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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.
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Qohor
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.
The ground shattered beneath their feet.
Ei, Chiyo, and Kage leaped forward at the same time. The Electro Archon flew to the base of the pillar, while Kage and Chiyo tried to keep up. A wave surged out of the top end of the pillar, crushing buildings to rubble, sending the oni and the puppet away. Ei pushed through, unfettered by the force.
When the dust cleared, she saw the sky, torn open with creatures flooding out of it. Small horned imps with wings, serpentine beasts as long as warships, and at their head, an entity with a humanoid face bearing snake fangs and vertical pupils on burning ember eyes.
It reminded her of the wildlings. With a rough face, armored in a layer of serpentine scales, and carrying a one-sided axe, the enemy was acting to inspire terror.
R'hllor slithered up, approaching the entity, whispering something.
The entity threw its head back, the snakes in its hissing while its square face shook with laughter. "You were defeated by this little thing?" He pointed the one-sided axe at Ei.
She raised her blade, blocking the oversized weapon as its carrier appeared on her right. The creature was four times her height, as was the axe, yet its strength was disappointing.
She pushed back, sending him flying off with a shockwave.
She glanced at the portal, readying herself. Cutting through the space it occupied should be more than enough to destroy it. The leader is behind her, bringing its blade down. Ei did not even deign to block, leaving it to Kage and Chiyo.
The oni blocked from the left while the puppet was on the right, pushing the creature to the ground.
"Hah! You cannot destroy the gate once it's open. It is a permanent tear in space now," he boasted, planting the axe on the ground to watch the futility of the interloper god's actions.
Ei brought her blade down. For the first time in two centuries, time stopped for a second. The Musou no Hitotachi tore through hundreds of invaders before reaching the gate. It was cut into two so perfectly; nothing happened for a moment. Then, the left side of the portal slid up, and the right side began to slide down.
The tear in space collapsed on itself, turning into a dark maelstrom before disappearing.
The invader's face fell and his army of living flames froze. Ei slowly turned back, glancing at the enemy. They had perpetrated so much death and destruction, only for a gate so easily destroyed. It was cold comfort to the dead, but at least this creature would not be able to repeat this tragedy ever again.
"Kill them all, no mercy," Ei ordered.
Chiyo grinned, her teeth flashing before she turned her blade on the nearest serpent. She dashed between the monsters; each swing of her blade carved one in half, all the while she was moving nimbly and quickly enough to dance between their attacks.
Kage released the full capabilities of her body. She glowed with the baleful thunder, blinding the enemy. When the lightshow died, she hovered over the battlefield, covered in full body armor, three arms as long as she was tall on her left, while another one, twice her height, held an ethereal sword on her right. Two hands floated beneath her feet as if meant to raise her to the heavens.
Her weapons struck as a choir. The ethereal sword rendered bodies to ash; the double-sided blade sliced the beasts as if she were harvesting each one. The remaining arms and the hands fired beams in a continuous manner, burning her reserves while eradicating dozens.
—
The army had caught up but dared not enter the city. The chance of friendly fire was too high, and there were no civilians in Qohor to save. Fire support was their best choice of action.
"Captain Tarly, Captain Blackwood, we are splitting the infantry into three sections. Each of you will take command. Surround the city and keep the enemy contained."
"At once, General." Both nodded, leaving to take their men.
"Captain Lannister," Sasayuri called, turning to the green-eyed man poking his head out of the warmachine. "Prepare the warmachines to support the infantry."
"Yes, general," the man said, ducking inside to reorganize the lines.
"Artillery, open fire," she ordered. The commanders in charge dispersed to prepare the artillery.
She took command of her own unit, providing fire support to Ei, Chiyo, and Kage.
—
Ei turned her attention to the enemy leader, charging. This battle was already won, but she wanted answers. Her blade met the snakehead's axe, pushing him back step by step.
"How? HOW?!" He raged, unable to stop her. "Thousands of years we spent on that portal, only for the damn Valyrians to die. And just as we succeeded, you destroyed it? Where no god before could do so? Who are you?!"
His guttural screams shook the air, irritating the snakes growing out of his scalp.
"I am not a mere god; I am an Archon. How did you fools manage to manipulate the Valyrians?" she asked. He was unlikely to answer her questions unless kept properly agitated.
"Fools?" he raged, his burning orange skin flaring wildly. "We whispered to them the secrets to create the wyverns, and they worshipped us like gods. They were the fools who did not know they were bringing this world to an end."
"The old gods of Valyria."
"I am Balerion the World Ender. Know my name, interloper."
"What an amusing title," Ei chuckled, her blade meeting the axe in another blow. The recently named Balerion screamed, bringing his axe down over and over again in a flurry of blows. She blocked each one with ease, infuriating her opponent.
Another blow, this one out of control, came down. Rather than block, Ei moved to the side ever so slightly, letting the sharp edge pass harmlessly, barely ruffling her clothes. She was faster than Balerion, and he couldn't even see her arm move. He only realized something was wrong when Ei's arm stood stretched up and a burning feeling emanated from his wrists.
Balerion took a step back, but his hands did not come with him, still wrapped around the handle of the axe.
He screamed, this time with wide eyes while he tried to step back.
"As I said, an amusing title, nothing more," she said.
Balerion saw a hundred slashes head his way, all at the same time. He could not stop or defend himself. He did not even feel anything, turning his head back to see Ei stand there. She twirled her sword, and his world was painted purple.
—
Chiyo growled, the edge of her lips curling upwards. That bolt of lightning signaled the end of the enemy leader, only leaving the rabble behind. Something they could easily deal with.
She jumped, avoiding the flames that the serpent belched on her position. Appearing over its head, she held her sword out and began to spin. Her blade did not meet any resistance, filleting the beast.
She targeted another snake, one behind where the warmachine's fire reached. Her sword glowed. The purple beam extended it to twice the size. Her swing bisected the beast in half, leaving both sides thrashing on the ground. She twirled once with the swing, leaping to air once more. Her sword came up, slicing another through the torso to the head. The electrocauterized the vertically split monster, stopping its boiling blood in its veins.
She came down with another swing, sending a wave of lightning strikes. Bursting through the ashes of the charred corpses, she continued on her slaughter.
—
Kage swung her ethereal blade, used the triple arms to fire high-density electrobeams, and summoned lightning strikes on the enemy.
All at the same time.
The sword, crackling with electricity, left nothing of the top half of three serpents in one swing. A flock of imps was burned to ash, and three beams tore through another group of serpents trying to close in on the infantry.
Ei had already smited the leader of the beasts; the Thunder Dragon roared overhead, letting out regular pulses to burn the darkened skies open, and the army was providing ranged support.
She smiled, feeling the taste of victory on her lips.
—
She surveyed the battlefield. The warmachines had entered the desolate city, clearing the last enemy enclaves. This was almost over.
She left the soldiers be, flying to the base of where the pillar used to be, seeking that last ember of life she had felt. It was unlikely to be an ordinary citizen.
There, lying naked in the middle of an intricate circle, was Maegor Targaryen. Starved, unkempt, and at death's door, he gazed at the sky with glazed eyes. Ei coughed, and he slowly turned his head to her.
"I only wanted silence," he rasped, falling into a coughing fit. Chiyo, who was approaching first, knelt next to the Targaryen, offering him water so he could speak. He barely took a few sips, but his fit subsided.
"What do you mean by only wanting silence?" she asked.
"I always heard voices, screams, and hisses. I just wanted it to end. R'hllor gave it to me."
She guessed those rumors of him being resurrected through magic were correct. "And?"
"I became a prisoner in my own body," he said, a few drops of tears leaking out of his eyes, all he could manage in his state.
"The leader of the creatures that came. He called himself Balerion and mentioned they were using the Valyrians to open a portal before the Doom," she asked. Perhaps the last scion of Old Valyria would know anything.
"I don't know."
"What now? We can save him since he is not guilty but the people won't see it that way," Kage said.
"Don't." He tried to raise his hand to protest. The trembling limb fell back to his chest halfway. "I can't live with everything I have seen."
Ei nodded. Not many could handle that kind of trauma. "Very well," she said, summoning an electro orb. It struck the dying High Archon, incinerating him in an instant, granting the man a clean, painless death.
"It's over then."
"Appears so," she said.
"Your Excellency," a man, carrying a small pin of House Blackwood, stood before them, saluting.
"At ease, captain," Ei said.
"All enemy presence in the city was neutralized. No civilians detected."
"Wait, what about R'hllor?" Chiyo asked, looking around for the worm pretending to be a snake.
"Ah, he slithered away during the battle. I sent the dragon after him."
"And there it is returning," the oni said, cracking her knuckles. The puppet dragon approached, dropping the creature caught between its jaws.
R'hllor looked up, whimpering. The last thing he saw was Chiyo's feet coming down on its head.
—
The end of the war against the old gods of Valyria left the Western Essos decimated. Only Tyrosh, with great wounds, and Lys, mostly intact, and Lorath had survived the plot of Balerion, the self-proclaimed world ender. Pentos, Myr, Qohor, Volantis and its towns, Meereen, Astapor, Yunkai, Elyria, and Mantarys were left empty or destroyed. The death count was over ten million, and the empire was no more.
The surviving citizens of Tyrosh and Lys bent the knee to their savior, becoming a part of the Unified Kingdom. Lorath had also quietly sent envoys, announcing their desire to join the fold.
Braavos, having seen what kind of a calamity was at their door and that they were only alive because of the God-Queen, was not far behind in petitioning to join the kingdom.
Protecting such large territory was difficult when it was so sparsely inhabited now. The Dothraki were ancient history, reduced to a few small tribes roaming the Dothraki Sea, but there were still plenty of outlaws. The Dornish Raiders stalked the border of Yunkai, Meereen, and Astapor, protecting the cities from becoming dens to criminals from neighboring settlements. The captain of the Raiders, Obelon Yronwood, fiercely defended the borders.
The Riverlanders' forces, under the command of Captain Edmund Blackwood, created a base in Qohor. Their light warmachines patrolled the border to the Dothraki Sea with ease, spreading down to the outskirts of Volantis.
The Royal Fleet patrolled the waters from the Gulf of Freedom to the Basilisk Isles while a naval base was constructed in Astapor. In addition to the Dornish Raiders, the Artillery Corps of the Western Prefecture and the Warmachines of the Vale Prefecture were situated in the ghost city for protection as the Support Corps worked.
The rest of the army returned home victorious. Celebrations were expected, but due to the sheer loss of civilian life, a small mourning period took place towards the end.
The First Prince Argilac, named after Ei's father, was quick to prepare a relief package for the new territory. The citizens were unwilling to settle on the ghost cities, but an opportunity presented itself.
The Wildlings, who had seen the Thunder Dragon beat the Great Other to the dirt and carry his corpse away, had finally bent the knee. When taunted, they would respond they weren't kneeling to men but to a god.
However, the prefectures weren't warm to the idea of accepting the Wildlings into their territories. They would do so if ordered, but Argilac did not want to push it.
Instead, they were offered to settle in Essos, in the cities liberated by Her Excellency. They would be supported to repopulate these cities, but they would also be expected to obey the laws of the Unified Kingdom. Temporary governors would be appointed until the residents had learned enough to be allowed to choose their own rulers in the future.
Pentos, Norvos, and Qohor were the first, as over a hundred thousand former Wildlings left their former lands for a new life.
The Goddess of Life was all too delighted to lend a hand. Her powers slowly brought life back to the land, which eventually would lead to the Green Deserts project.
Years after the Wildlings mostly abandoned the lands beyond the Wall, leaving only small, stubborn enclaves that died in quick order, the Night's Watch was being prepared to be abandoned. There were no threats left beyond the Wall and no need for the Watch.
During the small ceremony signalling the end of an era, the Watch had one last group of guests.
The giants.
Seeing the humans abandon their former lands and the White Walkers mysteriously perish, they moved closer to the Wall. General Chiyo, who had joined the ceremony on behalf of Her Excellency, was the first one to reach out to the giant clan standing a few meters in front of the Wall.
Her strength had become useful in beating the clan leaders into submission, which brought more subjects under the Electro Archon's umbrella.
Life in the Kingdom was looking peaceful.
—
Notes: And so, we reached the end of another story with 73% percent saying finish it. We will be having a three chapter epilogue of course, touching on how the lives of the citizens in the Kingdom is compared to outside it, as Platypus-Books suggested.
Thank you for being with me during this journey, and I hope you will all continue to be here in the future.
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In the next chapter:
210 YA
The Bay of Freedom
Gorzhak sighed upon seeing the city. Theirs wasn't the only ship filled with families sailing to the newest territory of the Unified Empire for a new life. He turned around, looking at his wife, son, and daughters.
The empire, led by the Durrandon First Princes and a council of elected men and women, with their God-Queen at the top, offered a new life to the settlers. Houses were given away for free, work was promised for five years with no taxes, and even free food was given to ease the people into their new lives. New Ghis was in a state of decline that even a humble dock worker like him could see why.
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