"Let the second and final meeting to bring down Empress Babadar begin!"
The four commander members sit at the table again. After a moment of silence, Shizu begins the meeting. He opens a map showing the city's geography and the slums.
— "Alright. To begin, we'll start our attack by luring the 2nd and 1st commanders toward the slums with a group of 150 soldiers. After that distraction, we'll launch an assault on the walls, intercepting the archers and mages above. Then, we'll attack with 150 men on each of the castle's three sides: front, east, and west! That's when our aerial troops will shine! They'll descend from the skies and strike in the middle of the enemy soldiers, increasing our chances of victory! Anin and I will go straight to Babadar to defeat her!"
Carlius adds:
— "The plan is great, but there's one problem: you're underestimating Babadar, planning to face her alone with Anin!"
Shizu turns to Carlius and responds:
— "That's not a problem. I've already considered that and taken precautions."
— "Precautions?" — asks Anin, confused.
Shizu replies:
— "Yes. I imagine she's extremely powerful, so I had the idea of poisoning her before the battle."
— "And how do you plan to do that?" — asks the head of Facçar.
Shizu looks at her and says:
— "How? I didn't just plan it… I already did it. While buying herbs, I found a cook from the Empire purchasing ingredients. I talked to her, and after a long conversation, I managed to bring her to our side."
— "So... tomorrow night, she'll be poisoned before the battle?" — the leader asks.
— "Exactly," — Shizu replies.
At the back of the room, a soldier asks:
— "And the troops that will distract the two commanders? How long exactly do we need to hold them?"
Shizu turns to him and replies:
— "You need to hold them as long as possible. Our victory depends entirely on you!"
Anistina looks at the soldier and adds:
— "The 150 men who'll face the commanders were specifically trained for this. Even though they're incredibly strong, they won't win easily."
— "Shizu and I will face the Empress. Anistina will lead Group A, attacking from the front. Carlius will attack from the left with Group B. We need someone to lead Group C," — says Anin, analyzing the map.
Anistina points to the back of the room:
— "That is Sopphi Winak. She will lead Group C and the aerial strike. She's reliable and my second strongest warrior."
Winak salutes, placing her hand on her forehead:
— "I'm honored, captain."
Shizu asks:
— "And what about the distraction troops?"
Carlius stands up and points to someone beside him:
— "This is Guilher Nisahi, the third strongest here. He'll lead the bait team, along with Walina and Phisil."
— "Alright. With that, we're all set for tomorrow's attack, right?" — Shizu asks. Everyone at the table nods.
— "Then, prepare yourselves!"
— "HEEEEEEEE!"
— "YEEESSSSSS!"
— "We'll definitely win!!!"
Everyone shouts confidently. But suddenly, Shizu feels a strange sensation...
"What is this strange feeling...?"
While everyone celebrates, a small shadow slips out of the room. In the castle, someone opens the throne room doors and walks toward Babadar. She looks at the figure and says with a smile:
— "So... what did you find out?... my little one…"
It was 10:20 PM. The cicadas sang, and the wind blew. Shizu walked through the night beside Anin.
— "Tomorrow is the big day..." — he says.
— "Yes," — replies Anin.
She looks at him and asks:
— "After it's all over... what are you going to do?"
Looking at the stars, he responds with the breeze on his face:
— "I'm going to leave this place, go to another city... travel the world and discover why I ended up here…"
Anin stares at him with sadness.
— "I thought you'd stay here…"
— "I'd like to… but I can't. If I stay, I'll never find out why I was called here. Why don't you come with me?"
Anin lowers her gaze.
— "My brother... it would be dangerous. Out there, even a low-level goblin can take out 5 to 10 humans. I couldn't fight freely with him around…"
— "I see…" — says Shizu, looking down.
As he was about to say something else, an explosion shakes the slum. The houses tremble, dust fills the air, and a scream echoes:
— "ENEMY ATTAAAAAACK!!!"
The Empress's guards invade the hideouts, killing the wounded and unarmed. Anin panics:
— "It's a surprise attack!! How did they find our location?!"
— "Damn it, they're going to kill everyone!" — shouts Shizu.
Anin falls to her knees, crying.
— "I'm sorry! I failed…"
— "It's not your fault! Let's head straight to Babadar! She must already be under the effects of the poison!"
The two run toward the castle. As they approach, they're surrounded by guards.
— "Damn it, we're surrounded!" — says Shizu.
— "Stop, traitor commander! Drop your weapons now!"
Anistina appears with a small group:
— "Attack! Get them inside the castle!"
— "YESSS!"
While the allies fight the guards, Shizu and Anin push forward. Inside the castle, they find a large portal.
— "This is it!" — says Anin.
As they enter, they see Babadar sitting on the throne, wearing golden armor and holding a double-headed warhammer. Her purple hair floats as she descends the steps.
— "We finally meet, little leader... I was eager for this. I sped things up so I could see you sooner."
Shizu glares at her and says:
— "This is the day you fall, Empress!"
But when he looks to the side, he sees the maid who made the deadly deal lying on the floor, with a wine glass spilled beside her.
An evil laugh echoes:
— "Hmm hmm hmm… HAHAHAHA! That idiot tried to poison me… can you believe it? But thanks to a certain little piece of info, I stopped it in time. Now tell me... was it you who sent her?"
Shizu panics. Babadar didn't drink the poison.
— "Anin! We have to get out of here!"
— "What—?!"
In an instant, Babadar vanishes. She appears before them with absurd speed. She spins her warhammer and smashes Anin with overwhelming force. Anin is launched into the ceiling and crashes down, cracking the walls. Shizu panics. He tries to react, but is grabbed by the neck.
— "So? Who's falling now? How does it feel to be so pathetic that you can't do anything?" — Babadar mocks, lifting him.
— "Aghhh... b-bitch…"
She smiles, throws him in the air and strikes him with the warhammer. Shizu is launched straight into the throne. He can't move. His bones are crushed.
Babadar grabs him again by the neck and drags him to the window.
— "Look! This is what happens to traitors!" — she says, showing the slum being destroyed, the revolutionaries massacred.
— "I... won."
Four hours pass. All the revolutionaries are dead. The Facçar leader, Carlius, and the strongest allies, have also fallen.
In the central plaza, a cross. Babadar gives a speech:
— "Behold! This is what happens when you dare defy me! These traitors were crushed! Including their leader!"
There is Shizu, nailed to the cross, in his final moments. He stares at the Empress's eyes and smile.
"I... won."
Suddenly, a sound.
Shizu slams his hands on the table and rises, panting.
— "I-IMPOSSIBLE!"