Chapter 985: Inevitable

The war sister immediately rose and saluted when she saw Philip enter. He waved her off, signaling that no formalities were necessary. The slight movement seemed to rouse Andesha from her daze. She turned her head, her gaze settling on Philip.

She struggled slightly, as if trying to sit up, but the fully armored war sister gently pressed her back down.

“Stay still—your injuries are far worse than you realize.”

“It’s best to follow medical advice right now,” Philip said as he approached the soft bed, lowering his gaze to Andesha. Then, pulling over a nearby chair, he sat down. “I didn’t expect to meet under these circumstances.”

“Neither did I…” Andesha’s face was pale, but her voice was clearer and stronger than when she first woke. The treatments she’d received—whether from her own men’s emergency care or the war sister’s dozens of healing spells wielded through a ‘war hammer’—had clearly taken effect. “It’s embarrassing to have you see me like this.”

“Let’s not dwell on that,” Philip waved his hand dismissively. “Let’s talk about the current situation. The War God’s Church in Typhon has gone awry. The faith corruption caused your troops to lose control. We already knew that, but it seems the reality might differ from our initial assessment. I want to hear your side.”

Andesha opened her mouth, looking at Philip’s youthful face—almost as young as hers—but behind it, she saw an empire armed to the teeth. She took a slow breath and suddenly realized… she hadn’t left the battlefield.

She gathered her thoughts like donning armor, then spoke carefully: “You’re right. A kind of spiritual ‘plague’ is spreading among our soldiers, even some officers have been affected. The Iron River Knights were victims of this mental contagion. But the spread is still limited—not all Typhon soldiers are followers of the War God.”

Philip met her gaze and, after a moment, said gravely, “It seems you have your own judgment on this divine disaster. But did you know we received a declaration of war from Aldern, directly from the Obsidian Palace?”

He paused, then continued, “That’s a very bad sign—whether the declaration is genuine or not, the situation is grim. If it’s real, it means our enemy isn’t just the rogue gods, but your emperor himself. If it’s fake… then things are even worse for you.”

After he finished, Andesha spoke softly: “…Yes, I know. I only learned recently.”

A faint, self-mocking smile crossed her lips. “As a frontline commander of Typhon, I was the last to know that our two nations were at war. Isn’t that ironic?”

Philip thought for a moment, then nodded. “So the declaration is indeed suspicious. That means the ‘divine disaster’ inside Typhon is even more troubling, right?”

Andesha shook her head. “No, I don’t believe the ‘divine disaster’ you mentioned has completely spiraled out of control. The situation isn’t as hopeless as you imagine…”

“I need more convincing evidence or reasons,” Philip interrupted. “From what we’ve just learned, Winterwolf Fortress has been cut off for days. Soldiers corrupted by the War God severed all communication inside and outside the fortress. Under these conditions, your assessment of Typhon’s situation lacks credibility.”

Andesha fixed her remaining eye on Philip’s face, her tone firm. “I admit the first part is true, but I still have a voice in this matter.

“Indeed, that declaration is disturbing. The original document did come from the Obsidian Palace, but that doesn’t prove the entire Typhon military system is ‘infected.’ In fact… though I hate to admit it, our communication system revealed serious flaws in this crisis.

“I don’t know if you’re familiar with Typhon’s network of communication towers. While most message relays are handled automatically by magical mechanisms, some critical nodes require human intervention. I’ve studied the entire process and found major vulnerabilities. So if those key points are compromised—even if only a few personnel are ‘mentally infected’—things can spiral out of control.”

She added, “Of course, we have strict monitoring and disciplinary measures for those critical points, but when it comes to spiritual corruption, material punishments or even death threats are useless—madmen don’t care about anything.”

Philip nodded slowly. “That’s a convincing explanation.”

Enduring the constant ringing in her ears and the pain throughout her body, Andesha took a deep breath and continued, “Also, I don’t think this ‘plague’ can so easily overturn Typhon’s order. Though the War God’s faith is widespread, we’re not just warriors and knights. Typhon has large numbers of battle mages and several elite regiments loyal solely to the royal family. I believe these units remain unaffected—and they’ve surely been mobilized to handle this chaos.

“Empress Rosetta has been consciously controlling the War God’s Church for many years, even before several previous emperors. Those royal loyalist knightly orders, who reject any sectarian baptism, are the result of these efforts…

“Moreover, before things worsened, we were already taking action—Typhon wasn’t idle. We isolated suspicious clerics and rotated nobles and knights too closely tied to the church. We underestimated the power of divine corruption, which led to this crisis, but it shows Aldern was prepared…

“Not all soldiers are like those at Winterwolf Fortress, so that fortress’s situation doesn’t represent all of Typhon. By my judgment, at least in the southern, western, and most of the central and northern regions, the situation is still under control.

“Finally… this may be subjective, but I believe Empress Rosetta is doing everything she can to maintain order. Aldern will respond effectively. This ‘war’ benefits neither side—it’s a frenzy of fanatics and corruption. I know the situation is dire, but afterward, we must find a way to regain control. That will require cooperation between us…”

Philip listened quietly to every word until she finished. Then he relaxed his furrowed brow, returning from deep thought to reality. After a brief pause, he broke the silence: “I can feel your honesty.”

“We are not enemies now,” Andesha said calmly. “I once heard your emperor often say: ‘In the face of apocalypse, all mortal fates are intertwined.’ I used to doubt and misunderstand that, but now… I see it’s true.”

Philip looked at the young wolf general with some surprise. Gradually, a trace of admiration appeared on his face. He nodded solemnly. “Such a change isn’t easy. I think I need to reevaluate you, Miss Andesha Wendel.”

He stood, straightened his coat, and lowered his head seriously. “What you’ve told me today is crucial. I will report it in full to the High Council. Hopefully, this intelligence will guide everyone toward a better future. For now, rest and recover. We will treat all prisoners well.”

Andesha seemed about to say more but simply opened her mouth, then let it go, closing her eyes.

The war sister stood and saluted Philip.

“Sister, what’s your name?” Philip asked casually.

“You may call me Marian,” the young blonde war sister smiled. “I serve in the Seventh Company of the Iron Faith Battalion, under the Grant Pontiff’s orders.”

“Good, Sister Marian—Andesha is in your care,” Philip nodded. “We’ll arrange to transfer her to better facilities soon, but until then, ensure her safety and health. She’s very important to us.”

“By the Light, General,” Marian said solemnly. “I will not fail my mission!”

…

After leaving the room, Philip’s young adjutant couldn’t help but ask, “General, do you trust what that Typhon woman said?”

Philip replied offhandedly, “I’m willing to believe about eighty percent. The remaining twenty percent—I distrust half out of caution, and half because even that ‘wolf general’ might not know the whole truth.”

The adjutant pondered. “Then it seems we must reassess Typhon’s situation.”

“The clever minds in the High Council will consider it carefully,” Philip said. “As for me… I’m just glad we took the fortress decisively in the shortest time. Now we hold the initiative and have minimized potential losses. What happens next depends on the Council’s judgment and what that ‘Empress Rosetta’ can do… If Typhon ultimately can’t contain this fire, the War God’s corruption will become a divine disaster like the Crystal Cluster. Then this war…”

Philip shook his head, leaving the rest unsaid. The adjutant already envisioned the inevitable.

Wars controlled by humans still hold hope of ending, no matter how difficult. But wars controlled by gods—especially ‘mad gods’—once unleashed, the initiative rarely stays with mortals.

Mad gods won’t accept ceasefires or care how many sane people seek peace. They will endlessly operate under their own insane rules, attacking and destroying relentlessly. Even if mortal faith collapses and civilization crumbles, as long as the mad god’s power remains, it will never stop.

Therefore, the Cecil Empire had to capture Winterwolf Fortress and fully control this ‘gateway to Typhon.’ If the fire must burn, at least it can’t burn on Cecil soil.

Philip sighed softly.

Whether this war was caused by divine disaster or Typhon’s genuine desire for conflict, Winterwolf Fortress had to fall. That was decided from the start. And that young wolf general… was destined to be the war’s first casualty.

The key now was whether Typhon could contain the divine disaster—or at least limit its spread.

Lost in thought, he finally murmured, “What a pity… the one out of control is the War God.”

The adjutant blinked, then understood the meaning behind the general’s words. He gave a bitter smile. “Yes, the War God—the god of war.”

“Now, we wait for the High Council’s decision,” Philip shook his head, clearing his chaotic thoughts. “We prepare here. Typhon’s counterattack… will come soon.”

…

Battle reports from the front arrived at Hetty’s desk.

Two arcane network terminals hummed on either side, projecting the images of Victoria and Bertram, the two Grant Magistrates.

“The Winter Wolf Legion surrendered as an entire unit. After a preliminary inspection, it turns out that more than half of their knights and soldiers, as well as all their mages, were actually not ‘corrupted.’ And the ‘Wolf General’ who surrendered voluntarily has shared a lot of crucial information with us,” Hetty said, having finished reading the battle report. Her gaze swept over the other two High Consuls. “What are your thoughts?”

“Clearly, the reason that ‘Wolf General’ surrendered—besides wanting to save his own troops—was to provide us with this intelligence,” Duke Bertram was the first to speak. “It seems the situation is somewhat better than we initially feared. That divine catastrophe on the Holy Spirit Plains didn’t repeat itself in Typhon…”

“But the danger level hasn’t really changed much,” Victoria said coldly. “There are fatal flaws in the key communication systems. Corruption has spread among mid- to high-ranking personnel. The Emperor’s orders have been intercepted and tampered with. Frontline commanders have been completely blinded… The performance of the Typhon forces is deeply disappointing. In my view, they’re barely any better off than if they’d been fully overrun.”

“There’s still a difference, Victoria,” Duke Bertram said with a reluctant smile. “That difference determines whether we send more bombs and artillery to the front, or more purification units and technicians. It also decides whether we face a mad god and a hostile empire alone, or stand alongside the Typhon forces to fight against their deranged deity.”

(End of chapter)