"Is everyone here?"

Branch and Kruger both rose up to their feet, letting out a breath of relief. Bringing so many strong souls back at once was a bit trying, and manipulating their movements at once wasn't exactly an easy task either. "Most of them are," Branch said. "I kept a few at some more tactical positions we could use later."

"We also kept their personalities and such. Was a little difficult to do it the usual way with so many to control. But we got all the necessary parts of it down. We'll be able to control them without any resistance," Kruger said sheathing his sword.

Python grunted. "Good." He didn't need them to be perfect. So long as they bolstered their ranks, he didn't care if they cut a few corners. He stood up as he saw a few figures approaching. He was about to walk up to meet them. He recognized one of them immediately. "Venom the Inexorable. What a pleasant surprise it is to see you among our ranks."

The gorgon smiled at the titan. "Lord Python. I'm pleased to know that it was you who was behind this. I had feared that perhaps those filthy mewmans had some role in this."

Baron, who had been walking alongside him, glared. "So it was your degenerate leaders who were up to this. It's sad to see you and your kind still somehow exist in this day and age," he spat. On the way here, he and Venom had reluctantly worked together to figure out what was going on. They had managed to realize they had killed one another, and presumed some magic was bringing them back. But they had no idea who, or how much time had passed since they died.

Venom smirked towards him. "Rejoice mewman. For once you will actually be raising your blade for a cause of worth." Baron would have spat at him if he were able, but right now he didn't seem able to move. Or even reach for his weapon. There must have been some condition to the spell keeping him from lashing out at them.

Scylla walked past them, and made her way towards another figure approaching. This one was clearly aquatic, and had a willowy build. He had pale grayish-blue skin, long shadowy gray hair that tied into a half-up bun, and luminescent white eyes with light gray scleras. He had a horizontal scar across his nose and another vertical one over his left eye, three pairs of webbed ears and sharp teeth.

He wore a dull grey-gold neck armor and a muted dark blue shirt made of cloth somewhat, bandages around his midriff, and there seemed to be blood seeping from the wound it was covering. "Kamon… they got you too?" Scylla asked, looking towards the Bahr Shabh.

The figure nodded towards her. "Not quite. From what I remember, my old wound got to me," he said, putting a hand over his stomach. "Not that I'm not happy to see you again, but I can't help but think in this state I'll be little more than a detriment to you."

"I wouldn't concern yourself over it," Kruger said. "With the magic we used your bodies will have certain advantages. A slow acting wound like that one shouldn't be much of a bother for you in your current state." After all, they may have had their memories but… well, they weren't really back.

He and Branch had only reconnected body and soul with the faintest of connections. The people standing before them were more akin to shadows than they were complete resuractions. Bodies and fractions of the souls so they could use their talents and abilities, and shades of their personalities and memories so they could use them to their full effect.

Matrona's foot came down beside him, and she smiled. "Well, what do you know? My boys are back. They're a hell of a lot stronger than last time I saw them." She could sense Boulder and Gorge at the bottom of the mountain. Along with a few others. Another giant woman, and… well, the last one was tiny. But she had a strong connection to the earth. She had to be at least part giant. Curious.

Gadfly hovered up in the air, a smile on his face. "You guys feel that spark in the air? It looks like Hyena got brought back to. And do my eyes deceive me, or is that big guy down there who I think it is?" He started to fly down towards the base of the mountain to see some of the other warriors Branch and Kruger managed to bring back.

"A few of them appeared near the castle. Even if they hadn't, Typhon's boy is bound to have sensed what's going on," Branch said. "How do you think he'll respond?"

Python grunted. "It doesn't really matter how he responds. If he smartens up and surrenders, it'll save us some trouble. If he meets us on the field, I'll take him down myself," he said. He would put him out of commission and recover his brother's remaining heart while he was at it. "Branch, Kurger, I want you two in the field. Will you still be able to maintain the spell at your full combat strength?"

Branch shook his head. "No. Not completely. But it'd be easy enough to pass off control of it to Argus. He should have more than enough power to sustain it while continuing the search for Kitsune," he explained.

"Alright then. Go and tell the others to prepare for battle. Tomorrow we tear down the kingdoms…"

"How many do we have a count of?"

Astro sat in the throne room, looking towards Corona as he skimmed through the list she had put together. "We've gotten confirmation on all of the knights who have been brought back, as well as the handful of Queens brought back from the royal resting grounds," she explained.

The young king balled his fist up. As if his grandparents and the royal knights weren't enough, to bring back some of the past Queens too? "Do we know which ones?"

Corona nodded. "The ones missing are Serpens, Atmosphera, and… Solaria."

Astro mentally cursed. He didn't know much about Atmosphera. At least not about any dangerous abilities in particular. But he knew about Serpens' reputation, and Soloaria had been known as the greatest warrior in his family's history. To say she was dangerous was a huge understatement. "Do we have any other info…?"

He looked out towards the other royals, knights, and tribe leaders. Oswald cleared his throat and stepped forward. "Uh… I got word back that there was a spike in magic around the Fist. We haven't been able to confirm anything, but since that's where the Tomb of the Tyrant is located it's likely he's been awakened now too."

"At least one powerful magic was reported from the Deep. We don't have any way of knowing which warrior it was. They moved up to the surface too fast for them to confirm anything," Hody said, scowling. He couldn't believe they were fighting dead men now. Did these savages truly have no honor?

"At least four giants are gonna be among their ranks. My father and Nalfi say they're all heavy hitters too. Massive magic power," Fee said from the window. He and Fum were leaning on the side of the castle to peer inside and join the conversation.

Astro sighed and reached up and pinched the bridge of his nose. They had only been able to really identify a handful of the ones who had awakened, so they had pretty much no idea what they were going to be up against. "Alright… all the civilians from the local towns and villages have been brought into their respective kingdoms, right?" he asked.

"All the ones who would listen," Breeze said. There were still some holdouts among them. Most of them suspected rebels or malchemist. She couldn't say she would lose any sleep if the worst happened to them. And then there were the monster villages who probably sympathized with the Ten.

"Good. I want a portal network set up in each kingdom though. If something happens I want the citizens to be able to evacuate here as quickly as possible," he said.

Tor frowned. "Instead of worrying about the worst, how about we start coming up with plans to try and stop it, yeah?" he asked annoyed.

Astro narrowed his eyes. "I'm getting to that. But we know that their main targets are going to be the kingdoms themselves. They may be the most fortified places, but they're also going to be taking the most heat. I want an evacuation plan in place," he said before standing up.

"How do we know for sure they're going to target the kingdoms?" Hody asked. "They could be a diversion tactic. For all we know they could be planning on marching straight here and taking you out."

Astro shook his head. "They wouldn't risk that. It would put them in a position to be surrounded by the other kingdoms. Besides, they want to get rid of all of mewmanity. Now that they have the numbers they probably think it's more efficient to strike at multiple key points at once."

"So we're going to divide out forces then?" Breeze asked.

"We won't have much of a choice," Astro said reluctantly. "I don't want our forces spread thin though. We're going to divide up the kingdoms, guard, and tribes, and place them only at the key defensive points around the kingdoms. Each one should have a tight fortified defense."

Jagur looked worried. "Well, I see the logic in it. But is it really wise to so freely give up so much ground?"

"It's not as if they have the numbers to make use of it. We may be dealing with more powerful foes, but we still vastly outnumber them," Breeze explained. "How exactly are we going to divide up our forces though?"

Astro thought for a moment. "It… should be based on who can work together the most cohesively, and who knows the area best. Queen Margo, do you have any word from the Fire Nymph tribe yet?" he asked.

Margo crossed her arms. "I managed to make contact with Cole. Though his people seemed reluctant, because of their treading on the Great Volcano and reports that some of their own warriors might have been brought back, they're willing to work with us to take down the Ten. At least until their warriors are put back to rest."

Well, there was some bit of good news at least. "Tor, I want you, the minotaurs, and Draco's tribe to make up the defenses around the Johansen kingdom. You know the area best, so you'll be the one in charge of heading the combined forces."

Tor looked over towards the leader of the minotaurs, a large burly figure by the name of Bluno. Then he looked at Draco, who glared back at him in response. "Right…"

Draco huffed. "I don't like it, but if you say to follow him, I will."

Bluno looked amused. "In all my years I never thought I'd ever be defending the Johansen kingdom. This is quite the joke."

Astro felt a bit of relief that neither of them raised too much of a fuss. He knew mixing their forces would be problematic, but it was the best chance they had. "Hody, you're going to head the defense for the Waterfolk. Their most likely going to attack from garbage beach, so take the beastskin tribes and-"

Ray Sabers suddenly stood up. "Excuse me… but are you putting me under the command of this fish face?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.

Hody grit his teeth. "Excuse me?"

Astro quickly spoke up. "Hody is an experienced warrior and commander. He knows that area well. Between you and members from the guard then-"

Ray growled. "He's a prejudiced piece of garbage! I'd sooner be skinned alive that have to take orders from the likes of him!" he shouted. "Why should I help him after everything he's said and done towards monster-kind?!"

Hody suddenly stood up, glaring at him. "I didn't ask for your assistance. In fact, you'd probably only get in my way. So don't flatter yourself by even entertaining the idea that I would need you in any way, shape or form," he said.

Maria reached over and grabbed Hody's arm. "Hody, calm down…" They were supposed to be working together, not blowing up at one another.

Astro spoke up again, trying to calm both of them. "I know it's not ideal, but-"

"But nothing! I'm not working with this arrogant prick!" Ray snapped.

Hody grunted before turning towards Astro. "Give me someone else to work with. Someone who knows their place and can follow orders. I can take over defending my home from there. I don't need this savage to-"

"That's enough!" Astro said, stomping his foot. "I'm not asking either of you to work together! I'm telling you that that's what is going to happen! Ray, you will take your forces to Garbage Beach, and you will listen to Hody! And Hody, you're going to keep whatever prejudice you have to yourself and command the forces under you as if they were you own! This isn't a request, it's a demand!"

Both Hody and Ray looked at him surprised, and then frowned. "Are you seriously just expecting me to pretend to get along with him when-"

"I'm not asking you to pretend to do anything. I'm telling you to work together. Because right now our options are work together and win, or die," Astro said before looking around towards everyone. "There's a lot of people here who don't get along. Some of you might even hate each other. But right now that doesn't matter. Put it aside and do what needs to be done."

Another monster scoffed. "Do what needs to be done? You're asking us to defend the homes of people who berated and held us down for generations."

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm doing," Astro said bluntly. "You all pledged to help me fight against the Ten. Now if you're having second thoughts, then you're free to leave. I told you I don't want anyone to follow me who doesn't want to. But if you're planning on keeping your word, then you're going to have to accept that this is the only chance we have to bring them down."

"I fought Python. I know how strong he is. I can't stop him. Nobody here can stop them. Not a single kingdom, or tribe, or division. The only chance we have to do it is to work together. And even that might not be enough, but at least we'll give them a fight," Astro said. "I know there's bad blood here. And I know no matter what I say it's not going away. But we need to be on the same page if we're going to beat them, and we need to beat them if we're going to survive. After all this is over, then we can start sorting everything else. But we have to live to that point first."

"Hody, this is the best way you're going to be able to defend your kingdom. This is what's going to happen. If you don't think you're capable of leading, step down and let someone else do it. Ray, if you don't think you can set aside your personal grudges, you do the same."

Hody and Ray both looked towards Astro in annoyance, and then towards one another. The former grunted and then sat down. "Try not to slow me down, beastkin…"

Ray let out a low growl towards him, but sat. "I will listen only for the sake of our king. You are nothing but an acting commander to me. Nothing more."

Astro nodded. "Good. Now, we need to break down strategies to each of the Ten. They are likely going to be split up and leading different forces like they did in the past. They are stronger than most of us, and they know it. So we'll use it to our advantage. Our chances of taking them down individually are much higher. I'm not sure if Python will take the top field, but if he does I'll be the one to meet him. I'm going to need-"

Sarasim suddenly stepped up beside him. "You'll take him? Asterossa, you do realize that you're the king now, don't you?" she asked. "And that this is war. You're going to be a prime target for them. You can't just go leading the charge like you did before."

Astro looked confused. "What? No, I can and I will."

Higgs spoke up next. "Asterossa, if the enemy saw you, and decided to go right after you and you fell, where would that leave us? I'm not saying that you shouldn't participate in the battle, but you need to be wise about-"

"I'm the strongest one here," Astro said bluntly. Nia suddenly cleared her throat, and Astro narrowed his eyes at her. "I'm arguably the strongest one here… Python is stronger than I am, but I'm still the best chance we have at bringing him down. If he does join the battle and I'm not there to help confront him, do you have any idea how many lives that will cost? I'm going."

Higgs and Sarasim shared a glance. The way he spoke said there wasn't any room for argument, and while they didn't completely agree they didn't think now was the time or place to confront him about it. But Sarasim did give him a look that said they were going to talk about this when they were done.

"That being said, you're right. I can't be the king and captain of the guard. So, will Breeze Johansen please step-"

"You motherfucker," Breeze said, glaring.

Some of the others looked rather surprised that she spoke to… well, the king that way. But Astro didn't seem surprised at all. "I'm sorry, but you're the only one who can fill the position. Besides, it's not like you haven't already been doing it."

Breeze looked annoyed. She knew logically she was going to be the next in line to become captain. Given the situation they didn't have time to get everyone together for a vote. And even if they did, it probably would have been her anyway. That still didn't mean she wanted to do it. Her position as acting captain was meant to have been temporary. Now she wasn't sure if it was going to stay that way.

"You owe me Asterossa. You know that, don't you?"

"Feel free to add it to the long list of things I already owe you for," Astro said before he began walking off. "I'll be back in a moment. Start helping the others organize which groups they're going to work with, and divide the guard among them equally. We're going to need the members from all the divisions at the ready for each battlefield. We don't know what we're going to deal with."

Breeze raised an eyebrow. "Where are you going?"

"Nowhere far. I need a weapon…"

Black Bane.

The infamous weapon that once belonged to Rosetta the Reaper.

Astro had left it alone until now. He didn't have a real need to use it. But with Ocean's Kiss still in pieces, he didn't think he had much of a choice. Puff could have made him another sword, but none of them would be able to hold up with him using his dark magic. And he was going to have to use every ability he had for the battle to come. Black Bane was meant specifically for the use of dark magic. In his hands, it would arguably hold up better than Ocean's Kiss.

Of course he still had doubts about using it. There was always something about it that made him feel… odd. Sent a chill up his spine. He didn't have time for his personal gripes right now though. He needed to hurry up and get back to the others. He reached out and grabbed the scythe from the desk in Rosetta's office, and he could already feel the dark aura flowing off of it.

Again, a very weird and ominous feeling washed over him. He looked over it for a few moments, and then suddenly it began to glow. Astro watched as it began to charge form, forming into… a sword. One with a pitch blade that looked like it could cut through the soul itself. "What the…?"

"Ah, finally using Black Bane huh?"

Astro turned around and pointed the sword to the source of the voice, and was surprised to see Glossaryck floating nearby. He looked surprised. "Glossaryck? Why are you here? How are you here?" Only certain people were supposed to have permission to enter Rosetta's office.

The elderly magical being shrugged. "I have permission I suppose. Thought I was going to have a lot more trouble if I'm being honest. I mean, if there was one thing your mother knew how to do, it was keeping people locked out," he said chuckling. "Anyway, nice to see Black Bane being used again. Thought it was such a waste she crafted something like that and it just sat there and collected dust."

Astro looked down at the sword, and then back at him. "I have a lot of questions for you," he said, glaring. "And I would appreciate it if you answered them without your usual nonsense."

"Sure. I'm all ears, young king."

Astro eyes went wide. Glossaryck always referred to him as the young king or majesty before. He thought it was a taunt about his true blood heritage or something. But now…

"Did you know?" Astro asked, stepping towards him. "Did you know this was going to happen? Did you know about the Ten and all of his?" He could see into the future. Or at least he could before he passed the ability onto someone else.

Glossaryck hummed and stroked his beard. "I mean… I had a hunch about what Rosetta was up to, but I didn't think it went this deep. You mom was… she was a crazy one. Even more coco puffs than I am," he said amused. "But if you're asking if I knew about the Ten and the others… I did know they were sealed."

"Then why didn't you say anything?!" Astro asked, his eyes turning black.

He shrugged. "Didn't feel like the time was right."

Astro looked like he was about to strike at him. Glossaryck knew his father. He knew the Ten. If he knew everything that happened and said nothing, then he was no better than the Commission was. Or at least it seemed that way. He had his own deranged thought process, and Star seemed to trust him. So he was hoping he could explain himself somehow.

"Look, it's really complicated. Even if I told you all the details I doubt you'd understand or be satisfied. All you need to know for now is- Gah!" Glossaryck's eyes looked like they were going to pop out of his head as Astro grabbed him by the throat. He had gone into his full monster form, and was breathing heavily. "Little tight kid…"

Astro kept glaring at him for a while, but after a few moments suddenly let go. He stepped back and shook his head, trying to calm himself. More secrets. More people telling him he didn't need to know. He was tired of it. "Nevermind, just get out…" He didn't even care about answers right now. He didn't want to look at him.

Glossaryck caught his breath, and then raised his hands. "Alright, alright. I get it. Man, you really do have more in your father in you than you like to admit. Then again, you did have a pretty long day. And from the looks of it you got some even longer ones ahead. I'll come back when you've had a chance to cool off a little," he said. "Probably for the best anyway. I have a family visit to make."

Astro didn't even bother asking what he was talking about. He just looked back down at Black Bane as Glossaryck vanished. This weapon… the way it had changed form. It was odd. It almost felt like… like it was some kind of dark version of the wand. But that couldn't have been possible.

He sighed and decided to just stop thinking about it for now. He didn't have time to dwell on this. He didn't have time to dwell on weapons, or Glossaryck, or secrets. Had had to do his duty and focus on saving mewni… things really hadn't changed much for him since he was king, had they?

If anything it just became a lot harder.

A/N: Both sides prepare for the war to come, and Astro has to deal with yet another person keeping secrets from him. That boy's gonna crack under the stress is this keeps up. But what is Glossaryck hiding? What's his relation to Rosetta? And what are the kingdoms and tribes gonna have to deal with fighting against the Ten? Gonna have to keep reading to find out!