Chapter 606: 606:Failed Negotiation
They are trying to destroy Arcadia completely!"
"How can anyone possibly accept such conditions?!"
People discussed the matter angrily everywhere because everyone understood clearly that if such demands were truly accepted, then the Arcadia Empire would effectively be finished forever.
Seventy percent of its territory...
What would even remain afterward?
How could such a crippled Empire continue maintaining itself any longer after losing the majority of its lands, resources, and influence?
It was simply impossible.
Even ordinary citizens who understood little about politics could clearly see that the four major Empires were no longer negotiating for peace.
They were trying to carve Arcadia apart completely and devour whatever remained of it.
Therefore, the Arcadia Empire could only choose to refuse the demands placed before them because accepting such humiliating conditions would have been no different from destroying the Empire with their own hands.
And the moment the negotiations completely broke down...
The war immediately began once again.
This time, however, the scale of the war was even more terrifying than before because the four major Empires no longer bothered hiding their intentions, and each one directly dispatched million soldiers toward the borders of Arcadia.
Ten million troops.
Just the number alone was enough to make countless people feel despair.
The combined coalition army stretched endlessly across the lands like a massive flood while war banners covered the skies, and countless war beasts, siege weapons, magical cannons, and elite knight divisions continuously advanced forward in organized formations.
Using the Valorant Empire and the Eldorian Empire as the main springboards, the coalition forces launched a large-scale invasion toward Arcadia from multiple directions at once while clearly intending to crush the weakened Empire in the shortest time possible.
However...
Arcadia had long expected such a situation.
Before the war even officially started, the Empire had already mobilized nearly everything it could still gather.
Five elite Imperial Knight Orders had been dispatched toward the borders alongside nearly eight million battle-ready soldiers, and this was already the absolute limit of what the current Arcadia Empire could muster after suffering through years of brutal warfare.
Large defensive formations were activated across important regions while countless forts and defensive walls were reinforced rapidly, and every strategic route leading into the Empire had already been heavily guarded.
More importantly...
Arcadia still possessed the advantage of fighting on its own territory.The soldiers were familiar with the land, and supply routes remained far more stable compared to the invading coalition army.
Because of that, the coalition forces of the four major Empires were unexpectedly blocked outside the borders for a period of time despite their overwhelming numbers.
The battlefield instantly turned into a brutal stalemate.
Day and night, endless clashes erupted across the borders while flames and smoke covered the skies continuously, and every single day thousands upon thousands of soldiers died upon the battlefields.
But despite temporarily stopping the enemy advance...
Emperor Alaster did not feel relieved at all.
Inside the Imperial Palace, the atmosphere remained heavy while large battle maps covered the massive table before him, and reports from every frontline continuously arrived one after another without pause.
Alaster quietly looked over the battlefield reports while his expression remained dark and tense.
He understood the current situation clearly.
This was far from enough.
Defending temporarily meant nothing.
Only by dealing a devastating blow to the coalition army and making the four major Empires fear the consequences could Arcadia truly survive this crisis.
Otherwise, the enemy would simply continue grinding the Empire down slowly until nothing remained.
"What are the Saints doing?" Alaster suddenly asked coldly while stepping down from the throne platform slowly.
The official standing nearby immediately lowered his head respectfully.
"They are guarding the important regions and acting as deterrent forces to stop the advancement of the opposing armies," he replied quickly.
Alaster tapped his fingers lightly against the table while falling into deep thought.
Although Arcadia’s military strength had declined heavily after the previous wars, the Imperial Family still possessed several hidden trump cards that outsiders did not fully know about.
One of them...
Was the Legendary Order of the Empire.
This was a terrifying force secretly cultivated by the Imperial Family over countless years while spending unimaginable amounts of resources and wealth.
Although their total numbers barely exceeded one thousand members.Every single person within the order had already reached Mythic rank or above.
And among them were numerous terrifying veterans who had survived countless battlefields throughout the decades.
Each legion within the order was personally led by a Saint-level powerhouse while the entire command structure was controlled by one of the Empire’s two Transcendent Knights.
This force was the true hidden blade of Arcadia.
Alaster slowly narrowed his eyes before finally speaking.
"Deploy them," he ordered coldly.
"Deal heavy damage to the enemy."
His expression gradually became colder.
"I want them to regret this invasion and understand clearly that Arcadia is not some fat piece of meat they can casually chew apart alone."
The officials nearby immediately lowered their heads deeply.
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
...
Meanwhile, Ethan was not sitting idle either because the increasingly chaotic situation outside had already greatly increased the sense of danger inside his heart.
Although the battles had not yet reached the Blanks territory directly, Ethan understood clearly that once the Empire truly began collapsing, the safety they currently enjoyed would also disappear sooner or later.
Because of that, Ethan focused even more on strengthening both himself and the Blanks family as quickly as possible.
And among all the things he possessed...
Children remained his greatest source of growth.
Therefore, during this period, Ethan spent nearly every day together with his wives while continuously working hard without rest.
Under Ethan’s unremitting efforts, several of his wives gradually became pregnant once again, and the atmosphere inside the Blanks estate slowly became much livelier because of the incoming news.
If nothing unexpected happened...
Within another year, the Blanks family would welcome an entirely new wave of children.
Of course, not all of his wives could participate currently because several of them were either undergoing important cultivation periods or still recovering after childbirth, and Ethan naturally did not force anything during such times.
Even amidst the chaos outside...
Life inside the estate still continued forward steadily.
Like this...
One entire month quietly passed away.
