In one of Rome''s largest squares, a large crowd assembled. The news spread about the Deathless Phoenix''s arrival, and now the people got together to see their legendary leader with their own eyes.


    Since the capturing of Rome, these people were quick to accept Sera as their leader. This was mostly because of Adam''s control over the Angelic Order.


    He was a charismatic leader, unlike his wife. With speeches, promises, and placing doubts into the citizens'' minds, he made quick work of the city''s leadership.


    Now, he stood at the mass''s front with piety and devoutness. He wore the Angelic Order''s golden armor, even though he hated it. He would''ve rather worn his usual robe, but this was a special occasion.


    Drones with cameras flew around the square, capturing the moment of Sera''s arrival. It was a live feed, transmitted to each and every place within Europe!


    They still got the regular news channels, since the Aegis System only kept out physical and energy attacks. It did nothing to different, smaller spectrum waves.


    Everyone who wanted to could watch either the Federal Alliance''s or the United Front''s propaganda. It really didn''t matter to the Angelic Order''s future.


    Most people didn''t just accept Sera as their new leader, but actually wanted her. When the news came, she took over Rome, people celebrated, and now that she was arriving here, everyone was excited.


    Her arrival would only be late afternoon, just as the sun closed towards the western horizon. Quite a few people had been waiting since early morning to get the best places in the crowd.


    Adam stood with his retinue. Around and behind him, more than a hundred Ascended stood, waiting for their leader''s arrival. They all wore the golden armor, but they also had their helmets on, making them much more fearsome.


    The anticipation grew as the hour finally came. On the western side of the square, a large cordoned off area got chosen for the entrance point.


    The citizens watched in awe as a ten meter tall and fifty meter wide portal opened. The crowd gasped in sync as they stared at the dark portal. A thick layer of shadows hid the other side, and the first of the forces cut it through, giving them a mysterious effect. Find more to read at My Virtual Library Empire


    First came the regular military. Enormous tanks, self-propelled artillery, and APCs pushed through the shadows, their weapons aiming at the drones with the cameras. At least one seven-pointed star adored every vehicle.


    Between the giant machines, soldiers walked with their rail-guns on their shoulders. Gold paint covered their uniforms and armor, and each soldier had sewn a seven-pointed star into their fabric.@@@@


    For the next half an hour, the Angelic Order''s war machine walked out of the portal. They moved along the streets of Rome, taking the long road to the military encampment, their destination.


    A few drones followed them along, transmitting the army''s size to anyone and everyone. Thousands of vehicles covered in monster skin, and more than a million soldiers walked out of the portal. But this was only the appetizer.


    When the last soldier walked through the shadows, they let the anticipation and excitement rise for a minute or two.


    Behind Sera''s back, her four wings spread wide, making her appear truly divine. Her face held a small, kind smile, and she let her golden hair fall onto her back.


    As the largest of the hippogryphs took to the sky, Sera''s hair trailed and whipped behind her. He was the only hippogryphs without armor, since his feathers had enough defense.


    But Sera wasn''t the last person to arrive. Next came Alyrine with Bea riding on top of her. She wore her wooden armor, and let it grew around her ride as well.


    She and Sera flew towards the sky one after the other. The crowd screamed and chanted their leader''s name as she flew to her army.


    In the sky, they made a few rounds, then flew back to the square where they all landed. The portal closed as the shadow moved through and entered one of the hippogryph''s shadow.


    Sera landed right before Adam, with Lilith and Bea by her two sides. Adam bowed as the hundred Ascended knelt.


    "Rome welcomes the Deathless Phoenix! The Angel Monarch! Lady Seraphine, the Unbroken!" shouted Adam, and the loud square turned silent.


    She nodded towards Adam from Kastral''s back. Her eyes looked over the enormous crowd. They turned deathly silent, and a few even passed out from excitement.


    Her face twisted into a wide grin as she raised her hand and began her speech...


    "Greetings to all of you, and thank you for the warm welcome! I haven''t been here for long, but I''m already loving your city! It looks especially beautiful from the sky!"


    With her next words, the grin turned a bit more solemn, but she tried to hold her small smile to the best of her abilities.


    "Sadly, this isn''t the visit I was hoping for! Our enemies are massing and approaching our walls this very moment! They want to keep us shackled to them, to destroy the future we are trying to build!... Will we let them?"


    Her question was purely rhetorical, but the crowd screamed their agreement all the same... "NEVER!"


    "Just as I thought! You can all see our power; in fact, we transmitted this entire showcase to our enemy! They can see how little we care about their wants, and if they try to force us, we will burn them to ashes... And, unlike me, they will never rise again!"


    The crowd shouted their approval, then Adam began the chanting. Everyone shouted the same words, that became the motto of the Angelic Order!


    "FROM THE ASHES WE WILL RISE!" shouted the citizens in the crowd...


    "FROM THE ASHES WE WILL RISE!" chanted the Ascended around Sera...


    "FROM THE ASHED WE WILL RISE!" screamed the entire city without fear and full of hope!