Age of Heroes (Age of Heroes Chronicles)

Chapter 594: Making a difference

There might not be any scars on his body, but the experience he had its etched clearly in his mind.

The Three Kingdoms must be taken slowly. He did not possess the advantage that he possesses in the Human Continent

When he was attacking Zettel, he already had conquered a large kingdom. He had a route that he could take. The supplies were already there.

With the Fall of Vangua, he inherited its vast and bountiful lands. 

When he decides to attack Zettel, the reason is personal but at the same time it is also the only method left.

The time was ripe and he had all of the advantage the moment he conquers Vangua.

The will of the people was for the world to be united. 

The people of Arrandy had believe that they were destined to be victorious. Arial himself had decaled himself as Emperor in Arleans showing his intent to rule

From then, everything seems to have been written. 

Whatever the reason for Zettel act of assassinating his wife, it made the charge toward unifying the world even more stronger.

Arrandy could never had let such insult lay down. If they did not kill Arial wife, while Arial would still move on toward Zettel someday in the future, it would not have been as bloodied as it would be 

The entire invasion of Zettel is a sordid affair. Arial was not only doing it for his wife, he was also fulfilling the manifested destiny of his Empire

The sole Empire of Davarus just like during the era of Alexander.

Arial mobilized the army, and while it is very romantic to think that Arial march his army and destroy Zettel without so much as strategy, fighting in horseback and capturing cities after cities without stopping, the reality is quite different. 

Arial was angry. Wrathful. But he is not rash.

He knows that if he were to have his revenge, he needs to be methodical. 

And he need to win. 

The news might have portrayed to the people of the Empire like all of it was an easy battle but Zettel is not some small kingdom either 

They have less population than the kingdoms in the West but they are hardy people as most people that live in the desert would be

They too have superior arms as they also traded with Asteros and Vorthy. They have controls on most of the tribes of the desert.

When the forces of Eden and Zettel fought each other, it is not like the Zettelian did not have heroes of their won and they too did not lack talented people.

But history is always written by the winner. 

It is that way before and it is that way now. 

Nobody seems to remember the names of the heroes of Zettel other than those who participated in that particular battel.

Only the news of victory after victory was the one that was sent to the Capital. 

And the people of the Capital, some of whom who had never left the protection of the wall of the capital, they could only choose to believe the news.

But there were a lot of complication and hidden danger when he did start beginning to plan the invasion of Zettel

The same problem that Silas had raised before he tenders his resignation on the dawn of the invasion 

Arial had planned the invasion, and even established the Twelve General System to make sure his Empire forces would stretch to all four corners of the Davarus and be flexible

Everything suggested that Arial had the obvious advantage whether it be men, arms or power

And then when he does start showing designs toward Zettel, the hidden danger erupted.

He had just conquered Vangua but people sometimes forget that Vangua was not conquered easily and not all of the lords of the south acknowledge the defeat of King Harald as the defeat of Vangua itself. 

Arial not only need to pacify the regions of the southern Vangua he also has to make sure the kingdom in the North, The Tai and the Chu did not use the chaos to suddenly attack Aetherland and then strike toward Arrandy.

Venicia or as it is formerly known, the Principality of Freya itself at that time is still in chaos and in disarray. 

This is large land that Arial had won with a single battle and it is not as easy as one would think to make sure that all of these lords and influence did not rebel on him

Venicia at that time was under Harald. But Harald was defeated by Arial and as such the right of the land falls to him

But just like Vangua, the lords there found an opportunity and some of the lord's rebels. 

Of course the news did not reach the citizens but it did shock the noble lords of Arrandy.

It is then the sharpness of the Twelve Generals were unleashed upon the enemy forces of the Empire. 

Arial lead the Imperial Army and the Twelve general each lead their own army. Thirteen God of War wreak havoc upon the world, crushing all resistance.

It is probably one of the war-filled history of Eden since its establishment that will never be repeated again.

In all corners of the Empire, other than the borders of Renasia, Arial and his twelve general pacify the world.

Some of the battle that was fought during the Conquest War become stories repeated in tavern or transformed into a story in the hands of performers of entertainment troupe.

As such, the early part of the invasion was quite hard for him as he had to balance the power that is used to safeguard his Empire and the force that he had to use to invade Zettel

He plunders the cities for the supplies of his armies, blood runs rivers and mountains of corpses were formed wherever he passes in the Old Roads leading to Zettel

When the matter of the Vangua was settled and the other region was pacified, only then victory after victory was easily gained.

He sweeps through Zettel, plundering as he went. He wanted to simply destroy and sack the kingdom of Zettel

The method he employ was brutal. 

It is unlike the way he conquers the small states or Vangua and it is different in the way he handles the other kingdoms and Zettel

When he conquers Vangua, his aim was to become the lord of that kingdom. And thereby the people of that kingdom is to be subject, to be his people

Arial did not dare say that he follows all the Knight code strictly. But he does try. And a s a lord, he had boundless generosity to his people.

This is not simply an image making scheme. 

He really does care about his people. 

And when he conquered Vangua, finally winning the prize, he pardons many of the lords that submit toward him

He had mercy and he had grace.

He did not pillage the entire land of Vangua. He takes it slow. And even when rebellion does erupt he did his best to pacify it without harming the interest of the people.

There were many considerations. But no such consideration was afforded toward the Zettelian.

There was no negotiation. 

There was no discussion.

From the moment Zettel was discovered to have send an assassin to kill the Empress of Eden, that was the declaration of war.

And to Arial, this war would only end if he destroys Zettel. The death that shakes the world. 

That is the line of the opening of a performer troupe each time they tell the story of the War between Zettel and Eden

Arial had seen it once in secret. The play would begin with the death of his beloved Helia.

And the narrator would then say behind the curtain,

'Thus, the Empress dies and her death shakes the world. The Emperor summoned the world and the entire world mourns her. A great War begins!'

Arial marches his million-man army toward Zettel and raze it to the ground and become the recognized ruler of Davarus.

If not for the fact that Renasia still stands, the entire land of Davarus would be under the control of the Vermont dynasty.

There are many things that Arial had learned during the process of conquering. While he had levied a heavy punishment for Zettel, he did not intend to do so for the Shadowlands.

Amara told him, that this land is blessed. 

There were divine beings that once walk this land, holy men once prayed in this land and divine protection still has its traces here. 

And Arial knows it would take him a long time. He is worried about what will happen to his sister and his daughter

He could not recover word from the Capital of his Empire and he himself could not send word to the Empire.

He only hopes that Silas and Oliver could make sure that nothing untoward would happen to his family.  Amara had given him a divine promise. That no matter how long he would stay here, her family would be protected

Arial of course wanted to know how Amara intend to keep her word about this. And in an Amara-like fashion, she replies to him in vague like manner.

Of course, the next time Arial met her in his dream again, he would ask the same question again.

He had missed his father funeral and he is worried about his mother. 

It is quite sad. That only now, after being so far and having no way to come to them, that Arial really felt their absence.

'Not very much like me' he thought to himself.  He smirks a bit as he stopped writing on the parchment 

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