"Admiral! Destination sighted! We will be arriving there within the hour" A sailor from the crow nest relayed into the magic crystal which was embedded into the coms station on the mast 

"Understood. Thank you spotter" Admiral Ushana replied as she turned from the wheel and handed it back to the helmsman 

"Captain Dorchets, you have the bridge until I return, keep her going steady and inform me if the spotters can see other vessels in the distance. The check-in time from the detached portions of the fleet should respond within the next five minutes, report to me their status, I will be in the cabin to inform our monarchs" 

"Understood Admiral, it shall be done" Dorchets nodded as she saw Ushana head down from the bridge to the cabin directly below them

Inside said cabin, Amelia and Ophelia were busy laying together on the large cushion area near the window frame, the two of them enjoying the moment of solace and peace, sleeping soundly in each other's embrace and showing not a care in the world. The scene was so perfect that Ushana was scared of interrupting it but she knew she had to, given her job.

{!}

When she walked past the table, she bumped into an invisible wall that made an audible DINK sound as she stumbled back a few steps, taking a few moments to reorient herself as she dodged crashing into the cabinet to her side. She turned her gaze back to the two monarchs after she caught a crystal light from falling off the cabinet and placing it back, seeing the two monarchs looking at her with inquisitive gazes, clearly waiting for whatever Ushana had to say. 

"Ahem, Your Majesties. We are in sight of the capital island of Nas, we will be there within the hour" Ushana stated as she stood straight and fixed herself 

"Thank you for the report Admiral and apologies for making you crash into the barrier, a small habit of mine when me and my beloved are sleeping together" Amelia apologized as she got to her feet and mentally dispelled the barrier 

"I understand Your Majesty, no harm done" The purple-haired admiral replied with a nod 

"Thank you for your forgiveness then, I must ask however, how is the rest of the fleet?" Ophelia asked as she got to her feet and stood beside her beloved

"They have yet to send in their check-in messages but we should know within the next few minutes" Ushana replied with a nod 

"Hmm, I see. Thank you once again Ushana, report to us when the messages come and inform Irly, Chief Persephone, and his wife to be ready to disembark, and relay the same to the Black Guard contingent aboard" The raven-haired empress ordered as she locked eyes with the admiral 

"It shall be done" The admiral replied with a nod before she turned on her heel and exited the cabin

When the admiral left the cabin, the dual monarchs sat back down next to one another and rested their heads on each other. The two monarchs shared a smile as they clasped each other's hands and sat in silence, letting the sounds of crew running around and the ship plowing through the sea wash over them as like everyone else, running an empire is tiring no matter who you are. 

About thirty minutes later, the dual monarchs were now standing on the top deck of the ship, with Ophelia on the bow while Amelia was right in front of the helm being manned by Captain Dorchets and the helmsman along with Irly, Chief Perephone and Lady Val. The island spotted earlier was now much closer as the fleet was moving at flank speed, something that the demonkin who were monitoring them were not expecting as Ophelia could see with her enhanced vision, squads of soldiers rushing into buildings and other fortifications or servants carrying things such as clothing and jewelry goods down towards the port which was most likely going to be a gift from the king to the two of them. 

"Seems we caught them with their pants down" Ophelia remarked as she walked back from the bow to the bridge 

"Hmm? How so?" Amelia asked 

"Seems that they are rushing their asses around, soldiers heading into buildings, manning fortifications, banners being raised and servants bringing down gifts to the port where we will be docking" Her beloved answered her 

"What about the people in the city?" Amelia asked 

"That's the thing, I saw no one, no mother, father, or even child running around. The city seems to have been fully cleared..." Ophelia stated, her eyes narrowing 

"Perhaps there was a plague" Irly chimed in 

"Unlikely, if there was, they would be running around with some sort of protective gear, but they were all looking fine to me when I was looking at them" Ophelia said as she glanced at the elf

"A recent rebellion maybe? Our spy has told us that the situation in the nation is dire" The blonde empress raised 

"Probably, but I believe that she would have informed us beforehand if there was a rebellion" 

"Well, whatever the case, we are going to find out soon enough, so everyone get ready. Ushana, any word from the rest of the fleet?" Ophelia asked the admiral behind them

"Affirmative Your Majesty, all of them are on their way towards their targets, they shall be there and waiting for our orders" Ushana answered promptly.

"Good, nicely done" Ophelia stated as she looked at the admiral behind them 

"Thank you, Your Majesty" 

Ophelia then shifted her gaze back to Amelia who was smiling at her, offering up her hand which she took and held onto tightly, both of them then turning their gaze back to the island before them and the challenge that lay ahead, one that would serve as the first foreign policy related thing they had done together and the first time with another proper nation, the usually cool and calm attitudes they had internally replace by a bit of nervousness in-between their overwhelming confidence in themselves. 

'Let's get to work' 

.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Ten minutes later, the fleet comprising of the 

• HNS Amelia (Empress Class Man O War) 
• HNS Spirited Siren (Emerald Class Sloop Of War) 
• HNS Emerald (Emerald Class Sloop Of War) 
• HNS Sapphire (Emerald Class Sloop Of War) 
• HNS Krafty Kitsune (Emerald Class Sloop Of War) 

Sailed into the bay and seemed to be heading towards the empty slots in the docking area of the port, the port itself was very much empty which was also weird to the sailors of the Halkare Empire as they expected a much more busy sight in the capital city of the Kingdom of Amma, especially a very busy port bustling with fishing ships, warships and other vessels needed to give the port a sense of life. Instead, they were greeted by a still silence and the sight of only one party waiting at the end of a boardwalk, that party comprising of soldiers and servants awaiting their arrival. 

Instead of docking with the lone extended boardwalk, the fleet anchored in the middle of the bay, their sails furling and the sight of sailors running around finishing up their tasks. The HNS Amelia was anchored in the middle of the formation with the HNS Spirited Sireen and Kfrafty Kitsune anchored to its port and the Sapphire and Emerald to its starboard, all of them arranged in a staggered line with their port side facing the capital city.

The demonkin party awaiting them meanwhile, was caught off guard and was in awe by the sight of the ships that had arrived, marveling at the size of the ships that eclipsed the galleons they were accustomed to. They murmured to one another as they were awaiting the longboats to be launched from the ships and parties ferrying their expected guests to come. 

{!} 

But that was not the case as they saw three people jump off the side of the large ship into the water while a pair soared into the air, their gazes filled with wonder at who were these people. Their questions were quickly answered as the three people who jumped into the bay resurfaced from the water, emerging like elegant flying fish that stuck the landing and stood proudly on the edge of the boardwalk, revealing themselves to be sirens and an elf to the demonkin party. Behind them, the pair who had soared from the ships hovered behind the two sirens and elf, one had beautiful golden wings upon her back, with her crimson eyes looking at them with an unreadable expression while the other was a woman with wings as dark as the night, the gaze from her purple eyes sending shivers down the spines of the party assembled and made some of them unconsciously take a step back like it was a natural response. 

"Uhh...which one of you is the monarch?" The eldest of the demonkin asked as he stepped forward, 

"We are" Ophelia answered him as she and Amelia landed neatly in front of their three subordinates 

"We? Excuse me for my misgivings young lady but we were informed that the Halkare Empire only has one empress, surely one of you is but a maid trying to cover her master, like what you are doing" The demonkin butler stated 

"Hmm? Really now?" Ophelia quipped, a subtle irritated expression forming on her face 

"Well let me correct your stupidity since it seems you have been misinformed, this lovely person beside me is Empress Amelia Erstad, and I, I am her wife, Empress Ophelia Erstad" With Ophelia putting an emphasis on the final line 

She saw the demonkin butler's expression sink as he quickly realized his mistake and tried to recompose himself, but struggling to do so as he was at a loss for words. 

"Is there someone else I could talk to instead of this idiot here?" Ophelia asked as she looked past the still struggling elderly butler 

The demonkin party before them shared glances but none of them were willing to step forward, as they were all unsure of what to do. It took them a few moments more before one of the maids walked up and bowed her head to the dual monarchs and their accompanying subordinates. The maid then tapped the shoulder of the older butler who snapped out of his trance and then finally recomposed himself. 

"Ahem, forgive my earlier insults Your Majesties. If you would follow us" He stated with sweat forming on his forehead 

"Uhuh, alright then" Ophelia replied, rolling her eyes while also being calmed down by Amelia who held onto her hand and squeezed it. 

"Please lead the way then, to not waste anymore time for anyone" Amelia said as she looked at the elder butler, flashing a small smile to ease tensions, secretly hiding her growing anger at the situation for the same reasons as her lover next to her 

The butler nodded as he turned on his heel and began leading the party out of the docks and into the city proper. From where Ophelia and Amelia were walking, it looked as if the city of Nas was a city that was ascending, which was true as the city was built in a staircase-like layout around the large mound of earth that the castle resided atop. Said castle was the most prominent structure on the island as it was the largest structure there was, while the residential buildings, noble homes, and government buildings were mostly uniform and not as magnificent in design as the castle. 

"I am afraid that given your appearance is earlier than we had expected, we could not bring down a carriage in time for you. Even our king and his son are still hastily preparing  due to your earlier appearance, that being said, King Alfonsis has asked for your patience and to "Enjoy the walk up" to give him and his son and the castle to get ready, I do hope you understand" The elderly butler stated as he looked at the dual monarchs 

"We understand, showing up too early is on us so we are willing to wait" Amelia answered him with a small smile that calmed his nerves 

"Thank you for doing so Your Majesties" The elderly butler nodded before turning on his heel again and beginning to walk up 

Following behind the servants leading the way, the dual monarchs walked hand-in-hand while looking at the architecture around them, appreciating the simple designs of the homes that were large enough to house families or businesses. The duo even appreciated the brick road that spanned before them, although not as great as the paved roads they had back home, it was a good sign to the two of them that the foundation for better infrastructure was already in place for them to upgrade and improve upon. 

{!} 

But as the two were continuing up the road, the two of them also noticed the demonkin soldiers dressed in plate armor hiding behind the walls and alleys of the buildings they were passing, their eyes locked on them and following them as they were moving upward, but continued to act ignorant of it. 

[Ophie, you see the squad of five behind the wall to the left?] Amelia asked via telepathy as she kept her gaze forward 

[I did, I also saw the other squads ever since we left the port, trying to be sneaky motherfuckers aren't they?] Ophelia replied 

[And what of the others? I know we can take them down easily but Irly, Chief Persephone and Lady Val are all B to A-Rank in strength, they don't stand a chance] 

[Just place your Blessings on them my dearest, Histy may have taken your Holy Magic, but she did say you could still give blessings and buffs regardless as part of her gift to you] Ophelia reminded her beloved 

[Ahhh, yeah. She did do that, didn't she? I completely forgot about that] Amelia laughed internally 

[Fufufu, that's alright my dear, we all forget things from time to time, we are only human after all] Ophelia replied as she glanced at her and gave a smirk 

[Alright then Ophie, I will just inform the three of them then] 

[Go ahead] 

{!} 

[Ahem, can you all hear me?] Amelia asked as she tapped to each of them via telepathy 

(Your Majesty?) Irly asked, her face showing shock for a brief moment before going back to its original unreadable one 

[Yes Irly, it's me. What about you guys?] 

<We hear you loud and clear Your Majesty> Chief Persephone answered 

{Indeed, we can hear you loud and clear} Lady Val added after her husband 

[Alright good. Now, don't be alarmed, but we are currently being shadowed by soldiers] 

{!} 

(Wha-)

<Huh>

{Say Again?} 

All three of them briefly showed shocked faces before quickly recomposing themselves. 

[Like I said, keep calm. Me and Ophie know exactly where they are and how many, we are confident we can fight them off and use this incident to our advantage, what we are worried about are you three as these demonkin soldiers are all S-Rank in power, meaning that they are tougher than most opponents. That being said, I have full faith in your combat abilities, especially when I give you all a Blessing. I have subtly placed the Blessing already on you three, it will activate when things go south so just be informed. The plan is simple, once the fighting starts, all of us will book it back to the port and let the fleet anchored in the bay do its job of sending this place to hell and back, understood?]

(Understood Your Majesty) 

<Affirmative Your Majesty> 

{We shall follow it diligently Your Majesty} The three of them stated with a tone of affirmation 

[Good to hear, for now, keep up the ruse, but the moment things kick off, we run for the ship] 

(<{Understood Your Majesty}>) 

.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Crouching down in one of the watchtowers leading up to the castle, General Trochious was watching the delegation slowly make their way towards his trap, they had barely made it out of the first path leading out of the port and from the way he saw it, did not notice his troops sliding into position neatly behind the walls and alleys of the buildings flanking them. A feat he was proud of given the fact that he was not counting on the delegation to arrive so early and so quickly and in ships he had never seen before, with his soldiers rushing through buildings just to get to their positions, with him paying off the elder butler to ensure that if the delegation ever noticed, he would describe it as a "Security Detail" of sorts to keep them all safe.  A smirk on his lips as he was gleefully waiting for the bloodbath and massacre that was to unfold, an unfortunate situation he would use to finally kill the king and take power. 

The soldiers currently hiding were some of his best, pulled directly from the garrisons they were stationed on and assembled into one swift and skillful blade that was to fulfill his orders no matter what. He glanced at his pocket watch he pulled out from his coat pocket and smiled 

"Almost 12:00, fifteen minutes to go, more than enough to kill them and then storm the castle with them unawares...let's start the show" Trochious murmured with delight as he peeked over the window he was crouching behind and threw a rock at a nearby rooftop with one of his soldiers hiding on it 

The soldier nodded as he felt the rock make a small dink sound on his armor, quickly nodding at the hidden general before crawling and then climbing off the rooftop and towards the soldiers hiding further in the alleyways, it was time to start the show. 

.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

As the group was about to round a corner turning upward, the servants leading them stopped in their tracks prompting the dual monarchs behind them to form curious expressions on their faces, even more so when the servants began sprinting away up the path. 

{!}

But they needn't wait long for an answer as several arrows were fired from houses to their right just above the upward corner and from the buildings to their left and behind them, unfortunately for the arrows and their archers, the projectiles crashed into an invisible barrier that shattered the arrows and sent them ricocheting around. 

"Right, so it begins. Everyone back to the boat now!" Ophelia ordered as she turned to them

Immediately upon her words, her beloved and the rest of the party turned heel and began sprinting back down to the docks, something the demonkin soldiers awaiting them up top did not expect as they emerged from their hiding positions and began chasing them, while the soldiers behind the party sprung forth from their own hiding places to stop them from escaping. 

{!} 

But to their surprise, the two sirens and the elf that they had identified with their <Appraisal> Magic to be only A and B-Ranks in power, were suddenly stronger than before, and now found themselves unable to read their stats. 

"Clear the way for Her Majesties!" Irly ordered as she summoned forth a staff in her left arm, her body pulsating with body-strengthening magic

She charged into a wall of soldiers in front of them, using the tip of her staff to strike one of the soldiers, sending him flying and creating an opening that Chief Persephone and Val took advantage of as they ran past her and into the gap, getting behind the wall of soldiers and then swinging their tridents they had holstered in a small bag of holding in each of their waists. Striking several soldiers with the flat side of their tridents to create an even bigger whole. 

"This way Your Majesties!" Lady Val stated as she dodged a sword slash from a demonkin soldier before replying with a headbutt that sent said soldier staggering back and collapsing onto the ground 

"Thank you Val, as reliable as your husband" Amelia commented as she and her beloved continued to follow behind the trio leading the way 

"Don't mention it Your Majesty, the Blessing you gave us is truly something we have never had before" Irly chimed in as she continued to lead the way 

The Blessing in question was one called <Blessing of the Hungering Flesh> and the main effect of this blessing was that the people who had received this blessing were granted a power boost based on the level of the person who had given them said Blessing. As Amelia was the one that had blessed the trio, their power rankings were now directly below SS-Rank in level, they were S-Rank like the rest of the demonkin soldiers, but were approximately in the higher echelons of the rank. 

With the blessing coursing through their body, the trio were determined to show off what they could do in a fight for their monarchs, charging forward without fear in their eyes as they were intent on crushing anyone standing in their way. Meanwhile, the two monarchs who were just sprinting behind the trio and had erected a travelling barrier linked to Ophelia that kept the other demonkin soldiers behind them at a good distance, were enjoying the sight of the trio wreaking havoc. 

They saw Irly charge forward with a determined expression before swinging her staff that came down like a hammer on the demonkin soldiers before her, sending the fully plated combatants flying with each strike, the sounds of metal breaking and bones and flesh cracking filling the air where she stood. The duo saw as she dodged one spear thrust from a soldier before countering by breaking the spear and then thrusting her staff forward with her left arm, striking the soldier directly in the temple to disorient him and then closing in and firing off a palm strike that created a gust of wind and sent him flying into a house nearby. 

They also saw the married couple trump the soldiers who were standing in their way, with Chief Persephone swinging his trident around like a club as to ensure no deaths on orders from Amelia and Ophelia, all the while keeping a straight and determined face. They saw as he took a shield bash from a soldier before replying by grabbing said soldier by the collar of the chest plate and then throwing the soldier into one of the houses with enough force to break the wall, and then another scene in which he sent a pair of soldiers charging him crashing to the ground with a swift but powerful swing of his club, breaking the armor of the soldiers as they crashed down to the ground. 

Meanwhile, Val was the one looking as if she was having a blast, the expression on her face being that delight as she dodged swings and slashes, replying with her fists as she stowed her trident away, her punches cracking armor and sending soldiers crashing or flying away. The dual monarchs saw one soldier try to land an overhead slash on the siren but failed as Val sidestepped the slash and replied with a knee to the gut that transitioned into a downward punch and a turning sidekick that sent the poor soldier crashing into a house next to them, and then seeing her uppercut a soldier who got too close, with the uppercut cracking open the helmet and sending the soldier falling onto their back. 

After a few minutes of running, they were all back on the boardwalk. Amelia and Ophelia conjured up wings and soared into the air while the trio dived into the bay and began making their way back to the HNS Amelia. While the soldiers chasing them were now confused about what to do as they saw that their targets had escaped onto the ships they may have to board in order to get them. 

{!} 

Before they could do anything else, the ships in the middle of the bay suddenly sprouted cylinders that came out of hatches on the sides, the soldiers were unsure of what to do now and even their commander General Trochious was befuddled at what was coming out of the ships, he did not recognize these things as weapons, nor thought of them as such, thinking that they were merely things that could have gotten the ships underway. 

{!} 

Suddenly, there was a large hight-pitch hum in the air that rattled the soldiers and Trochious, it was similar to that of a harpy call or even a siren's tune, with their eyes wandering the skies and the water  to see who it was but were perplexed when the humming got stronger when they looked at the massive ship in the center of the bay, their eyes wide as they saw a purple-haired woman placing her leg atop the railing of the ship, their eyes trying to get a good glimpse on who or what she was, but unable to as when the humming stopped, there was only a feminine voice that filled the air shouting 

"FIRE!" 

A/N: And here we be going! It seems that General Trochious made a calculated maneuver, but man, was he bad at math. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and sadly no pics this time bc the AI I use is being...iffy and problematic, so yeah. If you got comments or reactions, let me know in the comments and I hope you guys had a wonderful week so far and will still continue to have one, I will have my trimester sanctioned two-week break soon later in the month so I think it will allow me to pump out more chapters for you guys to enjoy, and as always Stay Safe and Enjoy Your Day!