Where The Dead Ones Go Book 4 -Union-

Chapter 18

"So what you are saying is that the best outcome we can ever hope to achieve in this scenario is that we destroy Typhon's body completely, it will take him several thousands of years to recover again?"

"Yes," I replied simply to Nox which just looked down in disappointment.

The same goes for the crestfallen look on the faces of everyone who heard my conclusion.

"I am not Vivet who can make the impossible possible. I can only give realistic outcomes based on the hard facts I am given," I said rather coldly to get my point across and not get their hopes up, "I have formulated this plan based on our numbers, armaments, and weapons at our disposal versus Typhon and the immense power of destruction he wields multiplied by a factor of eight based on the precious findings Narcine has given us. We have a forty percent chance of winning if all things go according to our stratagem."

Boris sighed heavily when he heard the chances of our winning, "Just forty percent, huh? Well, I'd take any number over zero anyways. Not complaining here, nope."

"Councilor Andrade, you have to make this clear to Novus Zephyranthian soldiers. This is a suicide mission. If they don't want to lose their eternity, no one is forcing them to partake in this. I know for a fact that your eternal existence is tied to this very place. If they receive mortal wounds outside its border, they will die just like any other human."

The old man glanced at his soldiers who heard what our adviser has said and like him, they all answered with a wry smile.

"Then perhaps we have existed long enough. If not for the need of someone to look after the young ones, I would have joined you in the battle. Our soldiers are prepared to sacrifice the gift given to them by His Eminence for the cause," he said firmly as his soldiers cheered loudly, "That, and we also have a score to settle with that thing. You will not stop us from collecting our due."

Erina clapped appreciatively as she pointed at the towering thing in the middle of the simulation, "So, an all-out attack throwing everything that we have at Typhon, even the kitchen sink. This is a rather direct strategy, brutish even. But who am I kidding, you are the champion of Ares."

"No need to be stingy, Councilor Andrade, arm our troops with nothing but the best the last Golden Age can provide. All remaining tanks will be loaded to transport vessels. Surviving battleships will provide artillery bombardment around the island. We will do this all in one stroke. An absolute barrage of everything we have at his body should be just enough to grind his physical manifestation to dust."

Syden laughed devilishly as he playfully pointed at the ocean surrounding the tiny island, "His pride will be his undoing. Of all the places he can set up shop, it just has to be in this minuscule floating hunk of sand!"

"Now, now, Syden. Please do contain your excitement. That island is also the place where Mount Olympus is located. We wouldn't want the seat of power of the immortals to be destroyed along with our enemy, right?" Boris asked before looking at our thoughtful adviser, "It has been three years already and he still can't find a way to obliterate it, Ms Peregrine?"

She shook her head slowly before glancing at Erina who heaved a sigh or small relief, "Even if he wants to, he can't. Mr Paron, or Khronos has enveloped the entire mountain inside an alternate plane of reality different from where we and Typhon are existing right now. He can see it but he cannot do anything to physically affect it."

"So that's the reason why the Time Lord's aura is weaker than what one would expect from an all-powerful immortal like him," Nox said matter-of-factly that made me nod in agreement, "He is using what little power he has to deny Typhon of his coveted prize."

"And also protecting Novus Zephyranth at the same time. Truly, he is magnanimous," Councilor Andrade exclaimed thankfully with his soldiers.

"Well aside from irritable personality, addiction to Vivet, and barbaric dining etiquette, then sure, he is magnanimous."

We chuckled a little at what Syden has said before Erina raised a valid question, "Any chance my cousin-in-law will join us in our fight? Additional firepower from the last remaining deity in this depressing world will be very much welcome."

"As much as I want him to join the fight, I wouldn't want Typhon to have the chance to destroy Olympus and Novus Zephyranth if he happened upon any moments of weakness from Kairos," Zenith answered that made the daughter of Eris groan in disappointment, "If Novus Zephyranth is decimated, whatever semblance of civilization will go along with it in flames. If Mount Olympus falls, then any remaining power the deities hold over their consciousness will truly be gone. Not just their physical manifestations but their very existence will be denied."

I massaged my temple as Ms Peregrin voiced out what I am thinking as he pets Asher absentmindedly, "Other minor and primordial gods and goddesses may not like it but they know the simple fact that the collective consciousness of mankind about everything divine is centered on Mount Olympus. If it goes down, then it's not just the Olympians who will go down with it but the rest of the deities no matter how powerful they are."

"Immortals exist because mortals believe in them and everything they represent or stand for. Mount Olympus is the single entity that symbolizes mankind's devotion to deities. If it's out of the picture then even our ability to invoke the power of our parents will be gone instantly," Boris followed which made Nox even more pensive than before.

"So this is it, huh? Nothing to lose but our lives," he said quietly that made us all look in his direction, "As Syden said earlier, it is not the perfect place for him to be. Surrounded by a defiant ocean on all sides, he will not be able to summon his swarm of monsters to cover him. But the exact can be said to us. What we will bring will be all that we will ever have. No reinforcements, no defensive lines, or resupply. Preparation will be the key in this operation."

I nodded and snapped my fingers to show our points of attack, "Exactly correct, Nox. We will begin our attacks relentlessly and without pause. This time, we will be the ones on the offensive. Even if we lose our numbers, we will continue our assault in increasing intensity than the ones before it. If he unleashed his wave of devastation, I would rather charge right in and use my body as a shield for the ones behind me to let them continue the attack. Once we embarked, there will be no turning back. It's either a scant few of us will return home to tell the tale or no one will at all."

"If no one has any objections with our final plan then all of you are dismissed. Inform the soldiers under your command about what we have discussed here and give them the option to pull out of the operation because as Ms Alchimea here has said earlier, there will be no turning back. You have your orders, move out!"

Everyone except our adviser whom I requested to stay and Councilor Andrade who is now relaying the battle plan through the communications operators in the war room are left.

"I need to look my best if I am going to meet Typhon tomorrow. If you have to say something, say it fast. I need my beauty sleep, Ms Alchimea," she said impatiently so I decided to quickly cash in on the time she had graciously given to me.

I took a deep breath and nodded, "How did you find your way through not just one but two Falls? How can carry all the pain and sadness in your heart, Ms Peregrine?"

"Carry? No, Ms Alchimea, I don't carry any feelings of sadness or pain in my heart. That will be too heavy for me to bear," she answered truthfully and frankly, "All the feelings of regret, grief, hopelessness, and suffering, I let it all wash over my very being."

"Ms Peregrine..."

She glanced at the councilor who nodded at her, "Unlike him and the rest of Novus Zephyranthians, I can't just sit idly and wait for the deliverance of any gods or goddesses, no offense, Councilor Andrade."

"As I have said a couple of millennia ago, none was taken, Lina. Your path is different than ours, yet as you can see, we can still see each other eye to eye even if we tread a different road towards the same goal."

My adviser nodded respectfully before looking back at me, "I want to be stronger, Ms Alchimea. Back then when Mr Pavonious ordered me to make myself scarce with nothing but a bag of gummy worms and the clothes on my back, I ran away as far as I can. Even on foot if necessary until I reached Novus Zephyranth," she seriously retells the truth about what happened after we saw her when we were blasted back to the past, "I was very much like you as if bearing all the pain of the world to the point that I stayed catatonic and unresponsive for hundreds of years from all the things that I never got the chance to do, the people I never managed to save and survivor's guilt. Well, that's until my mother appeared before me and demand that I stop acting like a resentful and gloomy old lady."

I blinked at her in surprise but she just nods matter-of-factly.

"The goddess of youth berating her demiurge daughter for acting like a forlorn old lady. She told me that if I want to live to fulfill my promise to Mr Pavonious, I should use the painful feelings that I am experiencing to wash away the hate and anger from my very being," she then smiled proudly and raised her young head up high, "And things started to change when I did what she said. All for the better. You know, Ms Alchimea, the common problem for mortals is that they see problems as burdens. But in reality, it can be used as something to make ourselves stronger. Even though more than half of the students I was supposed to protect are gone, I refuse to mourn for them. Mourning can be done later, what I must do is to make sure that their sacrifices will not be in vain."

I took a deep breath and touched my heart, "So you never gave up, even once, in your life?"

"Are you even listening, Ms Alchimea?! I have given up so many times for so long, the only thing keeping me alive back then was my demiurge powers automatically healing me from any self damages and suicidal actions I took against my body," she said matter of factly that made me gasp in surprise, "It's okay to give up. It's not a sign of weakness but a sign of you accepting the fact that you cannot do something anymore. Does it mean that it's over once you gave up? Well, I guess me standing here and sermonising you is the answer to that question."

And with, she left me speechless to get her beauty sleep.

-0-

"Six million strong soldiers, one hundred twenty airships, two hundred forty fighter jets, and bombers, four hundred tanks, and three hundred sixty battleships all accounted for!"

I looked at the horizon and saw the entire fleet of the Alliance Forces preparing to launch at my command when Boris reported to me the status of our armada.

"Such numbers, but even still, this is barely enough," I answered as I motioned him to follow me towards the Elysian, "How many hours before the start of our mission?"

"Less than three hours, Gala."

"So this is it, huh?" I asked nonchalantly that surprised him, "What? This is really it, right? Are you sure you are willing to join this one way trip to the great beyond?"

He then laughed out loud that showcased his boyishly good looks, "Do you even have to ask that? My sisters made me promise to assist in any way I can to make sure Vivet's plans will be executed perfectly. Erina's fiance, cousin, and their beloveds are the same. That and they all made a vow of allegiance to her so you can't make us waste this chance to make our loved ones proud of us, Gala."

"What is wrong with you, Gala? You look a lot like dear Vivet before I whipped her literally to shape! Your face is full of indecisiveness and insecurity, I honestly think that it should be you who have to stay behind. Clearly, you are not emotionally ready for this."

I shook my head as I try to get my head in the game, "No. I must do this. Vivet wants me to end this and I will. Even if it's only half-baked, it's better than not doing anything at all and watch everything be destroyed without batting an eyelash."

"As I always say to my dear cousin, there is a time for indecisiveness and Gala, it is not now. We are looking at you to make sure that our sacrifices will not be in vain. Even if this is just a temporary solution, I would rather have this than let this dying world rot away."

Boris nodded as they escorted me towards the Elysian where Asher, Syden, Nox, and Zenith are all waiting for me.

"You have taken us out of despair and helplessness and have given us an honorable place to meet our ends, for that, we are thankful..."

He and Erina flew away to join the fleet preparing for departure.

I still don't know what you mean, Narcene and Kairos.

But I do know one thing, I will end this my way.