Klaus lowered his hand from the cut on his cheek, golden blood still gleaming on his fingertips. The admission of defeat felt strange on his tongue—not bitter, but oddly liberating.

"I said I'd only use physical abilities," Klaus explained, meeting Nicholas's indifferent stare. "But I ended up channeling arcane energy at the end. My loss."

Nicholas nodded once, accepting the concession without celebration or false modesty. His expression remained neutral, as if the outcome had been inevitable rather than surprising. He made no effort to claim victory or downplay Klaus's abilities.

The silence stretched between them, broken only by settling dust from their clash. Klaus found himself studying Nicholas with new appreciation. The younger man had just demonstrated mastery that exceeded anything Klaus had expected from someone his age, yet he showed no signs of exhaustion or strain.

He wasn't even trying his hardest, Klaus realized. The thought should have been humbling, but instead it sparked curiosity about what Nicholas might be capable of when truly pressed.

Nicholas cleaned his crystal sword with deliberate movements before sheathing it. "You're faster than I expected," he said finally. "And stronger. Your physical enhancement is extraordinary."

Klaus raised an eyebrow. "But?"

"But you rely on it too much." Nicholas's tone held no criticism, just observation. "When you've been given that much raw power, it's natural to use it as a first solution rather than last resort."

"And you don't have that luxury."

"No." Nicholas's smile was brief but genuine. "I've had to learn other ways."

Klaus gestured toward the destroyed training ground around them. Cracks spider-webbed across ancient walls that had been built to withstand transcendent power. "Other ways that work quite well, apparently."

"Practice makes improvement." Nicholas walked over to examine the line carved through solid stone by their clashing techniques. "Eight lifetimes of practice makes mastery."

The casual reference to multiple lifetimes hung in the air between them. Klaus decided not to press for details—some mysteries were better left intact until trust developed naturally.

"So," Klaus said, settling onto a chunk of rubble that had once been part of the chamber's decorative architecture. "What did you really want to talk about? Because I doubt you came here just to test my swordsmanship."

Nicholas turned from his examination of the wall damage. "You're right. The sparring was... educational, but not my primary purpose."

Klaus waited, recognizing the pause that came before difficult revelations. He'd delivered enough bad news himself to recognize the signs.

"A war is coming to Runiya," Nicholas said simply.

Klaus felt his enhanced senses sharpen automatically. "Because of Alex and me? Because of what we represent as apostles?"

"No." Nicholas shook his head. "This is something else entirely. Something that will touch every corner of the continent."

Klaus leaned forward. "What kind of war affects an entire continent? Runiya spans thousands of miles. Even major conflicts usually stay regional."

Nicholas found his own piece of rubble to sit on, making their conversation feel less formal despite the gravity of his words. "An invasion. From another continent entirely."

The words hit Klaus like cold water. He'd been so focused on apostles, arkdieu, and dimensional threats that he'd never considered conventional warfare on such a massive scale.

"Another continent?" Klaus repeated. "Which one?"

"Arkadia," Nicholas replied. "The southern continent across the Meridian Ocean."

Klaus searched his enhanced memory for information about Arkadia. The continent was known to exist—trade routes connected it to Runiya's southern ports—but most people in the northern territories knew little about its politics or military capabilities.

"Why would they invade?" Klaus asked. "Trade between our continents has been peaceful for decades."

Nicholas's expression grew darker. "Because they've discovered something that changes everything. They know about apostles now. They know what kind of power individuals can wield when enhanced properly."

Klaus felt pieces of a larger puzzle clicking into place. "They want to capture apostles? Study them?"

"Worse." Nicholas stood and began pacing, his movements carrying nervous energy that spoke to genuine concern. "They've figured out how to create their own enhanced soldiers. Not apostles exactly, but something similar."

The implications sent a chill through Klaus's consciousness. An army of enhanced individuals would be devastating against normal military forces. Even the most skilled conventional soldiers would be helpless against opponents who possessed supernatural abilities.

"How many?" Klaus asked.

"Thousands. Possibly tens of thousands." Nicholas stopped pacing to meet Klaus's gaze. "Every soldier in their invasion force is like you—capable of using both magic and advanced swordsmanship."

Klaus absorbed this information with growing unease. "That's impossible. Enhancement on that scale would require resources that exceed what any normal kingdom could gather."

"Arkadia isn't a normal continent anymore," Nicholas replied grimly. "They've unified their entire continent under single rule. Every nation, every city-state, every tribal territory—all serving one purpose now."

"Which is?"

"Conquest." The word dropped between them like stone into still water. "They believe enhanced individuals are the next step in human evolution. They want to replace normal humans entirely."

Klaus stood, his enhanced physique making the movement appear effortless despite the weight of revelation he was processing. "How do you know all this?"

Nicholas hesitated before answering. "I have... sources. People who've seen what's coming."

Klaus recognized evasion when he heard it, but decided not to push. Nicholas had already revealed more than Klaus had expected when their conversation began.

"When?" Klaus asked instead.

"Soon. Months, not years." Nicholas resumed his pacing. "They're already moving fleets across the ocean. The first assault will hit our southern ports before winter ends."

Klaus tried to visualize the scale of such an invasion. Runiya's southern coastline stretched for hundreds of miles, with dozens of major ports and countless smaller harbors. Defending all of them against enhanced enemies would strain even the Seven Monarchs' combined resources.

"Does Roman know?" Klaus asked.

"Some of it. The Council of Monarchs has been receiving reports about unusual military activity across the ocean, but they don't understand what they're facing yet."

Klaus felt responsibility settling on his shoulders like familiar weight. "They need to know. All of it."

"Yes," Nicholas agreed. "But knowing and being prepared are different things. How do you train normal soldiers to fight enhanced opponents? How do you defend cities against enemies who can tear through stone walls with their bare hands?"

The questions highlighted challenges that exceeded simple military preparation. Traditional defensive strategies assumed attackers would be limited by normal human capabilities. Against enhanced opponents, those assumptions became fatal weaknesses.

"You said every soldier in their invasion force is enhanced," Klaus said. "How is that possible? Enhancement typically requires individual attention, specialized training, rare resources."

"They've industrialized the process somehow," Nicholas replied. "Created methods for mass enhancement that sacrifice individual power for numerical advantage. Their soldiers aren't as strong as you, but they don't need to be. Quantity has its own quality."

Klaus pictured armies of moderately enhanced warriors sweeping across the continent like natural disaster. Even reduced individual power would be devastating when multiplied across thousands of soldiers.

"What about the other apostles?" Klaus asked. "Alex, any others who might exist. Could we coordinate defenses around their capabilities?"

Nicholas's expression grew troubled. "That's... complicated. Apostles represent unknown variables that could help or hurt depending on how they're controlled."

The phrase "how they're controlled" sent warning signals through Klaus's consciousness. "Controlled by whom?"

"By their arkdieu," Nicholas replied quietly. "Enhanced individuals are valuable assets in any conflict. The entities that guide apostles might have their own opinions about how such assets should be employed."

Klaus felt cold realization crystallizing. If war came to Runiya, apostles like himself might be forced into service whether they agreed or not. The arkdieu had demonstrated willingness to override individual will when necessary—what would they do when faced with threats to their continental investments?

"So we're looking at war on multiple fronts," Klaus said. "External invasion from enhanced armies, internal complications from apostle politics, and normal humans caught between forces they can't hope to match."

"Essentially, yes." Nicholas stopped pacing to face Klaus directly. "Which is why I needed to assess your capabilities. To understand what kind of power we might be able to count on when everything falls apart."

Klaus met Nicholas's gaze steadily. "And your assessment?"

"You're stronger than I expected but less experienced than you need to be," Nicholas replied with brutal honesty. "Your raw power could turn battles, but power without wisdom creates as many problems as it solves."

The criticism stung because Klaus recognized its accuracy. His enhanced capabilities exceeded normal understanding, yet he'd made crucial mistakes during recent conflicts. Good intentions meant nothing if they led to devastating consequences.

"So what do you suggest?" Klaus asked.

Nicholas smiled grimly. "We prepare for the worst possible scenario and hope we're wrong about everything."

Klaus studied Nicholas's face, reading determination that had been refined through experiences he couldn't fully comprehend. Whatever sources Nicholas possessed, whatever knowledge he'd gained through mysterious means, he clearly understood threats that exceeded Klaus's current awareness.

"Tell me about these enhanced soldiers," Klaus said. "What exactly are we going to be facing?"

Nicholas sat back down, settling in for conversation that would clearly take time to complete properly. "Every soldier is like you—capable of using magic and swordsmanship at levels that exceed normal human limits. But that's just the beginning of what makes them dangerous..."