The Greatest Sin [Progression Fantasy][Kingdom Building]
Chapter 407 – The Stalling War

Magic is a nation unto itself. Elassa exists as the Goddess of the grandest force, yet she rules over a section of identifiable people who follow her much like how normal humans follow their national Goddess. And likewise, National Divines face their own dissidents. There doesn’t exist a single country out there, even down to the tiny city states, that doesn’t have its own share of naysayers. True, the National Goddesses unite, but ask around enough and you will find fools who think they know how to fix issues that centuries of rulers could not. Magic is filled with this personality, although maybe it is a reflection of Elassa’s own cold attitude towards the men who are beholden to her. Mages are disunited, many don’t even speak the same language. Traditional Arcadian only still exists because it magicians will not allow any one modern language to claim dominion over their school.

Elassa does not command loyal followers, nor does she have a fanatical order like Kavaa or Maisara or Fortia or myself. Elassa, in the truest sense, is the Queen of a nation. It’s a nation without borders, and a nation not on any map, but it is a nation of magicians nonetheless.

But this is not the situation with sorcerers and their relationship to Anassa. Anassa creates sorcerers or she gives permission to her most trusted to spread the art. This rule has been broken in the past several times and it ends in the exact same way. Anassa brings order back onto her ship and the corpses of the rulebreakers are thrown overboard. Whereas there are plenty of tales about Anassa’s moods and tempers, the Goddess seems to care more for the aesthetics of rulership than its practicalities.

Sorcerers, from what I can gather, are not particularly oppressed. Their lives are not centred in the style of Arcadia, with regimens and exercises and schools devoted to various arts. They are given plenty of autonomy to pursue their own lives and interests once they survive basic training. In that way, I would consider the field of sorcery, at least in the way Anassa rules over it, very laissez-faire.

There is a grand irony then, in the fact that Anassa gives her sorcerers so much independence whilst almost managing to be the most totalitarian of all Divines. Two nations can agree to be at peace without Fortia, wars can happen without Kassandora’s involvement, people can heal without Kavaa. There are magicians out there who have never even seen Elassa. Even Arascus, who set his eyes on conquering enforces dominion yet that dominion is merely his leadership.  

One cannot be a sorcerer without Anassa. Anassa is sorcery and sorcery is Anassa. There is no such thing as a sorcerer who does not know Anassa and Anassa knows every sorcerer to walk this world. Anyone who tries to separate Anassa from sorcery is killed. Anyone who tries to push the demesne forwards without her explicit permission is reprimanded. Anyone who tries to share sorcery with the masses is removed.

All from Anassa, all for Anassa, none against Anassa.

It makes me wonder what sorcery would be like if we managed to separate it from her.

- Excerpt from Goddess Allasaria’s, Of Light’s, Private Diary.

“They appeared on the frontlines.” Arascus listened to Kassandora explain the situation they were facing now. Iliyal had handed the reins off on the death of Anarchia and had been re-tasked on ignoring everything to do with the Goddess and instead focus on managing the frontline again. It was up to the five people in this room to create a plan that could deal with the Goddess. “Several locations now. Agrita has killed a few, Paida says they run from her.”

“Lovely.” Anassa said. Usually the Goddess of Sorcery did not partake in strategy meetings but she had been brought because Fer was needed. The complete opposite of the statuesque giant in red silks next to her, Fer sat on a chair in order to see the table. She wore human clothes, just a t-shirt and a skirt; children’s clothes. Her hair was as long as her. She had tried to stretch her arms and lean her chin on the table, but it was obviously was uncomfortable for her. “Lovely indeed.” Anassa sounded like death.

And Death stood by her side. Neneria smiled at Anassa’s annoyance. The Goddess of Death had filled in Arascus on everything that had happened underground. From the battle in Fazba to Kavaa and Kassandora growing closer. That was good frankly, Arascus was glad that Kassandora had found someone she could share moments with. “Never nice when someone oversteps into your demesne.” Neneria said it to be purposefully annoying.

“It doesn’t matter.” Kassandora brought the conversation back. “We have sorcerers engaging our forces on the frontlines now. Attrition rates are going up. We can hold the line but every man we lose now is one less for the war against Paradeisius.” The Goddess of War in her black uniform, fiery red hair streaming down her back as she leaned over a map of Rancais. They were in an old castle, built to house Divines and large enough for everyone here. “Anarchia has to die and she has to die fast. If anyone has ideas, then you are welcome to suggest it.”

“Someone has to say it, don’t they?” Anassa asked. “Olephia.” She tapped Ordeaux. Arascus took a deep breath. That was the obvious answer, wasn’t it? But then… Arascus had never been one for being too cautious. Any action as better than inaction, but that action couldn’t be a mistake. A mistake was a step back. When Olephia had joined him for the Great War, it had fundamentally changed the dynamic. The grandest Goddess was no longer some untouchable storm but rather she became an undefeatable army.

Frankly, Arascus had never even considered how to fight Olephia. The assumption had been that he never would have to fight her. “And if Olephia has her power sapped?” Arascus asked.

“Mmh.” Kassandora replied and stared at the map. “That would be a problem.”

“That’s the nicest way you could say that.” Anassa said coldly. “It’d be a disaster.”

“I know she has a maximum range.” Fer said. “I got away from it. Paida did too.”

“Did you?” Kassandora asked. The entire table turned to look at the tiny Goddess.

“Did I not?” Fer asked.

“I’m asking the question seriously.” Kassandora said. “We work under the assumption she can’t sap someone to death but what did she leave you Fer?” The Goddess of War raised a hand up and down to indicate to the now tiny Goddess of Beasthood. Fer leaned back on her chair, the only one in the room who needed something to help her reach the table. “Because to me, it looks like nothing.”

“She did not get Paida.” Fer said.

“I’ve seen the video.” Kassandora replied. “She lost control when she stole your strength.” Fer smiled at that.

“You could say I saved her.”

“You could.” Kassandora said. “But she wasn’t in any position to try and sap from Paida in that position anyway.”

“We would need a check.” Arascus said before this conversation devolved further. It hadn’t been a mistake to deploy Fer at the time, but they should have had more information. Still though, there was almost a blessing there. It was good that Fer’s overwhelming strength was the thing that was stolen rather than Anassa’s sorcery. The worst case scenario would have been Anarchia sneaking up on Olephia. “To see how the woman actually interacts with powers.”

“What do you mean?” Kassandora asked.

Arascus called upon his own magic. An orb appeared by his shoulder, a blade slid out. “Is that part blade part of me?” Arascus asked. “Or is it not?”

Kassandora stared at the blade for a few moments and dropped her head. “I’ve never been one for existentialism.”

“I would say no.” Anassa said from the other side of the table. “The blade has a mass and a form. What about this though?” Around her hand, a red sphere materialized. Opaque yet glowing red, it spun around her wrist and danced around her arm to her elbow and back down again. “I’ve reviewed the Skyseer footage too but Anarchia was close to them when she stole their sorcery.”

“I don’t think the sword is part of you dad but I think the sorcery is part of you Ana.” Fer declared.

“I’m not so sure.” Kassandora said. “I’ll still be working under the worst case assumption that it’s anything which can be potentially linked. If we have to ask the question, then it’s part of you.” The Goddess declared. Those red eyes scanned everyone at the table. “Does anyone have a problem with that?”

Arascus shook his head. He wondered for a moment what the war was looking like on the front line. It had to be total chaos at this point. The Goddess of Death finally joined the conversation, she raised a hand to bring attention to herself and then talked in a cold tone. “I do.” Neneria said. “I’m not going to go in if we aren’t wholly sure.”

Kassandora sighed heavily. “Well that’s another option down then.”

“How do I contain souls?” Neneria asked.

“What do you mean?” Kassandora asked.

“I legitimately am asking, how do I contain souls?” Neneria replied. “I do not know this Kass. I am not joking. Do I stick a part of my soul to someone else’s? Do I keep them enclosed? Maybe there’s a part of me out there, everywhere, and I just have to activate it?”

“You could lasso them.” Fer said with smirk and motioned throwing a lasso. “With some of your own energy.”

“No matter how I do it, I don’t trust Anarchia won’t be able to sap me if she enters the range of a ghost.”

“This is paranoia.” Kassandora said.

“Paranoia would have served me well.” Fer said with a huff. The Goddess of Beasthood tapped her fingers along the table. “But alas, I am too brave.” Anassa and Neneria both chuckled at that.

“It’s a good point though.” Arascus said. “But I was going to suggest something worse.”

“What is that?” Kassandora asked.

“If she can steal power at range, if all she needs to do is be in range of the power rather than the person itself. Why could she not do it to Olephia?” And silence fell over the table. The temperature in the room seemed to drop as everyone shared careful looks between each other. After all, how far could it be pushed? If sorcery and magic were extensions of a person, why could Olephia’s power not?

“So for now, engaging Anarchia with Divinity is out.” Kassandora declared. “That changes things.”

“So it has to be a military operation.” Arascus said. He turned to Anassa. The Goddess of Sorcery in her red silks was pouring herself a glass of wine.

“Hmm?”

“How much power would it take to overwhelm you without Divine or magical support?” The question was stupid. Everyone by the table knew the answer already. Anassa thought for a moment. She sipped her crimson wine. She thought a moment more.

“It just wouldn’t happen.” And silence once again. It was just true though, Anassa wasn’t even gloating. The material could not fight against delusions brought to reality. Arascus looked to Fer, to Anassa, to Neneria, to Kassandora.

“We’ve seen more than four sorcerers on the front. It just doesn’t line up, we can assume Anarchia has acquired the ability to spark sorcery in others.”

“It’s not particularly hard.” Anassa said. “If you can survive the trial, you survive the trial. From there it’s hands off.” Anassa sipped her glass and shrugged again.

“How powerful do you think she can get?” Arascus asked.

“Her throwing was unimpressive. If it was me I would just pull the planes out of the sky.”

“It’s just hoping she won’t grow.” Kassandora added.

“I have nothing to say on that. Elassa is barely capable of sorcery and she should be rather talented in it. I think Divines just aren’t suited for it.” Anassa smiled into her glass. “At least everyone worth their salt is too well defined already to make use of it.”

“Well obviously not Anarchia.” Kassandora said.

“Well obviously Anarchia is not well defined.” Anassa said and Kassandora rolled her eyes.

“If you had to be overwhelmed with manpower, how much could you take?”

“You saw me set up an eraser shield at CR and saw it took Elassa to break through.” Anassa said flatly. “I was not boasting, sorcery is delusion made manifest. Reality cannot beat that. It has to be magic or it has to tire me out.”

“So the robot question is out entirely.” Kassandora said. “They’re just not strong enough.”

“It looks like we go back to Olephia then.” Anassa said. “The risk with her is less than the risk with me or Neneria.”

Fer tapped her fingers again to bring attention to herself. The Goddess of Beasthood’s voice was a tiny high-pitched squeak compared to the others. “She did say some things to me though. I wasn’t going to mention it because I can’t remember it precisely but I know she said that strength is not stolen but shared and that I can’t regenerate something that still exists out here.” Fer trailed off and lifted her hands up in the air. Her chest smaller than Arascus’ forearm. “I thought it was a taunt but I’m still here, aren’t I?” She obviously wasn’t happy about that.

“The Divines of this age are more honest.” Kassandora said. “Waeh was the same, he just straight up told me his power when he won. I didn’t think much of it but it could just be an honest age.”

Anassa burst out in laughter. “What a curse! Imagine being born now.”

“You’re the odd ones out that you just lie habitually.” Neneria said. “Normal people don’t.”

“What did you want to say Fer?” Arascus redirected the conversation back from the giants and to the tiny girl.

“She mentioned my loyalty being a curse. And that she grabbed hold of my devotion and tried to grab my fear. I remember this, because she said how utterly human.” The Goddess of Beasthood smiled at that, her cheeks going rosy. “Honestly I took that as a compliment.”

Kassandora blinked and clapped her hands. “Wait.” She said. “That’s huge.”

“Is it?” Fer asked, her voice thick with doubt. “It’s just standard gloating mid-battle. I doubt she knows how she works herself.”

“It’s huge Fer. It’s huge.” Kassandora said. “I know what to do.”

“What?” Arascus asked.

“Anarchia drains humanity. We send in a monster.”