevitable war against the Empire. Yet, the soldiers could not help but feel restless and uneasy. No matter how well they prepared, their numbers were far too insignificant compared to the Empire's overwhelming forces.

Voltrex had remained asleep the entire day following his conversation with Aurelion.

---

"Lord Vyaghra, where is the Prince?" Titan asked, followed by the other leaders of the Banes. Earlier, all of them had been focused on Voltrex and had not found the opportunity to ask about Taranis.

"He stayed back to deal with the one who tortured Voltrex," Vyaghra revealed, his brows slightly furrowed.

He disliked the way all the leaders had gathered around him. It felt as though they were interrogating him, though that was far from the truth. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Suddenly, all the Banes bowed deeply before Vyaghra and spoke in unison,

"We thank you for saving our King. The Hundred Sky Mountains will never forget the grace you have bestowed upon us, Lord Vyaghra."

"Do not thank me. I only helped Taranis," he replied before vanishing into the shadows.

"Huh? Did we offend him somehow?" Tartaglia asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No, he is just embarrassed," Jambavan, who had been standing in the corner of the hallway observing everything, chuckled. "He has never been thanked like that before."

"I never thought Lord Vyaghra had a shy side," Sylvaris said with a soft laugh.

"Careful with yer words, or he might haunt ya at night," Jambavan laughed, clearly amused, especially knowing Vyaghra was still listening from the shadows.

"I hope the Prince returns safely soon," Titan murmured, and the others nodded in agreement.

The group was about to disperse when Aurelion's low voice, infused with Soulforce, echoed through the air.

"They have arrived!"

The Banes flinched and immediately rushed into the sky, where Aurelion hovered.

"They are approaching from every direction, forming a complete encirclement," Aurelion revealed before anyone could question him. "At this pace, they will reach us within five hours."

"How many?" Titan asked. Though he already knew, he needed to hear it confirmed.

"Five and a half million," Aurelion answered.

"Is it really wise to remain here?" Aethon questioned. "If we are surrounded, even we will struggle against such overwhelming numbers."

"Let us trust the Prince's plan," Aurelion replied. "Besides, if we abandon the fortress, we will have nowhere to rest. The enemy can fight in shifts, day and night, using their numbers to exhaust us, while our soldiers would collapse from fatigue."

"You are right, Lord Aurelion," Titan sighed. "Let us trust the Prince."

Five hours passed.

The valleys surrounding the fortress began to tremble. Flocks of birds took flight, and the leaves on the trees rustled violently.

The growing reverberations quickened the heartbeats of the Banes soldiers as they recognized the cause.

The vast army of the Empire was approaching, and soon, a catastrophic battle that would be etched into the history of Vyoman would unfold.

After a few minutes, the vibrations suddenly stopped.

Another half an hour passed, and a figure arrived before the Ironvale Fortress, flying in the sky. He was clad in silver armor, and a red robe was attached to his shoulders.

"I am Brandon Thornwall, the Duke of House Thornwall," Brandon announced in a booming voice, drawing the attention of all the Banes. "You must have already received the message. Does the Banes army still being here mean that you do not care what happens to your King?"

"King? But the Hundred Sky Mountains do not have any king."

"Is he referring to Lord Aurelion? He has guts if he is trying to threaten none other than Lord Aurelion."

"Could it be that he meant Prince Taranis? We have not seen him anywhere since a day ago. Do not tell me the Prince was kidnapped by these empire dogs."

Murmurs of confused Bane soldiers echoed through the fortress. They were not informed that Voltrex was alive and had been resting in the fortress. The reason for hiding such news from them was simple. Voltrex was considered untouchable and the absolute authority of the Hundred Sky Mountains.

He was revered as a god and respected as such. If the soldiers realized that Voltrex had been imprisoned and tortured by the Empire and was brought back on the brink of death, their morale would have fallen to its lowest point.

The Banes could not afford such a disaster, given the fact that the soldiers were already worried about facing the overwhelming army of the Empire.

From the Banes' side, Aurelion moved forward and announced,

"Return and tell your Emperor that his days are numbered!"

"Do you truly wish for an all-out war, Lord Aurelion? We can easily avoid the massacre of innocent soldiers—"

"Get lost!" Aurelion muttered, waving his hand.

With a slight movement of his hand, a snowstorm formed, sending Brandon flying back along the path from which he had come.

---

"That is strange. Did they not know to whom the hand belonged?" Kharos asked, sitting on a mighty throne inside the war camp.

The camp was filled with the key figures of the Empire, including the First Prince, Hector,

the Kinguard, Rhaegar,

the Five Dukes, and

the elder brother of Duke Astrid, Erik Ironvale.

"It is highly unlikely, Your Majesty," Brandon replied, his brows furrowed. "Aurelion did not ask any questions, even though I clearly mentioned 'king.' They surely know that the hand belonged to Voltrex."

"Could it be that they decided to abandon Voltrex since his dantian was destroyed?" Hector suggested, rubbing his chin.

"That is not possible," Kharos shook his head. "The Banes revere their king as a god. They would rather lose their kingdom and the war than abandon their King."

The others present in the war camp suggested their own theories, but none of them seemed satisfactory to Kharos.

For a few seconds, he thought deeply about the possible reasons behind their actions.

All of it pointed to just one conclusion that Kharos was trying to deny.

His eyebrows twitched, and with a serious expression, he muttered, "They must have already rescued Voltrex."