Chapter 124 - Fear

When Asmodeus's army landed on the island, he returned to the table and waited for Daenerys and the others to gaze upon his forces.

After he saw that enough time had passed, he said, "You will see them in action soon enough; you can stop gawking at them so eagerly."

Each of the knights clad in burgundy armor is an elite sorcerer, personally trained by me. They all wield the most potent spells of fire magic that wizards below the Grand Wizard level can use. Additionally, each of them masters three unforgivable curses perfectly, but through special methods, we have managed to minimize the consequences of studying this type of magic."

"Unforgivable curses?"

"Yes, dark magic. It corrupts the soul. But for something powerful, there is always a price to pay. Three spells, the most important of which is the curse of death; anyone it touches will die on the spot. It targets the part of the soul that binds it to the body. When this spell hits a person, it severs that connection. The spell requires extreme hatred from the user towards the target. Such a requirement gradually changes a person's moral values and destroys their soul. But once, thanks to observing one individual, I decided to try a new method of applying dark magic. The emotions of hatred should be removed and replaced with the desire to protect. All of these ten thousand people are individuals to whom I have given new life; each of them is ready to die for me, ready to kill for me. Thanks to this loyalty, I attempted to change their perception. Now, when they use the death spell, they kill not out of a desire for the opponent's death, but based on the idea that if the opponent remains alive, it will harm me. Thus, their minds are not corrupted by negative thoughts."

"....."

All present had their own armies, and they understood how difficult it was to achieve such a level of loyalty that a person would consider killing an opponent a process of defending their lord.

Tyrion, however, was more interested in the details.

"What are the other two curses?"

"The curse used for torture literally tears the soul apart, slowly and excruciatingly, making it extremely painful for anyone it is cast upon. The last one is a curse used to control a person's body. Actually, these two spells are not as useful in direct confrontation, but these people are my personal army, and they must be versatile soldiers. The principle of defending against the corrupting influence of dark magic is the same as with the death curse. They are instilled with the belief that by torturing someone in my name, they are doing good for me, not causing harm to others. As for the curse for controlling people... It doesn't really eat away at the mind much; it's just that with its proper use, it can cause much more harm than the death curse, which is why it's among the three unforgivable spells."

Tyrion roughly understood what the three unforgivable curses did, and he found it difficult to contain his horror, but he still asked, albeit unconsciously using Asmodeus's titles.

"Your Majesty, Emperor, may I ask, compared to what you showed us, how much weaker is the average member of this army?"

Asmodeus ignored how Tyrion addressed him and said, "Based on what you've seen... They are stronger."

"..."

"Lord Morningstar, please do not jest. When you attacked Lord Bedlam, we saw what you are capable of. How can these ordinary soldiers be stronger than you?"

"HAHAHAHAHA, HAHAHAHAHA, ahem, ahem," Asmodeus laughed so hard that he started coughing. "Ahem, ahem, I apologize, I couldn't help it. Your Majesty, Daenerys. You may not believe me, but the level I demonstrated using the Stupify spell is achievable by any of the students at my magic academy after three years of training. You have never seen the true power of a wizard, especially a wizard of my level, an archmage."

Everyone who was present in Meereen that day fell into a stupor. The spell that destroyed the ice wall, if it had hit a person, there would have been nothing left of them, yet Asmodeus claims that such power can be learned in three years...

"Your Majesty Asmodeus, may I ask... how old does a student have to be to enter your magic academy?"

"In reality, we accept children and adults of all ages. Recently, Rowena opened home magic courses for housewives at the academy... Sorry, I got distracted. Well, most children enroll at the same age as in any other magic school - at 11."

A cold breath exhaled from everyone, and Tyrion asked with a trembling voice, "Are you saying that what you showed then can be done by a 14-year-old?"

"Yes, in fact, it is not a destructive spell at all. Some students learn spells like Bombarda... Well, you wouldn't understand... In short - yes. Any 14-year-old can learn this spell and make it just as effective."

"Lord Morningstar... Sorry, could you explain to us how wizards are divided by strength...? If you say a child can use the same spell as you, then what makes stronger wizards different? Other spells? Their power?"

"Tyrion, you are truly a very intelligent person. You should definitely consider working in the council later. You immediately asked the most important question.

As you may have already understood, age plays no role in magic. In fact, even an 11-year-old child can learn the three unforgivable curses as long as they have enough hatred in their heart. But we recently began to introduce a new system for categorizing wizard levels. It goes like this:

Wizard: Those born with Mana and experiencing magical surges. Essentially, anyone with magic within them is considered a Wizard. In fact, Your Majesty, you could also be considered a wizard, you're just more of a squib... In our world, that word hasn't been used in speech for two years... In short, a squib is someone with Mana but, due to certain problems, they cannot use magic. You're a squib not because you can't use magic, but because you don't know how to, so you're the exception.

High Wizard: Those who have achieved significant success in magic. Individuals who graduate from Hogwarts are considered at this level. Also, those who complete 5 years of training at my magic academy are considered to be at this level.

Master Wizard: This level is difficult to explain to you... In short, these are individuals who have advanced further in magic, those who did not stop their magical studies after leaving school. More often than not, such individuals become professors in magical schools and academies, and they often become the most trusted individuals by Grand Wizards for their skills. Most Master Wizards are those who have focused all their attention on a specific aspect of magic and have decided to develop that aspect to perfection.

Grand Wizard: Although not everyone here has seen the members of the Wizard Council, you roughly understand who they are. Two of the 13 Supreme Wizards are at this level. These two are among the four founders of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. People at this level are already capable of destroying a large part of an average city single-handedly.

Archwizard: At this level, you'll find me and most members of the upper chamber of the Supreme Wizard Council. We can easily destroy an average city single-handedly. A city like King's Landing is considered average.

We haven't decided yet what to call people who cross the Archwizard line, as the last one to do so in our world is considered a god of magic, although it's not the kind of god people pray to... Rather, when wizards argue, they often mention this great wizard's underwear."

"....."

The group of people were now blank-minded, not even appreciating Asmodeus' joke about Merlin, especially considering they didn't understand it...

To clarify the level of Asmodeus' army, Tyrion asked, "Lord Morningstar, then what level are the people in your army?"

"Did you see those 30 and 100 people who opened the gates?"

The people nodded synchronously, hard to miss as they all marched while continuously rotating their arms.

"So, all 130 of them are currently at the level of Master Wizards, but not at their peak like the teachers in schools, they've just entered it."

Tyrion, already grasping the capabilities of such a formidable army, still didn't back down from his desire to fully understand the composition of the army. He asked, "What about the others?"

"They are all at the level of High Wizards, but they are at the peak of this level, and in a couple of years, they will all transition to the level of Master Wizards. Actually, if all these 10,000 people were to attack me in a well-coordinated manner, even I am not sure I could win."

"Not sure?"

"Yes, I believe I can fight, but even with my mana reserves, I wouldn't be able to hold off 10,000. Perhaps I could kill 2 - 2.5 thousand, but I would tire too quickly, and they would overwhelm me with numbers."

Tyrion asked, thinking Asmodeus would say he could defeat a couple of hundred, but never expected Asmodeus to say he could kill 2,500! Winning and killing are different things!

"How great is the difference between an Archwizard and other wizards..." Tyrion muttered, but Asmodeus heard him.

"Would you like me to demonstrate?"

"Yes, please!"

Everyone was curious about the strength of their allies and de facto ruler; after all, despite being queen now, Daenerys was still a vassal.

Upon hearing the desire of those present, including Varys, to see his power, Asmodeus smiled and waved his hand, creating a portal beneath everyone's feet. When they realized the surroundings had changed, they found themselves standing near Asmodeus's army.

Seeing Asmodeus's appearance, the knights of the Order of Flame instantly saluted, their voices echoing across the island, "The Order of Flame is ready to serve!!! May the flame never die!!!"

"Be at ease, thank you for coming here. You are my most faithful subordinates, and I am glad to see you," Asmodeus responded.

Hearing Asmodeus's words, all the knights of the Order of Flame proudly puffed out their chests. They sincerely believed it was an honor that Asmodeus valued them. Once scorned by society as squibs, this man had given them a new life, granting them magic. They were willing to do anything for him!

Seeing his people's reaction, Asmodeus nodded contentedly and turned to the nearest Master Wizard.

"Koln, hello. Please help me with the demonstration. Can you use the Blasting Curse on that boulder over there?"

"Of course, Lord Morningstar!"

Koln, delighted to be chosen, directed his wand amid the envious glances of the other knights of the Order of Flame and, exerting all his strength, shouted, "Confringo!"

Tyrion, Daenerys, and the others watched as an orange ball of light swiftly shot out from the tip of the man's wand.

When the ball touched the boulder, roughly 5x5 meters in size, it exploded. Literally a second later, when the dust settled from the explosion, they saw that the huge boulder was halfway shattered.

"..."

One thought filled everyone's mind - 'if this is the power of a Master Wizard... what can Asmodeus do?!' They didn't have to wait long to find out.

Asmodeus, pleased with Koln's attack, patted him on the shoulder and said, "Well done, you are rapidly improving your skills. Perhaps in a year or two, you will reach the peak of the Master Wizard level. When you feel obstacles in your progress, come to me; I will help you become a Grand Wizard. Perhaps one day, you will take a place in the council."

"Thank you very much, sir. I will do my best!"

"Haha, good, I like your attitude!"

When he finished praising Koln, he saw Tyrion next to the boulder, examining the depth of the hole created by the explosion.

Approaching Daenerys and the others, he noticed shock on their faces and asked, "Your Majesty, please call your right-hand man; I'm afraid I might hit him."

"Oh? Yes, yes, right away!"

Daenerys quickly ran off to fetch Tyrion, not even realizing she was acting as his servant.

After some time, when she brought Tyrion back with her, she asked, "Lord Morningstar, are you going to attack this same boulder?"

"No, no. By the way, this cliff next to the boulder, don't you think a gentle slope would look nicer here?"

"Huh? What?"

But before Daenerys could understand Asmodeus's question, he pulled out his wand. Instead of the familiar Z-shaped movement made by Koln, Daenerys and the others saw Asmodeus holding what seemed to be a ball of energy in front of him, pulling it back before launching it.

As they all wondered where Asmodeus would aim, they heard, "Confringo Maxima!"

The orange-black ball flew towards the high cliff overlooking the boulder Tyrion had just inspected.

At that moment, Daenerys and the others understood what Asmodeus had asked.

"No way..."

"BOOM!!!"

A deafening explosion ensued, and the Westerosi lords witnessed as a large chunk of the cliff broke off and began falling down to the beach, forming a smooth incline from the beach to the island.

"..."

The onlookers were horrified. No dragon could achieve such a feat; only gods described in legends could cleave a rock with their strike. And yet, here before them, Asmodeus had exploded a cliff.

The problem was, he didn't look tired. On the contrary, he seemed somewhat dissatisfied with the result, muttering something like, "Huh? Why did it fall so crookedly... I aimed for the center..."

Meanwhile, Tyrion asked, pointing to the shattered piece of mountain, "Lord Morningstar... Can all 13 members of council of Wizards do this?"

Asmodeus scratched his chin and said, "Well... I'm not sure if they can achieve the same effect with this particular spell. After all, an explosion is also fire, and I have an advantage...."

Tyrion exhaled but then heard Asmodeus continue and took another breath.

"But although not everyone can achieve the same effect with this spell, destroying a mountain is not difficult at all. For example, someone like Valchar would use their own druidic magic, Rovena would cleave the rock with wind magic in which she excels, Salazar enjoys magic invented by Snape, so he might just chip off a piece of the mountain instead of blowing it up. Godric might use his sword, and Dumbledore is probably the only one who can blow up a mountain like me."

"..."

Tyrion realized that Asmodeus had misunderstood his question, but one thing he understood - there were at least 13 such monsters who could change the world's landscape as they pleased.

At the same time, Varys, who had been pondering the possibility of eliminating the wizards altogether, ceased his dangerous thoughts. Even if, by some miracle, they managed to poison one of the council's wizards, the other 12 would obliterate the continent, leaving no one alive.

_______________________________________

Meanwhile, in King's Landing, Cersei spoke with Jaime.

"These Tyrell vermin! They're all alive! Tommen killed himself, and that wench Margaery is alive! I received news that the Tyrells boarded one of their ships the day before yesterday, all except that stupid idiot Mace. They've gone to Dragonstone to aid the foreign whore!

The lords of the realm didn't answer the call, not a single one! They've all joined that old hag Olenna."

Jaime didn't know what to say, seeing Cersei's rage, so he remained silent.

"Why are you silent? Euron Greyjoy at least sailed to attack the Dornish ships that killed my daughter, and you!?"

"Where should we march with our army? Where should we expect the attack?"

"I don't know, aren't you our commander? Then think. Where would you strike?"

"I would go straight to King's Landing, but if there are no Dothraki at our gates yet, it means Tyrion doesn't want too many civilian casualties."

"Oh, right. How could I forget our beloved little brother, the bastard who betrayed his family and chose a foreign whore. Well, it's not his first time... But you said Tyrion doesn't want many casualties. Where would he strike with such an army?"

"Probably at Casterly Rock. He doesn't know the mines are exhausted, so he thinks cutting us off from the money supply. And he'll probably suggest besieging King's Landing."

"Excellent. So they'll need to use ships for that. Let Euron Greyjoy intercept them on the way. Let them enter Casterly Rock; it's useless anyway. Meanwhile, we'll send our forces to the Reach. That way, we can pay off the Iron Bank's debts and expand our army."

"I'm concerned about the recent reports that another dragon rider has appeared near the Targaryen girl, and that the dragon the man rides is twice the size of the largest of the girl's dragons. They say this man is a sorcerer or something."

"Dragons are not invincible. They're just big lizards with wings. Qyburn has already created a weapon that can kill a dragon."

"Okay, that's good..."

Jaime doubted the effectiveness of such a weapon, but the past few weeks had made Jaime fear Cersei. She regularly executed religious fanatics and increased the stockpile of wildfire under the city, constantly muttering something reminiscent of what the Mad King used to say.

"Burn them all, burn them all..."

So he tried not to argue with her and generally avoided her as much as possible.

"Why are you still standing there?! Get on your way!"