In the rear mountains, within an exquisitely built pavilion, a middle-aged woman of serene elegance sat quietly, her calm presence blending perfectly with the tranquil scenery around her.

A dozen beautiful young women stood outside the pavilion, silent and composed.

Inside, Maria—the woman who had once crossed weapons with Overthunder, wielding her long whisk broom—was reporting on the situation at Horn Mountain.

"You fought them personally," the middle-aged woman asked softly, "how strong do you think those soldiers are?"

"Their defensive formations are strange," Maria replied after a pause. "I attacked several times and still couldn't completely break through. Those black-armored warriors could summon thunder like divine punishment itself—their power is terrifying. And those spectral entities… they're difficult to capture, even when you can sense them. Overall, they pose a tremendous threat."

Her expression was grim.

"If even you say so," the woman murmured, "then they truly have the ability to slay a Peak Master Rank."

Maria did not refute her. Facing that kind of army, even she—though confident she could kill many—could not guarantee she would come out unscathed.

"Take Sentino with you," the middle-aged woman said after a moment of silence.

Maria's eyes widened slightly. She knew full well how powerful Sentino was. After a brief pause, she nodded in understanding.

In the capital of Revor Province, Rand had secured control of the provincial capital itself—but the rest of the province's towns were still beyond his grasp.

This was a land cultivated by Grand Duke Sentino for years; the local officials showed no respect for the Empire, and countless entrenched factions held sway.

What was worse, several scholars from Hyrule War Academy had been spreading vicious slander, publishing inflammatory pamphlets that insulted Emperor Aurek and sowed discontent among the populace.

"These fools' pens and tongues," Rand thought bitterly, "are more dangerous than any army's blades."

Nor was this problem limited to Revor Province; the neighboring provinces were much the same. Grand Duke Sentino did nothing to suppress it—in fact, he secretly supported them.

Although Hyrule War Academy's headmaster, Rhys, had fled, he hadn't given up his campaign against the Empire.

In response, Rand drafted a detailed report and sent it to Eryndor City for Aurek's review.

The situation around him was tangled and dangerous, yet Rand showed no fear.

He had been prepared for the worst before he ever came here.

If need be, he would forge his flesh and blood into the very walls that defended the Empire.

Still, the arrival of over a thousand Imperial Elite Warriors had bolstered his morale.

And just when he thought reinforcements had stopped, more troops began arriving over the following days.

Every one of them exuded an aura of destruction—Doomsday Warriors, through and through.

At first, Rand had been shocked. But as the numbers grew, he became almost numb.

All of these soldiers were being discreetly deployed to Horn Mountain.

To prevent enemy spies from noticing, Rand arranged for the later-arriving troops to enter the mountains in silence.

At the same time, he issued an order to seize Horn Dragon Fortress and turn it into a logistical hub for the Energy Stone mine.

Local civilians were to be conscripted immediately to begin mining preparations.

At Horn Mountain, Wak stood dumbfounded as endless columns of soldiers poured in.

At first, he had thought this was a normal round of reinforcements. But then—every day—another thousand arrived. And every single one of them was Master Rank.

Thousands… tens of thousands of Master Rank soldiers?!

Was this some kind of joke?

"This… this can't possibly be the same fading Empire I knew," he whispered, his heart pounding wildly.

His entire understanding of the world was beginning to crumble.

He had once worried that the various forces of the Anubichi Mountain Range might pose a threat—but now…

He looked around. Everywhere he turned, the soldiers' bodies radiated the overwhelming presence of Master Rank power.

"With this kind of force… who would dare challenge us?" he muttered in disbelief.

Overthunder stood on the mountain peak, the Chaos Warhammer resting against his shoulder, his gaze sweeping across the vast landscape below. His towering figure exuded the calm dominance of a war god.

Far away, deep within the Anubichi Mountain Range, two radiant figures stood atop a snow-covered summit.

Their eyes pierced through the clouds, fixed upon the direction of Horn Mountain.

A blinding divine light flickered in their eyes as waves of Peak Master Rank mind power extended outward, invisible tendrils of perception that reached across the mountain ranges and directly into the depths of Horn Mountain.

These two were none other than the Morningstar Order's Peak Master Rank elders—Chiler and Tuth.

"What are the attitudes of the other factions?" Chiler asked coldly.

Behind them, several Master Rank Level 9 elders stood respectfully.

One of them stepped forward and bowed. "Elder Chiler, Monden Shrine's stance is cautious. They're only willing to send two half-step Peak Master Ranks and twenty Master Rank experts. They refuse to dispatch any true Peak Masters."

"Hmph," Chiler sneered. "They're being cautious—but I can understand that."

For an Eighth-Tier Organization, every bit of foundation was hard-won.

They all aimed to accumulate enough strength to ascend to Ninth-Tier status, where the difference in authority and resources would be vast.

None of them were willing to take losses lightly.

"But Violet Rose Institute," another elder interjected, "they're willing to send a Peak Master Rank—but they're demanding forty percent of the Energy Stone mine's profits."

Chiler's smile turned cold. "Gades, that old fox. Always scheming for the biggest share."

"Still," he admitted, "with a few thousand soldiers capable of fighting Peak Masters, it won't be easy—but with several of us joining forces, we can crush them."

"There's risk, but not enough to be fatal. That old bastard just wants easy profit," he scoffed.

Tuth spoke calmly beside him. "Then let him have part of Monden Shrine's share. His participation alone shows Violet Rose's attitude. If Gades moves, that means the Institute itself is stepping in."

Chiler nodded. "With the two of us and that old fox, it'll be enough. Notify Gades—if he wants a piece of the mine, he'd better move before Skypeak Tower's people arrive."

He paused briefly, then added, "And tell him this: Skypeak Tower's envoys are already on the way. If he still wants a share of the profits, he'd better stop dawdling."

At Horn Mountain, preparations for mining the Energy Stone veins were underway. Horn Dragon Fortress had been seized, and the conscription of local residents had begun.

Overthunder turned to Wak. "You're familiar with the factions in Anubichi Mountain Range?"

Wak hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "I'm from Revor Province. I've lived among those forces before—I know a fair bit about them."

Overthunder's gaze turned toward him, sharp as steel. "And what's your connection to Violet Rose Institute?"

The subtle glances exchanged among Violet Rose members earlier hadn't escaped Overthunder's notice.

Wak took a deep breath. "To be honest, I was once a student of Violet Rose Institute. But I severed ties long ago—over… certain matters."

"I'm not interested in your personal history," Overthunder interrupted coldly. "I'm only asking—how many soldiers would it take for you to flatten the Violet Rose Institute?"

"…What?" Wak's eyes widened, staring at him in disbelief.

Was this just a question—or a test?

"In the Empire's territory," Overthunder said, his tone like thunder rolling across the mountains, "any power that threatens the Empire must be eradicated. No matter the time, no matter the place."

"No matter how powerful they are."

Wak's heart trembled violently.

"His Majesty… means to destroy every non-imperial force in the entire Anubichi Mountain Range?"

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