The Northland army hit the Southland lines like a wave hitting rock that wasn't actually rock at all.
Southland soldiers stared, weapons shaking in their hands. The enemy didn't move like men. Black armor, too fast, too precise, every motion economical in a way that made skin crawl.
"How are we supposed to fight them?" one muttered, grip white-knuckled on his weapon.
Another pointed up. "Look! What's that?"
Red light. Streaking down. Growing. The soldiers froze, watching death arrive in real time, the air around the light burning hotter with every second.
Then it hit.
The world split open. Fire, debris, bodies, all of it thrown skyward at once. What had been a fortified base became a smoking crater in less time than it took to scream.
On the ridge, Seiryn watched with something close to admiration. "Good hit," she said softly, like she was praising a painting.
Kairoth's jaw worked. He held his sword tightly. "One more of those, and we'll have nothing left to conquer."
"Ashelia doesn't do things halfway, Kairoth. You know that." She took a sip from her flask, unbothered.
Down below, the Southland troops scrambled. Some had been erased outright. Others, thrown clear, tried to drag themselves up, ears ringing, vision swimming.
"Retreat!" someone screamed.
Too late. The Northland army was already on them, and there was nowhere left to retreat to.
Ashelia stood on her hill, eyes cold, already summoning the next javelin. Raised it. Ready.
The Southland was losing, and everyone on that field knew it.
Then Seiryn grinned.
No warning. She summoned another javelin, hurled it with a speed that didn't seem fair, and it found the retreating Southland forces dead center.
The explosion threw debris and screaming soldiers in every direction.
Kairoth spun on her, fury cracking through his composure. "What have you done?" His voice cut through the smoke. "I ordered you to stop!"
Before Seiryn could answer, Ashelia stepped between them. Calm. Cold. She laid a hand on Kairoth's shoulder, and there was nothing warm in the touch at all.
"The emperor didn't command mercy," she said, smooth as glass. "He knows what we are doing. He understands what's necessary to end this quickly."
His fists clenched, knuckles white. "This isn't about ending it quickly—this is mindless destruction!"
Her mouth curved, almost amused. "Mindless destruction is often the most effective way to crush the enemy's spirit." She glanced at the carnage below without flinching. "They'll fear us now. That's what the emperor wants, isn't it?"
Seiryn leaned on her spear. "And besides, no one said anything about showing mercy."
Kairoth looked between them. Disgust settling cold in his chest. "This war will be the emperor's downfall if this is how we fight it."
"Perhaps." Ashelia tilted her head, eyes glinting. "But for now, we follow orders. And the emperor's orders are clear."
He turned away. There was nothing left to say. Somewhere in his mind he was already searching for another way, a way that didn't end in fields like the one below him.