With Alex giving out the orders, the Royal Knights mobilized for battle.
Messengers jumped onto the backs of their fast horses and shot straight to the borders of the Kingdom of Faelarun, informing the generals of their King's order for half of their forces to march back to the capital.
The reason? He was preparing to fight against invaders.
Of course, the general would think that if the King was preparing to fight against invaders, then bolstering the defenders on the borders would be a better option.
However, Alex had already anticipated this scenario, so he told the messengers to pass on another message.
"The King has received urgent information from a reliable source—the new Demon Lord is planning to directly teleport his army en masse near the capital city of Faelarun!"
Though to ensure that they would think that their plan wasn't leaked, there should still be people guarding the borders.
With this plan, Alex believed that he would acquire tens of thousands of Elven Soldiers, all of whom would ride back to the capital in haste.
Two days later, the first batch of soldiers arrived in the city and were immediately briefed on the upcoming battle.
"One of the Demon Lord's Generals is amassing a great ant army in the south," Alex told two of the commanders who had arrived at the city first. "We cannot allow him to build his army. So rest for today, as tomorrow, we ride to battle!"
""Yes, Your Majesty!""
The two commanders, who led over ten thousand soldiers combined, replied in unison.
More soldiers would arrive in the next few days, but Alex could no longer wait for them.
Instead, Chuck and Astrea would command them to stay and protect the city while Alex and his team were away.
Protecting the capital city wouldn't sound out of place, especially since the Demon Army hated the elves more than they hated the other races on the continent.
After all, it was King Aetherion who killed the former Demon Lord and stopped their advance toward the human kingdoms.
Alex had no idea when Reverse Vaan would complete whatever mission that had been assigned to him.
At least, even if by any chance Reverse Alex and his cohorts managed to cross over to Hy-Brasil while he was fighting against Charles, his friends now wouldn't be left undefended.
Nessia was now feeling better and was eager to ride south to save her lover.
She had already been briefed on the details of the meetings she missed and agreed with the plan that her friends had decided to execute.
In fact, her desperation to save Charles hindered her from properly thinking of ways to do something.
So, when she heard that her friends proposed that Alex use the elven army to help them overcome their enemies, she thought that they might now stand a chance against the invaders from Reverse Arcana.
On the night before Alex left to head to battle, Lapiz and Latifa went to sleep with him for the night.
After their lovemaking, Alex held the two sleeping ladies in his arms while trying to recall everything he knew about Reverse Arcana.
'In the game, the protagonists would encounter Reverse Arcana in their second years,' Alex thought. 'But now, they came way earlier than expected.'
Alex understood that this was due to his existence, which created a butterfly effect.
Yet, as he recalled everything he knew about Reverse Arcana, a few key pieces of information also began to appear in his mind.
'Wait… Charles doesn't have a reverse counterpart.' Alex's eyes widened in shock after realizing this revelation.
In the original storyline, Charles had died. Because of this, he couldn't possibly have a counterpart.
Then what about Reverse Alex?
Actually, Reverse Alex also existed in the game!
However, in the original story, he was wearing a red mask and only went by the name "Avenger".
At least, from what he had seen, the powers he possessed and the sword he wielded were the same as that of the Avenger in the game.
And since Reverse Arcana was the complete opposite of Arcana, Prince Aetherius didn't die.
He survived!
He then went on to destroy the Aetherion Empire, razing it to the ground.
"It all makes sense now," Alex muttered. "Now I understand!"
His hold on his lovers suddenly tightened, almost waking them up from their slumber.
Fortunately, they didn't wake up, making Alex sigh in relief.
The young man now knew the key to gaining the upper hand against Reverse Alex and his gang.
However, to succeed, they must first defeat Charles in battle.
Nessia's lover would give them an edge against their rivals. But before that, Alex must first find a way to free Charles from his Synchronization Rate!
Then and only then would they be able to get a chance at survival.
The following morning, Alex bade those who would remain in the castle goodbye.
He then looked at the courtyard where thousands of soldiers stood, all ready for battle.
Banners bearing the crest of the Aetherion Empire fluttered proudly in the cold morning wind.
Seeing them gave Alex and his friends the assurance that they weren't fighting their battle alone.
Alex stood before the assembled army and placed his hands behind his back. At that moment, the Synchronization Rate took hold of him.
"My brave soldiers," Alex said calmly. "Today, we march south to face the Demon Lord's General."
His gaze swept across the soldiers, who were paying close attention to every word he was saying.
"Many of you already know his name," Alex declared. "He is none other than my older brother, Ganelon. The same one that left our kingdom and joined the ranks of the Demon Lord."
The soldiers all reacted differently to these words. Some bit their lips, others clenched their fists, while others lowered their heads in shame after remembering the prince who had betrayed them.
The name of the person who almost became the Elven King carried tremendous weight.
Ganelon.
The older brother of King Aetherion.
The greatest traitor in the history of the Aetherion Empire.
The man who abandoned his people and pledged loyalty to the Demon Lord just because he lost the battle of succession to his younger brother.
"He commands an army unlike anything we have faced before," Alex continued. "A legion of monsters that grows larger with every passing hour. That is why we cannot wait. We must stop him before that army becomes too powerful for anyone to overcome."
The soldiers listened in complete silence.
Alex then unsheathed his holy sword from its scabbard and raised it high, catching the first rays of the morning sun, reflecting its light upon the world.
"But before we leave..." Alex stated. "I have only one order for all of you."
The soldiers eyed their King, ready to obey his order without fail.
Yet, the order he gave wasn't the order they were expecting. He thought that they would order them to do whatever it took to complete their mission.
Because of that, Alex's next words took them by surprise.
"I want every single one of you to come home alive," Alex said calmly. "All of you are the proud warriors of Faelarun. Sons of the great elves that protected the world during the ancient era.
"We have bled, we have died, and we have sacrificed a lot to protect the world and protect our race from annihilation. So, every one of you is precious. We ride into battle. But we do not ride to die. We ride to become victorious!"
The sword hummed, reacting to its owner's sincere declaration.
And that ripple of power washed over the soldiers, who all looked at their King with the kind of respect and admiration that would make them stake their lives, as long as it meant that it would bring glory to their kingdom and their King.
—------