The Bigshot's Superstar Wife - Chapter 69

Chapter 69: For the Empire

Mors stood beside her, his expression grim. “We need to understand them,” he said, his voice low. “Their strengths, their weaknesses. If we don’t, we’ll be fighting blind.”

Athena nodded. “Then we’ll record everything.”

And so, they began their study.

Every battle was not just a fight for survival, but a lesson.

Athena and Mors took note of every creature they encountered, its physical attributes, its behavior, and the way it attacked and defended.

Some beasts relied on brute strength, charging through soldiers with reckless abandon. Others were cunning, using illusions and deceit to disorient their prey.

Some could regenerate, their wounds closing almost instantly, while others exploded into toxic fumes upon death.

Athena discovered that certain creatures were drawn to magic, sensing its presence like a moth to flame.

She experimented with suppression techniques, altering her aura to mask her presence.

Mors, on the other hand, tested different fighting styles against each type of beast, learning which techniques were most effective in bringing them down.

With each battle, their records grew.

“The ones with obsidian horns are resistant to elemental attacks,” Athena noted one evening, her hands covered in ink as she scribbled into her journal. “Physical attacks work better.”

Mors nodded, sharpening his blade. “The scaled ones have a weak spot at the base of their skull. A precise strike can take them down instantly.”

“And the ones that explode?”

He sighed. “Stay far away.”

They worked tirelessly, sharing their findings with the generals, refining their strategies, and preparing the soldiers for the inevitable beast tide.

But the more they learned, the clearer it became that this was no ordinary invasion. Something was driving the beasts, pushing them forward with unnatural aggression.

Athena stood at the edge of the fortress walls one night, staring into the abyss beyond.

The moon hung high, casting a pale glow over the battlefield, and in the distance, she saw movement, hundreds, perhaps thousands of beasts gathering in the shadows, waiting.

Mors joined her, his gaze following hers. “They’re restless,” he murmured.

“They’re waiting for something,” Athena replied.

And she was right.

The beast tide was coming. And when it arrived, the empire would be tested like never before.

The first tremor came at dawn, a deep, guttural rumble that shook the ground beneath the fortress walls.

The sentries barely had time to cry out before the horizon darkened, a living wave of teeth, claws, and malice stretching as far as the eye could see. The beast tide had arrived.

Athena and Mors stood at the vanguard, their hands tightening around their swords.

The air crackled with magic as the final preparations were made, formations shifting into place, archers raising their bows, and mages whispering incantations.

The soldiers gripped their weapons with white-knuckled determination, sweat lining their brows despite the morning chill.

The enemy let out an unearthly screech, and then the tide surged forward.

Athena moved first, a golden glow bursting from her as she raised Arthivian high.1

Light erupted in a blinding arc, striking the front lines of beasts and searing through them like divine judgment.

Mors was beside her in an instant, Elsienflora humming in his grasp, its healing aura reinforcing the warriors closest to them while its edge cut through demonic flesh with terrifying precision.

They fought like a force beyond mortal comprehension.

No one knew that the crown prince and the saintess had already changed.

No one knew that the souls wielding the empire’s sacred weapons were not those they had been born with, but rather the reincarnations of Devancier and Alishiera.

Yet, some warriors whispered of an oddity, why had their rulers exchanged swords?

Why did the saintess now wield the sword of the crown prince, and why did the prince fight with the sacred blade meant for healing?

But there was no time to question.

Athena dodged a swipe from a beast the size of a carriage, its claws digging deep furrows into the earth where she had stood a moment before.

She twisted, her movements effortless, and slashed Arthivian through its thick hide. It shrieked and collapsed, but another took its place. There was always another.

Mors, beside her, fought with precise efficiency.

His grip on Elsienflora was steady, and with each stroke, the sword’s holy energy pulsed, sending waves of restoration through their allies.

Soldiers who had been near death moments before found themselves rejuvenated, their strength replenished as they drove their weapons deeper into the enemy ranks.

The battle stretched into hours, and still, the beast tide raged.

Athena’s magic flared, her prayers weaving through the air as golden sigils formed beneath her feet.

She called upon the power of the ancients, and the land itself answered, vines shot up from the cracked earth, ensnaring the monstrous horde, buying them time to push forward.

Mors followed her lead, striking down the ensnared beasts, his blade a blur of divine light.

The creatures howled in fury, their screeches filling the battlefield, but Athena and Mors did not falter.

They moved together in perfect synchrony, as if they had fought this war a thousand times before, because, in truth, they had.

As the battle wore on, a piercing shriek cut through the chaos.

A new wave of monsters emerged, larger and more grotesque than before, their forms shifting and warping as if twisted by an unseen force.

The generals called for a defensive line, but Athena knew defense alone would not win this war. She glanced at Mors, and he met her gaze. No words were needed.

With a final prayer, she surged forward, breaking formation. The soldiers gasped, but Mors followed without hesitation.

Together, they carved a path straight into the heart of the enemy, striking down beast after beast, their swords shining like twin beacons in the darkened field.

Athena chanted an incantation, drawing upon ancient power, and a storm of golden fire erupted from her blade, consuming the creatures nearest to her.

Mors took advantage of the opening, driving Elsienflora through the skull of the largest beast in sight, ending its existence in a single, decisive strike.

The tide wavered. The creatures hesitated.

Then, a roar unlike any before shook the battlefield.

From the farthest reaches of the horde, a colossal beast emerged. It stood on four legs, its body covered in jagged obsidian scales, its eyes burning with an unnatural glow.

This was their leader. The true force behind the beast tide.