Seero dropped the Imperial Mages and soldiers off at Academiae Civitatem, and was just about to head towards Corvanus. In that moment, Nonus furrowed his brow, and made his decision.

“Your Majesty Seero!”

“Acknowledgement: Does the ally have a query, request, or update for this unit?”

Nonus looked up at her and nodded.

“Could I join you? You changed my life, I wish to be of use to you!”

“Affirmative.”

Nonus gritted his teeth.

“I know it’s a lot to ask but I promise I’ll be…wait what?”

“Repetition: Affirmative.”

After all, more CELIU units that did not need to be trained from level 1 would be helpful, particularly in the current crisis. Nonus had reasons to affiliate himself with Seero, and apparently had created her Fusion Light Beam solely based on vague descriptions. She predicted he would be a useful asset to the network, particularly if he could be trained in drone-assisted Ritual Magic to back up Lilussees. Nonus blinked before breaking out into a wide grin.

“Thank you, Your Majesty! I swear I won’t let you down!”

The two conferred with Magister Arcanum Cnaeus, but he had no objections to Nonus’s transfer, just telling them to do as they pleased with a tired look. So Seero took Nonus to a secure location.

“Request: If ally Nonus would like to affiliate with this unit, please sign the following Contract.”

Nonus made a small smirk as the Contract appeared before him.

“As expected of Your Majesty.”

He took some time reading through the contract, rubbing his chin and furrowing his brow. But then he nodded and signed it.

“I…wouldn’t even be a mage if it were not for you. Given what’s happening, I don’t even know if I would have survived. So…I’ll do it.”

“Acknowledged. Query: Does friendly Nonus also wish to receive cybernetic augmentation?”

Nonus blinked.

“Huh?”

“Providing Tutorial.”

Fortunately, with Ateia, Taog, and Estrith’s help, Seero had developed a helpful video tutorial to explain the CELIU process for the inhabitants of Aelea. Nonus’s eyes grew wider and wider with each minute of the video.

“That’s…a lot to take in. But…you and your friends went through this?”

“Clarified Affirmation: This unit and friend Ateia went through a different, more damaging process, but the end result is similar.”

Nonus thought for a moment longer before nodding.

“You healed my body once when no one else could. I would be honored to trust in you again.”

“Acknowledged.”

With that, Seero sent Nonus to the Primary Home Base for the CELIU upgrade process, then regrouped with the others and set off towards Corvanus. It did not take long before they arrived back at the Imperial Palace, and were quickly guided to the war room where Emperor Lucius and the rest were waiting. Emperor Lucius greeted her as she stepped into the room.

“Ah, Your Majesty Seero, welcome back. An excellent job, purifying those dungeons.”

“Acknowledged.”

Magister Canus nodded.

“Indeed, freeing up the Imperial Academy gives us a lot more options, and hopefully some insight into the situation. Unfortunately, we have no time to waste, would you mind if we got right to it, Your Majesty?”

“Affirmative.”

Magister Canus turned towards Emperor Lucius. Emperor Lucius cleared his throat.

“The Southern Court has not responded to us yet, but I fear we will need your help before they do, Your Majesty. So, should they agree to our terms while you are in battle, would we have your permission to release the Sky Legion back to them?”The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

“Affirmative. Helpful Offer: This unit would like to transfer CELIU political specialist Vopicus to Corvanus in order to coordinate diplomacy and communicate with this unit as necessary.”

Emperor Lucius nodded.

“Of course, it would be helpful to have a direct representative for you present, in fact.”

“Acknowledged.”

Emperor Lucius then nodded towards Magister Canus.

“Your Majesty, we’ve drawn up a plan of action for your approval. I believe Steward Uscfrea here has already informed you?”

“Affirmative. Statement: This unit has no objections to the proposed operation.”

Thanks to the CELIU network, Seero already had a chance to review the plans. The knowledge that Seero could create her own dungeons had been crucial, allowing Magister Canus to write off a number of the minor dungeons. Magister Canus had identified some key dungeons that were necessary to the Empire’s military and economy, as well as some especially dangerous areas that the Empire likely couldn’t hold without assistance, and drew up a priority list.

The Legion and other Imperial forces would focus on defending major evacuation zones until Seero cleared up the biggest threats, at which stage they would organize assaults on the smaller dungeons.

And while nominally the Imperial commanders were deferring to Seero as the overall commander, her experience with operational and strategic planning were limited. Her protocols were limited largely to tactical settings due to her intended role as an enforcer. As such, she saw no issue in deferring to Magister Canus’s judgment here.

Rather…Seero saw receiving a list of key targets as highly efficient.

So she turned around immediately.

“Status Update: Mission received, objectives identified. If there are no further queries, updates, or requests, this unit will proceed with the operation.”

Magister Canus nodded.

“We should be able to get in touch if that happens. And thank you, Your Majesty. The entire Empire and everyone in it will owe you their lives for your help here.”

“Acknowledged.”

Magister Canus had given Seero a list of targets, but he left it to her how to actually approach and deal with them. Seero thus split her forces into the same three groups as before, now that it was confirmed she could purify dungeons through the CELIU network. Ateia, Taog, Estrith, and the newly upgraded Nonus would join with Agedia and Amulius to coordinate with beleaguered Imperial forces. 01R would led a monster team and assault more remote dungeons that Imperial forces had difficulty approaching. Seero herself would move on her own.

Magister Canus had also given Seero a full rundown on the dungeons in question. As most of these were dungeons that had been known to the Empire for decades, sometimes centuries, the Legion had fairly comprehensive reports on their strength, affinities, and layout. Of course, the dungeons continued to grow in the meantime, but the Empire had the expertise to make reasonable predictions on the changes. As such, Seero was able to allocate the different groups for maximum efficiency and lowest risk of a friendly being terminated.

Meanwhile, drone-golem and aerial forces under the command of Snuan would spread out and strike at the monster hordes out in the open, in order to take the pressure off the Imperial defenders. Dux Augustalis would coordinate this with Magister Canus and redirect them as necessary.

Steward Uscfrea would return to Turannia, taking the airships and the Turannian forces as well. There, Uscfrea would take command of the allied Turannian forces in cooperation with the Selkies, and secure the allied forces’ home front. He would also coordinate the return of the Sky Legion should the South decide to surrender.

Seero currently stood in the Primary Home Base in front of her subordinates, having just finished the briefing. 01R gave her a salute.

“Yes-Yes, Wise-Mighty-Gracious Boss-Queen! Your humble servants will conquer-subjugate all the land in your name, yes yes!”

The monsters roared in response and then 01R led them to one of the portal entrances. Lilussees sighed as they left her behind.

“I’ll, like, try to keep those idiots alive, or something. But, like, no promises. I, like, seriously need a break.”

As Lilussees slowly walked after the monsters, Ateia and Taog stepped towards Seero.

“Well, we’re off then. Stay safe, Seero.”

“Objection: By this unit’s predictions, friends Ateia and Taog are at greater risk of termination than this unit, which would constitute a failure for this unit’s primary directive. Please take all measures necessary to prevent this outcome.”

Ateia smiled at that. Estrith took a step forward and slammed her spear on the ground, giving Seero a salute in Dobhar fashion.

“I will guarantee that does not happen, My Queen, even if I must give my life to make it so.”

“Objection: Friendly Estrith is also considered a major asset, and should avoid termination if at all possible.”

Estrith blinked, and then looked away.

“Oh, um, I…will do my best, My Queen.”

Ateia turned to her and grinned.

“That’s right! You’re one of us, Estrith, so you have to come home too!”

Taog nodded.

“A warrior like you shouldn’t die alone. How about we fight together?”

Estrith averted her eyes from the two, failing to respond for a moment. Eventually, she just turned away.

“Enough of this! Your people are in danger, we must respond.”

Ateia and Taog giggled as Estrith stormed off, and then moved to follow her. Amulius waited until they gained some distance, before walking towards Seero.

“Query: Does Ateia’s person of interest have business with this unit?”

Amulius nodded.

“I do.”

And then he bowed his head.

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty Seero. Whatever you are…you saved my daughter’s life, as well as her heart. You did what I failed to. And for that, I owe you a great debt.”

“Acknowledged.”

Amulius then looked up with narrowed eyes.

“So…be careful. I feel there is more to the Herald’s plan than just some rogue dungeons. This just doesn’t seem big enough to be their end goal.”

“Affirmative. Query: Does Ateia’s person of interest have any additional data regarding the hostiles?”

Amulius shook his head.

“When things calm down, I can share my experiences in general and what we learned over the years. But regarding the current situation, we had no idea it was coming, so your guess is as good as mine.”

“Acknowledged. Request: Please share relevant intel with friends Ateia and Taog during maintenance and rest cycles, as well as any additional data acquired during the operation.”

Amulius nodded.

“I will.”

With that he turned to leave. He paused and glanced back one more time.

“Again, thank you for protecting Ateia.”

And then he headed out. Immediately after, Seero left as well, moving to the Imperial Family’s dungeon and boosting into the sky once outside.

And so the mission to terminate the threat to the Empire began.