Chapter 604: 604:Another War Is On The Way
A weakened Empire holding massive resources was like a wounded beast bleeding in front of hungry predators.
If the four Empires successfully swallowed Arcadia...
Then not only would they recover the losses they suffered during the previous war, but their national strength would rise even further afterward.With such huge benefits lying in front of them...
Who would not be tempted?
That was the reality.
But from what Ethan learned, greed was not the only reason behind this sudden war.
There were several other factors involved.
For one...
Many people among the other Empires had already grown dissatisfied with Arcadia over the past few decades.
Arcadia had continuously caused one disturbance after another while pursuing aggressive expansion and reckless military campaigns.
It created instability constantly.
And after the failed war against the Demon Alliance, many forces directly blamed Arcadia for dragging everyone into disaster.
"If only Arcadia had asked for help earlier..."
"If only they acted more carefully..."
"If only they stopped being arrogant..."
Those kinds of accusations spread everywhere openly now.
Many believed the entire disaster could have been less severe if Arcadia had not acted so decisively and stubbornly during the earlier stages of the war.
And aside from all these reasons...
Ethan still felt there was something else hidden beneath the surface.
Something he still could not properly grasp.
Ever since witnessing that horrifying battle in the heavens...
A strange unease had remained inside his heart.It felt as if invisible hands were quietly pushing the entire world toward chaos.
After several months of recuperation and recovery from the previous war against the Demon Alliance...
The four major Empires secretly formed an alliance behind the scenes.
And now...
They had officially launched their attack against Arcadia.
Once this news spread, the entire Arcadia Empire was instantly enveloped in an atmosphere of turmoil and unrest while panic quietly started spreading across cities, noble territories, and military camps alike.
There was simply no way around it.
The military strength of the Arcadia Empire was currently at its lowest point in decades.
The previous war against the Demon Alliance had drained far too much from the Empire, and even if Arcadia poured resources into rebuilding without caring about the cost, it would still take more than ten years for the Empire to recover to its former peak.
Too many soldiers had died.
Too many resources had been exhausted.
And too many powerful experts had fallen during the war.
In such a weakened condition, for Arcadia to resist the combined forces of the four major Empires...
It was simply too difficult.
No...
To many people, it looked nearly impossible.
Inside the Arcadia Empire’s Imperial Palace, the atmosphere had become extremely heavy while officials and military commanders stood silently inside the grand hall with tense expressions.
Then suddenly—
BANG!
A loud explosion echoed throughout the palace as Emperor Alaster slammed his hand heavily against the throne armrest, and cracks instantly spread across the solid material beneath his grip.
"Damn it!" he roared furiously.
"These damn bastards betrayed the alliance and stabbed us in the back!"
The moment news of the joint attack by the four major Empires reached him, Emperor Alaster could no longer maintain his usual calm and dignified demeanor.
Anger burned visibly across his face while frustration filled his eyes.
At the same time...
There was also regret.
Deep regret.
Because even he had not expected things to develop to this extent.
"Those bastard demons..." he growled while clenching his teeth tightly.
"They stabbed us from the background again... Bastards... Every single one of them is a bastard."
His chest rose heavily as rage continued building inside him.
He truly never expected that immediately after the Demon War ended...
A human war would begin.
The timing was simply too significant.
And the greatest blow of all...
Was the death of the Ascension Realm expert from the royal family.
"If only that Ascension Realm expert had not gone mad and died out there..." Alaster muttered darkly.
"Stupid... Just plain stupid..."
The expressions of several officials nearby turned ugly after hearing those words.
Because everyone inside the palace understood the truth.
The expert who fought in the heavens against the Demons and ultimately died was someone from the Arcadia Royal Family itself.
After failing to find a path toward Godhood for far too long, the old expert had slowly lost patience and reason over the years.
And then the appearance of the cure became the final nail in the coffin.
Fearing that all of his plans and ambitions would collapse because of the sudden peace negotiations, he made a reckless move without proper preparation.
And in the end...
He died.
Not only did he fail to obtain divinity...
But his death also caused a severe decline in Arcadia’s strength and prestige.
Now the Arcadia Empire had become nothing more than a wounded beast in the eyes of the other four major Empires.
A massive piece of meat waiting to be devoured.
After venting his frustration for several moments, Emperor Alaster slowly forced himself to calm down again.
His breathing gradually steadied.
Because he understood clearly that anger alone would solve nothing now.
What mattered was surviving this crisis.
Otherwise...
The Arcadia Empire, which had stood proudly for thousands of years, might truly collapse during his reign and completely disappear from history.
Alaster slowly closed his eyes for a brief moment before opening them again with a colder and more decisive expression.
"Send envoys immediately to negotiate with the four major Empires," he ordered firmly.
The officials immediately straightened themselves.
"And dispatch the five Imperial Knight Orders toward the borders to guard against the coalition forces of the four Empires."
His voice turned heavier.
"Send the Saints and the Transcendent Knights as well."
The moment those words were spoken, several people inside the hall visibly stiffened.
The Empire currently possessed only two Transcendent Knights and ten Saints.
Those were the true pillars of Arcadia now.
And yet...
The Emperor was prepared to place them directly on the battlefield.
After a moment of contemplation, Alaster slowly tightened his fist.
His thinking was very clear.
If this national crisis could somehow be resolved through negotiation...
Then that would naturally be the best outcome.
But if negotiations failed...
Then Arcadia would fight with everything it had left.
Because despite the alliance between the four major Empires...
Alaster understood something important.
They were not truly united.
They only gathered together temporarily because of shared greed and overwhelming benefits.
As long as Arcadia could inflict enough damage...
As long as it could make the price of war painful enough...
Then the alliance between those Empires might crack apart.
And if that happened...
Arcadia would still have a chance to survive.
