Chapter 832: The Trojan Horse

Chapter 832: Chapter 832: The Trojan Horse

Three days after departing from the border base, the Divine Wind Empire’s vanguard reappeared on the radar arrays of the first major enemy fortress: Iron Falcon Fortress.

From the battlements of the fortification guarding the mountain pass, sentries spotted the silhouettes of their own warships in the distance. The vessels advanced at reduced speed, maintaining the standard patrol formation and broadcasting official identification codes that Crul had replicated.

On the command bridge of the enemy flagship—now under Crul’s control—Ethan observed the holographic displays while wearing the officer robes belonging to the deceased general.

"Iron Falcon Fortress in sight, Master," reported Crul mentally. "They are requesting mission confirmation and fleet status."

"Send the return code," commanded Ethan. "Tell them we secured the border base, eliminated the Golden Dragon Empire’s reinforcements, and are bringing high-value prisoners requiring immediate processing at the central node."

The message was transmitted. For three minutes, silence reigned over the comm frequencies as the fortress’s systems verified the energy signatures.

Finally, the mana barrier shielding the entrance parted, revealing the docking bay.

[Access granted, Master. We are inside], Crul confirmed. [I have located the physical terminal for the central node. It is two hundred meters inside the command tower.]

The fleet’s ships entered the armored docking bay one by one. From the landing platforms, hundreds of Divine Wind soldiers lined up to receive the vanguard, oblivious to the impending slaughter.

The moment the first vessel touched down, the hatches opened. But instead of Divine Wind troops, a surge of shadows and undead at the Dao Manifestation stage bounded out, overwhelming the bay guard within seconds.

"Invasion! It’s an ambu—!"

The officer in charge couldn’t finish his sentence. Ethan’s Black Chaos Sword swept across his neck at lightning speed, decapitating him instantly.

"Vaelen, secure the perimeter!" shouted Ethan as his body was enveloped in the purple aura of the Void Amethyst. "Crul, I’m heading for the node!"

Ethan turned into a trail of shadows that darted through the command tower’s corridors, cutting down every guard who attempted to stand in his way. In under forty seconds, he burst into the central node chamber, where operators stared in horror at screens displaying the fall of the docking bay.

With a sweep of his claws, Ethan brought down the operators and rested his hand directly upon the node’s primary console.

"It’s all yours, Crul," Ethan muttered.

[Connecting to the Divine Wind Empire’s central node...], Crul’s voice echoed with mechanical triumph. [Bypassing firewalls... Downloading star maps, access codes, and imperial spatial portal locations... Infiltration successful!]

Across the displays, the complete map of the Divine Wind Empire unrolled before Ethan’s eyes, exposing the exact route to the intercontinental spatial portal leading to the Phoenix Empire.

Ethan scanned the holographic route projection. The data confirmed his worst fears: the only intercontinental spatial portal powerful enough to force a direct rift to the Phoenix Empire was located deep within the Imperial Capital of the Divine Wind Empire.

To reach it, the fleet would have to cut through multiple heavily fortified provinces and breach dozens of guarded cities.

The heavy thud of boots echoed down the corridor, and Vaelen stepped into the node chamber, wiping blood from his spear.

"General, we have taken full control of the fortress," reported Vaelen. "We captured the soldiers who surrendered and executed those who resisted. What should we do with the prisoners?"

Ethan didn’t take his eyes off the display. Within his purple eyes flashed a cold glint; the bloodlust unsealed by his void form and the Void Amethyst governed his thoughts.

"There is no need for hostages," stated Ethan coldly.

Vaelen nodded in silence. Outside, the slaughter resumed immediately. The soldiers and the undead host put every prisoner to the sword without mercy, eliminating potential loose ends within the base.

While the fortress was painted red, the engines of all the enemy warships docked in the hangars began to roar in unison, rising into the air under Crul’s remote control.

"Crul, were you able to contain the distress signal before it went out?" asked Ethan, walking toward the tower’s exit.

[Negative, Master], answered Crul. [Upon seizing the central console, I detected that dozens of distress signals had already been dispatched from auxiliary terminals across the base. I managed to seal remaining comms, but enemy high command has received the alert. Right now, they are requesting status confirmation, and radars detect three full fleets advancing at top speed toward our position.]

Ethan halted at the edge of the platform, gazing out at the dozens of warships hovering around him and feeling the necrotic tide of his undead roar within. A sinister smirk formed across his face.

"Good... very good," whispered Ethan, tightening his grip on the Black Chaos Sword. "Then let’s put on a show."

Ethan issued the command without wasting a second:

"Everyone put on the Divine Wind Empire uniforms. Hurry!"

The soldiers scrambled into action at top speed. While they began scrubbing the bloodstains from the corridors, Ethan channeled his void power, devouring the corpses and debris scattered throughout the fortress to leave zero trace of the clash.

For his part, Crul repositioned the warships back inside the hangars and landing platforms. Furthermore, Ethan clad thousands of his undead skeletons in the enemy’s armor and uniforms, posing them along the decks and walkways as if conducting routine maintenance on a normal day.

Vaelen stepped up beside Ethan, eyeing the spectral host dressed as imperial troops with disbelief.

"Do you really think this will work?" asked Vaelen in a low voice, adjusting the collar of his enemy tunic.

"We have the defensive barrier running at maximum power," replied Ethan, his gaze fixed on the sky. "If they attempt to launch an attack, this becomes a battle to the death. Just stick to the plan. We have everything set for the contingency; if things go south, we will be ready. Do not fear."

Every man held his position in silence, feigning normalcy beneath the suffocating tension.

Suddenly, Crul’s voice echoed directly within Ethan’s mind:

[Attention, Master! The enemy fleet is emerging from the interspatial jump. They will be upon us in one minute.]

In the firmament, the fabric of space began to warp violently as the bows of dozens of Divine Wind battleships started tearing through the spatial rift.

Ethan unsheathed the Black Chaos Sword just an inch and roared with a voice that echoed across every corner of the base:

"Everyone prepare for battle!"