I created my own system

Chapter 407: Pillars vs Dukes

The sky bred layers of steel ships.

An ocean of darkness stretched into the horizon.

An armada from the enemy while a legion from the empire.

The collapse of the barrier marked the true beginning of the war.

No more schemes.

No more holding back.

This—

was the moment both empires finally revealed their fangs.

The shattered remains of the golden dome rained across the capital like dying stars. Fragments of ancient light dissolved before reaching the streets below, turning into drifting particles that painted the battlefield in fading gold.

The temporary shield was blinking.

It would not last.

But it would hold on under the Archduke's command.

Then came the silence.

A dreadful silence.

Before—

BOOM!

The sky ruptured.

Thousands of imperial soldiers looked upward as space above the capital distorted violently. Clouds spiraled outward as a colossal magical circle emerged from the fractured sky.

Aileen's true army of mages had arrived.

Warships black as obsidian floated above the burning capital, their hulls lined with glowing runic cannons. Countless banners carrying the royal crest of Aileen fluttered beneath the storm winds. They dropped their troops along with war machines to attack the remaining defenses of the city.

The magic circle began to spin as if all mana was being pulled toward it.

The rear had already begun moving.

And at the front—

Five figures descended.

No.

That was incorrect.

They were not figures.

But disasters.

The Pillars of Aileen.

The strongest beings beneath the king.

The moment they appeared, mana across the battlefield became unstable.

Even breathing grew difficult.

Helios made the first move, his staff activating as its ability, Dominion, destroyed the spell before it could activate.

Gilgamesh moved next, but before he could strike, the enemy forces suddenly spread out.

The first to land was a giant of a man clad in crimson armor.

The ground exploded beneath his feet.

Kael Draven, also known as the Pillar of Ruin.

A monstrous greatsword rested over his shoulder, the weapon radiating enough heat to distort the air around it. Burn scars crawled across half his face while his eyes glowed like molten iron.

Behind him descended a woman wrapped in silver chains that floated around her like living serpents.

Seraphine Willar, known as the Pillar of Silence.

Her pale eyes lacked emotion entirely. Every movement of her fingers caused invisible distortions in space, severing sound itself wherever she walked.

The third landed without making a sound.

Mordecai Dune, the Pillar of Graves.

He was a thin man dressed in black robes.

Beneath him were shadows that moved erratically.

The moment his feet touched the ground, the corpses scattered across the battlefield twitched as if they were coming back to life.

The fourth Pillar emerged within a storm of blue lightning.

Veyrion Kudra, the Pillar of Storms.

His silver spear crackled with violent electricity capable of tearing apart flying fortresses.

And finally—

the strongest among them.

The air itself bent as she descended.

Lyssandra Edevane, Pillar of Heavens.

Long white hair drifted behind her as light shimmered beneath her skin. Her presence alone warped gravity in subtle waves.

The surrounding soldiers felt their knees weaken.

The capital itself trembled.

Then—

another pressure descended.

From the Empire's side.

Four overwhelming forces surged upward from different corners of the capital simultaneously.

The Four Cardinal Dukes.

Abraham did not wait any longer. His arrow shot upward.

An icy battlefield corrupted and froze the battleship in the air, forcing its systems to halt.

Harald came next. He raised his axe to finish the enemy ships, but then the Pillars bolted like meteors.

The four Cardinal Dukes did not fall behind and dashed forward to meet them.

The Archduke stepped into the sky, his hand holding onto a gem that kept the capital safe.

"Please be safe everyone," he could only say as he gripped the artifact, his gaze full of concern toward the inevitable clash.

And the heavens erupted.

Gilgamesh frowned at their enemies but did not pry any further as he swung his spear.

The weapon in the southern duke's hand suddenly grew larger and heavier, causing the Pillars to be surprised.

The Pillars tried dodging only to realize their bodies had frozen in place.

The weapon paved its way toward their necks only to be blocked.

Lyssandra, using her rapier, redirected the attack right toward the Empire's forces.

Gil moved fast and retracted his spear from almost killing his own allies.

On the other hand, Kael Draven took their exchange as a chance to destroy the chilling power that kept them bound.

His sword turned into a torrent of fire, causing a pillar of flame to melt the ice away.

This simple exchange of attacks made both armies instinctively retreat.

No soldier wished to remain between monsters.

Kael Draven grinned first.

"Finally," he muttered, rolling his shoulders. "Someone worth killing."

BOOM!

A roar of explosion traveled across the broken ground.

Though the cause of it was gone.

He vanished.

The sky exploded as his greatsword collided against Harald's axe.

The impact shattered nearby war machines instantly.

Shockwaves flattened entire barriers beneath them.

Meanwhile—

Veyrion hurled his spear forward like a bolt of inescapable verdict.

Helios met the attack head-on.

Light collided with lightning.

Such a burst of power made the eastern duke remember someone.

The resemblance.

The power.

It made the duke remember Apollo.

That instant made him activate the stored spell inside the staff.

"You—"

He began to say as he swung the staff like a sword.

"How dare you use this element!"

His voice sounded crazed.

While the duke's eyes gleamed with a hazy, uncontrolled desire for destruction, making his entire exchange with Veyrion a one-sided bombardment of attacks.

Across the battlefield, Abraham raised his hand to shoot another arrow.

Absolute frost surged outward.

But then his target vanished without showing any signs of injury.

The northern duke spread his senses.

He opened his mind to search.

Until the sound of cracking ice vanished.

The ice itself shattered apart unnaturally.

Abraham narrowed his eyes.

His bow was already prepared to strike.

"A silence-type power…"

He smiled faintly.

"Interesting."

He only muttered as he locked his gaze onto a certain silhouette.

"Found you."

His voice echoed along the cold air, making even their allies uneasy.

Elsewhere—

Mordecai spread his arms.

His spell was ready to spread terror.

The dead rose.

Thousands of corpses lifted themselves from the ruined battlefield.

Imperial soldiers screamed as their life force was sucked away from their flesh.

They retreated and erected shields.

To their dismay, they found themselves surrounded.

But before the undead army could surge forward—

golden flames descended from above.

Helios Lionheart's stored spell activated and crashed directly into the center of the horde.

Infernal fire erupted.

While the battlefield above exploded into chaos—

King Lorenzo Ermita Von Aileas moved forward alone.

Straight toward the throne.

A place his ancestors had longed to seize.

And now he would fulfill that wish.

A smile broke onto his lips as he envisioned his glorious victory.

But before he could enter—

someone stood in his path.

Alicia.

Flames burned around her like living wings.

Her eyes blazed with defiance.

"You go no farther."

The king stopped.

Then smiled.

"You are not the one I came for."

He lifted one hand.

Mana gathered.

And beside him—

a knight materialized.

Alicia's eyes widened.

A summon.

And not an ordinary one.

Its presence was overwhelming.

Ancient.

Deadly.

One that should not exist.

"What have you done?"

She said in horror.

However, the king stepped past her.

"Keep her occupied."

He simply ordered.

The summoned knight lunged.

Alicia was forced back.

Her body covered in flames as she fought hard.

With Alicia out of the picture, Lorenzo happily walked away.

The king entered the throne chamber.

There—

the emperor waited.

The moment the king entered—

their powers collided.

Steel met steel.

Mana exploded through the throne room.

The walls cracked under the pressure.

The emperor was driven back—

then raised one hand.

Light erupted.

Excalibur appeared.

Its holy radiance flooded the chamber.

For a moment—

it looked like the battle was over.

Then the king laughed.

His tone was mocking, as if something unworthy had come before his presence.

"Did you think only your empire prepared for this day?"

He stepped closer, letting Excalibur wound him.

"Emperor, I came prepared."

Lorenzo raised his hand and said,

"Embrace the power made for a thousand years."

Then from empty space, he drew his own sacred weapon.

"Now please, Your Majesty,"

he said while his other hand beckoned the emperor to attack.

The two sacred weapons collided.

The throne room exploded in light.

Far above—

Apollo's Knight stood amidst the chaos.

Its ruby eyes watched the battlefield.

It wanted to move.

To fight.

To continue.

Then—

it staggered.

Its wings faltered.

Its body shook.

For the first time—

the Knight fell to one knee.

Inside its armor—

cracks spread.

Niccolo's final strike.

The desperate miracle at the end of their battle—

had landed after all.

The damage had remained hidden.

Buried.

Waiting.

And now—

Apollo's strongest weapon began to collapse.