After the initial day of revolt across the entire Dukedom, the forces that remained of the Dukedom were entirely knight orders that belonged to House Abernath and House Baro. House Malintara and House Theodorus had effectively been wiped out by the end of the first day thanks to the slave uprising and the immediate reinforcement of the Imperial Army which marched into the territory unchallenged. What remained of their personal knight orders was annihilated as the Imperial Army crushed them without remorse and without effort. One such battle occurred at the coastal city of Kursto which belonged to House Theodorus, a contingent of Imperial Marines that had been dropped off by the 1st Bombardment Squadron and swiftly moved into the city to assist the rebels who had barricaded themselves in certain squares and key intersections around the city. The knights of House Theodorus were about to launch a full-scale assault to recapture the city but when the contingent of Imperial Marines showed up, the fighting was over before it began. 

In the southwest of the city, the 1st Marine Detachment under the command of Major Farris who was a demonkin, his 5'8 (172.72cm) made him a bit shorter than some of his fellow soldiers but that didn't really matter in the grand scheme of things. He and his detachment had split up into several smaller groups of seven that moved to the other entrances to the city, hiding in the trees in the forests nearby and in the fields of crops that dotted the land around Kursto. 

Crouching down next to an overturned log, Farris and his group could see a large formation of knights with fur coats and jackets preparing to go in and assault the city, there were several trebuchets behind them and there were other knights dressed the same as the rest, loading them up with large stones that were all nearly piled up nearby. 

"Marris, contact the other groups and ask if they are in position" Farris ordered as he turned his head to a siren on the far left of the overturned log 

"Understood sir" Marris replied as she took a few steps back and tapped the communications crystal on the collar of her armor 

"What's the plan sir?" A demonkin private by the name of Hurddez asked as he looked at his commander 

"We hit them hard and fast. The moment those trebuchets fire, it is going to cause casualties for our friends inside. Me and Marris will take care of them, I want you, Nesti and Kork to take on the formation of knights. Aenelle and Kaithe will provide support with their spells" The Major replied as he looked at the rest of his group who all nodded in affirmation 

"The other groups are in position, they all report the same thing we are seeing, trebuchets and knights at the ready" Marris stated as she looked at her commander 

"Alright. Tell them to attack. It's go time" 

A few moments later, while the snow was still coming down, Farris and Marris bolted forward first as they charged the house knights manning the trebuchets who were caught off guard by their presence. 

"What the?! Enemy-" One knight tried to warn the rest before he was cut down by a swing from Marris' battleaxe which tore a massive hole into his chest and sent the blood-spewing body crashing into one of the bases of a nearby trebuchet 

When the other knights turned to see the incoming threat, many of them were unable to land their own strikes as Farris used his superior mobility afforded to him by his demonkin wings to simply move back before the strikes could land and then retaliate by using his own officer's sword to skewer them through their chests as the sword cut through their chest plate like a hot knife through butter. Others were cut down as Marris moved in a zig-zag formation and freely swung her battleaxe, cleaving people into two as she passed them. Their dying screams reverberating across the area like a tidal wave of misery and futility. 

The sight of their comrades dying had caught the knights forming ranks by surprise but before they could do anything to help them, there were more foes that suddenly attacked them. A group of knights trying to reinforce their friends at the trebuchets suddenly came under fire as fireballs exploded near them and a few even managed to strike several of them and kill them on the spot as it burnt through their armor and into their flesh. Others were struck down as they were suddenly attacked by chain lightning spells that were fired from the treeline from the sirens Aenelle and Kaithe behind the trebuchets, the soldiers screaming out in pain as they were cooked from the inside out. 

At the same time, Hurddez and his group charged forward, the trio of demonkins soared into the air and then dived faster than the enemy could anticipate, scooping up unfortunate souls, killing them in the air, and then dropping their bodies onto their allies. Seeing that their foes were airborne, many knights who were armed with crossbows, bows and even mages opened fire trying to get the bastards as they soared into the air trying to dodge the enemy attacking them from the ground. 

Crossbow bolts, arrows and a mix of fireballs, lightning streams and even a few earth shards flew past Hurddez and his group who expertly dodged the incoming projectiles meant to bring them down. 

"Hahaha! It's like they aren't even trying!" The demonkin private chuckled as he dodged an incoming crossbow bolt by shifting slightly to the side 

"Quit treating the situation like a game Hurddez, acting like that will get you killed" Farris' voice said as it erupted from the communications crystal in the collar of the demonkin's plate armor 

"Yes Sir. Sorry Sir" Hurddez quickly replied as he shut up and then began attacking the enemy armed with ranged weaponry 

Meanwhile, in other areas of the city, the rest of the 1st Marine Detachment were making themselves known as groups of demonkin and sirens charged the unprepared house knights who were not expecting to fight such a force of heavily armored opponents who were not mere former slaves. Bodies were sent flying, cleaved into two, set on fire, impaled, or outright disintegrated as the Imperial Marines went to work making mincemeat of the knights. One group of knights tried to charge down a siren marine who carried a large tower shield which he planted on the ground before him, the knights fired off spells to help cover them as they closed the distance and the fireballs and lightning chains simply slammed into the shield but did nothing to destroy it as the shield was coated in a protective anti-magic barrier via a monster crystal embedded into the shield. 

When the smoke from all the fire cleared, the knights were caught by surprise as the siren charged them back, shield bashing the leading knight so hard that the man was sent flying and crashing onto the ground, his bones shattered and his armor basically broken. Before the rest of the knights could do anything else, another marine used her partner's distraction to attack the knights, her twin cutlasses brimming with electricity as she pumped her magic into them, each slash electrocuted the target she struck and it only took one to kill the poor bastards who died screaming then falling limp onto the ground. 

During the intense fighting, several groups of human militia made up of those loyal to the House of Theodorus, marched out to help the knights in driving back the enemy. Unfortunately, their well-meaning actions and determination did not really mean anything when they were all either D or even F-Rank in power. This led to them being basically cannon fodder as the Marines in the backline lobbed spell after spell that killed these people in groups of tens, their bodies flying, and screams mixing with the sound of battle. 

All across the outskirts of the city, the same situation was playing again and again and again, the Theodorus Knights found themselves fighting a force that was not only stronger than them but fewer in number. By the time the fighting was done on the outside, many of them lay dead, their bodies shattered and their blood coating the snowy ground they were on. When the Marines then marched into the city, many of the civilians who had witnessed the fighting outside scattered back into their homes, some tried to fight back but were met with death as the Marines took no prisoners. Some people who were highlighted by the freed slaves as some of the "Good ones" were then ordered to head straight to the territory of House Flavius, each of them given a signed piece of paper signed by the commanding officer of the freed slaves and Major Farris himself. 

Then there was the territory of House Baro which by the second day, had become overrun and practically lost as the Imperial Army marched into the territory and crushed each attempt by the locals to stop them. When the 8th Army appeared outside the northern wall of the Baro territory, many of the large crossbow launchers mounted on the ramparts atop the wall opened fire and did no damage as the 8th Army moved in formations too small for the large crossbow bolts to wreak havoc on, even the mass formation of crossbow-wielding militiamen had a hard time as these militias were ill-trained to land their shots. A few landed too close for comfort here and there, the large metal bolts driving deep into the snow-covered ground.

"Keep moving!" One human officer shouted before rolling to the right to dodge an incoming bolt 

"Don't stop! If they get a bead on you, you will die!" Another shouted as he ducked behind a rise in the terrain from a barrage of bolts

"Open fire!" One of the mage officers shouted as she raised her staff and fired off a <Lightning Blast> spell that blasted away several militiamen and large crossbow launchers from atop the wall 

When the Imperial soldiers were right before the wall, every single soldier equipped with projectile spells fired away, sending out lightning bolts, fireballs, ice spears, chunks of rocks, and even specialized projectiles made of air ranging from large boulders to smaller but more precise spears. All of these things slammed into the wall and it did not take long for the entire thing to explode as the wall could not hold the immense firepower reigned down upon it. 

Once the breaches in the wall cleared of smoke, the 8th Army rushed in and quickly dispatched the awaiting ranks of scared-to-hell militiamen and Baro Knights who died fighting, defending to the last man. 

"Stop them! For the Dukedom!" One knight shouted as he raised his spear high before charging into the fray, thrusting his weapon forward in an attempt to hit an arachnia opponent only to fail as the arachnia blocked the thrust with her four blades and then deflected it to the side before plunging two blades into the knight, lifting him up for a bit before throwing the corpse aside and onto the rubble and snow-covered ground. 

"Kill them all-AAA!" A militiaman shouted as he tried to rally his allies, getting blasted to hell as a lightning blast spell turned him into ash

By the end of the first day of the revolt across the Dukedom, not only were they stretched thin, but the dukedom had lost a majority of their land. The Dukedom's territory had been reduced to just the central territory of the House of Abernath which was still burning in some areas due to the freed slaves enacting a 'Scorched Earth' practice as they escaped and fled to the territory of House Fluchet. What constituted the remaining forces were groups of militia and the few remaining orders of House Knights that belonged to House Baro and House Abernath. 

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Inside the partially destroyed Malgrave Stronghold, with fires still burning around the city of Aresburg and the stronghold itself due to a recent naval battle, Duke Rals Abernath, his daughter Mako, her lover Sir Matthews, and Baroness Baro were all gathered inside the same meeting room from the first day. The Duke himself was a shell of who he was a few hours ago. The endless reports streaming in from knight formations and militia groups that no longer existed filled the man initially with disbelief that soon turned into fear and then he was settled with dread and the fire in his heart had all but been put out. The fat man in his suit who looked less and less elegant had a sunken posture, the red mask he usually wore was placed on the table before him, looking back at him as if to mock him for the failures that were now at his door. 

Rals let out a defeated sigh as he placed his hands on his wrinkled and deformed face, feeling the weird grooves that scarred his face. His eyes no longer had the fire in them and while he was busy sulking, the other three in the room were unsure of what to do. Mako looked at her beloved who was practically a different man, the side of his body that still burned thanks to nearly dying at the hands of a divine beast had left him unable to lead the army into the fight and both of them knew it. Baroness Baro herself, seeing the writing on the wall had spilled over into a bout of hysterics as she was in one corner of the room laughing while in a fetal position. 

"Fuck...what do we do?" Rals asked himself as he looked down at the mask

"We can still fight...right father?" Mako asked as she looked at him

"With what force? The scraps we have left are barely trained to cut down wood, much less fight a force who are actually trained for battle" 

"We can't just wait to die!" The young woman screamed as she slammed her hands onto the table, shocking both her lover and her father 

"If you wish to lead the army into battle. So be it...Die a hero's death why don't you" Rals said as he leaned back into his chair and his sunken gaze looked at his daughter who frowned at the sight of her defeated father 

"Fine! That is what I will do then! You can just sulk here like the fucking sob you are then father!" Mako said after a few moments of silence before standing up and storming out of the room 

"And you, what will you do?" Duke Abernath asked as his gaze shifted to Sir Matthews who was still sitting down on his chair 

"I know when the fight is lost, Your Grace...The moment those slaves revolted and the reports came in. There is no way we are winning this...the best we can do is go down swinging...take as many of them with us as we can" 

"So will you fight then?" 

"Probably...I can't let her die out there alone Your Grace..." Sir Matthews stated as he groaned while standing up his body burning with each step he took out towards the exit of the room

"Dammit" Rals cursed under his breath as he raised from his seat. He looked at Baroness Baro who was no longer laughing, rather, she was asleep on the floor, by the looks of things she had cried herself to sleep to escape this nightmare scenario they were in but alas, it was not a nightmare, it was reality. 

Moving to the back of the stronghold, Rals could see the silhouettes of a fleet of ships sailing southward. They were ships of the enemy that a few moments ago, blew apart what remained of the Dukedom's Navy which was mustering here in Aresburg. What was supposed to be his last hope of escape for him and his family were now nothing but burning wrecks of driftwood that dotted the cold water of the docks, bodies of sailors clinging lifelessly to pieces of driftwood or resting at the bottom of the cold water. The enemy didn't even bother landing a force to try and capture him like he thought, no, instead he believed they were going to march on the capital in a conventional sense. 

"It's all gone to shit" He told himself as he took a deep breath and began making his way to his personal quarters 

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Back in the territory of House Fluchet, in the provincial capital of Faltheir, Baron Fluchet was nervous as he tried to keep a straight face inside his own manor as he sat on a couch across from the two people who ruled the strongest nation on this continent. The two empresses, Empress Ophelia and Empress Amelia. Sure Fluchet had been speaking to them, but only through letters, and now was the first time he had met them face to face. His back was sweating bullets and while he looked calm and composed, the man inside him was screaming to himself not to fuck up as lives depended on the meeting before him. 

"Ahem...it is a pleasure to finally see you both in person...Your Majesties" He began as he looked at them both 

"The feeling is mutual Mr. Fluchet" Amelia replied to him with a small nod 

"You do remember that once our empire annexes this land, you will lose your title and a good fraction of your wealth and land right?" Ophelia followed as she leaned back into the couch with Amelia 

"Of course Your Majesties. I am aware of the deal that I made with you when I offered my services to be part of this liberation effort" The baron replied cooly, doing his best not to slip up 

"Good. Good...besides that. There is the issue of the rest of the dukedom's human population. All of the former slaves who will become our citizens will no doubt harbor grudges against them. What do you think we should do about them?" The raven-haired empress asked him, seemingly testing him, to see his response 

"Well...besides those of us here in the Fluchet Barony that did their best to lessen their burdens while still posing as an ally to the Dukedom, I suggest we should at least spare them. Those who wish to change...those who are hardliners however, we would be better off without them" Fluchet answered, his voice and tone firm in their belief as he looked at them both 

"Hmmm...interesting...but how will we know who are those who are willing to be better than those lying to just escape judgment" Amelia asked as a follow-up question 

"Agent Takawa told me that your nation had monster magic crystals that can detect lies from the truth. We use those to sniff out people who are lying and the like. We also use the freed slaves to help pinpoint those people who have been secretly helping every now and then and we go from there" 

The two monarchs glanced at one another and Amelia gave her beloved a nod of approval, Ophelia gave her a smile in return and suffice to say that both monarchs were pretty pleased with Fluchet's answers as it was exactly the plan both of them wanted to do once the fighting was all said and done. 

"Well said Mr. Fluchet. Well said" Ophelia stated as they looked back at him 

"Thank you Your Majesties...but what will you do now that the Dukedom's on its last legs? They surely won't go down without a fight" The head of House Fluchet stated 

"Oh we know...but that won't be a problem, we plan to march into the capital and burn it all down. Once and for all" The raven-haired empress answered with a smirk 

"Then and only then will the dukedom end" Amelia chimed in

"And the continent will finally be ours" both of them stated in unison as they had smiles on their faces, giving Flcuhet a slight chill that ran down his spine as he looked at them

'Thank the Gods I chose the winning side' He thought to himself as he looked at them, relieved that he and his family were in the clear and had a chance to start anew, a life that no longer had the stain of the past on it, a new life where he and his family could live peacefully. In a nation that spanned a continent. 

A/N: Hello! We are so back! I am sorry this took a while to make due to the start of a new school term but hey! WE ARE ALMOST DONE WITH VOLUME 2! WOOOO