Noctis released the first set of materials from blood storage once the workers established an unloading space. Gate stones, measuring frames, temporary stakes, tool crates, and smaller anchor plates appeared in ordered rows. He did not unload everything at once because the workers still needed to survey the site before deciding final placement. Once the initial materials were out, Adrian assigned Rowan to remain near the survey team while Malachar gave the workers access to old route plans of the western court.
Noctis then turned toward the old templar training grounds.
Nocthyrael sensed him before he reached the entrance and turned from the formation line. Claire finished the current drill before lowering her pistol, and the fallen angels settled into formation as Noctis entered the yard. The Dread Judicators and Crimson Marshals stopped nearby as well, their heavier weapons lowering without losing discipline. Noctis entered at an easy pace, studying the field, the target lines, the angels' spacing, and the way the new six now moved among the older members without throwing off the formation.
Nocthyrael crossed the distance first. Her command posture softened the moment she reached him, and she wrapped her arms around him before kissing him without hiding her affection. Noctis returned the kiss and rested one hand at her waist, while several fallen angels looked away with disciplined speed and more than one worker watching from the distant survey area pretended to be interested in measuring stones.
Noctis drew back slightly and looked toward the field. "Training looks better."
"They are learning quickly," Nocthyrael said. "The new six are fitting into the formation."
"Good," Noctis said. "Then it is time to add something new."
Nocthyrael's eyes brightened with interest. "For them?"
"For demons," Noctis said.
Her smile changed at once, sharpening with understanding even before he explained further. Noctis stepped past her, and the fallen angels straightened as his attention settled over them. Claire moved into line with the rest, her Blood Pistol still in hand. The Dread Judicators and Crimson Marshals remained nearby, close enough to listen.
Noctis faced the fallen angels. "Your next training focus is holy skills and spells."
The field went quiet.
Claire's gaze sharpened first. "Holy skills, Master?"
Marcus looked toward Nocthyrael, then back at Noctis. "For use against the Church?"
"No," Noctis said. "For use against demons."
The answer changed the atmosphere faster than a shouted command. The fallen angels understood the implication first because they had been angels before they fell. The Dread Judicators and Crimson Marshals understood a moment later. Holy power was not only the Church's symbol. It was one of the most efficient weapons against demons. If royal demons came expecting blood skills, abyssal pressure, and fallen angel movement, they would not expect Noctis's fallen angels to answer with clean holy spells.
Noctis continued before the silence stretched too long. "The Church is not the only enemy you will face. Royal demons will prepare for blood, abyssal pressure, and fallen angel combat. They will expect corruption. They will expect demonic force. They will not expect fallen angels to shoot holy-enhanced rounds through their armor."
Claire glanced down at her Blood Pistol. "So we use holy power with our guns."
"That will be one of your basics," Noctis said. "Not every holy spell is worth your time. You will learn the ones that fit how you fight."
Nocthyrael smiled beside him. "They will call us fallen angels and forget we were angels first."
"That is the mistake I want them to make," Noctis said.
He raised his palm, and twenty-five blood orbs formed above his hand. Each orb carried a directed portion of Blood Memory, not the full weight of his experiences, but enough to guide the recipients toward the spell structures he wanted. There were twenty-four fallen angels in formation and Nocthyrael beside him. She would receive one as well. Even if she already had more access to him than the others, this transmission was focused, ordered, and meant for unified training.
The blood orbs moved forward and stopped in front of Nocthyrael and the fallen angels.
"Start with the holy versions," Noctis said. "Do not invert them. Do not corrupt them. Do not mix them with abyssal power yet. Learn the structure first. If you do not understand the original spell, you will only create unstable imitations later."
Claire looked at the orb floating before her. "You want us to keep them pure?"
"For now, yes," Noctis said. "Later, I will teach you how to break them properly."
The fallen angels accepted the blood orbs. Nocthyrael took hers without hesitation, and the others followed immediately. Blood Memory activated across the formation, but this time the transmission did not flood them with general combat experience. It opened specific paths toward holy spell structures, support skills, targeting methods, and battlefield roles. Their eyes focused inward, halos dimming and brightening in controlled pulses as they searched through the memories Noctis had given them.
Noctis waited long enough for the first layer to settle, then spoke in the same practical tone he used when explaining tactics rather than ceremony.
"Start simple. Holy Bolt and Judgment Mark first. Holy Bolt is the one you will use most. Put it into your pistols, rifles, cannons, arrows, or throw it from your hand if you have to. Against demons, that one spell will do more work than half the flashy techniques people like to show off."
Claire looked at her pistol again. "So it becomes ammunition."
"Exactly," Noctis said. "Holy ammunition that pierces harder, burns demons better, and purifies what it hits. Learn it properly."
Nocthyrael lifted her gaze from the Blood Memory. "And Judgment Mark?"
"Do not waste it on weak enemies," Noctis said. "Put it on the one everyone needs dead. Once the mark settles, holy attacks hit harder, and the target's weak points become easier to read."
Nocthyrael smiled faintly. "So I mark them, and the others shoot."
"That is the idea," Noctis said. "One mark, one target, no time wasted."
He looked across the line again. "After that, move up slowly. Spear of Retribution is for armored enemies and commanders. Halo Barrage is for breaking groups apart. Heavenly Condemnation is for powerful demons who refuse to fall quickly, and Halo Nova is for when too many enemies get close."
His gaze moved toward the open training field, where the ward-reinforced targets stood in rows. "Celestial Lance Barrage and Sword of Judgment are not practice toys. Those are battlefield spells. Learn the structure through Blood Memory, but do not cast them inside my fortress unless I say so."
The fallen angels answered together. "Yes, Master."
"Support skills matter just as much," Noctis continued. "Holy Empowerment goes with your weapons. Angelic Acceleration goes with your movement. Halo Shield keeps you alive when the enemy fires back. Divine Sight helps you find what others miss."
Claire listened more closely at that, and Noctis glanced toward her pistol. "For marksmen, Divine Sight may be just as important as Holy Bolt."
"Because of weak points?" Claire asked.
"Weak points, hidden enemies, target tracking, and long-range accuracy," Noctis said. "If you cannot see properly, stronger bullets only make louder mistakes."
That drew a faint smile from Nocthyrael, and even several of the fallen angels absorbed the line quickly. It was not a grand doctrine, but it was practical, and practicality stayed with soldiers longer than ceremonial phrasing.
Noctis finished with the higher support skills. "Seraphic Reinforcement is for body strength, durability, stamina, and weapon handling. Wings of Salvation is for aerial control, but only use it when you are actually flying. Heavenly Dominion and Seraphic Battle Hymn are battlefield support skills. Those are for war, not casual training."
At the mention of Wings of Salvation, several fallen angels shifted slightly, but no wings appeared because none of them were flying. That remained their standard unless aerial movement or wing-based skills required otherwise. Noctis did not need visible wings to prove they were angels. Their discipline would prove more.
He stepped back and looked toward Nocthyrael. "Start with Judgment Mark, Holy Bolt, and Holy Empowerment. Keep them clean."
Nocthyrael nodded. "I will handle it."
Noctis did not stay to personally drill them. The Blood Memory had been given, the doctrine had been explained, and Nocthyrael did not need him hovering over her command. Claire was already watching the firing line with renewed focus, and the fallen angels were disciplined enough to train from what they had received. Noctis turned away from the field and left the training grounds while Nocthyrael began arranging the first practice line behind him.
"Judgment Mark first," Nocthyrael said, her voice carrying across the training ground. "Clean holy structure. No blood mixture. No abyssal pressure. If the spell bends, stop and correct it."
A clean golden seal formed in front of her palm as Noctis crossed toward the administrative hall. It did not carry blood. It did not carry abyssal power. It was holy in structure, clear and bright, and its formation caused several fallen clergy at the edge of the field to go still. The seal flew forward and landed on the center target, spreading into a circular mark that exposed weak points beneath the outer reinforcement.
Claire raised her Blood Pistol. Holy Empowerment formed along the barrel in a clean gold line, and the Holy Bolt structure condensed inside the chamber like a bright round waiting to be fired. The weapon remained blood-forged, but the projectile inside it was holy. The combination held steady because Noctis's blood allowed compatibility that should not have existed in a normal fallen angel.
Across the training ground, the others followed. Blood Pistols, bows, spears, blades, and open palms aligned toward the marked targets as holy power gathered without corruption, without inversion, and without abyssal interference. Some used Holy Bolt directly. Others infused it into weapons through Holy Empowerment. The new fallen angels kept their breathing steady, copying the older members' timing through Blood Memory and Nocthyrael's command rhythm.
Noctis heard Nocthyrael's order before he entered the administrative hall.
"Fire."
The first holy volley crossed the training ground in clean gold light. Holy-enhanced rounds, arrows, and bolts struck the marked targets together, and the reinforced barriers at the far end buckled under the combined impact. The Judgment Mark brightened at the point of contact, amplifying the damage that followed, and several target plates cracked inward instead of merely scorching. The sound rolled across the fortress and reached the western processional court, where the gate workers stopped their survey preparations and turned toward the field.
Noctis entered the administrative hall as holy power continued to shine across the captured fortress behind him.
Adrian, Malachar, and the Prelates were still gathered around the table. More maps had been pinned to the walls. Several old Church ledgers were stacked by purpose instead of scattered in piles. Lodging sections were marked in red ink. Merchant areas had been circled. Storehouses had been divided between fortress use, future rental, and restricted protection. The mission hall had its own page now, and the treasury ledger sat near the center of the table with multiple notes tucked between its pages.
Adrian looked up as Noctis approached. "Master."
Noctis stopped at the table and looked over the plans. "Show me."
Adrian stepped to his left. "The gate crew will stay in the old pilgrim lodging wing without charge while they build the connection. After that, those rooms become low-grade lodging for visitors. Private rooms near the cathedral district cost more, and anyone who wants guarded space for goods pays separately."
Noctis scanned the map. "Good. Safety is the product."
Malachar pointed toward the southern market street. "This area can become the first business district. The old tithe hall is suitable for an exchange hall. Merchant stalls will be outside, inspections inside. Anything holy-sealed, cursed, unstable, or dangerous to the ward requires paid inspection before trade."
Noctis nodded. "If they want to profit under my ward, they pay for the right."
Adrian moved to the training grounds plan. "Public yards can be rented cheaply. Reinforced sparring circles cost more. Formation grounds require approval and a deposit. We also recommend penalties for private fights outside approved areas."
"Enforce that hard," Noctis said. "Demons will test boundaries if the first punishment is soft."
"They will not enjoy the first punishment," Adrian said.
Noctis smiled faintly at that and looked toward the mission hall notes. Malachar explained the old command hall's prior function and the new plan without turning it into a formal report. Academy missions could be posted once the gate connected. Fortress missions would come from Noctis's administration. Private commissions could be accepted if they left deposits and received approval. The fortress would take a posting fee and a completion cut, while sensitive missions involving Church patrols, relic recovery, or intelligence would remain restricted to trusted groups.
"That one matters," Noctis said. "A mission hall gives demons a reason to come even when they do not want to trade."
Adrian nodded. "And every mission brings movement, information, or resources."
Noctis then looked at the treasury ledger. "What is the problem with money?"
Malachar turned the ledger toward him. "The vaults are full of enchanted gold, holy medium ingots, sanctified bars, and tithe seals. If this were still a human fortress, it would be wealthy."
"But demon workers do not want wages in holy gold," Noctis said.
"Correct," Adrian said. "They want contribution points or resources they can use immediately. The enchanted gold is useful, but not convenient."
Kael, standing near the side of the table, smiled faintly. "We are rich, but not liquid."
Noctis glanced at him.
Kael straightened. "We have wealth, Master, just not the kind that pays demon labor easily."
Noctis looked back at the ledger. "Then do not spend it cheaply. Treat it as trade stock. Holy medium has value to the right buyer. Once the gate opens, sell or exchange it for contribution points, cores, demonic crystals, blood-iron, abyssal materials, or anything else we can use."
"That was our conclusion as well," Adrian said.
"Good," Noctis said. "The fortress should not look desperate. If demons think we need their resources too badly, they will start negotiating from arrogance."
Malachar lowered his head. "Then prices begin firm."
"Firm, but not stupid," Noctis said. "The first wave needs to feel the fortress is useful. Charge them enough to set value, not enough to keep them from coming back."
That distinction went into the ledger immediately. The fortress would not be free, but it also could not become so expensive that early traffic died before the gate proved its worth. Noctis wanted profit, but he understood that a new hub needed momentum. The first demons to use the fortress would carry stories back to the Academy. If those stories said the fortress was safe, useful, and expensive but worth it, more would come.
A knock sounded at the open hall entrance before the discussion could continue. The lead formation specialist stood there with dust on his boots and a measuring crystal in his hand. Rowan stood beside him, holding the site ledger.
"Master," the specialist said, lowering his head. "The western processional court is usable."
Noctis turned toward him. "Any problems?"
"The old holy markings need to be stripped from the foundation stones, and two anchor lines should shift farther from the cathedral road," the specialist said. "The ward pressure is strong, but stable. If we align the gate frame with the current flow instead of fighting it, the connection should hold."
Malachar glanced at Rowan's notes. "The traffic path will still remain clear?"
"Yes," Rowan said. "The workers recommend placing the entry frame along the north side of the court and leaving the south road open for cargo movement."
Noctis looked at Adrian. "Any objection?"
"No," Adrian said. "That placement is better than the original mark."
Noctis looked back at the specialist. "Then begin."
The formation specialist bowed lower. "We will start immediately."
Noctis placed one hand on the treasury ledger and looked through the hall toward the western side of the fortress. Outside, the first gate crew began moving materials into position, the fallen angels continued firing clean holy light across the training grounds, and the Apex Dominion Ward held everything beneath his authority. The fortress had been captured by force, secured by his ward, and organized by his people. Now the first connection to the Academy was about to be built, and once that gate opened, the captured stronghold would stop being isolated stone and become the beginning of Noctis's frontier.