Chapter 457: The Beginning of Total War
Rock Fortress. The ancestral domain of House Rock.
Zane Rock appeared before the towering gates of the mountain keep beneath the darkened night sky, his broad figure illuminated by the crimson glow of the fortress braziers. The enormous stone gates stood open already, as though the fortress itself had been waiting for his return. He walked forward slowly, head held high, his heavy cloak shifting behind him while the restrained yet unmistakable pressure of a Supreme unconsciously radiated from his body.
The guards stationed at the entrance immediately lowered themselves to one knee.
"My Lord."
Zane did not acknowledge them. His expression remained cold and unreadable as he walked past the gates and into the fortress proper.
The entire mountain stronghold felt restless tonight.
War bells rang from the upper towers in slow, heavy intervals that rolled across the surrounding mountains like distant thunder. Fires burned atop the walls and battlements, their orange glow painting the dark stone fortress in shifting light. Messengers hurried through the courtyards carrying sealed commands while armored knights crossed the high bridges connecting the inner keeps, the crest of House Rock stamped proudly across their breastplates and cloaks.
No laughter could be heard anywhere within the ancestral fortress tonight.
Only movement.
Only preparation.
Only tension.
As Zane entered the massive inner corridors of the keep, the atmosphere subtly shifted around him. Guards straightened instinctively. Servants lowered their heads. Family members standing along the halls immediately fell silent the moment they saw him walking toward the war chambers.
They understood.
The Empress had allowed it.
Not willingly perhaps. Certainly not happily. But officially.
That alone changed everything.
Some faces revealed satisfaction and grim pride. Others looked disturbed despite themselves. Younger warriors clenched their fists with excitement at the thought of war while a few older members quietly lowered their eyes, already understanding what such permission truly meant.
The air itself seemed heavier now.
Because once the Imperial Promise had been invoked and accepted, there would be no turning back.
Even veteran warriors who had survived continental campaigns felt unease settle into their chests.
Inside the central war hall, dozens of high-ranking members of House Rock stood gathered around the massive stone table carved into the shape of the continent itself. The surface was covered with maps, troop markings, fortress routes, supply chains, and magical communication sigils glowing faintly across the stone.
Some already wore full armor.
Others had clearly arrived in haste, dust and snow still clinging to their cloaks from long-distance travel. Elder members of the family stood silently near the edges of the chamber while military commanders studied the maps with dark expressions.
Then the great doors opened.
Every voice in the hall stopped immediately.
Zane entered without a word.
His heavy boots echoed against the black stone floor as he walked slowly through the chamber. The Supreme pressure naturally radiating from his body weighed upon the room despite being restrained. His yellow hair shifted lightly behind him while the massive greatsword strapped across his back scraped faintly against the floor with each step.
Nobody dared speak first.
Everyone bowed.
"My Lord."
Zane did not answer immediately.
His eyes slowly moved across the gathered faces before settling upon the large carved map of Denvaar Kingdom laid across the center of the table.
The hall remained silent.
Then finally
"Raise your heads."
The family obeyed at once.
An older man standing closest to the stone table stepped forward first. His beard had long since turned gray, though the scars crossing his weathered face remained sharp and visible beneath the firelight. One of his eyes was clouded white from an old battlefield wound, yet the pressure radiating from him still marked him as a terrifying existence by ordinary standards.
"Your meeting with the Empress?" the elder asked carefully.
The hall quieted further at the question.
Zane removed his gauntlets slowly, placing the heavy metal pieces atop the war table with a dull clang before finally answering.
"She accepted the Imperial Promise."
Several people in the hall quietly inhaled.
Even those who had expected such an outcome still reacted to hearing the words spoken aloud.
Because now there would be no interference from the Empire itself.
No Dukes.
No Imperial Army.
No royal decree descending midway through the conflict.
Nothing.
The war had become legitimate.
A younger commander standing near the right side of the chamber clenched his fist tightly, unable to fully suppress the grim satisfaction crossing his face.
"Then Denvaar is already dead," he muttered.
Zane’s eyes shifted toward him.
Nothing else.
Just a glance.
Yet the younger commander immediately lowered his head and stepped back into silence.
The room remained quiet for several moments after that.
Then another elder finally spoke from near the far end of the chamber.
"My Lord... if the Imperial Promise was truly used..." His expression darkened slightly. "Then this matter can no longer end quietly."
"It was never going to," Zane replied calmly.
His gaze returned toward the carved map of Denvaar spread across the table.
"The first wave failed."
Nobody responded carelessly to those words.
Millions of golems.
Twenty half-step Great Saint constructs.
An entire border fortress erased from existence.
And still the kingdom remained standing.
Not only standing
It resisted.
True, such forces were insignificant by the standards of House Rock itself. The first wave had never truly been sent as the family’s full strength. It had been punishment. Fear. A demonstration meant to drown the kingdom slowly beneath terror and despair before true destruction arrived.
Yet that changed nothing.
The fact that Denvaar had successfully resisted at all had already begun spreading through parts of the continent.
And for a Pillar Family
That alone was embarrassment.
A woman wearing dark silver armor stepped closer to the table. Her posture was rigid, disciplined. Sharp gray eyes studied the map while one hand rested against the sword at her waist.
"The reports regarding the boy," she said carefully. "Are they accurate?"
The chamber grew quieter.
Everyone understood which boy she meant.
Zane’s expression remained unreadable.
"It is certain now," he said. "Her Majesty herself warned me personally. At this point, it can no longer be dismissed as rumor or exaggeration."
A faint murmur spread through parts of the hall despite the restraint everyone tried maintaining.
Some disbelief still lingered across several faces even after hearing it directly from him.
Because the reports themselves sounded absurd.
A sixteen-year-old Great Saint?
Unknown shadow abilities capable of swallowing battlefields.
Healing capable of restoring entire armies.
Water pillars falling from sky?
Unknown military forces?
Unknown artifacts maybe?
And perhaps worse than all of that.. which they mot aware of yet. No one truly knew where his limits ended.
The reports no longer sounded unreasonable.
They sounded dangerous.
One of the military commanders frowned deeply as he stared down at the map spread across the stone table.
"Could the reports have been exaggerated by frightened survivors?" he asked carefully. "Fear on the battlefield distorts judgment."
"They are not exaggerated," Zane said flatly.
The commander immediately fell silent.
Another elder slowly folded his hands behind his back, his brows drawn together in thought.
"Then the Virelan child truly intends to involve himself in this war."
"He already has."
Zane’s voice remained calm throughout the discussion, yet the atmosphere inside the hall seemed to grow heavier with every answer he gave.
The older strategist from earlier narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Then we should reconsider immediate escalation."
Several people in the chamber turned toward him at once.
The strategist ignored them.
"The Virelans will not remain passive forever," he continued steadily. "Especially if the boy is harmed. Even if the Empire refuses involvement, House Virelan is another matter entirely."
A general standing near the opposite side of the hall scoffed coldly.
"That concern no longer matters."
His armored hand pressed against the table.
"If we retreat now after invoking the Imperial Promise, then House Rock becomes a joke to the continent."
"That is not what I suggested."
"But it is where your words lead."
The strategist’s eyes hardened slightly.
"What I suggested was caution. There is a difference."
Another commander stepped forward.
"With respect, caution is exactly what brought us here." His voice carried open irritation now. "The kingdom should have been erased immediately."
"And begin a Supreme-level conflict from the first move?" the strategist shot back. "Do you imagine the world blind? Organizations are already watching this war closely."
"Let them watch."
"Spoken like a man who has never managed consequences beyond a battlefield."
The discussion slowly sharpened after that.
Some demanded immediate annihilation.
Others argued for restraint.
Several spoke of political backlash and future retaliation from the Virelans.
Others openly demanded blood, caring little for consequences so long as House Rock’s pride was restored.
Voices gradually overlapped through the chamber.
Yet through all of it
Zane remained silent.
He simply stood at the head of the table listening while the arguments continued around him.
Then finally
A small amount of pressure escaped his body.
Stone cracked beneath several men’s feet.
The sound alone silenced the hall instantly.
Thin fractures spread across the black floor beneath the war table while several commanders stiffened involuntarily under the sudden weight pressing upon the chamber.
No one spoke again.
Zane slowly lifted his eyes toward them.
"We are beyond politics now,"
No one interrupted him.
"My sister is dead."
Simple words.
Yet the weight behind them crushed every remaining argument lingering inside the chamber.
For several moments, nobody spoke.
Then finally
"Elder brother."
The voice came from the far side of the hall.
A tall man with deep yellow hair stepped away from the stone wall he had been leaning against. His face resembled Zane’s enough that the blood relation was unmistakable, though age and temperament had softened him where Zane remained hard as iron.
He slowly walked toward the center of the chamber.
"She would not have wanted this."
The hall remained silent as the second brother approached.
Zane had five younger brothers in total, himself being the eldest among them all. Each of them stood within the chamber tonight alongside their sons and retainers. Unlike Zane, none of the brothers lacked heirs. Some had three sons. Others more. The younger generation stood behind their fathers now, watching the exchange unfold with tense expressions.
At the second brother’s words, several of the others lowered their eyes slightly.
Not because they disagreed entirely
But because part of them feared he might be right.
Many among the military commanders and hardened generals still burned openly for battle, too consumed by pride and fury to fully grasp the scale of what was now beginning. But among the blood of House Rock itself, the mood was more complicated.
None of the brothers lacked anger over what had happened to their sister.
None had forgotten.
But unlike Zane, they had managed to restrain themselves enough to keep their judgment clear.
Or so they believed.
Zane slowly turned his head toward the younger brother who had spoken.
"As far as I am concerned," he said calmly, "The war has already begun."
His voice carried no hesitation.
"And now no one and nothing will stop it."
The hall seemed colder suddenly.
"Not fear of death," he continued. "Not fear of consequences. Not even fear of destruction."
His gaze hardened.
"I am fighting for the honor of my sister. That responsibility belongs to me."
The words echoed heavily through the chamber.
Then his eyes swept slowly across his brothers.
"Or have all of you already forgotten what happened to her?"
No one answered immediately.
"How can your blood not boil after what was done to her?" Zane demanded quietly. "Tell me that."
Several of the brothers lowered their heads slightly after hearing those words.
Even some among the younger generation clenched their fists uneasily.
Because no matter how rational they tried to remain
The shame of their sister’s or aunts death still existed inside all of them.
Zane’s expression darkened further.
"Living is a good thing," he said. "But men who live by selling away their dignity are worth less than animals."
His hand rested against the pommel of the greatsword behind him.
"Death is inevitable. It comes for everyone eventually." His voice remained calm, frighteningly calm. "But those who spend their lives hiding behind fear have already died long before the grave takes them."
Then his gaze moved slowly across his brothers one by one.
"And you..."
The pressure in the room deepened.
"You all speak like corpses already."
Nobody moved.
"Corpses who still walk, eat and speak, but corpses nonetheless."
The hall fell into deadly silence.
Several generals lowered their eyes instinctively beneath the oppressive weight filling the chamber.
Seeing nobody answer him, Zane slowly shook his head.
"Once in a lifetime," he said quietly, "A man is given the chance to carve his own destiny with his own hands."
His chin lifted slightly.
"This is that moment."
The second brother stared at him for several seconds before speaking again.
"But death is still death, brother."
His voice was quieter now.
"Not only yours. Many will die from this. Families will be destroyed. Our bloodline itself may not survive what is coming."
Several people in the hall stiffened at those words.
Even if victory came
The cost could still destroy them.
"It will not bring her back," the younger brother continued. "And even if she could see us now..." His expression tightened slightly. "She would never want this."
Zane’s eyes narrowed faintly.
"She would not want to watch you die too," the brother said. "She would want us to live."
For the first time since the discussion began, emotion flickered visibly through parts of the hall.
Because unlike political arguments or military concerns
This was family speaking now.
Brother to brother.
Yet Zane’s expression did not soften.
Instead, anger slowly surfaced behind his eyes.
"You wish to change your minds now?"
His gaze swept toward all of them.
"When I first spoke of war, every one of you stood beside me." His voice sharpened slightly. "What changed so suddenly?"
No one answered immediately.
Zane looked at them with growing fury.
"Haa?" he demanded. "Speak."
"We had reasons before, brother."
The voice came from the third brother this time.
He had remained silent until now, seated near the edge of the war table with both hands clasped together tightly enough for the veins beneath his skin to show. Slowly, he rose from his chair, his expression tired rather than fearful.
"At that time," he continued carefully, "there was no son of House Virelan standing inside this war."
The hall remained silent as he looked directly at Zane.
"If we had destroyed Denvaar then... even slaughtered the entire kingdom... the Empire would still have tolerated it to a degree as how many lifes we had and can save. We would have been punished, perhaps isolated politically for some years, but House Rock would have survived."
His eyes darkened slightly.
"But things are different now."
Several of the brothers lowered their heads faintly.
"Our entire bloodline is standing on the edge of extinction because of this decision."
No one denied it.
Another brother nodded grimly.
"He is not merely some talented child anymore. The moment the Virelans decide to move personally... this ceases to be a war between House Rock and Denvaar."
His jaw tightened.
"It becomes a war for survival."
A heavy silence followed those words.
None of them lacked pride.
None of them feared battle itself.
But only fools ignored reality standing before them.
And the reality was simple
The Virelans were monsters.
Even among the Ducal Families not to say a mere Pillar family.
Zane listened to every word without interruption.
Then he slowly shook his head.
"One should never abandon conviction because of fear of death."
His voice carried disappointment more than anger now.
"If fear alone is enough to change your path..." his eyes moved across his brothers, "then all what you earned since born in this world meant nothing. You will die empty handed."
No one answered him.
Because deep down, even they knew there was truth buried inside those words.
Zane exhaled quietly before turning away from them altogether.
"Anyone who does not wish to participate in this war may remain behind."
Several eyes widened slightly at that.
"But I have already made my decision."
His voice remained calm, yet final.
"And proud men of House Rock will understand what must be done."
A faint coldness entered his expression.
"My family cannot be filled with cowards."
"Brother.."
The youngest among them, Kate, stepped forward quickly. Sadness and frustration were both visible across his face now. Unlike the others, he had always been the closest to Zane among the younger brothers, the one most willing to speak openly to him even after Zane became Pillar Head.
But before another word could leave his mouth..
But.. Zane just raised one hand slightly.
"Silence." He shouted.
The atmosphere in the hall changed instantly.
Supreme pressure descended upon the chamber like an invisible mountain crashing down from the heavens. The black stone floor cracked beneath several commanders with sharp snapping sounds. A few younger knights nearly lost their footing entirely as the weight settled across their shoulders.
Even the elders stiffened.
The torches lining the walls flickered violently.
No one spoke again.
Zane no longer looked toward his brothers after that.
Instead, he turned toward the gathered generals.
"Mobilize the Eastern War Legions."
Several expressions changed immediately.
One commander looked up in shock before quickly lowering his head again.
"My Lord..." he hesitated carefully. "All three legions?"
"All three."
The commander swallowed hard before bowing deeply.
"As you command."
"Prepare the mountain gates," Zane continued. "Awaken the buried constructs beneath the southern fortress. Recall every branch knight stationed outside imperial territory."
The hall erupted into movement almost immediately afterward.
Messengers hurried from the chamber carrying sealed orders stamped with the crest of House Rock. Military officers gathered around the massive war table with grim expressions while servants rushed toward the upper communication towers overlooking the mountain fortress.
Then Zane spoke again.
"I want the Black Stone artillery prepared for transport."
This time, even the elders visibly reacted.
The older strategist from earlier stepped forward once more, unable to fully hide the concern in his eyes anymore.
"My Lord... those weapons were sealed generations ago."
"They will be unsealed then."
The answer came without hesitation.
The strategist lingered silently for a moment.
Then finally bowed his head.
"As you command."
Another elder spoke carefully from the side.
"And you, my Lord?"
The hall quieted once more.
Everyone already knew the answer.
Still, they waited for him to say it aloud.
Zane slowly reached toward the massive greatsword resting beside the stone table. His fingers closed around the hilt with familiar ease.
"I will go personally."
No surprise appeared after hearing it.
Only silence.
Because none of them had truly believed he would remain behind fortress walls while others bled in his place.
Not after all this.
Not after his sister.
The older woman standing among the elders slowly closed her eyes.
Many sons would die now.
Perhaps brothers too.
Perhaps even the Pillar Head himself.
Yet no one tried to stop him anymore.
Because they all understood now
This could no longer be stopped.
If Zane would not listen even to the brothers he had protected and indulged his entire life, then nothing in this world would turn him back now.
The war had already crossed the point where reason still held meaning.
Zane began walking toward the great doors once more. His heavy footsteps echoed through the chamber while the war hall behind him descended into tense preparation.
Armor shifted.
Orders spread.
War maps unfurled further across the stone table.
Outside, the fortress bells continued ringing across the mountains beneath the dark night sky.
Then, just before reaching the exit, Zane paused.
Without turning back, he spoke one final time.
"The next time our banners move," he said quietly, "There will be no retreat until Denvaar breaks."
Then he left the hall.
And behind him, the ancient fortress of House Rock slowly began preparing for total war.
——
