The Legend of the ruthless Empress Freya

Chapter 277  A blood age of conquest, revenge and freedom

– POV General –

It had already been three weeks since Freya and her family had arrived in the Vampire Kingdom, ruled once again by the formerly fallen Queen, Jade. It had also been three weeks since the humans had been preparing for the invasion of the "subraces", and therefore three weeks since Commander Luna and her spies had been on site. Even Elysium, in the absence of its rulers, was preparing, guided by the other nine Commanders.

In fact, the Empire's army, which had grown steadily over the days, was already marching towards Zal's capital, proud and determined. Made up of soldiers wishing to join the ranks and veterans, all had undergone relentless, merciless training to forge their bodies and minds. Yes, coming back under a white sheet was not an option, no matter what sacrifices had to be made and suffering endured.

And so, as the sun peaked overhead, bathing the horizon in its fiery rays, thousands of warriors could be seen emerging from the Dark Forest. Hundreds of horses rattled the ground, followed by carts filled with weapons, victuals, medicinal plants and whatever else was needed. The foot soldiers closed the march while the nine Commanders led the way, guiding this procession of which they were proud.

At a glance, it was easy to tell that the army was powerful, more so than ever before, but also unflappable. It was impossible to hide, impossible to walk undetected by humans, but that was no longer the goal, never again. For the first time, these tortured, hunted and killed beings walked with their heads held high, out of the lands where they had hidden for fear of losing what was dearest to them.

Yes, for all of them, from the wastes of their failure Freya came showered in purple light. They kneeled in the ashes of their home and she ushered them to stand. They cried tears of shame for their hubris but she wiped them away. They limped on, weak and frail but she strengthened and taught them to stride. Them who once feared the dark. Who once feared death. Who once feared the endless void and what it held within.

She lead them from the ashes of their greatest failure, she united them with her black legions, she unified what remained and ushered in a blood age of conquest, revenge and freedom. Today they were staring hungrily into the dark the humans finally paying attention for they now were fearing them. Now those warriors were striding into the void, fearless and strong, crying out to what was hiding in its shadows to face them in a glorious battle.

"We owe all to her highness, we are guided by her bloody light and it is in her name we march to War"

As Commander Ralph spoke these words, in one swift movement she struck her fist against her heart. The last soldiers in the procession had just passed the last trees, which was a first, they were now officially outside the Empire. Everyone had stopped as one, and as only the whisper of the wind could be heard, the young woman turned around with a frightening gleam in her eyes.

"IN THIS UNFAIR WORLD THERE IS ONLY WAR BUT SHE PROTECTS US, GUIDES US, WIPES AWAY OUR TEARS AND WE KNEEL TO NONE BUT HER"

"…"

"WE ARE HER LEGACY AND WE SPIT INTO THE ENDLESS VOID, AWAITING OUR COUNTLESS FOES, AWAITING NEAR CERTAIN DEATH....BUT WE SHALL STILL PREVAIL FOR THE EMPRESS ALWAYS PROTECTS ! WE ARE HER ANGELS OF DEATH, HER MIGHTY HAMMER, HER ICY KNIGHTS, HER PROTECTORS, HER DEMONIC INQUISITION.... WE ARE NON-HUMANS AND WE SHALL NOT GO QUIETLY INTO THE NIGHT ANYMORE !!"

With a powerful voice, the half-vampire, half-wolf Commander had made these words resound in the sky and, above all, in everyone's hearts. Her eight friends at her side were speechless in the face of such words, and could also feel the fire blazing in spite of fear and doubt. It was then that the march resumed, vibrating earth and air as the warriors of Elysium shouted their unshakeable determination in a single voice.

"WE MARCH FOR GLORY, FOR FREEDOM, FOR THE THRONE, FOR THE EMPIRE, FOR ELYSIUM…FOR THE EMPRESS AND THE QUEEN !!"

[ ARMY STATUS

Units : 10/10

Commanders : 10/10

Soldiers : 8 000 ]

_________

< At the same time >

It was early, but all the high personalities of Jade's Kingdom were gathered around a large table where the dragon who had emerged from his state of stone was sleeping in its center. A few days ago, he had been mysteriously released but still hadn't opened an eye. However, everyone's gaze ranged from the little creature to the one in her bubble, completely unaware that she was at the heart of a mystery that needed to be unraveled.

"He reacts to the Princess's mana"

Shiro, who was the subject of discussion, was sitting comfortably on Freya's lap, swinging her little feet in the air innocently. Despite her eagerness to participate and listen in order to fit in with the adults, it wasn't long before her attention was drawn to the chookies in front of her. Starry-eyed, she hummed without realizing it, no longer paying any attention to her surroundings.

The young, light-blue dragon had a strange horn in the middle of his forehead that seemed to light up slightly every time Shiro approached. It seemed like a small detail, but it turned out to be rather important, especially for the three dragon clan leaders, who were as curious as they were envious. A middle-aged man with enough experience soon uttered the words on everyone's minds, provoking an unexpected reaction.

"That means...he's imprinted himself on her. The mirror dragon has chosen, Your Highness. Your daughter can now make the dragon pact and bind herself to it for..."

He didn't even have time to finish his sentence that suddenly an explosion of aura swept across the room, harmless but oppressive. Surprised, everyone turned their heads towards the source of the phenomenon, seeing the Empress who hadn't moved, but had obviously broken the cup she was holding. After a few seconds, she slowly turned towards the man who had spoken before uttering words in a more than sinister voice.

"What did you just say ?!"

"No...I-..."

"It's absolutely out of the question. How dare you even think about it ?"

Breathing had almost stopped as if everyone wanted to disappear so they wouldn't have to endure the Empress's sudden wrath. Only Kira and Gaya seemed to find the scene amusing, totally aware of the quiproquo that was taking place under the questioning gazes. They weren't the only ones, however, as Magnus the Vampire Priest rose from his seat to calm the situation and rectify the dragon's words.

"W-With all due respect, this is a very different pact from the one you formed with Queen Gaya. This...this is not a pact linking heart and soul but a kind of contract."

Raising an eyebrow, Freya squinted, dipping her eyes into the long dark-haired vampire's before sighing softly. The next second, the aura vanished as quickly as it had arrived, making the others finally understand what had gone through the young mother's mind. Gaya herself smiled discreetly, remembering perfectly that her wife at the time thought of making her a familiar without suspecting that they had "married".

"I see. Then what would be the point of binding my daughter to this creature ?"

The Empress wasn't against the idea, but her protective instincts urged her to get all possible information first. What's more, as she herself had a mirror horse named Inferno, she knew that the animal fed on her powers, which could be dangerous in Shiro's case. Aneyaris, the head of the water dragon clan, who was fascinated by the situation, allowed herself to reply, eager to see where all this would lead them.

"Well, we'll have to see how it goes before we can make a decision and..."

"MY QUEEN ! WE...WE HAVE A PROBLEM !"

Suddenly, without warning, a rather young-looking vampire burst into the stone room, pushing open the noisy doors, drawing attention to himself. His look of alarm and desperation didn't go unnoticed, turning all heads and raising all eyebrows. Dressed in a robe covering every inch of his body, this vampire was part of the guard responsible for guarding the entrance to the Kingdom, to make sure nothing got in.

"M-More than a dozen humans have just crossed the border in direction of Zal !!!"

"So the remaining leaders called in the neighboring country, huh ? Amazing amazing, but they'll take over a week to arrive. By then it'll all be over, and they won't arrive until it's too late to witness the fall of an entire Kingdom~"

"N-No....I-...unfortunately I'm afraid they'll arrive just in time."

The guard's news didn't seem all that serious to Klover the fire dragon leader, who sneered arrogantly. However, while the Empress, Magnus, Jade and the others remained silent, the young vampire once again broke the golden-haired dragon's quick opinion. The words that followed provoked a wave of panic, making everyone realize that the situation was perhaps turning against them.

"The army isn't very big, in fact it's only made up of about twelve soldiers but...t-these humans...are all riding...chained dragons"

The next second, dozens of shocked, panicked and angry voices rose from the ceiling as the hatred for humans grew ever more intense. Humans riding dragons ? How could this be possible ? This race had been hiding for ages to avoid becoming extinct like the earth dragons, so how had Cleo the Empress of Vancesia managed to breed and confine them for her army ?

"Now then...that's personal..."

"LET'S LEAVE AT ONCE, LET'S KILL THOSE GARBAGES !!"

"WE CAN'T WAIT ANY LONGER !"

"Those filthy humans..."

Spirits were heating up by the second, especially on the side of the three dragon clans who could no longer hold their ground. Anger was understandable, but acting under its influence was anything but productive and could even bring weeks of training and tactics to a crashing halt. Only the Queen and the vampires accompanying her remained silent, as did the Empress of Elysium, her wife, her two sisters, her daughter and the twins.

Freya watched from the corner of her eye as Gaya seemed calm, refusing to react in the same way as the others. Yet the hand in her lap was clenched into a fist, trembling in frustration, a fact not lost on her wife who grabbed it from under the table discreetly. After a brief smile, the she-wolf raised her head before speaking up, already quite annoyed by all the noise that wasn't changing the situation.

"Calm down !"

"..."

"You're right we're running out of time, but that doesn't mean we should rush in like idiots. If this small army has just crossed the border, it will arrive in Zal within 5 days, prepare all available warriors and we'll leave as soon as the sun has set. Charge your most loyal right-hand men to lead the new army to the Capital and those present in this room I'm going to ask you to follow me."

"And what do you intend us to do, Your Highness ?"

Aneyaris, still fascinated by Freya's plan thought out in a matter of seconds, had asked the question on everyone's mind. However, she wasn't the one to answer, as a person suddenly leapt onto the stone table, planting her scythe ruthlessly. Three silver tails could then be seen waving in the air and an amused voice rose in the room as two violet eyes shone with mischief.

"Let's race of course~"

Kira, who had said nothing until now, had finally moved, sensing that the situation was finally taking an interesting turn, having understood her big sister's plan. Those present in the room at that moment could be considered the most powerful in the Underground Kingdom and therefore the fastest. Reaching Zal was the priority, as only the Elysium army would be there, and the battle was about to take place there, so it was vital to arrive in time.

The mirror dragon and the little Princess were no longer the priority, and it was not difficult for her to understand that once again her family would be leaving. Silence reigned like an eternity, everyone thinking at once, paralyzed by fear despite their overwhelming desire to spill blood. Not wanting to give them an easy future, Freya spoke again so that their final decision could be made with full knowledge of the facts.

"If you decide to follow me...there will be no turning back"

A powerful group of vampires and dragons would not go unnoticed, in fact this plan would have a snowball effect on the surrounding countries. To get there in time, sacrifices had to be made, and right now it was either remain anonymous or reveal yourself to the world, which would not stand idly by. They had all understood this by now, but it was with firmness and determination that Queen Jade followed by the KANs showed their support.

"We'll be ready by sundown, the vampires will follow"

"We'll fly alongside you"

"For the future..."

"...and the freedom of our people"

It was finally time for them to come out of the darkness after all these years in hiding, it was time for them to fly the skies like their ancestors. The future was already changing as the creatures rose up to fight and let the world know that they were still here. After all, Freya united them, unified what remained and was strongly ushering in a blood age of conquest, revenge and freedom.

- Days before the invasion: 6 -

___

FULL STATUS

Names : Freya / Lucifer Nightshade

Age : 0 year old / Mentally : 25 years old

Sex : Female

Course: Ice Demon Wolf of Chaos - Adult

Race : Imperial Demon

Titles :

- Demon Goddess of Primordial Blood and Death (former - until all powers are recovered) - 35%.

- Wrathful Lucifer (7th Sin) - Master of the uniques Sins Demons (to unlock it, please gather the other 6 - 3/6 - (locked)

- Dragon tamer

- Ruthless slayer

Level : 47/70

Exp needed for next level: 7 000 / 48 000

HP : 170 000 / 170 000 MP : 85 000 / 85 000. BLOOD : 100 / 100

Strength: 660

Defense : 660

Agility : 666

Endurance: 663

Speed : 662

Intelligence: 660

Charisma: 500 (imperial she-wolf)

Attribute points to allocate : 1 600

Married to : Gaya Nightshade

Daughter : Shiro Nightshade

Twins (son & daughter) : Tyle & Altaïs Nightshade

Little sister : Kira Nightshade (Greedy Fox)

Big sister : Kalaa Nightshade

Empire (menu)

Subordinates: 15 491(keep growing)

Humans killed: 153

Souls: 0/3

Elements: Ice / Chaos (Freya) - Blood / Death (Lucifer)

Skills (all):

Attacks :

- Demon Claws (Lvl 5)

- Bite of hell (Lvl 6)

- Infernal ice spikes (Lvl 6)

- Fighting techniques (Lvl max)

- Mastery of the katana (lvl max)

- Demonic Empress aura (lvl 7)

Défense :

- Ice demon wall (Lvl 6)

- Demonic Cloak (lvl 5)

- Pain Resistance (lvl 6)

Attack/Defense :

- Domain of the Ice Empress "Frozen Wrath" (lvl 4)

- Death Gaze (lvl 1)

Others :

- Humanoid form

- Demonic form (linked to the title so incomplete) - 20%.

- Ice creation (Lvl 6)

- Detection and control of mana (lvl 6)

- Storage of chaos (Lvl 4)

- Devouring Chaos (Lvl 5)

- Master of Souls (lvl 3)

- Lucifer's Threads of Blood (lvl 3)

- Healing Blood (lvl 3)

- Reminiscence (lvl 2)

- Analysis

- Telepathy

Passives :

- Commander (lvl max)

- Natural Aura of the Ice Empress ]