"What artifact grants you the ability to create such a breathtaking realm?"
Grand Marshal Phoenix inquired, his eyes sweeping over the surreal expanse.
The other Grand Marshals followed his gaze, their expressions filled with admiration for the Mirror Dinsion.
"Who said it was an artifact?"
Anthony responded calmly, a subtle smile playing on his lips as he faced Grand Marshal Phoenix.
The Grand Marshals' attention snapped back to Anthony, their expressions clouded with confusion.
In their minds, they had already concluded that this realm was the work of so powerful artifact given to Anthony by his the Supre Monarchs.
But now, Anthony's words challenged that assumption.
"If it's not an artifact, then what is it? Surely, you don't an to say it's a skill of your own making? Or perhaps a skill from a skill book?"
Another Grand Marshal questioned, his tone laced with genuine confusion.
"It's a skill I acquired on my way to the Starborn Tournant. Being in outer space for the first ti allowed
to grasp certain truths. In simple terms: Enlightennt"
Anthony replied calmly.
The Grand Marshals' minds seed to reel at his words.
Enlightennt.
Who among them did not know the term?
Yet none had ever truly experienced it, after all, it was not sothing that could be forced or bestowed.
'A monster'
The thought echoed unspoken in their minds, for no other words seed adequate.
They could sense that the Mirror Dinsion was a reality unto itself, an extraordinary manifestation.
Could such power truly be born from Enlightennt?
"It's not such a remarkable feat"
Anthony said with quiet assurance.
"During the Starborn Tournant, a friend of mine nad Aaaninja attained True Enlightennt. My grandmother and father have also experienced it. Another friend of mine has undergone it as well"
He spoke as if it were no more than a simple matter of fact.
'Is this boy humblebragging?'
Grand Marshal Alaric thought, a twitch of frustration flickering at the corner of his lips.
Two family mbers and two friends having attained Enlightennt all at once unsettled the Grand Marshals, making the concept suddenly feel less unattainable.
Before they could voice their doubts, their thoughts were abruptly silenced by the approach of three powerful presences from behind.
They didn't need to turn to know who had arrived.
The Warlords.
As the Warlords approached, Anthony and the Grand Marshals instinctively stood at attention and offered a crisp salute.
The fall of the base did not signify the collapse of military order.
And even if it had, the presence of the Warlords was enough to reestablish it with re silence.
"At ease"
The three Warlords said in unison, their voices resonating like a command etched into the air itself.
Grand Marshal Alaric stepped forward, his voice steady and formal as he introduced the towering figures before them.
"Lieutenant Anthony, these are the three Warlords, the highest commanding officers beneath the Supre Monarchs themselves. Warlord Zauren, Warlord Therionis, and Warlord Kaelrix"
"It is an honor to stand in your presence, Warlords"
Anthony said, his tone respectful, his posture reflecting the discipline of a soldier addressing superior officers.
'They look… identical'
Anthony's thoughts stirred behind a composed expression.
'Not even identical twins are this precise. Sa height. Sa build. Sa eyes. Sa aura. Sa emotion. Even their movents are mirrored. It's as if they are one, reflections of a single being rather than three individuals'
Yet none of this showed on his face. His discipline held firm.
"There's no need to be so tense or hard on yourself"
Warlord Zauren said, his tone flat and unreadable.
"You saved millions of soldiers from certain death, a feat even I could not accomplish. Stand tall. You've earned it"
His face remained devoid of emotion, voice calm to the point of disinterest.
To any onlooker, it would seem as though he were bored out of his mind, yet the weight of his words left no room for doubt.
"It seems we've suffered imnse losses"
Warlord Therionis said at last, his voice quiet yet firm, his gaze drifting through the mirror-like veil that separated the Mirror Dinsion from the ravaged world outside.
His eyes settled on the scorched ruins where their great military base once stood.
"Yes, Warlord"
The Grand Marshal Dragon replied, his tone composed but respectful.
"Over thirty million soldiers perished in this battle, though the final count has yet to be confird"
"We are not referring to the soldiers"
Warlord Kaelrix said coldly, his voice cutting through the air like a blade.
Warlord Zauren followed seamlessly.
"We're speaking of the Logistics Departnt"
A jolt of realization surged through the gathered Grand Marshals, as if an invisible current had struck them.
They had forgotten.
In the chaos and heat of battle, amid the bloodshed and survival, none of them had spared a thought for the Logistics Division, the very backbone of their operations.
'We… we overlooked it'
The Grand Marshals thought, a creeping sense of dread taking root in their hearts.
The Grand Marshals stood frozen, horror creeping into their bones like a bitter frost.
Though the Logistics Departnt had been hidden away in a secret realm, they knew all too well, such precautions ant nothing in the face of celestial destruction. Realms, barriers, wards, none could withstand that level of annihilation.
Their thoughts ground to a halt, overtaken by a sinking weight.
The Logistics Departnt had been erased.
They had not even taken part in the battle.
They had simply ceased to exist, killed without warning, without resistance, without even knowing what killed them.
An unspoken grief settled over the Grand Marshals.
Their hearts, trained for war, bled in silence.
The Logistics Departnt was not ant for combat. It was ant to be secured, shielded, protected at all costs.
And they had failed.
The very first order they issued upon receiving the war notice had been clear: evacuate all mbers of the Logistics Departnt with imdiate effect.
Every second had counted. Every effort had been made.
And now, all of it… rendered aningless.
Their foresight, their urgency, their commands, nullified in the face of cosmic devastation.
A thick silence weighed upon the air as the Grand Marshals' auras began to stir, flaring with barely restrained fury.
Their emotions coiled like compressed storms, threatening to rupture the fragile calm of the Mirror Dinsion.
But just as the atmosphere teetered on the edge of collapse, a voice, asured and calm, cut through the rising pressure.
"Ehh... They're alive."
All heads turned sharply toward Anthony.
"What do you an, they're alive?"
Warlord Therionis inquired, his tone calm but laced with curiosity.
Anthony gave no verbal reply.
Instead, he simply raised his hand. In response, a shimring blue portal materialized in the space before them.
From its depths, another Anthony erged, serene and composed. Behind him followed Zhyravel, his fra as frail as ever, appearing as though even a whisper of wind might send him tumbling.
And then, one by one, others began to step through, mbers of the Logistics Departnt, Elves with graceful movents, Dwarves with their thick beards, Humans bearing quiet relief, ethereal Fairies, and sleek Werecats, all crossing the portal.
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