Jake and Marceline arrived at the Breakfast Kingdom and met up with Finn and his other friends. After they greeted each other and learned about the Slime Kingdom's latest developments, Flame Princess informed them about the current situation.
"The Phoenix Brigade has pulled back deep into the city. Since there are no reports about any civilian presence near the area, we are clear to use our artillery units to draw out the enemy." Flame Princess then frowned, "While it is convenient for us to make it to the palace, that alone poses a problem."
"How so," asked Jake.
"The bad news is it's where all the bystanders are being held," FP replied. "We can demolish the palace easily within minutes, but I can't afford to be held accountable for my actions to purposely sacrifice an entire kingdom. I'm sure no one else in here would be willing to be remembered infamously for such a deed."
Everyone looked down and shook their heads.
FP continued, "But I assure you, since we're all here working together, we just might be able to overcome that obstacle, stop Flame King, and end this Grodforsaken war!"
The group nodded in approval with smiles.
"When do we start," Finn asked.
Flame Princess replied, "That depends, do you guys need to rest first?" She looked over to the rest of the group.
"I feel like we're literally close to ending this war, we might as well get this over with. Flame King's gotta be in there because we didn't find him at all in the Slime Kingdom," Jake answered.
"I agree, you said it bro," Finn and Jake fist-bumped.
"Well, you guys seem thrilled with the idea, so I'm in," Marceline added.
"Count us in too," Betty said as Simon and Bubblegum nodded.
Flame Princess smiled, "Very well, then it is decided. We'll ready up in 10 minutes. I'll see you all at the palace."
They made final preparations as they checked their weapons and armor. Simon, Betty, and Marceline conversed with each other to catch up on their personal life stories, while Jake and Bubblegum did the same elsewhere. Finn and Flame Princess on the other hand, spoke with each other privately in the command post tent.
"Something on your mind, Flame," Finn softly asked.
FP frowned and nodded, "Yeah, I'm just thinking about what Jake and Marceline told us earlier. For some reason, I was sort of expecting that the fight would be longer."
"What do you mean?"
"The Slime Kingdom was quickly liberated within hours. Then again, my father said he didn't really care about controlling it. And my analysts have informed me there were no resources that could benefit his armies whatsoever."
"So why go through all the trouble," Finn asked.
She thought for a few moments then narrowed her eyes, "To test our armies in combat. With that information known to him, he'll modify his defenses before we can reach him."
"We'll stop him, FP. Perhaps that explains why we've run into heavy resistance over here in the first place, because he's near."
"I guess, but now he knows our strengths and weaknesses."
"All the more reason not fight reckless in battle," Finn reassured with a smile.
FP arched an eyebrow, "Coming from you, that's funny."
He pouted, "Hey, that was a different time!"
She giggled, "I know, I'm just messing with you. You take things way too seriously sometimes."
Finn groaned as he placed a hand on his forehead, "Let's... just go FP."
The battle for Breakfast Kingdom was long and difficult. Even with the combined efforts of Finn and his friends, the Phoenix Brigade demonstrated their resilience by using some of their veterans. Unlike the recruits guarding the Slime Kingdom, these men were far more organized. They exploited the main heroes' weaknesses in their defensive tactics such as: using garlic-tipped arrows and gas grenades for Marceline, leaving piles of steak for Jake as a distraction, sending a concentrated group of alchemists to counter Simon's ice powers, and using liquid nitrogen-coated weapons for Flame Princess. Finn, Bubblegum, and Betty on the other hand, had to fight conservatively since most of the melee combatants anticipated their fighting styles.
After 8 long days of tenacious fighting, the heroes have reached the kingdom's Central Park. Had it not been for their involvement, the battle could have dragged on for months or worse, the war would have been lost quickly. Most of the city they retook was reduced to rubble and debris. Enemy ground forces were gradually losing control and the palace was actually in view several blocks away. Flame Princess's artillery rolled closer down the main street as they flushed the remaining defenders out from cover.
As the last Phoenix knight disappeared from the heroes' line of sight, Finn and his friends regrouped near the park's fountain. Several fire archers and banana guards assembled near the group securing the area. Once the park was deemed clear, Finn looked over to the direction of the palace.
Flame Princess stood behind him and placed a hand on his right shoulder, "We'll free them, Finn. We've come so far to lose it all now. This war is almost over."
He sighed, "I hope so, FP. Hopefully Breakfast Princess and the others are still ok." The two gazed at the distant kingdom briefly until Finn continued, "Perhaps when this is all said and done, maybe we can pick up from where we left off?"
She smiled warmly, "Certainly, Finn. But like you said earlier, we have our duties first. We'll have plenty of time to do whatever we want as soon as we finish this."
He nodded, "Of course, FP. So, what's our next course of action?"
She replied, "For now, I want you and everyone else to rest for tonight. The palace is within reach and I know my father's men will fight to the bitter end. It's going to be a long battle tomorrow so I'm counting on you to be in the best condition until then."
"I'm sure we're all counting on each other for the same thing. See you later." Finn retracted his silver sword as he walked back into a nearby cafe building which served as the new command post.
The others continued to talk to each other about planning their next strategy. With victory being within their grasp, Flame Princess emphasized how important it was to fight to their very best.
"Alright," FP concluded. "We'll continue on where we left off tomorrow. I'll help Finn catch up on the mission details and then we'll move out first thing in the morning. Good night everyone."
Meanwhile, Anthony and his younger brother Benji were sitting together with the other 18 knights in their squad.
"Well since we're almost done, do any of you guys have anything planned when we get back home," Anthony asked.
One knight named Dale responded, "Yeah, I plan on opening a buffet near the capital. It's going to have lights, music, and all the food you can possibly eat. Of course you guys can visit once the whole place is set up. Food's on me."
Another knight Samuels chuckled, "We appreciate it, man. But maybe you should keep Melvin over there from going. That guy will eat everything once he gets his hands on food." He leaned forward and mumbled, "He might even put your place out of business if he tries hard enough."
"Hey!"
The rest of the group laughed. Then, each member continued to share their personal ideas. Some of them talked about taking a vacation, one talked about retiring and setting up a ranch, and others thought about the idea of returning home with their families or perhaps finding someone to start their own families. The rest of the conversation overall was casual, laid back. Then, they said their goodnights and returned to their tents.
The next day, the knights of Alpha squad gathered for Flame Princess's mission briefing. Their first objective was to either capture or eliminate the communications building near the palace. Once that was dealt with, they can radio Ooo's united kingdoms for more reinforcements, while preventing the enemy from calling theirs. In addition, if they succeed in capturing it, they will be able to intercept Flame King's orders and bring themselves one step closer to a decisive victory.
"You heard the lady, let's move out," Anthony said.
They tightened their helmets and lead the charge towards their objective with the main force behind them.
"Remember," Flame Princess radioed. "We have at least an hour and 30 minutes to disable that communications building. If we can't capture it before then, we'll have to fall back and destroy it with an artillery strike. I don't want to dispatch all of our forces in completing this objective and then have no one left to storm the capital."
"Understood, my liege. Anthony out." He looked over to his brother, "Stay right behind me, Benji."
"I will," he nodded.
Capturing the communications building was indeed a challenge. The structure was fortified with several archer nests on the roof, through the windows, and on the ground. Rows of barbed wire surrounded the perimeter to slow down any advance. Fortunately, with Finn and his friends providing support, the task force managed to retake the building with at least 15 minutes to spare.
Bubblegum approached one of the radio stations and attempted to decipher the Phoenix Brigade's message. After a couple minutes, the candy monarch understood the enemy's next plan of attack. She told her friends she discovered that all nearby units will regroup at the capital, therefore confirming Flame King's presence. She also hacked into one of the data banks and downloaded the schematics of the palace's defenses.
"We'll have to act fast," Bubblegum advised. "The server just timed out and we have a short window until they make last minute adjustments to their defenses. Move!"
The heroes wasted no time. As they reached the outskirts of the palace, Flame Princess called her artillery units to open fire on certain sections of the building.
"My liege, you are aware there are civilians in the building," they asked.
"Trust me, the civilians will not be harmed from the strike. We have solid confirmation that no one except the enemy will be affected."
"Copy that, coordinates received. Firing for effect."
The palace building shook violently from the bombardment while the bystanders were safely underground from the collateral damage. This surprised the defenders as they expected their enemies to free their friends rather than sacrifice them.
"They're not destroying this place," Commander Dillon spoke out. "They've targeted our defenses so they can make it easier for themselves. In a few moments, we'll have every single one of them rushing towards our doorstep. I expect everyone to show no quarter and fight to the death."
"Sir, yes sir," the men shouted collectively.
The commander sneered, "If they're going capture this lousy capital, then let's make sure they work hard for it. Give 'em the Night-O-Sphere boys!"
Suddenly, the palace shook again and then the main entrance was blasted wide open. Although the remaining defenders were outnumbered, their ferocity in battle was far greater than the liberation forces and made them suffer high casualties. For every Phoenix knight that fell in battle, the liberators lost 5 of theirs. In the end, the defenders lost ground over time from exhaustion and from the heroes' intervention.
After 20 minutes of nonstop chaos, Finn and his allies lined up beside the main doors to the throne room.
"Ready," Finn whispered to Flame Princess.
She gave a sharp nod, "It ends today."
Their fellow knights set up charges on the doors and blew them out seconds later. The fighting lasted for 5 minutes with blood and weapons being thrown in the air. When the battle stopped, bodies from both sides were scattered all over the floor. Commander Dillon on the other hand, was leaning on his back against the wall. His armor was cracked and he was covered with his own magma blood.
Flame Princess was immediately enraged upon recognizing him, pulled him up and slammed him against the wall, "You?! I never would have expected you of all people to betray me. You were one of my best strategists!"
"(grunt) Indeed, but you never understood the big picture, 'your highness'. (cough-cough) The Fire Kingdom has always been known for its evil nature. It deserves to be given proper respect."
She clenched her teeth, "And by respect, you mean to be feared from all of our friends. That's not going to happen. That's not who we are anymore." She punched him in the stomach and knocked him down on the floor, "My sources have informed that this isn't everyone, so I'm going ask this once: Where are they and where is my father?"
"Wouldn't you like to know? Hahaha (cough-cough). Well, since my wound is fatal I might as well tell you everything. You are right, this isn't everyone... We had at least 5 million troops from the beginning and your father left only 1/3 of his forces to defend this and the Slime Kingdom. Of course we made sure half of that amount defended each kingdom evenly."
She frowned, "And how could you have possibly hidden such an army undetected or even provide the resources to sustain them?"
He smiled crookedly, "Simple, we've used the Dark Forests as our base of operations. It is known to be a cursed region due to its magical properties with one of them being able to disrupt any technological readings within the vicinity. You may also know this as the 'Dead Zone'. (cough) Anyway, some of our members in the Brigade were formerly dark wizards and they helped us make the region habitable for our comfort. And of course, if you or anyone else read the papers, you would have noticed the Grocery Kingdom being listed as one of the top 3 richest kingdoms. But who has time to read anyway, hehe."
Flame Princess materialized a flame sword and pointed it towards his chest, "Enough, I said I won't ask again."
The wounded elemental chuckled, "Ah yes, the most important question. (cough) Alright... let's just say he and the others are back where it all began. In fact... your father actually wanted you to have this." He pulled out a blue sphere-like device.
"GRENADE! GET DOWN!" one knight shouted.