"And you're certain that it'll work?" I ask in disbelief.

"I'm not one hundred percent sure since the Empire might have some trump cards that are still hidden, but it is one of the best options we have," Terrence replies.

Terrence's plan is a bit crazy if I'm being honest, but I can't find a better alternative, so I'm stumped on that front.

His idea is quite simple; he wants me to teleport in the middle of the expected battlefield and activate my aura. We have to release as much mana as possible to make sure that even the most basic soldier of the Empire knows that something is here. The commotion we will have caused then would attract the attention of every hidden player in this clusterfuck of a war.

And it isn't as bad of an idea as it sounds.

Terrence wants us to get the attention of the Empire and cause them to divert a large part of their forces towards us. But we'll have already prepared defenses, and Spell Jammers will be already deployed but not activated. The anti-magic artifacts will then be activated once our opponents arrive, and we'll proceed to slaughter them as quickly and efficiently as possible.

The Commander thinks that now is the time to reveal our existence to the world, and his strategy will undoubtedly send a strong message to our potential enemies. It would dissuade the Enforcers from attacking us, at least for now. It would also make us the next target of the enemies of the Empire, but we should be able to handle them without too much trouble.

Of course, this is all assuming that the Oracle doesn't intervene. I know she will fuck with us, so I better be prepared for the worst.

"Good job, Terrence! Your idea is similar to mine," I say to the Commander.

"You honor me too much!" he replies immediately.

I don't even react to his fanaticism anymore. I know I can't change him, so I don't waste my time by attempting to make him a bit more reasonable.

"So when can we strike?" I ask Terrence, who cracks his neck while wearing a worrying grin.

"We should be ready in an hour or two!" He replies with a salute before disappearing into a portal.

I can't help but sigh as I also teleport into my barely used office. A great battle is upon us. The entire Shard is already buzzing with activity as every branch of the Order is rushing to accomplish their objectives.

...??? PoV...

"Alright people, move it!" our squad captain says, and our unit moves like one entity.

I can't help but smile as the heavy hitters move past me, their new shiny armors are a reflection of the growing might of the Empire. I'm just a lowly soldier at the bottom of the command chain, so I wasn't briefed on the new capabilities of the equipment. But I've overheard the discussions of the elite units, and from what I've gathered theses armors are capable of interfering with every means of spying on us, our movements and troop placements should be invisible to every enemy that attempts to spy on us.

They were also starting to talk about their new weapons, a few long glass-like rods strapped to their forearms, but they stopped once they noticed me. I was shooed away soon after, so I sadly couldn't learn anything more about this exciting new technology.

I can't help but sigh as I glance at my spear, which has been issued to me when our old Family has been absorbed into the glory of the Empire. This weapon isn't bad at all, the craftsmanship is remarkable, and the intricate enchantments of the blade helps me channel my mana with so much ease I had a hard time believing it was real when I first tried it.

This weapon would fetch a pretty penny on any market that I know of, and I'm grateful that the Emperor graciously bestows such treasures to lowly cannon fodder like me, but...

It's still a fucking long poky stick.

The equipment of the elite units is changing almost weekly, but ours has been changed precisely once. The change was barely noticeable. According to the higher-ups, our shield unit has been revised to be more efficient and would allow for better protection.

Some rumors say that our shield has been swapped to a cheaper unit so that funds used for us could be diverted to the immense R&D program the Empire is running.

However, I'm not too worried about what the rumors are saying. No matter what shield we are issued, we are never getting the good and very expensive artifacts that the elites are using. We are getting obliterated if anything remotely resembling a Strategic Spell is near us.

I shudder when I think about the might the elites have unleashed on our enemies been turned against us.

Our deployment was rushed, but I am confident in our chances of success. According to our orders, we are here to dispatch a large group of rebels that attacked the Empire. Some rumors circulating around the camp say that the entire defending force was obliterated by an unknown weapon used by the rebels, and I can't help but shake my head at the poor fools who believe such nonsense.

The Empire is unmatched and mighty so it would never suffer such a defeat, especially at the hands of such a ragtag bunch of idiots like the under-trained and under-equipped rebels.

I can't help but chuckle at the idea of rebels having a hidden super-weapon. These guys cannot hold any territory, and every single rebellion has been swiftly crushed by Imperial forces almost as soon as they rose.

"The order just arrived! FORWARD!" the commanding officer shouts, and we all ready for teleportation. The world shifts around me as I ready my trusty spear, and we are soon out of the safety of our walls. We don't have a lot of intel on the disposition of rebel forces, so we cannot siege their bases like we usually do.

Furthermore, this is a war of extermination. Every single rebel scum will fall under the crushing boot of the Empire, and we'll be heroes in the eyes of the loyal Imperial citizens!

I step forward with renewed vigor, eager to prove my worth to my superiors as I already imagine the honors I will receive once this easy battle is over.

The pressure the elites are emitting is enough to flatten the land around us, and my chest swells with pride since I get the chance to be a part of this grand campaign.

A massive column of light emerges not too far from there, and a gigantic wave of mana washes over us. I am almost swept away by the sheer amount of power directed towards us, but a hit in the back from another soldier takes me out of my trance, and I shake my head before taking a glance around me.

The elites, as expected, are not fazed and are looking towards the source of the sudden power surge while the lower ranked soldiers are in the same disoriented state as me.

Commanding officers exchange words for a brief moment while their gaze alternates between the column of light and their fellow officers before finally reaching a consensus.

"The enemy has revealed itself! Get ready to face the rebels who are foolish enough to defy the Emperor! For the Empire!"

"For the Empire!" I, along with the rest of the soldiers, shout back before teleporting away.

We arrive near the massive column of light, and I cannot believe my eyes.

I'm at the back of the thousands of marching soldiers, but I can still clearly see the massive display of power. The column of released mana is larger than my old Family base, and it looks like it goes far beyond the layer of clouds in the sky.

But the most shocking thing is at the bottom of the column.

A single armored man wearing a billowing red robe stands at the bottom of the column with his hands behind his back.

I can't believe my eyes; is this man really responsible for this much power?

"Let the fury of the Empire rain upon our enemies!" the commanders all shout, and I ready my spear while taking a deep breath to calm my rapidly beating heart.

As powerful as this man is, he stands no chance against the might of the Empire. A grin creeps on my face as I see the elites preparing their new weapons, the glass rods are quickly spinning while the artifact is emitting arcs of mana. Each cycle sends a wave of power in the atmosphere, and I refrain from laughing when I think about the one-sided slaughter that is going to take place.

Our victory is all but assured so I see no reason to not go all out from the get-go. If I'm lucky I'm going to be noticed by the higher-ups and I'm certain that I'll be getting a promotion!

I channel mana into myself, briefly circulating it into the spear to make my spell better and easier to control before releasing the-

The outline of a fireball appears above me before flickering out of existence. I gasp at the unexpected turn of events, did I somehow fail my spell?

I make another spell. This time I focus on each step to make sure that I don't make any mistake. This battle is a once in a lifetime opportunity to finally get noticed and move up the ladder; I won't let my nervousness ruin it!

Alas, my new spell fizzles out like the first one. I take a glance towards my comrades, and their spells are also not materializing properly. Only the beams of energy fired by the elites are hitting the target. However, it seems unaffected by the power of the rays.

"What is happening?" I mutter to myself as every spell I try to cast is destroyed. I even tried not to use the spear, but the results are even worse.

What are we supposed to do? Our communications are down, and we cannot attack properly. Are we supposed to strike the enemy while only using our physical strength?

A sudden surge of power almost sends me to my knees, and my jaw drops when I see a massive amount of portals appear above our army.

What's happening?! What are we supposed to do?!

This battle was supposed to be easy; it was supposed to be my way to climb the hierarchy!