Chapter 22: The conquering of Fort Lanai

General Thanason moved swiftly through the ranks of his men. His towering figure, clad in immaculate armor, commanded attention like a force of nature. 

In his presence, every soldier's back straightened, their pride pulling their spines upright. There was no magic in the way he carried himself, not the kind that could be gained through mana. But his presence was palpable, undeniable, and it radiated with an aura of authority that left no room for hesitation. It was a presence gained from experience. From killing a man, again and again. 

He didn't just lead his men; he embodied the very ideals they fought for.

Every step he took was an affirmation of their cause. 

Thanason believed that if you wanted a man to die for you, you had to make sure he knew exactly why. He had to see exactly why. 

And there was no better way to impart that knowledge than by standing among them, by showing them the strength they could aspire to. 

Standing at the front of the ranks, he nodded to Commander Tahar, who was already at the head of the battalion, his stern face a picture of quiet resolve. 

"You've done well, Commander," Thanason said, his voice deep and resonant, carrying across the battalion purposefully. "These men are hardy, no doubt about it." 

Tahar saluted with practiced precision, his gaze unwavering. "Thank you, sir." 

Thanason turned, his sharp gaze sweeping across the assembled soldiers like a blade, cutting through the air. 

The men felt the weight of his gaze, and without a word, he raised his hand in a salute.

That fulfilled his second belief. If a man was willing to die for you, he damn well earnt your respect.

The entire battalion responded in kind, their voices rising in a unified roar, a wordless declaration of pride and resolve. 

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The atmosphere around him was electric, alive with anticipation as the first light of dawn cut through the horizon.

General Thanason walked briskly toward the building housing his personal squad. The air around him seemed to hum with an invisible energy, something almost palpable. 

It wasn't magic, not directly. 

But as a third-stage awakened being, his presence carried an undeniable weight, a pressure that only those who had attained such power could comprehend. Even restrained, it had an almost storm-like intensity, as though it were only a breath away from unleashing its full force. 

As he approached, Commander Scarlet emerged from the building. Her crimson hair caught the early morning light, cascading like fire, a brilliant contrast to the somber tone of the camp. 

 The veil of her disguise as Officer Mara had been discarded, and once again, she had returned to her true identity as a commander. He found it an insult to the Empire that someone of her caliber had been forced to lower herself to a 1st stage Awakened Officer due to the Empire's politics. 

"Commander," Thanason greeted with a nod. 

"General," Scarlet replied, her voice steady and sharp, as always. Her dark eyes locked onto his with the same unyielding focus that defined her. 

"Are your units ready?" Thanason inquired, his tone clipped. 

"Not entirely," Scarlet admitted, her brow furrowing slightly. "Arthur and Noah are still green. Their skills are raw. Noah at least had some sword training, but Arthur. His spear skills are purely instinctive. Which honestly, is still better than his swordsmanship skills." 

Thanason frowned slightly as he thought. 

"We'll keep them with me for any future attacks," Thanason decided. "Under my watch, they'll gain experience without putting themselves—or the men—at unnecessary risk." 

Scarlet nodded. "Yes, sir." 

By the time the sun fully rose, the battalion was ready. Rows upon rows of soldiers stood at attention, their armor gleaming under the early light, their faces set with unwavering resolve. Among them, Arthur and Noah stood out—not for their skill, but for their palpable determination. 

Arthur's wide eyes scanned the battlefield, his grip on his weapon tight, his instincts tingling with the raw anticipation of combat. Noah, his expression grim, kept his focus forward, his mind running through the strategies he'd studied. 

The shimmering yellow light of the teleporter flared to life ahead, casting long, jagged shadows across the rocky ground. 

Thanason raised his hand. "Squads 1, 3, and 4—advance!" 

Without hesitation, the soldiers surged forward, stepping into the teleportation field. Thanason followed, his massive sword of light materializing in his grasp. The familiar icy chill of teleportation washed over him, and in an instant, they were transported. 

The world solidified around them, and Thanason found himself standing at the foot of Fort Lanai. The fortress loomed before him, its towering stone walls rising between two jagged mountains like a defiant sentinel. 

The strategic importance of this fort was undeniable. Holding this position would allow the army to push deeper into the heart of the rebel territory, but taking it would be no small feat. 

"Begin the assault!" Thanason commanded. 

The ground trembled as MageKnights unleashed their devastating spells. Fire tore through the sky, scorching the earth in waves of violent orange and red. Yet, as the attacks neared, the walls of Fort Lanai began to shimmer with an ethereal blue glow. 

A forcefield. Arthur's eyes widened as the defensive barrier surged to life, wrapping around the fort like a protective cocoon. 

"It's not working," Arthur shouted above the noise. 

"It's not supposed to," Noah replied, his voice soft, as if considering something.

"Watch." 

Arthur looked at him, but there was no time to ask questions. An explosion sent a shower of rocks flying, and Arthur ducked instinctively behind his shield, narrowly avoiding a barrage of mana spells. 

Amidst the chaos, Thanason surged forward. His blade of light flared with blinding intensity, casting an otherworldly glow across the battlefield. Raising it high, he shouted one command. 

"Scatter." 

Arthur froze, his heart pounding as he watched in awe. 'What the fuck am I watching?' 

Thanason's form dissolved into thousands of shards of light, each one streaking toward the fort like a rain of stars. The forcefield shuddered and flickered violently, but Thanason wasn't aiming to destroy it. 

No. He was slipping through the cracks. 

"Did he just—?" Arthur started, but the sound of the battle drowned out his words. 

Inside the fort, Thanason materialized in an instant, surrounded by the stunned defenders. His sword pulsed with a blinding brilliance as he faced two formidable foes: Commander Ravix, a mountain of a man wielding a warhammer crackling with lightning, and Commander Elsira, a mage cloaked in swirling shadows. 

'It's good the two commanders decided to fight me. Makes it easier' he thought calmly. The fact he was surrounded had no effect on him, the soldiers around him were practically babies in his eyes. 

"So, you're the infamous General Thanason," Ravix growled, his voice deep and rumbling like thunder.

"We've heard of your tricks. But you won't leave here alive." 

Thanason tilted his head slightly, unfazed. "Surrender. I don't enjoy playing games with children." 

Elsira smirked, raising her staff as tendrils of shadow spiraled around her. "We'll see who plays with who." 

Thanason's smile widened, a cold, predatory gleam in his eyes. "How are you going to play when you can't see?" 

With that, he raised his hand, and the very light around him seemed to warp and distort.

He uttered a single word: "Refract." 

Suddenly, the world around Arthur plunged into darkness. Not the kind of dark one experiences at night, or when closing one's eyes. This was an absolute void, a crushing emptiness that swallowed all sense of direction. 

Arthur's heart pounded in his chest. He didn't know if his eyes were open or closed, only that he was running. But where? What was he running on? And where was everyone else? 

His mind screamed at him to stop, but he gritted his teeth and pushed forward. To hesitate, to falter, could mean collision. And if he stopped moving, someone—someone else—might crash into him. No. He had to keep going. 

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In the dark, Elsira's voice rang out in anger. "Coward! Face me in the light!" 

But the darkness was a prison, and there was no light. No shadows to manipulate. Just a pitch-black void where nothing existed. 

General Thanason's voice echoed from the void, deep and rumbling. "You two... if only you could see how foolish you look." 

Elsira snarled. "Ravix, use your fire!" 

Ravix's voice came from the left, tinged with frustration. "It doesn't work. There's no light here. Only darkness." 

"You are in my domain. And I don't permit light here," Thanason's voice reverberated, chilling the air. 

Suddenly, a piercing scream split the void. A masculine cry of pain. Then silence. 

Elsira's panic surged, 'Was Ravix dead...already?' 

At that moment, Thanason's voice rang out again. "You know, light is my third awakened-stage affinity. But it's my second affinity everyone should fear. Yet somehow, it gets overshadowed." 

Elsira felt a surge of raw electricity pulse through her body, the sensation so intense that it almost knocked her off her feet. Her muscles locked, and she screamed in agony as the volts surged through her.

 Elsira's vision blurred, and her body crumpled to the ground, helpless as a different darkness overwhelmed her. A final darkness. 

Though no one could see it, General Thanason smiled as he stood above the two corpses. Sometimes it felt nice to be overwhelming, to feel in control again. That was one of the hardest things he had to learn when he became General: to give up control. 

'Now then, it was time for the plan to be enacted.' 

With a sigh, he released his spell completely, allowing light to flood into the area again. 

Arthur stood agape as his sight returned, the surroundings blurring back into view. 

The first thing he realized was that he was alone—well, apart from Noah. The rest of the army was far behind them, advancing at an even pace. The second thing he realized was that General Thanason stood among a swarm of soldiers, and two dead commanders. 

And the third thing he realized was that most of the soldiers present weren't rebels. They were allies? 'But how?' 

Officer Mara appeared before him—or, Commander Scarlet, as he had to remind himself. 

"Impressive, isn't it?" 

"What is this?" Arthur asked, breathless.

"Refraction," she replied. "He can control the direction of light, distort, and bend it. From the beginning, we were nothing but a distraction. The other units who never advanced, they came after." 

"But I never saw them." 

She smiled. "That was because Refraction was already active. Because of the noise we made, no one noticed that when General Thanason used Scatter, the light came from many different sources. Then, when he entered, he killed the two enemies, using Refraction to block all light. So when he released the spell completely, our allies came back into view." 

"Why go through such a roundabout method? Why not teleport all of us?" 

"Because," she said, "he needed to make it seem like he was the only one who could enter, so no reinforcements would be called. Also, the mana barrier that kept us out now traps them in. This was all done to take over as covertly as possible, you see." 

Noah approached the mana barrier in wide-eyed wonder. The rebels' greatest defense, their mana barrier, had now become a prison, locking them into the bloodshed. 

"This entire thing," he murmured, "all of us were a distraction. What the fuck?" 

Commander Scarlet laughed. "It was funny. You see, the rest of us are familiar with the General's abilities, so we know the gist. Go back to walking, it seems I must've forgotten to tell you that." Her eyes fluttered innocently as she gazed at them. 

Arthur felt a profound surge of violence wash through him as he gazed at her. 

Still, it was not enough to overshadow his shock. The fort was theirs. 

Thanason turned to his soldiers, his voice ringing out across the battlefield. "Fort Lanai has fallen! Today, we take the first step toward crushing this rebellion!" 

A deafening cheer erupted from the soldiers, but Arthur could only stare at the general, his mind racing. Thanason's power was unlike anything he had ever seen. And for the first time, he understood why the man was both feared and revered.