Amelia and Ophelia: The Former Grand Duchess and Saintess.

Winding back time a bit to just after Amelia and Ophelia declared war on the Kingdom of Amma. 

"You can't be serious?! Declaring war right in my house? Are you both mad?" Alfonsis raged as he clenched his fists and a boiling rage burned within him 

"We are serious. You asked us what we wanted to do in order to rectify the slight your general did to us, and so we chose war" Ophelia replied with her stoic expression 

"But that is insane! You are going to ruin both of our nations!" Viktor added 

"Will it though? Your nation perhaps, but our empire has been preparing for conflict for a while now" Amelia retorted, her remarks causing the crown prince to flinch 

"What?! Are you telling us you wanted this conflict?" Alfonsis asked as he rose from his throne 

"Maybe we did. Who is to say otherwise no? Besides, I think your people will find our rule much more appealing and accommodating than yours ever was" Ophelia answered him

"Bullshit! How would your rule be better than mine!? You're the fucking invader!" The demonkin king raged as he stepped down from his throne 

"For starters, they will have better living conditions than the ones they currently have, they will have access to education, access to a welfare system that provides them with a good amount of wealth to ensure they can have a good life, have a voice in the Imperial Council to bring about their concerns in the empire, be treated fairly and so on and so forth, overall, a much better situation they are currently in by serving you, and your nobles" The raven-haired empress replied 

"Tsk! And what makes you think that my rule is worse?" 

"Well, from the intelligence we have gathered about your kingdom, it paints a very bleak picture. For starters, your people are suffering from an economic downturn as the royal coffers are emptied to pay for the large army and navy fielded by you. The common people are taxed heavily  for almost everything in their lives in order to refill said coffers while the nobles are not as heavily taxed which confuses me since we were informed about your hatred towards them for the supposed death of your wife" Amelia answered him 

"Watch the way you speak of my beloved you whore, and for your information, I did that due to my son and daughter's insistence to try and ensure their loyalty during the growing crisis we were facing" Alfonsis spat back 

"Father's right. We did that to ensure their loyalty" Viktor added as he stood by his father's side 

"Now that is just an interesting take on it. While we did hear that you lessened the taxes on the nobles to keep them loyal,  we also heard that you raised the taxes on the common folk but made it look like it was the nobles' doing to try and get them to revolt against the nobles and then swoop in to support them to bring them to your side, you had the army and the navy stacked with officers loyal to you and you alone and had a very good reason for doing this against them since you believed them to be the reason behind the death of your beloved, if you still deny it, we were given a copy of the transcript of that meeting you decided on it, and an audio recording" Amelia replied as she stared the demonkin king down 

Both demonkin royals stared down the two empresses with unmoving expressions, but Viktor glanced at his father and saw his expression falter for but a moment, revealing a rising anger at the words of the two women before them, a small moment of realization washing over him internally before he reaffirmed himself to support his father. 

"You speak lies wench, that proof you claim to have is nothing more than lies!" Alfonsis roared as he looked at his soldiers 

"Seize them!" He shouted 

{!} 

But before the soldiers could do anything, there was the sound of a snap and all of them suddenly disappeared as they were swallowed up by their shadows, the screams of the soldiers only being brief before they entered the void and left the material plain, seeing Ophelia raise her hand and keep it in snapping pose. This display left the two demonkin royals perturbed and left them both without their guards. 

{!} 

A few moments after that, there was a chill in the air as Amelia let loose a bit of her elemental magic to further intimidate them. Alfonsis was fighting hard to not just go in and attack after this display of raw power since some part of him was desperately telling him that if he did, he would not make it out alive, and that was something that scared him. 

"Since we still want to end this amicably and give you a chance to peacefully abdicate from your throne, I shall show you that proof" Amelia said as she reeled in her elemental magic and retrieved a pair of crystals from her item box, the crystals in question were glowing white and pulsated with a slow light. 

Amelia then poured a bit of magic into the crystals and set them on the floor, a few moments later, one of them began displaying a recording of a scene while the other provided the sound. The scene in question involved Alfonsis, Trochious, and several other ministers inside one of the castle's many meeting rooms months ago. 

[Are you sure this will work Trochious?] Alfonsis asked as he turned to them, 

[Of course Your Majesty. If we break the citizens before we break the nobles, they will rise up against them and overthrow them out of anger] Trochious answered him 

[And what of His Majesty?] A female demonkin advisor spoke up, with the general and king turning to her

[Surely they will overthrow him as well given the orders to increase taxes were from him specifically] The advisor added

[Of course not, His Majesty will swoop in and declare his support to the revolutionaries and then declare that the nobles did it without his consent, securing his support base and further giving him power] Trochious answered the woman 

[But Your Majesty, are you really ok with this? The investigation on the death of Queen Viktoria found that none of the nobles that day were responsible for her death]

[You mean the investigation that was done by said nobles? An investigation that led to the death of one of my trusted servants who found evidence tying the nobles to it in a letter he sent me? Evidence that had been conveniently lost during their investigation? Please, that investigation they gave the public was one trying to paint their innocence, they may fool the masses but they will not fool me, the damnable rats they are is something I see clearly] Alfonsis stated as he looked at the female advisor 

The female advisor was silent before she bowed her head and left the room, leaving Trochious and Alfonsis alone within the meeting room. 

[Shall I deal with her, Your Majesty?] Trochious asked her 

[No, despite her being a nagging thorn in my side, Duchess Makgraff is my sister-in-law and is Toria's godmother, I do not wish to lose another relative] Alfonsis answered him as he let out a sigh and shook his head 

After that, the display vanished back into the crystal and the dual monarchs were looking at the slightly shaking king, his breathing was noticeably more intense and the dual monarchs could see sweat forming on his neck and his forehead. 

"Where is Duchess Magkraff now Alfonsis?" Ophelia asked as she took a step forward 

"She...she is gone...after that meeting, she was found murdered in her estate with a knife through her heart..." The king of Amma answered hesitantly 

A tense silence filled the throne room as the dual monarchs watched as the demonkin king backtracked and sat down on his throne, hunching over and covering his face, a sense of shame and regret filling the air as the memories of happier times flooded his mind. Viktor, who up until this point was staunchly going to support his father, was now second-guessing his blind loyalty and trust in his own father. 

The dual monarchs shared a glance and when Ophelia nodded to her, Amelia took a deep breath before she stepped forward. She looked at the two demonkin royals and she let out a sigh as she lightly stomped on the ground with her right foot. 

"I have a proposal for you. We will give you the one behind the downfall of your nation, and in return, you are to surrender it to us. You will not be allowed to participate in the political matters of the realm, and neither will your son. The nobles of your nation are going to be stripped of their titles, land, and wealth. You will be subservient to the crown and any notion of rebellion will be met with extermination. I know despite the things you have done, you still care for your citizens, so I ask you to do what is best for them, and hand over the reigns to someone who will provide them a better future" 

"Wai'-"

"Quiet Viktor" Alfonsis cut him off as he looked at Amelia

The king of Amma leaned back into his chair and his mind began running through all of the possibilities he could think of. He looked over at Viktor and could see a certain spark in his eyes, a spark of defiance gleaming alongside a spark of wanting him to support him in trying to stop these two women who were before him. But while he lacked Viktor's desire for defiance and youthful drive, he had a better mind to calculate. Off the bat, Alfonsis could not read the stats of the two women before him, he even struggled to do the same with their guards, this was something that scared him and made him do his best to fight his urge to just fight. 

Then there was the fact that the two before him had inside info on the kingdom, they were able to produce a meeting he believed to be one hidden with utmost secrecy and they had correctly given him the current situation they were in that he tried to hide so badly, he did not expect this one bit. Alfonsis knew he also could not rely on his military to try and save him now as he had not heard from any of his military forces on the island or the fleets around the island chain, heck even the naval forces on Pattu had failed to arrive which was concerning. 

"Before I give my decision...may I ask a few questions?" Alfonsis said as he leaned forward 

"Ask away" Amelia replied with a small nod

"First off, I can piece together from the way you made the proposal and from the evidence you have brought to me, is the spy in your employ my own daughter Toria?" The demonkin king asked as he rested his chin on his hand 

"Yes, she was our main informant on the inside and was instrumental in knowing where the military installation and forces were along the island chain" Amelia answered him, her answer causing Viktor to show a betrayed expression on his face while Alfonsis gave a hollow chuckle as he nodded 

"To think she would betray us! Father we-" 

Alfonsis raised his hand at his son, his gaze speaking to keep silent before turning it back to the women before him 

"She always had the people's interest in mind...despite me and Viktor's attempts to try and sideline her in order to keep her safe and not a target like her mother, it seems we just drove her to become that...ironic" The demonkin king remarked with a defeated smile 

"Tell me, what did you promise her in order for her to turn on her own family?" 

"She asked us to make her governor of the island chain and for you both to be no longer involved in politics, specifically asking for us to either imprison you both or let you live and work on one of the farms on the mainland" 

That defeated smile widened as Alfonsis let out another chuckle 

"She truly has what it takes to be a ruler, more so than me or you Viktor" He remarked as he looked at his son, with the crown prince showing a hurt expression at the truth of those words 

"She truly does Father...She truly does" Viktor added with a defeated tone 

"Lastly, from the way you are confident in making this proposal, I can understand that my military forces have been dealt with, tell me. How will you compensate their deaths to the people of the kingdom?" He asked with a serious expression 

"For that, I will bring back their dead loved ones but with the caveat that they swear fealty to the empire and the crown" Amelia replied 

{!} 

"Preposterous! Father, she is clearly lying! No one can bring people back from the dead!" Viktor shouted as he had had enough 

"My son is right, no one can bring people back from the dead. Unless you have proof then I will call off this deal and make you regret making a fool of me" Alfonsis added with a low growl 

"Here, this is the mark of someone blessed by Harcun, the God and creator of Demonkin kind" Amelia replied as she rolled up her left sleeve and exposed the underside of her left arm.

{!} 

What the two demonkin saw was a tattoo that pulsated with purple magical energy, the tattoo was in the shape of a demonkin skull facing forward and with a shattered halo over the skull, to those who weren't demonkin it seemed like a normal tattoo but to them, when a demonkin was looking at it, they could hear the winds and whispers of the demon world like no other, and could feel something in their hearts that told them it was a true mark, something that was failed to be achieved by other tattoos held by false bearers claiming to be chosen by Harcun. 

At those words and the sight of the mark, Alfonsis rose from his seat and walked over to the blonde empress, his lips quivering as his eyes spoke words that he could not bear to let loose from his mouth. 

"I can revive her, but I need her body, is it still intact?" Amelia asked 

Alfonsis nodded and then fell to his knees as he began to cry. Viktor rushed to his side and he could not hold it in either, looking up at the blonde empress and meeting her eyes, he could see the truth gleaming from her crimson eyes, a truth that made his heart fill with hope that had not been there for so long. He also began to cry alongside his father at the thought of the one person both loved the most returning to their side after they believed her lost. 

After ten or so minutes of crying, the two demonkin royals had recomposed themselves and stood back up, wiping their sniveling noses and wiping their eyes of the tears that had been shed, and once they had recomposed themselves, they were ready to speak again. 

"I am willing to accept it, but I have only one other condition" Alfonsis stated 

"Oh and what's that?" Ophelia finally chimed in as she stood beside her beloved 

"We demonkin are a prideful bunch, as much as I want to accept the terms which are amazingly generous by the way, I still wish to fight for the throne, and I am not alone in this thought, Viktor too would like to at least fight to try and keep his birthright, but given that I cannot read either of your stats, I am guessing it will be a quick fight" 

"Hmm, we can arrange for someone your speed if it seems fair, or does it bother you not fighting another monarch?" 

"I would prefer a fair fight over a one-sided one, at least then I could do something. But even if we win, the throne will be yours anyway" Alfonsis added 

"Sure, so. Do we have a deal?" Amelia asked as she held out her hand, with Ophelia doing the same

"Yes, you both have a deal" Alfonsis replied as she shook both hands of the monarchs before him and bowed his head, with Viktor doing the same

The two even signed a piece of paper that appeared out of nowhere detailing their deal, with Alfonsis impressed by how quickly it was drafted and given to them, with him quickly signing it and getting the entire thing done with.

"Right, now that we have agreed on the terms, here is the person responsible for the downfall of the nation" Ophelia stated as she snapped her fingers and a black hole appeared on the floor. 

The black hole then spat out General Trochious who crashed against one of the marble walls of the throne room, his eyes wide and him screaming as he was squirming to get into a corner. His breathing was rapid and his bloodshot eyes moved everywhere as he tried to make sense of where he was and when his eyes laid on the two empresses,

"S.S.S.SSTAY BACK!" he shouted as he pointed at them, his whole body shaking and his eyes 

Ophelia then placed an invisible barrier on the panicking general and turned to the two dumbfounded demonkin rulers. 

"The spell I used was <Shadow Devour> and it sends people I target to a shadow dimension that shows him his greatest fears or something scarier and then he dies over and over and over again, although it had been around thirty minutes for us, for him, it was years, I would not be surprised if he is no longer able to converse normally" Ophelia remarked as they all glanced at him

"Putting that aside, Trochious is the one who has been doing his best to destroy the kingdom" 

{!}

"What?!!" Both demonkins shouted 

"It's true, he was the one orchestrating the discourse between you and the nobility, forging letters using his great handwriting to mimic yours, he had access to the royal seals because of his proximity to you and since he was always in your favor, you would never suspect him. He was the one who killed Queen Viktoria, confronting her in a dungeon, knocking out the nobles with her and then killing her by driving a sword through her heart, before fleeing and making it look like an accident when they were later attacked by monsters of the very same dungeon, he even personally killed Duchess Makgraff in her home, moments after she figured out it was him behind everything" Amelia added 

{!}

The shock on the faces of Alfonsis and his son quickly turned to anger as they looked upon the crazy general trying to break free of the barrier, his crazy bloodshot eyes and expression making the fire in their hearts burn brighter and brighter. 

"How do you know all of this?" Alfonsis asked as he kept his gaze at the lunatic demonkin general 

"I scanned his mind when you gave him over to us, the dimension I sent him to is linked to me so I was able to scan all of it just to be sure" Ophelia answered 

"I see...as much as I wish to punish him myself for his crimes, it seems that eternal suffering in that dimension of yours is punishment enough. You can take him away now" Alfonsis stated as he turned his gaze back to Ophelia 

At his words, Ophelia nodded and snapped her fingers, the barrier surrounding Trochious was gone and he tried to make a run for it, but before he could do so, his shadow grew larger and detached from him before sprouting a massive shadowy claw that grabbed him by the foot and began dragging him into the hole. Trochious screamed and kicked at the claw as he was being dragged away, his expression of fear and despair becoming greater and greater, he tried begging for help from the people watching his demise and was only answered with silence and angry glares before he disappeared into the black hole. 

"With that out of the way, let's move on to the next part. Your fight" Ophelia stated as she gave a small smile in anticipation, with Amelia standing by her side, holding her hand and also smiling

A/N: And we are back on Nas! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and the ones to come after this, this was like the 7th or 8th version of this chapter I have written as the others were too bland and did not give Alfonsis and Viktor a good reason to abdicate, even the punishment for Trochious was too simple and bland. I think this iteration is deemed right on both. Anyways, if you have reactions or questions leave em below for me to read and answer and always Stay Safe and Enjoy Your Day!