The dual monarchs groaned as they both woke up, they found themselves inside a massive tent that was just outside the ruins they had collapsed in. Both of them were still clad in their respective plate armor and when they both sat up, they saw a very concerned sea of faces all looking at them. Erhet, Marshal Belle, Percy, Mother Felice and Sister Mary, all of them looked at them as they awoke. 

"Fuck...what happened?" Ophelia asked as she grabbed her temple, feeling it ache for the first time in ages 

"You tell us. Marshal Belle and the rest of the Imperial Army found you both unconscious inside the ruins. It has been about a week since then. We were all pretty worried that you weren't going to wake up" Mother Felice answered as she and her wife moved over to Amelia to check on her 

"Last thing we remember was using a spell Ophie had taught me to fire a beam of Holy Magic at some monster trying to open that gateway between our world and the Nether Realm then we both blacked out since it took so much out of us" Amelia stated as she looked at her parents and embraced them to calm their nerves

"Regularly, we would not impede or dissuade the two of you from doing anything dangerous. However, the fact that both of you were knocked out after all of it makes me to say otherwise. We were all really worried about you both" Percy added as she sat down near Ophelia and brushed some hair to the side, a concerned smile on her face as she pressed a kiss on the raven-haired empresses' forehead 

"How is that gateway by the way?" Ophelia asked as she turned to Belle who was standing off to the side 

"No activity so far Your Majesty. Patrols from the Black Guard are doing their best to make sure nothing escapes that place. And if I may, the entire empire is currently worried that the two of you are out of commission. Its Holiness, Spithe and Her Holiness Pope Liliana are doing their best to quell the fear that is taking root. Some opportunistic bastards have been locked up trying to replace you both, but overall, the entire situation has been contained and the empire is eagerly awaiting the word that both of you are awake" The Marshal answered as she took a step closer to them 

"Those opportunists? Who were they?" The raven-haired empress asked as she looked at Belle 

"The same coalition of 12 clans led by the Tree Roamer Clan led by that centaur, Chief Gorrah, he and his cohorts were imprisoned by the rest of the Imperial Council the same day they tried calling for your replacements, who were suspiciously his own children" 

"Haa...I guess we shouldn't have pushed ourselves too hard then. To think it had been a week" Amelia remarked as she let out a sigh 

"Yes. A week that has been hard for everyone in the empire. Please Your Majesties, the next time you go off and fight something beyond our understanding, take us with you. I do not want to be the one to find your bodies again, if anything, me and the Black Guard would rather die defending you than see you fall" Erhet chimed in as she slithered closer to both of them 

"Haha..sorry for that Erhet. I promise it won't happen again" Ophelia assured the loyal bodyguard with a small smile 

"Right. Now that the two of you seem fine, I think it is best for that message to be sent now right Marshal?" Sister Mary asked as she looked at Belle who nodded and excused herself before walking out

"By the way, did you guys burn down the capital of the Dukedom yet?" The blonde empress asked as she looked at the towering lamia 

"No Your Majesty. The ruins of the enemy capital remain intact. The rest of the territories of the now-defunct Dukedom are being integrated into the empire as we speak. The advisors of the Imperial Council and the now Governor Fluchet are carrying out the plan you both had for the area" The lamia answered 

"I see. Well, it seems that we can still do what we promised to do to end this march ey Ophie?" Amelia said with a smirk that made her beloved smile 

"Yep. One last thing" 

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

When word was sent out that the dual monarchs were awake and well, the entire Halkare Empire breathed a sigh of relief. Everyone in the empire, the knowledge that they still had the dual monarchs blessed by the Gods was something that soothed the soul of the entire place, it had been one thing to hear that both Empressess were found unconscious, another that they were unconscious for days afterward. The week had been tense for many involved and now that they were both awake and fine, the empire was once more ready to move on their orders, happy to have the masters of the ship back at the helm. 

Now, it was a quiet morning, the winter sun in the sky was obscured by the clouds overhead and there was little snowfall. The dual monarchs were now standing outside the ruins of Aresburg, both of them looking at the city now torn up with piles of rubble strewn about behind and in front of the ruined walls, the remains of the golems that the Nether Imp had conjured before being blasted into oblivion by the dual monarchs alongside whatever it was trying to open the gateway. 

"Haa, back here again. Time to finish what we were supposed to do a week ago" Ophelia said as she stepped forward, now dressed in a black skirt that reached past her knees while her top was a black double-breasted coat with golden accents. Her hair still let loose cascading down her back, her purple eyes looking well with her glasses perched on the bridge of her nose 

"Yep. Time to finally burn this place to the ground...whatever's left of it that is" Amelia said with a small smile, she was dressed in a similar outfit to her beloved, except that her black coat had red accents and she had a silver-colored skirt

Behind them, standing in a formidable and intimidating formation, was the Imperial Army, led by Marshal Belle and even some elements of House Fluchet's knights. The now Governor Flavius Fluchet, in attendance, was clad in a full set of armor. At the vanguard, looking around with their senses heightened for security, was the Black Guard. Erhet, not wanting to lose sight of her monarchs, was nearby, halberd at the ready, and her magic even more so. There would be no surprises this time. 

"So. Would you love to have the honors?" Ophelia asked as she looked at her beloved 

"Thank you Ophie. I would love to" Amelia replied with a nod and a smile 

Stepping forward, Amelia climbed up a small mound of rubble nearby and took a deep breath as she felt her magical energy surging and swirling inside her. She smiled as she tapped into her elemental magics and then raised both of her hands, aiming right at the ruins. Her fingertips crackled and flickered with white flames that looked so dazzling and beautiful that they could have been mistaken for the majesty that was snow magic. 

"Time to burn it all away" She muttered under her breath as she gazed upon the ruins of this city one final time 

{!} 

The white flames from her hands then shot forward, turning into a massive tidal wave of searing hot Holy Fire that engulfed everything in its path. Snow, rubble, and everything in between was destroyed as the tidal wave of fire rolled forward. The first to be struck down were the ruined outer walls that turned to ash and dust once the flames made contact, then the downtown district, then the residential area followed suit, the ruins of these buildings turning to ash and disappearing from sight as the Holy Fire engulfed them into nothingness. As the tidal wave of flames continued, the people watching the sight were all in silent awe, they were expecting a torrential firestorm of bright red and orange but this was something different, a single rolling wave of white Holy Flame was something no one in their life could have expected to see from the blonde empress but now they could say they had seen it. 

Ophelia as well was not expecting this from her lover, she had expected a bunch of flame tornados that would have scorched the earth and reduced it all to blackened rubble, and then she would use her own magic to clean it up. But this, this Holy Flame tidal wave was not only removing the rubble but was also actively cleaning and healing the ground it swept over, like a sort of healing flame that could be applied to heal a wound. It was beautiful and all of it came from the love of her life who had a relaxed and calm expression as she sent out this wave of fiery renewal. 

As the flames reached the ruins of the Malgrave Stronghold, the Holy Flames wiped away the blackened stains from the explosions conjured by the Nether Imp, turning everything it touched into ash and dust that was then swept up by the winter wind. As the stronghold crumbled and turned into ash, the rest of the flames simmered out before disappearing. After a few minutes, the entire stronghold was gone, leaving only a small hill at the end of the small peninsula. The total burning process lasted a total of fifteen to twenty minutes in total. Once it was done, there was nothing but the gentle sound of the wind blowing in the air and the soft crackling of the dying Holy Fire near the water. 

Turning back to her lover, Amelia let out a small sigh as she got off her mound, then used some Holy Fire to erase it as well and then walked back to Ophelia who was looking at her. 

"It's done Ophie. That felt great" The blonde empress said with a small smile as she embraced her, feeling Ophelia return the gesture as her own arms wrapped around her 

"It was beautiful to watch, I wasn't expecting you to do such a spell" Ophelia said with a small smile as she looked at her 

"Well, I wanted it all to be done in one smooth motion, so I felt that spell was the best one for it" The blonde empress said as they looked at the clear land before them

"The march has finally come to an end...it took a while, there were some bumps along the way, but in the end. We made it" 

"Yeah. A year and a half of work Ophie, and it was all worth it in the end. A continent under our banner, a united people as well. I think the future is looking bright" 

The dual monarchs shared a quiet moment as they took in the sight before them. From the beginning of the march to the end, it had been a long journey, full of adventure, fighting, politics, and the like. Ruling a nation, as foreign as it seemed, while still a challenge, was one that both of them were prepared to face together. By hook or by crook they were going to ensure that not only was their empire going to flourish, it would face every challenge that came its way and would crush it without remorse, and then, once all was stable and the nation was ready, they would go back to fulfill that promise they made to a certain bastard of a Crown Prince, they would burn down his entire legacy before his eyes, and they would exact their revenge. That would be a while though, for now, there were a myriad of problems before them, one of which was what to do when dealing with a massive gateway to a realm that could spell the entire end of the world if left ignored. But those problems would be dealt with sooner or later, because for now, they had finished one mission, a long march south to unite the continent, and that was cause enough to rest at least for a little while. 

The dual monarchs then turned to the gathered people behind them, Ophelia took a step towards them and then used her magic to augment her voice and ensure that it could be heard by everyone in the area. 

"To those of you who are gathered here today. I on behalf of my beloved, would like to thank you for your service, cooperation, and most importantly, your faith in us" She stated as she looked at all of them, a smile on her face as she glanced up and down the line of soldiers and warriors gathered here today

"We as your monarchs, promise to continue to uphold the promises we made to bring you a flourishing home where everyone is treated equally, with respect, and where you all can be the people you want to be in order to bring about the best in everyone. We would never have gotten this far without all of you" Amelia added as she stood beside her beloved, seeing the people gathered before them nodding at their words 

"Although we still have more to do, know that what you have done this year has brought about a change that can and will never be undone. You have all helped in bringing about an empire that will last for eternity, so once again, from the bottom of our hearts. Thank you" 

"Glory to the Empire! Glory to Her Majesties!" The mass of assembled people shouted in response to them, raising their weapons high as they showed their dedication to the dual monarchs once more. Making both of them smile as they nodded in thanks

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

[A/N: Slightly spicy warning] 

That night, inside the Raven's Rock Fortress, the dual monarchs found themselves in their bed chambers. The party of celebration was to occur tomorrow night, but for now, it could just be the two of them. Both of them were dressed in their respective nightgowns and both were on their queen-sized bed, sitting side by side but doing different things. Ophelia was busy in the midst of reading a report, her glasses perched on the bridge of her nose as usual while she filed through several papers, Amelia on the other hand was reading a small novel of a series she had been reading since she was a child, apparently, the author was one of the many that escaped with her when they left the Hillsbrooke Empire and was now continuing the series even here, setting up a new publishing company that pumped out the stories. 

"Still pursing over the reports of the detainment of those traitors Ophie?" Amelia asked as she looked at her beloved, closing the book she was reading 

"Well, I was. I must say, I am quite happy with how quickly the situation was handled. But we can deal with those bastards sooner or later. For now, I think it is time for some overdue US time" Ophelia said as she snapped her fingers and the reports filed themselves away and she turned to her beloved 

The two of them were silent as they locked eyes with one another. Their hands unconsciously moved to one another and their fingers interlocked as they both leaned on one another, a silent reckoning of feelings that they had professed to one another over and over again before they came to this continent, a promise that they were always going to be with one another no matter what and even if heaven and hell tried to separate them, they would fight it all the same to stay by each other's side. 

Amelia was the first to move as she moved closer and cupped Ophelia's face, watching as her beloved turned into her palm and kissed it, a genuine and heartfelt smile on her face as she then pulled the blonde empress in after wrapping her arms around her waist. Ophelia then shifted her place on the bed, going down while she helped place her beloved on her waist, both of them not breaking eye contact as they got into place. 

"Ophie" Amelia purred as she leaned forward and placed her lips on her beloved's neck. Leaving a bite mark that made Ophelia shudder in immense pleasure as she felt her lover's teeth make contact with her skin 

"Unnn....you rascal" Ophelia said in a loving tone as she cupped her beloved's large, shapely behind and gave it a little squeeze that made the blonde empress yelp in delight 

"It seems that I have to teach you a lesson my dear" Ophelia purred as she brought her hands up from her lover's butt and to her back 

"Not if I teach you something first" Amelia fired back as both of her hands pressed down on Ophelia's large, shapely, soft, and supple breasts 

"Have at me then" The raven-haired empress stated with a ravenous smile 

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

The next day, the entire empire was in a mood of celebration. With their monarchs back in Olertin City and the Imperial Army victoriously marching through the various towns, villages and cities of the empire to the sounds of trumpets, harps and other instruments, everyone knew that the Long Southern March as it became known, was finally over and that the continent had been united under the banner of the Halkare Empire. Sure there was still that island close by to the east which was still infested by pirates who were forced to beach themselves due to Amelia's leviathans crushing any and all attempts to leave that island, but they would be dealt with soon, but that was a problem for another day for today was a day of celebration. 

The two of them were standing side by side on the balcony they had stood on when they made the announcement to being the Southern March to unite the continent. Both of them clad in their winter dresses and clothing, the sight before them was a grand mass of people cheering and shouting as they saw them, children with balloons, adults waving the flags of the empire, and other bystanders cheering them on and chanting the phrase "Imperium Nostrum Aeternum" which was the cry of the nation as their gaze swept across the sight before them. The sounds of a marching band filled the air as the Imperial Army paraded down the main street which made the large column of soldiers and officers pass the dual monarchs, and as they did, the soldiers turned their heads to them and saluted as they walked by, prompting the dual monarchs to also salute them as the soldiers passed, neither of them moving until the entire parade was finished. 

A few moments afterward, the dual monarchs looked at one another, smiling as they took a deep breath. They then turned on the monster magic crystal before them, which was connected to the speakers spread across the city and even broadcasted across the empire via the same monster magic crystal cameras in several stations nearby, broadcasting them on special magic silk white screens across the city and onto special magical televisions that were in use across the empire so that even those far south could see what was happening here. 

"To the people of the Empire. We come before you all today to announce that our dream, our mission, to unite this continent under one banner has been utterly fulfilled in every sense of the word" Amelia began as she looked at the assembled crowd 

"For a year and a half, we have prepared for this mission given to us by the Gods. For a year and a half, we marched southward and crushed every foe that dared stand in our way, and now, on this day. We have completed that mission.  A mission that we have seen to its end and have concluded with a victory so grand that it may never be repeated again" Ophelia added with a small smile 

"A victory that has been achieved because everyone did their part, from workers in the factories, to farmers in the fields" 

"To the soldiers on the battlefield and our sailors on the sea" 

"To the adventurers who had helped us chart the lands, explore dungeons, and forged ahead to meet with the people south of us"

"And the families back home who continued on with their life to keep themselves from being worried and to make themselves better" 

"You have all done your part in uniting this continent" 

"And for that, we are forever grateful" 

A small silence then filled the gap as the dual monarchs paused, watching the crowd who were looking at them, waiting for their next words with bated breath. 

"With the continent finally under our banner and its people joined together with us hand-in-hand, we can finally say that we as a nation, and as a people, are unchallenged. Not many nations can claim that they were blessed by a god, even lesser can claim both blessed them. But none of these nations can claim that both Gods selected their rulers and the people of this nation were seen as those who were deemed worthy to be brought into this stage of spectacle and into a catalyst of change in the world" The blonde empress began again 

"But you, our blessed citizens of Halkare, are those people who can claim it. So take pride in what you have helped accomplish! Take pride in knowing that you! You! Our dear citizens were a catalyst for change! For toppling tyrants and slavers! For bringing about a peace that this continent has never seen before" The raven-haired empress bellowed as she looked upon the crowd, her enthusiastic energy seeping into the crowd

A crowd which began to get a little wild as shouts and cheers of affirmation and joy filled the air as the people in the crowd were getting giddy at being praised by their monarchs, happy that they were being cast in such light. Even in the various towns, villages and cities far from the capital, the people who were watching and overhearing everything were getting more active as they were feeling the electric charge of enthusiasm in the air. 

"So stand proud! Stand high! This is the moment where you all can say that you did your part because it is true!" Amelia roared as she raised her fist into the air

"When future generations look back on this day, they will see it as the day when a continent and its hundreds of different peoples united" 

"A day where they shall see that nothing can come between those who have a shared goal in mind" 

"A day where they see, the rise of an Empire that will last for eternity. Our empire, the Halkare Empire" 

"Imperium Nostrum Aeternum!" The dual monarchs shouted 

"Our Empire Eternal!" The crowd shot back 

"Glory to the Empire!" 

"Glory to Her Majesties!" 

"Long Live Halkare! Our Empire Eternal!" 

The last phrase was shouted by everyone up and down the empire, from the youngest child who could speak to the older person in the empire who was watching everything unfold from his small home in a kitsune village. That last phase was akin to an echo and a promise from these people that regardless of what may come, they were ready to face it, and by the Gods, they were going to beat it. 

Glory to the Empire. Glory to Her Majesties. The Empire Eternal. 

A/N: AND HERE IT IS! THE END OF VOLUME 2! 

Of course, there will be some Epilogue chapters after this, and there will also be a QNA Chapter. So please, if you got questions, leave em down below for me to note down for the QNA chapter that will come by Feb 23-24. As always, I appreciate everyone who has supported, read and enjoyed this series. I love that this is also loved by others and I do hope you will continue to enjoy the future chapters when they come, but first, it is time to rewrite the first volume as that was the plan before bringing in Vol.3 which will probably occur in the latter part of this year. Lastly, if you wish to support me financially, I have a Ko-fi and it you are unable, then that is fine since I am grateful that you have struck around this series so far. Thank you everyone and I appreciate all of you. Stay safe and enjoy your day!