《A New Dawn》


 1 The first Triumvirate

    At the creation of the universe, the planets were created. Thanks to evolution and most of the time, luck, some organisms were formed. Growing more and more, turning into fish or insect, mammals or bird. Until they acquired what can be called, a mind. A living being that began to question his world, his life, his meaning. Of course, some were brutally killed by the nearby predators before beginning to unleash their true potential. But some survived, and acquired more and more knowledge, became the ruler of their world. But in the end, it takes millennial to observe such progress, even more, if we start from the beginning.


    Except from one race, a race that was compelled because of his environment. That race was known later as the Ancient, the most powerful and intelligent race ever born. But before reaching that point, they had to suffer calamities, destructions, pain, and suffering. The planet where they had begun their journey was close to a dying sun. Luck plays a big part in the survival but never was on the side of that race. This sun was emitting radiations too powerful for the planet sheltering the Ancient, slowly destructing all life on its surface. So they had to dig, tried to survive underground, and hoped for a better day later. But the situation was worsening, and soon, they discovered that the sun will explode in a few centuries.


    Infighting is common in nearly every races, but not tolerated at all for the Ancient. Their lifespan was barely 20 years, because of both the radiations destroying them from the inside and their life underground. To survive, they had to be united, and the people no longer useful were sacrificed for the greater good. Only the greatest minds, the best engineers, and the most successful adults were sustained. Thanks to that policy pushed to the extreme, the scientific breakthroughs were numerous. Creation of the first rocket, improvement of the engine, augmentation of the capacity. It was a race against time itself, either they built a rocket allowing them to escape the dying planet, or they died trying. In the meantime, they were desperately searching the closest planet viable, to let the future generations live a long and happy life.


    They kept their fanatic will to survive until the end, until one day, they found everything they needed. A planet only at 50 years of travel, and a rocket that could carry more than 3000 members of the Ancient. The entire population was reassembled, to choose who will embark on the rocket. At least two generations will be needed before touching the ground. Those that were already too old were all rejected, leaving only the young adults and the children. A touching example of solidarity, no fights could be observed during those discussions. The fate of their race and the permanent burden on their bodies had transformed the mind of the Ancient into an unyielding fortress. Greed, envy, pride was not an option when you will die before even be capable of enjoying it.


    At that time, the Ancient met the first existence capable of thinking. A god or that was what he called himself. He offered them help and advice. In exchange, they just had to serve him, but compared to a certain death, it was very alluring. However, the scientists were assured of their inventions and were not trusting a single world of that entity. Especially the way that god was planning to use to save them. He will extract the soul of the Ancient and allow it to enter a new body, a body that was left to build at the instructions of the Ancient. A huge commotion was provoked by it, many were hoping to finally live truly their lives, not bedridden and sick.


    But the first rocket was already built, and that was a sure hope of survival. Unfortunately, that first try was a complete failure, killing an entire generation. Because of it, the deal made with the god was nearly accepted, only prevented by a small fact. The fact that it was a sabotage made by that entity, to enslave the Ancient. Furious, the Ancient broke the discussion, only to be taunted by the god, cursed to never be able to escape from the dying sun. A decade later, the second rocket was created, stronger than the previous one.


    The travel was a success, and later, some expeditions would have been made to the mother planet, only to find a destroyed rocket on the way. As for the planet itself, the sun had turned into a supernova, erasing the planet from the universe. On the newly found planet, a new order was made. The population was highly hostile toward the Ancient, the foreigner. The different animals had a clear territory, but the rocket disturbed that weak peace. The intelligent race was facing a new problem, they needed to defend themselves against their enemy. On the mother planet, every living being was decimated by the radiations and only those living underground survived, so there was no need for an army. But against reptiles breathing fire, fish men and mammals bigger than some trees, the Ancient needed to be prepared for war.


    Thanks to their high intelligence and everlasting cooperation, they quickly developed ways to kill everyone threatening their survival. Fire weapons, explosives, electronic devices, laser rifle. They soon conquered the planet, decimating anything alive. And when they were the only survivor, they decided to accomplish the will of their ancestors. To break free from their mortal and weak bodies.


    No matter what test was needed, someone was always willing to sacrifice himself for the future. While the rest of the population was modifying the atmosphere and the shape of the planet to its optimal condition, the smartest scientists were trying to modify their own body. At first, it was only some terrible mistakes, killing the test subject. But as they progressed and learned more, they begin to improve the lifespan. From the original 20 years, they reached 50, 100, 200. And then, why stop at it. They began to modify their bodies, not to have a longer life, but to have a more perfect body. The former curved shape was straightened. The hands with sometimes three, sometimes four fingers were all turned into six. In the end, they had been turned into a human-like appearance, with a height of 1.5 meters, four arms, and two legs. The size was not changed, to always remind them that they started at the bottom when they were small and weak.


    But this new body allowed them to be a lot more efficient at everything. It was also immune to nearly every disease, granting a peaceful and long life to every Ancient. It could have ended like that, a pacific and powerful race, living alone in their small world, their little paradise. But the affront made by that prideful god was not forgotten. Whether it was the first or the newly created body, none could feel another source of energy, called the mana. That energy is both visible and invisible, can be touched or can''t be felt. But such a small detail was nothing to the Ancient, that was already capable of manipulating light itself at their convenience.


    They learned from the writings of the past generation that the god was not visible, and nothing can be done to harm it. That was why they focused so heavily on the mana, something that can be described the way. But to feel something that your own body can''t understand is a hard thing. Only because of major differences between measures inside some devices, that thing called mana was found. And they tested, again and again, trying to pierce the secret behind it. Sometimes, when creating energy, mana could be felt. And sometimes, no matter what was done, the mana was never produced. This enigma baffled the Ancient and stalled their research for many years.


    Until one day, a living being that was not yet killed clearly showed that he was using mana to breathe fire. Discovering this, a great expedition was created to find and capture every single living being. With so many test subject, they analyzed every reaction. Some were using the energy because of their instinct, some were clearly using it deliberately. But most were capable of understanding or at least feel it. Something that no matter what was tried, never happened to any Ancient.


    It could have taken them a century to pierce that secret, if not one day, a young and promising scientist managed to create a robot capable of harnessing the air. The result of that action was the formation of a crystal. And inside that crystal, was located a trace of solid mana. Because of this discovery, the young scientist was granted the most honorific distinction of the Ancient, he had become a Primarch. Following this, the society of the Ancient was transformed to have a greater efficiency. It was separated into three institutions, the Mind, where the development and research will be conducted, the Heart, where the internal policy will be voted, and the Arm, where the Ancient will discuss the threat against their race. Each institution was governed by three Primarch, that will choose the direction of their department. And, finally, the society of the Ancient was created.


    -Heart Primarch Rasmus K?llman

 2 The Empress of the Underworld

    THOMP THOMP THOMP


    Even from inside the metallic room, one could easily hear the heavy footsteps of the incoming guest. Inside it, only one person could be seen or not, considering the shadows surrounding it. Inside the quite huge room, with a ceiling 5 meters away from the ground, the already small silhouette was made even smaller. Nonetheless, that wasn''t bothering the figure at all, even when its head was barely high enough to let it see through the windows.


    Toc Toc Toc


    Comparing it to the loud entrance, the guest was quite quiet at knocking on the door. After waiting for a few seconds but receiving nothing except silence, he began to open the door. His massive hand touched the pad near it, prompting the metallic door to open. The red demon then lightly bowed his head, barely passing the door. After that, when he finally arrived in the middle of the room, he violently slammed his two right hands on his chest. This gest provoked numerous noises coming from his armor. From his toes to his neck, a dark material was covering him and a blue halo was concentrated where his right fist hit it. The only unprotected areas were his arms and head, two massive red trunks and a hideous face. Well, maybe it could be considered as just ugly on some planets, but he looked like a boar without a nose. And with very, very sharp teeth. As for his arms, he had two of them on each side, massives and bigger than the person in the shadows.


    "Empress of the Underworld. The fight is going well on the sector 2-A and 3-C but we have already lost some of our newly founded bases in the sector 1. The different legions are ready for the incoming assault. Everything is as ready as it can be."


    After saying those words, the demon, from the race of the Ak?l, could be seen smiling, something that would send shivers to anyone seeing this. While the inside of this room was cold, the heat and thirst for blood were beginning to enter. The door was not closed, and the outside ruckus was easily heard by the small silhouette.


    "Someone finally learned what is happening to the enemy or is it still a mystery?"


    Coming from the shadows, a young female voice, infantile even. Of course, everyone on this planet knew about the current condition of their commander. And while at first many were unconvinced, everyone soon began to learn the hard way how terrifying that child was. As for the term child, for someone with soon 873 years, it was not really the exact word to use. But that sentence made the huge demon frown.


    "No, that is the only problem. Nobody understands why the Lanfos decided to retreat and let their slaves fight for them. All we know is the fact that those planets are truly without spatial defenses, meaning that an invasion will be quick and without any problem for us. Even if it is a trap, we sending mainly some cannon fodders, not a lot of troops will be lost on the several fortified planets."


    "Hum"


    That noise was the only answer from the small girl. She kept looking through the glass, searching for something that could have escaped the eyes of the demonic army. But no matter what happened, the only fact that they could confirm was the retreat of the Lanfos spaceships above numerous planets. They are still monitoring all of them and right now, they were nowhere close enough to harm the planned invasion. But it has been 50 years now that they were fighting in this part of the galaxy, in a stalemate. But tomorrow, if the operation was really a success, it will be a huge victory and the deepest in the enemy lines that they have ever been. But that didn''t appease the child.


    "Any news from the side of Candaith? Do any of his harmless mages managed to learn something?"


    "Negative, they are preparing for their assault too, but they are as surprised as us. And I heard that he wants something from you. But he doesn''t have the guts to ask you that directly."


    This time, his smile turned into something far more sinister. While his commandant was someone no one could face in combat, Candaith was a cute little bunny compared to her. Even when he looked like a normal adult human, with even some muscle. While she looked like a young girl less than 10 years old.


    "I know that, you''re dismissed. But if you find any of his rodents lurking here, make them go back to their planet, by force if it is necessary."


    "Yes, Empress."


    The demon bowed once again and closed the door after leaving. The once calm shadows were now shaking and spreading to every corner of the room. She knew already what that weakling was asking her. Just by using this excuse, he already tried to grab it. Of course, he will say that he needs more power and only that thing could grant him enough mana. However, this time, it will probably be justified, considering the numerous portals that will have to be open during the conjoint invasion. Because of that, Candaith and his skills in spatial magic won''t be ignored. And that''s what was making her angry.


    Toc Toc Toc


    After waiting for a short time, like the demon that was here did, the human that knocked entered. He was looking like a very old man, with a white beard clearly clean and properly shaved and dressed in a black robe. He was a little short, barely above a third of the door in height. And a little scared, seeing the entire room in darkness, with only a small path untouched, leading to the center of the room. After a few seconds, the human began to walk this path. Arrived at his destination, he swallowed his saliva, before speaking.


    "Empress of the Underworld. I am here because of Candaith and ¡­"


    He stopped talking when he saw the previously untouched path get filled with shadows. Because he was a mage, even without natural light, he should be able to see the entire place. But not anymore, he couldn''t even see the door that was opened. He knew that she wouldn''t hurt him. He really hoped so. He was her subordinate, it''s just that he was returning from Arsene, the planet where Candaith was located. And this bastard made him his scapegoat.


    "I know it already. Just take it already and come back right after that. I still need you for the incoming invasion."


    She said that with her anger clearly perceptible in her voice. Soon after that, the man could see something right in front of him. An orb, as black as the shadows surrounding him. Only a few of those were available in the entire Demonic Empire. A device created by a race so intelligent and powerful that even creating gods could be made on a whim. However, nothing was eternal, and like many that race fell was supposedly extinct. The magician could see his path being cleared and the light shining on his white beard. But he was absolutely not happy at all.


    "There is ¡­ Gulp ¡­ Something else ¡­"


    "Akama, you have served for a very long time. You know very well that there are two things that I hate, no, that I despise above everything. One, this arrogant and weak Candaith. Two, learning a bad surprise. You already got the first one, be careful"


    In the mind of the magician, he knew that if he wasn''t her direct subordinate, he wouldn''t have left this place intact. While they were all part of the same army, politics and factions were still created. She was greatly appreciated by everyone fighting in the frontline because of her strength and abilities. While Candaith got lucky and barely fought in his entire life. But he still had to say what he was tasked to do. Before he began to speak, he casted some preemptive defenses.


    "He said ¡­ that it was an order from above ¡­ he begged the emperor and ¡­ the Death Corps will be under him during the invasion!"


    He immediately activated every magic shields that he knew. He couldn''t see anything, but he could hear and feel that all his protections were destroyed layer by layer. The light was long gone in the kingdom of darkness. Akama knew that giving away the Orb was already a big loss for his commander, but that request was overbearing. The Death Corps, the battalion that he was in charge, was her personal army of magicians. All trained in necromancy and dark arts. They were personally picked and groomed by her and the best in that domain. Even some elder lich were weaker than them. But they were also one of the biggest reserves of mana in this part of the universe, after the Orb.


    "Fine, when you will see him just tell him that I await the moment where he will make a mistake. One just big enough to let me take back my Orb. Because this time, I will personally search it myself."

 3 Leilade Octavius

    Akama had no doubts that if that event happened, Candaith will be in a world of trouble. The Demonic Army was already not friendly, but that move from the spatial mage was totally disrespecting his superior. She was the one that was now hailed as the Empress of the Underworld, not him, and that''s why he was so adamant at making her life miserable. On the other hand, he scrupulously followed the rules and never let her get to close of him. After thinking about how much she will torture her target, Akama saw on his arm his bracelet shine. It was no ordinary thing, but a piece of technology that allowed easy communication in a short distance, barely less than a solar system. Everyone in charge of something had one of them, whether they were a demon, a human, an elf or whatever. As for the important individuals, they had either an upgraded version or something special, fitting their condition.After reading its content, the commandant of the Death Corps stored the Orb in his bag and spoke.


    "The engineers Queek and Rasneek are asking the help of master Agnil. The plasma generator is overheating once again."


    Many races were conquered and were now working for the Demonic Empire. The first two names were part of the ratmen while the latter part of the dwarfs. Unfortunately, master Agnil died a month ago in the explosion of a frigate. Nonetheless, the Death Corps managed to retrieve his soul and allowed his survival. Not even death could free them from the clutches of the demons.


    Soon, a small blue light left the shadows and began to spin. As it kept doing that, the light began to dim and the original small ball of light turned into a humanoid form. Barely five seconds later, a small human could be seen in the middle of the room. With a height of 1,20 meter, a huge beard, and a strong body, master Agnil was awakened. He turned his sight toward the shadows, bowed and looked at Akama. Of course, he was not naked, he was still wearing the clothes that he had when he died. An armor of a metal similar to the one that the red demon was wearing, but covering him entirely. It even had an armor specifically for his beard.


    "You can go now."


    The young voice resonated in the room, and the two guests quickly left after that, closing the door behind them. Both will be very busy in the incoming day. Silence reigned supreme once again, but the small silhouette still had this uneasy feeling that something bad will happen. Worse than this move done by Candaith. He was the mage manipulating time and space, so if even him wasn''t able to detect anything she shouldn''t be able to. Maybe if she ate something, that feeling will disappear.


    She opened her bag and entered inside. Unlike some of the inferior spatial bags, hers was bigger than the room she was in the real world. A lot of things were stocked inside, things that shouldn''t be available to anyone without an explicit order. And who will dare to steal something from her?


    She began to roam toward a precise location. All around her were locked chests, sets of armors and her personal collection of robes. Near that and behind the crates containing numerous weapons, she found her stash of food. Preserved in vials, the souls of many races was awaiting her. To sustain her body, she needed to eat the lifeforce of many creatures. Of course, everyone had a preference. Akama loved the elven flesh while the red demon only ate humans. As for her, only souls were sufficient to appease her hunger. She began to rummage through her stash and finally found what she was looking for, the soul of a nymph. It was the most peaceful one, maybe that will reduce her feeling.


    She opened the bottle and the shadows surrounding her immediately entered the vial without even letting the numerous souls inside make a move. Soon, her hunger was gone and even the feeling was reduced, but not completely dispelled. Eating again will be wasteful and she disliked that, and now it was possible for her to just ignore it. She left her bag and looked at the window again. She was fairly certain that right now she could see Arsene where this damn bastard was located. Her troops were ready and will conquer her targets but she hoped that he will fail to do so.She didn''t survive all this time just to be made a fool by some weakling barely 400 years old.


    She was born as the daughter of some peasants on a planet that was now destroyed. If everything would have been normal, she would have died young anyway, but maybe after marrying the local apprentice blacksmith and having a child or two. She had no regrets about not knowing what happiness was. She had lost those sentiments a long time ago. When she was still a young child. The only memory of her old self was that blurry image in a pond. She remembered her brown eyes and her short blond hair.


    Even now, she still wasn''t sure when exactly that event happened. When she was four or when she was five? Anyway, on that planet, magic existed and where magic existed, bad people with magic too. She was kidnapped, along with many other young girls and boys, most of them were the children of peasants. Only one was the son of a noble. At their arrival, they were labeled as a number.Hers was 32.


    She was one of the youngest and none of them were older than ten years, so they were all easily controllable. They were locked in different rooms, and the only light that they could see was coming from the torches outside of their cells. The first week, like everyone, she cried a lot and since she was a weak girl, had a very hard time fighting for the food. That was what saved her. By the end of that terrible week, nearly all the strong boys were taken for many experiments. Few returned.


    After that, it became a clear rule that the healthier you looked, the more chances you would be taken. But as a child, none of them were able to resist the call of the food. And the time where their abductors were random. Sometimes, none of them came for a few days or many in the same hour. It all depended on what they were testing and how many test subjects they needed. After a few months, everyone was meager and weak, not posing a single threat to those dark mages. She was already part of some experiments, that turned her eyes totally green and her hair white. On her arms, she would see some scales appearing. But she still survived and was not made a target of a new spell.


    This kept going for a few years, or at least that was how she felt it. She saw a lot of new faces, and the batch of young people that originally came with her was reduced to the noble son and her. He was number 2. None of them talked to each other, but they were always side by side. They were both already broken, he had an arm covered entirely in fur and even his hand was turned into a paw. She discovered one time that her eyes were now entirely black, like her hair. The scales were gone, but her flesh turned black in many spots. During those years, the two of them still learned a lot of things. Who is the kindest, what they were expecting from them. They even learned how to read, or at least, how to pronounce the letters.


    This would have continued until she died, but one day, she heard a lot of shouting. Like her, 2 didn''t even bother looking through the bars of the cells, but the other children rejoiced. They talked about how someone was rescuing them. She thought it was impossible but they were right this time. The Knights of the king finally found the lair of those renegades and slaughtered the dark sorcerers. In the process, they saved dozens of young boys and girls. Those that arrived the last month all jumped at their saviors. The rest didn''t even bother looking at them. Only after she was forcefully taken did she realized what was happening.


    After that, they were taken to a local church, where many peaceful and caring sisters washed us and comforted us. She could hear the cries of the others, but she had fewer emotions than a statue. After that, she heard that they asked any family that had lost a kid to come get them. No one showed up for her. Even number two was in the same case. After nearly a week, they were the only two remaining children, the two that still weren''t capable of talking. They just sat close to each other on the floor, as they used to in their cell.


    One day, she got to her spot and waited until she heard the scream of a woman. It was coming from the chamber of number two. Before the only survivors were 32 and 2, now only 32 remained. She decided to escape this church, before she suffered the same fate. The only place she knew was where she was locked up. And so, she returned to where her life was destroyed. It took her a few days where she was starving, but she was capable of enduring it. Alas, when she arrived, the entire cave was burned and even still burning in certain locations.


    She finally had the chance to see everything in detail, but most of the instruments and books were destroyed, to prevent anyone from learning their dark secrets. It was certainly not the work of the mages but that of the knights. As one of the oldest prisoner, she still knew some of the secret stashes where her abductors kept their treasures. In one of them, she found the food and drink needed for her survival. She could still see something thanks to the sun, but she needed a torch to enter the deepest part. This was not something that difficult to find and after that, she returned to where she lived.


    The cells were entirely destroyed by the knights, probably in their anger. One could still see the rotten food laying on the ground, the meal that everyone was scared of. Even there, she still felt nothing, only emptiness. Not knowing what to do, she began to exit the cavern, without a purpose. On her way to the exit, a book suddenly fell in front of her. He was partially burned, but on the first page, she could still see part of the title. Using her voice for the first time since a long time, and with a very coarse tongue, she began to read it.


    "DARK MA¡­THE DUMMY: THE BONE ARROW


    BY LEILADE OCTAVIUS"

 4 32s name

    After reading those words, it finally hit her with more violence that she thought. She viewed her companions as numbers, even the one that survived with her. She remembered him as the son of a noble and as number 2. But she realized that she didn''t even knew his name, and never will. And that she also forgot her very name. She kept searching in her memory, but except seeing the last years of nightmares and tortures, she couldn''t even recall the most important word of her life. Her last sense of sanity was beginning to fade as she was frenetically searching for an answer. But no matter how hard she tried, nothing was coming in her mind.


    "Are you certain that it is the hideout of those dark mages? It seems not guarded at all!"


    "Of course, it has been two weeks almost bloody moron! Do you think the knights have the time to bother guarding a destroyed cave like that? Remember, we might be the first one to enter it and grab all that stuff!"


    "Are you sure it is not dangerous?"


    "Shut up now! We are broke, so now Miguel, just follow my lead."


    She could hear two men shouting at each other and coming this way. And from what she could understand, they were not on the good side of the law. And if after everything she had gone through, she still was capable of trusting strangers, she deserved to die a million times. She took the book in front of her and began to run toward one of the rooms where she was tortured. She barely contemplated the now destroyed equipment before crouching behind one of the fallen desks. There she saw surrounding her some broken vials and burnt papers. She extinguished the torch with her weak breath and began to wait.


    If they were not that loud, she would have probably been caught. Even at that time, she heard them rampaging and searching everywhere for something. But the knights really did a good job at destroying everything. Only the secret stashes were unharmed, but how two dumb bandits could find them? After dozens of minutes, their patience was rewarded by nothing. Absolutely nothing and the one named Miguel was trying to leave this place as soon as possible.


    "C''mon, leave this damned place, you see there is nothing, that''s why it wasn''t guarded?"


    "Don''t tell me what to do! Those dark mages were not that stupid, they probably hid their treasures, we have to find them."


    "But we searched everywhere, where do you think it is? In the ceiling?"


    "Not a bad idea Miguel, no one will look above their line of vision ¡­ nothing ¡­ damn it if only I cou AAAAAAAAAAAAAAh"


    While they were talking, one of them didn''t look the ground and fell on some remains laying on the floor. Provoking his anger and apparently great pain, but because of that, he was focused on the ground a little too much.


    "Damn place, damn everything and damn smartass magicians. Look at that stupid broken bench on the floor and ¡­ what is that?"


    "Can we go now, please?"


    "Miguel shut up! Look on the floor, those footprints!"


    "And what? It''s a child footprint, of course. You didn''t hear the news about the dozens of children rescued?"


    "Yes, but that base was destroyed AFTER they were saved. So how can a footprint be seen after those knights wrecked everything?"


    "Yes but ¡­ that would mean ¡­"


    32 was shocked after hearing this. She began to touch under her feet and realized that a lot of ashes were stuck on them. The possibility of her leaving a trail toward her hiding spot was big. And since she was completely in the dark, she couldn''t even leave before the two men arrived. She would create so much noise that they would realize for sure that they were not alone. She desperately tried to reduce her size as much as a small girl could.


    She could still hear them speak, but she couldn''t understand anything until the light finally arrived in the room where she was located. If she wanted, she could try to peek at the intruders, but that would only make her more visible. As for her means of defenses, the only thing around her useful was some bottles containing some strange fluids. Most of them were broken and contained a sliver of liquid. She still managed to recognize some that were used on her. In the end, she only found two different bottles that were unknown, one containing a white liquid, the other a brown one. For the first time, she hoped that they were dangerous.


    "Cortez, do you really think that this child is here? I mean, I would have left this place a long time ago, maybe he is not even here."


    "The footprints stopped after entering this room. We will quickly search it and if there is nothing we will leave. And I will even acknowledge that you were right."


    "Really? I mean, I knew that I was right. Anyway, what do you want to do with this child? It''s not like she was a gorgeous virgin that could be sold at a brothel."


    "Oh don''t worry, no matter his sex, a child touched and corrupted by what happened here will fetch a high price to some occultists."


    While saying this, they began to rummage through the cabinets and wardrobes laying on the ground. Those would have been able to hide a child easily. The two men were nearly going to leave when Cortez finally saw his prey behind a broken desk. He then began to approach with his widest smile.


    "Sweetie, come here, I will not hurt you. Tell me what is your name?"


    32 saw him getting closer and closer, but while he was smiling, his face was not sincere at all. He was a strong grown man with brown hair. But what she remembered the most was his eyes. He had the same eyes devoid of mercy that the dark mages once possessed. His companion was clearly weaker and thinner but not that younger. And on his face, only pity could be seen. When he was only one meter away from the young child, he stopped and repeated his question.


    "Sweetie, tell uncle your name, I have some candy for you if you do that."


    Even if he was threatening, she knew that she only had two chances. And the only way to make him drop his guard was to answer him. But she still couldn''t tell that she was named 32. While she was searching for a fake answer, her eyes fell on the book that she grabbed, the one written by that Octavius lady. And she realized what she needed to say.


    "Leilade"


    "Great Leilade, don''t worry, uncle didn''t lie. Come, come here take your candy, they are in my hand."


    He extended his closed hand toward her, expecting her to grab it. That was her moment to strike. She chose the white bottle and threw it at the face of Cortez. He began to scream horribly, cursing all the gods he knew. She would see his face beginning to melt under the white liquid. But he was too close to her, and before she could react, he tried to jump on her. Only to receive the second vial on his body while she dodged his attack. After falling to the ground, the bandit began to convulse a few times, before finally dying.


    Miguel was clearly petrified by what happened. The young girl that should have been easily captured threw something at his friend and now he was not moving. He looked at the girl that was now curled up in a corner while he was marching toward Cortez. He knew that he was still between the child and the exit, so even if she started running, he will catch her. Before that, he would have let her go. But now that she harmed his companion, he will enjoy seeing her sold to a group that will torture her more.


    "Cortez, wake up, CORTEZ!"


    Even after getting near him, he was not moving at all. He tried to hit him a few times but that was not working. Looking at the immobile prey one last time, he quickly turned his friend to see his face. What awaited him was a not a face but the parody of a face. Everything above his lower lip was melted and his left eye was even gone. He could see some parts of the skull. He was dead for sure. Miguel began to cry a little but quickly remembered to not let her escape. Looking at her frail body, he even wondered that if killing her would not be better.


    She could see the thin bandit looking at her and his eyes beginning to reflect the light of his torch. Only pain and anger could be seen on his face. She knew that her fate was in his hands because nothing around her could help her. As for the grown man, she didn''t care about him. The fact that he was dead was good since he was clearly a bad man. For a few seconds, the two looked at each other, before the last remaining bandit stood up. She saw him searching the room with his eyes until he found what he was looking for.


    He began to walk toward it, and to her despair, it was a large piece of metal. Something that she could barely carry, but that he could use as a hammer easily. She realized that she will suffer once again, maybe for the last time. Only after he was near did she realized that they were two standing up. The light of the bandit was just enough to let her see a shadow moving behind him. And when he stopped in front of her, she finally saw a skull with burned lips. Knowing what will happen, she dashed toward the exit, only hearing a scream behind her and the sound of someone eating meat. In her arms was still the book written by Leilade.

 5 The rise of a genius

    She ran for half a day before finally stopping. She was in the middle of nowhere, but she could still hear the sound of water near. She realized that she was hungry and thirsty again and that she left the provisions that she got in the cavern. Her only possession was the burned book, still firmly held by her. Walking toward the source of water, she wondered what she will do now. The death of the two bandits by her hand didn''t trigger anything in her, besides the fear that they were still alive. After finding a spot where she could rest a little besides the small river, she began to study the book.


    Even if it was burned and a lot of pages were gone, some were still intact or at least readable.After a few hours, she began to understand a little how to use magic, or at least she thought that. This book was covering the basics and teaching how to create a bone arrow, a supposedly easy spell. Unfortunately, she could only have some partial knowledge and one instruction on how to do that. Even at her age, she knew that the mages learned a very long time some spells and that not everybody could become one. Without a proper training, her chances of succeeding were extremely low.


    But at that moment, it was her only goal. Besides living the life of a homeless or a thief, she had nothing else to do. A frail little girl, with clear dark marks on her white body, eyes so black that no one could differentiate the pupil from the iris and black hair will not go unnoticed. And men like the two that tried to capture will come. During an entire day, she tried to gather everything she could from that book, all the fragments of pages, all the partial illustrations. As for returning inside the cavern, she knew that right now it was impossible. She slept like she did during her travel to the cave, curled near a tree and hoping that nothing will happen. The weather was hot enough, even in the middle of the night.


    By midday, she confirmed that she couldn''t get anything more from that book. There were still some parts missing, but it should be enough. She never thought that on her first try, she will be able to immediately create that basic spell. After a dozen minutes, she mastered it and she was even capable of piercing the tree close to where she slept. Only when she tried to jump in joy did she realized that she was exhausted. She fell on the soft ground, incapable of lifting her arm. The few attempts drained all her stamina, leaving her defenseless. But even in that state, she was crying in joy, for she had opened a brand new world for her future. A future where she would not be an easy prey but a dangerous threat to those that will have dark intents.


    She finally recovered her strength, but only after the dawn of the next day. And even there, she still felt very weak, without anything to eat. But now, she had enough power to enter the cavern once again. Inside, not only will she find food and water, some crucial supplies. But also more books, more knowledge, more spells. She knew that with only that bone arrow, she will be able to fight back against the basic enemies. Mainly some animals and normal humans. But not against experienced warriors, dangerous monsters or even worse, powerful magicians.


    The travel was uneventful, and with that, she finally realized that she couldn''t hear anything. No birds, no sounds of small animals. She understood that it was not luck that let her go unharmed in this place. But only the fact that it was void of all life. The cause of this was pretty obvious, either those peaceful animals died or they were driven away.


    "BWAAARG"


    Not exactly without anything living. She could see the same burned skull roaming near the cavern, searching for something. Behind him, another corpse was moving, only that it was crawling. The right part of its head and its ear was gone. And she could see that a leg was missing completely. The time to become a zombie for him was clearly longer than for Cortez. But for Leilade, it was perfect, the only real threat will be a single zombie. And they clearly lacked a good vision since they weren''t able to see her.


    Of course, she was hiding behind a tree, but she was certain that a human would have noticed her black hair easily, especially since it was the middle of the day. But since it was the case, she could take her time to wait for the best opportunity. The burned skull was moving erratically and with no clear pattern, causing a lot of problem for Leilade. If she managed to hit it with one of her bone arrow, she was certain that she could destroy it. But she only targeted immobile thing like a tree or a stone, not something that moved as much as that thing.


    She realized that she was too far anyway to hit it, so she carefully got closer to the entrance of the cavern where the two zombies were located. A lot of trees were still providing her cover for her advance and none of her enemies noticed her as she walked softly. But even closer, she couldn''t be sure to hit the moving corpse. Fearing that it could leave the cavern at any moment, she searched the ground for something that she could use as a distraction. She found a stone small enough to be thrown at that distance, but big enough to do some noises.


    CLONK


    Instantly, the two former bandits moved to the location where she threw the little rock. For the first time, the burned skull stood still for more than a second, allowing Leilade to finally hit it. The bone arrow tore apart the left arm and the chest of the zombie, projecting it on the ground, on top of his former companion. The crawling undead immediately attacked the object that fell on him and only after biting one of the legs did he stopped. On the other hand, the burned skull was still moving and trying to stand up.


    Leilade realized that she needed to destroy every limb of those monsters, since destroying the heart was not enough. She casted another bone arrow, this time targeting the blond zombie that was facing her. The spell pierced his head and removed his right shoulder from his body. She was ready to throw another arrow when she noticed that he was immobile. Even after the burned skull painfully managed to stand up with his remaining arm, his companion was apparently dead. For good.


    It didn''t take long for Leilade to add the two things together. The open skull and the pieces of brains scattered all around was a good indication of what happened. Profiting off the weakness of her last enemy, she aimed at his head, to see if it was real. Seeing his head being cut off and falling, his body soon followed. She only had to wait for a few more seconds before being able to confirm her suspicions. None of them were moving anymore.


    As she left her hiding spot, she fell heavily on her knees, hurting her. She forgot that she was still weak, even if three magic arrows were not her limit. She began to crawl on the soft ground and managed to stand up before touching the stone of the cavern. She bypassed entirely the two immobile corpses, her feet leaving blood mark as she kept going deeper. Once again, she rummaged the ground to find a torch, and this time, she gathered everything she found near the exit. In the end, her supplies problems were finally resolved.


    As for the numerous books and diaries, some were totally incomprehensible for her. One, in particular, looked like a love story, telling the tale of a beautiful and young peasant that managed to catch the attention of a prince. In fact, she was not a peasant but a princess from a foreign land that escaped the clutches of her evil step-mother. He married her and they lived happily ever after.As for why this was found in the lair of dark mages, even Leilade was baffled.


    Nonetheless, she stayed nearly a week inside the cavern, assimilating everything she learned. Besides the two bandits, other people tried to enter the cavern. But the bloody spectacle in front of it quickly reduced their courage and all those men ran away. One was not afraid, and he joined the pile of corpses. His face will be forever stuck with how surprised he was that a frail girl killed him.


    (Outlander, I have analyzed everything and the retreat of the Lanfos can be resumed at two choices. In both cases, I advise you to leave this planet for the moment.)


    The voice in her head stopped her daydreaming. She was the keeper of many souls, like the one of master Agnil, but only one had as much freedom as this one. Her most loyal assistant, the man that allowed the young necromancer to survive this long. If she was considered as a genius in magic, especially for the darkest spells, he was a true genius, born on the same planet as her. His only flaw was the fact that he still had his pride, causing him to call her an outlander. And when they met, it was true.


    "Why Viscount, and what are those cases?"


    (The best for us would be the appearance of an external enemy in the East of the Universe since we are on their western front. That would force them to spread their forces and therefore will even allow us to crush them if they are not careful. The worst would be them finally activating one of the most dangerous weapons left by the Ancient. Something so powerful that they need to retreat or be destroyed with us.)

 6 Blulu Blu?

    While most people would have disregarded such words, especially coming from nothing more but a mere soul, Leilade hadn''t gained her place by disregarding the dead. She was the keeper of countless masters and hidden experts, all that due to some unforeseen consequences had their mortal body destroyed. Whether it was a master engineer, the soul of a very dragon or even a renowned chief, all were surviving because of her. Other means of conservation were founded, but each and every one of them was not that practical. Some would provoke an important decay of the souls, others would not allow the souls to come back to life for a short moment as she did with master Agnil. In the end, she became the vault of souls in this part of the galaxy.


    She already knew that those two possibilities were a reality, but the Viscount was almost never wrong, one of his best quality. Looking at the glass one last time, she began to slowly walk away from the shadows covering her. They kept following her, lurking on the ground, awaiting any prey that would come too close. But her silhouette was finally visible to the rest of the world.


    Her dark hair floating behind her, muddling into the moving darkness. Her perfect white skin, without any impurities. Her face still looked like the one of a child, she never aged from the days she left the cavern of the dark mages. If someone normal would be looking at her, he could take her as a normal child, besides the strangeness of her eyes. Two black holes, devouring any light that could enter them. On her right arm, a bracelet similar to the one that Akama was wearing could be seen. As for the rest of her body, it was hidden behind a white robe and two slippers at her feet.


    Of course, it was not her battle clothes, just something that she found comfy. Under it, she had a sort of purple chest plate covering her. If she felt at risk, this would automatically deploy and cover her entire body, protecting her from any external threats. From head to toe, the metal would spread and prevent any damage to her body. It was designated to react at less than a nanosecond and allow the respiration to the race that needed that. It was barely less protective than the armor that the red demon, the Ak?l wore.


    As for the reasons for the slippers, it was only because she liked to walk. At her level of magic, she could easily teleport to any location she wished on that planet or even levitate. But she always thought that it was only used by a show-off, like that bastard Candaith. To teleport between two planets, not in the same solar system, only him was capable of doing it in less than a minute. And he boasted about that fact to the point that even their superiors were annoyed. Allowing her for the first and last time to punish the weak magician. After that, he never put a front like that again.


    Outside of her room, the entire army was preparing. Boxes filled with plasma cells for the weapons, weapons checked, verified and repaired, food and supplies transported to the spatial ships and near the future locations of the portals. She could see the faces of the humans begging and crying in their cages while the demons transporting them were humming. Nearly every races were represented, in both camps. Above her was the energy shield allowing her and her subordinates to breathe normally and work more efficiently. Without it, they would need to have a suit on them at all time, slowing their movements and making them clumsy. None of them wanted to have an engineer that way when they were working on something critical or they would all turn like master Agnil.


    Seeing no problem, she easily reached the communication post without anyone slowing her down. First of all, she was slow because of her size. Comparing her that was barely a meter tall to a demon of more than 4 meters was useless since the result would be obvious. So everyone could avoid her quite easily. But the most important thing was the circle of darkness surrounding her. In the broad light, no one could miss the numerous tentacles that were moving at her feet. As for what will happen to anyone that was grabbed, if he was recognized as useless by the Empress of the underworld, only one end was possible. Everything would be absorbed and turned into energy for their small mistress.


    Arriving at her destination, she magically opened the door. The pad to do it normally was a little too high for her. Everyone looked at the incoming guest, and after seeing her, returned to their work. One of the many perks of working under Leilade was her lack of interest in the usual gestures of respect when it was not in an official matter. For example, like now, when a lot of work was still needed to be done. Leilade withdrew her darkness to only her body, not disrupting the atmosphere. She noticed the red demon that made a report talking to another Ak?l near a holographic map.


    "Ymir, you and your World-Eaters will have to take those two planets, I let you decide how you want to split your troop here is the report of the defenses on the ground."


    His interlocutor was clearly pissed, but he still accepted without complaining. Only after reading the report did he finally reacted.


    "Drugrat what is this? Letting me conduct an assault on the originally planned planet was fine, but the other? They are both heavily defended and the drop point is far from them. How can we travel the distance without sustaining heavy casualties?"


    "Change of plan. The Death Corps should have taken care of that planet, with an army of cannon fodders they could have breached the defenses and let another troop clean up. But since they are gone, we can only ask you to do that job."


    "BUT WHAT ARE THE DEA¡­"


    At that moment, the angry demon noticed Leilade and immediately stopped in his outrage. Insulting her personal army would make him end up in the frontlines for the next century. He will not live long that way. Not being able to question anything and sent to a suicide mission, the captain of the World-Eaters shouted one last time before leaving the room. He still lightly bowed in front of Leilade, just in case.


    On the other hand, the equally gigantic Drugrat was frowning. The Death Corps were vital for saving a lot of important people, in case of unexpected accidents. They saved so many people that some joked about the fact that they should be renamed as the Life Corps. And in battle, they could indefinitely create an army of undead from the corpse of the slaves that were thrown at the enemy. That style of fight was greatly appreciated, reducing the casualties to only those that were expendables. The supposedly perfect invasion was already flawed before even starting.


    "Empress, what can we do to help you?"


    The demon still respectfully asked that question. He was just hoping that she didn''t come here with more bad news.


    "Don''t worry, it is not related to the invasion or the behavior of that Ak?l. Where are the archives?"


    Hearing the world Ak?l, Drugrat tensed a little and after seeing that she didn''t continue with that, he relaxed. But the sudden interest for the past from Leilade surprised him. He kept his questions for him and accompanied her to a piece nearby. Inside, a sort of floating blue octopus was constantly rearranging small bubbles on multiple metallic shelves. In the middle of the room, however, new bubbles were constantly appearing. Inside them, all the knowledge of the Demonic Empire was transferred and stocked. Across this intergalactic empire, many of those points could be found. It was a measure to prevent any loss of information and a better access in some remote parts of the empire.


    Seeing two new visitors, the octopus waved two of his tentacles.


    "Blu Blulu Blulululu?"


    "We are happy to see you too. The Empress is looking for ¡­"


    At this moment, Drugrat was still perplexed by the actions of Leilade. Normally, she could have all the information needed on the bracelet that she was wearing. Very few were not available on it, and most of them required a high level of accreditation. That was obviously not a problem in this case. The small human approached the octopus and smiled, provoking its retreat. Even the archivist knew that her smile was not a good news.


    "I would like some information about some specific weapons."


    "Blulu Blu?"


    The alien and the demon were dumbfounded. Who would go to the archives to know something about weapons? Everyone would go to the armory, or even ask a weapon master. Worst, Leilade had a soul of a weapon master that died last year. But the looks of surprise quickly turned into one of confusion for the blue octopus and despair for Drugrat.


    "What are the most destructive weapons created by the Ancients?"

 7 Blululu Part II

    "Blululu Ancient Blu?"


    Hearing this, the floating creature began to turn toward a single box. It was not on the stand where the bubbles were located but far away and protected. Leilade and Drugrat didn''t notice it at first because it was not in plain sight. Slowly, one of the tentacles opened it and took a black pearl. Using another of his tentacle, he grabbed a strange device and put the pearl on it. He later extended the device to the little girl.


    "Blulu, blublu blululu!"


    "Of course we will watch this in front of you, we are not stupid!" The red demon was clearly pissed by the fact that the archivist didn''t trust them. They were both in command of thousands, even millions of troops but they will fail to hold a single object? Not caring about that, Leilade began to project all the logs and messages concerning the weapons of the Ancients.


    Nearly every race that breached their atmosphere and finally walked in the stars knew about the Ancients. Whether it was discovering a ruin on their homeworld or just finding an abandoned space station still active, the presence of the smartest race was confirmed in the entire Universe. After the fall of the Ancient Triumvirate, countless new and old empires fought for their territory, their technology and most importantly their weapons.


    The Orb that caused a conflict between Candaith and Leilade was a good example. Even after scavenging four of them and studying them for thousands of years, no one inside the Demonic Empire knew how it was even possible to create such a device. The only thing they discovered was its strange ability to perfectly store energy inside, without any loss and for an unlimited duration. But this was only the tip of the iceberg, just a casual energy storage created without any problem by them.


    None of the people present in this room met them, but the demons encountered the Ancient before and even experienced the terrible powers that they controlled. Right now, Leilade was looking at something that could make the Lanfos run away in fear, hell, everyone in reality. Its denomination was "The Hunger", apparently one of the three terminal measures. To that day, the Demonic Army knew about only two of the three, the last being probably buried or destroyed.


    The first measure was the deployment of a robotic army on an enemy planet. At first, only a single small robotic insect was sent in an untraceable rocket. When the insect arrived on the ground, he absorbed the mana, life, and nutrients in its entire environment. Water, air, ground or even rock, it didn''t matter. After that, the robot began to turn this energy into mass, creating a clone of itself. This kept going until multiple insects turned into something bigger, always bigger. Leaving behind only some wastelands without any energy remaining, the army rampaged the planet. Three solar systems were destroyed before an answer was found. The energy weapons created by the robot were superior of the one from the Demonic Army, causing countless deaths. And even when they managed to destroy one, another robot salvaged the parts and repaired a few of its compatriot. In case of near total destruction, the robot self-exploded.


    As the three of them kept reading those descriptions, they realized that if it was the weapon that the Lanfos used, that would be suicidal. If by mistake this technology was left unchecked, the entire galaxy, no, all the known galaxies would be destroyed. But not everything was bad, apparently, some parts were still recovered. Those regenerative and incredibly durable metallic pieces allowed the creation of the purple armor that Leilade was wearing. In fact, the danger detection was exactly the same that the robots had, they didn''t touch it. That is the reason why it is so successful.


    The second devastating weapon was more standard, but potentially more deadly. Leilade


    raised her eyes to heaven after reading the name. "The End". She swore that she will try to find who decided of those names. But a few minutes later, she acknowledged that it was really the end for the enemy. Right now, she knew of a weapon capable of destroying a planet. If they were all in the same solar system, this weapon could even destroy all of them, only in a few days. What was created by the Ancient was incomparable.


    First of all, it killed a Demon God. They never left the location where the portal that threw them in this dimension was located. At best, they roamed around, but never farther than a light-year. Comparing that distance to the entire Universe is even less than a drop of water compared to all the water on a planet. The range of The End is one-quarter of the known Universe. It is not written how they were able to deploy that thing, but the result was incredible. 359 planets or stars were destroyed in a single straight line. And the target was just the God at the end of it.


    Of course, after receiving those two things, what was very predictable happened. The Demon Army didn''t retaliate and just gave up all the planets in the frontier near the Ancient nation. Still, right now, they hadn''t done a single thing that could alienate this race. After a hundred of years after their fall, no one really knew if they were truly dead. Because how they all disappeared so suddenly and so quickly baffled everyone. If even one of them was alive and with enough resources, resurrecting this race was not impossible. But punishing the vultures and the scavengers was a certainty.


    But for the moment, Drugrat was not happy by what he was seeing. The red demon was not scared by a lot of things, but he dared not to be confident facing such threats. That was the most horrific weapons, but more kept appearing. Mana fire spreading even in the void of space, bacterial attacks, radiations causing instant mutations. All types of conventional and unconventional attacks.


    (They have The End or a smaller version. Anything else would be too dangerous for them to manipulate. I really advise you to leave right now.)


    They were four reading that information, even if two of the readers didn''t know this. And hearing this theory from the Viscount, Leilade knew that he was right. The feeling that she felt since this morning intensified after learning about that weapon. She closed the device, gave it back to the blue octopus and quickly left. Provoking two shouts from the speechless aliens.


    "Candaith, leave this planet right now!"


    Leilade began to walk toward the portal while sending a mental message to Candaith. They could do this to talk about a lot of things, but they both hated and despised the other so much that they preferred to send their subordinates to do the liaison. Right now was not the time for petty schemes. However, right after sending this and leaving the building, she saw that her bracelet was shining, red. A message from her superior.


    "LEAVE NOW!"


    The voice of Abaddon, the Demon Emperor commanding the war against the Lanfos resonated in her head. Coincidence or not, her armor reacted and she was instantly protected by a purple layer of metal. She began to teleport toward the portal, not wanting to stay here anymore. Right before she ended her spell, she saw a huge flash of light, disturbing her. Like everyone near her, the little girl raised her head to see something impossible, while darkness began to spread from her small body.


    A huge ray of light was traversing the sky above them. They were right now in the dark face of the planet so that ray was easily visible. Others would probably only understand it a few seconds later, but Leilade didn''t even looked anymore and sprinted toward the portal. She knew that it was where Arsene was located, where Akama and Candaith should have been. Everyone was probably dead, so she needed to say goodbye to her Death Corps and her Orb. But she still called all the souls nearby to reach her. Some very important ones were still out.


    The first moment of stupefaction passed, and soon, everyone ran away, obstructing the passage to go to another planet. The ships were not fast enough, only spatial magic could save them. Soon, the cruelty of reality began to appear. The strong crushing the weak to live. Spells began to fly and corpses were thrown to slow down the fastest runners.


    Everywhere chaos reigned, except near a few peculiar living beings. All of them were the experts of the army, those that nobody wanted to anger even if they would die if they didn''t do it. Leilade was part of this group and of course, the entire air was black around her. Anything too close would be destroyed, whether it was alive or not. Soon, those that were in front of her didn''t try to run forward but to avoid her. They didn''t know if this ray of light will hit them, but they knew that they would die if she was too close.


    As the path began to be unobstructed, she didn''t care at all. She was not slow down by the creatures in front of her anyway, it was only reducing the energy stored inside her darkness. Even in that time of crisis, Leilade found that it was a shame that she couldn''t legitimately kill more people. Barely a few dozens of meters before the portal, a group of blue balls caught up with her. After seeing that in this group was master Agnil and grand chief Lucio she was very pleased. This chief couldn''t die at all.


    She threw a look and saw more coming, but she couldn''t slow down at all. And they couldn''t pass through the portals in those forms, meaning that they would be condemned. Two, three, five, seven, eleven. As more and more were saved, she was confident that she could explain why she left the others. Finally, she arrived at the portal while the two werewolves in front of her were absorbed by the dark tentacles. Right before her head passed through it, she still saw the light coming from the sky toward them. Her guts were right, and the last thought of the sorceress was the fact that the Lanfos were able to fire two times, destroying the two most important bases in this Secteur, Arsene and Artosis, crippling all their efforts from the last decade.

 8 The Portal

    HooHoo HooHoo


    Resonating in the air, the shout of an owl was clearly audible by the two humans running in the forest. They obviously didn''t care about it; they were totally focused on not losing their breath. The two moons above their heads were not big enough to produce a sufficient amount of light, but that didn''t bother the two painting men. Both of them was dressed in a dark robe, with a red hood. Their faces were hidden, but their bodies were not. One was clearly fat and the other skinny. That helped neither of them in their fanatical run. At one point, the fat one stopped for a second and call his companion.


    "STOP eh, eh, eh I AM, eh, eh, dead ¡­ehhhhhhhhhhh"


    Without even waiting for an answer, he sat on the ground and put his back on a tree. There, he began to rest a little. The skinny one was no better, and realizing that even if they kept doing that, it would be pointless, he stopped too. Their destination was at least half of an hour away from where they currently were resting. But he still took this opportunity to complain about the lack of muscle of the other runner.


    "I told you eh, eh, no, I told the grandmaster, you shouldn''t eh, eh, shouldn''t have been chosen!"


    The fat man began to look at the other with angered eyes. He was the one that carried the chest since the beginning, of course, he was more tired. The other was just complaining and wasting his breath. He began to look at what was in his hand. A golden chest, with a lot of scriptures on it. There was a lock on it, but what was important was all the seals and magic protections surrounding it. If someone not from their organization happened to touch it, he would die instantly. As for the key, the skinny man had it. Finally, not panting anymore, they began to quarrel.


    "Jean, if it was you that carried the chest, you would probably not be able to even lift it. Look at you, the wind could make you fly!"


    "I see; you are attacking my physique. Well, Luc, if you were not that fat, we could have reached the grandmaster already. Even him know that you are a liability on a secret operation like this one!"


    "I am still stronger than you! It is not because you reached the fifth Circle before being 30 years old that you are the best. This father of yours reached that point two decades ago."


    "WHAT THE FUCK? What are you calling yourself? My father? Go and die of old age already!"


    Following the incessant bickering of the two mages, everyone in this part of the forest could hear them. But at that point, they didn''t care about the secret mission, it was about honor and pride. Well, none of them had those things, but they didn''t care. It could have kept going for a few minutes if only something usual didn''t happen.


    "¡­ old enough to be your father, you don''t even know who your mother is, so why can''t I be your father?"


    "ENOUGH! You are the last ¡­ wait. What is this?"


    Jean, the frail-looking mage, was looking down of the big magician. More precisely, at the thing in his hands. Luc, realizing that something was off since he stopped insulting him, noticed the red light leaking from the keyhole. The two of them inspected the protections and seals but found nothing broken. They were both mages of the fifth Circle and while it was not extremely threatening, it was still impressive. In these current days, only one person was a mage of the seven Circle and he was a living legend. As for the sixth Circle, no one was openly of that rank, mainly to protect themselves from the numerous assassins that will come.


    After a few minutes, and seeing the light getting stronger, they wondered if the prediction of their grandmaster was finally happening. Inside the chest, was a relic from the ancient times, from a war that everyone knew. One of the few objects that belonged to the dark gods that appeared on this planet. A red crystal, that no one knew how to use it. It could absorb the mana of those that put their hands on it, but not a single reaction was provoked after countless years. But everyone changed a few weeks ago.


    Their master told them that the dark gods will be reborn and a new era of despair and blood will arrive. All the believers and cultists spend their magic inside the crystal, believing that the prediction will be fulfilled. Two days ago, Jean and Luc were tasked to retrieve the crystal from their headquarters and join the forces of the cult against an unknown enemy. Right now, the two mages only knew where to go, not who they will be fighting. But the grandmaster told them, that by killing their target, the crystal will finally awaken. Realizing this, the skinny and the fat suddenly jumped in the air, shouting with joy in their voices. To them, that would mean that the gods will grant them their wishes, for they were true to their words in the ancient times.


    "Wait, wait, wait, that means they already won! So, maybe we should open it?"


    "You''re right. Whoever died tonight, I thank you. But it will take some time to unlock everything, Jean, you still have the key?"


    "Of course, what do you think, that I would lose it?"


    "Well, you have so little on your body, maybe your brain was affected?"


    "YOU¡­"


    And while they were arguing again, they efficiently remove all the curses and traps on the chest. In less than ten minutes, the chest was normal once again, only waiting to be opened. Jean took the key out of his robe and opened it. Inside, they could see the crystal pulsating, and while the outer parts were red, darkness was growing inside it. The magicians looked in each other eyes and both understood that it was really happening. But now that they opened the chest and saw that, what should they do?


    "Luc, any idea on, how do I say it, using this?"


    "Honestly, except the grandmaster, I don''t think that anyone can understand this. So, maybe we should go and reach them?"


    "Yeah, yeah, you are right. But the chest is useless now, let me grab it and ¡­"


    The skinny human crouched and took with both of his hands the red crystal. It was surprisingly light, and only now did he realized that it was the chest that was heavy. He looked at his companion and saw him beginning to run. "That bastard, he left me!" was the thought of Jean. Gnashing his teeth, he ran after him, but carefully, not wanting to fall and break the precious object in his hands. Barely a minute after that, he realized that something was wrong.


    "JEAN, BASTARD, STOP!"


    "You called your father?"


    Fuming after hearing this annoying joke, the late mage reached the smiling fat man. At this moment, he really wanted to punch this annoying prick, but he calmed himself and stated what was bothering him.


    "I can''t remove my hands."


    A moment of silence, before a loud laughter was heard. A round meatball, dressed in black and red was on the ground, laughing. While a stick was turning red from anger and began to kick the other party. Still feeling pain, Jean began to seriously look at the crystal and the hands of his partner. He found nothing unusual, but maybe it was the fact that none of them wanted that crystal to be destroyed. Not fearing anything, the fat man grabbed it and ordered the other one to let it go. But it didn''t work.


    "I really can''t drop it, try it!"


    "Nonsense, you are holding it? Ok, I will let it go ¡­. Let¡­ it¡­ go! DAMN!"


    Both of them were now stuck and four hands were not grabbing the red gem but trying to push it away. It was after a very long moment of effort that Jean realized something worse.


    "Luc, Luc, do you feel that your mana is leaking?"


    "What? No way, it''s impossi¡­ possible, totally possible. But it''s like when we were pouring our magic inside it, what is the problem?"


    "This time, we are not doing it voluntarily?"


    "True."


    And as the minutes passed, the two of them felt weaker and weaker. At first, it was a minor inconvenience, but now, they could feel their life force being taken. Wrinkles began to appear on both of their hands, a clear sign of the condition of their bodies. But no matter what they were trying, they couldn''t escape it. Between them, the crystal was turning darker and darker, and right before the two of them passed out, not a single touch of red was seen.


    OUCH AHOU


    Two bodies fell on the ground, finally free at last. Floating without any help, a dark gem was spinning furiously, creating sparks of electricity. Their hoods being knocked out, two old men looked at each other. Both of them were frail, not a single trace of fat could be seen. The toll was very heavy, but on their faces, only a huge smile could be seen. The prophecy will be complete, thanks to their help. From now on, they will be considered as heroes and definitely will have their wishes granted. Thinking about that happy future, none of them noticed that the gem was fissured and that the electric arcs were getting more and more unstable. Inevitably, the black crystal blew out, producing a pillar of light in the dark night and blasting the two magicians far away. And from this pillar, monsters and unnameable creatures were violently ejected.

 9 A Brand New World

    From everywhere, all reacted to the pillar of light that shined in the sky. For some, it was the sign that a calamity will happen, to others, a blessing from the sky. Those receptive the future began to have nightmares, principally about a small girl barely eight years old. Nonetheless, all the kingdoms and empires started to inquire about this phenomenon and its implications. Only a small group, not far from there, knew what was happening and they started their attack on the target that they chose.


    "What happened, where am I?" Those were the thoughts of Leilade as she recovered her awareness. She quickly got back on her feet, only to ponder about her surrounding environment. The portal that she just took should have normally sent her in one of the numerous bases deep in the Demonic Empire. If she remembered well, that should have been the base of ¡­


    (The base of Prime. However, that planet is composed of volcanoes and the entire atmosphere is filled with poisonous fumes, dust, and ashes. In addition to many magical arrays, teleportation portals and countless buildings for transports and storages of goods. Our current location is filled with trees, and by what looks like an agreeable air, maybe even a pure one. We are in a forest, something impossible to found on Prime. In conclusion, I can say that we are currently lost.)


    Just by hearing the voice in her head pointing the numerous problems, she began to have a headache. She also noticed that she was incredibly weak, something that should not happen. Finally taking some time to analyze the situation, she realized how dire it was. Her former pure and white hands were entirely flayed and she could see the blood leaking from those wounds. With the remaining of the magic stored inside her body, she created a small mirror, to see how was the rest of her body.


    The sight presented by that magical creation managed to scare her a little. Her hands were only the most visible. From head to toe, her body was either charred or torn apart. The previously sturdy purple armor was gone, only present on her right shoulder. Otherwise, everything was damaged. Her beautiful black hair was razed, leaving only an empty space on her head. As for her face, she was no longer human, instead, some dark rifts were signaling the location of the former mouth and nose. The only good thing was the fact that her body was incredibly sturdy and completely immune to pain, otherwise, she would have died from the pain.


    Tempering a body was a technique used on nearly everyone that was an officer in the army. And if someone climbed the rank, that person would often have his body reborn, to be more efficient. That could have sold the problem of the body of Leilade, allowing her to finally grow up, but it was not deemed as useful. And since she never expressed any interest about that issue, everyone was happy.But by seeing the amount of damage done to her body, she realized that only a few could have survived whatever happened. Seeing nothing moving around her, the young girl tried to heal her injuries, only to find out that she couldn''t.


    That was the most baffling part, the lack of mana inside her. Like, something used it to supply something else, only both of them were unknown to her. Since it was useless to wait like that, she began to spread the darkness inside her and suck all the lifeforce of the trees and animals. The result was a pathetic shroud barely covering her naked body. Even after pushing her concentration to the maximum, she couldn''t make it leave her body. After abandoning another idea, she just decided to roam around, since nothing else could be done.


    As she did that, she tried to gather the magic present in the air, only to find out that it was completely foreign. Nothing is always alike in the universe and mana is not an exception. On every planet, this invisible energy is gathered by scientists and magicians alike. However, each planet creates a specific type of mana, unique in a certain way. That created a lot of problem for the demons, that''s why they experimented and finally produced something capable of converting all those different types of mana into only one. Without any real discussion about the name, it was called the Demonic Energy. But for Leiladed, she couldn''t replicate the same process.


    (Outlander, I would check your spatial bag if I was you. And after that, check how many souls we have lost, because I feel that it is quite empty.)


    Bad news always travels in flock. The small girl had to fight just to open her bag, and when she entered it, she realized the devastation inside. Nearly everything was gone, her robes were reduced to ashes, her bottles broken and the spirits inside wiped out. She checked everything, armors, broken, plasma weapons, melted. As for the more important and locked chests, they were destroyed and what was contained inside in pieces. Her scepter was fissured; it could probably cast only one more spell. She nearly sobbed at that sight, since it was the only weapon she used and cared about. On it, countless circles of power and enchants were shining, but the visible crack on its entire length didn''t let any place to doubt.


    As for the rest, it was more or less the same. She still scavenged some stuff, a rail gun, a few cold weapons and two armors with many holes on them. But it was cruelly lacking compared to what she should have. And she still had nothing to put on her, leaving only a right shoulder covered. The only good thing was the fact that she could hide herself behind the shadows leaking from her body, but it was purely cosmetic and without any real value. As she sighted, she finally found something useful. On the ground, some seeds and three beetles were moving. With that, in a few years, the planet should have its mana converted to Demonic Energy.


    She grabbed those and left her bag. After that, she carefully spread the content of her hand on dozens of meters. With that, she found a burned skeleton of a creature wearing a dark robe. She could still see some flesh on the bones, but she couldn''t confirm if it was a human or something else. Many races were humanoid, but with that height and the location, the most obvious choice would be an elf. Following the trail of flames that was left behind the corpse, she arrived in a clearing. It was not really a clearing, just all the trees surrounding this location were either blown away or burned to the ground.


    In front of her, she saw another corpse, only this one was clearly from her side. It was a werewolf, probably one that was right in front of her. His fur turned black and half of his body was missing. The chances of surviving this ordeal were clearly low. After reaching the crater that was formed by what brought her here, she saw a good news. An Ak?l was laying on the ground. They were one of the strongest demons and with their thick skin, he should probably have survived. As she approached, she took notice of the arm not attached to the body.


    GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARG


    The Ak?l howled in pain and began to use his three other arms to stop the bleeding of the fourth. He only woke up to find his entire body in pain. He was bleeding purple from all his body, not even a single part of his armor managed to resist the transport. As he kept rolling on the ground in pain, he noticed the frail girl looking at him. Blinded for a second, he began to pounce on her, only to notice the darkness leaking from her wounds. Just in time, he suppressed his feelings and kneeled in front of her.


    "GAAARG Ymir, reporting to the Empress!"


    Even the intense pain was suppressed by the terror that was rising inside him as he realized that he nearly attack Leilade. If he really had gone through, an eternity of pain would have awaited him for even death would not have him set free. He still didn''t know that she was far weaker than him.


    "Rise Ymir, and pick up your arm. We are in enemy territory and we need to heal our wounds. We have a lot of ¡­"


    Brush Brush


    Soon, two silhouettes appeared at the edge of the forest. Two weird looking humans, one was entirely blue while the other bore some fur on him. Both were very tall, near three meters for the blue man and a little more than 2.50 meters for the ferocious looking male. None of them was in a better state than Ymir, besides the fact that they hadn''t lost a limb. From the opposite side, a wounded woman was slowly walking. She clearly was more impacted by her injuries than the rest. They all heard and recognized the shout of a demon, prompting them to reach this location. By now, they all stood side by side with the three armed demon, pledging their loyalty to their superior.


    "Davion, reporting to the Empress!" The tallest human shouted.


    "Kardel, reporting to the Empress!" The savage human screamed.


    "Meridiana, reporting ¡­ ouch ¡­ to the Empress." The woman softly said.

 10 The First Encounter

    For nearly a minute, the five survivors waited for another member of the Demonic Army. But in the end, besides resting a bit and beginning to heal, nothing really happened. Leilade sighted, feeling an incoming headache toward their situation. She was nearly powerless, their strongest warrior lost an arm and the other three were not really better. She knew all of them and that was the only saving grace. No one was weak and all had at least five hundred years behind them. The youngest will probably be Meridiana, even if right now she was nearly broken.


    While she had the appearance of a regular woman, she was riddled with injuries and her bones were visible on her limbs. Like the small necromancer, Meridiana lost all her hair and a good part of her skin. However, no matter where Leilade gazed, the little girl couldn''t find either the horns or the tail characterizing the nature of the succubus. Hell, even the innate beauty and charm that should exude from her body and fill the air were absent. Just by looking at her, no one could guess that she was one of the three most gorgeous creatures inside the Demonic Empire. And it was a real rank, acknowledge everywhere.


    As for Davion, the blue human, he was an Orodil. They were created with magic and science by the Ancient. As for why, the same question would be the same for the countless other races created by the smartest race of the Universe. The principal perk of the Orodils was their immense connexion with the mana surrounding them. However, they were designed to never be able to use it efficiently. At best, they could only use it by activating an external device, but never by their own means.


    When the gaze of Leilade landed on Kardel, she could only be a little perplexed. She knew that he and his fellow Duvodiad were feral, to say the least. But seeing him on all fours, sniffing the air was a little comical. He totally discarded his injuries and kept doing that for a few more seconds. After that, she saw him trying to smile, even if half of his left cheek was gone. Instead, it only showed her the piercing canines that filled his maw. Like his compatriot, he could use the beast souls of his tribe to improve drastically his aptitude, whether it was his sight or his strength. As for the beast present on his home planet, they were brought from all around the Demonic Empire, to provide them the most dangerous, cunning and ferocious monsters.


    "Empress, there is a battle a few kilometers away from our position. I smell human blood, horses, sniff sniff, and a few unknown scents."


    After hearing this, everyone stood up and Ymir began to lick his burned lips. Nothing could make them heal better than a fresh feast. However, none of them made a move before Leilade said anything.


    "Kardel, go ahead and scout the battle. Go and see what we are facing. Technology, magic, equipment, everything. The worst possible outcome would be us on a planet controlled by the Lanfos. If you see any of those green slugs, retreat."


    Hearing those words, the hungry animal began to morph into a huge black panther that instantly began to sprint toward the battlefield. Leilade looked around her one last time, only to see nothing. She felt that her nose was itching and began to touch it with her hand. Only after sensing the liquid at the tip of her fingers did she remembered that her nose was gone. Seeing the black blood on her hand, she wiped it off and began to instruct the rest of the group.


    "Davion, in front. Meridiana, stand side by side with me and Ymir stand back a little. You are too big to be discreet. And don''t worry, everyone will eat if they are weak, you will not starve. As for your weapons and armors, wait here."


    She entered inside her bag once again and left with the few items that could be used. As for their clothes, they will have to stay naked for the moment, all their armors already destroyed when they left the portal. Ymir winced after seeing all that broken stuff, and even the imperturbable Davion raised an eyebrow. Both of them were afraid to say it loud, only for the hornless succubus to spill it out.


    "Empress, I think it will be better to use our own body for now. This is, just not useful at all."


    Even Leilade had to agree after seeing everything on the ground. She was certain that it was salvageable, but for the moment, it would probably be more of a hindrance than everything else. She quickly filled her bag, and then, ordered the group to march, following the traces left by Kardel. Even injured, they were still capable of quickly cover a lot of ground. Less than a minute after that, they arrived in front of a drooling panther. They could already see blood inside his maw, proof that he ate something before they arrived. Noticing the group, Kardel quickly turned into a human, and with an evil grin spoke to Leilade.


    "It is our lucky day, the one around us are weak humans. They only have some iron weapons and armors, nothing dangerous at all. I didn''t see anything proving that they can travel in space. From the look of it, it is an archaic planet. Their bodies, however, are delicious, so tender, without any muscle."


    The Duvodiad was still happy from his meal, but that didn''t reduce his attention. After licking the blood still dripping from his lips, he kept telling all the information he gathered.


    "By the looks of it, the battle is between two forces. One is those iron puppets that I talked about, the other is composed of magicians, they are the delicious meal. For the moment, everyone around here is dead or dying, but a little farther that way, they are still battling. But I figured out that you would prefer to eat a bit before. One of the magicians was throwing some serious spells, even from my point of view and the iron warriors were capable of enduring it."


    "Good job Kardel, you can resume your meal. I will personally see what is this serious magician that you are talking about."


    "Empress."


    The human bowed while the panther left right after it. Around her, she could see dozens of bodies, either dressed in black robes or in complete armors. "So the body that I found was a human magician, he probably did something that locked the position of the portal". Leilade quickly understood what probably happened before she got on that planet. Whatever this organization did, the five of them were here because of it. The least they could do was to repay that favor. All of her four subordinates rushed toward whatever they needed.


    Everyone had a different way of eating, creating a lot or a few wastes. Meridiana crouched near the dying ones and kissed them, claiming their lives. She only dealt with the living but what she left was a mummy. For Davion, it didn''t matter if they were alive or dead, he only opened the skull of his victim to eat the brain, letting a near complete corpse. That bothered neither Ymir or Kardel, since both of them ate always the entire body. In the end, the only intact corpses were the ones on the path of the small girl. The rest would soon be turned into skeletons or mummies, since the latter were particularly disgusting for the three males.


    Since the time she woke up, Leilade felt that the darkness inside her was incredibly weak, even after she strengthen it for centuries. The toll of her survival was bigger than the destruction of her purple armor and her external injuries. But with the blood flooding on the ground and the nutrients inside the human corpses, a small tentacle finally appeared. It was incredibly small, not even a meter tall. But she could feel that it was alive and moving on its own, gathering all the energy around her, even the one coming from the grass under her feet.


    After walking for a few hundreds of meters, she felt magic being casted. Even if right now, Leilade couldn''t really tap into the mana pool of her surroundings, as one of the greatest magicians of the Demonic Army, if she couldn''t felt that, she better should destroy her own soul. It was nonetheless incredibly crude how it was done, so the small girl couldn''t help but shake her head at that sight. If this was that a serious magician, they won''t have any problem on that planet.


    When she finally left the cover of the trees, she saw a battle between five armored humans and two magicians. All around them, close to fifty corpses even if they were mainly from the army and not the organization of magician. Soon, the remaining magicians casted a spell that created a black mist on the five soldiers. A few seconds later, a sword was launched from that mist and split the head of one of the two mages. However, only one human was left standing, a girl in a white armor. Her skin was slightly green and she had a hard time breathing, but she was still alive. Grabbing the sword of one of the fallen warriors around her, she pointed it at her final opponent.


    He was an old man with a strangely cut white beard. He was very similar to Akama, if not for his beard unequally cut, probably a result of that battle. The old man was wearing the same clothes as the rest of the mages but since he was the last man standing, he should be one of the strongest experts. Yet, he was pale and out of breath, his knees were shaking. The two of them were so concentrated on each other, that they didn''t even notice the moving shadow that appeared near them.

 11 Do you understand me?

    For nearly a few seconds neither of the two fighters talked, they just rested a bit, searching for any opportunities. The face of the female warrior was still getting weirder and weirder but didn''t affect her in anything else besides the color of her skin. Seeing this, the old mage began to grin a little, since he was hoping that she would be weakened by his spell. None of them would admit it, but they were exhausted and couldn''t fight anymore. The first to recover enough of his strength would be the winner. And while the woman was more injured than her opponent, her breath was noticeably calmer.


    The previously strong and resilient white armor was getting corroded as the seconds passed and the leather armor under it was perfectly visible in multiple parts of her body. Her helmet that was half destroyed only show her green face filled with determination. Even with only that slight glimpse, one could easily tell that she was beautiful, but that aspect didn''t prevent the cultist from trying to kill her. And since the two of them were stuck, she began to ask what was bothering her mind.


    "Who sold us out?"


    Hearing this, the white-bearded man began to laugh, only to realize that he was wasting his breath. With his face expressing his discontent at that situation, he only smiled and began to rub his chin.


    "Oh oh oh, would you look at that, the great princess of Massalia asking me something? And even when we are all alone and in the middle of the night. You know, we could do something else, if you want too. Don''t worry, I will share my experience with you."


    As he spoke those daring word, he began to show a salacious expression on his face, to provoke the woman even more. But all he met was just plain disinterest. She did react when he began to move his hand but relaxed a little after seeing no danger. Unfortunately, the answer that she got was not what she wanted. Sighting about the fact that she will never find the true culprit, she began to prepare her body for her attack.


    "But since I am the sole survivor, I can probably give you a hint. In exchange for something."


    The words of the magician took her by surprise. She didn''t expect him to talk at all, his cult caused a lot of problems in the last decades. They were predicting the return of the dark gods from the legends and therefore acted in a way that could please them. Like their names were suggesting, those beings of supreme power created countless disasters when they were still alive or present on the planet. But by now, a lot of those damages were fixed, except the few exceptions that would be a reminder for all eternity. So, for someone like that, to talk to her, that was in charge of the security of the kingdom was strange at the least.


    "What do you want? You know very well that nothing you could be saying would save you! The best I can offer is the fact that your body won''t be disintegrated and threw through the Lake!"


    Hearing this, the old man truly laughed for the first time since a few days. He totally discarded his safety and even began to pant. The sight baffled the princess, not expecting her enemy to be this carefree. At the same time that she could use this opportunity to finish him, she was now really curious. What did she say that could be so funny for him?


    "Nothing can save me HAHAHAHA! Don''t worry princess, I won''t die today. As for what I could tell you, you would be the one glad to still be alive after hearing it. I don''t care for whatever will happen to my body, the only thing I want from you, besides this wonderful laugh, is your impression of that pillar of light that we saw."


    "The pillar of light? What are you babbling about old fool? I have no idea of what it is, I only care about why it is happening in the Kingdom of Massalia."


    The magician shook his head hearing this. He was clearly not satisfied by this answer, so he began to reformulate his question.


    "What I am saying this, did you feel fear when you saw it? Did you feel that doom was arriving on his chariot, ready to swallow the entire world once again? Did you feel it?"


    And as he spoke, he began to slowly march toward the warrior. The light provided by the two moons above their heads was barely enough to allow her to see the madness in the eyes of the cultist. He was smiling and looked ecstatic about something that she couldn''t understand. No matter how hard she thought, the only possibility was the pillar of light. He turned weird when he began to talk about it and by linking the missing part, she understood something far too terrifying for her, causing her to unconsciously step back.


    "No! This can''t be! It''s impossible, they are all dead! Everything was destroyed!"


    "HAHAHA, you know very well that''s not true! You know the song that every bard recites, do you want me to sing it or do you remember now? It begins like that ¡­"


    "SHUT UP!"


    The princess violently threw her sword at the distant magician, hoping to kill him. But that na?ve though was not realized as she saw the sword stop barely a meter away from its target. Knowing that she lost the initiative she rolled back toward the corpse of another warrior and took his sword. She was ready for anything, except what was happening. The old cultist didn''t even fight back, he just maniacally laughed as he manipulated the sword in the air.She cursed herself for not attacking him when he was lost in madness.


    "Look over here!"


    Not finding anything better than one of the oldest trick in the book, she shouted that at the intention of the magician. But while her original intention was to distract her opponent, the location that she was looking at baffled her. No matter how obscure the night was, it was still fairly visible, especially for people like her and the bearded man. But one location was filled with darkness, that even she couldn''t see through. The fact that the female warrior was staring quite intensely at something finally woke up the cultist from his trance. And he too finally noticed the veil of shadows that was standing still.


    Both of them looked at each other, but all they saw was utter surprise and disbelief. None of them were responsible for something like that and with their recent conversation, the only logical solution was a legend. The man instantly threw himself to the ground, venerating the shadows while the princess pointed her sword at it.


    "GREAT DARK GODS! This servitor worked for your return with all his might. He is awaiting your instructions."


    For a few seconds, nothing happened, causing the pious shout to be quite comical. Only after a long moment of silence, where the two humans just hoped for it to be true for one and false for the other, did the shadows moved. Even after being prepared for it, both of the former fighters shivered at that sight. Truly the name of dark gods was a good choice.


    "?tenalp siht fo eman eht si tahW" asked an infantile, yet feminine voice.


    Now, the two humans were truly shocked. Who would have expected a god to have such a young voice? The princess even began to thought that if a young girl was in front of her, she wouldn''t have a voice that sounded different. But the main problem was the fact that none of them understood each other. Probably after seeing the faces of incomprehension, the shadows began to move near a warrior that was not quite dead. In fact, if he wasn''t healed in less than an hour, he had no chance of survival.


    Unfortunately for him, it was not a priest that was coming for him but the Grim Reaper incarnated. The warrior and the magician perfectly saw a tentacle leaving the shadows and began to wrap itself around the injured soldier. Then, after lifting him in the air, it entered his mouth and after a few muffled sounds, the wounded man stood still. The tentacle then spread in his entire corpse and began to merge back to the main shadows. The only thing that remained in the air was a little blue sphere that quickly followed the same trail that the cadaver.


    "Do you understand me?" The same voice of a child resonated in the air. But unlike last time where it was met with surprise and disbelief, this time adoration and terror were present. The cultist began to recite his entire set of prayers while the princess was shaking on her feet. She had seen a lot of things, but not anything like the monster in front of her. Nothing was left from the man that followed her in her expedition.


    Probably happy with their reaction, the shadows extended her tentacle to gather all the corpses around it. No matter who they were, warrior or cultist, male or female, human or not, everyone disappeared for all eternity in the obscure mass of darkness. During this entire process, the two survivors didn''t dare to even move a muscle, even the magician stopped talking. His belief was unshakable, but he still feared the anger of the dark gods. Figuring that the only way that they could be appeased would be a sacrifice, he turned his sight on the beautiful princess.


    Profiting that she was still in shock from what was happening around her, the old magician casted one of his most terrifying incantations. This spell was used by the monsters of the legends and one of the few remnants of their existence, no matter how hard the different kingdoms tried to destroy it. Right after he recited the last syllable, a dark light appeared between his hands. Only at that moment did the princess realized how dire the situation was for her, albeit a little too late.


    "Take my [Sever Soul]!"

 12 The princess Mu?rne

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 13 I am here peacefully

    The ghostly woman couldn''t even believe what she was hearing. After seeing the cultist dying, she thought she was gone as well. However, not only did she kept her life, she was even proposed to regain her original body. While a small spark of hope was ignited inside her mind, the cold cruelty of the world quickly extinguished it. No free meal was ever served on this planet, and the first won''t be given by a demon inside a burned and broken body. Those changes of sentiments didn''t escape the observing eyes of Leilade, but the truth was that she didn''t care at all. Her only goal was to reduce the incoming pressure that will fall on the survivors of the Artosis planet. And gaining the sympathy, or at least the favor, of a princess was a good way to do that.


    "Well, looks like you are not really happy about that. So, farewell Mu?rne."


    And as Leilade said those words, the tentacle near her feet began to slowly move toward the spirit. Seeing the incoming doom approaching without any artifices, the princess quickly explained herself.


    "No, no, I gladly accept it. Yes, yes, I accept it. Thank you very much, ehh, dark god? Great god? Great being?"


    The visage of the little girl was totally impassive, not reacting at any of those names. Mu?rne knew that, by accepting the offer of the monster in front of her, she will probably sell her soul or something like that. But she still didn''t know who was responsible for the attack perpetrated by the Church of Torment. The only one that could have answered her questions was the grandmaster, but he was swallowed by the moving shadows. Only by staying alive, will she finally reach her goal. Filled with that newly formed determination, she was ready to suffer anything, except being enslaved. If that was the case, she will try by any means in her possession to kill herself.


    "What do you need in exchange of that service, great one?"


    At that point, the Empress found out that a terrible misunderstanding was happening in front of her. The tongue and voice employed by the transparent woman looked like the ones used by the new recruit of the Demonic Army. Those that were thinking horrible stuff, like them eating babies at every meal and slaughtering anyone just for fun. Well, those things kind of happened, but they were not common at all. Feeling another headache in her head, Leilade decided that she shouldn''t even think about that braindead woman and just end this comedy.


    Seeing the still intact body of the princess, she picked it up telepathically, not letting anything happen to it. With just a gesture of her hand, the broken armor was disassembled and turned into a metallic ball, without any imperfection. Concentrating for a few seconds more, she shaped it into a necklace, a white metallic necklace. On it, she conjured an enchantment of her concoction, something she was usually very proud. With this, she will enjoy a bit the spectacle while fulfilling her promise.


    As for the princess, she was astounded by the spells of the little girl. One had to know, even the Archmage, the only magician of the seven Circle, needed to spell the names of the sorceries he will employ. For example, the grandmaster had to shout the two spells that turned her into this. But even after concentrating, Mu?rne couldn''t hear anything coming from the monster surrounded by shadows. And as far as she knew, the things that small child was doing was not achievable by a lot of people.


    In the end, all she could do was receiving the floating necklace, not knowing what to do with it. After a few seconds were the little girl watched her with her disturbing dark eyes, the princess guessed that she should wear it. Only after this did she realized that the necklace was still in her hands and not on the ground as it should be. As for the enchant on it, she was not capable of either detecting it or even activate it. She only had a weird feeling about it, but since it was the simplest design, just a chain, she decided to discard this feeling, not wanting to displease the powerful being in front of her.


    The moment she put the chain around her neck, she began to feel again the sensation of flesh. It was hurting her so much that she began to scream. She fell from around twenty centimeters, but to her, it looked like it was twenty meters. Only at that time did she realized that since she was turned into a spirit, pain and suffering were gone. But now, those were coming back with interests. For a dozen of seconds, she felt in her entire body more pain than she ever imagined. She crawled on the ground, but even touching it with her arm caused more scream.


    During that, Leilade was smiling at this sight. Others didn''t know, but she was far too familiar with this feeling. She had resurrected countless beings for the demons, and even the most hardened warrior, veteran of thousands of wars, ended up crying like a little baby. Most fainted after that torture, so the fact that the princess was still conscientious was an honorable feat. In the end, after nearly a minute, the screams were replaced by the sobs of the crying woman.


    Even as she was standing on her two feet, the princess was under the impression of walking on ardent charcoals. Looking downward, she saw that she was still wearing her armor, even when she should have been naked. Will she permanently stay like that, wearing a broken armor and with her injuries? This was not what she asked, she even began to regret not staying a ghost. As she raised her watery eyes at the small girl that was smiling, that sentiment of regret was even more important.


    "Great, you are not noisy anymore. So, let me explain a bit what happened. First I save you, then I killed one of your deadly enemies. And in addition, I allowed you to have a solid body again. That''s a lot, now let''s talk about the favor that you owe me."


    As those words reached the ears of Mu?rne, she considered more and more the opportunity of just betraying her honor and trying to kill that abomination. As she internally battled on that notion, she judged that her conscience would be fine with that. Raising her sword at her supposed savior, she righteously told herself that it was for the greater good.


    "You demonic creature, you can oblige me to serve you, but you will never take my soul. Now, take my sword!"


    And as she charged without any hope of succeeding, she was immediately stopped by the raised hand of Leilade. The situation was clearly a huge misunderstanding since she really didn''t care about anything that this princess could give her. But how could she have explained that to this moronic human?


    "Ok, I give up. Go back to your home, it''s fine. Just tell you it''s good fuckin luck that I was passing by. I am not planning any random massacre either if that''s what you are thinking. I am here peacefully."


    None of those were true, but she still tried to salvage the situation, maybe the princess was na?ve.


    "Empress, we have cleared the battlefield. That was a very good meal, those humans are delicious."


    Just at that moment, her four subordinates arrived, all more bloodied than the other. For the succubus, it was because of her injuries, but for the three others, it was entirely because of their barbarians'' way of eating. Ymir was still eating a leg as he arrived and saw the woman in armor pointing a sword at their superior. Everyone froze for a second, allowing the princess to connect the dots between everything. Hearing the same incomprehensible language that the shadows spoke at the beginning, and the fact that some of them were eating human bodies, that confirmed her supposition. They could never be allowed to set a foot in her kingdom, or chaos and destruction will happen.


    The change of behavior, from suspicious to determination was easy to see and Leilade finally gave up. She only wanted to have an easy time while they will recover. But now, it looked like that won''t happen. "Now, should I kill her or not?" she thought.


    (Outlander, let her live. She might not understand right now, with all the battles and the adrenaline, but she will remember what you did. And she is still a soul in the end if one day she tried to gather an army to fight you, one snap of your fingers and their beautiful princess will be gone. With such a symbol killed, their morale will drop and the battle will be won. As for the drawback, maybe your presence will be reported. But they won''t be able to find you anytime soon, except when we will want that.)


    Hearing the advice of the Viscount, Leilade acknowledged his vision. She raised her hand, signaling to the four others to follow her. Leaving only a baffled woman, still in her fighting posture. The last thing she saw of them was a tall man licking his rows of canines while looking at her, making her shiver. In the end, she was standing alone, in the middle of the night, and without anything showing the intense battle that happened around her besides some burned areas of the forest.

 14 The Vault of the Souls

    The fact that someone was still alive after seeing all of them was a baffling fact for the group following Leilade. It was not in their nature to always slaughter everyone and leave no witnesses, except for Ymir, but in this case and in a hostile world, this caused nearly all of them to frown. And as always, the more talkative broke the silence after a few minutes of walk.


    "Empress, without disrespecting you but ¡­ Is it really fine to let this human alive?"


    The succubus had regained a bit of her former glory and her hair was beginning to regrow. For now, only a small amount of red hair was visible and for her injuries, they were not as grave as before. She still looked like the victim of an important accident, not like a broken corpse standing. On everyone, the injuries of that space travel were still important and that small batch of corpses was clearly not enough to heal everything.


    "Without disrespecting blablabla! Don''t mistake that thing for mercy it was just the only thing to do. Otherwise, I would have suffered a headache for nothing. Those humans are truly risible, but I guess we were all like that at one point. Anyway, take those."


    The scathing voice of Leilade quickly extinguish all the thoughts of weakness inside the minds of her subordinates. For them it was a very good thing, none of them had the magical abilities to contact anyone beyond the atmosphere. And they were used to the character of their commander, so if she was to become soft, they would have a hard time dealing with it.


    Soon, around everyone, a small blue ball was rotating in front of her head. Ymir and Kardel gritted their teeth at that sight, knowing what will happen. The moment those tiny balls entered their bodies, the intense pain came back, like when they first woke up. On the other hand, Davion and Meridiana just kneeled for a second. The rest of the group had to wait for the three armed demons and the duvodiad to stop crawling on the ground. This spell was the best way to transmit information between two beings, the only problem was that those without a huge proficiency in magic had to endure an indescribable pain.


    Profiting of that short break, Leilade finally began to enter her soul, to seek everyone that managed to survive this ordeal. What appeared before she was the ruin of the citadel inside her mind, the one that she created and fortified during nearly nine hundred years. In front of the broken gate, she saw the soul of the Viscount, dressed in his bloodied and torn clothes. The same that he wore when they first encountered each other.


    (Outlander, I really hope you have a lot to spare, the situation is dire. I didn''t want to say that while you were leeching the life force of those humans, but we have a lot of casualties. Not counting all of those that didn''t manage to reach you on Artosis, we only have less than a fifth of what we should have. The ¡­ guest is unconscious; I have no idea of the damage done to his spirit.)


    The soul in front of her paused for a fraction of second before saying those last words. She knew far too well how important he was, but right now she couldn''t even take care of herself.


    (As for the rest, everyone is in deep slumber besides the grandmaster Agnil. He is squeaking like a pork that someone is roasting. He demands your presence immediately; shall I say that you are busy?)


    "No, I will personally see who can be saved and who will be salvaged to save the other. As for the guest, keep an eye on him. He shouldn''t die from something like that, I am even more certain that he could survive me dying."


    (Outlander.)


    The spirit of the Viscount bowed before his mistress who quickly reached the residence of master Agnil. Even before entering it, she could already hear the loud shouts of the noisy dwarf. Even if that citadel was part of her soul and she had total control on it, she still let those ghosts do as they pleased since they were normally reasonable. However, after everything that happened, maybe she needed to harshen the regulations. Following that trail of thoughts, a huge smile appeared on the manifestation of her spirit.


    The moment the lively undead dwarf saw her, and especially her smile, he quickly shut up and bowed. For him, it was fine to complain because he felt that he lost half of his soul, but when the big boss was not here. All around him, fragments of his residence were laying on the ground, broken. Without this building sheltering him, the deadline before he began to leak his energy and he ceased to exist will appear, unless the Empress solved that issue. But her spiritual avatar reflected the state of her physical body, and that didn''t appease the grandmaster.


    "Agnil, let''s be clear, I won''t be able to fix this for a period of time. The duration is unknown, could be two days like a month. Others are even more hurt than you and not even reacting to the Viscount. So please, conserve your strength and try to find a more ¡­ intact house."


    Without even waiting for an answer she was gone, letting the ghost ponder about what she said. The only thing he knew was the fact that they suffered a terrible assault and only a few of the souls survived. Looking at the empty and calm citadel, the broken and disfigured fortress, the very old dwarf sighted.


    Leilade was less and less happy as she checked on every resident. The only light of hope was the fact that Lucio, the grand chief, creator of countless dishes more delicious than anything else, was not in a terrible state. His dishes were also better for recovery than devouring raw human as they did previously. But like the rest, he was in a deep coma, and only a large amount of energy could wake him up.


    During all that time, the two poor creatures that were subjected to an intense pain finally managed to stand up. They joined their comrades that were observing the face of the little girl in front of her. Not even the difference in height and the dim light provided by the two moons prevented them from doing this. And their expression darkened after seeing the smile on the face of Leilade fading. The group waited for a few minutes before they saw the girl shaking her body.


    "We will go in this direction, Kardel, scout for anything out of the ordinary and try to find a mountain. Normal formation."


    "Yes, Empress."


    The four held their reserves and diligently followed the instruction of Leilade. What they should know will be revealed in due time. Instead of a panther, it was a huge black bird with four wings that left the ground. The duvodiad had recovered enough of his strength to morph in something less like a human. Otherwise, the change of morphology would have irremediably destroyed his blood vessels and nerves.


    Without any sounds, the rest followed the flying creature toward the location that Leilade pointed at. Right now, they were in a forest, but apparently, thanks to the memory of both the cultists and the soldiers, they will encounter a small mountain in a few days. There, the next part of the plan will begin and they will start their operations in the local region. Before they could have neglected the forces in the kingdom and be arrogant but not anymore.


    It was true that individually, they should all be stronger than any being on that planet. But this was at their peak, not at the present condition. And they were all too familiar with the principle of cannon fodder thrown at a strong enemy. Countless experts and monsters were also hidden, that could cause grave injuries if not dealt swiftly. Just the kingdom of that princess, the same where they currently were, could probably kill them if their army were assembled right now.


    For the moment, their only way of surviving was keeping a low-profile, hide in the masses and survive. A huge massacre could probably heal everything at the surface of their bodies, but not the internal problems and even less allow them to recover their full strength. And the drawback would be an instant retaliation, a never ending hunt. Since it was a subjective vision coming from someone else, they were unable to tell what was a belief, and what was a fact.


    As for Leilade, her biggest worry was the fact that she still couldn''t touch the flow of magic around her. Right after the incident, she still could understand that, but after nearly an hour, it was weird. She tried to cast a simple flame, but no matter how hard she tried, she always had to use her own reserves coming from the darkness inside her to successfully cast it. She hoped that the few insects and seeds will rapidly act and give her back her powers. Otherwise, she would have to sustain herself through the lifeforce of the living.

 15 Problems in a Starry Nigh

    After a few hours, a trail of death could be seen behind them. No matter what was on their way, trees, grasses, insects or animals, all were absorbed by the growing darkness surrounding Leilade. But that was just a drop of water instead of the ocean she hoped for. In the end, Kardel still found out a small mountain that looked rarely visited by humans. None of them questioned the logic of her actions and they awaited the next part of the plan.


    Instead of answering them directly, she began to summon two fire spirits. They were a little small, to reduce the consumption of mana needed, but that was enough. Two balls barely taller than Leilade were formed in front of the remnants of the Demonic Army. After that, Leilade instructed them to go inside the forest and burn it from the inside randomly. That way, whoever will try to find them will have a very hard time since the origins of those fire were dispersed in multiple locations. The two summons quickly flew away without burning the local environment. That part done, the group began to climb the mountains.


    In front of them was a smooth slope and not an abrupt cliff that was easy to climb, even in their state. When they finally reached a location high enough to not be easily discovered, they saw in the night the forest burning under their feet. With the cold temperature and the lush vegetation, that sight should have been impossible and this will provoke some suspicion. But the barren path that they created was too big, so they had to hide it. And Leilade gained more than they lost. After the black vulture turned back into its human form, the five of them began to discuss their future.


    "Ymir, come here."


    The giant demon obeyed the order of Leilade. He was still carrying his broken arm and was hoping that she would heal him. Before, when they were still in an unknown location without any knowledge, that would have been reckless. But it had already been a few hours since they arrived here and any longer will reduce his chance of complete remission. Knowing this, he kneeled and presented his left elbow and put his missing limb next to it. The little girl used the nails on her left hand to cut open her right one. Using her leaking black blood, she spread it on the injury. After a few moments, she recited the corresponding spell and her blood fused with the arm of the Ak?l. This method was quite taxing on her body but not so much on her reserve of mana. And at this moment, she was more concerned about the latter than the former.


    "Thank you, Empress" The demon softly expressed his thanks. Without him asking for it, his commander still provided him with what he needed. As for the rest of his injuries, they only needed some rest and energy. Asking about them will be incredibly disrespectful, especially since the Empress was not looking any better than them.


    "Davion, summarize the information collected."


    Following this new command, the blue man searched a few seconds before grabbing a wooden stick. They were resting on a malleable ground, not some hard rocks. Using the wood like a pencil, he began to draw the map according to the memories of all that died. In less than a minute, a crude map was formed and she matched the representation inside the minds of the rest of the group.


    "We are currently inside the kingdom of Massalia." He pointed at the square that he drew and then at the small X on the bottom left.


    "Right now, our location should be in the South-West. From what we have collected, it is ruled by a king and looks like a feudal monarchy. The commoners serve the nobles and the nobles obey the order of the king. A lot of soldiers believed into many gods and apparently the local churches are capable of casting spells. Whether those people are magicians believing in gods or actual believers of gods obtaining power is unknown. The magicians enjoy a respected status similar to a noble and they are heavily prioritized. Every year, all children between 8 and 10 years are tested for their aptitudes. This type of behavior is shared by the rest of the nations. On the other end, actual scientists are not getting any support, stalling the overall progress. The humans have not discovered the firearms, even if they have found a weaker version of the black powder."


    After this monologue, Davion pointed at the circle near the bottom right of the square.


    "The kingdom of Genablum in the South-East is allied with this kingdom. They are militarily weaker but have an excellent climate. They are quite close with Massalia, and they support it with their important surplus of food supplies. In other words, Massalia protects Genablum, and in return Genablum feeds them. They are not without worries, however, since the south of this nation is constantly attacked by barbarians coming from the mountains. Except for this threat, the only way to reach it is through Massalia."


    Davion paused for a short time and began to draw a lot of lines in the circle near their location.


    "Next to us and not very far in the West is the Fallen Kingdom of Pankow. Past them is located the different clans of the dwarves but unfortunately, in the last centuries, they stopped exchanging with the humans. The reason is that nation standing between them and the rest of the world. Previously, it was a flourishing and quite dangerous country. Or that''s what they thought. All I can find is the fact that now, it has turned into a nation of undead. The dark gods are responsible for that. For more information, we need to find some people truly knowledgeable."


    The Orodil pointed at the last three circles. One was covering the entire left face of the square, the second was barely touching the top right corner and the last was thrice the size of the square and spreading far in the North.


    "The Republic of Avenio, enemies of Massalia and allies of the last one. Pretty much the same as this nation, except the fact that they are ruled by the aristocratic families. In the North-West, the elves. No information, except that apparently they are beautiful. Last but not least, the hegemonic Empire of Synnada. Unlike the temperate climate of here, they are located in a huge desert. Meaning that the actual size of the Empire is hard to calculate. But most of the soldiers thought that it was three times the size of their kingdom. "


    After ending this short presentation, no one dared to say that it was inexact. This helped a lot Ymir and Kardel at reorganizing their thoughts. Even if it was just the most basic information, the two of them were more of a fighter than a commandant. Even if they had people under them, most of the time, they only needed to think about how to kill the enemy. They never had to deal about which planet to attack or what was needed to do it. However, that was not the end.


    "And we are on a planet created by the Ancients."


    Everyone stopped breathing for a moment. The four beings that heard this believed entirely an Orodil about those things. In fact, a lot of races were capable of recognizing the touch of the smartest beings of the Universe. But while it was shocking, this revelation led to a lot of possibilities, all deadlier than the others. Sensing the stare of the blue man, Leilade decided to tell about her problem.


    "We are surrounded by an unknown form of mana. Meaning that until some traces of Demonic Energy is formed, my spells are sustained with the lives of my victims."


    If the news said by Davion provoked some changes in the faces of the group, what was dropped by Leiladed completely stunned them. None of them dared to think that she was weak since they all saw that the darkness created by her was still present. But that still caused her to have a limited means at her disposition. None of the godly spells will be available and their firepower in an actual battle had been greatly reduced.


    Following this, Meridiana tried to absorb the mana surrounding her but quickly shook her head. She was in the same case as Leilade, she could feel it and even touch it but not absorb it. Looking at the little girl, she asked the only important question at this point.


    "Empress, how much power do you still have?"


    To answer this, she spread the shadows coming from her body to its maximum. The four others quickly backed off, fearing that they would be absorbed. That was the reason why if even she still couldn''t cast a spell, not everyone could kill her. First, you would need to bypass the ever hungry monster that rested inside the body of this child. And during all those years, nothing alive that touched it managed to survive. In the end, the previously immense nightmare was barely spreading around Leilade. Not even one meter all around her and only one tentacle was visible.


    This vision provoked a lot of worry about the future. First of all, they were not particularly discreet or equipped to hide. Leilade could be mistaken as a child and Meridiana as a woman if she wanted. However, after that, for the rest of them, none were close to being a normal human. They were too tall and weird for Kardel, too blue for Davion and Ymir was not even comparable. Not provoking panic and terror among the commoners would already be a miracle. None of them were stupid and everyone reached the same conclusion. At that moment, the clouds that were covering one of the moons disappeared and the moonlight fell on the group. That prompted everyone to look above them and for a few minutes, they silently looked at the clear sky, wondering what star was their home.

 16 The Herald of Leilade

    That eerie atmosphere stayed for a while. In truth, none of them had any good ideas. The only ones they got were the best of a very bad situation. In other words, barely better than bad. From what they gathered from the souls of the fallen soldiers, they were in the middle of the spring. So at least, none of them will have to worry about winter and ice for a while.


    Seeing the state of mind of the four others, Leilade was arguing with the Viscount inside her mind. He wanted to attack the rest and absorb their lifeforce while they were still weakened, something that Leilade disagreed with. Not by compassion or mercy, but only because she thought it was safer with them acting as baits and meat shields. But that posture didn''t allow her to quickly regain her mana or even fully heal her burned body. The heated discussion derived to toward their future as 5 if they were allowed to survive.


    (No matter what will happen, you can''t stay as 5 forever. First of all, it is impossible to hide Ymir and Davion forever, Kardel can at least turn into a monster and you can try to convince other people that you tamed it. But taming a blue and red monster like them? Not a single chance. That''s why it is better to work alone and try to get back to the Demonic Empire.)


    "It''s a planet created by the Ancient, without Davion we will have no way to find their tricks and all the defenses that they probably made. If we are even more unlucky, one of their watchdogs is here and will hunt us if we dare to make a fuss."


    (Outlander, don''t curse us like that. If we are really that unlucky for one of those lizards to be present here, we won''t be able to do anything anyway. If a Sak ¡­)


    "STOP!"


    Leilade shouted at the spirit in front of her. She dared to talk about the guardians of the Ancients but was not stupid enough to call them by their name. The main reason why even after thousand years without the appearance of the Ancients their planets were still not conquered were them. The most perfect creature in the Universe. Cunning, intelligent, strong beyond any measures. Created by their technology and fused with the mana, they were capable of using it without any problems and capable of manipulating as they wished. But even with all that power, they were restricted to just one task. Defend at all cost the planet they were living on and if they failed, destroy all the invaders.


    The cost to create them was so high that not all the planet had one. But for those that were hidden a monster in their depths, a price will be paid in blood to conquer them. A century before, the Demonic Empire reach one planet like this. They decided to just blow it, not wanting to deal with one of those lizards. On the other hand, that peculiar lizard hunted the entire fleet responsible for that attack. He was capable of traveling in the void of space and more than ten thousands of spaceships were destroyed by it until he was finally killed. After that shameful battle, every planet guarded by them were just ignored. And it worked, if no one invades the planet, they won''t move.


    "Forget about that part, here what will happen. I will summon him, and hopefully, he will be linked to the local mana. Then, I will just lay low for a few years, wait for the Demonic Energy to be created. As for the rest, they will do what they want. If they want, I can even create a few illusions to hide their real form."


    (If this is what you really want Outlander then it will be done. But may I say just one more thing that will be a lot more enjoyable than laying low? The annual search for the magicians is starting in a few days. If you want to not be bored, maybe you can hide into one of their school. Who will dare to not accept someone with such a strong magical power such as you?)


    Leilade pondered a bit about that. Joining one of those human schools? Is it really better than just patiently waiting here, doing nothing? She will have to interact with those inferior creatures and most importantly those children. She was not considered as a human since a very long time and in truth, she didn''t miss a single bit that. All she experienced was torture, experiments and killing attempts. But, if she could manage to grab some stuff capable of restoring her mana, like a lost apprentice that will magically disappear or even some monster corpses, that would be great.


    "That could be possible, that would even be good. And the chance of them realizing what is truly in front of them is near zero. If I want to hide my powers, no one would be able to see them. That''s it, you are right, I will pass the time in of those schools. Can''t be worse than staying here in a mountain. In the meantime, rise and shine my herald. Rise and shine."


    The rest of the group broke through their pensive stance and watched Leilade creating a dark circle on the ground. They all could see the darkness leaving her body to form a black pond on the ground. When she finally was done, the tentacle that was previously growing was not even a tenth of what it was. Even the small hands of the Empress were bigger than it. But it was worth it. Soon, a small blue ball was dropped in the center of the obscure spell and after a few seconds, a grave and terrifying laugh resonated on the silent mountain.


    MWAHAHAHA MWAHAHAHAHA


    If a normal human was able to hear the laugh, it would instantly freeze the blood in his veins and he would drop dead. Even the four commandants of the Demonic Army shuddered when they heard it. But instead of being scared, they were delighted since they all knew who it was. At first, a black claw left the circle and second followed shortly after. They were bigger than even the hand of Ymir, the giant demon. Four fingers formed them and they were similar to the point of a spear. The flesh covering the hand was rotten but incredibly sturdy. All could see the creature trying to break free and push on its two arms.


    Finally, the tip of the head was shown. Two curly horns similar to the ones on a goat appeared. After that, instead of a normal head, a black hood was covering the entire face. Only the mouth, filled with yellow canines was seen smiling. Besides this, the rest was hidden behind the shadows. The monster propelled himself in the air and floated twenty centimeters above the ground. His black robe inscribed with many dark symbols reflected the moonlight.


    "WHICH PATHETIC PLANET IS DOOMED TO BE DESTROY BY MY HAND?"


    After seeing his signature sentence, the summoned servants finally start to look around and saw the states of the group. Instead of using his previous threatening voice, he started to converse in a more normal and agreeable tongue.


    "Wait for a second, Ymir, Davion, Kardel and the beautifu¡­ not that beautiful anymore Meridiana? What happened?"


    At first, he was looking high and mighty, but because he knew who he was and what was his rank. But none of the four in front of him was any weaker and they were all deeply injured. Turning back, he saw his mistress riddled with wounds and with nearly no mana. He was normally asleep and only awaken when his help was needed. As a former Elder Lich and an undead that was modified personally by the Empress of the Underworld, he was capable of conquering some small planets on his own.


    "Mistress! WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?!!"


    Leilade used the same spell to transmit the information to her servant but he was not relieved at all after understanding everything. A planet created by the Ancient? Only a few seeds and insects to turn the mana of entire planet into Demonic Energy? Some beings apparently strong enough to threaten them? After hearing all of this, he began to shake his head. Turning his sight toward Leilade, she telepathically described him the situation of the Vault of the Souls.That didn''t make him stop to shake his head at all.


    "That''s bad, that''s really bad. But don''t worry, Malakov, the Herald of Leilade is here to solve some of your problems. First of all, [Flame]."


    In the hand of the undead, a small fire was seen burning. Malakov didn''t even need to say the name of that spell like some beginner in magic but he still said it for the rest. Funnily, such a weak and small spell managed to make everyone smile. The expenses of creating the body of Malakov was so high that Leilade couldn''t do it a second time even if she wished. But her servant managed to be linked to the mana of this planet and that will be enough to do a lot of things. She then transmitted her instructions for the future.


    "It will be done, Mistress!"


    The floating monster bowed and then begin to create multiple types of undead. They were all incredibly weak in combat, allowing him to create them in great number. As for their purpose, they were quite obvious. Some were looking like the skeletons of a mole and they began to dig in the mountain. The rest were looking more like short humans with swords instead of hands. They descended the slope and will target the trees in the valley. Creating wood or any material was possible with mana, but the cost to do that was very high. Even higher if it was not something found in nature.


    Two other types of undead were also created. One was a small spirit that soon spread far and wide. They will scout the surroundings. And at last, a few very, very weak skeleton warriors. That was a precise instruction from his mistress, to create one of the weakest undead possible. In the hands of those soldiers, a broken shield, a rusted sword and some were even missing some ribs. A total of fifty of them were created and they followed the woodcutters. They will be responsible for testing the true strength of the beings living on this planet. Feeling satisfied by this, Leilade stared at the four survivors of this disaster. "How can they be used?" was her thoughts.

 17 Separation in the New World

    No matter how strong her envoy was, if her four subordinates feel threatened, they will not hesitate to fight back. And her powers were even lower than when she first woke up on this foreign planet, so she will have to rely on Malakov. But after looking at him creating a huge mass of undead, all more worthless than the other, she stopped thinking about that idea.


    "You have two choices now. Either you stay with Malakov, help him build a secure base but stay hidden. Or you left this place and do whatever you want, except that you won''t be discovered. If you are and try to return here while being followed, you will be killed. So what do you want?"


    Funnily enough, it was Kardel that instantly answered that question. While he was staring at the sky above them, he already decided what he wanted to do.


    "Empress, I will go to the Synnada Empire. From what we know, it is just a giant desert. So whoever will cross my path will just become my food. That way, I can safely hunt as for the potential monster in it hehehe."


    He opened wide his destroyed mouth, breaking the blood path covering his left cheek.


    "Anyway, if I stumble on something useful, I will bring it back."


    No matter what happened, it was true that if a duvodiad wanted to hide, he will be able. No one expected him to stay here, doing nothing. The training that he suffered turned him into a vicious predator and only strength could force him to restrain his instincts. After he finished what he had to say, he sat down.


    While Kardel was impulsive, the rest pondered for a long time and Meridiana was in a pickle. She needed intelligent being to survive and the more the better. So for that, entering a human nation was a perfect choice. However, she was still visibly injured, reducing her charm. And without it, she needed to rely on her physical strength to steal the life of her victims. She noticed a rock that was quite big, at least 3 meters tall. Everyone looked at her while she tried to lift it. At first, it was easy, but when she tried to lift it above her head, her right arm suddenly flinched, breaking her balance. She managed to avoid getting wounded, but the pain inside her right limb didn''t fade.


    Seeing this, the impassive Davion looked toward the face of Leilade and saw her dark complexion. He walked between the two, blocking the line of sight of the small girl.


    "I will accompany Meridiana to the Republic of Avenio. There, we will become mercenaries, adventurers or whatever name they want to be. That way, she will interact with powerful humans, steal a little of their lives each time they meet while we hunt monsters. But for that, we need a few things. Clothes, weapons. Not everyone can turn into a beast and doesn''t have to travel naked."


    Hearing those words, Ymir and Kardel snickered, since none of them really cared about that. But it was true that for the rest, they won''t stay like that. Even if their bodies were strong enough to not care about temperature or wind, that was not comfy. Leilade really missed her clothes and her favorite slippers that were destroyed. Pondering for a bit, she looked at Malakov, expecting him to solve this problem. The undead, on the other hand, was taken by surprise. He used more than half of his mana just to create the numerous workers. And right now, he had to create clothes.


    "Ok, I can create some low-quality robes and shoes. Just don''t expect it to last more than a month. As for weapons and armors, unless we found something in the tunnels, don''t be optimistic."


    He approached the succubus and the orodil and turned around them. After mentally calculating their height, he began to create what they asked. He did the same for Leilade, but since she was his mistress, he knew how small she was. Of course, he will never say that to her. After a minute, three sets of clothes were levitating toward them. For Leilade and Meridiana, it was just a robe with two slippers. They didn''t need to hide the fact that her skin color was different. For Davion however, not a single part of the skin was visible. It was completely covering him, with a cloak, gloves, shoes, sockets, everything.


    "That''s enough, thank you Malakov."


    The muffled voice of the tall blue man reverberated in the silent night. Testing his new equipment, he jumped, dashed and try to throw a few punches. After hitting the rock that the succubus tried to lift and reduced it to small stones, the gloves broke. Staring at the undead, a new set of those, clearly more durable, was created. Malakov felt aggrieved when no thanks were pronounced. In the end, only the red demon stayed silent, not really knowing what to do. He was not capable of hiding like the succubus, far too tall to even pass as a human and couldn''t turn into a monster himself. But he was hungry, and he didn''t know how long he could stay like that.


    "Empress, will you try to attract some foolish humans here?"


    The grave voice of the Ak?l was not threatening at all. But his question was important and everyone listened to what she will say.


    "Yes. That''s why I created those garbage skeletons. I want some weaklings to come and die here. Then, we will be able to easily get their equipment and compare it with our knowledge. As for gathering the armors and weapons from the battlefield between the soldiers and the cult, forget it. Everyone saw a huge pillar of light when we were transported here, so the huge powers will scan that area. That''s why we are that far."


    Everyone nodded at her words. They went that far just to hide, who would be stupid enough to descend the mountain and walk through the burned forest? No one could know if they already were capable of using magic to observe a location from far away. It was apparently possible, but only in legends. And that returned to the main problem of their information, everything was subjective.


    "Since it is that way, I will stay here with Malakov. That way, our base will hardly be able to be destroyed. And if we die, at least you will all know that something is capable of overwhelming two commandants of the Demonic Army."


    Leilade was expecting this. Even if they were called a demon, they were not stupid or brainless. Otherwise, how could Drugrat be her right-hand? Their only problem was the fact that they were not capable of controlling their hunger. She hoped that Malakov will be able to quickly find some preys to fed Ymir. Otherwise, their base will be destroyed by the berserk giant. But she still needed to inform them of her plans, otherwise, they will ruin it without knowing.


    "Everyone knows my peculiar mana and the darkness surrounding me. So let''s be clear if you find someone with that specific energy on them, do not touch, do not kill, just let it go. That princess has it on her, she may or may not be useful. And if you need to contact me, just ask Malakov. Also, do not go deep inside this kingdom or even approach the Academy of Magic. I don''t want to scare them now."


    Following those words, she extracted a soul from her and threw it to her undead servant.


    "Take care of master Agnil, he will be useful in the future. As for the rest, they are all asleep for now. Otherwise, everyone could have enjoyed a meal made by Chief Lucio. Such a pity."


    The last sentence was barely audible but was present in the mind of everyone, even the floating lich. But no one had time for regrets or dreams. Malakov and Ymir approached the entrance of the tunnel created by the undead moles and began to discuss how to arrange the underground base. It needed to have a decoy front for the treasure hunters and greedy humans to be attracted. And at the same time, to be able to be turned into a true fortress, with a high amount of traps and fortifications.


    The duvodiad began to turn into a smaller bird, looking like a white swallow. The sounds of the bones rearranging were extremely loud, mainly because it was retracting them and not expanding them. Unlike the fast transformation in a panther, this one took several minutes to be done. But the moment it was over, that small bird flew at a speed that even some airships were not capable of reaching.


    A tall giant and a small woman left toward the West, climbing the mountain. But right after that, the giant took the frail succubus on his back and sped up. Even if she was ashamed by that, Meridiana didn''t say anything, like Davion. It was really the best way to cover a lot of distance and in the end, she could only let herself be carried.


    Leilade watched everyone dispersed in all the directions. She turned her sight toward the slope leading to her destination and saw the final batches of trees burning on the horizon. With that, all the traces of their passage will be destroyed, unless they could sense that a path was dead before the rest. Even her would hardly be able to feel it if she didn''t know it beforehand. Checking one last time how much mana she had, she realized that she wouldn''t be able to levitate. She knew that the annual examination will be over soon, so she began to run at her maximum speed. She won''t need to rest or even be tired, but she was so small that even running like that was not that fast. To comfort herself, she imagined the situation of the princess. That allowed her to find this travel quite enjoyable.

 18 No longer human

    Deep in a part of the forest that was not touched by the fire, a single silhouette could be seen stumbling at every step. From just one look at that person, one could easily tell that her consciousness was just a mirage and that she couldn''t react to anything surrounding her. Near her, a few rabbits were running away with her small paws and the air was filled with a strange smell. The previous clear sky filled with stars was getting more and more obscure and not even the two moons could do something about it. However, the one still walked with even less life than an undead. Because, in truth, she was one.


    Muirn? was always proud of her achievement and strength, for even as she was a girl, she was still one of the most promising youngsters in the kingdom. Her family was the most respected of all, even more than the royal family. One year ago, when she finally turned 15, her father and the elders explained to her why, even as they were so strong and liked by the populace, the royalty had no fear about them. It was an open secret, shared between all the important families. And one of the main reasons why no one dared to overthrow their sovereign. The Minalcar Teldil will rule as the Gwendhir will protect Massalia, for if one fails at his task the entire kingdom will be razed.


    At first, she didn''t believe that it was true and took it as a mere legend. She couldn''t understand how someone from thousands of years ago could predict something like that and make even her father and her ancestors believe this nonsense. Later, he explained to her that it doesn''t matter what they all thought, the important was that everyone was bind by that rule. And it allowed the kingdom to survive all the disasters that happened, by keeping the unity of the country. That''s why every member of the Gwendhir family had to be train and fight, to keep the illusion intact.


    And that was what she did, was what her older brother did and what her younger sister will do. Of course, no one will ask them to die in a pointless way or to charge to their death. That''s why even if her secret mission was quite perilous, she was confident that her men and herself could survive. She never expected the Church of Torment to be able to lay a trap on her way back. That carelessness led to her current situation and she only had herself to blame for that. But at the same time, she wished she could end the suffering she was in.


    Right after she saw the dark gods leaving, she tried to catch them. But that single step broke her stupor and she fell on the ground, again. There, she felt a piercing pain across her entire body. All the small little things that are spread on the surface of the ground, even the grass were turned into sharp swords and spears. The sole act of putting her hands on the ground to get up was more painful than the most brutal training she ever got. She even thought that her soul will vanish under such terrible torture. And in this ocean of negative emotions, her mind suddenly became clear.


    "My soul is my body and my body is my soul." That sentence turned and turned in her mind that became a whirlpool of emotions. Lifting her head, she checked the surrounding and finally saw her former body. And from a hypothesis, it became the truth. She realized that the demon that took the form of a small girl didn''t lie, she did give her the shape of her former body. But instead of giving her a real body, she only turned her soul into one. Muirn? herself was baffled when she noticed that she linked everything that easily. She knew she was not stupid, but to be that smart was not a small feat. Forgetting her suffering for a brief instant and congratulating herself, she inadvertently moved her hand, provoking another wave of pain.


    From deep inside her, she began to hate that demonic being, even more than the old fart that attacked her. She cursed that monster but each time she did that, she moved a little. As the pain grew, her anger too. She kept doing it until she managed to get back on her two feet. At that time, finally, the pain lessened. Even if she felt that her lower limbs were hacked in thousands of pieces, the rest of body was fine. She didn''t know how long she stayed like that, maybe half of an hour, or even an hour. She just enjoyed that brief respite.


    It was the wind that awoke her. The small breeze didn''t impact her, but that one was strong enough for her to feel it. And of course, in her state, anything that she could feel will hurt her. She now had a choice, staying here on the open and suffer or run towards the trees and take cover. She took the latter and the twenty meters that she walked felt like ten kilometers. As for running, she didn''t dare, fearing that if she fell on the ground she lost her will to move again.


    Only after she arrived did she noticed that she was not as sensitive as she was previously. The concept of time was gone in her mind and she had no idea what was the hour of the night. But Muirn? was sure that if someone suffered the same treatment that she did, that someone will either break or adapt. A small part of her mind was sad that she didn''t escape reality but the rest was mad enough at the little girl to prevent the collapsed of her soul.


    Not daring to put her hand on the tree, she finally took the time to check herself. She touched her leg, her body, and her face, not feeling anything weird. It was the same sensation that she always felt when she was still a normal human. Even when she touched the supposedly part of armors that were still there, she felt nothing like steel or leather. Like her armor was now her skin. Only after touching her neck, she felt something cold. Remembering what it was, she tried to tear it down, but the silver necklace was strong. She couldn''t even lift it away from her neck as it was fused with her.


    Those strange things baffled her, but she still got a bit of the concept. Her soul was her entire body and everything she carried on it. But from the outside, it looked like nothing was different, she was certain that nobody would believe that she couldn''t remove her right gauntlet for example. And finally, she couldn''t get rid of the silver chain around her neck. And also, either the demon was a sadist or it was natural, but her body was extremely sensitive. Too sensitive. But only toward pain.


    After thinking about that last part, she realized that she didn''t felt cold afterward, even when the violent wind was hurting her. She tried to calm herself, to see more things. While doing so, she still felt that she was hungry. But she didn''t really felt tired on the other hand. Frowning a bit, she remembered her previous day. She woke up in the morning, walked the entire day, battled against the cultists, was turned into a ghost and then reverted back into a weird human. But she didn''t feel tired? "Nonsense" Muirn? shouted.


    For the first time since the dangerous group left, she spoke. Her voice was normal. Then she remembered that she was carrying a sword when she was threatening the demonic child. Her scabbard was empty and the sword was nowhere near her. Returning to where she was and gritting her teeth under the assault of the wind, she finally found it. However, from the entire sword, only the knob was present. The blade was gone but when she held the broken sword, she felt better.


    "It''s a shame that it is broken, but I am certain that if I tried to hit something with it, I would have gone to Hell." If just walking was painful, she didn''t dare to imagine what attacking with a sword would do. She still kept it and use the straps on her scabbard to hold it. Thinking that she was finally ready and that she forgot nothing, she looked above her, to see the stars. There, she prayed every god and goddess she knew, from the ancestors of the dwarves to the deities under the sea. She asked them to show her the way to survive this ordeal and get back her true body.


    None of them answered her call but it was fine. Expecting someone else to solve her own problem was not in her nature or the way she was educated. Pondering for a bit, she looked around and walked toward the direction that should lead her to the nearest encampment. A week ago, she walked past it without stopping but what she had to say was too important. Feeling confident, she calculated that it was only a journey away from her position. She truly believed the white lie she told to herself.

 19 A Terrifying Hunger

    Even when the sun was above her head and descending, the princess still didn''t react, only focusing on going forward. As for what was the forward she sought, she knew deep down that it was not really her original destination. She had walked weirdly and inconsistently, resulting in a path absolutely not straight. The only thing that she hoped was that she stayed inside the forest since the encampment was just outside it. With a little bit of luck on her side, maybe some of the soldiers patrolling around will find her and take her back. She didn''t want to approach them because they were not part of the 1st and 2nd Legion, but she couldn''t be demanding at this point. And they were still soldiers in the end, even if they were the lowest trash of human being.


    After that long walk, she still felt the intense pain in her two feet. But it was not important enough to make her scream like at first. She was resigned now to live like that for the rest of inhuman life. But with her goal getting closer, the numerous implications of her current state were getting clearer and clearer in her mind. For the first time, instead of focusing only on the betrayal of someone important that cause the ambush and the revival of the dark gods, she thought about herself. Will she be able to live a normal life after that?


    "No." Only someone profoundly na?ve could think that the answer would be yes. And even if she came back thinking like that, her father would exile her instantly and that would be mercy from his side. The rest of the kingdom would ask for the head of the undead spirit but her family will at least protect her life. No matter what she will say, the moment she is discovered, everything will be gone and she will be hunted.


    Because of those thoughts, she stopped walking. She was conflicted, between her loyalty or most importantly the fact that she needed to warn her family and her sense of self-preservation. At the same time, what if someone could help her, break that terrible spell that was chained around her neck. She quickly extinguished her embers of hope, at best she will return back to her ghostly form. That will not help her case at all. As for coming back and hoping that no one would notice anything unusual, she didn''t have great confidence about that.


    Grmblbblbgf


    Suddenly, she heard her stomach gurgling. She was hungry, very hungry. But the pain that she experienced about that was so low compared to what she felt in her feet that she didn''t pay attention. If she had her weapons, she would have hunted something, a hare or even a deer and cook them without any problem. But she only had a broken sword and her hands so she had to find something else. Looking around her and finding nothing alive, she searched the surroundings. It didn''t take her long before she found a pack of deer. Three of them were calmly eating a small bush, not caring about the world.


    Even if she was at her optimal state, she still couldn''t catch one of them like that, with her bare hands. Some of the old knights and friends of her father were that strong, capable of just running at such a speed that they will catch one while he was running away. Even if she was praised as a genius and strong knight, she was clearly not their match yet. So instead of using her muscles, she will use her brain. She didn''t dare to create a spear since she only had a few centimeters of metal on her sword. And she will never, ever, use her mouth to shape the head of the spear. Only an animal would do something like that. As for the taste that will stay in her mouth, she shuddered about that fact.


    The trees around her were big and some branches were strong enough to support her. Looking above the pack of mammals, she found some spots that were far enough to allow her to not be detected before she fell on them. And if that failed, well, she would have to wait until she came back to the civilization.


    The moment she began to climb that tree nearly made her scream and one of the deer raised his head, scouting around him. She bit her tongue but not that hard, since she couldn''t taste blood in her mouth. Or maybe she will never bleed again? That question was particularly important for her future since it would easily cause suspicion if she won''t bleed. While pondering, she reached her hunting spot and waited a minute, to appease the suspicious deer. When he finally started eating again, she took action. She unleashed her piece of sword and was ready to hit on the head of her prey with it. She couldn''t pierce something, but the blunt force of her falling on them should be enough to stun them. And she only needed a moment to grab an animal and then strangle it.


    The first part of her plan was flawless, she did fall on them. The second part about hitting one, not so much. Whether she encountered a pack of telepathic deer or not, they dodged her attack at the last moment, causing her body to meet the hard ground. The pain was so important that she screamed, a powerful and acute scream. By the time she raised her head, two of the mammals were gone. However, the one directly in front of her was frozen in place, not moving a muscle.


    She could see the fear in its eyes and that he will escape at any second. But even with that, he was still immobile, barely a meter away from her. Pulling herself together and ignoring the pain, she got up and slowly walked toward the animal. Seeing its nightmare coming closer and closer, the deer finally broke through and escaped at a speed rarely seen. Prompting the young princess to shout at him multiple time.


    "stop! STOP! STOP!!!" Even after doing that, the deer was getting away, until her voice turned and began to be extremely acute.


    "STOP." The deer suddenly froze again but with its speed, it caused its fall. The animal hit a tree and ended up on the ground, his head slightly bleeding. Puzzled, Muirn? crouched near the bleeding mammal. If the first time was maybe a coincidence, the second time was definitely not an accident. What she had not yet been able to understand was how her voice changed. She felt it the second time, that her voice was not natural. Considering her previous form, and with her knowledge, she figured out that she wasn''t an ordinary ghost. But something powerful enough to cause a living being to be immobile for a short period of time.


    But all those considerations quickly were forgotten, since the smell of blood unleashed the hunger that the princess felt in her body. What followed became a blurry memory, but when she woke up, the carcass in front of her was unrecognizable. Even if she knew that it was a deer, she couldn''t match her memory with what she was seeing. The corpse was dismembered and those limbs were scattered around her. The only intact part, the face, still showed her a pair of terrified eyes. The rest of the skull was destroyed and the brain entirely missing. Only the skin and some pieces of meat were still attached on the dispersed body parts.


    Looking down, to see the amount of blood on her body, she found nothing unusual. Even a professional butcher or hunter could not do something like that without getting blood on them but she did. Or the blood was absorbed by her body. But after seeing the result of her "meal", she became really scared. For the first time, it was not about the dark gods, but it was about her. If she entered into such a state just after seeing blood, what will happen if she saw her family? What if her brother that is always training come back injured? Will she truly kill him and eat him?


    In her state of panic, she didn''t hear the voices that were getting closer and closer. Only when she heard the scream of a man behind her did she turned. She was still positioned in a way that no one could see her, but that will change in a few seconds. Hearing the multiple voices that were approaching, she understood that it was a group. Not a single bandit and criminal would be stupid enough to travel in this location, meaning that the most obvious possibility would a group of that army. Now was the time for her to choose, whether she will go back and tell everyone the terrible news or hide a little more, to understand her true nature. However, life rarely goes as planned, because when she finally lifted her foot, a sword was pressing on her neck.


    "What do we have here, a cute and white little rabbit? Don''t worry, we have time before he comes back, you will be able to accompany me and my friends, hehe."

 20 Finding the 13th Legion

    Looking down on the sword, she instantly recognized it and that confirmed that her hypothesis was right. This group was part of that army and probably still not trained properly. Otherwise, why would that man say such things, things that would have to lead him to his death? She turned her head without fear and looked at her aggressor. He was wearing a sturdy leather armor and not the usual metal armor that proved his allegiance to the 13th Legion. Meaning that as she expected, she met some recruits. Since she couldn''t run away, she will have to quickly adapt and never show anything strange and unusual. At least, those scums won''t be able to sense anything weird coming from her since they shouldn''t have the ability to see her or talk with her normally.


    While Muirn? was thinking this, the man was staring at some parts of her body with lecherous eyes.


    As for the cold stare that the beauty was sending toward him, he didn''t care, like he didn''t care when his previous victims were sobbing and begging. At first, he was cautious, since her equipment looked good and it was highly unusual to find a pretty lady all by her own in this forest. But the numerous patch of dirt, grasses and mud that tainted her entire body showed that she had run away. And nothing here was really dangerous, at worst it would be some wolves. That''s why they were here for the training.


    When the rest of the 10-men squad arrived, all were wildly surprised by the beautiful girl that was captured by their companion. They had arrived here barely two weeks ago but in that short period of time, their bodies were riddled with pain and exhaustion. In a barren forest, without anything to have some fun, something like that was seen as a gift from the gods to help them release their frustration. Even the two most cowardly men were having some lustful thoughts just by looking at the broken armor. Only one thin boy was looking weirdly at her, trying to remember something. The former was still covering a huge amount of the body of the princess, but the small holes improved the imagination of the soldiers.


    "Daryl, I knew you were good with women, but to find one, alone and injured, in the middle of the forest, I have to bow to you. I am sure you will share with your brothers, isn''t it?"


    The strongest man spoked those words filled with ridicule, but also with a naked threat. Daryl will not be able to keep her for himself, otherwise, they will do something about it. Even if the spokesman was near his forties, he was towering above the rest of them with a least a head taller. None of them dared to say anything else when he finished his talk and it was plainly obvious that he was the one in charge. The sly Daryl didn''t dare to meet him head-on.


    "Of course not, but since I was the first to see her and I managed to capture her, I have some rights. I will be the first to enjoy her company and of course, after that, you will have her body."


    That provoked a laugh from all except a boy that separated from the group. None noticed that except Muirn? but she didn''t really care. The moment they dared to think those dirty things, they were already sentenced to die. In that army, people died from far less than raping an innocent girl. She only was sad that this strong warrior will perish, he would have been a great addition. But even if he didn''t take any action, he was probably the caporal of that unit and if that Daryl did something, he would have received the same punishment that his subordinate. That was how the Thirteen Legion was ruled.


    The Kingdom of Massalia was surrounded on all side by enemies except the frontier with Genablum, their only ally. Even the elves were mildly hostile and the monsters coming from that forest provoked a huge number of casualties in the rank of the army. After the disappearance of the dark gods, the kingdom was weak but someone had an idea. He proposed to all the convict with a huge sentence, either a death penalty or more than twenty years in prison to earn their freedom. By fighting for the nation. It provoked a huge controversy, but in the end, and with the centuries of intense training, the 13th Legion was born. While the members of 1st and the 2nd Legion can sometimes break the law and suffer a light punishment, like by fighting in a bar and provoking a few injuries, the 13th Legion is extremely harsh.Anything more than stealing an apple would make the criminal lose his head.


    Of course, if it was an accident or if it was something that couldn''t be avoided, the judgment will be lightened. But on nearly all the cases, the soldier will die and his superior suffer the same fate. That''s why all the 10-men squad were gripped in an iron hand, because if one made a mistake, two will die. But apparently, for those morons in training, they thought that they could escape the punishment. Muirn? still noted that the thin boy that was probably the same age as her was doing the right thing. As for asking him to seek help, she never liked snitches. That thinking made her remember the dirty mole that caused the death of all the soldiers under her command.


    That furious look was seen thanks to the broken helmet but instead of scaring the lecherous bastards, it only made them wilder.


    "Let me see the face of the furious girl, I just hope that after Daryl is done with you, you will maintain it. I hate when women sob and beg."


    The tall soldier approached and remove the dirty helmet. After throwing it on the ground, he finally could see the delicate face of Muirn?. Her blond hair fell down just above her shoulders. The whistles coming from the soldiers were getting louder and louder and from behind, she felt a hand searching her body. She gasped after those actions and that made the surrounding men getting more and more brazen. For them, that small moan was because she was terrified and defenseless. For her, it was because the loss of her helmet led to an emptiness inside her body. Like when she recovered her sword and felt better, when she lost a part of her armor she felt worse. Also, the simple touch increased the pain she was feeling.


    "AHHHHHHHH!"


    The cry from the thin boy woke up everyone and all looked at him. By now, he remembered why the girl in front of him looked really familiar. Her white armor, even if it was very dirty, and her beautiful face. He already saw those a month ago. It was when he was captured after killing the assassin of his fianc¨¦. Three people escorted a man out of the prison he was. She was accompanied by two silver knights. Later, he learned that it was the princess Murin? Gwendhir. And now, he realized that his group was trying to **** her?


    "SHUT UP! Or do you want someone to find us? Because if anybody learns about what we were doing this, no one will be spared. Not you because I will make sure that everyone falls together. As for that girl, she will not survive what we will inflict to her anyway."


    That ranting made by the chief of the group calmed the instincts of the rest. In their minds, for the moment, only Daryl and their boss touched the girl, so why were they caught in that? Of course, none of them will pass that golden occasion.


    "But ¡­ but¡­"


    SPANK


    "Another word and you will die in this part of the forest, Capiche? You got it?"


    The tall soldier unconsciously used a dialect of a region in the Republic of Avenio. Every convict received that offer, even if they were foreigners caught on their ground. Of course, only people from Massalia and Genablum will reach the position of a commandant, but strangers can accomplish enough to gain the position of a low-ranked officer. The young boy didn''t dare to say anything, but he was secretly enjoying the situation. He tried to warn them with kind intentions and since no one wanted that, he hoped that they will all go to Hell.


    "Well, that was nice but I don''t have time. I think none of the instructors will dare to complain if I do their jobs, so farewell former member of the 13th Legion."


    Right after saying this and not letting anyone recover from the shock, she grabbed with her right hand the sword hanging on her neck and use her left elbow to violently hit the stomach of Daryl. Even if she was young, she was far stronger than this bunch of scums and just that made the lustful man fly a few meters. Now holding a true sword, she sliced and slashed the entire group in front of her. In less than five seconds, from ten human beings alive, only three were still breathing. One was deeply injured and will probably die from his broken ribcage. As for the two others, they were too shocked to move.


    The forty years old man stumbled while retreating. He still managed to unleash his sword, but his hands couldn''t stop shaking. His prey was covered by mud and grass and this part of the forest was nearly harmless. So why such a strong woman was in that state. That doesn''t make any sense. This last line of thought was still present in his mind when Muirn? beheaded him. He didn''t even notice it in his state of panic. Once she was finished, she looked at the terrified boy, only to see him pointing something behind her. Turning, she saw the rapist running away. He was a little stronger than she expected.


    "Stay here, don''t move"


    The last survivor didn''t dare to even breathe after hearing this order. The princess grabbed her helmet and felt a lot better. Her hand was making her feel like she was under the hammer of a blacksmith. A terrible one, that was capable of hammering without any rest. Less than a minute later, she arrived in front of Daryl and she saw him kneel and beg for his survival. Not caring at all, she pierced his heart, granting him a merciful death. Only after all those actions, did she feel on her knees.


    For a few minutes, she stayed like that. She didn''t feel anything for the death of the men and it was as easy for her as drinking water. But all the blood around her was making Muirn? crazy and her hunger was tormenting her. Even at that time, in front of the corpse of the soldier, she couldn''t help but desire that body. She tried to resist that terrible temptation, but only after remembering that she will soon enter a camp filled with blood, did she acknowledged her current state. After making peace with herself, Muirn? let her instinct overcome her.

 21 The Dark Gods Have Returned

    After entering the same state of frenzy, the moment she regained her conscience was strangely similar. A blank memory past the time where her instincts took control and no idea how much time had passed after it. Seeing the ravaged body of Daryl, she took a step back. If she didn''t feel anything for the destroyed body of a deer, the sight in front of her was still a former human. But apparently, her other personality didn''t make any difference between the two. The begging and terrified face of the rapist was still engraved on his head, head that was a good twenty meters away from his body.


    Knowing that someone will investigate her trail, she couldn''t let this spectacle be noticed. Even if she was a very weak magician and was not capable of using magic like her younger sister, she was still capable of creating something useful.


    "[Fireball]!"


    Muirn? shouted that spell of the 2nd Circle and soon, insider her right palm, a small ball of fire appeared. It was more or less the same size as her head and a few of those will be enough to burn everything. Funnily enough, she noticed that she couldn''t feel anything about the fire burning near her. Previously, each time she used a spell, she would feel some minor inconveniences. But now, after all the tortures she suffered, she wasn''t even able to notice something that small. Grabbing the lone head, she threw it into the pyre. As for praying for the soul of that bastard, she wouldn''t do it. His quick death was merciful enough.


    By the time she reached the place where she slaughtered the rest of the soldiers, the thin boy was still petrified. The princess was gladly surprised by that because even if she took a long time to eat the human body, that witness won''t be able to tell that. However, the moment he saw her coming near him, his reaction was quite unfriendly.


    "MO-MO-MONSTER! RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY!"


    Without even bothering about the state of his princess and, logically, commander, he buggered off. But he was still in the hand a normal human and not someone like Muirn? that was trained since her childhood. Not knowing how he normally would be compared to Daryl, the young girl still took more time to catch him than the fleeing rapist. Fear truly gives wings. Also, she didn''t want to have an innocent death on her before reaching the encampment of the 13th Legion. The death of the others was justified, but if he died, that would be bad.


    "STOP!"


    Using once again her acute voice, she managed to incapacitate a little the solider. In his state of panic, he wouldn''t notice something like that, maybe he will even think that it was his own mind that control him. However, that strange perk was not really working on human, because except slowing by half his movements, it didn''t immobilize him as she did with the deer. That shout still caught his attention and he looked behind him. That, combined with the fact that his body was not responding correctly, sent him on the ground and his head hit the ground violently.


    When Muirn? reached him, he was still a little bit stunned and haggard, but he was fine overall. Only when he totally woke up did he realized who was standing in front of him. He thought that the mad instructor was the most terrifying creature on this planet, he was deeply wrong. That innocent white girl was a wolf in sheep clothing.


    "Good, don''t worry, I won''t kill you. You know the rules of the legion and you know that this group broke them. I administered the justice of the king on my behalf. And since you recognized me, this will be faster to do. Now, where is exactly the training ground?"


    But as she was saying this, she unconsciously waved her sword a little. It was the one she stole from Daryl and it was dripped with blood. However, on her entire body, not a single drop could be seen. She still in the same apparel, with mud and dirt all over, but void of any blood. And of course, instead of focusing on the words that were pronounced, the young soldier was fixed on those details. He looked down on his boots and saw some stains of a red liquid. Even if he was far, the way she killed those men still threw blood in all the directions. But she was untainted by it.


    Noticing something weird, Muirn? looked directly in the eyes of the thin boy but he was not looking back. Gazing at where he looked, she saw her sword painted red. Then, her broken armor variating between white and brown, metal and leather or mud. And finally, his trousers and boots where red could be seen. "This is going to be troublesome". She thought quickly and in less than a second, found an idea.


    "[Water]! [Water]! [Water]! ¡­"


    She kept using the most elementary spell of the 1st Circle until she was totally washed up. Clearing the miscellaneous things stuck on herself and cleaning the bloodied sword. She also used it on the lone soldier, breaking his hypnotic state. He screamed like a pig that was being slaughtered and jump several times around her. But at least, they got rid of most of the evidence. All she could do now was trying to convince him that she cleaned herself before meeting him.


    "ATTENTION!"


    Even if he was a newly recruited soldier, they were still taught the basic. He quickly took position, without even noticing it how clumsy he looked. Only after pondering for a bit did he noticed the smile on the girl. She was making fun of him on purpose but that smile was a beacon of hope for him. It represented the fact that maybe he will live, making him smile too. After the stressful situation, the two of them appreciated that small moment of relief.


    "That''s good, I was just messing with you. But I really need to meet your commander, it is vital. And before you open your mouth asking about it, no. I won''t tell you anything. It is for your own protection, as weirdly as it sounds. Also, be prepared to leave soon, this training ground won''t be used anymore."


    The young man was baffled by the last sentence. They were currently in the Forest of Verde, the most peaceful location that far in the West. Here, only normal animals were present and no monsters or terrifying creatures lived. That''s why it was the training ground of the 2nd and 13th Legion, a large place with few threats and nearly no inhabitants. Also, it was the most efficient, between the plain, the small hills and the forest. There was even a lake ten kilometers south, allowing the instructors to teach nearly everything. After centuries and centuries, the way the soldiers were trained here was maximized and even some adventurers were joining the exercises. That was how good this place was. Still wondering how huge the threat should be to make that encampment disappears, the thin boy pointed a direction behind him.


    The princess nodded at him and soon, the two were marching, both immersed in their thoughts. One had an imagination too big for his own safety while the other was still wondering how she could convince others that the legends had returned. Not a sound was pronounced and they only reached the fortified door at dusk. She could see other groups coming back, some carrying medicinal herbs while others were grabbing wastes or worse, poisonous weeds. She pitied a group in particular that used their naked hand to carry the latter, they will suffer for a week at least.


    The two of them, on the other hand, grabbed the attention of everyone. First of all, she was not wearing the uniform of the recruits or the one of the 13th Legion. Also, her fierce face was still visible from the half broken helmet, provoking the envy inside some of the men. But they were too close to the instructors, meaning that their fear was immensely bigger than their lust. But they were at the same time perplexed by the drenched boy in front of her. How did he manage to be wet like that in the middle of the forest?


    While the recruits were having a hard time to comprehend the situation, the sentries were quick to respond and already ringing the bell. To them, only those arrogant pricks of the 1st Legion and some important people would wear a white armor. And no matter what was happening, those warriors never moved for anything and tried to avoid the former criminals as much as possible. The slack and easy going attitude inside the fortified camp was quickly dispersed and everyone got in position.


    The gate was already opened to let the groups come back but soon, a path was formed between two rows of soldiers. Seeing this, the recruits didn''t dare to walk it and only the white girl marched inside. Turning her back, she saw the fearful boy and signaled him to come. After hesitating a few seconds, he came behind her and followed her three steps behind. He didn''t know why, but he felt that the young girl turned into a strong authority the moment she stepped between the two rows of soldiers. And at that time, he didn''t dare to get too close.


    She finally arrived at the commander tent, that was in the middle of the camp. Inside was already reassembled all the high ranking officers. The two sentries blocked the path of the thin boy and after a wave of the hand from the commandant, an old man left the tent and approached the young recruit. That thing being deal with, Muirn? looked at everyone in the room.


    She was not very familiar with the 13th Legion and tried to avoid those scums as much as she hoped. Even those in front of her were former rapists, arsonists, murderers, assassins, slavers. Four people were in front of her, three men and one woman. She didn''t know the men, even if one of them was the actual commandant and the only one putting his feet on the table. But the presence of the blue-haired woman was a surprise.


    "Anabelle Brea, what a pleasant surprise? Why are you so far in the South and not fighting near the Dragon''s gate?"


    Disdain and contempt filled the voice of the princess, but no one was shocked. Everyone here knew who she was and what Muirn? asked was actually a reasonable question.


    "Princess, I was sent here to investigate the trail of the Church of T¡­"


    "Don''t bother, they are all dead."


    Now even the phlegmatic commandant nearly fell from his chair. To say that this cult was strong was not true, the cultists wouldn''t be able to deal with a single squadron of the 1st Legion. To say that it was weak was false, they had numerous unholy spells that were terrifying. But nonetheless, they was very good at hiding and the fact that the cultists always managed to escape the legions of Massalia during a very long time was the proof of their relative strength. And now they were all dead?


    "The funny thing is, that''s not even important."


    Now everyone looked at Muirn? with weird eyes. Anabelle and the commandant knew about the "secret" mission that the princess took. And whether it was a success or a failure, it would not be grave news. But unlike their grave looks, the young girl was smiling and even laughing. Even if they had some contacts, none of them really knew her, so they didn''t know if it was a normal behavior.


    "Sorry, I was just thinking that you are so affected just by a simple cult. And what I was going to say was so big that it looked a little funny. Well, please believe me when I say this."


    Muirn? bowed one time and planted her two hands on the table. She didn''t even feel the pain that time. She looked at them through her broken helmet, a serious expression on her face, not joking anymore.


    "The dark gods have returned!"

 22 Seven Friendly Faces

    After a few days where she was running at full speed, Leilade arrived near a humble village where she could see some farmers working around. Everything was normal, not at all agitated. Thanks to her small size, she managed to bypass the very lackluster vigilance of the adults and get closer to the village. As she guessed, it was really a small town, where only a few dozens of families lived. Trying to remember the memories of the soldiers, she wondered if such location will be visited.


    (Probably not, it is both too far and too small. I would advise you to reach a more appropriate target, Outlander. And I also warn you about capturing a prey here. Since it is quite close to the previous battlefield where you left the princess, any actions here will prompt a swift answer. There are no orphans or homeless weaklings here.)


    Both of their thoughts were of a similar nature and soon, Leilade left that picturesque hamlet to find a bigger city. Circling around the numerous farms, she reached the dirt road that would lead her away. Not wanting to stir the attention of those that would take this path, she ran at a certain distance away from it, letting her the possibility to hide if she needed. That was quite useful since she saw several riders galloping at full speed coming from her back. She recognized the tabards of the 13th Legion and guessed that they either found the princess of the battlefield filled with mummy and skeleton.


    Thankfully, besides them and some group of humans with weird equipment, she encountered only a few humans. Based on the memories she gathered, she was pretty close to a real city. One that has some population problems and was riddled with criminals. In other words, a perfect place to kill someone unnoticed. Of course, such city needed some defenses and the security was pretty high to fight the different gangs maintaining control on the slums. Meaning that an innocent child coming near one of the gates would not always be accepted inside. Well, she could always try.


    Looking at her state one last time, she made some changes. Her slippers were destroyed some time ago and she was barefoot, that was good. Her little dress was not destroyed enough and was quite intact. She used her hand to pierce some holes near her stomach and knees. As for her injuries, they were not healed yet. She had put her purple armor inside her bag but the only white parcel of skin was still at her right shoulder. As for her face, it was too scary, she looked above and saw that it will be dusk in a few hours. If she arrived in the middle of the night with a face without a nose, mouth, ears, and hair, the soldiers will think that she was a ghost.


    No, she couldn''t stay like that. She used a small amount of the pitiful batch of darkness still inside her to cast a weak illusion spell. It only turned her head into a normal one. Now, she looked like a brown-haired little girl with freckles and blue eyes. And she had a nose and a mouth in that state. As for the weak part, it was only relative to her, nearly all the magicians in this world would have kneeled before her just to have it.


    When she arrived at the gate, a short file was already formed. She didn''t know if she could just cut it since she was in a pitiful state, but the two traders in front of her were quite stressed. So she just stayed behind them. Only when a group of people arrived did the situation changed. It was a group of seven men led by a tall, muscular and half-naked brute. He was nearly twice her size, but still shorter than Kardel. He had two axes hanging on his belt and all gave her a sentiment that they were strong. The way they were dispersed, protecting the two weaker and smaller men in the middle, the fact that even there they were not totally relaxed.


    And while she was looking at them with her now blue eyes, the group was also looking at her with surprise. They wouldn''t boast about it, but when they walked in the street, they scared a lot of small children that ran away crying. It was not their fault that their leader was a terrifying berserk that looked as friendly as a wild bear. But on the other hand, the little girl was not in the least terrified by them. Examining her from head to toe, they all looked at her burned body and destroyed clothes. What happened at such an innocent being to end up in a state like that? The began to discuss that.


    "Eh, Khozak, you think we can just take her and bypass the control. I mean, look at her, she must be hungry and thirsty."


    "I agree with Richard. I am no holy knight, but I remember when I grew up in the slums. My guess is, she was kidnapped and she managed to escape. The least we can do is drop her by the Church, that would be better than living in the streets."


    The two talking were wearing respectively a huge armor with a shield and a sword and a leather armor with numerous weapons hanging around his body, like some throwing knives, a few daggers, and a rapier. But after they talked like that, all the group began to nod while looking at the bear man in front of them. They were respected in that part of the region and were tasked principally by the mayor and the army to investigate the unusual reports. Unlike some adventurers that were doing anything for money, they still had a conscience and they were liked by the local populace.


    As for Leilade, after the initial interest with the strange group, she turned back to look at the progress of the file. But apparently, the trader was arguing with the guards, retarding everyone. One of the servants in the caravan in front of her was even complaining about the thirty minutes of waiting they already experienced. Hearing this, she was considering to leave this place and search for an alternative way to enter. Normally, a city like that had some sewers, she only hoped that one of exit was not locked. At worst, she would break it, but she rather wanted to avoid that.


    "Hum, hum, little girl, he, look above."


    Leilade turned around and saw the giant overhanging her. He tried to smile but it was so similar to the smile Kardel gave when he was hungry that it only looked dangerous. She was certain that if a normal child saw that, he would have passed out thinking about the monster that will eat him. On the other hand, the berserk didn''t notice the fact that his smile was that scary and kept going.


    "What''s your name, little girl?"


    "Leilade."


    "Do you want to go in?"


    "Yes."


    "You can accompany us; we will take you to a place where you will be able to eat a lot of sweet things."


    "Ok."


    That surrealist discussion stunned the six men listening to it. What in the world happened in front of them? At first, they were disturbed by the cold and calculated speech of the child. They had heard a lot of people talking like that, but they were either undead, magicians with decades of experience of some patriarchs from the noble families. All in all, dangerous and very experienced beings. But the very same tone was used by the eight years old girl. The holy knight felt cold sweat on his back.


    But after that initial surprise, they were mad at their leader. Why did he have to talk like a sexual predator like that? Forgetting the deep and grave voice that was not modifiable, why did the last sentence look like a pervert luring his prey to his basement? And he even used the word "we", meaning that all sevens were alike. That was too much for the pale looking priest, and he violently pushed Khozak away.


    "Don''t listen to him, little g¡­ Leilade. Yes, Leilade, we will get you in and after that, you can do what you want, ok? We won''t take you anywhere, we will just point to you where you can find a bed and food, that''s better?"


    "Ok."


    The very laconic answer extinguished the fervor of the priest. Before they were only pitying her, now they were more and more curious about what could happen to a child to turn her like that. After hearing the sentence from his companion, the berserk thought about what he said and that led him to the same conclusion that the rest of the group reached; he really sounded like a sexual predator.


    "Ok, enough Irion. Now climb my shoulders, we will do that quickly."


    The giant human crouched and tried to help Leilade climbing on him. She had no reason to refuse, since that group was quite friendly, even if they were a little weird. At least, she will be able to enter the city easily with them. Not hesitating for a second, she agilely sat down on the berserk, without even needing his help. The man in leather armor was shocked but when he looked at his companion, he saw that none of them really noticed anything strange. Thinking that he was losing his calm for nothing, he didn''t say anything.


    The seven adventurers and their newly found companion bypassed everyone and immediately came in contact with the guards. They exchanged a few jokes and news, but none of them talked about the living thing moving on the shoulder of the bear man. But their eyes were fixed on her, and that caused the rest of the group to be weirdly ashamed and guilty. Only Khozak was fine and still laughing, not noticing anything. They realized that and made an internal pact of not letting their boss talk to any child in the future. That would only provoke a lot of problems.


    After entering the city, the leader still kept on explaining everything and took a long time to do it. He regularly stopped in front of numerous shops and buildings, teaching the little girl everything he knew. And while the number of stares he received was not bothering him the slightest, the six men following him were more and more frenzied by the situation. Seeing that no matter what they did, they were not able to make him go faster, they took the initiative and explained beforehand what she will see.


    That way, Leilade learned the name of that company. It was called Proud of Axes, but when she said it loud with her cold voice, six people sunken while only one under her glowed. She realized that this berserk was unfazed by nearly everything embarrassing. But thanks to them, she received the news she truly hoped to know. The magical test will be conducted in one day and the priest, Irion, told her that it will be done in front of the manor of the mayor. That group was very reliable, and all the infrastructures were well described. The travel ended when they finally stopped in front of an orphanage.


    She finally climbed down from the tall shoulders of the giant and turned around to see the faces of those seven humans. They were appreciated by the others for their behaviors and respected for their strengths. Their death will be a moral blow but will lead to some unrest. Reaching that conclusion, she stabbed her left hand with her right nails and some of her blood leaked. Then, she took the hands of Khozak.


    "Thank you Khozak."


    "Irion."


    "Richard."


    "Jimmy."


    "Pedro."


    "Miguel."


    "Mario."


    None of them noticed the small batch of black blood that infiltrated their body. All had a huge smile on their faces, after doing such a good deed and seeing the happy child in front of them. They never expected that a lot of things will happen to them only because of that.

 23 The Warriors Res

    Previously, the group tried all their means to speed up the tour organized by their leader, but after seeing a so terrifyingly injured child thanking them like that, they were a little reluctant to leave. They knew that they couldn''t care about her more than that since they were adventurers and traveled to a lot of dangerous places. But when they saw those blue eyes filled with warm and the smile made by the little girl, they were still a little bit guilty about leaving her. Especially at the orphanage, they knew that they were lacking in beds and that she may not even be able to enter it.


    "Ok, wait a bit, let me check something first." Richard, the man in armor plate and looking the most like a knight left the group and entered the building. He had seen the bad mood spreading among his companions and he felt the same. Normally, when they interacted with little kids, they always gave them candies and bread. But they were still strangers in the end, so they were able to not really care about them. Sometimes, they even tried to avoid the small homeless, except Jimmy. But they knew they couldn''t change that situation, however, this time, they really spent some hours with that girl. And unconsciously or not, they were reluctant to see her fell in the same predicament that the rest of the orphans and abducted victims.


    While those pure and noble sentiments were spreading among the group of seven men, Leilade was trying her best to not shout at them. At that time, she really regretted to not use the illusion on her injuries as well. She thought that it would induce pity and mercy in the eyes of the guards, letting her enter the city, but that was it. The end normally. She also made her face the warmest as possible, to not be a bother in the eyes of the adult. And it worked, too well. The thing was, she only needed to play this comedy for a day, after that, she will be able to pass the test and see how powerful was that Academy of Magic. The memories of the dead were far too subjective to be useful when understanding the power of a magician. For them, the cultists were the deadliest threat on Earth.


    Speaking about the cultists, she did gather some of their souls. But the warriors that fell on that day were still right in their minds, not totally crazy. She wondered how they bunch of madmen and maniacs managed to not kill each other before her arrival. Sometimes, she even had some visions about demons roaming the nations and destroying everything. But they were a bit cute those demons. Barely 2 meters tall, with just them being red humans with horns and slightly more muscular. Not at all scary. She saw them eating and tearing apart all races, elves, dwarves and such. But they were in the end only visions. However, every dark mage had dozens of those fused with the rest of their memories, making them worthless.


    After a few minutes, she saw the holy knight leaving the orphanage clearly angry. She guessed that they were out of beds, food or whatever they provided. Now would be a good time for them to ditch her and just do what they should do, rest, eat, drink a beer? Instead, they gathered in circles and talked, while looking at her a few times. They were not discreet or talking at a low voice, so she was perfectly able to hear them. But the more she listened, the more she realized that she really fell on the most caring, gentle and praiseworthy group of warriors that probably existed in the entire kingdom. They were really good people and not some hypocritical saints that only do good deeds in the open when they have a public.


    That confirmed her first impression and made her decision to sparring them even more relevant. If they had to stay in this world a few years before the Demonic Energy is created, she hoped to not create too much chaos. Making the Massalia Kingdom go mad and rampage it would have been possible if it was the only threat. But since some dark gods created a world-class disaster previously, that would mean their appearance will recreate the former alliance. And until someone could actually prove that they were here, like for example the complete destruction of this city, the other nations won''t move.


    While she discussed those perspectives of the future with the Viscount, Jimmy, the thief, approached Leilade and kneeled in front of her. "So Leilade, here is the thing. The place we talked about, where you could sleep well and eat, it won''t be a thing. I''m sorry about that, but at the same time, we are not able to take care of you. So, here we are, do you have any ideas?"


    The man in leather armor spoke those words so earnestly that it almost made Leilade laugh. Nothing was shown on her face except a slight sadness. She was in perfect control of her illusion and knew exactly how to react. And since that group was that caring and friendly, she was acting in a way that will at least make them protect her for a day. At first, she wanted to just roam in the slums and kill all the children to make her darkness grow. But it was apparently more dangerous than she thought and while she was still stronger than a normal human, accidents could happen. It would have been the biggest joke of the entire Demonic Empire if Leilade, the Empress of the Underworld, were to die in the hands of some lowly scums on a foreign planet. The amount of shadows spreading in her bone marrow was so low that unless she touched her victim, she couldn''t absorb her prey.


    "I want to pass the test to become a mage." She said the only thing possible. Her voice was cold as always, unlike her visage. She could make an effort of distorting her voice to be even cuter, but that was too much for her. The moment she would have made that decision; she would have lived with that cute voice for the rest of her period in the world of the humans. No, she preferred to conserve her original tongue and at the same time, it was not that bad. It made her look like she suffered countless problems.


    "This ¡­ he, let me check something, stay right here. Yes, here." Jimmy was surprised and a little embarrassed. He didn''t expect her to ask for something like that. In truth, not everyone could be a magician even if nearly all the kids aspired at that profession. Remembering that the test was only in one day, he still realized that it was not that much of a problem. He discussed her will with the rest of the group and they all acknowledged that it was still a good thing. All the children will have to pass that test and who knew if that little girl wasn''t a future magician.


    It was Mario, one of the three brother-warriors that said that. The moment he said it, Pedro and Miguel were ready to strike his head for spouting nonsense when they realized he was not wrong. For the first time since a very long period, their little brothers didn''t tell anything remotely stupid. They even praised him for that, not noticing the sneer on the face of the others. When it came to fighting, those three blockheads were turned into deadly warriors. But besides that, they only thought about drinking and eating, to see one of them speaking some intelligent thought were a big surprise. Irion even joked about how the presence of a little girl made Mario smarter. He didn''t believe his eyes when Mario suddenly turned his head toward Leilade like he was seeing an idol. The rest of the group quickly dispersed that idea before it was firmly planted in the brain of the warrior.


    In the end, the sun was slowly descending and the light was dimming. The group decided that the three brothers will go buy their future equipment and supplies. Richard and Jimmy will go to the Adventurers'' Guild and turn in the request while Irion and Khozak will go to the inn and buy a meal for the little girl. She will stay with them until tomorrow and the magical test. When they asked her if she was happy, she smiled once again and say "Yes" with her disturbing voice. Since everything was prepared, the group split up and went their way. The two adults and the young girl on top of one arrived in front of an imposing mansion with two floors. Leilade saw the title "The Warrior''s Rest" and thought that it mainly dealt with adventurers.


    When they entered, they saw countless occupied tables and only a few empty. It was the time when most people entered the city and many were visibly exhausted. No one liked to spend the night outside of the city and most ran from dawn to get here at that time. Their arrival, however, provoked a little confusion with the regulars. They knew the two men but didn''t understand the small being firmly sitting on the shoulders of Khozak. A gallant man wearing an outfit similar to the one that Richard the holy knight wore even asked a question.


    "Khozak, you bringing a young girl to eat?"


    "Yes, why not?"


    Calm reigned in the normally loud room. The complexion of the pale Irion turned red instantly and he dashed in front of his leader to avoid any misunderstanding.


    "NO! We brought the little girl for her to have a meal. That''s it!"


    The others were still a little bit perplexed, but seeing the excessive reaction of Irion they resumed their meals. The Proud of Axes was still a very respectable group and it has done many good deeds in the last years. That small kid was probably lucky and instead of bread, she got a full meal. Only when Alyssia, the bartender, asked another question, did the situation turned weird again.


    "Only a meal? Not a bath or some new clothes, look at that poor thing."


    It''s true that after one looked at her, she was rather pitiful. A dress riled with holes, a skin burned and injured.


    "That''s true, well, a bath it is then." Khozak instantly took care of the matter.


    "And you will do it?" Alyssia asked with a strange gaze.


    "Of co¡­" "NO!" The berserk tried to speak before the small priest jumped in front of him and stopped what he was saying. Irion was truly baffled by the number of embarrassing things his companion was capable of saying. A grown man never washes a little girl if he is not his father. Unless he is a predator. Staring at Khozak, he asked Alyssia what he wanted.


    "Alyssia, I am certain that one of your employees can take care of that. Why are you asking such a silly thing hehe?"


    Under the weird gaze of the bartender, Irion was sweating a bit. They were the good guys here, why did he end up like that? Finally, she retracted her death threat and wore her most beautiful smile.


    "Of course Irion, I was just joking. Come here little sister, tell me your name?" The giant bearman helped the little girl descend without any problem.


    "Leilade" The cold voice made the cheerful woman stiffen a bit but she quickly recovered, not letting anyone noticed it. Her long red hair was almost touching Leilade. Alyssia made a signal with another employee and she took the hand of the kid.


    "Don''t worry, you are fine here. I will personally take care of you." The two of them left the room and the two adventurers that were standing still, not knowing what they should do at this point.

 24 Failure. Next.

    When Leilade arrived at the baths, she saw the kind lady open the door. At this point, she realized that this nation was filled with those good-doers to the point that it became suffocating. On her original world, she had to battle to survive, from the moment she left the cavern of the dark mages to the arrival of the Demonic Empire. Here, she couldn''t even leave to kill something and heal herself. And now, she had to use even more power just to sustain the illusion she made. She knew she was lucky that none of the men tried to pat her head without hairs but now, that red-haired woman will definitely do that.


    As she saw Alyssia preparing the room, Leilade looked at her more thoroughly. She was probably less than thirty years old, but she could be wrong on that point. For, that woman obviously took great care of her body and her beauty. She was very open with her emotions and her eyes were transmitting in real time the latter. As for her clothes, well, she was the bartender of an inn, of course, she had to dress a little less than usual. Her dress was open above her chest and the top of her two plump breasts were entirely in the open. As for the quality, it was obviously better than the rags the little girl was wearing.


    "Hop in lil sis!"


    The joyous voice of the beautiful woman broke the trail of thoughts of Leilade. It was true that she was not really in a presentable state but it was the main point. However, since it has already reached that embarrassing situation, she better should better follow the flow than fight it. After entering the basket of hot water naked, she touched the hand of Alyssia and casted a minor hypnosis on the human. The former commandant of demons was trying to lower the cost as much as she could. The invocation of her herald, Malakov was more taxing on her than she realized and now, with all those additional spells, she would soon lose the opportunity to even make the darkness leave her body. And that was not feasible for her survival.


    Of course, the foolish human never understood that when she was washing the blonde hair of Leilade, she was effectively touching nothing. Like when she was pinching the nose of the little girl as a joke, she didn''t feel the ravine that was present. After a dozen minutes, the small kid was finally cleaner and the traces of her injuries less visible. Of course, just a bath couldn''t remove the burnt skin or the deep wounds, but they were just not as big as before. Right after that, a female servant brought another gown for Leilade. This time, it was accompanied by real shoes and not something that would be destroyed after a few kilometers.


    When she came back to Irion and Khozak, the priest nearly spat out his drink. None of them knew that after just a small time away, she could be transformed like that. Leilade was not inherently beautiful or gorgeous, but she still was able to turn from a broken doll to a cute child. Soon, the other members arrived and nearly all of them reacted the same way. The other customers were still perplexed by the Proud of Axes, but they decided to mind their own business. In the end, all of them went their way and Khozak booked 8 individual rooms. After climbing the stairs, she understood why the building was so impressive and large. Because they had a huge number of rooms in the two additional floors.


    When she was ready to enter her bed, Leilade was filled with the stories and tales than the group of adventurers told her. They were surprisingly very informed in a lot of domains and she managed to confirm and deny some of the memories she gathered. Especially on that magical examination, since she exposed her wish, they told her everything. From what she understood, it was the lowliest form of test possible. She would only have to put her hand on her orb specially crafted for that occasion and try to spread her mana inside it. Since they were supposed to be some mindless children, the orb would still react to the stored mana inside their body, without even needing their intervention.


    And what she heard afterward nearly made her laugh. The orb will then display their affinity with the elements and the more was displayed, the greater the mage will be. Besides the fact that not all the magic existing in the Universe was categorized inside the elements that they spoke, it was cruel to all the special existences. For example, if she or Candaith that space bunny took it seriously, they would probably only be rated as a normal magician. Even when they were pure geniuses in their own way. That archaic world still dealt with elements like fire, light, water. If everyone was like that, she was confident that no one will be a threat after the Demonic Energy was created.


    Since she had nothing to do, she entered a state of half-sleep, leaving the Viscount as a watchdog. That was one of her main perks for being the guardians of such a big number of souls. Even if her mind was affected by whatever spell could do it, she was still able to let a trusted subordinate like the Viscount, Malakov or whoever was living in the Vault took control of her body. That was based on mutual trust, but who would betray the only being capable of preventing the dissolution of their souls?


    The beginning of the night was uneventful until the Viscount awoken her.


    (Outlander, one of your new friend, the thief is here.)


    Instantly opening her eyes, she saw in the middle of the room the silhouette of a man. Her window was entirely blocked by a plank of wood and no light was enlightening the bedroom. However, even in the most complete darkness and without any spell, she could still see the form of everything. As for the details, she would have to use magic but to notice the small height and the numerous knives hanging around the body, she was fine. He closed the door behind him and that fact puzzled Leilade. Why did he enter her room at that time of the night?


    "I see you are awake." The friendly voice of Jimmy was murmured. Since she was caught, she raised her back and stare directly at the man. She still had a doubt whether he was lightly smiling or not, it was hard to see.


    "Don''t worry, I won''t hurt you. I just want to know something; do you really want to be a mage?"


    "Yes." She had a hard time following the situation but she wanted to go there for information. And also, claimed a few students filled with magic, that would be helpful.


    "And what if you don''t make it?"


    "I will." The second biggest joke after being killed by homeless thugs would be to fail at a magical test. Even if the test was unfair, she was still capable of manipulating the result as she wished. However, her cold and determined voice only made the man sadder, for unknown reasons. He was reluctant to leave, but right before the door was silently closed, she still heard one last thing.


    "Then I wish you the best of luck. You are strong and careful, of course, you will succeed." There was a taint of sadness and melancholy in his voice when he said that but she didn''t have the time to deal with that. She waited a few minutes, carefully listening to the surroundings. But except someone leaving his room to do something, only silence greeted her. "That was weird."


    (I think that this thief saw himself in you when he was in a similar situation. And therefore, if you failed that test, he would have probably taught you some tricks to survive. Today, it was to see if you woke up when an unknown human tried to enter your room. As for the rest, it would be pure speculation. The human mind is tortuous.)


    "Like you say, Viscount, tortuous indeed." That interaction reaffirmed her conviction that she fell on an exceptionably friendly planet or nation. Besides the cultists, but madmen lived everywhere. Letting the Viscount guarding her body once again, she was only warned when the sun was rising. When she left her room, she saw the three warriors standing guard in front of her door and escorting her downstairs. The group quickly ate their breakfast and soon, they charged toward their target.


    It took them quite a while before reaching the front of the city hall. There, she saw numerous families bringing their children to be tested. All categories of people were represented, from the orphans guided by the sisters of the Church, nobles leading their offspring, normal families treating this as a family trip. And finally them, seven battle-hardened veterans carrying a small girl. When they got closer, she understood why they were surprised by her lack of reaction when meeting Khozak. All the kids seeing the berserk broke in tears and even the noble children ran away, hiding behind their bodyguards.


    Of course, it was an honest and fair test, so everyone had to stand in line. The local malice was controlling it and making sure that no one tried to do anything harmful. Fortunately, the parents were desperate after seeing their beloveds terrified and all let the group bypass them. The guards just stood there, not moving at all. In a few minutes, they arrived in front, only behind a noble family. Even if their faces were white, they still had the arrogance and pride denying them the possibility of retreating.


    "Failure. Next."


    The impassable voice of the magician resonated and the seven adventurers let Leilade enter. She turned back and saw all of them looking at her waving so she waved back, smiling. It was just a small action so being illogically ruthless and uncaring just for being evil was impossible. That was the main difference between the people like the cultists and the Demonic Empire, one wanted chaos, the other wanted order, as unrealistic as it sounded.


    When she finally entered the tent, she saw the magician standing still, and exactly how anyone would describe a mage. An old man, white beard, cold eyes, proud standing. Six guards were also present, probably to control the crowd.


    "Put your hand on the orb." She didn''t know if it was meant to be like that, but the magician looked like he was trying to scare her or make her submit. Probably to make the children move faster, there was also a compelling order in his voice. Well, since it was his job, he was probably right to do this. When she looked at the orb, she saw that a few balls of color were inside. Probably the result of the past test and they were so small that it was probably a failure.


    Getting closer and putting her hand on the magical device, she quickly scanned it. It was a crude instrument but at least she instantly found its limit. She won''t make something as dumb as breaking it with her mana, first of all, because it was too inefficient. Slowly activating the orb, she saw the few pitiful balls disappearing, and soon, the entire orb was filled with black. It was at this moment that she realized that the orb was still capable of recognizing her affinity with darkness. But unfortunately, for the magician, it only meant that she was without talent.


    "Failure. Next"

 25 Failed or Unlucky?

    The magician was as immobile as a stone and didn''t even look at Leilade when he dismissed her. For him, she was just another child that wouldn''t be able to breach the 2nd Circle and therefore, was not worthy of his interest. However, instead of being enraged, disappointed or even sad, the little girl was just staring at him like he killed her parents. He had seen some weird reactions and didn''t really think about that until he noticed that she didn''t move even after the next candidate arrived. As he was ready to signal the guards to take her away, the small girl turned toward the innocent boy that came.


    "You, put your hand on the orb." Her tone was colder than a brick of ice in winter and the weak-minded boy immediately obeyed the order. None of the adults were expected that and all were stunned by that sight. While the boy was getting closer to the orb, the magician finally broke through his stupor but decided to let it happen. He was gladly shocked by the behavior of that fierce girl and wondered what she was up to?


    The orb initially totally dark was still shrouded in darkness, even after the boy touched it. The guards were calm at that sight since it was not their job to understand it, but the magician was a bit curious. It was studied that nearly half of the human population was able to use the magic of the 1st Circle after many years in training. In truth, being able to cast a spell like [Flame] was viable to that population. In that case, the orb would still show some fragments of an element, maybe not even a complete ball but something. As for the unlucky one, they will only show a black orb. Therefore, for two kids in a row to not make any reaction was possible but not probable.


    Thinking about that, the magician walked toward the cold girl and approached the orb. It was a magical instrument used for a very long time and each of them was precious. However, nothing was eternal and sometimes, the orbs will be broken or even stopped functioning altogether. When the white-bearded man infused his mana, nothing happened as well. Trying to put more, his aura began to spread and influence the two nearby kids. The boy immediately fell on his knees but the small girl only glanced at the weakling, visibly uncaring about the strong pressure afflicting her.


    This continued until a single crack appeared on top of the magical device. By now, the mage was convinced by the fact that the orb was useless but he was still perplexed by how the little girl knew this fact. Even for him, he needed to test the orb manually and he wouldn''t think that she was more knowledgeable than him on such a complex device. On the other hand, now he was in quite a pickle since he lost the most reliable way to check the talent of the children. He was only a mage of the 3rd Circle and not one of the elders of the Academy. To discern the magical potential hidden inside a human body was too much for him.


    As it was known, if half the population could use the most basic spells with only training, the 2nd Circle was the true barrier. Before, a bit of luck and hard work could turn an ordinary farmer into a weak mage. But from the 2nd Circle and forward, only sheer talent could explain the strange powers given to those called mage. Some would need a year to master a spell from a certain Circle while a genius would do it in less than a day. It was that time where geniuses and normal peoples were finally separated. And to discern who had the potential and who didn''t was the very reason for the existence of that test. Each nation had only a few great mages that could replace thousands of soldiers but all hoped that they will uncover the next Archmage.


    Even if the old man was not very talented, he compensated by his hard-working attitude and became one of the most liked teachers. That was why he was sent all over the country to conduct the magical examination. And now, he was very interested in that girl. Even if she didn''t have the potential to be a mage, she would have least make a great knight, with a determination and behavior like that. All in all, a great addition to the power of the kingdom of Massalia. But now, he had to announce to all the families outdoors that the test will be canceled for a few days until another orb arrived.


    When the old man left the tent, all the lousy discussions and cries from the children stopped. His very presence prompted them to shut up and soon, the very big plaza was silent. Right behind him, the weak boy was sent to his family. "Go back home, the test will continue after a few days!" None of the families dared to complain and a peculiar group of adventurers tried to see someone. But unfortunately, Leilade was still inside the tent. After a few minutes when the six soldiers and the magician stared silently at her, the white-bearded man finally asked what he wanted.


    "How did you know that the orb was not working?" The voice was neither cold nor warm but still slightly interested. Leilade expected it since she messed up the mechanism of the magical device, overloading it with darkness. It was far too crude and just the glimpse of her potential managed to completely stop it. Of course, she won''t say those things but at the same time, she couldn''t just say that it was her that did it. So, she just used the most illogical excuse.


    " I felt it." It was the most annoying sentence ever to use. It was capable of explaining anything without even a justification. Of course, that old man truly believed her because she was not suspicious. But if one of her subordinates dared to use that thing in front of her, she would have tortured him until he told her everything. If he had said that it was a secret, it would have been fine but that false excuse was disrespecting the other party.


    "Oh, well, the world is strange and mysterious. However, since I was not able to test your potential, I can''t say for sure that you have the qualities to enter the Academy. So, you will have to wait for my return after I bring the only one accepted and get a new orb. But I look forward to this moment."


    He even began to have a small smile on his face, thinking that the future of the little girl will be full of twists and surprises. But that would only be in a few years at most, for she was too small and himself too old. Thinking about his back that was hurting more and more each morning,he thought about the few years that he still had. Maybe she will be part of his students, something that he didn''t really want. She was too brutal and impulsive for him, but he had in his minds a few reckless youngsters that will definitely be pleased by her presence. While he was nagging in his mind, Leilade stood immobile, waiting for the old man to finally looked at her.


    She was discussing harshly with the Viscount about how she should proceed. He wanted to conserve as much mana as possible and therefore wait for the old man. Now that they knew how the orb was functioning, manipulating will be a kid''s play. Leilade, however, was tired of this mascarade and definitely didn''t want to return to that bunch of good men. She won''t have a chance to do a single thing reprehensible with those guardians behind her back and therefore, wanted to just show off a little and be done with it. Since he was seeing that her option was inevitable, he suggested a spell from the 2nd Circle, namely [Fireball].


    Apparently, it was one of the easiest sortileges from that circle and the most used by the soldiers. Any other spells would only provoke suspicions because a young child like her, visibly without any parents, wouldn''t be able to learn them. But she could have seen [Fireball], heard the incantation and with a bit of talent, mastered it without anyone to teach her. And at the same time, it opened the way for her to be a magician specialized in fire, something that was apparently lacking in the Massalia Kingdom. In the North with the Synnada Empire and the West with the Republic of Avenio, there were some experts in that domain. But the best fire mage in this kingdom was only at the entrance of the 5th Circle, not at all comparable to the others.


    After they finalized their plans, Leilade looked at the magician quite intensely. Even a normal peasant would feel something weird if someone looked at him like that, so the old man finally left his thoughts. To his surprise, the small girl was still not out and was even looking at him. And his surprise became shock when he heard her say "[Fireball]" while creating a very small red ball in her hand. To be truthful, it was barely accepted as a true fireball but that was not the point. The main show was the fact that a small kid was capable of casting a spell from the 2nd Circle without help and even an education. For the first time, he looked at her clothes and while they were fresh and clean, they were not those that the nobles wore. So she truly didn''t learn magic before.


    "How did you learn that? From who? Where? Since when can you do this? How much ..."


    As he launched salves after salves of questions, he stopped and calmed himself. it was not important, nothing was important. He only had one success in the entire morning and it was someone that would probably not even reach the 3rd Circle. While she was a lot more promising. Seeing her staying mute, he kneeled in front of her and looked in her eyes. He saw the blue of the sea and the warmth of the country but at the same time, deep inside them, a freezing cold. Shaking his head, he looked once more into the abyss but he didn''t find it this time. Thinking that he was too old, he extended his hand toward Leilade.


    "To think that I nearly missed you. If you didn''t fight back, I would have labeled you as a failure. You are quite unlucky little one. Now take my hand, we are leaving right now."

 26 Arrival at the Academy

    When Leilade exited the tent, she noticed the nearly empty plaza. Compared to when she first arrived, it was silent and only a few people were present. The guards, some families that went passing through and a group of adventurers. Unlike the magician that was walking straight toward the city hall, she paused a bit and waved at the seven men. She was not ingrate and it had been a very long time since she was pampered like that. In response to her gesture, she saw all of them waving and smiling and she even heard that one was bragging about his vision of the future. Two similar men quickly hit the back of his head, provoking more laughter.


    She will probably meet them in the future, but not as an orphan and small pitiful child, but as the Empress of the Underworld. That city was barely a week away from her base if someone of that planet rode a horse for that period. It will be impossible for them to not either capture or destroy it in the future. The best would be for them to pacify the populace and show them the numerous advantages of being ruled by the Demonic Empire. But that would be the task of Malakov for the moment. She was tempted to contact her servant but sensing once again her pitiful reserve of mana she dismissed the idea. He will be able to handle anything, otherwise, he wouldn''t have been called her envoy.


    Following the old man, she saw him leading her toward the inner court of the buildings. All the numerous people inside it diligently made way for the magician, not daring to impede his walk. Each time he passed in front of a guard, the latter will correct his posture and stand proudly. It was at this moment that she noticed the fact that the six guards inside the tent that were following them and the one inside the city hall were different. However, the memories of the souls only recognized the symbol of the local soldiers and not the peculiar outfit. All wore the same armor, covering them from head to toes, but each had an emblem near the heart. The local one was a black wolf in a green forest while the other was a sort of white gryphon on a black background.


    Only after reaching the garden did Leilade understood the signification of the emblem. Two gryphons were eating a cow and more guards were guarding them. Ten of them were present. Near this gruesome spectacle, a young boy was petrified and his eyes were fixated on the two imposing becks tearing apart the poor cow. The gryphons were neither small or big, barely five meters tall. Of course, it was from the standard of Leilade but she had to admit they looked strong. They were visibly well fed and trained and their feathers were even glowing a little. That meant that they had reached adulthood and began to manipulate the mana surrounding them. She couldn''t help but imagine how much mana she could gain if she absorbed one. Probably enough to fully restore a single tentacle, better than nothing.


    The arrival of the old man quickly led to the interruption of the meal. Even if the two monsters were not happy, they had to oblige and crouched in front of the soldiers. After that, two saddles were arranged on the back of the two gryphons and after a few verifications, everything was finally ready. While that was happening, the magician looked at the child next to him and saw nothing but apathy. Checking the two diametrical opposed behaviors of the two children, he shooked his head once more. Since it was his job and the girl was probably fine to be left alone for a short time, he approached the boy. After a few minutes, he managed to reduce his fear and even convinced him to ride one of the gryphons.


    The little boy was shivering as he walked toward the giant monster. Fortunately, a few soldiers helped him sit down and attach himself to the big saddle. When it was the turn of the girl, however, even they were shocked by her total disinterest. To not be afraid was possible for a young child and it could even be intense worship or curiosity toward the gryphons. But that nonchalance was hardly seen often, even among the adult. Seeing this, the old man rode along the boy and let the girl ride in front of him. Each saddle could fit 12 humans so the sixteen soldiers split themselves equally across the two mounts. This limited number of places also revealed the low probability of finding a worthy apprentice. Counting all the adults, a grand total of 7 empty places were available and because of the interruption of the test, only two were occupied.


    The depart of the two gryphons were accompanied by the annoying scream of the boy that lasted half a minute. As for why it stopped, the reason was the fact that the magician cast a sleep spell on him. He was prepared to do the same for the girl but when he looked at her, he saw her disapproving eyes staring at him.Thinking that he already let a few courageous boys enjoy the travel toward the Academy, he restrained himself. However, he tried to remember the last years where he conducted the examination and didn''t find a single time where a girl was not fainting just because of the sight of a gryphon.


    "There is always a first in everything." Mumbling in his beard, he looked downward and at the beautiful sight. Farms spreading across the land, a few forests spared by the woodcutters, the clear roads built decades ago. They were not flying that high and the temperature was still relatively fresh but not cold. Sometimes, he saw groups stopping their tracks and looking at the two flying creatures.


    Besides the sight, the travel was eventless. Only at one moment, the guards began to shout their dissatisfaction. Trying to see what caused that, Leilade only noticed a caravan blocked by a group of armed men. The bandits were only twenty or so while the caravan had at least fifty people. Near them, a flag with a white hand inside a bigger black hand was planted. However, to her surprise, it didn''t seem that they will fight and the merchants were even chatting with the brigands. She supposed it was that friendliness that provoked the anger of the soldiers. Even the old man was visibly disappointed by it.


    Right before arriving at their destination, she saw on the horizon a huge city. It was the capital of Massalia, named Teldil like the second name of the sovereign. She thought that the location of the Academy would be inside the capital but they were visibly slowing down and descending toward the ground. (I would say we are ten kilometers away from the capital.) Without even letting her do the maths by herself, the Viscount gave her what she sought. That distance could be said to be huge, but at the same time small. She knew of spells that would still be effective even after 50 kilometers so ten was totally unsafe. For the might of the local magicians, that should still be enough. None one would want a place where a fireball could leave the building and create a conflagration inside the capital.


    Turning her head toward the front, she noticed the numerous houses, manors, and towers spreading in a disordered manner. All were built in stones and she could felt many magical inscriptions, shields, and seals on them. Besides the chaotic arrangement, two enormous compounds and a giant greenhouse near it. That was probably the location of the courses, gardens, and laboratories. As for the rest, they were most likely the personal residences of the full-fledged magicians. Especially the few towers, their insides would be turned into a personal workbench and bedroom where they could study and create without being disturbed.


    They landed near the greenhouse and she saw that behind it was the stables. Inside, a few more gryphons and hippogryphs were leisurely resting and eating. Unlike their counterparts, the hippogryphs were the same size as a big horse and probably the personal mounts of the magicians. That was still proof of their capabilities at breeding and maintaining a healthy relationship with magical creatures. Even if the pride of those two were immensely lower than the arrogance of a dragon, for example, to make them cooperate to that extent was a great achievement. Leilade had no choice but to accept the fact that they won''t be able to use sheer strength to conquer this planet. Just the Massalia Kingdom was in better shape than they originally thought and it was not even counting the future reports of Davion, Meridiana, and Kardel.


    After the soldiers helped her dismounting, she saw the boy finally waking up. He was mumbling some stuff about his mum, his dad and the monsters with feathers. Only after walking a bit and turning his head toward the stables did he realized that it was not a dream. He screamed again and hide behind the old magician. That made the soldier laugh and the incoming humans too. Leilade saw them arriving from inside the compound and they wore the same robe that the magician that accompanied them had. Checking one last time her illusion, she was prepared to play the role of a country bumpkin. And if someone really got on her nerves, well, she was still seeking some volunteers for her recovery.

 27 Old Man Moo

    After laughing about the scared boy, the three magicians that arrived quickly turned serious while they looked at the old man. It was still too early for the incoming students to arrive and he was the fastest examinators to come back. Trying to remember where he was sent and whether it was really possible to check all the children, they saw him grabbing something from the saddle. Soon, the big orb that was the main tool for that annual event was clearly visible and the former small crack grew a lot during the travel. Figuring out what probably happened, they relaxed and the atmosphere became more jovial.


    "Who would have thought that it would be old man Moo that would encounter the first problem. The most serious teacher still managed to fissure an orb." The leading figure, a man still in his prime and a lot younger than the magician that traveled with Leilade, was smiling while saying that. Of course, the moment he said that name of the old man, the latter instantly entered a foul mood. Leilade was suppressing her laugh and showing nothing on the outside, but she clearly didn''t expect the ridicule name of the mage. It sounded like the sound of a cow and it was apparent that the owner of that name hated it. It was also easy to guess.


    "It''s Oscar, teacher Oscar, young man. I still remember when you first came here and was crying while looking at the gryphons. In fact, you were not better than this young boy right here. So spare me your puny jokes and help me get a new orb." None of the three magicians were either mad or surprised by the harsh words of Oscar. His only default was his disproportionate anger when calling him by his name. Also, none of them were really in bad terms and that small discussion will soon be forgotten.


    "Fine, fine. But you are still not showing enough respect to the magicians and the magus of the 4th and 5th Circle. Even if you are old and appreciated, calling me like that is still disrespectful. But let''s not hold petty grudges and tell me exactly, what did you bring with you?"


    The two following mages were two women both barely older than thirty years and were completely under the charm of the charismatic man. They were also very talented and managed to reach the 4th Circle at such a young age. They were also nobles and part of that faction inside the Academy, unlike the old man that was originally a commoner. Nothing was going overboard and no one would suppress someone talented just because of his birth. But past the initial teachings that all received equally, it was possible to receive the personal teaching of a magician. And in that domain, the nobles were only reinforcing their fellow mages.


    Grumbling a little, the white-bearded human looked at the two children near him. The boy still hadn''t recovered and was panting a little while the girl was impassible and likely unconcerned by what was happening around her. He still didn''t know how talented she was, so he had no choice but to downgrade her potential.


    "A future 3rd Circle mage and an unknown talent." The good-looking man was still smiling when he heard the first part but quickly stopped after the second. He looked intensely at old man Moo but the latter only shook his head. He truly couldn''t say anything else.


    "So, I guess she was the last that was tested when the orb stopped functioning. But why did you brought her here if she has an unknown talent? You can''t save every orphan in this kingdom right?"


    The tone was mocking from the beginning to the end but it was still a reminder of the rules. Only the talented will enter the Academy and no waste was authorized to stay there. If it was found out that the girl didn''t have any talent, Oscar Moo will be punished and the girl sent home. So it was baffling for the old magician to risk that.


    "Anyway, let''s bring them inside and I will personally test her myself. Don''t look at me like that, if she really has something, of course, she will stay. But don''t get too much hope, it is too rare for a commoner to be talented and now the third child of Gwendhir entered the Academy. She has the best potential since centuries, maybe even better than the Archmage before the gift of the Gods."


    Unfortunately, it was the sad truth. Most of the magicians beyond the 4th Circle were nobles while the majority of the magicians were commoners. Less than a 1% of the mages broke through that barrier and that was explained only by the talent. Luck blessed some families with a higher potential and with the years, all were given titles of noblesse.It was a circle, for some it was vicious, for others it was virtuous. But that gave full power to the noble families to run the Academy as they wished. Those disparities were only advantages for the nobility and never suppressed the commoners, that was the only order from the sovereign.


    As the group walked toward the compound, they passed through the huge greenhouse. The travel was then punctured by the numerous shouts and exclamations of the little boy. All plants and flowers, stranger and weirder than his imagination were present. As he watched them, he noticed a small fly that was getting close to a beautiful purple flower. Right before he fly landed, a green liana suddenly grabbed it and shot it inside the mouth of another flower. The process was executed in an instant and the two flowers were peaceful once more. After that incident, no more sounds left the lips of the young boy.


    The closer they got to their destination, the crowder it became. Most of the time it was only a small group of adults but several massive hordes of teenagers were seen moving as a pack. None of them really looked at the group strangely, all more preoccupied with their own business. The students still had to bow a little when they were close to the leading man and most of the magicians simply nod at him. Leilade figured that the position of a mage from the 5th Circle was clearly important, otherwise, those signs of respect wouldn''t have been needed. Neither the remarks that the handsome man threw at the old mage.


    When they entered one of the buildings, the leader of the group stopped and looked at the two children. It has already reached this point and he was glad to get rid of them. He rushed to personally be present for the arrival of the youngest daughter of Gwendhir but he only met two small fries. However, since he promised that he will personally test the little girl, he had to waste more time.


    "Magician Oscar, please lead the little boy to the waiting room. Since you arrived so soon, he will have to wait a long time so just ask someone to take care of him. Then return to your examination site, I don''t want to waste an additional day, with a little luck you will be the only one to have a problem. As for you little girl follow me."


    As he talked, he waved his hand toward the two relatively young women, dismissing them. They only showed regret on their faces, to not be close to their idol a little more. The old man grabbed the hand of the little boy and began to explain to him what will happen next. Seeing this, the good looking magician turned around and swiftly marched toward a room farther away. He didn''t even look behind to see if Leilade was following or not. After a minute or so, they arrived in front of a simple wooden door.


    It was truly a wooden door, however, the number of magical inscriptions invisible to the naked eye was quite impressive. She noticed during the walk that most of the humble door were in the same case, but this one had the biggest amount of protection. She saw at least 6 different spells just on it and looking above she saw a gold plate with three words written on it. "Magus Alexander Arastil". She pondered a bit about why he was called a Magus while the old magician was called mage or magician. Probably a rank.


    After the magus disarmed the door, the two of them entered and immediately felt that they were transported in another world. The inside was a lot colder than the warm temperature of the outside. The proof was that with a sleeveless dress, a normal kid wouldn''t be cold except at night. But in this room, even with two additional set of clothes, one would still shiver. Only after walking a few steps inside did Alexander realized the problem and turned around to protect the child. To his surprise, however, the little girl didn''t even grit her teeth and stood as always without moving. Even some students of the 2nd Circle that weren''t good enough had a hard time standing in such a cold environment.


    Nonetheless, he still heavily reduced the frost and soon, the temperature was normal. He didn''t want to have a student getting her limbs frozen on the first day, without even knowing about her talent. He searched a bit in his desk and finally found a smaller orb. Unlike the other that was half the size of a child, this one was the size of the palm of an adult. He extended it toward Leilade and tried to sound a little bit apologetic.


    "Sorry about the magic, it was not meant to be used on such a cute little girl. Anyway, here, take this." He never stopped smiling and Leilade had to admit that he was good at doing this. She couldn''t pinpoint the issue, but this man was capable of transmitting the sentiment that he understood all her problems. It was completely impossible, but still, when he was not uselessly arrogant, his voice sounded nice. He will definitely the first to be killed if they attacked this place.


    Grabbing the small orb, she immediately repressed the darkness inside her. This time, she won''t make the same mistake and she manipulated the mana and tried to form the elemental orbs. At first, there was nothing but soon, she managed to form the orb representing the fire. With that as a basis, she figured it out the rest and soon the four elements were visible. At that time, she began to only examine the face of the magus and began to make the orbs grow. The moment she noticed a shock on the face of the man, she stopped.


    For Alexander, however, that girl was a total mystery. He had never heard or seen someone whose talent was growing like that. At most, the test would be conducted in less than ten seconds, but for half of a minute, the orb kept changing the result. And in the end, the talent showed was as bright as the sun. it was even better than him and she would have no problem reaching the 5th Circle in dozens of years. With her and the daughter of the Sword Saint, the Kingdom of Massalia will rise again. But no one could know that fact, even that Moo was unsure otherwise he would have told him. Such a precious gem could be snatched and since she was an orphan, she still had no allegiance. Thinking about that, he looked in the eyes of the girl, asking himself if she will accept his proposal.

 28 A rebel studen

    Being a little more paranoid than usual, Alexander set up another spell to avoid any eardrop. Verifying all the other spells and magic defenses located in the room, he found nothing unusual. Feeling satisfied, he looked at the little girl in front of him. Normally, a new student will naturally fall under the magician that tested him. It was logical, first of all, the mage was the first face that the little kid saw. Then, during the travel, the mage will take extra care of the potential genius and definitely create a connection between the two. For if a student is extraordinary, his master will definitely be rewarded.


    At that time, the old grumpy man would have been jumping in joy to discover such potential in a commoner child. First of all, to make all the nobles magus less arrogant since the last magus that wasn''t from one of the noble families died a decade ago. And of course, since it was probably his last few years on this planet, to groom a powerful disciple was the dream of every elder magician. But it was not Moo that grabbed this treasure but Alexander Arastil himself, by sheer luck.


    "What is your name, little girl?" For the first time since his days as a student, Alexander kneeled in front of Leilade. He discarded all his tricks and facades and seriously spoke to her. To become a magus, one couldn''t be stupid and even if he was not attentive to the behavior of the kid, he still noticed her strange reactions. Since she was not a normal kid, she will be treated as an adult.


    "Leilade."


    "Leialde ¡­ something else? Or just Leilade?"


    "Just Leilade." The two voices had the same lack of heat and while the magus was specialized in ice, he didn''t gain the upper hand in that battle. He thought about how strange it was since her fire element was clearly the strongest of all. And the behaviors of the fire mages were cheerful, frivolous and temperamental. Not calm and collected like the girl, but she was probably the exception that confirmed the rule.


    "Do you have any family?" Alexander really hoped she will say no, even if it was cruel. That way, only the small kid herself will decide of her allegiance and he had a huge advantage on that.


    "No."


    "Great." Of course, Alexander didn''t say that loud and only thought about it. The laconic tone that answered his question was disturbing for someone at such a young age and he was thinking about what could have happened to turn her like that. Numerous possibilities were present, from kidnapping and massacres to a catastrophe or a monster attack.


    "What happened to them?"


    (So you agree on that story or not?)


    "Do I really have to look that pitiful? Can we have something else as a backstory?" While the magus was searching for a weak point to use on her, Leilade and the Viscount were battling on her fabricated past. He was thinking about using her original past, the one where she was caught by dark mages. It was the easiest way but Leilade wanted something more common. While they had destroyed the Church of Torment and could easily match their movements, it was still highly different than the past of the rest of the students. So a potential investigation could be conducted. In the end, she had no choice but to fuse the truth with some lies.


    As she told Alexander all that happened to her, the magus felt his heart grow colder. He really thought that it would be something terrible but not that terrible. Her family slain by dark mages, herself captured and subject to numerous experiments. He wasn''t even sure if he could survive such an ordeal but she was still alive. Also, he understood why she was like that and so different from the usual joyous and curious children. When she stopped talking, he was unsure about what he should say. He was not heartless and if someone found out that he exploited such a pitiful creature, he will suffer an immense backslash.


    "I am ¡­ eh, ¡­ sorry about what happened to you. No one should suffer such a fate. In the future, you will be able to personally hunt them and end this madness once and for all. In the meantime, there is still something that I want to ask you." The handsome man tried to change a little his voice while saying this but it was as cold as ever. And some concern was still visible on his face. The last sentence, however, piqued the curiosity of Leilade.


    "You are an orphan and had already been abducted once. Therefore, to prevent another accident like that, I want you to hide your potential. If you are just a normal student, no one will try anything on you. I know, it is a weird request, but don''t worry. At the same time, I want you to get close to this person."


    "[Mirror]" The magus casted a spell and in the middle of the room, the portrait of a beautiful girl was seen. Not knowing why, Leilade found a resemblance with the princess Muirn?.


    "This is Istuienn Gwendhir. She is ten years old and will enter the Academy this year. She already mastered some basics of the 2nd Circle and will be heavily guarded by everyone. She will at the same time be taught by the most eminent magus of this school. If you became close to her, you will enjoy the same treatment while still be irrelevant to the other powers. And don''t think that this place is safe, the reason why no one would dare to attack her is thanks to her family. While you have no one to rely on and kidnapping already happened here. I will talk with the Sword Saint and Istuienn will probably learn why you need to be close to her. But if that fail, you can still try by yourself to become her close friend."


    Leilade realized that even that arrogant and smug noble was trying his best to let her enjoy the best treatment while still being safe. It was a plan with numerous flaws and such, but it was still really well made in such a short time. And he has not finished apparently.


    "If that doesn''t work, I will still teach you when I can. I am part of the Punishment Council, so you will have to be quite a rebel to have me all for yourself. I know that this all depends on whether you accept or not, but if you truly display what you can become, I assure you that in less than 10 days, someone will try to either capture you or kill you. I know three or four magicians of the 4th Circle that are potential traitors but I have no evidence. They will drop the mask if a potential 6th Circle Magus appears here. As for why I am telling you that, well, something weird happened a week ago. I can''t tell you about it, but dark times are coming. So, be efficient, because the clock is ticking. What is your answer?"


    "Yes." The same laconic tone answered his heated speech. But instead of being upset by the lack of reaction, Alexander smiled for real. Following this, he taught her everything he knew about the young Istuienn. Her cheerful personality, her curious behavior, the fact that she liked bright and colorful clothes. The average behavior of a girl at that age. Besides that general information, however, Alexander Arastil knew nothing. He promised Leilade to get more news in the future. Right before he left the room, he stopped and turned around to look at the girl one last time.


    "From now on, you are a trash commoner that will have a hard time reaching the 3rd Circle, your best attribute is wind. The fact that you were here is just due to the kindness of teacher Oscar. You are a disgrace of the Academy and should just leave this place before tainting the reputation of this place."


    He said those harsh words full of mockery and disdain while scanning the face of Leilade. Her lack of facial expression led him to sight a little.


    "I understand."


    Her cold words made him shook his head. He had to ruin her childhood even more than she already experienced. But he knew deep down that it was the best thing to do. He heard of strange reports coming from the South West of the kingdom. The two 6th Circle Magus left the day before without even saying anything. He still didn''t know if a war was brewing or something even worst.From the location of the problem, maybe the fallen Kingdom of Pankow will rise from its grave and attack for the first time in its history. This time, however, none of the churches moved, meaning that the Gods were also unprepared or it was not a threat to humanity.


    While thinking about the dark future, Alexander led Leilade to the same room that was occupied by the scared boy. After accomplishing his task, he didn''t even look at her while leaving, like she was a waste laying on his path. That attitude was noticed by the small boy that regained his color after waiting alone. He approached he, visibly wanting to talk to her. Noticing her lack of reaction, he got angry and began to exclaim.


    "You poor peasant, what did the test said? I am sure you can''t even beat a noble like myself." The boy was visibly venting the anger in his heart after constantly madding a fool out of himself during the travel. Unlike him, Leilade never did anything wrong and that made her his target to bring down.


    "2nd Circle, Wind." Her commanding voice made him retreat a little, but when he realized that she was worse than him, he charged once more.


    "Hahaha, I knew it. Acting all and mighty with your attitude but still trash in the end. Later, ten of you won''t even be able to touch me. And with your scars, you won''t even be able to find a good husband. However, if you accept to be my maid, I can take you with me when I will ascend."


    It was true that no servants were present in the Academy. Only mages and magicians were accepted in the walls and the knights taking care of the magical beast were not able to enter the buildings. Of course, for a mage, to wash or clean a room was extremely easy. But at their arrival, they still had to search water to the river and do all their chores by themselves. For a previously pampered noble child like the boy, it was inadmissible. His family was very influent in the remote location where he was born, but that was it. He was still only an 8 years old kid and didn''t think about the rest of the world. He only knew that nobles were superiors compared to the commoners and that''s why they ruled them.


    Alexander, however, heard this even at this distance. He decided to check on his prot¨¦g¨¦ before letting her alone. He seriously didn''t expect such an arrogant boy to be present. Even her sons wouldn''t dare to behave like that inside the Academy and he shook his head while cursing the country bumpkin.His future was destroyed before he even was admitted. After that, all he heard was someone choking and desperately trying to breathe. Thinking about the worst, he dashed toward the room, only to find Leilade strangling the boy. The boy was getting paler and paler but instead of running to save him, Alexander calmly walked toward Leilade. "Why did I ask her to be a rebel?" were his thoughts.

 29 News from the other side

    Leilade reluctantly let the arrogant boy go and a loud sound could be heard in the empty room when his body hit the ground. Matching her expectation, the previous smug behavior was completely erased and the kid became more terrified than a lamb in front of a wolf. The moment she looked at him, he immediately lowered his eyes, not daring to gaze into her clear blue eyes. Turning toward Alexander, she tried her best to have a kind smile on her face. A smile that gave shivers to the veteran magus.


    "He tried to hit me and harass a poor and frail girl. I retaliated but to my surprise he was weak. There''s no need to punish him, it was just a friendly interaction."


    The cold voice narrated her side of the story and Alexander would have maybe believed it if he wasn''t ears dropping. However, he clearly heard that while the comportment of the boy was inadmissible, there was no evidence of him doing something physical. When they first met, he had already labeled him as a dog that only barks and never bites.


    Feeling a headache incoming, Alexander decided that it was not really his job to deal with that and since it was clear that Leilade was a capable kid, he will let her do as she liked. Remembering her past, it was logical that she reacted excessively against any opponents, but to be sure, he still grabbed her and led her further away. Creating a bubble soundproof, he warned the small girl.


    "Don''t kill anyone, no, no, I rephrase. Don''t maim anyone. No serious injuries, nothing permanent. And no death also. That''s the rule, no one should lose a limb because they offended you. I shouldn''t tell you this, but it is the first year that most of the petty acts occurred. Bullying someone with talent and status is extremely harsh that year and in some cases, few commoners couldn''t deal with it and resigned. In your case, I know you won''t be swayed by such a ridicule reason. But don''t kill, don''t destroy their bodies. Anything else is fine."


    He looked earnestly at Leilade, hoping that she will accept those new conditions. If it wasn''t for those dark times, she shouldn''t have to suffer such a fate, but Alexander was really worried about the entire Academy. With two jewels in the same year, the other nations would have been restless. The only problem with his reasoning was his incomplete information about the very girl in front of him. When he said, nothing could happen to their bodies, it opened a door that he wasn''t aware.


    "Ok. Only some small bruises and wounds."


    "Yes, exactly. Great, now, you will wait here just for a few minutes. I will get a 2nd Circle mage to accompany you while you wait. You arrived really too early and not everything is ready."


    He destroyed his soundproof bubble and began to sermon Leilade.


    "It is inadmissible that a commoner dares to raise her a hand on a noble. If it was anywhere else, you would be in deep problems but you are lucky to have barely the talent to enter this Academy. I let you off this time, but you will face many problems if you do not respect those with better talents. Just a future 2nd Circle wouldn''t even be able to become a servant of a 4th Circle magician. Now get out of my sight."


    Anger could clearly be seen on his face and in the end, the magus even snickered while Leilade lowered her head under the hard words. That appeased a bit the boy, but when he dared to look up once more, he met the frosty eyes of the girl. All his courage instantly disappeared and he swore to himself to become a better student. He didn''t listen to the pieces of advice of his parents but he regretted to have already an enemy on the first day.


    Barely a minute after Alexander left, a young man barely 20 years old entered while yawing. Two black zones were visible under his eyes and he had trouble staying awake. As for explaining anything, he didn''t even bother to speak to the two kids. He just found a bench and slept on it. Since he became useless to think about the newcomer, Leilade looked around for the first time.


    The hall they currently stayed in was capable of containing more than 100 people without any problems. Numerous chairs and benches were put near the walls and the center was completely cleared of anything. Near one of the wall, a small platform with just two chairs was constructed. Unlike the rest of the furniture that was made of wood, that part of the room was entirely in stone, the two chairs included.Since she had nothing to do, she approached the stage made of stone.


    On it, as she expected, some magical reinforcements were inscribed on. No matter how she looked, she still wasn''t able to understand their effect without entering in contact. And she wasn''t foolish enough to do that when a magus was personally stalking her. That crude ear dropping spell was easily seen by her. Without using magic, she was sensible to the variation of mana surrounding her, the only problem was the fact that she couldn''t use it properly.


    (Do you think you can steal the mana inside those inscriptions without being noticed? They are maybe primitive but they look disciplined and rigorous.)


    The Viscount asked the same question she was pondering about. She was still too low on mana and if she couldn''t absorb something entirely, stealing a bit of the power inside a magical enchantment was a possibility. The only thing to think about was whether or not she would be caught. Checking the two beings present in the room beside her, she was confident that she wouldn''t be noticed. One was really sleeping well and the other too terrified to even looked at her.


    Still not knowing exactly what were the functions of those foreign enchants, she took no risk. Putting her hand a millimeter above the stone, a small batch of darkness touched the cold platform and fused with it for a short moment. After that, the same batch of shadows returned inside the hand of Leilade, carrying a very small amount of mana. Even if doing this a thousand times wouldn''t amount to a single human, it was still her only option.


    She kept doing that for a minute, before returning to her original seat. Not because what she stole was too big to even be noticed, at most the magicians will just remark the slightly reduced effect of the enchants. But because it would be weird for her to stay in an immobile state like that for such a long time. She knew her arrival was far too early, so she roamed all around the room, examining the walls.


    In truth, it was very bland. Just some wooden walls. Nothing on it. Not even a painting. When she passed in front of the boy, he turned into a statue. But she didn''t make any additional move, provoking a huge sigh of relief behind her. Finally, she returned in front of the stone platform. This time, she stayed for five minutes and her mana reserve was a little bit more than previously. If it was for some trash spells like [Flame], it would be largely enough for a month or so.


    Right after she sat down and decided to sleep a bit and let the Viscount take control of her body, she received the first transmission of Malakov. Just to let him complete that spell, half of what she just absorbed was used. She was slightly angered by that, but since he called, it should be important. Using the Vault of the Souls as a medium, she heard the voice of her envoy resonating in her head.


    "Venerated Mistress, the base is finally completed. We also found some veins of metal similar to iron and silver. Thanks to master Agnil, the production of real cold weapons will start. I also called back Davion and Meridiana to supply them with pieces of equipment fitting for an adventurer. Their initial report seems to say that the Republic is preparing something. In the last week, numerous commands of weapons, armors, and spells scrolls have appeared, more than usual. But no mention about our arrival."


    It was logical. If Muirn? didn''t die, she probably leaked the news about them. Provoking a reaction inside the Massalia Kingdom and since the two countries were at war and neighbors, the Republic will also react. Whether or not they know why the Massalia Kingdom is on the move or not, they won''t stay behind for long. Soon, all the sovereigns and leaders will learn about the terrifying news. As for the arrangements made by her undead servant, she was pleased. Firstly, a visit to learn the important news and a second one to infiltrate the country. Also, he probably has an idea to hide the nature of Davion.


    "You can keep doing that. Also, take note of the magicians above the 6th Circle. Here they are called magus but they should be the only threats to our survival. Without them, they won''t prevent us from escaping. As for this side, I just entered the Academy. Call me in ten days, at exactly midnight. And if you hear something important from Kardel, immediately contact me."


    "Of course, Mistress. It will be done."


    The voice stayed a bit more before vanishing slowly. From the looks of it, the rest probably healed all their wounds. While Leilade still had some bruises, the only last major wound was her face. She could feel that the two ravines were still present and neither her nose and mouth were formed yet. Also, her mana problems were still an issue and she couldn''t just charm any man like Meridiana probably did.


    For the next hours, three people stayed inside the room and did nothing at all. Following the example of the magicians, the two children fell asleep on one of the numerous benches. Since she couldn''t use the darkness inside her to supply the energy needed by her body, she had to do the same thing that a normal human would need to do. She tried to remember the last time she had to do such a thing. But her memory was not perfect so she guessed it was when she was still on her original planet. All those centuries and she still ended up like that in the end, Leilade couldn''t help but feel a bit downhearted.


    (Outlander, wake up. I think the last students have arrived, the room is half filled.)


    Her blurred guardian angel brutally woke her up and when she stood up, she saw all the new faces that were either alone or happily chatting. All sort of people was present, peasants, commoners, nobles. Different clothes separating the children into different categories and none of them dared to befriend someone not belonging to his group. There were two additional magicians supervising the loud group of kids but none disturbed the sleeping teenager. They were roughly the same age as the happily dreaming mage that wore a big smile.


    The noble kid that tried to harass her was in the same state and looking at the group coming inside the room, she appreciated the warning of the Viscount. Because she noticed the presence of Alexander Arastil and right behind him, a small and cheerful girl with blond hair.Her target finally arrived.

 30 An Unwanted Acciden

    Even if Istuienn was only 10 years old, she will certainly become as beautiful as her older sister. Not to the point of making everyone drooled at them, but still enough to make most of the men and even some women turned their head at her arrival. Without a doubt, her image will be graved in the heart of those young boys and she will turn into their secret love. At the same time that the gaze of the boys turned stupid, some little girls were glaring at the prodigy. They had previously the confidence of gathering a good amount of admirers, and the newcomer was threatening it. None of this escaped the tired eyes of Leilade.


    Her small rest was not enough and the limitations of her human body were showing once more. Due to the fact that she couldn''t use anything to relieve those needs, she had to suffer in silence. Finally, the group of four adults and the little kid arrived at the stone platform. Then Alexander began his speech.


    "¡­."


    She saw him moving his lips but since she was at the back of the room, she heard nothing. The magus frowned and she saw him injecting some mana under him. The only woman and one man behind him even laughed at that sight, making Alexander angrier. The last adult was only looking at the future students, not caring at all. Istuienn, on the other hand, was totally perplexed and didn''t know what to do.


    "As I said, welcome the Academy of Magic. My name is Alexander Arastil and I am in charge of the Punishment Council. If you break any rules here, you will have to deal with me, personally."


    His very last word was filled with cold and soon, ice was spreading around the stone platform. That provoked a movement of panic from the numerous children, something that was probably sought. First, they show the terrifying stick, and then the juicy treat. As Leilade guessed, the woman stopped the powers of Alexander and made the atmosphere a lot warmer. She was slightly older than Alexander but not more than 50 years old. Her plump form and her attitude were reminiscing of a caring mother.


    "Don''t worry, if you do nothing wrong, this will be the last time you see this scary man. Let me introduce you the rest. I am Sarah Meridil, the Principal of this Academy. If you have any problem, feel free to ask me and if it is possible, I will try my best to resolve the issue. To my left is Artour Rodil, in charge of the beautiful garden. "


    She pointed at the visibly smiling old man. He was looking exactly like the other man and the old man Moo. Old, with a white beard and visibly knowledgeable. The only difference between the face of the two men was that one was smiling and the other not. They should be brothers.


    "Numerous strange plants and extraordinary herbs exist in this world and Magus Artour is one of the most important mages on this domain.He also always lacks manpower so you will be able to work under him and learn all those wonderful things in no time. As for Arthar Rodil, he is in charge of all the researches on magic. Whether it is a magical inscription or the creation of new spells, his department is the answer to all those problems. Only the most hard-working and talented magicians can enter it, but the privileges that accompany those positions are enormous. Only you can change your fate. So work hard, my dear students."


    The children were not overload by a huge amount of information in the first day and that small introduction still managed to explain a bit of their future. Of course, it was just an introduction, but everyone in the room hoped that they could work with the Magus Arthar. Only after finishing her speech and harboring a huge smile did Sarah noticed that a little girl was next to her. Her face slightly crumbled when she remembered that she forgot Istuienn after the small incident in the beginning. Both Alexander and Arthar facepalmed themselves while Artour laughed once more. Seeing this, all the children began to talk with each other and it will be impossible to recover the calm without doing something massive.


    Since it was the case, draconic measures were taken. Targeting the sleeping magician, Sarah threw a little [Fireball] on his hair, immediately waking him up. Profiting of the attention of the children, Alexander took the parole.


    "In the back of the room, there are two magicians. Girls follow the woman and boys follow the man. You''re dismissed."


    The icy voice of the magus immediately prompted the impressionable kids to stand right next to their designated guardian. Leilade looked at the number of students and counted 39 people. Adding herself and the sister of Muirn? that was still behind, 41 children will be present this year. She had no idea if it was big or small, but now, she had an idea of how big the Kingdom was. Still needed to be affined when she will enter the library, but it was better than nothing. The two overwhelmed magicians were still trying to restore the calm and Leilade used that to stick close to Istuienn.


    In the uncontrolled state of the kids, numerous people were slightly pushed. However, the moment Istuienn finally reached the group of girls, she was violently pushed to the ground. The two groups of children were not that far and right before the beautiful girl hit the ground, a boy managed to grab her and prevent any injuries. However, he soon lost balance and the two of them end up in a mess on the ground. Since it was near the outskirt, it would have been unnoticed if a boy didn''t hurriedly dash forward and picked up Istuienn.


    "Princess, I am sorry, I didn''t think that something like that could happen by accident." The boy had clear blue eyes, black hair and Leilade immediately linked his appearance to someone that she met recently. The boy had the same arrogant demeanor and didn''t even looked at the hurt boy that wore poor clothes. He only had eyes for Istuienn.


    "It''s nothing if it wasn''t for that boy." She extended her hand toward the little human on the ground and by doing that, didn''t notice the angered visage of the handsome boy behind her. The poor kid grabbed it like nothing was wrong and smiled at her. "What is your name?"


    "Ronald. Just Ronald. And don''t worry, I am not hurt. Especially to save someone like you, something that little would impede me." Leilade had to admit, he was good, especially with his red hair and eyes. At the same time, she remembered that neither her current appearance of her real one was good-looking. Why do the genius all have to be handsome or gorgeous? After thinking about that, she thought about Meridiana that was ranked in the top 3 of the most beautiful creature and that appeased her. No matter how hard she looked at that group, they couldn''t even be compared to her. But whether it was the boys or the girls, all were smitten by the three discussing.


    "Enough, who did this? Who dare to harm the princess?" The black haired boy stomped toward the girls and all began to retreat. They didn''t know that their target had such a high rank but they were still solidary. None betrayed the guilty nobles and in the end, one pointed to the lone girl standing nearby. A girl wearing clean clothes but still ordinary ones. And that was still baffled by the direction that the evens took.


    (I didn''t plan that. You should have saved her yourself.)


    "The only moment I looked away, something like that happened." Leilade and the Viscount were debating about how this happened. However, it was too late because all the girls, even those that were in front of the magicians and that couldn''t have seen everything, pointed at her. The menacing copy of a certain magus walked toward Leilade and tried to pressure her.


    "Is it true? Did you push the princess? I, Leodagan Arastil ask you this." She felt that no matter what will happen, she will be found guilty. Also, since her plan to get close was already over before it even started, it would be a good way to contact Alexander and tell him to cancel everything.


    "Yes. Now, can we go please?" Her cold voice that clearly didn''t match her cute appearance stunned everyone. First of all, none thought that she will admit it, especially a noble girl that was very pale at this moment. The two boys that were fighting for the same prize immediately turned hostile and even the kind princess looked disappointed.


    "That''s great, come with me, I will uphold justice right now. To harm a fellow student, the very first day, your punishment will not be light. We don''t need some savage peasants breaking the rules that were created thousands of years ago." The sheer arrogance in his voice was pretty unpleasant and the princess was clearly not happy with that, but Leodagan didn''t notice it. Like he didn''t notice the anger on numerous people that were wearing cheap clothes. At this moment, the two most hated people were close to each other and leaving the hall. As for the magicians, that accident was way above their authority and when they recognized the son of the magus, they sighted of release.


    Soon, Leilade and her kidnapper arrived near the door she left some hours ago. To his surprise, the handsome boy noticed that she was extremely familiar with the path and that she was not reluctant at all to walk where he wanted to be. A sentiment of unease crept in his mind, but he dismissed it. Only after announcing his presence and seeing the face of his father crumbled did he realized that maybe he made a mistake. What he didn''t know was that Alexander was not worried about him but the potential victim of Leilade.


    In the history of his position, it was unheard of a student committing two incidents before even receiving their uniforms. He was feeling more and more reluctant to hide the talent of Leilade and even began to think that if a nation captured her, it would be a huge benefit for the kingdom. Even if it was borderline treason, it was his true thoughts.


    "Magus Alexander, this student violently pushed the princess and even admitted her crime. What should be the sentenced?"


    The magus was baffled by the information that his son gave. In this location, the human with the least reason of doing something like that would be the very person he accused. He was beginning to dismiss it when he heard the same cold voice he began to dread.


    "I didn''t do it, however, this student abused his power as a noble to force me to confess. I am the victim here." Her enormous smile completely destroyed her accusation, but Alexander knew it was just to embarrass him at this point. His son completely screwed their original plan and therefore, since he was humiliating her, she fought back. His headache that was gone returned once more. Since the damage was done, he couldn''t do anything at all besides salvaging the favor of the icy girl.


    "I see, let''s drop both of the accusations and continue this day, everybody is fine with that?"


    "But, fat¡­


    "EVERYBODY IS FINE?" Leodagan tried to argue but seeing his angry dad, he nodded as well.


    "Great, lead her to the quartermaster and make sure he provides everything. And not a single word should leave your mouth besides that. Also, you are now a normal student, remember that. Even if you are my son, the rules are applied to you too."


    Without anything else to say, the magus waved at the two to leave his room. The deeply infuriated Leodagan and the totally bored Leilade managed to catch up with the group right before they reached the quartermaster. Everyone looked at them weirdly, but none dared to ask anything. However, both of them saw that while they were gone, that Ronald got very close to Istuienn and she was even laughing with him.

 31 Privilege and Favoritism

    The face of the son of the magus turned livid at that sight but before he ran toward them, he looked at the very person responsible for this mess. Leilade returned gladly the same gaze to Leodagan and the young boy found for the first time that something was off with the girl. Previously, he never really examined her, just using her as a mean to attain his goal. But now that all his plan had gone down the drain, he had nothing else to do. Even if her face was cute and that all her appearance was meant to look like a cheerful country bumpkin, her eyes were deeper than expected. Something creepy was lurking in them and the boy had a hard time extracting himself from the abyss.


    Only after shaking his head did he realize that he had come cold sweats on his back and that his anger was nearly gone. When he looked at Leilade once more, nothing of the previous feeling was present but after what he experienced, he didn''t stay there any longer. He bypassed numerous students that grumbled after recognizing him. Leilade was too far to hear everything, but she clearly saw that the favor of Istuienn was already taken by someone else. As for that lucky brat, she wouldn''t have to do a single thing since Leodagan will gladly take care of him for her.


    (Well, since that plan already failed, you have to cause a lot of ruckuses, but not too much. Alexander was absolutely not pleased with our behavior, so I suggest one incident every two weeks. That way, it is a lot but not to the point where we disturb him permanently.)


    None of them knew how to enter the library or even what was the requirements.But they were not stupid and could extrapolate that all the books won''t be available to everyone. Either the status of Magus was required or a certain potential needed. Since only Alexander knew about theirs, she will have to convince him quickly, with proves.


    Since she was already ostracized and didn''t even want to talk to those monkeys called kids, Leilade ended up at the end of the line and was the very last to meet the quartermaster. Strangely enough, Leodagan was waiting for her and not running around the princess like a little puppy. And she thought that she could have some peace for herself.


    "Finally, the last one. Great, so let me check, hummmmmmm, that size should be enough. Here take it."


    The man in charge of the storage was at the same age as the magicians that were accompanying the two groups of children. All of them looked really bored when dealing with Leilade and her companions like they really wanted them to go faster. But when he gave her what she needed, she was extremely displeased.


    She saw while traveling that all the magicians were wearing a robe but that none of those were identical. It was always made only for the bearer of the robe but unlike the adults, the children had to wear a specific outfit. And like all the uniforms, it was different between the girls and the boys. Those lucky bastards had really comfy leather clothes and she saw distinctly the warm padding inside it. In addition, it completely covered the entire body, something perfect for her in case she had some strange activities. At that time, she missed a bit her favorite slippers and white robe. But when she got the horrible dress made for the girls, she was displeased.


    A skirt that ended at her knees, some very open sleeves, her neck not even covered by anything. It was true that it accentuated the form and the beauty of the female body, but they were still kids. Well, looking at some of the oldest girls, she saw that in the next years, this uniform will provoke the lust of every boy. But a few that were probably 8 years old as the state of her current body will have to wait a long time with this useless uniform. She wondered who got the stupid idea of this design, but remembering the voluptuous Sarah Meridil, she found the answer. The only thing similar between the two clothes was the emblem near the chest. A blue crystal surrounded by four orbs, green, white, blue and red.


    "No, I want the boy uniform."


    The icy voice shocked Leodagan and made the magician a little puzzled. First of all, the latter knew exactly how great the uniform he gave will be in a few years when she will grow up. The ratio of male and female magicians was pretty well balanced, with slightly more men but not really disproportionate. Meaning that every woman had to face a horde of admirers. But it was not unheard of a girl requesting a boy uniform, especially at the beginning. Since it was definitely not a first and not the last time that request will be heard, he looked once more at Leilade before giving her a boy outfit.


    "Ok, there you go, next, name and talent. Also, a drop of blood here."


    Like he did for all the preceding children, he created a small ice pickle that was definitely capable of piercing the skin of a human. Unfortunately, it was not enough for the reinforced body of a demon commander. Also, her dark blood will scare anyone so she had no choice but to use more mana once more. Now, all the mana she stole from the stone platform was gone. But none one noticed anything strange, not even the suspicious Leodagan.


    "Leilade, 2nd Circle."


    The magician looked a bit sad when he heard it but there was nothing he could do to change anything. He didn''t notice that her skin was already pierced or that the blood was already fusing with the magical card under it. After hearing an incomprehensible mumbling, she received her token. It was a simple card, made of an unknown material. Touching it multiple times, she felt it was solid like steel but still a little bit malleable. She will find it soon enough.


    Since everything was finally done and the last children finally received everything, the two magicians strangely began to accelerate to a point where the children had to run. They left the main building and approach the second compound that was a little farther away. It was at that time that they all saw the sun beginning to fade in the horizon. When they entered the hall, three choices were possible. To the left, toward the man dorms, to the right, for the woman bedrooms or finally, forward for the canteen. At that time of the day, all the kids so students not always older than them rushing toward the last choice. All were wearing the uniform of the Academy.


    "Ok, listen up, maggots. The boys, come with me and I will show you your rooms. The girls, follow the other magician."


    "Hey, I have a name you know!"


    "Well, do you want to waste more time talking?"


    "No, but when we will be against each other, I will make sure you spit my name when you will be on the ground!"


    "Oh, really, remember the last duel?"


    "It was a fluke, I was sick, I ate something weird the previous night."


    "Really ¡­"


    The two magicians began to quarrel right in front of the kids and Leilade saw the nearby students laughing about that sight. After a minute of intense fighting, Leodagan finally decided to make a move and loudly coughed. It was not very effective. When he coughed right in front of them, the two harpies finally stopped and did their job. Following the female magician, she saw her stop in front of another orb. After pouring some mana inside it, a list of rooms was displayed with their status. Both dorms had 300 places that were largely enough for the students. That''s why some magicians were still living there and will only be relocated when it was full. Grabbing the girls one by one, she gave them a number.


    Istuienn was lucky and got the number 001 that was literally right in front of the door. Leilade, however, was not spared by the original incident and whether or not it was to please Istuienn, she got the room 300. Meaning the very last bedroom at the end of the sixth floor. When she received that number, the magician that was accompanying them still looked a bit sorry but said nothing else. Leilade was still in the end only a potential 2nd Circle magician.


    Since she was in the open, she couldn''t run at her normal speed but she still quickly caught up with even some of the first girls to be sent away. The six stairs were nothing to her but she was really hungry after an entire day spent at doing nothing. Also, she wondered how the students will be fed? She quickly reached her destination and saw the same wooden door, only with one enchant on it. Trying to open it without destroying it in the process, she failed but when she passed her card in front of the lock, the door magically opened. So they have reached at least this point of using two different spells to have a reaction. She wondered then why they were still reciting the names of the spells?


    The room was clean and with the most basic necessities. A bed filled with wools or something similar. She jumped on it and found it extremely comfy. In addition to that, there was a chair and a table made of wood and a bucket. It was a little farther away and in a remote corner and his utilization was obvious. Well, in the case of Leilade, this won''t be a problem at all. If the human body was cumbersome on a lot of things, the darkness she created and groomed solved some of them. Notably the wastes created by her own system, everything not relevant possessing a mass was turned into energy. It was not very efficient since the amount was so low, but it was still better than nothing. Especially those days where she was desperately searching for new ways of stealing mana.


    Not wasting any more time, she wore the uniform and that confirmed her hypothesis, it was definitely warm. Not as warm and comfortable that she hoped, but largely enough. Just thinking about all the open areas of the skirt compared to the full protection of those clothes. One wondered why no other girls thought about it. When she arrived at the canteen, she recognized only a few of those that came with her. She was extremely quick and only some lucky kids were given the closest rooms. Namely Istuienn, Leodagan, shorty, grumpy and that bastard Ronald. Shorty was a smaller girl than Leilade and grumpy a boy that never smiled once. The two of them were obviously nobles, explaining why they got some good rooms but how that commoner got lucky.


    Only after getting close and hearing the discussion between the two lovebirds did she understood that he was talented as well and therefore, got some privileges. In truth, the five of them were destined to be at least magicians of the 4th Circle. When they saw that Leilade arrived, she met anger, disgust, disappointment, and indifference. All in all, nothing that she really cared about. Seeing the huge sea of people eating, she remembered the scene of the demons doing the same. Unlike them, however, no arms, legs, souls, heads, leeches or snails were present. No, only a huge majority of fruits and vegetables that were shining brightly. For some reasons, even Leilade and the Viscount were baffled by the appearance and the visible size of those fruits.

 32 A Glutonous Girl

    As she got closer, she found out the stand where all the numerous utensils were put down. Grabbing all she needed, she stayed a little bit behind the group of five in front of her. Besides the mute shorty and grumpy, Leodagan was visibly deeply annoyed by the situation. However, as everyone served themselves, it was easy to see that the two low profile students were obviously following the son of the Magus Alexander. They were bearing the same arrogance that him and were probably the children of some high-ranked mages. When she managed to put her hand on one gigantic apple, she couldn''t help but be deeply impressed by it.


    If it wasn''t at the level of Chief Lucio or even some of the best farmers of the Demonic Empire, this very fruit was enhanced by magic. Whoever did this manage to conserve the taste of the fruit and at the same time improved its output. Taking a small bit before she even sat, she found out that it was really well made. She definitely had to find the place where those numerous treasures came. For a normal human, eating only that stuff will make him naturally stronger, have his reserve of mana getting bigger and even sometimes helped to concentrate.


    It was clear that to feed everyone here, a huge number of crops would be solely focused on that type of yield. However, for those to become like that, only a magician could do it. And from what she knew, the Massalia Kingdom had a huge shortage of those because of its location and its war with the surrounding nations. Well, whatever was the truth, she will find it soon enough. But as she pondered about that, Ronald was no better. Unlike the four others, he was just a commoner and everything he saw was new to him. Without managing to contain his curiosity, he finally asked to Istuienn.


    "Those fruits are incredible, how is it possible to create such a huge apple?" Before the young princess managed to say a single sentence, a mocking laugh resonated behind her. This time, even shorty was smiling proudly. Anyone from the nobility will be taught that information because it was the very reason their kingdom was still standing.


    "Of course, a commoner like you wouldn''t know about this. I guess you don''t even know about the long-lasting alliance between our kingdom and the Kingdom of Genablum?" The puzzled look of the previous peasant indicated his answer. This doesn''t stop the laugh to keep going and even some older students shooked their head in disappointment. Even if he was a commoner, it was still an important knowledge that was known nearly everywhere. To be so ignorant was almost a crime at this point.


    "As expected, but I have to say I am also sad about that. To be so dumb at this age, you didn''t have any parents to teach you the most basic things? Even if you were an orphan, only by never listening to the ones in charge of it would you be able to not know this." This time, Ronald was extremely angered by the worlds of the smug Leodagan. He had no rights to insult his parents or his background. As he began to march toward the son of the magus, Istuienn stood between the two. She was also disappointed, but not by the lack of knowledge of Ronald but by the behavior of the other part.


    "Enough Leodagan. No one should be discriminated by their birthplace in this place, especially by you. Let''s go, Ronald." She grabbed the arm of the handsome red-haired boy and quickly distanced herself from the three others. This shocked shorty and grumpy but totally devastated Leodagan. He didn''t think that by doing this, Istuienn would react like that. He only planned that by seeing the ignorance of the other boy, she would be disgusted by it. No matter what happened, he could not let her go like that. Not only because she was beautiful, but because his father planned to gain the trust of the future Archmage. He couldn''t fail, no matter what was the cost.


    None of them noticed the short Leilade that bypassed them. She only was baffled by the complete ignorance of that group. She knew right away that Ronald was now the only real friends of the princess and therefore unless he disappeared in a legit situation, she would always defend her. What she still didn''t know was how this behavior was possible from the sister of Muirn?. Comparing the two, she found absolutely no resemblance besides their gorgeous appearance. One was capable of battling without fear against an old cultist with decades of experience, managed to not faint under the terrible pain that Leilade put her under.


    If Leilade was conquering this place with the Demonic Army, she would immediately recruit Muirn? without any hesitation, but for the dumb and innocent Istuienn, she would feed her to her subordinates. She was still filled with more mana than the rest of those fools, meaning that the meal would be great. But to fall under the influence of a man that fast and without even noticing or resisting, she was literally worthless. She was at the same level as a captive falling in love with someone that tortured her. She was absolutely certain that if Muirn? was captured and tortured for months, the very moment an opportunity arrived, she would slaughter everyone. The fact that right now, even a step was a painful torture made the terrifying girl smiled a bit.


    She caught up with the couple and heard the kind explications of the princess. That made Leilade raised her eyes in disbelief, but she still listened intensely.


    "You see, a long time ago, our kingdom and Genablum were in a war. We managed to capture half of their territory until we realized that all the farms and granaries were totally empty. And the war was expanding our food resources to a point that even holding the foreign land was impossible. As for the numerous towns and cities that we captured, their inhabitants played the passive stance at first. To the point that we forgot about them and that''s when we noticed the numerous traps that were laid at our feet. Poisoned wells, Rats eating all our food. They only focused on the fact that as a human, everyone had to eat and drink."


    She sighed while trying to remember all the information.


    "In less than a month, the king of that time realized that it will be impossible to continue the war. The troops were hungry and the numerous secret stashes filled with food by the local populace were defended or simply destroyed. We had to lower our head and flee. It was then that Genablum offered something that no one would have thought. They only had two direct neighbors, if you don''t count the small impractical path between Pankow and them. Us and the barbarians at the South. They could defend against one enemy, but against two would be too costly. So they offered a deal, that is still ongoing. They will supply us with food, like this one, and we will defend them from that side."


    "So, you are saying that in exchange of food, you just offer protection? But if they are that weak, why not try to conquer it once more?"


    "Did you listen to any words I just said? We were defeated, and I didn''t even talk about how outrageous our attack was. We attacked at the same time that the annual harvest war happens between Genablum and the barbarians." This time, the princess was really angry since Ronald didn''t look like he was listening to her. Seeing this, he had no choice but to defend himself.


    "Sorry, I just thought that we had the best army."


    "Currently yes, thanks to the creation of the 13th Legion. No one dared to do something so bold but it was before the arrival of the dark gods. Anyway, going back to the topic of the fruits, they all came from Genablum. We have no way to replicate the process but since we are allies, that''s fine. Just know that everything coming from the Grey Lands are as potent as those." She quickly forgave Ronald but the boy still was as puzzled as before.


    "Grey Lands?"


    "Yes, the region of Genablum were the most important concentration of magic farms are located. Near an extinct volcano that still spread mana all around it, guarded by the Grey Wolves, yes, yes, I will explain that too. Logical, best farms are protected by the best army and you can guess the result. That''s just one the numerous trade ongoing between our two nations, there will be a course about that or you will be able to read it at the library. Now, guess what is my favorite color?"


    "Eh, red?"


    "Oh, you are so smart ¡­"


    After hearing what she needed, Leilade quickly distanced herself to not lose some neurons. She was still baffled by the behavior of the princess, discussing politics and serious stuff and then asking such a dumb question. From the looks of it, the Kingdom of Genablum will be a great addition to her power. It was better than this backyard country. Managing to improve the yield of their farms, capable of being cold-hearted and using a scorched earth policy, targeting the vital point of an invading army and striking a profitable deal without holding grudges. If the current king had half of the wits of the previous one, she will find hard to believe that the nation was not flourishing.


    Instead, she ended up in a nation turned toward war and therefore forgetting to improve from the base the potential of its citizen.At the same time, it was normal that the mind of the royalty was more concerned by the surrounding enemies. She just wanted to see how the Academy of Magic was doing in the other nations, to measure the global level of their magicians. Finally arriving at the final stand, she saw numerous pieces of meat. However, it was guarded by two magicians and she saw some older students putting their card near another orb.


    So, the vegetables are free, but the good stuff, probably the meat of a magical beast, is exchanged with something. "What is this something?" She slowed down and saw none of the five other students getting even closer to that stand. So, from the looks of it, it was not available for the first year or they couldn''t get their hands on it. Since she couldn''t grab anything else, she sat down on an empty table. Most of the table was for 4 persons and some longer could be occupied by a group of 12. At that time, most of the students already ate and a large portion of the table was occupied by only one or two humans.


    She unnoticeably grabbed the attention of many people after sitting down. The reason? Well, her plate was filled with vegetables and she clearly took the same amount that five normal kids could have taken together.And when she devoured it quickly without any pause, the people looking at her were petrified. In less time than the rest ate one meal, she had consumed five and from the looks of it, she was not fed.


    (You are grabbing some unnecessary attention. Please restrain yourself with just three portions next time.)


    Only when she raised her head did she noticed the few children that looked at her like she was an alien. "Maybe the Viscount was right." Even Leilade had to admit that she ate a bit too much and too fast. Even grumpy lost his impassive face and had his mouth wide open. The fruits and vegetables were nothing compared to a normal human, mainly because a living being had a soul that could be absorbed, but it was still extremely important for her that such a thing existed. Because if she had to cast a lot of spells, she will expand her mana without being able to replenish it.


    Without even looking back or saying a word, she left the canteen and saw some of the new students that were quite late appearing. None tried to engage in a conversation with her, and all avoided Leilade. Only some older girls looked at her weirdly because of her outfit, but her head was feminine enough to not cause any problem. She used her card, entered her bedroom and began to fall asleep. Tomorrow will be important and she wanted to have her body at its perfect condition.

 33 Friendly Sparring

    She woke up at dawn and began to do her usual ritual. It has been a week since she reached the encampment of the 13th Legion and since that day, she felt the growing hunger inside her. In front of the numerous servants and workers inside the manor of the Gwendhir, it was relatively fine. But after a week of rest, her father exhorted her to go back to training. She will enter the same room that her brother was using and she feared that the madness that overtook her body will reappear.


    Right now, she was naked, but in a mere instant, her body was covered by a nightgown. Each morning, she did that at least ten times, just to feel her body morph. When she had to sleep near the soldiers of the 13th Legion, she was so scared to be discovered. But by accident, when she was safe inside her own tent that was provided by Annabelle Brea, she remembered the stare of the criminals. Unconsciously, she felt like she was naked and when she thought of this, her armor disappeared. Realizing this, she prayed that she will recover her entire set of equipment and the miracle happened.


    She had to try it out numerous times at first, but when she got the feeling, she could swap her clothes as she wished. The only problem was still the fact that whatever her appearance was, they offered no protection. Only by putting something from the real world will she be able to avoid injuries. But at the same time, doing that will make her suffering even bigger. She was then in doubt between two ideas. Wearing her manifestation of clothes or wearing real clothes and suffer more. Both were equally bad and good for different reasons. But something unexpected forced her into one choice.


    She remembered the assault of Daryl and the fact that his sword was hanging on her neck. Her body had no injuries there, but after thinking about how she could transform it, she had to test if she could bleed. And unfortunately, she was incapable of doing so. Using both a sword she imagined and one that she picked up, all provoke a big injury on her arm. But not a single drop of blood leaked, making it extremely weird. However, if she did the same on her own fabricated armor, only a dent was visible, albeit accompanied by terrifying sufferings.


    Since that was the case, she permanently turned her body into a complete armor, leaving not a single parcel of skin in the open. She still had doubt if she could truly die, because nothing was pointing in that direction. She was even thinking that if someone dared to cut her arm, she could just pick it up as nothing happened and be fine. She only needed to be careful about not losing any part of her physical soul. Dressing in less than a second, she still pulled out the same dress that she was supposed to use. It was necessary to maintain the illusion of using clothes, otherwise, the maids will be concerned about the lack of chores.


    When she left her room fully clad in her white armor, she saw all the servants bowing in front of her. For some noble families, this behavior could be imputed to fear, wealth, power. But for the family of the Sword Saint, it was adulation. They were the defenders of this kingdom, the sword against the darkness. Some families were serving her own since the ancient times.


    "Princess Muirn?, your father is awaiting you in front of the training grounds." A deep and grave voice resonated near her. Turning around, she saw Mickael, the head of the workers. While they were venerated and the most dangerous people in the battlefield, there was one reason why the Gwendhir will never be able to rule. They are incompetent in managing even a single mansion, not even talking about the numerous lands they have elsewhere. It is even possible to say that Mickael has more power than them in their own domain.


    "Thank you, Mickael." However, no one was doubting his loyalty. It was impossible for mere servants to have the guts to try to steal or harm her family, not talking about the fact that his family''s allegiance could be traced back before the arrival of the dark gods. She quickly walked toward the back of the mansion. Instead of a splendid garden or a beautiful fountain, only training dummies, racks of weapons and armors could be seen in a barren land. Only a small batch of trees were still standing far back, riddle with targets for archery practicing.She was confident that no one could count the amount of dent on those trees left by arrows that missed the mark.


    In the open space, two men were currently fighting. They were only wearing some light clothes and using wooden swords. Weirdly enough, the two people didn''t look the same at all. The youngest was her brother, he will be 23 years old in a few months. His short dark hair was easily noticeable in broad daylight. His face was also quite feminine and his brown eyes were clear of all emotions. Even if his body was quite muscular, he was still slim enough to pass as a noble young man. Whether she had to admit it or not, countless ladies, all more beautiful than the other, were lining to marry him. For prestige, for power or even for his beauty. However, he refused all those proposals and no one managed to change his mind.


    In front of him, their father was like a giant trying to crush an ant. His blonde hair was shining as he launched assault after assault. One would compare to him as a brute, a barbarian attacking without a plan or thinking. All that thought the same was now resting underground. She continued to watch the same spectacle that happened when the two were fighting. Her brother was dodging and applying some light bruises and her father was forcing him to permanently escape. She knew that the Sword Saint could end the fight in a few seconds if he truly fought, but what was the point of winning for him?


    As her brother breathe began to be louder and louder, his stamina was depleting. At the same time, to simulate the injuries her father suffered, he began to slow down a bit his attacks. Finally, getting slow for one second, the dark-haired man received a violent kick in the chest, effectively ending the fight. She didn''t know how long the fight lasted, but it was probably more than 20 minutes. A few years ago, Amdir wouldn''t have lasted more than 5 minutes. And if someone dared to say that it was only a little amount of time, he would have to think about who his opponent was. The current Sword Saint, Idhrenil Gwendhir, her father.


    She saw the two laughing and Idhrenil helped his son getting up. The patted their clothes, removing slightly the dirt and dust on it. They then turned around to face up causing them to be a little bit distraught. Since she was called to the training grounds, they thought that she would be dressed properly, not in her full armor like that. Shaking his head, Idhrenil looked at his daughter.


    "Muirn?, why are you like this?" She had nothing to say. She could have fooled others but not her own family, especially the two of them. The daydreaming Istuienn could still be distracted if she was quick enough. But the two men in front of her will notice immediately a wound that was not leaking blood.


    "It''s alright father, I am still not as strong as brother. So, what better training than fighting in my armor?"


    While that could have been a valid excuse in other times, the news of the return of the monsters from the legends changed everything. The four eyes staring at her turned a little bit sad, but they said nothing. She sensed that they were still thinking about her encounter with the demonic girl. That was the only part that she lied about. She told them about everything, the pillar, the prophecy of the cultists, the dark batch of shadows and the four monsters following it. But the fact that the enemy was just a little girl with eyes and hair darker than the deepest hole and their deal was a secret only known to her.


    "Let her be father. It is still a good idea of training and if that brings the best out of her she should do that. It is the most important thing." Amdir looked earnestly at the Sword Saint and her father had to accept it. Since there was nothing to do for him, he left but not without looking at Muirn? again. For the first time, the proud and inflexible man began to doubt if it was the right thing to do. He knew that she hadn''t told everything and wondered how horrible was the small period of time when his daughter was captured by the dark gods.


    Muirn? looked at her brother and opened her helmet. She smiled at him and the two began to laugh. It has been a long time since she laughed and it felt great. She began to walk toward the table where the wooden swords were placed. She grabbed one without even grimacing and began to take a stance. Amdir slightly tapped one time on the ground, two times, three times and then immediately rushed toward her.


    Barely a few minutes later, she ended up in the same spot that her brother was. On the ground and a sword pointing toward her heart. But the faces of the two siblings were showing their happiness. Lifting up Muirn?, Amdir commended her.


    "You are a lot nimbler than previously sister, does your armor have no weight?" He touched her white outfit but noticed nothing weird. Thanks to her helmet, the sudden distress of Muirn? was hidden. As expected, he was able to notice that, since she created her armor from her mind, she didn''t feel anything slowing her down. However, her silence was misinterpreted and the fit man apologized.


    "Sorry, I won''t ask anymore. But that''s still good, what doesn''t kill you allow you to grow stronger. Maybe in a few years, you will finally be able to touch me once." Following that smug taunt, a fist violently hit his shoulder but he brushed it off. There was no power in it and it was just a joke, prompting the two siblings to laugh once more. Before Amdir left, Muirn? still asked about their sister.


    "How is Istuienn doing? Did you all warn her about the bad people with evil intentions?"


    "Yes, yes. You were still not leaving your room and she was quite sad about it. Then she saw a beautiful butterfly and she forgot. I still don''t know why father didn''t train her, even with the advice of the Archmage. She is a blank page because of that and whoever managed to write on it will entirely control her. But if that person is a bad man, he will not live long."


    The killing intent of Amdir was palpable and that convinced Muirn? that nothing wrong will happen to the cheerful Istuienn. She was the treasure of this mansion and was allowed to do anything she wished since she was born. Not because her father spoiled her, but because the Archmage predicted something about her. The target of that prediction was oblivious to it, but the powerful people of the Massalia Kingdom knew about it. The words that her father told her still resonated in her head, and now that the dark gods reappeared, the fear of everyone was reignited.


    "That child will be defining the future of the kingdom. Rivers of blood flowing the streets or wonderful inventions spreading in the land. Red everywhere on the ground while shadows covered the sky. Her choice will breach a bargain made by living souls if she doesn''t have a pure heart."


    The last sentence provoked countless discussions and theories between her father and the king. The rest was dreadful but no one dared to deny the word of the last remaining Hero. The one condemned to live eternally until the curse that was inflicted on him was activated. Only him knew when that will happen but everyone knew that the world will be plunged into a period of darkness after he will die. Thinking about him, she wondered when he will finally act and hunt the dark gods. Before, when anything was threatening the human race, he was always charging forward. But in the last decades, he became more and more secretive and was not seen often, letting even something like the Church of Torment untouched. But without a Hero, how will they be able to deal with the five monsters that appeared?

 34 A Familiar Teacher

    (Outlander, the sun will rise in a few minutes. It is time to wake up and see for yourself if it is true.)


    The absolutely not sweet and totally creepy voice of the Viscount resonated in the mind of Leilade. She was used to it, but it was the first time since a very long time that he truly awoke her. Normally, she would only rest her body but still be conscious. However, this time, her own body was very tired and she had to completely shut it down. She still didn''t dare to use the energy provided by the potent fruits and vegetables of Genablum to do anything besides replenishing her mana reserve. And right now, the reason why she left her bed at such an early hour was for them.


    As she ran in the corridors, she saw absolutely no one and was greeted by absolute silence. Only when arriving close to the entrance of the building did she saw a small silhouette leaving her room. Slowing down a bit, both Leilade and the stranger were surprised to see each other.She was the small girl that she named shorty since she was even smaller than Leilade herself. She didn''t appear to be tired or anything like that, meaning that she had the same idea that Leilade had. None of them talked but they still walked side by side toward the nearby canteen.


    Right before arriving at their destination, she saw coming from the front Leodagan and grumpy and they showed the same surprise that the kid next to her. The proud son of the magus still showed his disdain for her and quickly looked away, like he didn''t notice that she was her. His fellow student was still fixated on her but he was calm enough to not show any emotions. Leilade entered the canteen while the three greeted the others and grumpy patted the head of shorty. The little girl pouted after that act of affection, but grumpy shrugged it off.


    The size of the food inside the canteen was definitely bigger than the one displayed last evening. As expected, the early birds got the worms. She had no idea when that part of the facility opened, but she already was seeing numerous students and even some magicians eating inside it. A grand portion of those was having meat on their plate and the line to get it was quite long, even with the few humans present. Taking a smaller portion than the last day, she walked to the same spot and slowly ate everything. Even if the amount of food raised a few eyebrows, it didn''t shock anyone and the meal was uninterrupted. To her surprise, the three children were seated only a few meters away.


    Whether or not they cared if she listened, they still talked about some important information coming from their families. It was at that moment that she learned the family name of grumpy and shorty. The two were the grand-children of the Magus Artour Rodil.His twin brother had a wife, but she died while giving birth, devastating the poor man. His silent behavior was explained by the fact that the baby didn''t make it either. As for the children of Artour, they didn''t possess a single bit of talent. Only the second generation was blessed, and it was the truth since both grumpy and shorty had the hope to even surpass their grandfather.


    At the same time, she learned that Leodagan was in a similar situation, with his parents being only magicians from the 2nd Circle. However, he had an older brother already in the 4th Circle and a younger sister without any talent. But because the three of them were of the same age, the two families agreed to let them study together, with grumpy being the youngest with his 8th anniversary being two months ago. That surprised a bit Leilade when she realized shorty and Leodagan were both ten, but the youngest was the calmest and the most collected. She shouldn''t call them like that either but she should use their real names, Jorien for the girl and Owen for the boy.


    Since the three of them had more or less the same potential, she was still a little bit puzzled as for why Leodagan was leading the group. From the looks of it, they knew each other and shouldn''t follow him like shadows. Even if his father maybe had a more prominent role in the Academy, that still didn''t justify the behavior of the Rodil''s offspring. Since it was not important, she didn''t try to think too hard about it. But she still heard something far more important than the situations of their families.


    The Academy had two magicians of the 6th Circle guarding the facilities, but they were missing since a few days ago. The higher-ups were preventing the news from leaking, but apparently, something happened so gravely and important that the two magus were sent to investigate the news. When they talked about that, they were murmuring and wouldn''t have thought that the silent girl a few meters away could hear them. In truth, she was actually the closest to them and the reason they sat here was that the surroundings were nearly empty. If she wasn''t the Empress of the Underworld and had her body modified countless times, she wouldn''t have been able to hear anything at all.


    DRIIIIIIIIIIIIIING


    A strident sound suddenly resonated near the four students. They quickly got their cards and held it, shutting down the infernal sound. She didn''t need to be a genius to know that this sound was probably heard by every child that arrived yesterday. The poor kids that were sleeping well and dreaming were definitely cursing about the sound that broke their peaceful rest. She looked at her card and heard a message coming from it.


    "In half of an hour, stand in front of the building." Now she understood how the teachers will be able to assemble all the children. They could have used a message written on the card to achieve the same effect, but some children were illiterate, so it was not possible. Before she finished eating, she saw the waves of kids rushing toward the canteen and one boy anxiously waiting in front of the room. His face brightened when a blond haired girl arrived with a big smile. Feeling her intelligence slipping away at that sight, she left the canteen. Barely ten seconds later, the three prodigies left with some unsightly expressions.


    The sun had just risen when she stepped on the tender grass outside of the facility. The shoes provided by the Academy were quite good and she had no complaint about them. There were a few trees near the exit, and since she had nothing to do and there were no benches, she climbed it. She was careful to not display too much power but quickly reached a sturdy branch where she could just rest. After that, she saw the group of three arriving and then coming toward her. They hadn''t seen her outside and were a bit perplexed but they had the same idea as Leilade. However, instead of climbing, they just sat with their backs touching the tree.


    "That peasant, why does he dare to meddle with someone like the princess? He should just know his place and just stay invisible." Leodagan was clearly angry about the touching reunion between Ronald and Istuienn. Even if he wasn''t expecting the princess to fall in love with him, he was still mad that a nobody managed to achieve something that he wasn''t capable of doing.


    "Let it be. You will be able to crush him easily when the real exercises will arrive. What he has is just a good face and some sweet words. But in this world, only power, wealth and strength can prove something. Except if he wants to work in a brothel hahaha."


    Shorty, Jorien calmed a bit the hot-blooded boy and her last sentence even made him laugh and snatched a smile from her brother. They knew a few other sons and daughters of magicians, but they had limited talent. Yet, they were still all much stronger than the average kid and already knew the basics. To crush the pride of a country bumpkin will be as easy as possible. Thinking about that, Leodagan mood suddenly turned sour when he remembered the girl in boy clothes.


    "There is still this weirdo, with a warm face and a cold voice. The entire ordeal of pushing the princess will be impossible to think about for a commoner. Not that she lacks courage, but she had no reason to do that. I am fairly certain of the noble girls did it and they made her the scapegoat. But why admit it and then in front of my father, she held her ground. She is definitely weird."


    "Wait, she faced her father and she didn''t cower in fear?" Grumpy, Owen was slightly shocked, like his older sister. No Magus was as terrifying as Alexander Arastil when he meant it, but that girl didn''t felt anything and even argue? They didn''t know that and only thought that his father didn''t help his son.


    "Yes, the moment he saw the both of us, he was already exasperated. At first, I thought it was because of me and he still warned me about the rules of the Academy. But the more I try to remember, the more I think there is something weird between the weirdo and my father. But that wouldn''t make any sense. A link, between a Magus of the 5th Circle and a commoner that arrived the same day."


    None of them noticed the fact that the person they were talking about was just above them and listening to everything. She had no idea that she made such a powerful impression on the arrogant boy. She kept listening to them, but they diverted the topic to other things. Like, who will be their teacher, what will be the contents of the first class, will they have to wait for the illiterate commoners to catch up? When the time was up, they all heard a powerful voice, a voice that was familiar for Leilade.


    She jumped in front of the trio, making the only girl of the group scream a bit. For the first time since she met Owen, she saw his calm stance broken and he was extremely shocked and then embarrassed. The same emotions were shared between the three of them because they realized that Leilade probably heard everything they said. She didn''t even look a second at them after landing and walked toward the smiling old man.


    Oscar Moo saw her and the reactions of the other children and was extremely pleased by that. He still didn''t know what was her talent, but with her behavior, the other kids will be in a world of trouble if they angered her. Before the rest of the class arrived, he took her apart, to learn about the results of the test.


    "So, little girl, how was the test? 3th Circle? More?" Old man Moo was clearly expecting a lot from her, but unfortunately, his hope will have to be extinguished. Using the same laconic voice that was her signature, she lied to him.


    "Not even 2nd Circle, impossible to reach 3th Circle."


    "NONSENSE!" His pick of anger was noticed by the surroundings and he quickly calmed himself. But it was impossible for her to be like that, she already could cast the [Fireball] spell at such a young age and without a teacher. But the impassive visage of the small girl showed no clues about the truth. Smelling something weird, he decided to ask for an explanation from Alexander. In the meantime, he will let Leilade in peace.


    "Go with the other, but this is not the end of it. Alexander doesn''t have the power to intentionally reduce the potential of a commoner just because he wants to do that. Don''t worry, you will not be wronged while you study under me."


    If it was any other child, they will be extremely happy and grateful for that. But for Leilade, it will only mean more problems in the future and provoke make Alexander be even more regretful of his decisions. Before it was just his son and his friends that were suspicious, now even the teacher was in the lot. She truly hoped that this small trip will be worthy soon enough, she already had enough of those shenanigans.

 35 Three ... Five Times

    After gathering the last kids that were arriving, Oscar Moo began to count them. Noticing that no one was missing, he used a small spell to elevate him slightly above the ground. It was just creating a small wall of dirt, barely 50 centimeters of height. But that small increase was enough to provoke the awe of all normal children. To the like of Owen or Jorien, it was just a petty trick but for the rest, it was some amazing magic. Harboring a huge smile and looking like a caring grandfather, he began to talk.


    "Come here, get closer. Let me say a few things first, allow me to introduce myself, I am teacher Oscar Moo, a magician of the 3th Circle. I would like to welcome all of you on the behalf of the other teacher inside the Academy of Magic of the Massalia Kingdom. Later, you will be split into numerous classes depending on your abilities but for now, everyone will study together in this first year. That way, you will be able to make more friends and improve the bonds between each other. Some would think that this is useless and that a magician alone doesn''t necessarily need a friend. You can keep thinking that, but don''t worry, we will make you change your mind soon enough."


    The old teacher laughed slightly after saying those threatening words and began to use his control over the environment to pressure the feeble kids. That time, no one besides Leilade was able to endure it without at least taking a step back. Following that small show, the white-bearded elder regained his smile.


    "The first day, I advise you to just follow the directions provided by your card. You will start in 3¡­ 2¡­ 1¡­ Done."


    Right after the final countdown, all the card showed a small arrow pointing toward the building where they heard the speeches of the magus. Again, more shouts and discussions between the noisy students. Some began to immediately walk following their cards, but they were quickly grabbed by others that noticed the fact that Moo didn''t leave.


    "Good, no one left this year. Would have been a shame really, I remember the son of a certain Magus that left without even saying goodbye. A small clue about him, he was blonde and his brother is providing us an opportunity to see him in person, it is a great honor for the common mortals that we are."


    Leodagan tried to hide himself behind Owen, but he was the tallest of the three and soon was overwhelmed by the numerous stares of the other children. Apparently, his brother was naughty. Leilade had no doubt that the son of Alexander could do something like that on the first day. And she now realized why this old man was so daring when he faced the magus.


    "But if you are listening well, I advise you to not enter the room before knocking three times on the door. Only three times, no more, no less. Just think of it as a way to make you listen to us. If you are truly daring, you can forget what I said and just do what you want. To conclude this small talk, once again."


    Oscar took a deep inspiration and using a small tool that he prepared beforehand.


    "WELCOME TO THE ACADEMY OF MAGIC"


    His very breath while saying this blew away the smallest kids and nearly everyone fell on their knees or on their butts. Even if some weaker girls began to cry, they realized that they weren''t injured and stop before anyone noticed them. Just 6 people were standing, gathering all the looks from even some magicians and other students that were laughing from afar. It was an old tradition that was always changing on the nature of the last spell. Last year, they were submerged by a small wave, this year it was a strong wind.


    Knowing beforehand what will happen and not wanting to lower their head this time, Owen and Jorien joined their hands and formed a basic [Earth Shield]. Just from their powers, it was a brittle wall of dirt that would be destroyed by the punch of a small teenager. Because they were weakened by the mana leaving their bodies, Leodagan had to fully support the two siblings and nearly fell as well. His bigger stature was the only thing that allowed them to succeed.


    On the other hand, Istuienn used wind to repel wind. Protecting the red-haired Ronald, she cast a far stronger [Wind Shield] that the combined spell from the Rodil offspring. It was still the most basic defensive spell available and the small cocoon of winds in front of her dispersed only a part of the power inside the breath of old man Moo. But that was enough to still stand in the end.


    Contrarily to everyone that either failed or succeeded at not failing, Leilade was completely fine. She was debating whether or not she should fall, but in the end, she was caught up by the power of the wind. She hadn''t expected it to be that fast and the nearby kids were already down and laying on the ground. So, she just stood there, without showing any emotion, hoping that this another inexplicable thing will be quickly forgotten.


    (Outlander, it won''t happen.)


    "I know, shut up." Leilade was seeing the enormous smile of Oscar Moo, looking proudly at her. She was certain that he was now convinced that she was stronger than just a 2nd Circle magician and more problems will arise. Since his job was finished, for now, she saw the old magician just left while whistling. He had no idea that his willingness to uncover the truth will only do more harm than anything else.


    As a caring and compassionate child, Istuienn walked to everyone to see if they were fine. Ronald was doing something similar, but unlike the girl, his eyes were not looking at the scared students. His eyes were only seeing one single thing and it was a beautiful moron. Jorien didn''t have to look at her friend Leodagan to knew that he won''t do anything like that. Since it was the case, the oldest kid of their group took the lead and walked toward their destination. Because he could only waste time staying there, Leodagan followed her and her brother closed the march, not before looking with his curious and placid eyes at Leilade.


    She was in the same situation, and the four of them left the rest of the useless bunch they were stuck with.Right before Jorien knocked on the door and, to his knowledge, not in a place where Leilade could have seen it, Owen hit the door two times. His gestures were not unseen by his companions and they soon waited for the arrival of the demonic commandant. It was a petty move, but the outcome would still be good for them regardless of the results. "Kids playing adults." The only reason why she didn''t say that loudly was that it would only cause more problems.


    Knock Knock ¡­


    She paused and looked at them, seeing two impatient faces awaiting her punishment. As for the guilty one, he was just staring at her, the more Leilade thought about it, the more she realized he was a complete stalker.


    Knock


    "Enter!" They all heard an old voice of a woman, probably of the same age that the old man Moo. Fulfilling her expectations, she saw the three humans standing still, not moving at all. She was almost certain that they would have gestured her to enter but apparently, they lacked the courage to do that. Or maybe it would have been far too obvious. She bet on the obvious.


    Even if the wooden door had many seals on it, she was able to just open it without any problem. Inside, she saw a small amphitheater with enough place for all of them. At the bottom of it, a small table with a woman head on it. From the looks of it, their teacher was either sleeping or resting and she saw the old lady stretching her limbs. She even saw her smiling at her. Causing Leilade to be a little dumbfounded. "It was three times, right? But in total, we hit the door 5 times."


    (Correct, I don''t know. Maybe it was just a joke.)


    The three children behind her were also surprised. Since the teacher Oscar was visibly messing with them, they were persuaded that this was another trap. But it was not. Entering the room, they sat in the first row, the closest to the door. The old lady smiled at them triumphantly.


    "Good kids, you listen to that old fool. Good thing you hit five times the door, otherwise you would have received a nasty surprise." She grinning evilly while saying this but she soon realized that the four people in front of her were surprised by her words. Pondering a lot, she was incapable of knowing where she was mistaken. Leodagan coughed a bit and then explained to her.


    "Teacher Oscar said to hit the door three times, not five times." The old lady was totally unfazed by his explanations and looked like she still did nothing wrong.


    "Yes, just what I said right now, five times."


    A deep silence installed itself in the room. All could see that she believed entirely what she said and was not a thick-skinned person that wasn''t capable of admitting their wrongs. Feeling a little helpless, Owen tried one more time.


    "He said three, like more than two times but less than four." He also used his hand and showed his thumb, his index and his middle finger. But nothing was capable of stopping the old lady and in the end, she only said a single sentence.


    "I don''t understand." Even Leilade was entirely perplexed by the entire thing and was no better than the three children. The good news was the arrival of the rest of the class, that quickly dispelled the embarrassing atmosphere. She was even glad that this idiot Istuienn and skirt-chaser Ronald arrived.


    Using the fact that she was the first inside the class, she made her way to the very last row and just borrowed her head inside her arms. To the outside, it looked like she was not even listening and was just sleeping. But she had to try anything to just not be interrogated, so she used her first strategy. Apparently, The Viscount had numerous memories about how to avoid being questioned by a teacher. Even if she had to, she will try everything until something finally worked. However, her hopes were crushed immediately, because even before the old lady began to introduce her, she already targeted Leilade.


    "And who might be the sleeping beauty in the last row?"

 36 A Cold Teacher

    (Apparently, she took it pretty badly. Therefore, I would suggest to ¡­)


    "Stop, Viscount. Just, let it go. I was sure that it would have failed so since that''s the case, I will just gladly oblige." The soul residing in her became mute and didn''t propose anything else. They tried something and it failed, it was no problem in this situation. The two were not expert at dealings with humans, that''s why she was hunted by an entire planet and he died alone in a cemetery. Raising her head, she saw 41 pairs of eyes looking at her with a wide array of emotions. Fear from a thin boy, interest from another one, disappointment from the blonde moron and finally anger transmitted by the eyes of the old woman.


    "Leilade." She didn''t care what was a sleeping beauty for this world or if it was a tale or a swear. But her name was not enough for the magician and from the looks of it, she will have other things to do.


    "Leilade, tell me, what do you know about magic?" The tone of the elderly mage became sweet like she was talking to her granddaughter finally visiting her. But the content of her sentence grabbed the attention of everyone. Some children began to sneer, what could a country bumpkin like that silent girl know about anything?


    "Nothing." And as expected, that was the only possible answer. Only Oscar Moo knew that she was able to cast a [Fireball] so her words were looking like the truth. Also, she won''t say that she could kill everyone in this room in less than a second even if she had to expend her entire power to do it. That will only be available in the future.


    "I see. So, why did you come here?" Again, the caring sound of a grandmother resonated in the room. By now, a few kids were able to pinpoint the massive issue that Leilade faced. The voice of the magician was friendly; her eyes were the absolute contrary. The group of three in the first row of seats laid back and enjoyed the spectacle.


    "Study magic." The contrast became more and more visible and even Istuienn looked strangely at Leilade, not knowing what to do. For the boy next to her, however, his excitation was rising. He couldn''t wait to see the one that made the princess fall getting humiliated. His only regret was the fact that he was not the one to do it, but in the future, he will not miss an occasion.


    "Can someone learn anything if they are asleep?"


    "No."


    "Exactly what I wanted you to say. Since you said it yourself, you will not complain about that. It is only to help you stay awake." Suddenly, all could hear her say [Ice] and the air surrounding Leilade turned extremely cold. Instantly, all those that were in less than 3 meters away from her escaped and sought warmer seats. To the surprise of everyone, however, Leilade didn''t even move and shrugged it off. It was only a temperature a few degrees under 0¡ãC, so not a huge problem.


    "Can you start the course please?" After all that loss of time, she was getting bored and the teaching magician was not moving at all. Even after her question, the old lady was looking at her like she was a little bit embarrassed. "What did she want me to do? Scream and cower in fear?"


    (Absolutely. But there is no need to show some respect for such an insignificant ant. Also, it is still possible for a normal human to lack the ability to express their feelings.)


    Following the very anti-climactic end of the short duel between a student and a teacher, the calm finally resumed. There were still shocked by the resilience of the small girl with blue eyes and her impassive behavior even under such a cold air. But they were also deeply disappointed, apparently magic was not that powerful. Feeling that she was losing her grip on the attention of the students, the old lady decided to go all out. She lowered the temperature of the entire room near 0¡ãC, making nearly everyone shiver.


    Her smug face after doing it was just annoying for Leilade, but she had no way to put that cocky elder at her rightful place. And from the looks of it, she was not done yet.


    "So, it seems that we have a tough year today. It has been three years since the last moronic kid tried to do a trick on me. Did no one teach you at home to respect your elders and your ancestors? Hum?" She was arrogantly walking around the row of seats, making everyone near her feeling colder. At that time, no one, even Istuienn and Leodagan dared to raise their eyes in front of her. As for Leilade, she resumed her small sleep, since she had nothing else to do. The veins on her forehand were pulsating at that sight but the guilty party was the only one not affected by her wrath. Also, one proud and enamors boy with red hair decided to do something even more stupid. Contradicting the angered magician.


    "Not everyone has a parent." By whatever was driving him at that time, Ronald stood up alone against the evil tyranny. The eyes of many turned in awe from that feat and a certain princess was in the lot. But the children of magicians and magus internally sneered at that act. They were surprised by the outcome of the punishment of Leilade but she already showed that logic was highly ineffective on her. But for Ronald, he will be sent as a tribute to appease the tyrant.


    "Shut up smelly brat! Did I allow you to talk?" Putting her sight on the foolish kid, she made sure to not harm the close Istuienn. She knew who that girl was and while she could put the little girl in a small discomfort, she couldn''t harm her at all. But for the commoner, no rules were applied. Suffering the exact treatment that Leilade received, his body turned blue in a few seconds. Snow and ice were covering his face, his mouth, his eyebrows, his hair. If it lasted one more minute, the boy will be turned into an ice sculpture.


    "But I am a merciful goddess, if you apologize, I will stop." She was saying this, but even talking was extremely hard for Ronald. He truly didn''t expect that he will be made a scapegoat. He looked with hatred at the sleeping girl in the back of the room, but what he was experiencing was too much. He felt the hand of Istuienn on his right arm and warmth spread in his limb. He saw her shaking her head but there was no disapprobation in her eyes. Sensing that he will lose nothing by surrendering, he tried to bow but realized that his legs were frozen.


    " I .. apolo ¡­ gize ¡­ vene ¡­ rable ¡­ magi ¡­ cian¡­" Snorting at his answer, the old lady released her prey and got back at her desk. She had her fun for the last ten minutes, but if someone entered the room and asked about the progress she made, she will be put in a bad spot. It was the first day and the schedule was pretty tight, meaning that before the next day, she couldn''t do anything unusual. Smiling in front of the scared kids, she finally started to work.


    "The level of behavior is degrading after each year. Truly a pity that no one seems exceptionally bright. Anyway, I am the magician of the 4th Circle Ella Romba. And the one in charge of your general knowledge. Unlike the rest of the teachers, you will only see me one year at most. Yeah, yeah, keep your sighs for yourself maggots, I will not let a single one of you pass without imparting some common senses in your empty skulls. Because you think that a lot of magicians want to deal with a pain in the ass like you fools?"


    She scanned the room and saw nothing but obedient children looking at her in fear. Glad of this, she resumed her monologue.


    "What is the purpose of general knowledge some of you are thinking? Well, for most noble children, it will be quite easy and I will let you out of my class as soon as possible. Some sons of merchants and wealthy families might be in the same case or even more informed since your parents truly need reliable information. As for the commoners and the ¡­" She rushed toward Ronald and held her face right in front of him. "¡­ orphans, you will stay with me for a very long time. Enjoy it, cause you gonna have a bad time."


    Her foul language at the end made everyone realized that the sooner they left this crazy woman, the better it will be. Especially Ronald, the moment the teacher turned around to sit down, he looked at Istuienn, hoping that she will save him. Leialde couldn''t hear the conversation, but she guessed that this handsome boy will have some private sessions with the princess. Just thinking about that sickening situation made her nauseated. Another boy was feeling the same but he was also glad that his father engaged numerous private teachers before this.


    "Anyway, we are late on the schedule, but you will stay with me a little while I think. If I remember, I should have two hours to see who will be the lucky and unlucky ones. I won''t have to explain to you who will be the lucky, right? Let me first count how many worms I have to train." She evilly grinned once more while starting with Jorien.


    "One ¡­ Two ¡­ Five ¡­ Four ¡­ Five ¡­ Six ¡­" At that time, Leilade and the group of three noticed that this old lady truly had a problem with the number three. The rest of the class was also puzzled by it, but who would dare to ask her face to face why she was doing that. Even the suicidal Ronald was trying to reduce his size when the old finger of the magician passed near him.


    "¡­ Forty ¡­ and finally, forty-one." She stopped behind Leilade that was in the same position as before. She could easily sense the anger growing behind her but she didn''t care. At the same time, this course will probably the only important one she had to listen. The rest will be about magic and stuff relevant to that domain, not something that she was desperately in need. She will look around, see if something was advanced or not, but it will be the end of her attention. But what that old Ella Romba will say was extremely important and will be transmitted as soon as possible at Malakov and Ymir.


    "Great, now let me test you a bit. Who can tell me what were the Five Great Calamities of the past millennia?"


    Hearing this, Leilade immediately straightened her back and listen carefully. She had some knowledge, but it was only folklores and tales about those three events. Two were immediately connected to the dark gods and the last was of a similar form. But even with all those supposedly immense powers, the 3 Great Calamities were all avoided or destroyed. Meaning that something powerful was guarding this planet. Noticing Leodagan that was raising his hand, she found for the first time that this son of magus was not that bad.

 37 The Fiv... Three Great Calamities

    "Are you sure it is the Five Great Calamities and not the Three Great Cala¡­ "


    THOMP


    The moment he started talking, all could see the old lady preparing a small snowball that was instantly launched on the forehead of Leodagan. Truth to be told, he did seek that punishment since all the noble children knew about the Three Great Calamities. Pointing the fact that this teacher was messing around with the number three and five was a deadly mistake and the son of magus ended up paying the price. He nearly knocked his head backward but his two friends managed to catch him before that potential accident. None dared to laugh at that sight and they were more and more convinced to get the hell out of this class as soon as possible.


    "Besides the arrogant brat, anyone wants to try his luck?" She created more and more projectiles, from the same snowball that would only hurt a bit to a true ice shard that will be extremely painful to the receiver. The back of many kids was filled with cold sweats and a major part of the seated students tried to appear as small as possible. Seeing this, Owen had no choice but to step up before the fourth calamity arrived for them.


    "From the dawn of mankind, numerous threats plagued the different nations and sometimes even brought the ruin and the destruction of the latter. But only three events were so important that the entire world was riddled with war and death. The main issue with those three terrible events is the fact that the memories and the writings about the most ancient calamity are nearly gone. The second and potentially most important of the three was spread enough thanks to the bards and musicians but numerous names and locations during those dark times are still missing from the archives. That''s why it is difficult to really tell what happened."


    His calm and collected voice manage to reassure the different children in the room. Even the teacher was visibly less angry and began to sit down at her desk, not blatantly threatening her students.


    "Good voice sweet boy, you can continue your tale. At least you are better than your friend."


    Talking about Leodagan, he had a huge red mark on his face, proof that the snowball was not as light as it seemed. Owen tried to search in his memory for a short time what happened thousands of years ago but only found a few things. Since it was the case, he didn''t dwindle any longer and start his story.


    "The most ancient Great Calamity was called the Age of Fire. It was at the beginning of our society and the humans were not yet divided into multiple nations. There was no war in the same sense that it has today but sometimes, the human tribes fought for water, food, women. The existence of magician was not even really known and those capable of manipulating the elements were often seen as gods. It is hard to know, but it is speculated that we already knew about numerous non-human races like the dwarves, the elves, the djinns, the vampires and such. However, like us, they were very few in numbers and the world was in a sense of relative peace."


    The more Leilade listen, the more she knew it was entirely true. She was the only one in this room that understood what this planet was, a world entirely designed by the Ancients. All of them always served a purpose, whether it was to try a new species in a controlled environment or another experiment like that. Most of the time, the smartest beings of the universe started at a very small scale, to not disturb the created environment. The less their actions have a repercussion of the world, the better it was. As for the First Calamity Owen will talk about, she was certain it was the test the Ancients wanted to conduct.


    "But everything changed when the mana suddenly run amok. It was not immediately known by the humans, but soon, the plants and the animals changed in a drastic way. Previously harmless rabbits turned into true killing machines, with sharp teeth and pointy ears. They could leap about ¡­ great distances. I don''t know why one of the few texts still conserved detailed those mutated rabbits so much, but apparently, they were deadly foes. In the end, however, the previous preys turned into ferocious predators and the magical beasts were born. After all those years, we managed to reduce their numbers but there are still some regions totally under the control of such monsters. It was, in that regard, called the Age of Monsters."


    The youngest descendant of a magus stopped talking for a bit and looked at the old woman Ella Romba. She harbored a huge smile and seemed quite happy by what he told to the class. But she still complained a bit about some part. It was still impressive for such a young boy to have learned so much about ancient times and since it was the case, she decided to change the tale-teller.


    "Ok, the sweet boy was fine, who will talk about the next calamity? Arrogant boy? Or the dwarf next to him?"


    The dwarf that was called like that was Jorien that was fuming internally.She knew she was small, but not that small to be called a dwarf. She was ten but even smaller than Leilade, but she knew that everyone grew up at a different pace, hers was just a little slower. After that insult, she still stood up and angrily describe the Second Great Calamity.


    "We don''t know how much time passed between the two events, but it was at least one thousand years. During that time, mankind managed to federate themselves around leaders and the Oracle talked about the future with each of them. For our case, it was about the Minalcar Teldil ruling Masslaia and the Gwendhir defending it."


    Jorien looked at Istuienn while saying this. It directly concerned the princess that was half listening half sleeping. She probably knew about that but was still very rude with that attitude. Even the mysterious girl with boy clothes at the back of the room was listening attentively. So why the princess was in that mood, no one knew and no one could do a single thing about it. Getting angrier for no reason Jorien resumed her monologue.


    "As for the other nations, only the prediction about the Kingdom of Pankow was later known. The last surviving knights talked about their downfall. Seven dark stars will roam the world and only death will let you live. The seven stars referred to the seven Dark Gods and the latter part of the sentence described the undead state of that kingdom. Now, the former friends with the dwarves are all skeletons, lich, ghouls and other monstrosities. But that''s not all that happened."


    She noticed that unlike her brother, she was messing up her story. She hadn''t even started and she already talked about the end of one nation. Pulling herself together, she started once again.


    "The denomination of that calamity was the Age of Darkness. One day, without any warning, a huge roar resonated all across the world. Whether it was the orcs from the West, the vampires from the South, the humans, the dwarves, the dragons, everyone heard it. During a few days, panic was spreading and every power tried to uncover the reason of that roar. Whatever was powerful enough to produce such a loud sound was probably capable of annihilating a nation by itself. After all those searches, however, instead of finding it, the Kingdom of Pankow found near the border between our two nations a group of seven monsters. Only one magus of the 8th Circle managed to survive. But I shouldn''t say it like that, how can I tell it?"


    The little kid was trying to convey her thoughts and while some understood what she meant, the commoners were totally lost. For them, no one was of the 8th Circle so why the ancient people were that powerful compared to the current state of the Massalia Kingdom?


    "Okay little dwarf, let me take it from here. The principle of the Magic Circles is just a denomination created by ourselves to differentiate two magicians. As you can guess, it is based on the strongest magic ever known. So, before the arrival of the Dark Gods, only the magic of the dragons was considered as the strongest and those getting close to it were the 8th Circle magus. However, after the Age of Darkness, all the magicians and magus, supervised by the Archmage himself, were reunited in a conclave to change that notation. The former 8th Circle was turned into 6th Circle. Yes, you heard it right, the current 10th Circle is someone capable of fighting head to head against the dark gods by himself. Not like what we did when we threw dozens of millions of lives just to hurt them. Now, you can keep going little dwarf."


    The previously lost students all harbored a look of understanding. It made sense to update the system if the system is not relevant anymore. So if previously the strongest being was a magician but after that, someone came and crush that very dragon in one attack, that someone became the strongest being. They applied the same reasoning for the Magic Circles. For Leilade however, that information made her curious. Because, she imagined that herself when the Demonic Energy will be spread, will probably be at least a 10th Circle magus for the humans. So the dark gods were beings of her caliber.


    "After that, the group of monsters split up and rampaged everywhere they went. No one was spared and blood flooded the plains and the fields. A week after that, twelve beings were blessed by a light coming from the Heavens. That was the only logical explanation. But that light was not biased by any means, meaning that those twelve beings were from different origins. All controlled a huge power in their own faction. One was a vampire, only his name was known, Count Von Kruger. Two dwarves, Vosni¡­


    "You can skip the names, otherwise, we will never end this." The old lady cut Jorien in her speech but what she said made sense, who cared about the names?


    "Ok, one vampire, two dwarves, two elves, one orc, one troll, five humans. Those twelve became the Heroes and were granted exceptional strength, agility, intelligence, wisdom and such. It was necessary to fight the powerful Dark Gods. Unfortunately, even with all that cooperation, the number of Heroes surviving were very low. Three people managed to not succumb immediately to their wounds, one was the prince of the Massalia Kingdom, Guillaume Minalcar Teldil. Another one was the dwarf Vosnik SharpEye and the last was a former noble of the Kingdom of Pankow, the Archmage Wilhelm."


    She finished by that but Leilade was extremely displeased by it. Contrarily to her brother, Jorien was incapable of doing a good job of telling a story. She passed the descriptions of the Dark Gods and didn''t even talk about the disasters that occurred. Also, she was familiar with the term 13 Heroes so why here there were only 12 Heroes? Feeling something weird with either her memories or the incomplete truth that she listened, she asked her question.


    "So why did I hear about the 13 Heroes?"

 38 Masaka, the Underlord

    Everyone turned around to see Leilade causing a ruckus. Numerous group of students chatted between themselves at the incoming incident that will soon happen. They had realized that if it wasn''t for causing a lot of troubles, that strange girl with a cheerful face and a cold personality will not move. However, to their surprise, the teacher was not even mad or angry but smiled at the question.


    "Arrogant brat, how many people were blessed by the gods?" Leodagan was caught by surprise and took a little time to answer.


    "Twelve beings, only twelve blessings were given on this world, to our knowledge." He couldn''t help but say that last sentence. The so-called blessings were quite visible and even people farther than a few kilometers could see the change of atmosphere and light present during the blessing. In that way, even the orcs and the trolls told the other races about it, but it was not impossible for other monsters or foreign races to receive one. It was just that no one told them about it.


    "So, we have twelve blessings and therefore twelve Heroes, does everyone with their small little brain can understand this?" The old woman Ella Romba looked coldly at everyone and some children couldn''t help themselves but nod at her interrogation. They were heavily pressured by her intimidating presence. However, she changed right away and still answered Leilade.


    "However, there is someone called the 13th Hero for a simple reason. He was a criminal, a murderer, an arsonist, there wasn''t a single crime he hadn''t commit. One day, after a battle that managed to slay one of the seven dark gods, an artifact of immense power fell in front of him. Blinded by greed and lust for power, he took the artifact and wore it on his right hand. The black gauntlet fused with his body and his madness was released. What no one could have thought would be that the resilience and mental fortitude of that lowly scum was so important that he suppressed the artifact. After that, he helped greatly the true Heroes and was even named the 13th Hero. Like you can guess, that nice tale gave birth to the idea of the 13th Legion. However, for that man, he was still a criminal in the end. After the calamity, he was hunted down and killed, as he deserved."


    To the children, it was a brutal story. They hadn''t thought that someone who would help the Heroes, fight against the Dark Gods and survive will then be hunted and killed like a dog. However, Leilade noticed that the old lady was visibly pissed at the end like something was not as simple as being hunted and killed. Either that man was not really captured at all, or they never got the artifact of great power she was talking about. "How many things are similar to that description?"


    (So, something shaped as a gauntlet, giving immense power, increasing the mental instability of the bearer but not in an uncontrollable frenzy. Quite a lot correspond to that description, it is just the measure of the power granted that differs. If it is as that senile elder says, it was just enough for that man to help the Heroes, not fight at an equal stand with the dark gods. Some Ak?ls like to wear power fists instead of swords or axes. It could be something like that. But by now, there is a possibility that we are not the first at being teleported on this planet.)


    "Yes, that Age of Monsters looked like an experiment from the Ancient, but the Dark Gods are clearly alien forces barging in without a proper plan. Splitting forces like that, getting apparently picked off one by one. Also, there are some gods watching this world and they are potentially already watching us. That will be a bit more problematic, especially if they start giving blessings left and right."


    Like everyone in the Demonic Army, Leilade served the Demon Gods. They could be considered as Great Gods compared to most of the leeches that suck the energy from a planet. The reason for their greater strength is the nourishment they received after all these years. Whenever someone with their mark dies or kill something, they can collect its soul. Of course, they won''t be as stupid as feeding on their precious believers and most of the time, Leilade had no problem saving someone like Agnil the master dwarf. But if the dead is just a lowly grunt or cannon fodder, then the Demonic Gods will immediately gather its energy.


    Every god is doing it and the more they collect, the bigger they can reward their believers. It is a virtuous circle, but the problem is the faith or the thing that makes people believing in them. Most of the gods are just opportunistic pricks that find a religion without a true god behind it and pass as him. That''s the case on a normal planet and those beings completely made of energies are a great source of mana when they are captured. Normally, she should have made Leilade happy since she would have eaten a portion of that god, but this time, it was cumbersome.


    Twelve blessings at the same time and that was enough to kill the seven Dark Gods. Either multiple gods work with each other, a behavior in total contradiction with their purpose of stealing everyone soul or one god was really powerful. At least, capable of threatening her and her group. At the same time, she could fool mortals and hide her true appearance but her crude illusion could be dispelled by any god if he wished it. She so deep in her thoughts that she didn''t hear anything after that. Only after a very long period where she tried to see if a god was messing with her did she raised her head and see that the course was nearly finished.


    (Short story, they think they are the good guys and there are some clear differences between what was told and the final result. Especially the end of the Kingdom of Pankow, there is something fishy there. After that, apparently, an elder lich woke up in the desert of the Synnada Empire, proclaiming to claim this land for its master. The lich was called Ptolekh, his master should be Ma''aka, the Underlord. However, this lord should be one of the dark gods but I have no recollection of someone like that in the Demonic Army. Even Ptolekh is foreign for me but he caused a massive disturbance in the huge Empire, so big that the Republic of Avenio was born because of it. After that, it was some useless talk about writing and reading for commoners.)


    Following the report of the Viscount, she tried to remember the two names she got. Ma''aka and Ptolekh didn''t ring any bell to her either but it was expected. She knew they were foreigners like her, but not necessarily from the same nation. "As for the dates?"


    (Thousands of years for the Age of Darkness and less than four hundreds of years for the Birth of the Lick King. Yes, the one responsible for that name was clearly too enthusiastic.)


    Leilade shook her head at this name. She wasn''t the best at naming things, but that name was still weird. However, the rest of the class was fine with that, not that it really mattered. Since it was a part of the lesson that was so interesting that even some nobles were sleeping, she decided to do that same. She wondered what will be the notification for the end of class.


    "[Cold Wind]."


    She got it. A violent squall was spreading in the large room, entering even the tight clothes of the boys. That instantly woke up everyone that was lazing on their desks and even caught by surprises the three in front and the princess.The old woman grinned at the sight of the screaming and sobbing girls and some of the frailest boys. It was a wonder how such a sadistic magician managed to be allowed to teach the new students. Or maybe it was exactly that reason.


    "SHUT UP MAGGOTS!" Once again, another back and forth between the teacher making everything to make the children scream and cry and right after that, her loud shout to silence them. Besides some late to understand that got a very special treatment, everyone quickly bit their mouths, not daring to make another sound.


    "Apparently, the huge honor of explaining the rest of day was given to me. That old bastard Moo can be considered as an excellent teacher but don''t be a fool. Later, you will understand. Just heed my warning and everything will be fine. Anyway, it is still early in the morning, so you will have your probable favorite class. Magic. Where you will be able to cast a pitiful flame not even capable of warming your hand. For the best of you. As for the afternoon, nothing yet. In the latter days, you will have more things to do, but now, just enjoy your last days of freedom. As for the morons and illiterates, I advise you to start patching your lack of brain now. Now, be gone."


    Her acid tone prompted the kids to not rush outside and they only walk quickly toward the only exit. No one wanted to be detained any longer and only after getting a few meters away did they sigh happily and looked at their cards. Leilade was the last to leave but the first to arrive since it was quite far away. The numerous corridors and stairs coupled with the messy sense of orientation managed to lost half of the class in a few minutes. The huge problem was the tri-dimensional arrows on the card. In the end, she arrived on the second floor and at the very end of the corridor, alone. It took a few seconds for the three descendant of the magus to leave the stairs and march toward her.


    After that, they waited a minute or so, in an awkward silence. They had no instructions this time, so they had no idea if they could enter right away or had to wait for everyone. Also, Jorien was a bit embarrassed by their behavior under the tree and after that, the petty trap that they created for the silent girl, even if it clearly backfired on them. Unlike Leodagan, the two siblings didn''t have a lot of prejudges about the commoners, besides their complete lack of etiquette and knowledge. So, Jorien tried to make peace with Leilade.


    "Hum, sorry about what we said." As she apologized, only two cold blue eyes stared at her. She couldn''t help but feel that she was looking at a monster that was capable of eating her alive without any problem. She froze on the spot and only because Leodagan exclaimed about the incoming Ronald and Istuienn did she managed to wake up. She quickly diverted her gaze away from Leilade and saw the slightly worried face of her brother. Only after noticing her cold sweats dripping from her forehead did she swipe them off. During the entire time where the rest of the children arrived, she didn''t look at Leilade once.

 39 What are the Magic Circles?

    After that very friendly interaction between the two shortest girls of the group, the door was finally opened on a familiar face. How did that old man found out that everyone had finally arrived was a mystery for the moment but they could finally enter the room. It was highly similar to the one on the ground floor, by being an amphitheater with a lot of desks. It was therefore logical that this room was placed above the previous one, albeit two floors above. Otherwise, the last row would have been too high and it probably meant that there was nothing on the first and third floor to accommodate the space required.


    Taking the exact same places, they left, the children were a lot calmer than after their breakfast. The cold and cruel woman taught them to stay still and don''t even say a single word. Seeing them quite traumatized, Oscar Moo harbored his gentlest smile. Unfortunately, instead of reassuring the little kids, that scared them even more. Shaking his head, he began his speech.


    "Welcome back, I hope that the last class was enjoyable. She can be a little severe but Ella Romba is extremely good at inculcating important notions into the brains of young students. As for her methods, if you think that they are overboard, you can always complain about them to Alexander Arastil."


    After saying this, nearly everyone looked at the son of the magus but instead of seeing a proud face, they saw his visibly scared attitude. Realizing that if even the son of that man was scared of complaining about her with his father, they wouldn''t even dare to do it. At the same time, it made sense that complains and critics without fundaments would be badly received, at best.


    "Since we are past this, you will have to suffer the company of the wonderful magician Romba for a little while. She probably hasn''t said it yet, but you can take a certain test whenever you want. If you manage to succeed, you won''t have to see her ever again. But if you fail HoHoHo."


    His sadistic laugh at the end sent more shivers into the hopeful children. Linking the terrible comportment of the old lady and the fact that they tried to escape her grasp, it didn''t take long for even the dumbest kid to understand that whoever failed the test will have a really bad time. For the commoners, it was like the sun had pierced for a second through the clouds but the sky turned black right away and a storm was coming. As for the nobles and son of mages, they were counting the days before they will try their luck. Especially the group of Jorien, Owen and Leodagan. They already knew about that test and by the end of the week, they will do it.


    "But let''s not talk about that horrible harpy, I mean generous colleague. Forget also history, writing, reading and those boring stuff. No, let''s talk about what everyone is seeking here. Magic. Which is also linked with power, wealth, nobility and respect. For those that will not be able to reach the 4th Circle, your future will be a little bit limited. But for the rest, you will be able to speak with some of the most important people of this country, even the Sword Saint or the king. Because you have something that they won''t ever be able to have. [Fireball]"


    A huge fireball appeared in the hand of the old man. Compared to the tiny flame Leilade created back in the countryside, there was no comparison. The fire was levitating ten centimeters above the hand of the mage and the ball was at least a meter tall. Leilade couldn''t feel the heat since she was very far from it, but she was quite certain that the first row of desks was feeling a little bit hot. As expected, she saw the group of three casting some minor spells to reduce the heat. However, since she was able to notice that, Oscar Moo also did.


    He approached the son of Alexander and extended his hand near the face of the arrogant boy. Instead of submitting as he did in front of the terrifying Ella, he stood in front of the old man, defying him to do more. The duel kept going for a few more seconds until Jorien grabbed the shoulder of Leodagan and hide him behind her. His face was extremely red and he was sweating a lot, visibly affected by the intense flame. Seeing the state of the young boy, Oscar extinguished his spell and returned to his initial position. That was until he heard a snicker behind him.


    "[Wind blade]."


    A tuft of red hair fell on the ground near an astonished boy. Ronald made too much noise and neither he or Istuienn saw the very quick movement of the old man. Even if Oscar had a huge disagreement with Alexander and that he dislikes the arrogant sons of nobles and magicians, he would only scare them. But what he hated the most was the people cursing in the back of others or attacking from behind. Leaving a deep impression on the rest of the kids, they swore to themselves to never make their crazy teachers angry. Whether it was the angry crazy old woman or the friendly crazy old man.


    "As I said, you have the power to create something from nothing. Well, not exactly nothing, but something at the same time invisible and visible, immaterial and material. Even after thousands of years where all the races studied that energy, no one managed to truly understand it. All we managed to do is using some tricks to acquire its power and use it as we wished and when we wanted. You might have noticed your young peers or even true magicians like myself say something when we casted our spells. That is one of the tricks I talked about. Before I talk more profoundly about that, does anyone have a question? I know you are all very curious about magic, so that''s why it is better than I answer your most basic interrogations now, to not let you deviate from the right path."


    Oscar looked earnestly at his students but for a small period of time, only an embarrassing silence was present. Some didn''t need to ask anything while the rest was too scared to do it. Since it was a pure waste of time, Leilade began to think about a good first question. She complained at the Viscount about the total lack of guts and courage that those kids were showing. Discussing a bit, they found an appropriate interrogation.


    "What are the Magic Circles?" Her cold voice resonated in the silent room and the eyebrows of Oscar moved a bit at the sound of her voice. He recognized her but he hadn''t had the time to talk with her before the class started. When he went to Alexander for the issue of her potential, all he received was rebuttal upon rebuttal. The magus let nothing passed and stick to his original affirmation, even after Oscar explained his first encounter. That left the old man with a bad taste in the mouth and he took revenge on his son, without going too much overboard. So when he heard her talking, he got a little bit happier since she, as a small girl, was even more composed than the rest of the class.


    "That''s a very good question. For some, it is just a notion. This magician is a 2nd Circle magician, oh, that one, he is from the 3rd Circle. But what do they truly mean? Normally, you should have already talked a bit about the Great Calamities, am I right?"


    Un-Un


    Some mumblings could be heard but the intonation was closer to a yes than a no. No matter what would have happened, Oscar would have continued nonetheless.


    "So, you may have talked about the change of the Magic Circles before and after those dark events?"


    Un-Un


    A bigger commotion arose and some clear "Yes" could even be heard. One of them was the now smiling Istuienn that from the looks of it, loved that interaction. She had recovered from the shock of the cutting wind, unlike her companion that was still a little bit pale.


    "So, since you know those two things, you already realized that it is just a notion created by the humans for the humans. If something even stronger than the dark gods arrived and casted a sortilege more destructive than theirs, the notation will once again change. However, since that''s the case, we probably won''t be able to do that." The old teacher looked a bit depressed while saying this, prompting the motivated princess to inquire about it.


    "But why? Since we managed to do that after the dark gods, why would we be incapable of doing it once again?" Oscar sighed at her pondering face and felt that he was a bit too pessimistic. But that was a truth established after those centuries of studying. If something stronger really appeared, the world would be doomed.


    "Because they were capable of manipulating space as they wished. So, if something stronger than that was facing us, how hopeless the situation will be?"


    Shock quickly spread among the students and this time, Leilade was also part of it. The Dark Gods were capable of manipulating space but still were taken down? Ignoring the visible advantage that this type of magic brought to the caster, something capable of preventing such magic was the appanage of only a few selected races. All were created by the Ancients but besides the traces of their creators, there was no trace of them. At the same time, this information needed to be given to Malakov as soon as possible, since those races were capable of hunting their small group of unharmed combatants without a problem.


    Oscar kept talking about how the numerous conclave of magicians talked and talked about the numerous spells and their might before classing people into different categories. Those that had the knowledge, the affinity and the skill to cast a certain spell would be considered as a magician of that Circle. He was also explaining how a stronger magician could use a lesser spell more efficiently, like his [Fireball] would be stronger than a [Fireball] created by Leodagan. He concluded by explaining how only the way a magician was manipulating the mana around him dictated how strong he was.


    While this could have interested greatly Leilade and the Viscount, right now, the two of them were heavily debating whether they should try to communicate right now with a big risk or wait a few hours for the lunch. The debate was won by the bodiless soul when he pointed the fact that to the knowledge of the humans, they won against the Dark Gods only because of the Heroes. And therefore, the spatial magic was visibly countered by either them or the gods watching them.


    For a being made of energy like a god, to be able to temporarily prevent the use of the mana surrounding a being is a possibility. At the same time, it was not known if those legends were capable of even harvesting the strange mana created by the Ancients. If that was the case, the most probable outcome would be the fact that in the end, the foreigners of this world run out of mana and couldn''t cast a spell. Even if all of this was only speculations from the two of them, the possibility of any of those peculiar races to be present was too dangerous to not be transmitted.


    Leilade listened with only one ear the rest of the course and when Oscar dismissed them, he didn''t even have the time to call her name that she was already gone. The old man grumbled a bit about the hot-blooded youngster but had no choice to acknowledge the fact that he had no way to catch her. As for Leilade, she didn''t care at all and rushed immediately to her room where she fool-proofed her surroundings. Carefully probing one last time the archaic magical detectors to not be detected, she established a mental contact with her servant.

 40 The Library of Massalia

    "I understand, Mistress, it will be done. If they truly exist, Kardel will find the truth and hunt them down. As for our side, the production of some basic alloys composed of that strange iron has already started. But even with the help of master Agnil, we still don''t have the knowledge to do anything more advanced. Does anyone else managed to survive the travel?"


    After thinking about it, Leilade remembered that only one weapon master survived and another engineer. Alas, the two of them were in the most critical state and it won''t be some fruits filled with magic that will heal their injuries. Traveling to the Soul of Vault inside her, she checked one more time the state of everyone. Thankfully, there were no changes in the dormant souls and the rate of their decay was still manageable. She spared a bit of her weak reserves to stabilize the two spirits sought by Malakov and also the chief Lucius. If he was seeing the numerous vegetables in the canteen, maybe he will be able to raise their output.


    "Yes, but they won''t be able to help any of us before sometimes. Unless some stupid humans appeared near you and you captured them?"


    "Unfortunately no, there were two magicians that came from the direction you left, but because of the numerous living beings nearby, I didn''t attack them. They were quite weak but would still be able to fight for a few seconds, provoking an unwanted ruckus. As for the rest, it appears that they only sent some elites. The external operations had to be canceled and I only let my undead work inside the mountain."


    "Good, don''t be found. Especially if those races are present. Contact me in a week if there are no changes."


    "Yes, Empress."


    The communication was canceled and soon, the atmosphere inside the small room turned normal again. Since she was the one that casted the spell, she couldn''t conceal all the traces left by it and had to resort to those magical protections. After everything that happened, however, she felt no distortion inside the Academy and absolutely no reaction whatsoever. Feeling a bit relieved, she left her room and climb down the stairs to enter the canteen once more.


    Unlike the early morning, nearly everyone was present at this hour of the day. She could see countless students wearing their uniforms and even some mages. Many groups were happily chatting and eating, including Jorien, Owen and Leodagan and the two lovebirds. Her huge portion of food still draw a few stares but it was not the same amount than when she ate five times the amount of food a normal human takes. She found an empty table and quickly finished eating before leaving the building.


    Right now, they had the entire afternoon for themselves and the most important thing to do would be to find the library. Since she had absolutely no idea where that room was, she had to resort to returning to the other building where they were having their courses. In the hall that was a little deserted since everyone was eating, she finally found a map. On it was described each floor and it didn''t take her long to notice the enormous room that was going underground.


    It was the biggest of the entire Academy, at least two times the size of the canteen and it descended in the ground. With their proficiency at utilizing magic, they probably had no problem dealing with the humidity and the temperature that an underground room would have. Turning around to walk toward her destination, she passed by two older students each carrying a book in their hands. Hearing their discussion, she heard them talking about the new students and some lecherous comments on the princess. They were already imagining her at the age of her sister and apparently since they met the latter, they were hoping for the best. Since it was in one of the farthest locations of the building, she followed them steadily.


    At first, the two young men didn''t notice her but it was near impossible for a normal human to not feel a presence following him for a long period of time. Right before the three arrived in front of the library, one of the two older students turned around and looked at Leilade.


    "Ok, listen boy ¡­ eh ¡­ boy? Girl?" He looked at his friend that was also slightly perplexed. Leilade was still dressed as a boy but her face was also quite feminine. However, it was not impossible to not be able to distinguish the sex of a child at her age. They couldn''t help but feel a bit embarrassed at their initial mistake.


    "Girl?" "Girl?" The two of them looked at each other once more and nodded.


    "Ok, little girl, what do you want to do?" They harbored a big smile on their two faces and were looking nothing like their embarrassed attitude two seconds earlier. Seeing that, Leilade had no choice but to answer them since they were blocking her way.


    "I want to go to the library." Her cold voice but entirely girly made the two men smile even more. One of them even blinked at his companion as they succeeded at something. She wondered how she managed to meet the only two morons that could be proud of guessing the sex of a kid. Because it was visible that they were proud of their guess.


    "Ah don''t worry, we will accompany you to the library, it is quite hard to find it. But with us, you will have no proble¡­" He stopped when the other teenager poked with his finger at his face. After that, he turned around and saw him pointing at the door literally three meters away with a huge title "Library" above. He had forgotten that they were close to it and was about to brag too much for nothing.


    The childish behavior of those two young men that should probably be of the same as the princess Muirn? was definitely not making Leilade laugh. As the two were quarreling for nothing, she bypassed them and entered the room. Inside, she saw an old man sleeping on his chair. He looked quite similar to the old man Moo and was the perfect illustration of a magician. Old, with a big white beard and a little senile.As she got closer to him, she could hear him snoring a bit but it was only audible from a close distance. Raising her head, she saw numerous lights, not naturals. Instead of having some windows, only those weird globes of light were providing her enough light to clearly see.


    As she left him and entered one of the numerous sections with shelves filled with books, she saw the two older students entering the room. They were visibly pissed off and just left their books near the head of the old man. After that, they left without saying another word. So, this sleeping elder was probably in charge of managing the books. But Leilade thought that he probably wasn''t the one that put the books back at their place.


    To her surprise, she found that the room was well ordered and had a clear distinction between a lot of subjects. The first level was primarily composed of common knowledge and the descriptions of basic commodities. There were even some books filled with tales and stories written by numerous bards and minstrels. However, when she tried to take the stairs to go underground, she was blocked by another wooden door. Sensing the same mechanism that all those wooden doors shared, she tried to put her card near it, but there were absolutely no changes. Not feeling downhearted since it was predictable, she turned her sight to the books at her disposal.


    She started with the origin of this world and kept reading about the rest of the history. As she kept doing this, she couldn''t help but notice that what Ella Romba said was true. A lot of parts of the ancient times were never described or so slightly that it was useless. As for the Age of Darkness, it was the same subjective point of view. Meaning that the fall of the Kingdom of Pankow was mentioned as a minor fact and the importance of the Hero from the Massalia Kingdom was greatly inflated.


    Whether it was because those books were only at the first level or the truth was hidden outside of the library, she was certain that she won''t have all the information she sought. Nonetheless, she spent the rest of the day inside the room, reading at a speed so fast that from the outside, she looked like she only turned the page and never actually read them. Hopefully, for her, no one bothered to look at her and the rare people that entered the room immediately rushed toward the lower levels without bothering her.


    "Humpf Humpf" She heard a grumbling behind her and saw the old man that was sleeping earlier. He was looking at her visibly displeased for no reason since she had done nothing wrong. She looked around her and even if there was a pile of book around, they were neatly ordered. She thought about the time that she spent here and it was probably very late. Closing the book she had in her hands, she picked up the pile of books and started to put them at their rightful place. The old man conserved his disapproving stare during the entire time and even when she was getting close to the exit, he kept following her.


    When she finally got outside, she saw the two moons above her. She had barely read a small portion of the number of books at her disposal, meaning that she will have to keep doing this for some weeks. Taking her time to eat in the near-desert canteen, she was planning the rest of her infiltration. If she could take the test of that old harpy, she would have even more time at her disposal, only being obligated to follow the course of Oscar Moo. At this point, the next time she will talk with Malakov will probably be the last time before a very long time. Except if a major threat suddenly appeared, she will take a small holiday in that peaceful Academy, waiting for the Demonic Energy to appear.

 41 The Adventures of Davion and Meridiana

    The air was getting colder and colder as the two began to climb further up. Whether it was the carried or the one that was piggybacking her, none of them really felt it. Meridiana was still slightly annoyed by the strong wind blowing on some of her open wounds but it was not hurting her. It has been a few hours since they left the rest of the group and in front of them were standing some very tall mountains.


    They knew that the western part of the Massalia Kingdom was riddled with mountains and snowy peaks and the reason why the Republic of Avenio couldn''t really attack them. There were only three passages that an army could really use and the only one that was taken by the enemy army was the one in the North. At the same time, the closer one was from the fallen Kingdom of Pankow, the less he will be able to see a huge number of soldiers. Because after the fall of that human kingdom and their rebirth as undead, monsters were more in control of the mountains than the civilized nations.


    Albeit to the two commandants of the Demonic Army, they already crossed the territory of multiple groups of creatures, from subterranean threats to aerial predators. And as they kept climbing as fast as they did, their brief passage was tolerated. At one moment, Davion, the Orodil stopped himself and listened to the wind. Meridiana was at first scared of an attack but soon realized that he was just listening. Otherwise, she was certain that he would have dropped her in the snow and launched his assault on the incoming attackers.


    For nearly a minute, he noticed the changes of tonality in the surrounding and even the modulation of the cruel squall of the mountain. He wouldn''t say it to not scare the succubus, but too many beings were communicating about them right now. He was also certain that a few elementals of either snow or ice were heading toward them. Normally, the elementals were peaceful and only attacked after being threatened, but he couldn''t take any risk. The reason for their behavior was the fact that those beings made of sheer energy didn''t need to eat, sleep or even rest. Just by being alive, they will grow stronger and stronger, be able to manipulate their environment with greater mastery. That''s why they don''t seek their death.


    Nature is cruel at the same time, for they are a true treasure cove. Numerous materials are created exclusively by the elementals and even the Demonic Empire had numerous vital infrastructures powered by them. As for the barbarians and lesser monsters, eating or consuming a part of the corpse of an elemental could improve their own body, mind, soul. Elixirs made of the heart of elementals are present in this world, but only in the memory of one soldier. He heard that a few centuries ago, the Archmage sought every heart of elementals older than a century and whoever give him one will be personally taught by him. Two people managed to do it and they reached the 6th Circle even when their talent was non-existent.


    For Davion, it didn''t take very long for him to deduce that the Archmage probably used a bit of the elemental body to grant them the capability to manipulate the same elemental that those monsters. After that, the soldier often dreamed of meeting a dead elemental by luck, even when his vision of the latter was clearly wrong. But for the moment, he couldn''t just hunt them with Meridiana on his back. Even without her, to face a group of ice elementals unharmed, surrounded by snow and a cold wind, was definitely not a healthy thought.


    He started running again, scouting the way and analyzing any bits of information available. Each time there were too many signs of ownership, he took a detour and, in the worst case, ran at full speed before the master of that place noticed them. During nearly two days that would have taken weeks for normal humans, he kept climbing until the slope was finally in their favor. The tired and slightly frozen face of Meridiana smiled at this sight and she already wished they will never take the same route again. However, even a supreme commander like Davion couldn''t avoid everything.


    As he jumped down a cliff of 10 meters in height, the originally sturdy ground filled with rocks suddenly broke down. They fell again, but only a few meters more, ending in a deep hole, twice the size of Davion. They were stunned at that sight but looking around; they realized that it was a true trap made by simple minds. There were no sharp spears on the bottom ready to pierce everything, no poisonous substances to either weaken or even kill them. Just a dumb hole, quite badly shaped with a nice camouflage above. Davion had to recognize that the camouflage was really well made since it fooled him. The little mantle of snow covering everything probably hid the imperfections but the creators of that device still thought of the stones.


    "Ka, Dabak Houshta Gli!"


    A scream of joy in a very guttural and deep tone resonated nearby. It didn''t take a genius to guess that it was related to their unfortunate state. The two foreigners of this world frowned and tried to see if they knew that language. This time, however, they were not betting on the very limited knowledge of the dead soldiers like they usually do. A lot of planets created by the Ancients had the same races present on them. Contrarily to most of the intelligent race like the dwarves or the elves, the monsters were incapable of deviating of their original language. Meaning that in the same world, two humans could have their minds working to create something just for not speaking the same language but that was impossible for most of the monsters, especially the dumber ones.


    "Gli, Gli, Gli, Takra Diramo!"


    From the looks of it, two individuals were conversing but what they were spoking sounded strangely familiar for Davion and Meridiana. Without even seeing their kidnappers, they knew that they were a species of a troll, with near certainty. The words or sounds could have been spoken by something else, but the guttural way they were talking betrayed their origin. It was neither bad nor good news for them since the behavior of a troll is fluctuating between being bloodthirsty and being curious.


    As the two of them were still thinking about their future acquaintances, Meridian couldn''t help but exclaim "Wait for a second, gli is the word for food, right?" That small sentence provoked a match in the memory of Davion and he turned around to see the still perplexed Meridiana. "I know that language, it''s fine." His near permanent impassive face broke into a small smile that flustered the succubus. Right after this, she heard him saying something in a very good imitation of what she previously heard.


    "Nama Dabak Fikarisha Vedigera." Two shouts of surprise could be heard and the trolls answered immediately. "Gli Gorgabak Dake¡­"


    A slap could be heard and the sound of someone hitting the ground followed as well. Apparently, the two were having a disagreement.


    "Ho Gli, Tyro Uhanz!" Unlike her fellow partner, Meridiana was completely lost. She only knew about the word food because she repeatedly heard it from the trolls in the Demonic Army but that was the only word from their original language. Normally, they should have used the intergalactic one but it was still not unusual that in a moment of excitation, some native words could be pronounced. Staring in the eyes of the Orodil, the latter began to explain to her.


    "They were talking about the fact that they hunting and found us as their food. Later, the one that probably got it was scared by the fact that the food was talking. The other one explained that we were not food but humans, translated by uhanz. But the way he talked seems to indicate that he is familiar with some humans, even if it was highly improbable, considering the local environment."


    Right after he finished his explanations, a huge face appeared in the hole above them. The troll had blue skin and numerous layers of ice and snow on him, but apparently, nothing that bothered the monster. He was wearing a heavy armor made of beast skins, probably his prey from the past and was looking weirdly at the two trapped foreigners. He began to converse with Davion and about a minute later, he disappeared from the opening. Before the succubus even started to question that, Davion firmly grabbed her and jumped near effortlessly out of the hole. It was only a few meters but that managed to make the big troll stagger in confusion.


    For him, it was the first time a prey left the hole he took a very long time to dig in the frozen ground so easily. He had killed numerous monsters and beings intelligent enough to not be described by that term thanks to his trap. Looked downward to see his companion, he saw the exact same face completely surprised. Profiting of that moment if confusion, the two commandants of demons examined their friendly trapper.


    Like the rest of his race, he was looking vaguely humanoid and even like a very tall and big dwarf. By that, it meant that he had body disproportionate, with his lower part being very short. For a troll, of course, meaning that while his legs were probably a little more than 1-meter-tall, the entire creature was just a head above Davion. His very tough and resistant blue skin was protecting entirely and his face harboring a big dumb smile was threatening even in that state. From the looks of it, this type of troll didn''t have any hair on their body or what they were capable of seeing outside the skin armor.


    The two ice trolls regained their composure and began to chat with Davion happily and in a short notice, the three of them would have seen like lifetime friends from the outside. Perturbing, even more, the exiled Meridiana that was barely understanding a word once in a while. From what it seemed an eternity from her side, she saw the troll that was previously on the ground pointing in a direction. Tugging some of the clothes of Davion to indicate that she still existed, she saw the Orodil still entirely covered in his clothes excusing himself.


    "So, what is going on?" The slightly exasperated succubus immediately assaulted her protector with questions. She was tired of waiting in the cold for nothing and while it was not threatening, it still caused discomfort for even Davion.


    "We talked about who and what is residing in those mountains. Apparently, it was a good choice to not have gone underground since even the trolls don''t dare to enter the caverns. Before the Dark Gods appeared, numerous races were fighting for the control of the mines. But apparently, a troll became a Eyrro, a term I never heard of. Following this, their race thrived for a small period before the dark gods targeted that part of the world. Now, even after countless suns, some traces of their passage are still present, especially underground. Terrors that shouldn''t have been created in the first place."


    "Did they really talked like that?" As scary their description was, she was confident that whatever was really lurking in the dark caves won''t necessarily be a problem for them. And she was dumbfounded to hear a troll talk in such a descriptive way.


    "No, they are incapable of doing that. It is just my analysis after all they said. Anyway, they pointed toward the shortest path to descend the mountain, but warned me that it is extremely perilous."


    Both of them shrugged at those words. The only reason why she was being carried was that she was far too slow for Davion, but even her would probably be able to cross that mountain without dying. It would only be cumbersome because she would have fought many unnecessary encounters. Right before leaving, Meridiana still asked something that was bothering her.


    "Why did they talked about humans? When they heard you, one said that, why?" Davion raised his hood and looked in the eyes of the succubus. And proceed to say with his most formal tone.


    "They have a deal with a group but after saying this, I couldn''t even get another word from them. All I know is one thing, they called those humans black and white in their language."

 42 Full Recovery

    The rest of the travel was uneventful since Davion was a lot more careful than previously. That didn''t really slow them down too much and a little more than a day after they met the trolls, they finally saw real grass and trees near them. Both of them were tired and Meidiana was complaining that Davion didn''t let her do anything with the friendly monsters. When he retorted that she only thought about it hours later, she had nothing to contradict it. Unlike the Orodil, she didn''t need to always kill her victims and some even found enjoyable the deal that she gave. And by the deal, it meant that they all f¡­


    "Look there." The succubus pointed at the group of armed soldiers that were patrolling nearby. As they just left the cold environment from the mountains, they were still far away from any sign of civilization. They had expected to meet some hunters or other people with a similar job, but not soldiers. And like the two of them noticed the soldiers, the group of ten men were not totally blind. One very large form in the rocky ground was easily spotted and numerous shouts could be heard. Since they had nothing to fear for the moment, Davion stopped walking and waited for the arrival of the humans. Right when they were in dire need of fresh energy, something like that happened. Both the succubus and the orodil looked at each other and nodded in approval.


    Even if the soldiers were running at full speed, they were still desperately slow. The few hundreds of meters were covered in half of a minute, a time that could be considered quite good with their heavy iron armors and equipment. But to the blue man that was capable of jumping casually from a hole of 3 meters, they were only slightly quicker than a snail. Finally, they saw a man still in his prime approaching them with the rest of the soldiers spreading around, to encircle them. No weapons were drawn but if they dared to make any suspicious move, those scared humans will make their move.


    "You have entered the land of the Republic of Avenio, state your name and your race or begone!" The eyes of the man in charge was still a little bit dubious about the situation. He could clearly see the woman with red hair on the back of the creature and while she was visibly injured, she was extremely calm. At first, he imagined that she was captured by the tall monster but it seemed that it was not the case, otherwise she wouldn''t be smiling at them like it was normal. As for the monster in clothes, he was feeling threatened by it. He couldn''t see anything but he didn''t dare to ask him to remove his hood.


    While the sergeant of the small squad was examining the two foreigners, the rest of the soldiers were not faring very well. They were torn apart between the fear of the unknown creature towering on them and the visible beautiful girl on its back. They were capable of containing their lust, but they repeatedly threw a few glances at Meridiana. The latter noticed it and decided to play along.


    "Thank you mister the soldier, we were lost and without your help, one could imagine the terrible fate that would have befallen on us. We are so grateful about it." While she talked, she descended from her position and approached the commanding human. They had no idea that it happened, but in that small time-lapse, Meridiana had morphed from a young looking girl into a plump mature woman. Her previously loose clothes were suddenly tightened around her forms and her entire attitude was the same as a distressed woman extremely grateful to her saviors.


    If it would have been a normal woman, the soldiers would have probably been able to keep their calm, but what they were facing was not even an ordinary succubus. Their menacing stance was already gone and they were drooling at the perfect body of Meridiana. Even the sergeant was stunned and only looked at her with a perverted gaze. Noticing the sudden change of atmosphere, Davion simply retreated and walked past the oblivious humans. Right before getting away, he still made the succubus remembering his presence. "I want 3 of them intact."


    His companion that was seductively undressing winked at him and as she kept murmuring lewd words in the ears of her preys, they finally fell victims of her ploy. A few minutes later, the same young girl with red hair came close to the resting orodil and presented him the three strongest soldiers unconscious. Nothing on either her body or her clothes could have made someone believe what happened a minute ago. Her previous short hair was also now resplendently long and slightly under her shoulders. She also sat down for a minute or so while Davion was slowly eating the brains of the three unfortunate humans.


    Similar to the way the duvodiads are capable of morphing themselves into a copy of actual animals, the succubus are capable of shaping their very bones and skin to have the perfect form for their targets. No one really understands how it is possible, but they have also a very accurate sense of what is that form. There were countless tests and trials to apply this sense in actual combat, like guessing the next magic a magician will use and stuff like that. However, while they are capable of knowing the ideal form of desire for their target, they are just doing that and nothing more. The male counterpart of the succubus, the incubus shares the same properties.


    Coupled with her centuries of experience and the intense training she suffered, to deal with one of the strongest succubus will be extremely hard. Not a lot of races are totally exempt of desires but for those that are not part of that group, a succubus will always be able to find a way. Gathering all the corpses in one big pile, Meridiana casted a flame that consumed everything. The small tricks and charms she threw previously didn''t cost her any mana and with those new offerings, she wasn''t a dead weight anymore.


    "Did they said anything useful?" Davion still interrogated the succubus just in case something strange was happening. That patrol was very far from their base to roam on this inhospitable land. "Not really, just the fact that some soldiers had their rest days canceled and had to come back. Not everyone, however, meaning that it is probably just a precaution." She still managed to get the direction of the nearest city and after stealing the coins on those soldiers, they will probably be fine for the moment.


    The barren plains left the place to a small wood where they saw only a few humans inside it. At the same time, they encounter a few wolves extremely big and traces of mana could be felt leaving their bodies. The moment Davion began to march toward them, however, those terrifying monsters instantly ran away, their tails between their legs. Not bothering to catch them, the group of two kept running toward their goal. Different from the clothes of Leilade that were programmed to be destroyed during her travel, what the two were wearing was more resistant and thanks to the agility of the orodil, mostly intact. Meridian also took great care of not damaging it when she dealt with the horny soldiers.


    Because of that, the more they met humans, the more they saw surprise and wariness but not hostility. They knew that because of their deep friendship with the elves, numerous races were doing business with the Republic of Avenio. Some were still labeled as monsters and exterminated at sight, like goblins, orcs, and even trolls. But the elves and some other humanoids were capable of traveling without getting worried of being enslaved. The only one that truly cut ties with the humans was the dwarves, retrenched in their kingdom in the West. As for why no one that they killed knew that for the moment.


    Profiting from that clemency for strange creatures, Davion and Meridiana arrived at the closest city, named Archet. Before that, however, they had to wait in line at the eastern gate, hearing the complaints from everyone else. To not be too high profile, Meridiana was not carried by the orodil anymore and was just walking side by side. Since she fully recovered, she began to exude her natural charm and the group right behind them was constantly staring at her. Receiving the dark stare of the blue man because of her high visibility, she toned it down and looked only beautiful, not devastatingly gorgeous like before.


    After a dozen minutes, it was finally their turn and as they guessed, they were escorted to the captain for further investigations. Even some wagons were smaller than Davion and since he was totally covered under his clothes, no one was capable of finding his race. Because he was rather slim, they dismissed the idea of him being a troll but it was also causing a headache for the captain. The poor human had never heard about a creature as tall as a troll but nimble like a human. At the same time, it was extremely disrespectful to ask the tall giant in front of him to remove his hood. Recently, some elves were badly treated and the mayor was trying to fix it before it blew out of proportions. The captain had absolutely no intention of creating another incident.


    So, for a few minutes, he only just talked about common topics, like how the weather was very nice recently and stuff like that. Meridiana was the only one talking and while she responded calmly to the questions and didn''t do anything to bewitch the human, the latter was still heavily sweating. As time passed, Davion even began to poke at the succubus to make her stop, prompting the latter to berate him because it was not her fault. But since they both realized that they were not leaving anytime soon, Meridiana was forced to manipulate the man, prompting him to release them. They quickly buggered off before the captain realized what he had done.


    After wasting so much time, they immediately searched for the main plaza of the city. The sun was still up in the sky and they were probably in the middle of the afternoon. For the next few hours, they roamed the city, gathering all the recent news. Thanks to that, when both of them returned to the eastern gate, they found out about the recent increase in price for the weapons and armors. Coupled with their encounter with a patrol near the mountain, they understood that something was brewing inside the republic. As for precise information, they won''t be able to get it just by stalking merchants and listening to drunk soldiers. No, they needed an official status, recognized by the higher-ups.


    Finding the most broken and dirtiest inn of the city, they rent a single room. The shady innkeeper looked with lustful eyes at Meridiana and a few other men that were drinking nearby were sharing the same idea. That was the main reason for choosing such an establishment. Baiting some unconscious preys, not having to pay a lot and be far away from any capable magicians. The moment they locked the frail wooden door and sat on the pitiful bed, Meridiana began to establish a mental connection with Malakov.


    "Ah, Mis¡­, greetings succubus. What did you learn?" The proud voice of the undead resonated in the mind of the succubus. She felt that he was taking control over the spell and she left him to do that. That way, it will reduce the strain on her mana reserves that were not infinite.


    "A few things. The mountains separating the two countries are apparently filled with deadly monsters but we were fine, so it is probably not that scary. At the same time, it still took us nearly four days to cross it. Also, the Republic of Avenio is acting weirdly, the prices of numerous weapons, armors, potions and other things related to fighting are skyrocketing. However, the reason for that is unknown, probably related to our arrival but could be something else." She waited for a few seconds until Malakov started talking.


    "I see, so you can''t get anything more until you are known. I guess your plan is related to the adventurers or something like that. Well, you will be pleased to learn that we found a few metal veins that made master Agnil very pleased. So, to make it big instantly, instead of going naked like you are, I suggest you come back. I can''t promise anything close to anything we had on Artosis, but we should still be able to do something good. If that''s all, I expect you in four days, succubus."


    "That''s all, may you not disappoint her, Envoy." A loud laugh was reverberating in her mind while the connection between the two was fading. Seeing the succubus opening her yes, Davion asked her what was making her smile. She only answered by one word.


    "Agnil."

 43 The Unkown Underground

    They took only a few hours of rest before they heard the sound of a key opening a door nearby. A very dim light was showing the dark silhouettes of a few men, including the shady innkeeper. Even with such a low amount of light, neither Meridiana and Davion had any problem noticing the lustful eyes staring at the bed where they were supposedly sleeping. The effort at being silent made by the humans was pretty pathetic and even a normal woman could have been awoken by it. What would have followed would have been a dagger in the throat of Davion and a terrible, and maybe last, night for Meridiana.


    Instead, the succubus decided to waste a few minutes to reduce the potential noise that otherwise, would have been made. She quickly seated and put her hands on her chest, like she was protecting it. Her entire attitude was reminiscing of a small rabbit cornered by a fox and that made the men very excited.


    "What are you ¡­ no, please ¡­ don''t do anything to him, I beg you ¡­ I ¡­ will do anything you want!" Her small speech allowed Davion to retreat to the back of the room and appear less menacing. Both of them saw the incoming thugs speaking among themselves and soon, the innkeeper approached Meridiana with a very big smile.


    "Ok, if you do anything we want, I will let you go." His eyes were showing a totally different story, however, and only a fool would have believed his words. Right after that, the man tore apart the clothes of Meridiana, immediately angering her. She had taken great care of them and now, she will have to cross the mountains with even less protection than before. She showed nothing of her immense hate and still looked like she was a shameful young girl that fell at their mercy.


    THOMP


    The innkeeper fell right in front of Davion. He had already lost his ability to speak but was still conscious enough to see the hood falling. A blue head appeared right in front of him and the last thing his pathetic eyes ever saw was the two large hands coming near him. The rest of the group was laying dead around the succubus that was desperately trying to fix her clothes. The state of the corpses was similar to the one of the soldiers, mere mummies. Without any other choice, Meridiana took the upper garment of one thug, even if it was less comfy than the one created by Malakov.


    They left the building in flame soon after and heard the numerous shouts resonating in the silent night. But since they were in the poorest area of the city, they had no trouble leaving the crime scene without getting caught. By the time they arrived at the eastern gate, the fire was easily visible and spreading even more, turning the dark night red. The guards were so preoccupied with the incoming disaster that they barely checked anyone leaving the city.


    Right after they met the first snowy peak on their road, they noticed a cavern nearby. Since they were still unsure about the deadliness of the underground, they approached carefully the place. Inside they saw numerous colorful paints and totems encroached on the stone walls, proving that a more or less intelligent race was occupying that part of the cave.


    "Goblins?" Meridiana asked Davion about the nature of the threat since he was older than even Leilade. He also was the one recognizing the trolls and even being able to talk with them quite easily. However, the number of intelligent monsters that liked to live in a dark environment and building such items was not that high and the most common was the goblins.


    The orodil nodded at her words and carefully kept walking. They were not using any type of light but had no problem noticing the forms and even some colors. Because of this, he noticed that while the presence of paintings was important, they were always very old and slightly washed up. Meaning that whatever tribe was living nearby was gone since a year or so. Noting in his mind the tunnel they took, they finally arrived in a large room. Inside it, they saw a good amount of broken barricades, torn clothes, and bones laying around.


    None of them were stupid and they realized that the goblins didn''t leave because they wanted it. Davion called Meridiana and made her look closer to one of the mark left on a wall. Four deep ravines were shown, probably caused by four big claws. To be able to even impact the stone wall was impressive and this caused the two demon commandants to reconsider walking under the mountains. At least, in the above, they were capable of easily escape those threats and even see them from afar.


    The succubus got closer to the marks and began to touch them. Raising her head a bit, she noticed that similar deep pits were pierced on the wall, leading to the ceiling. She kept looking on the ceiling and saw the same marks all over it. As she began to lower her head, however, she noticed that something was stuck on the stone and was definitely not natural. Touching her companion and showing him the deformation, both of them examined it. Even in the dark, they were barely able to differentiate it from the environment but that form had a black form with a dark purple mixed in it.


    They were extremely silent during their investigation, meaning that it was entirely possible that this monster was sleeping or not aware of their presence. To prove that point, the succubus cast a small flame in her hand and waited. For a while nothing happened, but then, they saw an enormous green eye with red veins in it looking at the flame. To their surprise, the monster only looked at it, without moving. Getting in front of the succubus, Davion approached it without any fear.


    Even if that monster was twice his size, the orodil was no ordinary warrior. To managed to hurt him would be possible, but only a few powerful attacks would prevent him from escaping. Since that was the case, he could see how strong that creature was. Perhaps it felt that the giant walking toward him was strong or maybe it was absolutely not related, but the black and purple monster extended its limbs and escaped in on the numerous tunnels. They saw that the fleeing enemy had a body similar to a giant ant, only with an enormous eye in the middle of its face.


    Because of that encounter barely thirty minutes after they entered the cave, they decided to return to the surface that was safer. None of them had any knowledge about this monster and only the expert duvodiad could inform them about it. Both of them only dealt with civilized enemies in proper battle, not monster hunting. Because of this, they realized that they clearly lacked in that department and they hoped that the adventurer guild or whatever that building was called will have everything they needed. It would be impossible for them to not have a proper bestiary or at least some records of powerful monsters.


    They took more or less the same road from a few days ago and met again the two troll hunters. They had a small issue and were chased by a group of ice wolves. The pack was harassing the two sturdy trolls and while the damage done against their incredibly sturdy skin was minimal, they had no rest for the last day. The two trolls were incredibly tired and their movements sluggish. Feeling bolstered by the weakened state of the two hunters, the pack of predators was launching a full-scale assault when Davion appeared.


    The moment they smell the orodil, the entire pack buggered off like little kittens. That sight scared the two trolls and they feared that something even more terrifying was coming. But when they realized that it was their hooded friend and the female uhanz, they were relieved. They invited Davion and Meridiana to their tribe for eating, but the latter refused since they were in a hurry. Also, the clothes from the thug were clearly not adapted for the cold environment, provoking an endless flow of complaints from the succubus.


    Three days later, they reached the location of the base and met nothing but an empty space. While they didn''t know about the numerous magus roaming around, they were still capable of understanding that an illusion was casted. And a few seconds later, they saw a lich floating toward them from nothing. Following the undead, they entered the small passage formed in the heavy defenses casted by Malakov.


    In that week or so since they left, the previous normal hill was turned into an impressive entrance of a catacomb. Or at least, that''s what the two felt. They had no idea what that Envoy of Leilade was thinking, but he built an enormous double door entrance, at least 5 meters tall, engraved by a huge amount of inscriptions and two stone statues near it. The statues were representing Ymir in his complete armor, back on Artosis. One of them had two big axes and the other four power gantlets on his hands. They also noticed the spell engraved on the two stone sculptures, making the eyes of the two Ymir red and granting them a dark aura.


    They wondered how much mana that damned Malakov wasted just for those two things. That was rarely seen from him to be so wasteful but they had to admit that for a normal human, just that entrance would send him running away, shivering in his entire body. However, unlike the initial impression, the rest of the base was barely built. They saw numerous skeletons carrying stone and digging around, following a precise pattern. Following the lich that opened the path previously, they arrived in a room where they heard the grumbling of a dwarf.


    Master Agnil was admonishing the undead near him and repeatedly complaining at the three liches around. "More fire, Hit ten times there, NO, NO STOP! Not there, there exactly! Yes, lower the fire! QUICKER YOU INCAPABLE UNDEAD!" The obviously calm and collected soul was so noisy that even after they left the room where he was forging their future equipment, they still heard him for a good minute. The liches were responsible for the heating that the fusion of the mana and the minerals while four giant skeletons were hammering at the instructions of the dwarf.


    In another room a lot calmer, they saw the Ak?l and the Herald discussing around a projected map. When they noticed the arrival of Davion and Meridiana, they were greeted them. Soon, the four of them were sharing all the information at their disposal. It was enjoyable until Meridiana asked about the whereabouts of Kardel. The answer to her question was unsatisfactory.


    "Unlike you or the Mistress, Kardel has no ability for dealing with magic. Meaning that it is highly improbable that I ever managed to establish a mental connection with him. What will probably happen will be him coming back one day without any prior notice. However, even if his wild temperament will probably cause some issues, he won''t be in real danger. I was more worried about you two, especially since you were totally naked without any weapons. But that will change in a few days, right now, Agnil is working on it."


    "Yeah, we heard it. Very loudly." Ymir laughed at that remark. Unlike the two other, he was stuck here without any possibility to leave the perimeter outside. That was the plan devised by him and Malakov, that he will be the bait for the moment. The entire base was based on him being the strongest being of it and the demon king ruling those undead. With that, they will be able to both pressure the humans from the outside with his threatening presence and infiltrate them. But because of this, he was incapable of quelling his hunger.


    After that, a lich appeared and indicated that master Angil was asking for them. Because there was nothing else to do, everyone followed it, to see what that angry and talented dwarf managed to produce.

 44 Aether and CsThalium

    The same gigantic skeletons and liches were standing still around the small soul. The latter was inspecting the outcome of his intense session of swearing and complaints. Normally, Agnil would only have to give some pointers here and there to a talented living being, but this time, he had to deal with some brainless summons. While the undead where listening precisely to his instructions, he had to permanently change them every second, making it a nightmare for the decaying soul. Because they were lacking in good hammers and other instruments, he had to shape the hands of the giant skeletons just for this purpose, but only afterward did he realized that it was not perfect because there was a difference between holding a hammer and having his hand being a hammer. Provoking even more curses from the angry dwarf.


    Even a soul could have sweat, Angil would have definitely created a small pond under him. But the result was still satisfying for the archaic methods he had to resort. Turning around to look at the incoming group, he ordered a lich to throw the sword that the undead was holding at Davion. The orodil had no problem catching it and contemplated the weapon in his grip. Dark veins were clearly visible on the blade and the iron structure of the latter was not as simple as it seemed. Turning around to look at Malakov, he inquired about that.


    "Aether?" The Envoy of Leilade nodded at this word and without any prior notice, the blade suddenly burned of a dark flame. The sword, however, was completely intact and only the outer part was producing the fire. "Since I had some mana to spare, Ymir proposed that instead of just giving you normal weapons from our point of view, why not make them even better? In the last four days, I produce some grams of Aether and C''Thalium for both of you. And this because of master Agnil."


    A lich nearby brought a small pound filled with pure gold coins. This world was mainly dealing with copper and silver coins, the better money being reserved for wealthy and powerful humans. At the same time, those terms were not really accurate, since only the outer part of the coin was forged with gold for example. Compared to the pure gold coin that Davion and Meridiana received, it would be at least 3 times the worth of a regular coin from this world.


    "Who would have thought that a dwarf would have requested to produce gold before anything els¡­"


    "HEY! I was the one doing all the work! You were just chatting with mister four arms over there and let me work for the past four days without any rest!" The fuming soul was arguing with the strong undead without any fear and at that sight, Ymir raised his eyes toward the heavens. While Malakov was the direct servant of Leilade, only her would be able to make the numerous souls from the Vault comply with ease.At the same time, a few times each day, the soul of the dwarf stopped in the middle of his sentences and then continued a few seconds later. The rate of decay was sustainable, but it provoked the worry of the Ak?l, even when Malakov tried to reassure him.


    "That''s fine master Agnil, you have, as always, done an exceptional work. I can''t wait to see what you made for me." The succubus approached the old soul and showed her most beautiful smile. Even if he was dead for a long time, the dwarf was still sensible to the charm of Meridiana and lowered a bit his voice. He kept murmuring a few things in his beard but that was it. Soon, the rest of the armors and weapons arrived and it didn''t take very long for the two explorers to get ready.


    The suit made for Meridiana was tightly tightening her entire body and let her entire body be displayed with a minimal place left for the imagination. The armor was made of an immense amount of iron scales linked between each other and able to expand and retract as she wished depending on her actual shape. To do this, however, Agnil had to rely on the C''Thalium, a crystal granting a small elasticity to the object desired. It reacted only with the Demonic Energy created by the succubus, meaning that no one else on this world would be able to use it against her. The armor covered her from her toes to her neck, leaving only the head defenseless.


    To prevent this, Agnil proposed two things. The first was a proper helmet covering the gorgeous features of the succubus that will probably reduce the impact of the charms of Meridiana. Or the other was just ¡­ nothing. "WHAT?" The succubus lashed at the soul that was a little bit sorry for that. He only had a few days and Malakov already had a hard time creating those two types of crystals that were extremely potent in mana. Just a few grams of each prevented the creation of any additional undead for those four days. And while she was pleased by the armor, her head that was already the prime target of many monsters was without any protection. Regretful, she took the ugly iron helmet and didn''t even look back at Agnil.


    Davion, on the other hand, was extremely pleased by what he received. Unlike the succubus, he didn''t need something as exquisite as the C''Thalium suit that was shaped as his body.What he got was a complete black armor leaving no empty gap and covering his blue skin. Trying to move a bit, he noticed that the joints were not stiffening his movements and was totally adapted to his immense size. Looking at the mirror that Malakov created for them, he saw only darkness in the small horizontal opening of his helmet.


    "And in addition, you will have this thing Davion." Malakov extended an iron mask covered by the same dark veins that his sword had. The crystals of Aether were made specifically to improve the mana flow coming from the user to the object. Because the Orodil were incapable of using mana normally, this crystal was compensating that cruel drawback and allowing them to use one type of magic given to the Aether. Putting the mask on, Davion tried to infuse some mana in it. Suddenly, his original blue face turned into a normal looking human.


    "That would have been perfect if I wasn''t that tall." The mask would be able to fool most beings on this planet, but his size was making it impossible for him to be mistaken as a human. Even the trolls that he met only took Meridiana for one. The undead shook his head. "I can''t do anything about that, let''s just hope that a race of giants lives in this world." They had no knowledge about that, but the possibility for that was still high enough to be probable. But that was still probability in the end.


    Concerning the weapons, the two travelers had no qualm with them. Two small daggers for Meridiana that would probably be never used and a shield to be used with the previous sword. All four were infused with Aether, with multiple properties. One dagger to create a direct beacon for the future telepathic connections and not waste any time, the other served only as a reserve in case Meridiana ran out of mana. As for the shield of Davion, he will be able to produce a dark mist around him. Only after the orodil questioned those choices did the Herald of Leilade realized that it was maybe not the best magic to apply.


    "So, do you really planned to make me as suspicious as possible? An entire black armor, a sword, and a shield grey but filled with pulsating veins of a dark substance? If you wanted to make me look like a dark night, it is a success." After saying those words, the rest began to encircle Davion and examine him. And in accordance to his expectations, only Malakov didn''t understand what he said. Even Agnil shook his head seeing the terrifying and brutal aura provoked by the combination of his works.


    "We''ll just ¡­ I will talk, you are mute. Otherwise, your calm voice will disturb the humans even more. It''s not as cold as the voice of the Empress but still, there is a clear lack of emotion. Ok, fine, let''s go." Meridiana tried to salvage a bit the visible issue, but if previously he was a giant, it was still relatively fine. A giant wearing some low-quality clothes and without any weapons could be allowed to enter the city of Archet, but now. They will search them cautiously and maybe even refused their entrance. Even the succubus was menacing with her helmet on so what to say about the monster next to her.


    Warning the three residents of the base about not making the same mistake in the future, the succubus and the orodil left in the middle of the night. The same lich made another passage in the bubble of protection. Right after that, however, they noticed a heavy contingent of soldiers roaming around with their torches. They were exploring this area so the two waited a moment to see what will happen. The moment a soldier approached the zone where the spell was located, he stopped walking and turned around, without noticing his own actions. Because the spell was covering only the front of the base, it was not very massive and didn''t provoke a lot of reactions. In the end, only two humans were affected but from the looks of it, they didn''t even know that they were manipulated.


    Since that was the case, the two began their travel toward Archet, the city inside the Republic of Avenio. This time, however, instead of avoiding the monsters in the tall mountains, they didn''t deviate one time from the straight line they followed. But each time they encountered a creature, whether it was one of those big wolves, some elementals, a few scaly worms, and even a little drake, it always followed the same pattern. The monsters noticed them and ran away in fear. It was normal for them to have an instinct of conservation and not battle against stronger foes, but the drake was clearly scared by them and didn''t waste any time before flying away.


    Remembering the fact that the dark gods came here one thousand years ago, it looked like they were of the same level as Davion and Meridiana. And the primal fear that germinated in the minds of those monsters was transmitted across the generations until that day. The only ones that weren''t affected were the numerous troll tribes. Each time they saw them, they warily told them to get out but they were only ready for a fight and not actively escaping. Profiting off the fact that they were always stunned by his proficiency at talking their languages, Davion always befriended them and gathered more information.


    When they finally exited the mountains, they knew that their three passages were a disaster for the ecosystem. Numerous apex predators sought new hunting grounds because of their presence, provoking a massive exodus from the southern part of the peaks.Sometimes, the troll hunters saw packs of hundred wolves passing by them without even attacking. The formers weren''t linking that special event with the arrival of Davion shortly after, but neither him or Meridiana were fools. The fact that those regions were not controlled at all by any civilized races was a relieving fact because otherwise, they would have been able to track them easily. The only one knowing about it was the trolls, and maybe those black and white humans. But apparently, it has been nearly two weeks since the last time they crossed the uncharted territory. Apparently, each month, at least one of those humans met the trolls and exchanged resources only found on those cold lands for food and weapons. Meaning that the possibility of a meeting was increasing after each day.

 45 The Life of an Adventurer

    Near the same location where they accidentally met the soldiers, Meridiana and Davion noticed an increase of those patrols. They had made sure that no traces of them could be sure but it didn''t prevent the local army to be alerted of the complete disappearance of a small squad. Numerous men tried to interrogate them, but for some totally obscure reasons, each time they got too close to Davion, they politely backed off and excused themselves. After the fourth time it happened, the succubus began to laugh at her companion for being so scary that even if he was guilty, none of the soldiers had the bravery to face him.


    In the end, the two complete iron armors walked without any interference, be it inside the small woods and even near the city of Archet. Due to the coward nature of most of the humans, they managed to not be blocked at all in the line in front of the eastern gate and soon after, the same captain that interrogated them stood in front of the foreigners. The poor man was having a very intense headache because of this, for he remembered the strange giant of the last week. He had his doubt if the two groups of two were the same or not, but it was certain that they were related.


    The captain tried to probe the intentions of the demon commandants but was getting nothing substantial out of it. Losing patience, Meridiana removed her helmet and let her beautiful face appeared in front of the human. She had the same shape than previously, meaning that the man instantly recognized the gorgeous young girl. Because of that, he called a subordinate and asked him if they had any news about that group or that girl in particular. Besides the lecherous eyes of the guard that made his thoughts crystal clear, nothing was learned, prompting the captain to release a happy sigh. Since the two hadn''t done anything wrong in their previous passage, they won''t do it now, probably. He hoped so.


    After being dismissed, the two directly walked toward the Adventurer Guild that they noticed the last week. Why that name was chosen instead of the Mercenary Guild or anything else was because it sounded better. And mercenary was apparently a highly pejorative word on this planet, often used to talk about criminals and lawless individuals. On the other hand, the adventurers were dealing with threats beyond the capacity of normal humans. Whether it was to gather resources in deadly locations, battle against monsters and terrifying creatures or at least that was a common belief.


    But even if that part was true, most adventurers were normal people doing errands for others. Some were not even remotely dangerous, but beyond a point, even gathering a few rare implied a high risk of dying. Because what would be the point of paying someone to do a harmless task that everyone could accomplish? As Davion and Meridiana got closer to their destination, they clearly saw that wide difference between each adventurer. Sometimes, it was a group of small kids, not even older than 13 years, carrying baskets of herbs and flowers. Near them, a group of slightly injured men and women were plastered with dry blood and small drops of blood were leaking from their leather bags.


    From a rusty sword that would barely be called a long dagger to an extremely sturdy armor accompanied by a shiny and sharp axe. Men mourning the loss of their companions while women were celebrating their latest success, the disparities between each adventurer were so big that it was hard to believe that just a simple word could describe this profession. Neither the orodil or the succubus were born on a planet with that job but they accustomed with that practice present on many worlds. The greed of humanity was endless and treasures caused more dead from the hand of other humans than monsters, but that never stopped more humans to try their luck. And now, it will be their turn.


    The appearance of the two provoked countless murmurs near them, each pondering about that peculiar group of two. Adventurers often met and worked with others during dangerous expeditions and even traveled all around a country in case of a great disaster. The network built during those years was proven deadly efficient and the strongest of them were known everywhere, even by rookies. They listen to the tales of their elders and exclaimed their interest at hearing about all the dangers they faced. But this time, however, no one knew who was traversing the door of the Guild.


    The reception was coincidently empty right when they arrived but soon after, a gorgeous woman appeared in her not so conservative clothes. Just with that first impression, the succubus knew that the receptionist was probably harassed by half the men that fell in love. Her chest was barely covered and the tight uniform even let her belly exposed, not talking about her small skirt. To make a comparison, some waitresses inside a brothel would have more skin covered. Disregarding her appearance, the receptionist was still very energetic and young, probably not older than 30 years.


    "What can I do for?" She happily questioned the big and small armors, not even fearing them a bit. The foreigners were satisfied by that because it will help to not terrify everyone. Removing her helmet and letting her charm do the work, the succubus approached dangerously the gorgeous woman.


    "We want to apply to your guild." She seductively said those words and made the girl in front of her turn red instantly. The entire hall had their eyes turned toward the two females and many were saddened by the fact that the receptionist was more receptive to the advance of that newcomer than theirs. Because of that, Davion pinched the right ear of the succubus and calmed her a bit. A bit reluctant, Meridiana obliged and stopped actively charming the audience. Finally catching her breath, the human still felt a lot hotter and was panting a bit. Waiting for her to recover and because she felt the dark stare of the orodil, the succubus also put her helmet on.


    "Yes ¡­ hum ¡­. I will take you to the training room, there you will be evaluated. You can also start at the bottom if you want or you think that your skills are not enough. But I guess that you won''t ¡­" She looked at the smaller armor "¡­ do that. Let me conduct you personally."


    Hitting a small bell on the desk, she left it and showed the way for the two aliens. The rest of the eyes were still stuck on the group and numerous discussions broke out immediately after they were farther away. Who was that hot red-haired girl, who was the silent giant, where did they come from? Following the corridor and the receptionist, they passed a few doors until they arrived at their destination. After opening it, they saw a huge terrain covered in sand and protected by a roof. In it, numerous training dummies, wooden weapons, and leather armor were accessible. Right now, dozens of men and women were sparring with each other, under the control of two older men.


    Those two were chatting happily and seldom threw a piece of advice here and there. One was missing his left arm and his right eyes while the other had all his limbs more or less intact. Noticing the incoming group, the intact man stood up and marched toward them. Exchanging common pleasantries with the receptionist, he soon looked at the two newcomers and at their armors. They were perfectly intact, prompting him to be a little doubtful. To be clean and shiny was possible for even veterans, but the latter''s equipment all had scratches, small holes and minor distortions on it. For the elder adventurer, it was easy to see that they never battle once in those armors. Because of that, his impression of the two immediately plummeted toward good for nothing.


    "Listen up you two, my name is ¡­ No, you don''t have what it takes to know my name yet. I don''t know who you are, I don''t know what you are, but I won''t be clement just because mommy and daddy bought you those shiny things. In real life, you won''t always wear them and attack can even happen when you are sleeping or washing. And because I am nice and friendly, I don''t want that to happen to everyone. Therefore, get the hell out of those iron boxes and let me test your real skills."


    While saying this, the old man ignited his inner fire and his previously mild presence turned oppressive. Bloodlust and killing intent could be felt around like the human suddenly became a monster ready to pounce at the two. Countless rookies felt on their knees just because of that and promised to start at the bottom. Even some experienced adventurers still suffered under that. Smiling avidly at the two trainees, he awaited their reactions.


    It was only at that moment however that both Davion and Meridiana noticed a deep fatal flaw in their plans. Being the fact that both of them were entirely naked under their armors. For the succubus, that would be relatively fine, just make her labeled as an exhibitionist but nothing that important. For the orodil, that small detail was important. His mask was built on the fact that people would ask to remove his helmet, not his entire armor. Meaning that he could have a normal human face with a blue body under it. Exchanging a gaze between each other, the two nodded and Meridiana apologized.


    "Sorry, we have wasted your time, we will start at the bottom. Have a nice day." They immediately left, letting the old man dumbfounded. From what he heard, they were totally fine with his menacing aura and without any fear. But, they still choose to not be evaluated, making him curious. Not pondering more about that, he returned to his seat and kept advising the other trainees, only getting a surprised glance from the disabled elder.


    Returning to the receptionist, they were welcomed by a surprised audience. Many were murmuring that in the end, they were only show and no action because it was impossible for the trainer to be defeated so quickly. Jeering and mocking a bit the newcomers, the rest resumed their normal activities. Even the receptionist was slightly disappointed by the result but still received them warmly.


    "That''s fine, not everyone can beat him. But because you have no result, you can only start at the lowest grade, being A. Next, I will need your name and surname please." The two only gave their names, since they only had one. That provoked some additional questions in the head of the receptionist, but that was not her job to ask them. Soon after, she gave them two small badges made of leather with three squares on it. Only the first one was filled with blue ink. Sensing their stares, the woman explained it.


    "Because the three lowest grades are not really prestigious or even complicated to obtain, you don''t get your official badge of an adventurer. In other words, since even kids like you can see over there can be of grade A, B or C, it would be too costly to create a proper badge for someone that could die in two days. It is a cruel way to see it but were are not charity. As for the rankings, it is easy, A is the lowest and Z is the highest. However, the current strongest adventurer is only classed as P. The same principle of the Magic Circles was applied, if you heard of them. The grade Z would mean that a being is as strong as one of the Dark Gods."


    The gorgeous female then turned around and pointed the two huge walls where most of the adventurers were next to. On it, countless papers were pinned on and some people were discussing with each other about them.


    "You can now pick any request of level A to D over there. I won''t get too much in the details, but most people need to complete at least one mission of a higher level before being able to change their grade. Also, when you want to pass from the probation adventurer that you are to a proper one, you will have to pay 2 gold coins. Don''t worry, it is only a way to prevent unskilled people to obtain it. If you have the skill, you can easily get those coins in a few months by doing D-missions over and over."


    She finished her sentence and then harbored her most resplendent smile. " I hope we will meet again very soon."

 46 Suspicions of Weakness

    Even immortals and beings living many ages sometimes still felt extreme emotion once in a while. The most would be fear of dying, in front of a greater threat or anger, hate. All strong emotions related to a terrible situation. But unfortunately, it was an immense shame that was engulfing both Meridiana and Davion. For the first time since they arrived on the planet, they were debating whether that plan was the right one. They agreed to this masquerade only because it sounded both safe and a little bit funny. Instead of just grumbling in a dark cave like Ymir, they could travel the world, do nearly as they pleased and have some fun. But as they left the huge building with, in her hand, a small notice telling them to slay a few normal wolves, they felt deeply ashamed of themselves.


    Instead of a domineering aura, a desolated pair of armors left the northern gate under the baffled gazes of the humans. They only raised their heads when they entered the wood a day of walk later. Looking at each other, they realized that no one should ever learn what happened. Before, just their very presence on one of the numerous planets of the Demonic Empire would be a grand occasion. They were the ones fighting the Lanfos directly, the only real threat after the fall of the Ancients. Their subordinates only had worship, fear and deep respect for them. But those humans, they just ¡­


    "Never, again." The cold voice of Davion woke up the succubus and she replied back the same sentence. Trying to forget the ridiculing stares and disappointed face of the receptionist, they quickly searched the woods. At first, they met nothing but herbivores and small mammals. A rabbit, a couple of foxes and such. Each time they noticed a group of humans, they avoided it, and in less than an hour of intense running, they finally found their first target. Two injured wolves and two corpses were laying on the ground.


    One dead man was under an equally dead predator and both of them were being eaten slowly by the panting wolves. From the looks of it, someone tried to hunt those wolves but fell victim instead. The moment Davion and Meridiana appeared in their visions, they began to growl and showed their teeth. But that small mistake of judgment quickly vanished and even injured, they tried to run away. Unlike the monsters of the mountains, they didn''t have the same luck. The orodil effortlessly caught their two heads and crushed them. The animals didn''t even have the time to take more than two steps before it happened.


    Looking once again at the task, Davion extracted the right canine of each corpse. While crushing their skulls, he still took care of not harming the lower part of the maw. Normally, just those three trophies should have been sufficient, but neither of them thought like that. For them, to wash some of their previous mistakes, at least ten of those predators needed to die. Barely half of an hour later, they found a den filled with a dozen of those wolves.


    The same reaction of fear could be seen, limited to only the adults. Some cubs still tried to attack the two aliens but miserably failed. Because they were void of any sharp tooth, they still survived. Unfortunately for them, none of the rest shared the same fate. Leaving the bloodbath filled with headless bodies, the couple managed to gather 14 canines. Only that result was satisfying enough and with their speed, they quickly disappeared from those woods in direction of Archet.


    THUMP


    The gorgeous woman was shocked by the behavior of Meridiana. Without even greeting her or doing anything like that, she just put the proofs of their deed on top of the desk. The fourteen bloodied canines were displayed, accompanied by the small notice describing the task. While it was only some random wolves that usually lived only to be slain by rookies, the distance was big between that forest and the city. Only by not resting and running day and night one could gather so much. Feeling puzzled, the receptionist still asked what bothered her.


    "Wonderful, you have achieved your first quest, one of grade C. Now if you want to be acknowledged as a real adventurer, you still need to do something riskier. But I am certain that you will manage to succeed." She harbored her biggest smile, something she had done thousands of times. Sometimes, they saw them coming back. But more often, faces never reappeared. Before the two strange people in front of her turned around to look at the two walls, she still questioned them.


    " ¡­ just as a formality, did you do this task by yourself?" That sentence was pronounced with a very innocent tone, but for Meridiana, it only reminded her of the previous incident. Her shame was turning into anger, that a mere ant dared to suppose that she was incapable of even killing a few wolves. Feeling that his companion was having a hard time, Davion put his two hands on her shoulders and pressured the succubus. The latter still took a few seconds to calm herself, regretting once again to have been fooled by Leilade like that. Who talked about holidays in a peaceful planet?


    "Yes." The voice of the succubus was almost like a murmur and the woman in front of them almost missed it. The human was incapable of recognizing the emotion inside the voice, but, while she still had her doubts, without proofs, she couldn''t refuse the completion of the request. Searching in of the drawers near her, she pulled a few coins. Giving them to the two strange people, she wished them once again the best luck possible. She stared at them a few seconds more, before a group of adventurers arrived and reported what happened to them.


    Leaving the building fuming, Meridiana immediately attacked Davion when they found a more secluded location. "Why are we playing by the rules anyway, why can we just kill them all anyway and be done with ¡­" A strong hand lifted her helmet and was then placated on her mouth, preventing from saying anything more compromising. The orodil listened to his surroundings, to see if anyone heard what was told a few seconds before. Fortunately for them, the only one that heard them was a rat eating a small bread crumb. He still looked at the two strangely, but after they scanned the animal, they found nothing unusual. Meaning that it was truly a random rat and neither a magical invocation or an animal controlled for afar.


    "Let me go, BACK OFF!" Sensing that she was not calming at all, the tall giant reinforced his grip and completely locked her in his arms. For nearly a minute, he felt her struggling, but what could she do against someone twice her size and much stronger physically. She finally stopped moving and he released her. Talking more normally and more quietly, she still didn''t stop insulting the humans.


    "We are two commandants of the Demonic Army; we have fought against stronger races than those ants. Why should WE comply and not them, give me a reason why?"


    "The Ancients." That sole name managed to instantly calm the succubus. In her state of rage, she still hadn''t forgotten about the fact that the only source of mana for her was living beings. But that was just an inconvenient more than a true weakness. But they heard what Leilade learned, about the dark gods and her conjectures about why those powerful beings still died in the end. They still didn''t know how much changes were made by the smartest race of the Universe and the possibility of one of their guardian dog to be present was still too high. Just that terrifying monster was enough to crush the five of them easily, provoking her current state. But since she was still mad at all those mockeries, she proposed something else.


    "Fine, we have to appear as something different than a dark god, I get it. But you saw that it failed miserably and everyone is suspicious of us. Maybe they will treat us better if we do something extraordinary instead of just slowly doing those ridiculous chores. Who will respect us if we manage to kill more of those small puppies?"


    While she was viciously speaking, one point struck a chord inside Davion. Before they were armed by Agnil, he would have refused, but who would have better equipment than them on this planet? For him, the answer was no one, that was how high he valued the soul of the deceased dwarf. Sighing, he asked the succubus what did she meant.


    "So what''s your plan? Kill a dragon? We don''t even know exactly where they are, what could possibly be enough to be respected here?" Hearing this, Meridiana smiled and retorted back.


    "Something that no one has ever done. But first, I need to know if it is really true or if those things are known around here." It took only a few seconds for the orodil to understand what she meant and he followed her back to the Adventurer Guild. They bypassed the receptionist and immediately entered one of the doors near the training room. Above it was marked "Library". In it, an old man tried to stop them.


    "You can''t just enter like that; you have to ¡­"


    CLANK


    Meridiana put a gold coin created by Malakov on the table, shutting the complaints of the librarian. She quickly marched around, roaming the different layers to find what she sought. Davion followed her, but not without checking the reaction of the old man that was carefully examining the coin. He saw him pulling a few books and comparing the images in them to the gold piece that he was holding. Finally, the succubus found the book that was essential to her plan. Reading it at a speed that would make some of the surrounding readers stunned, she confirmed what she thought. Closing it and putting the book back in his rightful place, she looked at Davion.


    "As I guessed, you know that strange insect hanging above us in the goblin den. They have no description of it in this book supposedly describing all the lifeforms of that region. That meant that either they never really explored the caverns, thing that could be possible or everyone who did die. Now guess what would happen to the two heroes that brought back a complete corpse of such a monster?" Davion nodded at those words since it was good for both of us to do it. It will relieve some of the emotions of the succubus and it will speed up the process greatly.


    "Fine, but first, you retrieve the gold coin. You didn''t use the one from that backyard nation, you took one created by Malakov. And it is not time yet to show them."


    Quickly walking toward the exit door, the two passed in front of the librarian that was still trying to uncover the origin of the gold coin. Even with his extensive knowledge and the help of many books, the mystery was still not unraveled and he was thinking about contacting some of his friend magicians to help him. Lifting his head, he soon forgot everything and didn''t even saw the couple leave. Only a few minutes later did he realized that he was submerged by books talking about past legends and tales surrounding treasures and artifacts. Shaking his head, he began to tidy up everything.

 47 Three-Legs

    In a small cavern near the destroyed camp of goblin that Meridiana and Davion explored, a few humans could be seen moving some rocks. Behind the natural cover, some weapons and well-made leather pieces of equipment. The group of humans was already burdened by some huge backpacks and one could easily see some salted meat and other conservable food. There were also a few boxes filled with spices and diverse seasonings. The group of ten or so humans quickly did their task and began to walk toward the exit when a noise resonated nearby. They immediately extinguished their torches and tried to make a little noise as possible.


    Tump tump tuMP TUMP


    The loud sounds were getting closer and closer, but while it was disturbing the unknown group, they were still relatively calm. When the noise was barely ten meters away, they all began to press themselves on the wall. In the obscurity, nothing was seen and they stayed in that position until the loud steps were not heard anymore. Finally breathing again, the group still stayed at the same location an additional minute. The monster was currently between them and the exit, but they will have a hard time walking with such a heavy weight on their backs without making any noises. Because of this, instead of 2 hours, they took nearly 3 to exit the dark caverns.


    When they finally saw the dim light of the sun that was barely visible, they still expressed their joy. One began to get a book from inside his bag and wrote what just happened and which terrible creature they met. Raising his head toward a human with ears that were strangely long, he asked him about it.


    "It was Three-Legs, right?" They were the group tasked to regularly met with the trolls and while it was an extremely dangerous task, they had a relatively few casualties rate. Most of his companions followed him for more than a few years already and they were all extremely knowledgeable about current wildlife. Even the caverns under the mountains that were a deadly trap for everyone was just the perfect place to hide their stuff. The monster they met was one they regularly met, hence the fact that he earned a nickname.


    "Yes, only him is so loud and is as blind like us. But it''s still weird that he was roaming near the exit, most of the time, we should just hear him for afar. Well, there are a lot of strange things going on lately. The kingdoms are preparing for a war or something, but not the usual. I think we ¡­" The man with strange ears received a slap on his head, ending his incoming monologue. The leader looked at him with disappointed eyes. He just asked about the monsters, why the hell was he talking politics like that?


    "I didn''t talk about anything else but those monsters, so keep your thoughts for yourself. If we need to know something, we will be warned. Do you really think that something could be kept secret from them? Yes?" He pressured the half-elf that lowered his head and stopped talking. Looking at him one more time, he continued his questions. "Any traces of something else? Goblins? One-Eye? Twin-Heads? The Thing?" Each new name only provoked negative gestures and comments. Besides the goblins, each of the surnames given to those monsters was written with the blood of his former comrades. The leader still resumed everything one last time while writing on his small book.


    "So, Three-Legs was met today, the usual tactic worked, unexpected behavior, no other monsters, everyone is good with that?" The rest of the crew expressed their agreement and they checked one last time whether or not they had everything for the hard weeks they will have. Unlike the rest of the clothes that could regularly be seen in the city of Archet, all those men wore lighter and warmer armor than usual, forsaking metal and toughness for more agility. Even if each of them could easily be rank in the top of the board of the adventurers in that region, they knew that fighting was suicidal in that barren region. Like in the cavern, even ten versus one monster, they knew that they won''t be able to kill it.


    Right before they left, however, they saw two silhouettes getting closer extremely fast. Drawing their weapons, they stare at the incoming threat and were ready for anything. No one besides madmen, soldiers and themselves should be around here, hence their hostility. When they finally saw that it was two being completely armored and visibly threatening, they were even more alert. But to their surprise, that group of two didn''t slow down and rushed inside the cavern they just left, without even sparing a glance at them. Not knowing what to think about that, the leader gathered his men and they started their walk toward the mountains. But like everyone, he repeatedly threw a glance behind him, to see what those two fools were doing.


    As for Davion and Meridiana, the moment they saw those well-trained humans, they knew who they were. Nothing on them was black or white, but from the timing and their equipment specially crafted for a high altitude, they were certainly the group of humans the trolls talked about. Right after entering the cave, the succubus transmitted the information to Malakov. They needed to know if that group returned to the Republic or kept going and reached the Massalia Kingdom. As for extracting information from them, while the succubus was the best of them, Malakov could still grab it directly from their souls. It will be their choices that will determine if they lived or died.


    They dwindled a bit in the outskirts of the cave, trying to mentally form a map of it. Some tunnels were clearly natural, but some crossroads were weirdly shaped, meaning that something or someone dug them. They already had that idea when they first entered it, because they never encountered a problem, like a tunnel getting too small for Davion. It was always possible for the two to walk side by side and only near the goblins den did the passages were slightly smaller. When they finally arrived at the last location they saw that shiny eye, they still had not met anything alive.


    "So, what are your plan now? Split up and hope that one of us find something? Because otherwise, we still have no idea how big the underground network is." The cold tone that pronounced those sentences was clearly transmitting the immense disdain about that plan.Frowning a bit, the succubus had to admit that it was true, they still were ignorant about a lot of things. Regretting a bit to have let the humans go without questioning them, she firmly proposed her only solution.


    "Simple, we go in a straight line, always deeper. You can''t tell me that we won''t find anything at the end. Even if it is only a trace, it is impossible to not find anything. So let''s go toward ¡­ THI ¡­ no, that one. It looks better." Even if they were supposedly very strong, she still didn''t activate any light or spell that could make her visible. They were proud but not overestimating themselves or belittling monsters that prevented generations of humans to enter the mountains, from above or under it


    Fortunately, it only took a few minutes before they heard some loud stomping. As they got closer, they saw what was making such a loud sound. The monster was nearly the same size as Ymir if he had his back straight but he was walking nearly crouched. His back was filled with numerous spikes and Davion could still notice some scales on its skin. His two strong legs that were the size of Meridiana were the sole responsible for the ongoing racket. The sole peculiar detail from that point of view was the scaly tail hanging near the ground. From where they stood, they could see that, while it looked like one from a crocodile, the end was torn apart, probably eaten because of the deep marks on it.


    THUMP THUMP ¡­


    The group followed the monster for a good minute, but the latter was totally oblivious to that track. As he walked, he never hesitated at a crossroad and never stumbled on any rocks on the ground. Well, sometimes he did, but it was not the creature that was harmed, but the rock that was smashed into oblivion. Only when the orodil got fifty meters away from it, did the reptile made a move.


    ¡­ THUMP THUMP


    He stopped walking and they could see him turn his head left and right like it was trying to hear something. Verifying that theory, the orodil made another step, provoking a bigger reaction from the creature. It slowly turned around, allowing the two adventurers to see it fully. What looked like an armored crocodile from the back turned out to have a snake head that was extending in direction of Davion. The neck was getting longer and longer and soon, at the head was at least three meters away from the main body.


    However, even with that distance, the monster couldn''t clearly see Davion and was waiting for a new sound. Moving more silently than anyone could guess with such heavy armor, the orodil got incredibly close to the hanging head. 15 meters, 10 meters, 5 meters. Only when he was that close did the noise made by his armor was too loud, making the head open his mouth and try to attack him. What the monster received was not a frail prey, but the entire length of the sword.


    Piercing the scaly skin from the bottom of the maw and traversing the brain, the dark sword effortlessly did its job. The strength of Davion and the excellent quality of his weapon was clearly above the strange monster. Its eyes were still showing its intention of attacking and it probably never understood how it died. Retracting his sword from the head, Davion saw Meridiana getting closer while shaking her head.


    "Well, that was expected, but still a let-down. Just a single swing from you and it miserably died. It''s a wonder how a big blind snake managed to not die after all those years, but if it''s the apex predator, it will be easier than we thought." She kicked the corpse and projected it to a nearby wall. Looking at the result, the skin was intact while the wall had a new crater on it.


    "I guess that''s the reason. That would probably interest Agnil and Malakov, so what should we do now? We grab the entire corpse and throw it inside the Adventurer Guild or we just grab the head and keep the rest of the body for ourselves?"


    Pondering a bit, the succubus had no idea. The first solution was clearly cooler and more impressive, dumping such a massive body in front of everyone. But then, they will probably not be able to get a lot of things from it and the guild will take its share. The other solution would still be shocking, but less heroic. It was just a head, a big head, yes, but not really showing how impressive the original monster was. But if they didn''t choose that one, the dwarf will nag them for the next decades.


    "Do we really have a choice with those souls? I just hope that Lucio will awaken soon, that way, I am certain that this would be turned into an amazing dish. Cut the head and we just have to ¡­ ARGH ¡­ why all our spatial storages were destroyed? Let''s bury the body near the exit."


    Because he already had the same conclusion, Davion quickly cut the head and launched it at Meridiana. He then grabbed the massive body and they left the underground. When they arrived outside, they saw the light coming from the two moons illuminating the surroundings. Not wasting any more time, the two dig a hole big enough to hide the body and concealed it under an illusion spell. Not as efficient as the one around their base, but good enough for the short time where it will be without surveillance. Carrying the head still stuck in its assault, the two waited for dawn before entering the city. What was the point of doing something incredible if no one was awake to see it?

 48 Trying a Shortcu

    The number of people trying to enter the city of Archet at dawn was quite low, but still enough to probably make someone wait a bit. Unless that very someone was carrying an immense bloody head in his hand and was towering at least one meter above the rest of the small humans. Even a group of adventurers that were all so tired that one was literally sleep-walking still made way for Davion to bypass them. As for the guards, they dared not stop someone that managed to kill the monster that had such a terrifying snakehead.


    The rest of the walk inside the city was provoking more or less the same effect and a few citizens immediately closed their door the moment they saw the dark armor moving with his scary package. The smiling and happy adventurers nearby stopped what they were doing and just looked at them. Among them, a few were present the precedent day and even mocked the pitiful weaklings that only had money at their sides. They discreetly turned back and decided to wander in the town before entering the guild.


    Inside the building, another receptionist that was a lot more professional and calm, without relentlessly showing her huge assets in front of everyone. She was wearing a robe that was vaguely similar to one that magicians wore. Even if she was not extremely beautiful and didn''t provoke the stares of all the horny males around her, she still had a huge amount of work and in this time of the day, many groups were ready to leave. Provoking a small period of waiting before she could answer her request, from validating an increase of rank to giving more precisions about some notices.


    Because of this and the fact that she was not present yesterday, she only glanced at Davion and Meridiana and still maintained her full attention to the two kids in front of her. They were still trying to negotiate a lower price for the passage at the D-rank and only had a little less than 3 gold coins. To be more precise, they had 2 gold coins and 89 silver coins. The principle of coins was based on the fact that it needed 100 lower coins for 1 superior one. Therefore, they had 28 900 copper coins, that could look incredible. Until you realized that it was not even 3 gold coins and at the moment, the two children required 4. The succubus and the orodil arrived just at the time where they were losing hope.


    "You know us, it had been more than a year that we are doing small errands every day, but the salary is just too low. No one even accepts us in D-quest because of it, please, can you just lend us one coin, we will pay back, for sure, Hey, tell her too." The bigger of the two kids pinched the smaller one. They were both boys, but one looked clearly uncomfortable doing that. But under the pressure, he still murmured some words.


    "Please, just one gold and in thre ¡­ two months we will repay you back. Promise."


    "See, please." Even as they tried to look as miserable as they could, the impassive receptionist was clearly not listening at all. If it was the one from the last day, maybe that pitiful plead could have worked, but not the day they chose. She was raising her eyes to the heavens when she saw something falling toward her. Dumbfounded, a huge thing ended up on her desk, splattering some red liquid everywhere. Only after touching her cheek that received it did she realized that it was blood. Examining the thing in front of her, she had a very hard time figuring out what it was. Turning her head, she saw the smallest iron armor getting closer while apologizing.


    "Sorry, the wrong direction, here you go." The voice of a woman resonated and she turned the object to face the receptionist. The latter screamed at the sight of the terrifying snake ready to pounce on her. At first, the face smashed on the desk and she only saw the scaly back, but now, the eyes of the monster were scaring the poor woman. They were frozen in the same state as a predator feasting on a prey and a dark light was still present inside them. That disturbing scream still provoked the interest of everyone and all noticed the head nearly as big as the two children nearby.


    For Davion and Meridiana, it was perfect. For the first time, they were the center of the attention for a very good reason and not like previously. The head even shocked the receptionist, but maybe it was because of how they did it. They head the numerous humans and non-humans gossiping, trying to figure out the origin of the monster and where was the rest of the body. At the same time, a few pondered who asked for such a strange trophy, and all of those that wondered about that were not present during the previous visit of the foreigners.


    "WHAT IS HAPPENING?" A big bad man suddenly appeared, and he looked angrily at everyone. He was getting ready for his morning routine and just finished stretching himself when he heard a woman screaming. After that, he saw the two wealthy greenhorns and the head on the desk. At first, he thought it was one of the more known groups that slew that monster, but there were only four people near the trophy, two strange people and two children. And he was even less convinced that the two kids did it.


    "Oy, you two, explain yourself!" Pointing specifically at Davion, he ordered some explanations from them. Not everyone had the guts to enter like that here.


    "Simple, we decided to skip some ranks. And this ¡­" She showed the big head. "¡­ is our proof. I don''t really know how strong the monster was, but it should still be enough for something like rank J? Maybe K? I am not certain." The succubus was still wearing her helmet, otherwise, the old man would have seen the huge sarcastic smile she wore while saying those sentences. All her anger for what she experienced, she decided to use this opportunity to completely vent it.


    Her foolish demands were still badly received, even when many admired them for slaying such a big threat. Even without the complete body, they were still able to guess that the creature wouldn''t be smaller than the biggest member of that strange group of two. But that entire thing about disregarding the usual rules was provoking quite a lot of adventurers to personally discipline those two rookies. Without even letting the respected old man inspect in detail the head, one female wearing a tight leather armor left the crowd and shouted at Meridiana.


    "Yesterday, you presented yourself grandly, acting mighty and such. But when it was time for you to drop your armor and weapons, you backed off. Just look at you, you are saying that you killed that monster, why is there no traces of that battle on you? No marks left by a claw, no corrosion or burnt area, your sword and daggers are without a gap on them. Instead of you killing it, I bet that you just paid someone to do it. How many died just for you to have this? Three? More?"


    The more she talked, the stronger the resentment of the adventurers grew. What was disappointment and irritation turned into disgust and anger. The more they thought about it, the more the sound of the woman in leather armor sounded right. Nothing on either the two proved that they even fought once. It was even the contrary, the possibility of someone paying a group of adventurers to do their dirty job and then steal the glory happened a lot in the past. It was mainly some nobles and wealthy men, eager to prove their strength.


    Not feeling bothered at all by that, the succubus slowly walked toward the shouting human, without the latter even noticing it. The woman was still talking to the crowd and only when the metallic hand flew toward her cheek did she realized her mistake. She had supposed that those two won''t dare to move in front of them, but Meridiana only wanted to be done with it.


    SLAP


    The supposedly female thief was projected on the ground violently and it took her a few seconds before she held her head in her hands and dared to look at the succubus. Feeling the vicious gaze of the humans, the demon commandant extended her arms like she wanted to give a hug and taunted them.


    "If you think that you are so much better than us, come and prove it!" If it was said ten seconds earlier, a wave of adventurers would have swarmed them. But the woman that was hit was one of the highest ranked adventurers in that city and the fact that even she didn''t manage to dodge a slap proved something. But some fools still had their pride getting in the way.


    "You hit our friend, so be it. We can duel you 1 by 1 if you want or maybe you will be stupid enough to allow us to work as a team. Since apparently, you don''t even put us in your eyes, why should we be polite?" A man in a sturdy armor extended his hand and helped the woman on the ground getting up. Behind him, four humans and an elf were seen looking hatefully at Meridiana. None of them expected that by this beautiful and warm morning, they would be insulted by strangers like that.


    "Depend, are you scared of losing or not? But don''t worry, whatever you choose won''t make a single difference in the end." She couldn''t help but taunt them more after she remembered that this elf was here yesterday and was part of the mocking crew. That long ears will eat grass before she left the building, she promised that to herself. But her words enraged, even more, everyone and the leader of that group even lost a bit of his temper.


    "Fine, just so you know before you beg our forgiveness, you are facing the ¡­"


    "Don''t care." Without even continuing that masquerade, the moment she cut the knight, the elf aimed at her and fired an arrow. For the onlookers, it was extremely hard to see that fast shot, but it was a joke for the two aliens in that room. She only raised her hand on the way of the arrow and the deadly projectile only destroyed itself on her armor. Not even a dent was made on the metal fused with C''Thalium, provoking an enormous clamor. They realized that this flexible iron was comparable to the scales of many monsters and maybe even as resistant as the ones from a dragon.


    Not backing off, the elf took some of his best quality arrows. Without even letting his leader stop him, three arrows surrounded by a blue light were shot in less than a second. While it was not the best quality available, each of those arrows still cost 10 gold. The old man looked with horror at the scene in front of him, not knowing how the situation ended up like that. In his mind, the woman was already dead.


    What happened was expected only by the orodil that didn''t move since the beginning. The three arrows were grabbed by Meridiana that threw them to her companion, for future researches. With those and the monster''s corpse, Malakov and Agnil will have some work to do. Profiting from the stunned state of everyone, she bypassed the warriors in front of her and grabbed the neck of the elf.


    It happened too fast for anyone else to react and the group of adventurers had no choice but to look helplessly at their companion. With the fact that she caught those arrows, it was now clear that she could probably kill him before they even began their assault. And to die for such a foolish reason, no one from that side wanted that. But to their horror, instead of pressuring them with her hostage, she only looked at the old man and asked a question.


    "Hey old man, what are the rules for someone attempting to the life of someone else around here?" Everyone realized that it won''t end well this time but even the previously menacing elder had to say the rules loudly. Even if he tried to excuse the actions of the elf, he still attempted at the life of the stranger and if she wasn''t that strong, she would have died. So it was logical for her to have a grudge about it.


    "In that case, one could be locked by the local militia and judged by the lord." He didn''t say that the victim could make justice by herself since he had no intention of losing anyone today. And because of the helmet, he couldn''t see if that irrational woman trusted his words. After a few second where no one talked, she finally released the archer. Using her hand, she cleaned his shoulders of any dust and began to walk toward the exit. She turned around one last time, before staring at the elf that suddenly got his entire back drenched with cold sweats.


    "Fine, but we''ll be back. As for you, long ears, don''t die before I get my hand you. See you soon."

 49 A Missed Rendez-Vous

    The orodil kept shaking his head while walking side by side with Meridiana. For sure they will be known but not in the intended way that they first thought.The original plan was to at least appear as good people or something in those lines. But they realized that just gaining the goodwill of people was not such an easy task or maybe they made some mistakes. Even after trying everything in his head, the only thing that really went wrong was that small test made by the old man. If they had done it, it would have probably turned differently.


    As for the succubus, she had not yet vented her anger and was still fuming a bit. She knew that if she killed those annoying elf, they wouldn''t be able to do anything in this city. They could be recognized as a great threat at best and not as some powerful adventurers. But she hadn''t forgotten that he tried to kill her multiple times, only because she slightly hit that venomous woman. The moment she grabbed the elf, she knew that he loved that woman from all his heart. She could only blame her bad fuckin luck for having that thief stood up against them.


    Since they had done everything they could and those archaic humans will take some time to analyze the head of the monster, the only thing the two could do was checking the progress of the group that they met near the cavern. If the righteous way was a dead end, they could still enter the shadows to progress. The only drawback was the fact that it was a lot easier to manipulate the masses when you are a hero for them instead of being a criminal. Otherwise, none of them, between Leilade or Davion and Meridiana, would have wasted their times infiltrating the human societies. Since they still didn''t know where they were in the entire Universe, they won''t make the same mistakes as the dark gods and alienate the very world that they were on.


    As they began their ascension of the mountains, they tried to see if they could find a traces of those humans, but to their expectations, they were totally incapable of doing it. The succubus didn''t want to waste any mana for casting a spell to find them and while Davion could notice the traces of monsters, it was impossible for him to track a group of human that left two days ago. Once again, they wondered what Kardel was doing and where he was. Their guesses were that he was either hunting the strongest monster on this planet or rampaging the Synnada Empire. And while he was doing those things, he won''t be able to get back anytime soon. After a few days of searches, they abandon the idea and just got back toward their base. It seemed that it will be the turn of Ymir to finally move.


    During the times where the two demon commandants traveled through the mountain, the group of ten humans was constantly searching for their contact inside the cold mountains. But the more they walked, the stranger the environment turned and even the leader that was fifty years old and had seen many strange things was left stunned by it. To their knowledge, the mountains were the domain of numerous races of creatures, some were true monsters with only some basic animal instincts while others were intelligent races. The snow wolves were part of the first group while the trolls were part of the second.But even if it was a lawless land, the snow wolves wouldn''t actively charge toward the troll territory without any reason. But this was happening right in front of the group of humans.


    When they saw the first wolf, they immediately form their formations and were ready for a fight. One wolf was not that deadly, but those creatures rarely moved alone. What followed was not just dozens of wolves, but hundreds of them. Seeing this, all the humans felt despair, but it quickly vanished to let place to stupefaction. None of the wolves tried to even attack them, all they did was passing through as quickly as they could, fearing something so terrifying that they didn''t even look at the warriors.


    Because they didn''t dare to move inside the sea of fur, they were stuck in the same place. Watching the last monster jumping a cliff and disappearing from their sight, they turned around to look at the direction those wolves came. None of them were quicker than those predators, meaning that whatever was scaring them would be able to catch them easily. Because of this, none fled and all were preparing some of the magical devices they kept in case of an emergency.


    One was looking like a dark bomb created by the dwarf, but it contained the might of a spell casted by a 5th Circle Magus. It couldn''t possibly harm the incoming threat from the outside, but the fact that it was shaped like a ball allowed the humans to throw it inside the maw of the monster. They already had to use two of those decades ago, when they faced One-Eye inside the cave. It was at the beginning of the exploration and the cause of the abandon of the project. The monster ate it without any problem, but the magical bomb only incapacitated it slightly, not even killing it. On the other hand, just that device could destroy their entire group if it was launched in the middle of them.


    But as the seconds passed, they still didn''t notice anything weird. After a minute, some couldn''t help but relax a bit, because they were beginning to feel to tense. In the end, five minutes after, the leader himself began to drop his vigilance. Looking at his subordinates, he couldn''t but feel the same perplexity. Everything was too strange for them, but one point was still cumbersome. The direction those wolves took was their path to reach the troll village. Three additional days would be needed but they had no idea how irrational the rest of their travel will be.


    The next morning, what greeted them was a group of ice elementals staring at them. Normally, they harbored immense hate toward mankind and only because they were weaker than the group of humans caused the elementals to not attack. But this time, it looked like they were waiting for the humans. Because the two groups never befriended each other, weapons were drawn and the temperature became even colder. But no actions were taken, prompting the leader to order to lower their weapons.


    Marching forward without listening to the worried advice of his subordinates, the warrior in charge tried to talk with them. What met him was complete silence, but soon after, the elemental began to draw on the snow something. The final product was a huge monster with four arms, with a fuzzy thing around him. Clearly, the elemental made the snow around that creature dotted with lines, but the human had no idea what it meant. Shaking his head, he tried to indicate that he hadn''t seen it from where they came. In answer, the elemental pointed at a direction that could lead them to the Massalia Kingdom if they followed it. Trying to link the two, the leader managed to get the acknowledgment that this monster came from there. Soon after, he saw the elementals rushing from where the humans came.


    "Leader, what is happening?" The half-elf couldn''t help but ask it. They were a little too far to see it clearly, but afterward, they approached and saw the drawing. But they didn''t understand what it meant.


    "That thing, it came from the Massalia Kingdom or from the mountains on that side. And from the looks of it, it is the very thing that makes everyone mad around here. From what I understood, even the elementals that hated us and were scared of us preferred to converse with me to know if we met that thing. I have no idea what it is, so if you know anything, tell me. Otherwise, our only hope is to reach the trolls as soon as possible and leave this place before the monster arrives."


    Everyone began to carefully examine the drawing and even pondered about the weird lines near the body of the creature. But the creature had only one distinct feature, his four arms and the silhouette was not precise. Meaning that either the elementals only heard about it and tried to draw it from that description or they never saw the creature clearly. As for why it was huge, they drew a small human near it, and it only reached the thigh of the monster.


    Instead of carefully walking and making sure they didn''t intrude in the territory of some predators, they threw away any precautions and rushed toward the trolls at full speed. Instead of three days, they only took two before seeing the wooden walls and the leather huts. But those two days were not without more strange situations.


    Everything they thought they knew about this place was destroyed mercilessly by what they saw. Right before sleeping the day before, they saw a drake flying above them and going toward the North. Those cousins of the dragon were extremely territorial and never left their nest without a good reason. But this specimen was flying as quick as it could, and from their sides, it didn''t look like he was regretting his choice. That only proved to the humans that the threat of the four arms monster was high enough to make a drake flee in panic.


    Following this sight, all types of creatures were going toward the North, even if it meant more risk. Unlike the totally lawless areas of the South, near the fallen Kingdom of Pankow, the North was more subject to the invasion of humans. Because of this, the rule of the strongest was applied more viciously, because two threats awaited the runaways. Other monsters and greedy humans. It was because of this that the elementals still preferred to stay here and didn''t try their luck in the northern mountains.


    Thanks to those incredible situations, the humans never had to battle once but they were all totally exhausted mentally. Their nerves were on the verge of a breakdown, seeing more and more terrifying monsters than everything they battled passing a meter away from them. And the moment they reached the trolls, everyone collapsed and breathed normally again. A huge weight was lifted from their chest, because they could easily see some smokes inside the village, meaning that trolls were present. They didn''t flee like everything else and will probably be able to explain the unusual behavior of the monsters.


    "Uhanz, UHANZ!" The sentries shouted the word for humans but instead of comforting the tired group, it made them shiver. The tone employed by those guards was not of joy or surprise, like usual, but of worry and even terror.Instead of walking with big smiles on their head, they were tightly gripping their spears, pointing them on the group of humans. The leader had expected some worry and even some tension, but they were treated like a threat. His organization had centuries of dealings with trolls and other races, but it didn''t look that way anymore.


    Advancing toward the guards, he tried to ask what was wrong. He was one of the few interpreters capable of talking with relative ease with trolls and in no time, he received an answer that froze his blood. The huge monster that elementals drew left a day ago from the village, but he did say what he was looking for. A group of ten humans with one having long ears. The trolls didn''t say that they were expecting that group to arrive, but that was the extent of their help. They didn''t want to incur the fury of that monster and pressed the group of humans to immediately go back.


    This time, no one knew what was the reason behind the actions of that huge creature. But they only knew that whatever will happen after they will be caught will not be pretty at all. Trying one last time to conduct the usual business, they only met a closed gate. The faces of everyone was as pale as the snow nearby, and since it was a failure, everyone wished to escape as quickly as possible.


    "We need to go back in Archet as quickly as possible. Damn it, how did that monster hear of us? It is still weird, no matter how I look at the situation. But since the trolls don''t want our stuff, we have no use of them. Drop everything, only keep what is needed for 5 days in those mountains."


    "But, boss. We usually take 8 days to arrive here and two additional to reach Archet?" The half-elf still voiced his worries. If they ran out of food, they wouldn''t be able to survive around here. But the leader was adamant in his decision.


    "I know, but unless you plan to end up in the grip of that thing, drop everything. That way, the trolls will still be able to get everything they asked, even if they let us down. They didn''t totally betray us, that is still good. Imagine if the monster was rig¡­"


    The human never managed to finish his sentence, because what he caught in the corner of his eyes was the very thing that he dreaded. At the same time, he finally understood what were the lines surrounding it.He couldn''t help but curse the fact that those elementals were so bad at drawing something.

 50 An Offer in a Snowy Mountain

    The intense reaction from their leader immediately gave away that something was standing behind the rest of the group.But because he was frozen in place, not even daring to blink, they were unsure what should they do. Unleash their weapons and turn to face the threat or just slowly get behind the human statue to see what they were facing? The half-elf decided to do the second choice and soon, he was under the same condition that their leader. In the end, everyone was looking at the huge monster in front of them and cursed the elementals for their drawing. They had no idea what was the lines on the snow, but if they knew what they represented, they would have immediately come back to warn the headquarters.


    The only word that could describe the immense beast standing in front of the humans was a demon. Unlike most of the commoners and even some nobles, and because of their allegiance, they knew more about monsters than they preferred to. Especially the ones located in the deadliest regions of this world. Not even the giants living above the dwarven kingdoms were that tall and the very arm of the demon was bigger than a man. The red skin looked thicker than the armors the knights wore during battles and looking at their weapons, they wondered if they could even make a dent in it.


    The monstrous face that looked like a disfigured boar was void of any emotions but deep inside them, they felt the same primal fear that a prey encountering his natural predator. And to even scare them more, the demon was surrounded by a magical shield that was barely visible. And that detail that could be negligible was the most important one. Only a very few monsters could materialize such a magic shield outside of their bodies and all were categorized as threat menacing nations.


    So, if they knew such a creature appeared here, they would have not the guts to stay. They underestimated the threat and thought that they could reach the trolls to know what was going on, but now they would need to pay the price for their foolish ideas. As they were praying every god they knew, they were still staring at the demon. Only to notice that although he found them, the monster didn''t make any move yet. For a few additional seconds, the two groups kept staring at each other.


    "My deepest apologizes my lord, this servant was too slow for your speed. What are your commands, now that we have found the humans?" A lich suddenly appeared behind the demon and begin to converse with him. From the point of view of the humans, the lich was a subordinate of the demon, because of what the former said. The more they learned about the demonic being, the more they realized that it was way above their level. At this point, the only thing close to what they were witnessing was maybe the dark gods from the old legends.


    The demon only looked at the lich and without even saying anything, the lich still bowed. "I understand my lord; it will be done" The silent conversation was reinforcing, even more, the mystery surrounding the huge creature but that was not the issue for the humans. Because the lich was getting closer and closer. It was a type of undead that everyone was familiar with, rotten flesh, an aura of death surrounding it and the sensation of their own body getting colder as the undead crept closer. The only different thing was the fact that the clothes of the lich were looking quite new and not as riddled with holes that some old liches often wore.


    The feeling that their bodies were transmitting finally broke the stupor that the group was in and they immediately unleashed everything they had. Four men had small crossbows loaded with bolts visibly enhanced with mana, four others were ready in the front line and both the leader and the half-elf were ready with the magical bombs. They didn''t dare to attack first since the immense demon was watching them, but they won''t get down without a fight. However, to their surprise, the lich stopped a few meters and tried to ¡­ smile?


    "Rejoice, mortals, for you have an opportunity that will only appear one time in your entire life. My master is seeking information about your organization and those that will offer their knowledge will be rewarded. As for the others, if you can''t meet our expectations with what you know, you will meet them with your life."


    The more the undead talked, the more sinister his speech turned. What he asked was a blatant betrayal that could have probably be successful, if the way it was presented was not that one-sided. They had no idea how strong the lich was, but it was a certainty that the thick demon was dangerous enough to make a drake flee in panic. And who would trust the words of such a powerful creature? In the minds of all the humans, what awaited them was either be killed or be killed after telling everything they knew. And if someone, like the trolls nearby, heard them fraternize with such an enemy, their organization will make an example of their families.


    Besides the few that were lone wolves, the rest had people they cared about. And since no one thought about bargaining with the undead, an awkward silence installed itself between two cold winds. The smile plastered on the face of the lich was slightly worsening as time passed and anger could be seen rising inside it. The fa?ade of respect and courtesy crumbled and without even looking at the demon behind it, it unleashed his wrath.


    "Miserable worms, you rejected the open hand of my master. For your foolishness, you can embrace your death NOW!" The humans were ready for this and four arrows immediately were released in direction of the undead. This was just the first wave but they expected that while the undead was casting a spell, the rest of the group could get closer and threaten the body of the lich. To destroy the undead, arrows won''t be able to really harm it. Only by destroying the core located where the heart was or dismembering it completely one could really kill a lich.


    However, to their despair, the lich merely waved its hand and a few snowballs appeared and destroyed the momentum of the four arrows. Unlike inferior creatures of backward planets, this lich was tutored by the knowledge of Malakov, the Envoy of Leilade. To this superior lich, having to cast a spell by saying its name was utterly inefficient and dangerous. But that destroyed any expectations that the group of humans had.


    To them, only the Archmage and some of the highest Magus were capable of pulling that feat off, and if liches were capable of doing it, the fallen kingdom of Pankow would have already ruled the world. Because of this, the leader of the humans finally broke his silence. "Wait for a second, can we talk?" Feeling the scared stares of his companions and the exasperated look of the lich, he raised his hands in the air and repeated his question.


    "Can we ask for something?"


    "You have ten seconds to make your demands, ants, before I''ll crush you all." This time, even them could see threads of mana assembling themselves in the hand of the lich, ready to unleash a terrible spell on them. Sweating a lot, the poor human tried to negotiate hope for themselves.


    "If we manage to beat you, can we escape unscat ¡­"


    HEHEHE KEKEKE KAKAKAKAKA


    The lich began to laugh maniacally at the pitiful sentence of the living being. Normally, those inferior creatures just naturally submitted to them and it had been a long time that he really fought. Most of the time, he just supplied mana to the Empress of the Underworld or her Envoy while they invaded planets. So, for the lich to finally have the chance to have some fun with humans, it will definitely not let that chance go away. As for the fact that it could lose, that thought never crossed its mind.


    "Nothing, you demand nothing of me, pitiful humans. This world will be ours and ours alone. What my master offered was just a place in it but you refused it. Now, you will have to pay for that. Behold, what millenniums of war produced."


    Without even waiting for the lich to end his threat, both the leader and the half-elf launched their bombs at the undead, quickly followed by four additional bolts. However, this time, instead of magically enhanced iron bolts, they were made of mithril, a metal too rare to be wasted. Those bolts were even more costly than the magical bombs because they had to pay a huge price to convince some dwarves to sell it. But no one thought that it was wasteful to use those bolts right now.


    A small tornado of fire englobed the frail undead and a huge explosion resonated nearby. Even from where they stood, the humans could feel the intense heat provoked by the two mighty spells. The snow around them at turned into vapor but that only created a smokescreen, not allowing anyone to see what was the result.


    Nodding at the four warriors in front, six humans reached the location where the bombs exploded but met an unexpected obstacle. The same mana shield that was surrounding the silent demon stopped the living beings to get any closer. And to make them even more hopeless, they realized that the lich was completely unscathed by what happened. In fact, it was not exactly true.


    A deep hole was visible in the right shoulder of the lich and the three other bolts were broken at its feet. The undead will never admit it, even in front of Malakov, but the bolts were absolutely capable of killing it, something that it didn''t expect. Because of this small moment of carelessness, it ended up injured and had to quickly conjure a shield. If that shot was lucky enough to pierce its heart, the fight could have been finished in a second. Based on the components and the enchantments of the previous bolts, they shouldn''t even be able to harm it but the recent projectiles were far more deadly than he expected.


    But now, those humans won''t have any chance of ever harming the undead. Because it had those orders, he could only harm the souls of those inferior beings and not torture them as it wished. Feeling that it had already lost too much time, he quickly ensnared everyone in dark chains, not letting anyone even move a finger. This time, no hidden tricks or surprise devices happened that foiled its plans. Turning to face Ymir, the lich bowed and let him took its place.


    The Ak?l finally could end the masquerade. This entire ploy was done solely in case of one of the humans decided to betray their organization. Contrarily to what they were thinking, Ymir and the lich would have truly let anyone that talked go, albeit with something more in their body. But they wouldn''t have been able to detect it and that would have allowed Davion and Meridiana to contact the underground leaders. But that plan was a failure, once again.


    After listening to the reports of those two, the Ak?l realized that it was visibly harder to conquer a planet without using sheer strength. Normally, he would have just arrived on a world, killed the two or three strongest being and pacified it in a few weeks if it was as archaic as this one. But because something was definitely fishy around here, they had to lay low for a while, until they knew whether or not something from the Ancients was still alive or even active.


    Just keeping the leader and the half-elf alive, the demon began to devour the rest of the humans under the terrified eyes of the two survivors and also, the trolls that were spying the battle from afar. Feeling his hunger finally satisfied, Ymir grabbed the two in two of his arms and left the lich behind in the snow as he performed gigantic jumps and came back to Malakov and the rest. As for the equipment still laying on the ground, it was until a day later that the trolls gathered their courage and took them before turtling inside their camp, not daring to leave for a while.

 51 The Organization

    The thirty or so hours of travel that the two humans suffered within the grip of Ymir were the longest they ever experienced. At first, they tried to escape and even used some hidden weapons that were stitched inside their very clothes. But those were their last trick available and therefore, not of the best quality. If they were facing some monsters, it could still be able to pierce its skin, but it was tested that those small knives were useless facing a drake or something similar. And as expected, they didn''t even manage to scratch the surface of the arms of Ymir. The latter knew what they were trying but didn''t even bother to shake his two packages, fearing that he would kill them both if he did.


    The demon was only wearing some pants and had his chest totally exposed because master Agnil was still not finished with his equipment. Even the bottom parts were not really well made, but Malakov prevented him from leaving the base naked. The supposed demon lord could have his upper body naked and expose his mighty muscles and arms, but shouldn''t be without clothes. So he had to settle for some leggings that were being destroyed more and more after each jump. He was absolutely certain that if the distance was bigger, he would only have a belt staying in place in the end.


    As for the lich, which was just a spy planted by Malakov to monitor the behavior of the Ak?l, he had no reason to wait for it. He had to rely on himself to search the entire mountains because the undead was ordered to not use any magic before reaching the group of humans. And while he didn''t have the same capability as Kardel to find his preys, his strength allowed him to browse such a large area in a short time that it was enough. The moment he found the troll village and understood that it was probably the target of the humans, he just patiently waited for their arrival. And now, he wondered why those two weaklings were so important, to him, they were probably just some errand boys.


    After he arrived at the underground base, he stopped for a few minutes and watched his surroundings. Whether or not he was paranoiac, he still felt that something was lurking nearby. And as expected, even if he was that close, no lich was leaving the security of the hidden spell. That meant that Malakov had also noticed the same thing and was not taking any risks.Feeling exasperated, Ymir had no choice but to follow the backup plan. Which consisted of walking toward the South and enter the fallen Kingdom of Pankow. That was the conclusion that was reached after Davion and Meridiana returned from Avenio.


    Using the same method that he used previously, the demon jumped in direction of the South. Some spirits previously scouted the optimal path from the base to the undead kingdom so he had no problem remembering the way. After dozens of minutes, the sensation of being spied was dissipated but he kept going on. Only after reaching a certain point, he turned right and accomplished a circle to return from his original location. That entire ordeal took a few more hours, making the face of the two humans even paler.


    They prided themselves to be as strong as some of the top adventurer groups and to have trained their body to a strength rarely attainable. But, it had been nearly three days since the last time they slept, they had not eaten or drunk from the precedent day and had to suffer huge changes of speed during that time. If they had anything in their stomach, they would have thrown it out a long time ago. They still tried to sleep a bit but the human body was clearly not compatible with that type of travel. The only thing that they understood was the fact that they were in the Massalia Kingdom and had crossed the entire mountains.


    As the demonic kidnapper stopped jumping one more time in the same location, they finally rested for a few minutes. They had no more any hope of surviving and just hoped to die as painlessly as possible. Both of them had a family but they entered a state of immense despair after seeing the very space opening in front of them.From a previously bare land, a delicately inscribed door surrounded by two terrifying statues appeared in their vision, with multiple liches oddly similar to the one they tried to fight. What they fought was the highest servant of the demon lord was just one in a mass.


    The more they were transported inside the tunnels, the more they realized that it was not just some brainless monsters rallying under the banner of a mighty being. They were organized, small skeletons were carrying minerals, stones, and metals to diverse locations when bigger undead shaped like big moles were still digging in nearby tunnels. They only had a glimpse of a forge that was producing weapons and armors in masses. From the beginning to the end, they realized that they had not encountered any warriors, but they had no doubt that when they finished creating enough weapons, they will be summoned.


    In the end, the two arrived in a room that was riddled with some plans, magically projected images of locations and beings and in the middle of the room, a sphere where a few names were written. They could barely see the names of Pankow, Massalia and Avenio, but they realized that the frontiers of those nations were extremely detailed in this region and blurred everywhere else. Even their superiors would kill for such a precise map, especially about the desolates mountains.


    But while they were absorbed by the sight of the globe, they didn''t notice the three beings that were looking at them. Only after Ymir dropped them on the ground and joined that group, did the two humans realized that they were not really alone. A woman that was beautiful enough to make their cold hearts beat faster, a strange blue man that arrived at the chest of the demon and finally, a type of lich that they never saw before. And from the way the red monster was interacting with them, he was absolutely not their superior.


    Even after hearing the report of Malakov, the succubus was still slightly disappointed by the result of Ymir. They were supposed to let one go anyway because that human would have been too scared to fight back. They had absolutely expected a coward among that group of worms to betray everyone. But now, they could only kill them after extracting every information they had.


    "Ymir, did that lich truly did its job or not? Because I won''t expect Malakov to admit his mistakes when she is not here. What can be so hard to just pull a stunt with an incredible spell, show them how mighty you should be and boom, someone kneel and beg for his life?" While she said that, the Envoy was clearly showing his discomfort at those words. It was not his fault if they were braver or didn''t fear them enough.


    "I am not a human nor I like to be amongst them. But I didn''t find that the lich was not up to our expectations. To be truthful, I saw that one of their weapons was capable of piercing the shield that the undead casted. As for how strong was that shield, ask Malakov."


    Meridiana raised her eyebrows at this fact because she didn''t hear that from Malakov. She knew that he always despised them and he only took his orders from Leilade, but that was not good to not say everything. Feeling both Davion and Meridiana looking intensely at him, the Herald of the Empress had no choice but to spit out what he knew. Otherwise, they will tell Leilade what he did and ruin the fact that he was gaining all the merits for their actions.


    "Fine, it was just a minor spell shield, absolutely incomparable to the one from outside the base. From the ranking of this world, I would say that it was a 6th Circle magic? More or less. But afterward, the lich was still able to destroy those puny bolts without any issues, it''s just that I ordered it to have such a low-quality shield. The orders from the Empress were to test by any means the strength of the humans. And now, we know that they have some stuff capable of really harming us."


    His explanations were clearly lacking in some parts but none of them had any intentions of pointing those flaws. They had no idea what were the real orders of Leilade and while she was currently weaker than most of them, they had no thought that this situation will remain like that forever. And whatever this world had in his entrails, she will be able to deal with it. Besides "that" something from the Ancients. Turning around to face the two mute humans, Malakov approached them while beginning to cast a spell to search their soul. The room was getting colder and colder until Davion stopped the strange lich.


    "Let them answer our questions before doing this. We want to know everything, unlike what will happen if you do this." The orodil was as distrustful of the Herald as Meridiana. If they expected him to say everything after conducting his search, they wouldn''t have survived this long. Because he couldn''t argue about that, Malakov had to step down and let them do what they wanted.


    "Fine, but in the end, they will belong to me. Call me when you are done, Agnil is shouting again." Letting a lich inside the room to supervise everything, the Envoy of Leilade left the room. The two humans finally breathed in joy, because they felt that whatever they were talking about, it was really bad for them. Those four beings were talking a very strange language, that was never heard from them. When they saw the lich looking at them and approaching, they felt their last moments being near, but it suddenly stopped after the blue man talked. The latter was still looking at them, not making the two really comfortable.


    "You have two choices, answer truthfully at your questions and die in peace, your souls intact. Or dare to say a single lie and the lich that you just saw leaving will have you. Now, what is your choice." For the first time, someone talked using the common tongue of the human nations. The cold voice of the abnormal man prompted to do a choice that was immediately decided. The leader kneeled while the elf bowed, but they were both shouting the same thing.


    "Please don''t take our souls!"


    "Please let us die painlessly!"


    They stayed like that until Meridiana raised their chin and made them looked at her in the eyes. "You better do what you said. If you lied, I will know. If you dissimulated something, I will know. Whatever dirty secrets you have or hidden deeds you made in your life, none of them matter to us. Now, look at me in the eyes." The gazes of the two humans were swallowed by the red light shining in the iris of the succubus. That was a small mana cost, but it will assure them of the honesty of those humans.


    "Great, now the first question, what is the name of the organization that you belong to?"


    Just the first question stunned the two captives because they had no idea what to answer. They said that they will tell everything, but it was far too vast to be answered truthfully. But the more they waited, the darker the expression of both Ymir and Meridiana turned. They expected them to lie, but not at the first question like that. But when the demon began to stand up and walk toward them, the half-elf suddenly shouted something.


    "THE ORGANIZATION PLEASE DON''T KILL US!" Now, even Davion was stunned. He looked at Meridiana, but the latter shook her head, meaning that it was not totally the truth. Because of this, he asked once again.


    "We asked the name of your organization, we know you are part of a group, now, tell, US, ITS, NAME!" He hammered the last words, but all they heard from the mouth of the two were just the same sentence.


    "THE ORGANIZATION, WE BELONG TO THE ORGANIZATION!" The two were even crying while saying this, but while it didn''t make anyone take pity of them, it only made them having a headache. It was clear that they were telling the truth, from their reactions, but which bloody criminal group would call themselves "the Organization"?

 52 A White Hand in a Black Glove

    Following the understanding that everything on this remote planet was entirely stalling whatever plan they made, Davion tried another approach. Since they couldn''t just ask about the name directly, they should at least clear out any misunderstandings that they had. Like for example, the fact that the trolls were calling those humans the black and white uhanz.


    "Fine, you belong to the Organization, which I suppose has a big O. Nod if I am right?" The two humans began to quickly nod, in fear that they were too slow. The demon Ymir was still awfully too close for their preferences and only when they started nodding did he left them and returned at his sit. He was ready to just grab them and deliver the two living beings to Malakov.


    "So, even if it is called like that, the group that you belong to should have maybe another name. Something related to colors, like white or black? Anything ring a bell?" As expected, the two humans reacted instantly and even began to understand why the demons in front of them were so mad. They couldn''t see but they both had the face of an idiot finally getting a joke that was said ten minutes ago. But past that initial reaction, the leader began to describe what was the deal with the color.


    "So, the principle of the black ga¡­ wait, do you have any idea of who we are?" It was the first time that they had the initiative, but they were way past the point of thinking that they could save themselves. If the ones in front of them were not the dark gods reincarnated, neither the leader or the half-elf would believe that as the truth. Why he asked that was because he had no idea of from where he should start.


    And of course, Ymir didn''t understand it that way. But before he could even stand up, Meridiana put her hands on one of his arms and shook her head. She felt that he was asking that as innocently as he could have, it was just that it sounded horribly bad in their ears. She blinked at them while saying cheerfully "Keep going, suppose that we know nothing, it will be better."


    "Alright, so, the Organization is perhaps the oldest criminal group of this planet. Its origin coincided more or less with the first important war between the Synnada Empire and the Massalia Kingdom. It was way after the First Calamity hit this world and plunged it into chaos. Because humans were greedy, when the war started, some bandits that were hunted by the army decided to ally with each other. It was just a small gang, but soon, they controlled the entire North of the Kingdom. As expected, it didn''t end well for them."


    Davion and Ymir looked at Meridiana, but she didn''t have any reaction, meaning that it was the truth or the closer it could get. To rally numerous groups of criminals during a period of war was incredibly foolish since it meant that they had a nice target on them. The leader confirmed that immediately.


    "But because they became so big, they had the entire kingdom behind them, hunting restlessly the bandits. Due to that immense pressure, the originally solid group fragmented into multiple gangs that tried to escape individually. Until a truce was concluded, none of the bandits dared to show their faces, but the moment the army was not present anymore, they returned to their fiefs. All their loots and treasures were taken and it nearly spelled the end for the Organization."


    At this moment, he realized that he was awfully thirsty and that his tongue was as dry as the ground under him. Because of this, he also noticed that he was hungry, tired, had numerous injuries caused by the tight grip of Ymir and a headache was gradually coming. As he began to form a coherent sentence to talk about that, the previously warm stare of Meridiana turned extremely cold. Freezing in place, he decided that maybe that could wait a bit more.


    "Glurp, so, the group still survived, even as weakened as they were. They understood that the reason why they failed was that they were concentrated in one place. But when they thought about spreading their subordinates everywhere, they stumbled into the main issue. How could they guarantee that their underlings would follow their orders when they were far away? The only thing that could prevent that was money, loots, coins. But they were not really rentable, and their funds were not infinite.


    So for the next decades, they mainly operated inside the Massalia Kingdom but still managed to become the biggest gang of the capital and its surroundings. Unfortunately, the original group of leaders died of old age, injuries or were simply murdered, creating chaos amongst the ranks. And it was at that moment that someone arrived and changed everything. His name was never revealed to us, but he was called the Intendant. He supplied a massive amount of gold to that group of criminals, so much that it would have appeared reckless to anyone else.


    But he had heard about the original plan and was immensely tempted by its potential. A group of criminals, thieves, murderers, and kidnappers controlling the entire dark side of the law. And not just the Massalia Kingdom, but everywhere. The Synnada Empire, the dwarven kingdoms and even the elves were grasped by it. It is still incredibly weird to think that it happened. As for your first question, the link with the two colors, black and white, it happened barely a thousand years ago. At that ¡­"


    "It''s the White Hand and the Black Gauntlet!" The half-elf suddenly stopped the leader in his tracks, gaining a black stare from the latter. As he was monopolizing the conversation, he hadn''t noticed that his companion was getting paler and paler, because he couldn''t say anything. He was fearing that since the leader told them everything, they would torture him for all eternity. Understanding this, and because he didn''t wish that to happen to even his worst enemy. Well, no, actually he wished to a lot of people to end up in his position, but not the half-elf.


    "You have heard about the arrival of the Dark Gods and the birth of the 12 Heroes? Well, you may know about the 13th one, the only real one. Someone that was not even noticed by the gods and without any extraordinary aptitude but an iron will. When the first god was slain, one his arms was dismembered and felt in front of the army. Because the Heroes disdained it, the now known as the Republic of Avenio quickly grabbed it. But they didn''t expect the Organization to covet the artifact for themselves. He was the strongest warrior of the Organization and had trained well his close aides, but when they opened the box containing the deadly object, all his subordinates went mad. He had to single handily kill them all and when blood was flooding on the ground, he turned his sight to the black weapons in front of him.


    A black gauntlet was shining, surrounded by a darkness that could even obscure the sun. No one knew what really happened inside the room after that, but when the man left, the gauntlet had attached itself to the arm of the human, like a parasite leeching the blood of its host. Thankfully for the rest of the leaders of the Organization, he didn''t lose his mind but manage to absorb a small part of the power inside the terrible weapon. Using it, he challenged the dark gods any time they attacked his fellow members. But after the threat was either terminated or expulsed from this planet, all the nations turned their eyes to the gauntlet, killing his bearer."


    Whether it was Davion, Meridiana or Ymir, none of them expected that one of the dark gods had a weapon like that. For them, it looked like one the Ak?l of the World-Eaters could use and Ymir truly wished to see the weapon with his own eyes. The more they thought about it, the stranger it was because while Leilade hadn''t transmitted anything about the Organization, she did say something about the 13th Hero. But only that because he was a criminal that possessed a treasure, he died hunted by the kingdoms. But nothing about a black gauntlet. Meridiana really wished to see the reaction of Malakov when he heard that. For she was not sure that the undead had told them everything and that the lich in the corner was not remotely controlled by him.


    "But while they managed to kill him, the Organization still grabbed the gauntlet before anyone else. In honor of him, or maybe because it was only to mock the nations that attacked him, the criminals were separated into two groups. The White Hand was dealing with everything legal or at least, not deadly. Brothels, information, potions, merchandises, everything could be bought with a price and none is richer than us. The Black Gauntlet, on the other hand, assembled from the coldest assassins to the lousiest tavern brawlers every outlaw under its banner. At the same time, some protections fees could be extracted and most of the merchants pay without any problem those additional taxes.


    For example, while we normally act as mercenaries from the Black Gauntlet, this mission was commanded by someone from the White Hand, for a hefty price. Some interactions are free, but most are either a trade, a service for a service, or paid in gold. There are only a few things that the Organization is not willing to do but they are known only to the higher ups. I just know that no sovereigns will be assassinated by the Black Gauntlet because war is far less profitable than peace. And that''s more or less it."


    The half-elf finally breathed after finishing his part. He realized the same thing that the leader previously, but they were not in a position of negotiating anything. They only hoped that the dark beings in front of them will respect their words. The main issue was the quite impassive faces of both the blue man and the red demon. Only the succubus was smiling widely but instead of comforting the two humans, it only sent more cold sweats in their backs. And what she said didn''t arrange that fact.


    "Well, they didn''t hide anything and I don''t really expect them to be so talkative. It is reasonable to think that the amount of information that one could extract from them would be severely limited now. Am I right?" Neither Davion and Ymir was a fool and they understood that she wanted to not break her promise. Maybe Malakov could betray them at any moment, but none of the rest was ready to cut their ties with Leilade. And what the latter hated the most was Candaith and people lying to her. After receiving the nods of the orodil and the Ak?l, Meridiana approached the two humans that were shivering.


    "My master wants them alive for the ¡­"


    CRACK CRUCK


    She broke the two necks without even slowing down, making the lich go crazy. "YOU STUPID BITCH! I TOLD YOU NOT TO DO IT!" She smiled back at the obviously badly hidden Malakov. "You know; I don''t think that Leilade would appreciate the fact that you forgot to tell us about the black gauntlet. And don''t even dare to say that she hadn''t told you about that, that''s bullshit. Maybe you thought that it was not relevant, but from now on, Ymir will be present during your next contacts with the Empress."


    The lich didn''t say anything and just crumbled on itself. That will probably be the best answer they could get from him but no one was satisfied. Looking at the two bodies, Davion turned his eyes toward Ymir. "You want them?" As for that offer, the Ak?l didn''t even think about denying it. "With pleasure."

 53 An incredibly Hard Tes

    It has already been a week since Leilade entered the Academy of Magic and got used to the customs in it. During that time, the generous meals she ate three times a day helped her recover enough magic to prevent the decay of the most harmed souls inside the Vault. At the same time, she could finally extend the darkness inside her a bit further than just her own body. But there was no good news about the awakening of Chief Lucio or any other spirits. In the middle of the night, she received a transmission from Malakov describing in better details the tale of the 13th Hero. Also, she realized that the bandits she saw while riding the gryphon was probably part of that, so-called, Organization. Otherwise, the merchants wouldn''t have happily chat with the criminals.


    Standing up a little before dawn, as usual, she descended to reach the canteen and reap her daily source of mana. Inside it, like every day, she saw the group of three doing the same thing while staring at her. Past the first day where the harpy tried to make her submit and the old man Moo tried to understand the deal she made with the Magus Alexander, she was a lot more inconspicuous. Because of this, the hostility she received because of what she supposedly did to the princess Istuienn and even her very behavior faded. The descendants of magus still looked at her weirdly, but the red moron and his idiotic lover didn''t even remember her.


    As expected, she was the first to finish, even when she had three times the amount of food, and she left without waiting. In this early hour, the number of awakened humans was very low and the corridors leading her toward the classroom were mostly deserted. But today will be the first day where they could take the test to finally get rid of the old hag that was teaching them proper etiquette and history. Besides the 13th Hero apparently. At the same time, Leilade realized that the amount of information related to either the Black Gauntlet or the White Hand was weirdly low.


    Even if that magnificent Academy emphases greatly on national unity, patriotic sentiments and also the fact that they could forge their own destiny, it was impossible that no one succumbed to the dark side. Whether it was something lunatic like the Church of Torment or something more materialist, like the Organization. In that sense, it was logical that they talked very little about the two, probably only proper magicians, properly brainwashed and indoctrinated, would have access to that type of information.


    Leilade showed her card to the door and the latter opened. Only in the first day would the student card be deactivated, probably to let the teacher has the initiative. But after that, she often arrived first, even if the course was in more than 30 minutes. Normally, the group of three will arrive a few minutes earlier than the angry magician and as expected they did. After the initial stares, nothing was exchanged between the four of them and the same interaction was reproduced when Ella Romba finally opened the door.


    For the latter, the less she interacted with that cold weirdo in the back or the three smug bastards in front, the better she felt. After the three first sessions, she understood that they knew everything she was teaching. On the other hand, she particularly loved the fact that, while the princess had proper conduct, she was clueless concerning outside matters. Meaning that Istuienn couldn''t help the red-haired commoner when she tortured him. Even with the special sessions he received from the daughter of the Sword Saint, he couldn''t ingurgitate all that knowledge in such a short amount, making her a bit happy. Until the two were successful at her test, she concentrated all her efforts in making their lives miserable.


    Because it was the last day where they were forced to be here, Leodagan Arastil was staring at the old mage, taunting her to give them the test. The two siblings were more reserved and not showing off like the boy, but they were nonetheless awaiting the same thing. Due to the fact that they were only 5 of them present, Ella was getting a little bit uncomfortable having nearly everyone staring at her. If it was out of fear, she would have been delighted, but it was not the case. Opening a drawer from her desk, she took out a huge stack of papers with anger.


    "Scram your little asses to the top, I want to be done with you as much as you would dream to leave this classroom. Because you arrived earlier, it is fair for you to start earlier. Take it and don''t make a noise, I am watching you!"


    She handed 4 pieces of paper to each child and let them gather the ink and the feather for writing. Because everything for basic education was free, in every room, there were the instruments needed for the task. For most of the courses, it was useless to have ink or paper, because no one was allowed to take note. But for learning how to create basic inscriptions and her course that taught how to write, it was a necessity.


    "Not because you know we will be done before you finish anyway?" Leodagan couldn''t help himself but dig a pit to be thrown in. He thought it would probably a good idea to mock the old hag, but the only thing he received was a frozen pot of ink and an evil smile at his intention. The moment he began to stand up and get another one, he saw Ella ready to freeze it again.


    "Try me again!" This time, it was the teacher that was jeering at the young boy and the contest of stare would have kept going if another group of kids didn''t enter the room. The old magician had no choice but to return to her desk, but she already accomplished what she wanted. Leodagan knew that she could ruin his test entirely if he kept resisting, so he returned to his place and his a small [Fire] to warm the pot slowly. He probably will waste a dozen minutes doing this, but it was the only thing to do.


    Shaking her head at the sight of such childish behavior, Leilade was already checking everything on the numerous papers she received. She had no idea how much she should answer correctly to be considered as succeeding and she was certain that the mage Romba won''t tell them anyway. Nearly everything that she learned from the library was asked. The history of the kingdom, when it was created, the numerous threats that appeared, namely the dark gods. The neighbors of that nation, where they were, the fact that Genablum was their only ally but not from the beginning.


    She could easily have answered that test with precise statements, but it would still be a little bit unlikely for a kid to be like that. Following the pieces of advice of the Viscount, she limited her vocabulary to only words that a kid could have heard. "Nothing could pry her away from this spot; only supper now could beckon her" she thought of that sentence that literally no one would ever use. If she answered using that type of words, she was certain that they will investigate whether her body was taken by a demon or just the reincarnation of a Hero.


    In the end, even after everyone arrived and the harpy began to happily torture Ronald, they were the only four that tried to escape this room as soon as possible. She saw some that looked at them earnestly, but because Ella was trying to be as noisy as possible, they didn''t dare to attempt the test. Even Leodagan was sweating a bit because he was regularly perturbed by the shenanigans of the teacher.


    Looking at the calm Owen, Leilade noticed that he was already on the fourth page. She already finished a few minutes ago, but because it was impossible to answer so quickly, she decided to wait a bit. From afar, someone could mistake her as writing something, but she made sure that the feather was void of any ink and the tip of it never touched the paper. When the calmest of the three kids nearby finally finished with a smile on his face, she was already in front of Ella handing her sheets. Owen, like her sister Jorien and even Leodagan, had his mouth agape seeing this.


    First of all, someone had the courage of walking in the middle of the class, interrupt Ella and hand her the paper like it was normal. In fact, every child was staring at Leilade like she was either a madwoman or a goddess. The stunned elder mechanically took what Leilade was handing her and saw the latter leave the room without looking back. For the next seconds, no one moved and the information finally reached the old brain of the woman, making her furious. In all those years, no one, no one even the brother of that brainless Leodagan dared to do something like that.


    Seeing the magician fuming so much that it would not be impossible to see some vapors leaking from her ears, Owen decided to wait for the end before doing the same. Actually, he thought that he would be the first to finish and that he would just raise his hand to signal that fact. His proudness at easily answering everything was gone and not even the fact that Jorien or Leodagan were barely starting the third sheet was enough to recover from the initial shock. He realized that in the past week, he had gradually forgotten the very existence of Leilade, since she had adopted a very low-profile attitude.


    Because Leilade had finished earlier and was finally getting rid of that useless thing, she suddenly encountered a small problem in her schedule. She had too much time now. She had managed to read nearly all the books available to students and had caused the lazy magician in charge to regularly leave his comfy seat just to make her leave the room. In other words, she had become a nuisance for him and every time he was awake when she entered the library, he threw her some dark stares. Like the one she was getting right now. The hour or so of free time will allow her to read the few layers of books still untouched by her.


    When Leilade closed the very last book of the pile near her, she noticed the same librarian staring at her angered. This time, she was surprised by the fact that he was not sleeping and snoring. He kept his sight fixed on her while she returned the books to their original places, prompting her to question his behaviour.


    "What is it?"


    "You come a lot here. Especially when it''s often time to close the room. So you have read a lot I suppose? Maybe everything?" Even his elocution was as slow and lazy as himself. As for his question, Leilade rolled her eyes after hearing it. What a surprise for her, someone came a lot in a room filled with books and with many underground floors, and that very person read them. Trying to not be as sarcastic as she felt inside, she answered plainly.


    "Yes."


    "Good, now you have learned enough to never come back here." He then turned back and prepared himself to enter a well-reserved sleep.After that encounter as productive as a mute shouting for help, Leilade headed toward the room where her favorite teacher was. Since she had only two of those, it was not very hard to beat the old hag.

 54 Happy Childhood

    "Now, now, stop crying and shouting like that, you won''t be able to do anything in such a state. Take some deep breaths, like that, Hmmmmmmf, Pfffffffffffff, Hmmmmmmmf. Yes, exactly, again, do it until you think that you are calm enough. And that should serve as a lesson for anyone else that thought that magic was easy." The teacher Oscar Moo was currently standing near a kid that had half of his face slightly burned by his spell. Normally, since it was just the most basic introduction to spells, the worst should have been his hand hurting him. But in a moment of panic, the kid fell and he ended up burning himself.


    The little boy was still crying, but under the stare of the old man, he kept standing still and breathing. The result of that small demonstration still managed to produce its effect, because a lot of kids were beginning to realize that magic was not a simple toy. If an event like that could reduce the carelessness of his students, Oscar would gladly burn more of them. Well, letting them burn themselves, not him doing it. Even some older magicians, for the sake of creating something new, died horribly because of their experiences. But it was impossible to grow without risking something.


    "While your little friend is feeling better, can someone tell me what were his mistakes and what he should have done after doing those errors?" Instantly, Owen raised his hand, but the teacher kept looking around him like he didn''t see him. Just in that week, Moo realized that it was worthless to let any of the three small magus say or do anything because it would be more or less perfect. Making all his preparations after they should have failed totally useless. At the same time, he wanted to make the rest of the students participate more, something impossible if three people monopolized everything.


    "Nobody, well, let''s pick someone totally randomly of course. Let''s just say, Ronald!" The boy in question rolled his eyes after hearing the shameless sentences pronounced by the old man. Sometimes, some interested kids, whether they were commoners, nobles or sons of magicians would answer. But if no one was making any effort, the red-haired kid would always be the target because it would catch the attention of the princess near him. Otherwise, the empty-headed girl would just snooze in the middle of the course.


    "Ehh, he, ehhh, didn''t maintain his concentration?" The pathetic argument was immediately sneered by Leodagan. Even Jorien was shaking her head, thinking that a baby could come up with that. Because of his relationship with the princess, the boy was ostracized by both the group of three and the rest of the class, so no one came to his help. As for his only friend, she was still sleeping for the moment and he didn''t want to wake her up for something like that.


    "Yes, you are right. The moment he created the flame, it was fine, but for some unknown reasons, the spell began to act erratically and finally, he fell on it. One could say that it was his main mistake since he was burned because of this. But do you remember my question?"


    The old man was smiling at him, but not a single trace of sympathy was seen in his eyes. Some fortunate orphans and poor kids were trying their best to understand magic because of that chance that was presented to them. They were working hard to learn to read and had no one besides themselves. On the other hand, the effort that Ronald was providing was too little, especially since he had the help of Istuienn for a lot of things. Oscar Moo was very disappointed with that type of behavior.


    "Yes, you say to point out his mistake, right?"


    "Mistakes, not a mistake. And there was something else after that, but we should still do something at your level. And until someone else resolves this, you should think about your answer."


    The rest of the students were not idle either, except the few that already knew what really happened. Small groups of friends were discussing how many mistakes did the boy made and what could have prevented more to happen. It was not to help Ronald but for themselves since it was the last day when their afternoon was entirely free.


    Letting the red-haired kid breathe a bit, the old man roamed in the class and listen to the numerous hypothesis proposed. Some were totally crazy while others were very close to the truth. Each time he approached a group of kids, they began to work harder, making him smile. It was the most basic behavior of a student, to suddenly do everything when the teacher was getting closer. He finally arrived at the end of the classroom and saw the habitual position of Leilade.


    After some many days, if he hadn''t understood that something weird was happening, he would have frozen himself eternally in shame. He still was unclear about the exact details, but he now knew that Alexander and Leilade made a deal or had an agreement about something. After thinking about that even at night, he realized that only one thing was possible since she was definitely not the child of someone very important. It was the possibility of her being so talented that she could obscure even Istuienn.


    Following this, for a very brief second, he was ashamed to be part of something like that, something that could destroy the childhood of the little girl. Past that brief second, he remembered that she would have destroyed it anyway, for her behavior was totally incompatible with the word happiness. From the moment he saw her, the number of times she smiled or even reacted strongly at a situation, dangerous or strange, was a grand total of zero time. But because he still didn''t want her to be always alone, he often talked with her.


    "So, what do you th¡­"


    "It was not the first time he casted a [Flame] and since it is one of the most basic spells, it can''t be that he doesn''t understand how to do it. If it was a normal occasion, he would have been fine and I already saw him nearly form a small [Fireball]. Based on that, he could be a 2nd Circle magician in a few months. We can rule out his ineptitude or his inexperience. He broke his concentration, that''s a fact, as for why, well, he is the oldest child here. He will be 11 in a few weeks, and his hormones are reacting. The moment he casted the spell it was fine, but right after, a small ray of the sun pierced the clouds and fell directly on Istuienn. The most plausible thing would be him looking at the sleeping beauty, forgetting himself, provoking that situation. After realizing what he had done, he was ashamed and scared to be found out, so he became confused and finally fell on his hand. The solution, don''t be attracted to little girl."


    The cold voice of Leilade retraced the exact event of what she was supposed to see. In fact, she was sleeping well when the Viscount jokingly told her about that. The moment she raised her head, she saw the pupils of the boy expanding and his disastrous misadventure. After that, because nothing else was interesting, she resumed her well-deserved rest. As for the old man, she wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible, so she resolved his small problem.


    Oscar still had his mouth wide open after hearing everything. He was still unsure of what broke the concentration of the kid, but he did remember that the class was lightened right before the accident. He didn''t think about it that way, mainly because they were still children, not teenagers ready to be married. But it was also true that this type of accident happened quite a lot at the end of the year, he just didn''t expect it to be so soon. Without bothering any further the strange girl, he returned near the boy, to check the theory of Leilade.


    He didn''t even have to do it, the sneaky stares that the boy regularly did was the only proof he needed. Now he had another problem, how to not let anyone realized what was the truth. While thinking about that, his stare passed on Owen and he quickly approached him to ask what was his answer. After conversing a bit, the old man breathed in relief, since it was absolutely not from the same point of view. Leilade described the event via the disturbance that happened while Owen academically talked about that in relation to the minor errors in the casting of the spell.


    After letting the brother of Jorien avoid the awkward reason for the failure, Oscar Moo let a small girl that still had a hard time with the basic spells go on stage. Once again, he reiterated his numerous instructions.


    "Take a deep breath before doing anything. Exactly like that, forget about the class for the moment. Later, you will be under dangerous situations, with a certain risk of death if you can''t cast a spell in time. But even those hardened veterans still started at the bottom, and some were making even more mistakes than you. Always remember that magic is not just saying some words in the air. It is you that make it happen, not the words. This time, you will cast [Water]. Now, go."


    The slightly scared girl executed the standard actions that Moo had given them at the start of the course. She breathed a bit, put her feet at a certain distance of each other, to have a better stance. Stability of mind was as important as the stability of the body, that was the catchphrase pronounced. After that, she closed her eyes, to not be disturbed, and tried to feel the mana inside her. Because she was not the most talented, she took a bit more than 30 seconds before feeling it.


    No one spoke or made noises during this. Even Leodagan or Ronald wouldn''t perturb the rest of the class. Even without anyone accented the importance of silence, they were not stupid. Intentionally making things hard for someone else would provoke a reaction that some could call disproportionate. In the end, they were all from the Massalia Kingdom and even if they hated each other, they will maybe work together in a few years.


    Still, with her eyes closed, the girl broke in a smile and began to chant [Water]. The moment she finished to pronounce the words, a small stream of water began to leak from her hand. She had curbed her fingers to not let anything drop and a few moments later, the improvised bucket was filled to the brim. Even as she smiled, she was still extremely concentrated, because it was the easy part.


    Everyone had a favorite hand, either being right-handed or left-handed. While manipulating mana, the same concept was also applied. It was easier for some to feel the mana flow in a certain part of their body and to use it efficiently. For the girl, she often failed to produce water in her right hand while it was a breeze to do it in her left one. And the principle of this exercise was to receive the pointers teacher Oscar while casting a spell.


    Because she already had a good grasp on the mana inside her, she effortlessly began to make it move toward her right arm. When she was ready, she said again [Water] and as expected, water was beginning to form. But the smile left her face and she began to furrow and wince. Her entire right arm was shaking and she couldn''t help but let out a small shout of pain. Because of this, she lost her concentration and the spell was interrupted. Feeling dejected, she saw the old man smiling at her as nothing happened.


    As usual, the class cooperated and gave their feelings about what happened. Two more kids passed before it was the end, but the noises provoked by the numerous discussions never faded. But unlike every day, there was another thing that everyone was discussing. What will they do in the afternoon, instead of having free time to study and train?

 55 Surprise, Surprise!

    To their surprise, it was not the two habitual faces that described what they will soon encounter. No, it was actually one of the magus that were present the first day they arrived, the definitely not old Sarah Meridil. She was wearing the same outfit that could be described as provocative and since they were in front of the facility where everyone ate, countless men were staring at her. That didn''t bother her, in fact, she was even happier the more men were stripping her from their gazes. The amount of attention she gained from the kids was not that high and only some of the oldest boys were affected by her charm.


    But while she was visibly in her element doing that, she was still responsible of the children in front of her. After waiting for the last arrivals, she began to count to see if everyone was here. Noticing nothing unusual, she used the same trick that Oscar used and created a small stone platform under her feet. Like last time, the impressible public she had in front of her reacted in awe at her doing. For the Magus, it was nothing at all, but the kids were, for most, still having a hard time casting the basic spells of the 1st Circle.


    "Alright, before doing anything else, good afternoon little kids." She opened her arms and waited a bit. At first, everyone was a little perplexed by the situation, until Leilade realized that the magus was waiting for an answer. Profiting off the fact that she was close to Leodagan and his group, she murmured at his ears "Good afternoon Magus Meridil." The surprised boy couldn''t help but blurted the same words loudly, prompting the rest to do the same.


    "Thank you, thank you, but you know I am not that old, you can call me by my name next time." She was obviously grinning to be in the center of the attention and it was no wonder that Alexander Arastil was in charge of punishing others. The kind of person Sarah Meridil was couldn''t do that job and was more effective at managing such a giant academy, albeit she had some issues regarding her narcissist personality.


    "Anyway, the last days, you have been able to discover the wonderful world of magic and maybe even started to cast some spells successfully. Some are more talented than others, but if you are hardworking and perseverant, you will still become a great magician. Because of that difference between two mages, it is normal to neither impede those that innately are faster to master their inner mana nor abandon the less fortunate ones. Because of this, from now on, you will be able to become the personal students of a mage residing here."


    This time, even Leodagan, Jorien, and Owen were shocked. The rest couldn''t really understand, but they knew that the first year of equality was an institution in this academy. Everyone, from a very long time, had been under this single rule that promoted the fact that they were all citizens of the Massalia Kingdom. Then, to just disregard it entirely, something very important must have happened. The first thing that popped into the minds of the three children was the appearance of the princess Istuienn, that could change the balance of powers between nations. But that would happen only in a few decades, and to just gain one year was not worth the outrage.


    "As for how they will choose you, don''t worry, you won''t have to pass more tests or put your hands on anything else. While you were with teacher Oscar, we were able to see your behaviors. I am very pleased to see so many enthusiasts and curious children reunited together. I am sure that most of you will be as happy to meet your new teachers very soon. Normally, this should have happened only after the second year, so you will meet a lot of older faces. But don''t worry, your older brothers and sisters will be extremely nice with you."


    She winked at the still stunned kids. They were only told that a wonderful surprise was coming, not something that big. At the same time, all were hoping to be chosen or, for some pessimists, hoping to not be left out. At the same time, one peculiar boy was sweating a lot all of a sudden. He was not the sharpest tool in the shed and his comportment probably displeased a lot of magicians. Only his talent was the saving grace, but when he looked at the blond princess right next to him, he couldn''t help but guess that they will be separated. His eyes crossed the path of Leodagan and he saw his smug face mocking him openly.


    For the trio, that thing was just a simple formality. Either the grandfathers of Jorien and Owen or the father of Leodagan will explain to them what was happening. They knew that they were very busy, so they will probably be under the supervision of one of their disciples. It was a weird situation, but the number of people that could teach them was extremely few, due to their parents being such important magus.


    "Now on, you can keep doing whatever you wanted to do in this beautiful day and either enjoy your last free afternoon or profit of this occasion to reinforce your knowledge. The way you will be contacted will be via your card, so you won''t have to worry about being lost. As for where you will end up, it depends on your mentor. Some will be in one of the numerous rooms of this facility while others will be in their own laboratories. Some of them will be old, with long white beards and will try to pose as a venerable elder, filled with wisdom. Don''t be fooled, they are as prone to make mistakes as a youngster like me. Now go, little kids, enjoy your last moments of freedom, MWHAHAHAHA."


    Right after that theatrical laugh that was only making her chest bounced more, the frivolous woman unleashed a terrifying spell that created a dense smoke around her. After coughing a lot and when the dense cloud dissipated, none of the kids was able to spot the trustworthy principal. All around them, numerous adults were just laughing at that sight or, for some grumbling elders, shaking their head in despair. It has been nearly a decade since Sarah took the seat of principal, and since then, she never changed from one iota of what she was previously.


    Following that highly disturbing end, the little children took a few moments before recovering their minds. Nearly everyone instantly looked at their cards right after this, only to find out that it was as blank as before. Only then did they remembered that it was during the entire afternoon that they could be called by their new master and it was logical that in such an early time, some could still be eating or enjoying a comfy digestive rest. Therefore, the small lapse of time that baffled everyone quickly passed and they walked toward their usual destinations.


    Because she ran out of books, Leilade saw for the first time what the others were habitually doing at that time of the day. And it was awfully normal. A group of girls was happily chatting under the same tree that she caught the three genius trash talking her. She was quite far away, but it was still visible that they were absolutely not talking about magic whatsoever. It was still possible for her to approach those na?ve girls, but for what? Talk about the hottest boy between Ronald and Leodagan? She would rather suffer another shot of The End and appear in another nameless planet.


    Nearby, another group of children was trying their best to cast some spells. It was neither composed mainly of boys and girls, but more of an agglomeration of small pairs working together. One was the observer while the other was the magician. From what she could observe, most were still at the basic spells, namely [Flame], [Water], [Wind] and [Rock]. It was derived from the four elements that formed the world, or that''s what they were thinking. From what was written in the book, the dwarves and the Archmage were debating about a thing that was the base of everything. But because they couldn''t see it, it was just a wild theory still unproven in that very day.


    Due to their over-reliance on magic and arcane devices, even the most advanced researchers of the human nations was just scratching the potential of sciences. She couldn''t really say that it was stupid to head in that direction since she had seen numerous times the side with a stronger magic win in a planetary war. But past that point, when fights were happening without even seeing your enemy and sometimes at multiple planets of distance, what was the use of magic?


    She heard a sudden scream that broke her thoughts. One girl was crying while holding her arm and a boy was nearby trying to console her. The rest of the groups arrived and the situation was explained. He was one of the most talented ones with that girl, promised to become a 4th Circle magician. While trying to cast an [Ice Shard], he lost control and the spell flew out in direction of his partner. Because it was so small, it only inflicted a small injury and she was barely bleeding. That still caused everyone to not forget that magic was dangerous and precautions should be taken.


    It could have ended like that, and the pair responsible for the event was leaving the area with the excuse of one being injured. However, when they thought that they were out of sight, they discreetly turned around and walked toward the residences of the magicians. It didn''t escape the eyes of Leilade but to her, it was only strange to act like a thief when all they did was receiving their instructions. She knew that not everyone will be picked, because what was the point of forming trash talents and they probably didn''t want to hurt the feelings of the others.


    Looking at her own card, she still saw nothing unusual, like a sudden arrow pointing in a certain direction. Even if it happens that she was not taken by anybody, she could still complain about it in front of Alexander. She was still not causing any problems because it was the beginning and it would have been pointless, but now that she could gather more knowledge, she will stop being the calm girl in the back of the room if that was what she needed to do. Thinking about that magus, she wondered what was his son up to.


    Trying to remember where those three moles went after the smoke cloud, she was surprised to not remember anything.


    (They went in direction of the facility where the offices of both Alexander and Arthar are located. As for the two lovebirds, they regained the dormitory to do whatever they want. But without a certain oppression coming from that ice mage, the chances that you are taken by someone are non-existent.)


    "I know that already." Since she had nothing to do, why not bother the head of the Punishment Council? Looking around one last time, she spotted the same boy that arrived with her in this place. Whether it was his normal instinct or the one from a prey when a predator looked at it, but the little kid felt a glacial grip hanging around his neck for a short moment. The spell that was perfectly casted in his hand suddenly vanished instantly and he had to sit down, visibly shaken. His partner was looking weirdly at him, not knowing what happened. Grinning at that sight, Leilade walked toward her destination. But contrary to everyone''s expectations, the moment she passed the door, she looked at her card in surprise, for an arrow was pointing toward a very familiar room.

 56 Arthar Rodil

    Turning around, barely a few meters from her position, the shiny letters were forming a word above the wooden door. "Library". The more she looked at her card that was visibly pointing toward it, the more Leilade was perplexed. The only one that could have done that would be the sleepy librarian, but he was not very fond of her. Otherwise, why someone like him would have convinced her to never come back, only to personally call her? Right before she passed through the door, she saw from the other end of the corridor three kids leaving a room, visibly disturbed. All their faces were very dark like they just heard a piece of terrible news.


    Right at this moment, she saw the two friendly students that she previously met near the library leaving with a few books, but they didn''t notice her. They were joking about the fact that they will have some maggots around their feet for the rest of the year because they will have to train the new students themselves. One was lamenting about his lack of rest that will only increase as time passed while the other was hoping that some beautiful girls will need some personal training. Because of the weird stare his companion gave him, he had to deny any allegations of being attracted by kids and only planned to make the said girl fall in love with him before waiting for her to become an adult. That didn''t stop the disgusted look at all.


    Following the direction that the magical arrow was showing her, she bypassed the still sleeping magician in charge of this room. Now, even the Viscount was surprised, because what was the reason for her to be here, if not because she would be trained by that lazy man. She traversed the labyrinth without any problem and finally arrived in front of the door that was locked to her. She knew that it was the one that led to deeper levels, filled with what she was looking for. All the dark secrets, the most advanced spells and devices created to this day, what was the true powers of the Dark Gods and the Heroes. Not just the regular tales that were told to the common people.


    But after waiting for a few minutes, she was getting a little bit impatient. The arrow was pointing right toward the door and she already tried to use it the moment she arrived. After three tires, she gave up on the idea and guessed that the human she should meet was right behind the door. But he was visibly not pressed by the time and took his time to do whatever he wanted and not uncomfortable at making a poor and innocent child waiting for a long time.


    "Remember, don''t show it to anyone and absolutely don''t lose it. It is only a copy, so it''s not a problem if it is destroyed, but you should never lose sight of it. If something wrong happens, just destroy¡­ oh, what are you doing here child?"


    Two magicians were talking while leaving the door and one was the serious magus Arthar Rodil that she saw when she arrived. He was talking to an unknown woman that was gripping tightly a scroll but none of them expected to see Leilade standing right next to the door. At first, they were suspicious, but then, the magus smacked his head after remembering the reason.


    "Damn it, you are not Istuienn? I normally called here and didn''t expect her to arrive so soon. You can go Melinda and remember my instructions. As for ¡­ eh ¡­ you know what, they will explain that to you." They were visibly embarrassed because a witness was hearing their discussion, but they were not blaming Leilade for that. The woman, Melinda, even smiled at her before leaving and soon, only Arthar and Leilade were facing each other.


    It didn''t take her a long time before linking everything together and guessed what probably happened. The only thing that was not planned was probably her being so quick at reaching this obscure location of the library. Just the fact that she was already close to it and knew how to not get lost was not taken into account by the magus. Looking at him in the eyes, Leilade calmly said a single name, to see if she was right.


    "Alexander?" The face of the calm elder changed for a fraction of seconds but after that, he broke in a smile. It was the first time she saw him doing that since it was mainly his happy twin, Artour, that laughed during the welcome ceremony.


    "Yes, it was Alexander. The only thing that went wrong was the fact that we took a bit too long to find what we were looking for. Also, you are quite quick to reach this door, most students, even older ones, still have problems while roaming in the library. Anyway, even if what I said was just to prevent Melinda to be suspicious, that is still a good thing in the end. That way, I can still promote you as my pupil while doing the same with Istuienn. Let''s say that I took pity of you because I still called you in the end. Do you agree?"


    From the looks of it, while they were going out of their way and even started to properly train first-year students, the small masquerade Leilade was taking part of was still maintained.Whatever was pressuring the Kingdom was still a threat to the Academy, one big enough to do something like that. Not just one, but two magus were scared enough of not being able to protect a single girl with their combined powers.


    "I am fine continuing your play. The only thing that will perturb what you are aiming for is the very princess herself. She doesn''t like me very much if you didn''t already know that. The reason was just a simple misunderstanding, but that red fool made everything worse, and the son of Alexander wasn''t any better."


    "Hohoho, he told me that you were cold and not really a child, but from the looks of it, it is just underestimating the situation. I won''t ask you what happened to you and apparently, it won''t be a problem in the future. The princess is a special situation, and unfortunately, I am not even qualified to force her to do anything. No one in the entire kingdom is qualified in truth. What I just told you is a secret, so don''t say that to anyone else. From what I can see, it won''t be a problem, but I had to warn you. And the reason why I am saying this is for you to do what I can''t do."


    From whatever reasons, Leilade was absolutely certain that an evil light was present in the eyes of the magus. Especially when he said the last sentence, his smile turned into a grin, one that some torturers that enjoyed their work had. At the same time, she was perplexed by the entire ordeal with Istuienn. It couldn''t be only because she was the daughter of the Saint Sword, something else was the cause. It was at that time that she also noticed the thin membrane surrounding them, even when she was certain that Arthar didn''t cast any spell.


    "I hope that you will try your best to make her work harder. From what we saw, she is still as empty-headed and na?ve as ever. We already made that bad influence go away but now, she needs to truly want to study and improve herself. Remember this, she needs to want it, you can''t, absolutely not in any possible case, force her to do something. It is imperative, do you understand what I said?"


    He suddenly grabbed the shoulders of the little girl and was looking at Leilade very seriously. Even if his words didn''t really make any sense, Leilade could feel that he truly believed it was of utmost importance to follow them and she logically nodded. Arthar sighed and relaxed himself a bit, then, when he looked at the kid in front of him, he thought that maybe he was too harsh. He smiled a bit, to reassure her, but the lack of emotions on her small visage prevented him from doing anything else.


    "Great, so, now you should wait outside for the arrival of Istuienn. This little play that we just did will be made once again because Melinda won''t come back anytime soon. By the time she came back, she will have forgotten that incident and you will just be a lucky kid that was pitied by me. And if you think that Alexander played with you and made your life miserable, don''t. He may be arrogant and likes to act all mighty and strong, but he truly cares about every student here and this is truly the best for you. Otherwise, Sarah wouldn''t have allowed him to maintain this fa?ade until now. Now go."


    She obediently left the room, passing by the now awakened librarian. He looked at her with a peculiar gaze, like he knew what just happened. Another thing that the magus probably didn''t expect, especially since he was usually sleeping deeply enough to not be awakened by people putting books on his desk. But that was not really her problem, for whoever will try to do anything to her will realize that she was definitely not the innocent lamb ready to be slaughtered.


    After getting outside, she saw the trio in the corner of the building, discussing vehemently something. They were not very loud, but Leodagan and Jorien were visibly arguing a lot, accompanied by a good number of gestures. The moment she got close enough to finally understand something, Owen stopped the discussion because he noticed her approach.


    "It is too exposed; we still shouldn''t be talking about that outside. We should go to your room Leodagan." The two others agreed, but had their backs facing Leilade, so they never saw her. Looking at her one last time, Owen followed his sister without doing anything else. Feeling wronged for no reason, the Empress of the Underworld had suddenly nothing else to do. She was not really ready to lose intelligence while listening to the gossips and rumors that the little girls were sharing between each other and the training dummies were what they were, just dummies.


    In the end, she reluctantly just waited near the entrance of the building, trying to uncover every enchantments and spells that was on it. It didn''t take her a very long time since it was only the most obvious and basic ones. One to prevent vegetation to grow on it, another one to reduce the erosion of the stone and reinforce the walls, all in all, some standards procedures. Unlike what she did with the stone platform, she just studied them, without stealing any mana in them. The bountiful meals were sufficient enough for her to progressively regain her power.


    Finally, after nearly an hour trying to resist the urge of modifying some true aberrations from her point of view, since she had nothing else to do, she saw her target on the move. Following the sunny hair, a red spot was also moving, it looked like he was not already dispatched elsewhere. The cumbersome boy was tagging along for the moment and had no visible intention of leaving. Following at a safe distance the pair, she saw the two climbing the stairs and heading toward a new location. Looking at her own arrow, she saw it pointing toward the ceiling and therefore, she obliged.


    They climbed two sets of stairs before finally having their arrows at the horizontal. Because it was already the middle of the afternoon, a lot of people, students, and proper magicians were leaving and entering the numerous rooms on this floor. Some were carrying some weirdly shaped components and shouted at the two lunatic kids to watch out. Fortunately, there was no problem besides the leech that was still stuck at the princess. Even when she was opening the door leading to her destination, he still was there, watching her. Only when a cold voice ordered him to get out did he reluctantly left her side. And when he did, he noticed the small Leilade right next to him, her small eyes looking at him.

 57 Priviliege and Fate

    Their previous interactions were more or less reduced to indifference from Leilade and disdain from Ronald. As much as he was grateful for her to have pushed Istuienn literally in his arm, it didn''t remove the fact that she dared to hurt the princess. Their behaviors separated them even more. One was proud, liked to enjoy the light and the praises of other while the other didn''t really do anything. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that she was just a harmless, and probably useless, little girl. To even think about harming Istuienn was probably the boldest thing she ever did.


    "What are you doing here Ma¡­ girl?" He began to call her Marie, until he realized that, he didn''t even remember her name. Even worst, did he even heard someone call her, like anyone? As he was frowning a lot because of his intense reflexion, Leilade was getting more and more annoyed by the brat blocking her way. To do that was acceptable, but to not even do it properly and especially not being able to name her was disrespecting. The only reason why she was actively trying to put him in his right place, namely on the ground, was the fact that too many magicians were roaming around.


    "Teacher." She still answered him because otherwise, she would still be here for a very long time. And as she expected, he didn''t believe her. Towering high above her, since he was quite tall compared to many boys, he leaned on her and in a quite pathetic attempt, tried to pressure her.


    "What are you babbling about a teacher. It can''t be that you, of all the students, will be personally taught by a magician. I don''t really remember the result of your test, but it can''t be higher than the 4th Circle, otherwise, it would have been known. What I am trying to do is to explain that you were probably mistaken, so, do whatever you want, but go."


    He was smiling the entire time like he enjoyed proving his superiority over her. While he, Ronald, was part of that elite, and will soon have his future teacher, she should just stay at her level. The more he kept that nasty attitude of him, the more Leilade was internally smiling at the oncoming spectacle. Especially when he was using his stare to make her go away. Just before he lost his calm and began to vehemently rant at her, she grabbed her card and shoved it right into his face.


    The boy took a few seconds before realizing that a small arrow was pointing at the door right behind him, where he just left Istuienn. Figuring that out, he took the card out of the hands of Leilade without even bothering about here and turned it all around him. But to his dismay, the arrow changed in real time, meaning that it was really the same spell that he experienced previously. Taking out his own card, he saw nothing alike, and the space where the spell should have been was desperately empty.


    "What! How! Impossible! This can''t be! Why did you were chosen before me? WHY! TELL ME WHY!" Ronald grabbed Leilade and violently shook her, provoking the reactions of everyone around them. Before that, it was just a standard discussion between two young kids, but now, the boy was assaulting the little girl. From her lack of reaction, she was probably terrified and two young teenagers dropped the heavy box they were lifting and approached them.


    "What is happening here, is anything wrong?" They were coming peacefully, but they never let Leilade out of their sight. She was still not responding, and only the angered face of Ronald was telling them anything. The young boy harshly rebuked the help of the two comers. "That''s fine, everything is fine, you don''t have to bother us." But they didn''t care a single bit about Ronald and kept getting closer until they finally dropped the facade.


    "We are not talking to you, kiddo, we are talking to the girl you are holding in your hands. And until she says that we misunderstood the situation, we won''t leave." The small spark of anger escalated more quickly than anyone could have guessed and in the end, even the door nearby that was previously shut down suddenly opened. An old man with a stern face, Arthar Rodil, and a beautiful little girl, Istuienn Gwendhir, finally appeared. The former was perplexed about the fact that Leilade was still not seen, but that question was rapidly resolved the moment he put his eyes on Ronald. The boy was getting more and more bothersome for the magus.


    "What are you all idling about? Keep working, bunch of lazy buns!" The authoritarian voice of the old man prompted everyone to resume what they were doing previously. Even the two teenagers reluctantly began to lift the box once again, not without looking at Leilade one last time. Now that Arthar had arrived, the bullying they witnessed will stop immediately. But contrarily to what they expected, the first to say something was not him but Istuienn that ran toward Ronald.


    "What happened, why was everyone surrounding you, did someth¡­ oh, you are here." At first, she was oblivious of the presence of Leilade and only saw Ronald. To her defense, Leilade was so small that the relatively tall body of the boy blocked the sight of the princess. But the platonic remark at the end clearly showed who she was favoring. Profiting of this, the boy waited no time and quickly painted the entire situation at his advantage.


    By the time Arthar had grabbed a random magician to inquire about what happened, Istuienn already had been converted and was even looking with hostility at Leilade. At this point, it became obvious to the demon commandant that any hopes someone could have about making her and the princess friends were gone. And as expected, the moment Arthar reached the group of kids, Istuienn immediately attacked.


    "Teacher, this girl is having a behavior totally unacceptable for the Academy. To be here should be an immense opportunity for someone like her, but instead of repaying that with hard work and respect, she acts like that. This can''t be tolerated." The fact that she truly thought like that only made the magus have a headache. Her tone had an imperceptible air of righteousness, that could make someone unaware of what happened truly trust her words. Unfortunately for Ronald, Arthar was totally aware of what probably happened.


    "What did I say to you little boy, you don''t belong to this floor yet. Now leave this place."


    "But, she¡­" Ronald tried to argue, but was


    "LEAVE!" For the first time, the magus used some of his powers to shut down the boy. This made Istuienn displeased, but even she wasn''t able to force a magus to do as she wished. Feeling that he couldn''t do anything more, Ronald finally left, but not without throwing a black stare at Leilade and then waved at Istuienn. The latter waved back, not noticing the comprehensive look the magus and the other girl exchanged with themselves. Her mission just became a lot harder than it was previously.


    When the princess turned back, her smile vanished and she harbored the cutest angry face that the magus ever saw. He could hardly take the granddaughter of his twin seriously, but the girl in front of him was at another level. So for him, to hear her saying as seriously as she could the numerous reasons why Leilade should be punished, was worthless. When Istuienn ran out of things to say, he just shrugged it off and returned to his room. The princess immediately followed him, not without trying to find additional bad things to say, like the fact that Leilade had strange eyes and was solitary. She was again oblivious to the presence of the very same person that she was denigrating.


    "Why is she here with us?" When the door was closed, she finally realized that they were three in the room and while it was logical for her to question her presence. Seeing no reaction from either the other student or the magus, she repeated the same question. "Why is she here with us? I thought I was the only one that would be taught by you."


    "Yes, it should have been the case. But by mistake, I accidentally called this young lady to me. Because of this, it would have been possible that another mage tried to do the same and failed because the spell was already casted by me. Therefore, to compensate that tragic error, she will be considered your peer." The logical excuse didn''t sound as logical as they originally thought. But to their surprise, Istuienn didn''t point out the very obvious flaws and only cared about the stroke of luck.


    "That''s inadmissible, why someone as talented as Ronald couldn''t receive such a high treatment but someone as weak as her could? At worst, just find her some random magician, it won''t be such a loss for her. To already have someone taking care of her would be a blessing, so for you, to personally lower you¡­"


    "I AM NOT LOWERING ANYTHING, PRINCESS ISTUIENN!" The magus cut immediately the sentence she was pronouncing. To have a bias for a boy was still in the limit that the Academy could handle, but to have such a mindset was outrageous. They were all citizens of the Massalia Kingdom, and they should still be treated as such. Compared to the princess, Leilade was appearing even more mature and with her talent, Arthar even began to think that just her was potentially enough. He was not the kind to forgive and forget ungrateful behaviors. Istuienn was shocked to be rebuked like that, but even if she kept quiet, she didn''t stop to look at Leilade, throwing daggers with her eyes.


    "Great, now that I know that you have both met previously, it will be easier to work together. Each afternoon, you will come in front of this room or where you were tasked to go the day before immediately after you ate your lunch. You can arrive later or earlier if you want to do something before entering the canteen. But the moment you are done eating, you will get there. Without ¡­ any ¡­ delay" He heavily focused on the last sentence, while looking at the princess. The latter didn''t even get that and was still fuming.


    "Now that this was explained, I can tell you how everything will happen. You will always be under the supervision of a magician of at least the 3rd Circle. Most of the time, you will just cast spells after spells, having a large array of those at your disposal. If you desire it, you can also enter those rooms, they will be unlocked only for you. Inside it, you will find some of the latest inventions and still in development devices, to broaden your horizon. But please restrain yourself to not bother the magicians when they are working. You can ask your questions, but not when they are casting a spell or concentrating on a problem. And that''s it, now follow me."


    They descended the stairs and even left the facility to head toward the stables. They crossed the immense greenhouse and saw three kids from the same class waiting inside it. They were surprised to see Arthar and Istuienn in this place, but when they noticed Leilade behind them, their mouth became wide open. Right before reaching the resting place of the magical creatures, they turned to the left and arrived at a huge barren plain, with a very sparse amount of grass. On the ground, numerous traces of frozen soil and burned areas could be seen.


    "Take this! [Ice Arrow]!" A woman shouted that and her enemy barely had the time to create a [Fire Shield] before the impact. Because of the might of the spell and the difference in power between the two mages, the man ended up with an injury at his left shoulder, effectively ending the duel. At that sight, the ice magician shouted her joy and jumped in the air, celebrating her victory. She still offered her hand to the dejected man and helped him get up, before checking the damage done. After doing this, they finally saw the magus supervising this and saluted him before quickly leaving.


    "As you can see, it is a very popular place for young people to fight each other. And that''s what you will do for the next months. In the middle of winter, there will be a small competition between students, to rank them up. What will follow can be easily guessed. The higher you fare at this friendly spar, the better the rewards you will receive. Because you are under my wings, I will be extremely displeased if your results are not enough. And not even your lineage will matter in this case."


    After dropping that bomb, the magus left the two girls alone, to do whatever they wanted. And by the by the evil grin on the angelic face of one of them, what will follow won''t be pretty. Especially when the other party was not even bothering to care about what will happen.

 58 A Friendly Sparring

    Honestly, even with the knowledge of how everything happened, Leilade was still a bit perplexed by the absurd reaction of Istuienn. Her rational mind could understand intense fear, anger, hate and what those lead to. She was far too used seeing her enemies trying their best just to kill her, with careful planning or their last effort before dying. But the feeling of love, that is something she saw, but never truly understood. But whatever was afflicting the princess, it couldn''t be anything else, even if it was weirdly fast. "Shouldn''t this take like years or something?" She asked the Viscount what was bothering her, since Istuienn was just staring at her, doing nothing.


    (Love is a fickle blessing or a never-ending curse. I was once lucky to meet my loved one and enjoy those decades of happiness. But I already knew her, she was my childhood friend and we were never really separated by anything. Unlike me, the opposite still happened to a lot of people I knew. Just one gaze in the eyes of the others, and they were struck with that sentiment, longing for the presence of their soul mate. And that small little damsel in distress play at the beginning could have made that possible. But what she is currently experiencing is just a kid love, if someone put a stop to it, it won''t aggravate to a point of no return.)


    "Too bad I am not here to deal with that. Who she will sleep with is not my main concern but it''s good that the magus still took care of that. By separating the two as much as possible, it will be fine, or he hoped so."


    As she was conversing with the soul inside her, she distanced herself from the princess and the latter was doing the same. Little by little, they were getting the same distance between each other that the two duellists previously had. Contrarily to what Leilade expected, Istuienn didn''t make a long monologue about why she should be punished or some dumb stuff she could think off. Because they were in a remote location, logically to be chosen for a duel, the surroundings were awfully silent. Only the sounds of the small footsteps could be heard, breaking the precarious silence. Well, actually, there was a sound of wind right behind Leilade, something unusual.


    "Hohoho, already battling in this fine day. I thought I was tasked to teach you two, am I not supposed to teach you? Just tell me, that old statue just grabbed me and told me to get here." A sympathetic but quite lethargic voice resonated nearby, prompting the two girls to turn around to see the incoming magician. Istuienn slightly tilted her head, not recognizing the young man, but it was another story for Leilade. She recognized him instantly since he was the one supposed to watch over them when she first arrived, the sleeping student or that''s what she thought.


    The sleepy man still had two enormous pouches of black skin under his eyes, meaning that he was really not sleeping very well. And as expected, the first thing he did was get a little bit closer and cast a strange spell, so quietly that even Leilade had a problem hearing what he said. The soil under his feet suddenly turned comfy and he put his head on the magical pillow of dirt he just created. The abnormal girl had to resist the urge of sighing in exasperation because if it was the teacher that will take care of them, she will never learn anything. Except, maybe, the best positions to sleep and how to create a bed in a hostile environment.


    "Oh, don''t mind me, keep doing what you want. Since you didn''t answer, I took that as a yes, I mean, a no. I won''t have to teach you, I can finally sleep for a few hours and you will have a free afternoon. Oh, by the way, I am truly a 3rd Circle magician, and near the 4th Circle. So, whatever you ask, to it now and quickly, that way it will end faster."


    He said that with a straight face while having his eyes entirely closed. Because both of them were baffled by such a shameless behavior, especially from the one chosen by Arthar that had an entirely different comportment, none of the girls asked anything. In truth, they had no idea what to say, one was disguised as a human while the other was confident of her own skills and liked to discover everything by herself. And therefore, the kids returned to their original positions and prepared to battle, for real this time.


    "Oh, sorry, give me a second. [Wind Shield] and [Wind Shield]. There you go, that way, you won''t kill each other. Because you didn''t want to do that, right? This time I would really want an answer. For my sake." At first, he only thought that it was a friendly spar like everyone did. But the intense concentration was tainted by a wave of small anger in one side, making the magician a little bit fearful. From what he knew, the smallest of the two girls was just a lucky one, that still had a trash talent. So, if they truly battled, he had no hope for her, especially since she was pitted against the princess, universally acclaimed.


    "[Fireball]!" Instead of words, Istuienn replicated with actions. The small deadly ball she formed was proof of why she was highly valued. It was already the same size as her own head and had no leakage of mana. But because she never truly fired that spell, it was way off the mark, ending up twenty meters away from her target. Making Leilade laugh really hard.


    "Hahahaha." In truth, she was prepared to just sidestep the projectile, but it was not even needed. And seeing the supposedly genius in front of her, her only possible reaction was just mocking her. After escaping the dark magicians that tortured her for years, she casted the [Bone Arrow] and managed to aim it accurately immediately. Just with a book as a teacher, not even having a week to perfect it in the most advanced school she saw on this planet. The difference now was plainly obvious.


    But Istuienn didn''t know that, and the loud laughter that resonated only reinforced her anger and her hatred against Leilade. The magician was perplexed, but about the reason why someone would deliberately anger the genius princess for basically nothing. A new volley of fireballs was launched, but albeit they were a little bit more accurate, none of them even grazed the boy''s clothes of the smallest girl.


    Thump


    For the first time since a very long time, the daughter of the Sword Saint was exhausted and fell on her knees. In her entire existence, no one ever forced her to do something against her will and therefore, she hadn''t received very harsh treatment. Her sister, Muirn?, and her brother, Amdir, often appeared in front of her filled with bruises and their breaths short. But she wasn''t the same, and the worst she did was fall from a tree. Later, Muirn? showed her how to climb it easily, and she enjoyed the sensation of climbing. But because she rarely left her manor, she didn''t experience any dangers or trials.


    But even as she was gasping for just another mouth of oxygen, she saw Leilade harboring the same smile she conserved from the beginning of the battle. Looking around, Istuienn realized that she didn''t even land a single fireball at less than 2 meters from her opponent. She even began to cry a little, while shame was creeping inside her mind. But that stopped instantly when she saw what appeared in the hand of the silent girl.


    It was the mirror image of her own fireball. The exact same size, or at least, that what she was seeing. But it was impossible, besides Leodagan and his group, no one else could create something that big and that stable. Even the totally awakened magician was a little bit baffled and wondering if Leilade was not the genius. He only heard something like 2nd Circle, can''t reach the 3rd one. Not trusting his eyes, he himself casted a fireball and saw the same stability in both spells.


    "Guess it''s my turn?" The cold voice resonated, and even before anyone reacted, the projectile was already heading toward the girl on the ground. An array of flames englobed her, and if she didn''t have the magical shield casted previously, she would have been badly burned. But even with that, the very intense heat was still propagated, provoking a squeal and a hasty retreat from the princess. But it didn''t end here, and another fireball was targeting the exact location she reached.


    "STOP! [Wind]!" A violent squall swept the hot ball away, protecting the terrified kid from any additional damage. The magician was ruining as fast as he could while praying every god he knew to not have his head presented in a silver plate to the Sword Saint. If someone heard that his dear daughter nearly died under his supervision, he would be in a lot of problems. But he truly didn''t expect the first fireball to hit, and certainly not the second one to be carefully aimed at the retreat path.


    "Oh god, I am so dead. Princess, princess, HEY!" Snap Snap. He snapped his fingers to make the child in front of him broke of her numbness. Only after a few seconds did Istuienn regained her mind and she immediately broke in tears. She had seen the second fireball heading at her head and felt the grip of death on herself. Even when she knew she had a magical shield protecting her and knew that the fireball couldn''t hurt her, deep inside her, she had the feeling that she would die soon. The stressful event took a toll on the sanity of the pampered girl, and the poor man had a hard time with that.


    If it had been an issue with magic, it would have been fine. But while he is in an age where he could already have children, he rarely interacted with them, especially such a young one. So besides, patting lightly the terrified head and letting Istuienn hug him, he was helpless. He still had a hard time figuring out what went wrong, but from afar, he was the impassive state of Leilade. Like what she did was totally normal and nothing like trying to murder her peer and friend. As much as he wanted some explanations, he knew that the princess was more important, and he stayed near her until she ran out of tears.


    The cries turned into sobs, and then, the sobs turned into murmurs. They stayed like that a few minutes, and it could have stayed in a weird standoff a long time if no one suddenly arrived. A group of women were happily chatting and heading toward the training grounds when they saw the situation and inquired about it. Because it was a very large are without anything, multiple duels could be conducted at the same time. But to see a grown man hugging a girl was already weird enough to provoke some questions, not even talking about the standing boy nearby.


    Only after approaching did the magicians realized it was also a girl, just in boy''s clothes. Because she was visibly unharmed and fine, from the looks of her, they decided to get closer of the man. The latter was horrified of his bad luck, just when he hoped no one saw the accident, a group of women suddenly appeared. Removing carefully the hands of Istuienn, he got up and tried his best to make the incoming duellists go away. However, the sight of the princess slowly curling up had the complete opposite, and only after threatening the women with the name of Arthar did he escaped the ordeal.


    "I know him, he is Leon and he truly works directly with Magus Arthar. So maybe we should just let him take care of that girl, it should be fine?" One of the magicians knew the man and it eased his efforts of covering up what happened. Thanking profusely the one that helped him, he managed to push aside the group before they realized it was the princess Gwendhir on the ground. Finally breathing alas, he turned his sight on the only one responsible for this cumbersome problem.

 59 A not so Friendly Punishmen

    "¡­ And that''s pretty much it, I couldn''t do anything at all before she got hit by the fireball. Maybe if I hadn''t underestimat¡­"


    "That was enough Leon, you did the best you could. I won''t blame you for that unfortunate accident, just take it as a friendly play between two children. Now go."


    The normally lazy magician tried to argue with Arthar, but seeing the closed face of Alexander Arastil looking at him, he decided to keep his mouth shut. Even after he told the entire thing, over and over again, he never saw the two men reacting weirdly or with an important concern about the princess Istuienn. Leon wasn''t necessarily the sharpest, but he was not dumb either. Keeping his feelings for himself, he left the room but not without looking one last time at the two little girls near him.


    It had been several dozens of minutes already, but the scared princess was still with her arms around her legs, curled into a small ball. Her little toes were barely hanging in the air, the rest of her feet deeply rooted on the edge of the chair. The contrast with her neighbor was plainly obvious. Leilade had her back straight, looking fearlessly at the adults like she did nothing wrong. And now that the only foreigner was out, Alexander and Arthar finally sighed of relief.


    The first thought that traversed the mind of the father of Leodagan, when he heard that Istuienn was injured, that Leilade probably did it. And it was entirely true, even when the old man tried his best to convince otherwise. But when they both saw Leon taking extra measures just to hide the state of the princess, they were both equally shocked. And now, they had to deal with this. A very uncomfortable silence was present for the next minutes because no one spoke. Leilade couldn''t justify herself in front of her, supposedly, victim.


    "Oh my poor little girl, tell to your big sister Sarah what happened?" The voluptuous principal of the academy opened the door and immediately hugged Istuienn, nearly suffocating the poor soul. But that touch of affection provoked another river of tears and cry, making the two males rolling their eyes. The worst part was the fact that she was virtually untouchable and even her father, that was one of the strictest warriors of the country, didn''t train her at all.


    "Come on, take my hand, I will take you to a warmer place ¡­" Sarah threw a dark stare at Alexander. Because they were in his office, the room was abnormally cold and it was only at this moment that he realized he didn''t cancel the spell. "¡­ and you will have some cookies and a hot chocolate. This one is from Durtang, the best in the world."


    She managed to grab the hand of the princess and led her away. Just before finally getting out of sight, the gorgeous woman stopped for a second, before turning her head toward Leilade. Staring into the eyes of the peculiar kid, she saw nothing unusual but something still bothered her mind. Shrugged it off, she concentrated her effort on the mentally injured one.


    Now, the three responsible for this total fiasco was finally alone in a room and the moment they double checked it was totally safe to speak, reproaches flew.


    "Damn it, Arthar, I repeatedly told you to watch your words with her. She is dangerous, like really dangerous for a kid. If there is a single loophole, she will exploit it. The last time I left her alone with a kid, she was choking him and he was turning blue!"


    The old man was also trying to blame Alexander, but when he heard what the latter said, he was shocked. He never heard of this before, he was not even supposed to be part of that plan originally. If not that extraordinary event that disturbed the very balance of the world, they wouldn''t even have this conversation. But Arthar was no pushover either, and certainly not in front of the young magus.


    "What was I supposed to do? I don''t have so much free time that I can leisurely stay in my office all day! I have projects to supervise, designs to approve and many magicians often asked for my advice. Leon maybe has a very hard time managing his sleep, but he is very good with kids, or at least that''s what I heard. And you couldn''t have told me that she was capable of accurately aiming with a [Fireball]? That''s a 2nd Circle spell that even some 2nd years still have a hard time mastering perfectly. She nailed it, twice in a row!"


    To that Alexander had no answer. He knew that she formed a [Fireball] even before arriving at the Academy since Oscar Moo explained that to him. He used that fact to prove that Leilade was far more talented than he officially announced, but the thing he described was just the bare minimum for a fireball. Not something as big as a head and thrown at such a speed that even a true magician didn''t manage to catch the spell before it hit.


    "Ok, fine, we were both wrong. But now that you are his official teacher, please, be more careful with your words. What did you say that made her do such a thing?"


    "Nothing at all, just the origin¡­" The two looked at each other with weird expressions. They realized now what could have been misunderstood as motivation. Arthar shook his head while Alexander facepalmed his.


    "Of course, I get it now. We wanted her to motivate the princess. And what better motivation that nearly killing her and transforms into a nightmare for her existence. That was a touch of sarcasm." Alexander had to justify with the last sentence. By now, he had a good grasp of how Leilade was capable of exacting extreme actions when pressured. Finally looking at the very culprit of this, he saw nothing but a clear conscience. And because they both knew what was her past, they couldn''t even really judge her at all. She was already robbed of her childhood once, and because of them, she couldn''t even regain it.


    "Leilade, do you know what you did wrong?" The venerable elder inquired about what was bothering his mind. Whether she was aware of her actions or not. But for the disguised human, it was just a calm and refreshing holiday, waiting for her subordinates to slowly change the world.


    "No, I did nothing wrong. The spell of Leon should have been able to protect Istuienn from any of my attacks. I planned to restlessly launch fireballs after fireballs, until she fought back. But I was shocked to see that she was more harmless than a bunny, I only thought that as the daughter of the Sword Saint, she should at least keep her composure."


    Everything she said was totally logic, from a certain point of view, but for the two adults, it was fatally flawed. The two humans looked at each other and both shook their head, signaling to the other that he didn''t warn Leilade about it. To explain to someone that survived tortures and experiments from the evil hands of the Church of Torment that the princess should be handled with tact was pure nonsense.


    "Yes, you did nothing wrong. You tried something but that failed, it is normal. No one is perfect and can do everything at their first try. So, for now, you will not do anything, and I meant it, DON''T DO ANYTHING TO ISTUIENN! For our sake."


    If someone heard the one in charge of punishing, hunting and capturing rogue magicians nearly begging a mere child, that person would be shocked. But as much as Alexander was inflexible with adults, he had a hard time dealing with children. As for Arthar, he was only nodding in accordance, because his inner feelings were the same. But before talking about anything else, the Head Researcher still wanted to see what was the [Fireball] Leilade created.


    Taking barely a second to cast it, a relatively big fireball appeared in the hand of Leilade. Under their wishes, she repeatedly created it and then canceled it. She used her right hand, then her left hand and her right hand again. The more she kept doing everything that smoothly, the more the smile blossomed on the faces of the two men. For them, it was the truth that she was really worth protecting and could maybe even protect Massalia in the future. But after the sun, rain and storm always come.


    "The problem we have now is the fact that you still harm another student. Because it was in that area, it shouldn''t have been a problem, but everyone normally informs my department of their intention of dueling. That way, only injuries provoked in a real and properly acknowledged duel can be void of any sanctions. As for bullying and fights outside of the rules, those are severely reprimanded. And you, unfortunately, belong to the latter part. If it was a normal student, I could have convinced him or her to not make it public, but it was Istuienn. So, I will have to punish you."


    The entire time, Alexander acted as a true magus with a calm and authoritative voice. It was visible that he truly cared about his functions and didn''t even allow favoritism. But at the same time, it was still very hypocritical to do that, especially because it was partially because of Arthar that she faced Istuienn in a duel. And it was also her that started it, but nothing was pronounced against the precious princess.


    "Fine, you already told me to cause some ruckus to have a personal lesson with you. When do we start?" The surprisingly joyous tone Leilade employed took everyone by surprise, especially with the content of her speech. Feeling the ardent stare of Arthar in his neck, Alexander couldn''t help but chuckle a bit, feeling that the girl was punishing him more than he did. It was rare that this situation happened to him, but to be played by a child was shamefully funny.


    "Cough, you didn''t have to say that loudly. Also, it was before, when you could only receive general guidance from old man Moo, I mean teacher Oscar. Now, normally, you don''t have to do anything, no better. Don''t break any rules, even the most insignificant. Don''t do it. It is useless now, but for this first time, I will oblige and do my part. I mean, since a certain someone is too busy to even do his work, I guess that ¡­"


    "Hey, I don''t allow that last sentence to be pronounced. But now, I understand everything. I guess that Sarah will have a long discussion with you, especially to know everything that you kept hidden about that fascinating little girl. I guess that to have Istuienn a little bit traumatized is a low price if it is to have such a genius taught by you."


    The two kept bickering about everything they could until they realized that a long time already passed. Arthar rapidly left, pretending that he had a very important experiment that was happening right now and that it was very dangerous. Right after Alexander joked about it, they heard the sound of a resonating explosion, coming from above. Raising his eyebrows in a mocking way, Arthar finally left, letting Leilade with her newly found tutor.


    Thinking that nothing could make the situation more troublesome, Alexander was ready to accompany her to a more secluded area. However, the moment he let Leilade pass first the door, he saw her stop in her tracks because someone was blocking her way. Recognizing the obstacle immediately, he truly wondered why he never appreciated how calm the Academy was previously.


    "Why is she here father? And why did I just saw Istuienn in the office of Sarah, visibly perturbed?"

 60 Prison or Trap?

    Leodagan was frowning all the way back to the office of his father. By inadvertence, while accompanying both Jorien and Owen to their teacher, he saw the opened door of the principal office and peeked inside it. The mental state of the princess already recovered a bit, but she seemed awfully quiet compared to her usual self. Because it was not his place to just barge in it, he rapidly descended to inquire about this and finally stumbled upon Leilade. But when he raised his eyes, all he could see was the intense exasperation written on the face of his father. He was even holding his head in one of his hand.


    "Now is not the time Leodagan. Istuienn is fine, she was not even physically harmed in the first place. There are no injuries on her body, she just wanted to ¡­ eh ¡­ have some cookies from Durtang. That''s all."


    The explanations were received with a mild suspicion and the little boy didn''t really believe the lies he heard. If it had been the truth, Alexander wouldn''t have paused for a moment and hesitated on the reason why she was in the office of Sarah. But whatever was happening right now, it had to do with the silent girl that was staring at him. Her blue eyes were weirdly dark for that time of the day and the more he looked in them, the colder he felt. Shaking his head to dispel that absurd notion, he switched his target.


    "What did you do Leilade? I heard a strange rumor that your teacher is Arthar, the same that is supposedly teaching Istuienn? Is it true? And if it is, do you know what happened?"


    All he received was just Leilade turning around to look at Alexander directly. The latter was regretting more and more what he was doing, but he couldn''t stop after all they already have done. He couldn''t just say to any of them that two magicians defected a day ago and that they were both of the 4th Circle. Meaning that the amount of information spies of that level could gather and manage to transmit to whatever nation they served was high. The news of the arrival of new dark gods was still relatively suppressed, but not for very long.


    And since those terrifying monsters appeared in the Massalia Kingdom, everyone feared that they will suffer the same fate as the fallen kingdom of Pankow. If the rest of mankind decided to sacrifice them just to stall and stop the threat, they will dare to do everything. Because he couldn''t just say such an important secret in the open and he was getting more annoyed than ever, he just shut down his own son.


    "Leodagan, stop. As a magus, I order you that." The young boy was shaken to hear those words coming from the mouth of his parent, but because he already met such a situation, he slightly backed out and let them pass. He still wasn''t capable to understand what was so important with Leilade than even his own father sided with her instead of him. As Leilade brushed him, he slowly murmured something.


    "I will uncover your secret."


    Even if it was pronounced as quietly as possible, and not even destined to be heard, both Leilade as an alien and Alexander as a magus had the ability to hear it. But neither was particularly concerned by it because he had no chance of ever finding what was happening. Following Alexander, Leilade climbed to the highest floor of the building and finally entered a remote room, where not a lot of magicians were present. To enter the location, Alexander spent nearly 5 minutes manipulating the various and numerous spells protecting the door. Only after doing all of this, did they meet the residents of the place.


    To be more precise, only two magicians were present but badly shaped. The two men were visibly injured and were enchained on the wall, in a very uncomfortable seated position. Their arms were above their head and they couldn''t leave the contact of the wall behind them, meaning that their only available movement was with their legs. But seeing their lifeless body barely breathing and not even reacting to the two newcomers, Leilade understood what was the present condition of those mages. They were prisoners.


    "If you feel that it is too gruesome you can ¡­" The magus stopped in his track because Leilade wasn''t even reacting at the corpse-like magicians. Remembering that she maybe have experienced even more painful event, he reserved his comment for himself. Alexander himself had a bit of a hard time seeing the state of people he met and worked with for the past decades, but that just his inner feelings. He would never even consider just giving them fresh water if they asked, for they had betrayed everyone here.


    "I couldn''t say it before, especially in front of my son, but I felt that it was time for you to understand why we are doing all of this. Lying to everyone, covering your innate talent, making you look like a normal student. Behold, two magicians we thought were friends, colleague, even husbands. And no, their wives were totally in the dark, one of them is Melinda, she works with Arthar. That was the reason why we were able to pierce through the disguise of her husband. But, she still didn''t know what happened, we sent her away right after we noticed the two trying to escape this Academy."


    Alexander approached the most broken of the two bodies but restrained himself before doing anything else. Looking at the disfigured face, he tried to match it with the one in his memories. The day where everyone celebrated their marriage, the birth of their daughter. She was only five years old, but she already had lost one of her parents. And the other was still in danger, considering what she was carrying, Alexander only hoped that she would come back.


    "You see, if it wasn''t that incident provoking some much ruckus, he wouldn''t have fled and we wouldn''t have been able to find not just one but two traitors. Don''t worry, neither Oscar Moo or Ella Romba is even remotely suspected, their behavior all too weird for a spy. No, what we looked for was some perfect or near perfect records, something impossible to accomplish for a normal human. Everyone makes mistakes, and those that don''t are then a mistake themselves. But you are not here to listen to my regrets, you are here to train. Or perhaps, something else ¡­"


    Without any warning, multiple ice shards were thrown at Leilade, all deadlier than the others. Effortlessly, she dodged them all, using the least amount of movement to do it. What followed was a blizzard, surrounding her, trying to cut her entire body. To that, she didn''t even move, allowing the normally deadly spell to just do its work. But contrarily to what Alexander hoped, the girl wasn''t even reacting at all to the terrible treatment she was experiencing. Like, it was not even hurting her.


    Clap Clap Clap


    After the snow and the ice fell on the ground, the magus couldn''t believe his eyes. The blue eyes he was staring into were slowly turning darker and darker, to a point where no light could hope to even escape. Seeing the eyes forming an ocean of darkness, he remarked that the morphology of the face was also changing. The previously quite cheerful face was now without any expression, as cold as a block of ice. Her brown hair was suffering the same fate, and finally, the illusion was dispelled. To be truthful, she hadn''t expected to be found out so quickly since she didn''t make any obvious mistake. But after hearing the small tale, she figured out that she was far too abnormal in the first place.


    "You ¡­ so it was true. It was just a simple test; you were capable of even maintaining an illusion in the most protected bastion of the Academy. Why did you drop the mask?" Alexander wasn''t even questioning her purpose or what she was, he was only focusing on her actions. He was not wrong to say that she could have just keep going and hide even more, but now that she had to suffer the company of that blockhead Istuienn, she was not enjoying her rest as much as she wanted.


    "Why, good question. What do you think of this?" Leaking from her arms, drops of shadows were merging into a tentacle. The dark creature was shaking like it enjoyed to be reborn again. Even if she was five meters away from those renegade mages, the monstrous being had no problem reaching the unfortunate souls and eat them both alive. The process took merely a few seconds, and two shiny blue orbs were levitating near the right hand of Leilade.


    "Dark Gods ¡­ dark gods ¡­ you were one of the dark gods!" Only at that time did he realized that fact and matched the strange encounter of Muirn? with the current form of Leilade. A strange child, extremely small, with a cold voice and mastering a shadow monster. All his hopes of being wrong were shattered in pieces and for the first time, he felt an intense fear when he looked at Leilade. But he still made the right choice when he brought her here, and now, she will not escape the full force of the two 6th Cir¡­


    "And if you think that two old worms behind that door can prevent me from leaving, you are wrong." She laconically crushed the plan in the mind of the magus, turning his initial fear into terror. It was impossible, even for the Archmage, to sense anything beyond the door. Centuries of researchers worked on this very place, and even if the entire building fell to the ground, this place would still be unharmed. But what he was hearing was the fact that it meant nothing for her? Looking blankly at the alien, he had no words to say.


    "But let''s see, who is really stronger me, or them?" She was calmly walking to destroy the protections on the door, but the mind of Alexander was in turmoil. Should he stop her by any means? Should he trust the elders and the other magicians to imprison that demonical being? He was still conflicted, but the sight of Leilade working on the seals quickly convinced him. They had no chances at all.


    "STOP! PLEASE!" He ran toward her and even stumbled on the ground in the process. Not daring to stand up, he awkwardly walked on his knees, pressing the dark god to not destroy the Academy. Since she hadn''t done it previously, they probably had something she wanted. "Please, tell us what you want?"


    "Want?" An evil smile was spreading while she repeated that word. "I already have what I wanted. Everything else was just me fooling around. But now that my mask has been dropped and that you did tried to kill me, why should I bother myself with ants? Don''t worry, I will let the buildings intact."


    The final seal was finally absorbed by the tentacle, and soon, two appendices appeared on it. A rupture was spreading between the two and in no time, Leilade controlled two of her creations once again. The vision of the door crumbling on itself shocked the humans on the other side, and until now, they still had no idea about what was happening inside.


    The room was a sealed space, where nothing could enter or exit when the seals were activated. The two elders that reached the 6th Circle came back the day before, but they reported with more details what Muirn? experienced. Because of this, they tested Leilade, that arrived with too many secrets on herself. But it was known that the dark god was really injured, so they still had a chance to take her down before she recovered too much. Everyone already evacuated, and only a small team of experts were present. Every magus, everyone above the 5th Circle, was preparing for the worst. And from what they were seeing, it did happen.

 61 Her True Form

    Even if the door appeared to be made out of wood, identical to the one located in the entrance of every room in this building, it was just an appearance. They truly asked the Archmage, a decade or so ago, to try and destroy it with one of his mighty spells. He did manage to make a dent in all the protections, but based on his knowledge, he would take at least a day to truly overcome everything. But in barely a few seconds, they saw one of their greatest pride being destroyed from the inside, prompting everyone to be on their guard.


    Instead of seeing an opening, they were blocked by dark magic, some shadows were moving and twirling, blocking their sight. Sarah Meridil looked around here one last time, to see what was the reaction of everyone. The two centenary elders, that managed to achieve the 6th Circle of Magic, had already lost their usual calm. The hidden experts that were only slightly below them and the official magus were all ready. The two twins, Arthar and Artour were still missing, because they were ordered to search for the main artifact of power.


    Suddenly, there was a slight movement from the darkness, and a body appeared. "STOP, STOP, DAMN IT! IT''S ALEXANDER!" Sarah quickly prevented any spells to harm their colleague. He was hanging in a precarious position, a tentacle ensnaring his neck and he was extremely pale. The man was visibly panicked but he didn''t even dare to move a finger.


    "Please, elders, everyone, just go! There is nothing to gain at fighting her, please. Not because I am her hostage, but, the reports were wrong. She already recovered too much power, it is useless. Whoever, will defy her will suffer a terrible fate, much worse than just death." The longer he was talking, the more expressive his fear became. If it had been in another situation, people could have listened to him, but because of the dark monster grabbing him by the neck, his words sounded as empty.


    "I am disappointed by you Alexander, but I can understand. Who wouldn''t try to save his life, but to betray your nation, your friends, just for your survival is pitiful. Sigh. She will be taken down today before she can provoke more casualties with or without your help."


    One magus of the 6th Circle expressed his sentiments, those were shared by the rest of the group. They were assembled here today for one single thing, to kill a dark god. It had been a long time since this planet had one alive, and the progress in magic during that time was so important that they thought they could take on of those monsters by themselves. Seeing the pride and confidence in their abilities glowing in their eyes, the father of Leodagan realized it was over for his precious Academy.


    "You just condemned us all. Please, don''t kill my so¡­"


    SPLASH


    A geyser of blood happened when the tentacle violently threw back the body of the magus into the mass of shadows. Sarah that was in front even received some of it on her face, and she blanked out for a second. Everyone that had daily interactions with him was throw in the same state, having a hard time understanding that someone could die so quickly, especially someone as strong as Alexander Arastil.


    Slooosh Slaaash


    Two large tentacles tried to grab two additional victims while they were perturbed, but they ended up crashing on the magical shield prepared beforehand. The violent sound woke up those that were still confused, making them remember that the threat was still here. But to their despair, instead of just being repulsed, the unknown forms implanted themselves on the shields, sucking it dry of any mana.


    Because they were always on the defensive, the two elders began to counter-attack. "[Arc Lightning]." A spell harnessing the power of thunder, extremely effective against living beings. They still didn''t really understand what they were facing, so they were ready to unleash everything they knew. The potent electricity spread among the two tentacles and nearly reached the darkness still blocking the door. But right before it, it met its end, knocking on an invisible wall.


    "Damn, a shield. TAKE THIS! [Burning Hand]!" "[Blizzard]!" They threw another type of spells, while the rest of the group transformed the magic shield to let it pass. That was one of the recent discovery of the Archmage, a magic shield capable of letting more than one type of magic be effectively used by the caster.


    To protect against a specific element, one could just use an improved version of [Wind Shield] and such, but to truly protect something, one had to expand a massive amount of mana to create a complete shield, blocking anything from arrows to spells. But now, they were capable of creating a small opening in such protection, to allow a specific spell, like [Burning Hand], to still be casted. Both spells were of the 5th Circle, and already, the surrounding walls were being destroyed, letting the sun and air enter the battlefield.


    Two tornadoes, one made of fire, the other made of ice, crashed once again on the invisible membrane surrounding the darkness. Even if it was not enough to truly make it break, it was still sufficient at harming the two tentacles. They retracted slowly their attack and just stood in the air, at a safe distance of the group of humans. Bolstered by that, the previously pale magus renewed their efforts and solidified entirely the magic shield.


    "Akku" A weird sound was heard, and one of the two elders that were beginning to show a small smile suddenly had his entire head exploded. Following it, the tentacles profited of the small hole in the only wall between them and the humans to close the gap. No one managed to close it in time before two of their friends were taken and absorbed by the darkness. Because of this, they had to retreat and reform their defenses, but who would let them do that.


    Three more magus died before they created another shield strong enough to repel the tentacles. But in their minds, only the warning of the late Alexander was resonating. He had probably seen this coming and tried to prevent more deaths. But they didn''t listen to him, and now, their only was hope was Arthar and Artour.


    The fight had lasted for less than half of a minute, but they already experienced 6 casualties, one of them being a magus of the 6th Circle. At the same time, they could hear the clamor from under them, since everything was displayed thanks to the destroyed walls. Many students and magicians could see that something weird was happening on the last floor. But no one was foolish enough to be distracted in such a crucial moment.


    "Sarah, someone has to warn the twins and the Sword Saint of what is happening. It is already too late." The oldest human present suddenly aged like he lived twenty more years. He knew that he expanded too much mana trying to protect the rest, and still failed. Looking around, he only saw terrified and despaired men and women. Smiling at the principal, he ate a black pill that he always kept hidden. But magus Meridil recognized it.


    "What, NO! You will die if you ¡­" She was too late to stop it, and she soon realized that she was imprisoned magically. She hit the invisible walls, but it was useless.


    "Farewell, little Sarah." He expelled the gorgeous woman out of the corridor and saw it fell on toward the ground. She will be safe if what Alexander said was true. The resignation could be seen on the faces of others because they knew the monster wouldn''t allow everyone to escape. Sarah had the highest chance to cooperate with the two Rodil and put an end at this madness. They only regretted to have buried that artifact so deep.


    "Are you done with your weeping?" A cold, infantile voice made the old man turned around. For the first time, they saw their enemy, even if they didn''t believe it was her true form. If she had been a giant monster with three heads and eight arms, they would have believed it more. Instead, they were facing kiddo, barely taller than their waist. "Take whatever you think you need to take. Drugs, scrolls, love letters. This fight was a bit boring, I must say."


    Not daring any more to be prideful, every magus quickly gobbled or ate all the stimulants they had. Similar to the black pill the eldest one took, mana was surging from everyone''s body, and their initial pale face regained some colors. At the same time, the magic shield that was previously casted crumbled, since it was useless. They only got one shot at taking down Leilade, any defenses were, therefore, irrelevant.


    "Good, very good. To be blunt, hearing that you managed to kill some Dark Gods with just that power, was hard to believe. Even with the blessings of those leeches, one could call god, it was weird. But it was just that you hadn''t had a proper motivation." She extended her arms, and darkness was spreading everywhere on the ground, the only thing still standing. The line of sight was obscured everywhere, but a single tunnel channeled between them and Leilade.


    "Gentlemen, ladies. I am sorry for betraying your trust. Let her experience the full might of magus from Massalia!" His voice resonated with authority, straightening the back of the rest. Instinctively, spells were beginning to be channeled, ready to unleash their terrifying powers at his mark. Standing in front, the elder was forming a ball made of sheer energy, mana leaking from every pore of his skin. In seconds, his old face was being mummified, his hands being dehydrated, his eyes turning white. "FOR THE ACADEMY!"


    Even the men and women on the ground, that were watching from afar heard it, his voice possibly reaching the gryphons far away. Sarah that was still trapped was knocking as hard as she could against the prison that was detaining her, tears flowing on her cheeks. Students and magicians alike were shocked to see her in that state, sobbing while her colleagues were fighting. Right after the loud shout resounded, the magic vanished around her, making her fell on her knees.


    She knew why it happened, and she cried even more, as she stood up. Not far from the entrance, she saw the two twins that were carrying a black orb. Now that all hope was gone, if she could prevent that monster to put her hands on it, she would do it. Artour was shocked to see the wretched state of Sarah. "What happened, why did he was shouting like that?"


    On the other hand, Arthar immediately understood and quickly took back the orb while running away. "Hey, Arthar what are you doing?" The female magus quickly prevented the loquacious one to say anything else, especially when so many people were watching. "It''s over, we lost. Everyone, Alexander, them, it''s over. SHE MUST NOT GET IT! Otherwise, even the country will be doomed."


    Letting the stunned man alone, she began to use [Fly], a spell allowing magus to levitate, for scouting the last floor. When she arrived, no traces of Leilade or anyone else. Only the completely destroyed corridor and walls were seen. Trying her best, she analyzed carefully everything, to find where that monster went, but without any success. Since that was the case, she quickly joined Arthar, to protect the artifact with her life if she needed.


    On the other hand, Leilade was leisurely walking in the library, now empty of any living being. She had returned to her human form, the one she used to fool everyone. As for why the library? First of all, it will be the last place people will look for her and in addition, she wanted to achieve her initial goal. "What are you doing here little girl?" Not turning around, she smiled, thinking about who was talking.


    The librarian was scared, not really understanding the situation. He heard that they needed to evacuate, but he stayed inside, just in case. Now, right in front of him, after that strange shout coming from above, the peculiar girl was standing. Today, he heard a lot of rumors, like that kid was taught by Arthar, managed to beat Istuienn in a duel. It was impossible with her trash talent, and the fact that she worked very hard was making her even more interesting. From his point of view, she was at worst capable of being a 5th Circle magus. And with the confusion all around them, escaping with a hostage will be easy.


    Grabbing a small vial that contained a sleeping substance, he put it right under the nose of Leilade. But instead of falling unconscious, as he expected, she just faced him, with an evil grin. And when he saw the two tentacles appearing from her very body, his brain stopped working, not capable of understanding the situation. His very last action was a scream that made everyone who heard shudder in fear.

 62 Confirmation

    Because of this little incident with that spy or traitor, she was certain that people will investigate the library when they were finally done to be terrified. Only magicians will be present, however, since most of the magus died by her hands or where fleeing. The little touching reunion between the twin Rodil and Sarah didn''t escape her eyes, but Leilade was still a little bit perplexed about why the formers were not present during the battle. Especially Arthar, he was with here not even an hour ago.


    Putting all those thoughts in the back of her head, she wondered how much damage she could inflict before having to stop definitely. It was in her best interest to weaken the Massalia Kingdom, but not to make it so miserable that even the rest of the nations could invade it. For the moment, their goal was to conquer the entire world, as they did in countless previous planets. For that, the best was not to destroy beliefs and customs, but to only have full control over the sovereign.


    If the populace wasn''t even aware of their presence, it was even better, in most cases. However, this time, they will have to make some adjustments in person, meaning that they will appear in the open. So, no blood sacrifices involving thousands of beings or trail of slaves ready to be eaten. Well, that last part will be a little hard, but they will target things that will be quickly forgotten, like criminals or murderers. And if they could have enough magicians to control those peons for a moment, they will understand how good it is to join the Demonic Empire, or at least, a pale copy of it.


    Piercing her hand, she let her dark blood drop on the ground while she incanted an invocation. She didn''t want to infuse a soul in this particular undead since it will only serve as a deterrent. If it died while preventing people from interrupting her reading, it was fine. A rotten hand left the black pond on the ground and pushed out the main body. In a similar fashion as a lich, the dead warrior had a sort of mummified and bloodied flesh all around its body. At the same time, it was totally naked, and without any weapons, but as tall as Kardel, the duvodiad.


    As for the lack of equipment, Leilade manipulated the surroundings to gather enough metal for that. The sword was extremely thin, like the shield and the armor, but she reinforced it to not crumble at the first strike. Now, a giant, in complete armor and with a terrifying face was standing still, in front of the door. "Kill every human that entered this room, if they attack from afar, kill them too." She then left it and began her descent into the lower floors, destroying every obstacle she met until she reached her destination.


    A dozen of kilometers away, in a calm and peaceful manor, an hyppogryph suddenly crashed into the inner garden, or training grounds. Both the rider and the mount were visibly scared of something, making the ongoing duel stop at once. None of the duellists said anything, letting the sole witness in charge. The strong man looked at the sudden visitor, and especially at his small emblem clearly representing from where he came.


    "Academy, the Academy. What is happening?" The knight that was thrown out of his saddle, didn''t even properly salute before quickly telling all he knew. "DEAD! Sir, sorry, they are all dead! ¡­ They ¡­ I don''t know, magus Meridil told me to ask you to enter the Academy, NOW!" The man was stuttering a little while saying this, but the emotions contained in his voice were easily perceptible.


    However, that wasn''t the most shocking thing. It was the fact that a magus asked someone from the army to breach the perimeter of the Academy and trample the centuries of independence they enjoyed. It was made to let magicians feel freer and not constrained by the orders of the king, and in truth, they never really encountered any threat capable of destroying the Academy. All the traitors and dark magicians were taken care of by the Academy itself, not even having to report it to the king.


    "How many invaders?" Amdir grabbed the shoulders of the knight and tried to calm him a little bit. From the Academy, on an hyppogryph, it would take less than a few minutes to reach the manor of the Gwendhir family. Calming a bit, the knight grabbed the son of the Sword Saint and looked at him directly in the eyes. "ONE! SHE IS ALONE! THE DARK GOD!"


    At this mention, Muirn? shivered and fell on her knees. She knew very well of who he was talking about since she was the one that met that thing first. Seeing her daughter in such a state, Idhrenil didn''t even wait for another second. His last child was still in the Academy and in a blink of an eye, he was already gone. Amdir approached his sister and tried to appease her. "Don''t worry, father will take care of everything. I will not let anything happened to him or Istuienn."


    That jolted back the living soul, and she looked with horror at the confidence he was displaying. Did a single word of what she said about that monster was remembered? Even her father would have met his match when facing the darkness. "DON''T FIGHT HER! PLEASE, I AM BEGGING YOU! DON''T FIGHT HER!" She was clinging on the clothes of Amdir, not letting even move. He didn''t expect such a reaction from her and thought that she will be glad that this threat would end that soon.


    "Muirn?, Muirn?, stop. Listen to me, do you not trust your own father?" What he received was not the expected nod, but his sister violently shaking her head. But he couldn''t convince her without wasting more time, so profiting of a moment when her grip was a little loose, he dashed toward his room to equip himself. Leaving the scared knight and Muirn? in the same room.


    Because none of those men were even listening to her, she will have to do it herself. Otherwise, more will die. Climbing on the hyppogryph, she easily calmed it and made it fly away, leaving a baffled man still on the ground. When both the Sword Saint and his son returned to hear more explanations, all he could tell was that his daughter took his mount while grumbling some curses.


    Even if she never entered the magic school, she still knew where it was located. Losing a bit of time to find the stables, she was welcomed by three magus that were protecting an orb. One was a woman totally messed up, her clothes a little torn and blood on her face. The other two were only some paranoiac old men because they were looking everywhere, fearing something.


    "Who are ¡­ Sword Saint, where is he? You''re his daughter, right?" The woman that was in charge immediately questioned Muirn?, not even letting her descend from her mount. "He is coming shortly after; I was just the first to be ready. Now, tell me where she is?" Sarah was surprised, who was that she, the monster or her sister? Probably the monster, even if being qualified as a she was weird, considering her inhuman nature.


    "We heard someone screaming in the library, right before we left. But we can''t come back, not with this." She pointed at the orb, still in the arms of Arthar. "So, please, can you at least prevent people from approaching that thing. They don''t know what is awaiting them, and will probably investigate, out of curiosity. If that is really happening and they angered Leilade, the Academy will be totally destroyed."


    "Leilade?" It was the first time that Muirn? heard that name, and she wondered who it was. Hearing the surprised voice of the princess, the magus was a little bit perplexed, before understanding everything. "Ah, sorry. It was the name that the creature gave herself, I thought that she used the same name when you encountered it. It was a little girl, with black hair and eyes darker than the deepest hole?"


    Shuddering at the description, Muinr? nodded her head. "Yes, so she called herself Leilade. When my father arrives, in a minute or so, tell him to not enter immediately the library. Give me a few minutes. She has a bigger plan that we don''t see yet, but she won''t kill people that doesn''t displease her."


    Departing immediately, the princess was incapable of seeing the shocked face of the magus. From her point of view and her personal experience, it was true, but to a woman that just lost so many friends in such a gruesome way, to speak like that was hurtful. It only reinforced her shame and regrets for not listening to the advice of Alexander Arastil, thinking that they could deal with such a monster by themselves.


    Not even slowing down inside the greenhouse, the valiant girl arrived between the two buildings and then realized she had no idea where the library was. "Kill that thing, it injured Leon." "It is insensible to my magic, we can''t bea AAAAARGH" "NO, [Fireball]" "RUN AWAY!"


    While one side was awfully quiet, the other had a massive group of magicians surrounding it. In the middle, a gigantic warrior was standing still and getting attack from all side. His armor was burned, frozen, broken or even melted, but the monster was still moving at an incredible speed. Each magician that threw a spell had his body cut in half or some deep injuries, deadly even. That was caused by the fact that one man tried to enter the library, only to be violently beheaded without any warning.


    Soon after, the fight was moved to a more open field, where the mass of mages thought they had a chance. But they were incapable of even harming the undead, and the latter was harvesting lives after lives, like the Grim Reaper. None of the men or women fighting realized what was happening, because they were mad, out of fear, out of hate, out of love. Only a few escaped, while most were still fighting.


    "STOP! I SAID STOP!" The first order was dismissed, but the second one was infused with the strange power that was granted to her after her encounter with the dark god, or Leilade. That made everyone that was casting a spell stunned, dismissing entirely the magic that was condensed. After this, the bloodthirsty giant that was raising his sword stop too, and then, slowly walked back into the library.


    Seeing this, for some, far too close since the undead brushed a few mages, everyone realized the obvious. This thing was programmed to attack in retaliation, and if Muirn? hadn''t put an end at this madness, they would have all killed themselves. The princess in a white armor still followed the creation of Leilade back to its original post and finally found the library. Entering after him, she saw the latter turned around and begin to attack her, his sword slashing down toward her own.


    But, for whatever reasons, just before the two swords clashed, the giant stopped itself and sheathe his weapon. Even if she was extremely perplexed by that sight, the young girl didn''t forget her initial objective and searched for her acquaintance. Using her speed, she quickly found the hole in the wall, where a door once stood. Descending stairs after stairs, in the deepest part of the Academy where all the secrets were hidden, she finally saw the familiar silhouette of a girl staring at a wall.


    On it, were both described and drawn the different events of the Age of Darkness, where the seven gods fell on this world. But instead of continuing to walk to see the rest, Leilade was standing still in front of one peculiar tale. Muirn? had a hard time hearing the calm voice of Leilade, but she still managed to get the latest part.


    "¡­ true, isn''t Viscount? Otherwise, they wouldn''t have been suppressed. What was told as just a loud roar was the very thing that saved them, how ironic. To be proud of your own power when in reality, you were merely protected¡­ someone is here?" Turning around, Leilade gazed at the white armor and the hollow princess.


    Her usually calm behavior was visibly flustered, worried about something that Muirn? still didn''t understand. But as she wondered what could possibly make someone that powerful scared, she saw the little kid in front of her draining more blood from her hand. Conjuring some dark incantations, Leilade disappeared in a blink of an eye, only leaving a weird symbol on the ground. In the end, only a dumbfounded woman was still present, alone in the dark, as all the lights around her were fading.

 63 What we need?

    "So that was all? Murdering our magicians and magus that defied her but leaving without doing anything else? For a dark god, she sure wasn''t that bloodthirsty." The man saying those words was drinking a cup of wine while looking at the exterior. From his point of view, he had a clear vision of the entire city of Teldil, the capital of the Massalia Kingdom. Under him, hundreds of thousands of people were working, idling or enjoying their life. Without any knowledge about what was happening barely a few kilometers away.


    The three sole magus that survived this ordeal were kneeling on the ground, not contradicting their king the slightest. Whether it was Sarah, Arthar or Artour, none of them really understood what was the goal of Leilade, even after talking with her so many times. The only one that understood the demon was the late Alexander, and, when she thought about him, magus Meridil couldn''t help but be pained. They should have listened to that arrogant and cold bastard when they had the chance.


    "Idhrenil, something else to add?" Casually asking to the Sword Saint his opinion, the man never let go of his cup. It was one of his main default, loving to drink while hearing bad news. For whatever reasons, his thoughts were clearer in a state of being mildly drunk. And after hearing what the first warrior of this nation had to say, another drink wouldn''t really hurt him.


    "That thing, that undead that was created. From what we discovered, it was invocated in a few seconds. And, I am afraid to say, just one was capable of battling with my son, Amdir with relative ease. I managed to disarm it and slow it down to let enough time for the magicians gathered around to freeze him. After that, they put more and more locks on its body, but it never stopped trying to break free. It will be good to study it, but its power rival the ones from the fallen of Pankow."


    Because he had his back facing them, they couldn''t see the reactions of their sovereign, except him sniffing a bit the exquisite cup in his hand. A wine from Genablum, more specifically, from the Grey Lands. But while his complexion was unknown, the ones from the rest of the room were bad, for most. Sitting on a couch nearby, the Queen, their first son and his wife were hardly containing their fear. On the other side, standing on the side of a closet, the second son was shaking his head, disappointed.


    "About that, why did that monster didn''t attack everyone?" Ferrod, the youngest child of the King suddenly asked this question. It took some times for the rest to understand what he meant because everything pointed at the fact that the undead attacked everyone that harmed it or entered the library.


    "What are you asking, prince?" Idhrenil was also slightly perplexed. He knew very well what he was talking about, but only him and his son should have learned the fact that Muirn? managed to slip by before they even arrived and see the dark god looking scared at a painting without them. Because it would cause unnecessary suspicion, they decided to say that she entered the room when they distracted the monster and only caught a glimpsed before that demonic girl was teleporting away.


    Her second encounter with Leilade, even if it was very brief, provoked an immense pain in its body. It was not very obvious at first, but when she left the building and arrived at the location where the massacre happened, she suddenly began to violently shake. Even with her entire armor, he could felt that she was experiencing something horrible and could hear her mumbling some encouragements for herself. Only after leaving in a hurry, did the symptoms were alleviated.


    "I am talking about your daughter, Sword Saint. She apparently helped at preventing numerous deaths, something that we are all very grateful. She was the first to realize that the undead was only retaliating but it didn''t remove the fact that everyone that entered the library should have been attacked. However, even if you and your son managed to capture the attention of that undead, why did he targeted you and not your daughter? Because she entered the library long before you imprison that monster."


    Even if those words could sound like the Sword Saint lied to them, no one was truly taking them seriously. To begin to doubt your most loyal and faithful friends in dark times would be the most stupid idea someone ever had. "Ferrod, enough. We have no idea what was the main priority of that giant, to kill or to protect. Under the assault of Amdir Gwendhir, even an undead would realize that turning its back will only cause its own death."


    The king cut instantly his own son, not letting any conspiracy or thoughts of treason planning in this room. They needed to be united, not divided. But that intervention was enough to make others think about it, as his second son.


    "Sword Saint, you said that your daughter saw that girl standing in front of one specific painting, right? But from the entire chronology of the Age of Darkness, it was the one with the least amount of details or even less than that. It was just the fact that when the dark gods appeared for the first time, a loud roar resonated and a volcano inside the dwarf kingdom awoken. Are you sure it was this one?"


    To be truthful, it wasn''t that they were not trusting the words of Idhrenil, just that it was weird.Chasing after Arthar and the old artifact he was carrying would have been logical. Slaughtering to the last student the entire Academy would have been understood. But to delve deeper and deeper into the library, and just be interested in a single painting, it didn''t make sense for anyone.


    "Maybe ¡­ Maybe we should ask the dwarves if they know something more about that specific event?" For the first time, the wife of Forchon, the first son of the King, expressed her opinions. It wasn''t that women didn''t have any power since sometimes, the kingdom was ruled by the Queen and not the King. But she was not even from Massalia in the first place and had married the prince a year ago.


    She was the third child of the royal family of Genablum, and such things often happened in the history of both countries. To strengthen the bond between the two nations, what could be better than just letting two of their children marry each other. But because it was only a while ago, Galiana still had a hard time being taken seriously. For many nobles, she was just the best spy of Genablum, since she had the benediction of the royal family.


    "My child, I am afraid that it is impossible. I am sure you know why, however, only a few individuals could talk on our behalf, and none of them particularly appreciate us. But if you could send a message to your father, to know if they have something we don''t, it will be the best."


    The dignified Queen calmly expressed the opinions of everyone in the room. She rarely took part in the activities of the King, preferring to concentrate on happier things, like festivals and inventions. But it didn''t mean she was just a doll that someone could carry along.


    "And what about the orb, the artifact? Is it in a secure place, a really hidden one? Not that I don''t trust you or your swords Idhrenil, but I am not certain that putting two important targets for an enemy in the same location would be the best way to do it."


    "Don''t worry my prince, I am not some berserker only thinking about fighting. As for the location, only Arthar and Artour know of it. The only issue would be the fact that the orb is now far away from our reach. Just to get it, it will take at least a day, if we even know where to search. It is impossible to randomly stumble on it; I can assure you of that."


    Both magus nodded at the words of the Sword Saint. The elders of the Academy had prepared a remote vault, where the most dangerous devices that they scavenged were locked. Because sometimes, he needed to look at it, for some plans and new ideas, Arthar already knew all the instructions to enter it. And now, his brother also learned them.


    "That is for the best, truly. Magus Arthar Rodil, you are now forbidden to ever leave the perimeter of the palace. As for your new title, I will let you choose. Just don''t go too overboard with it."


    Even if the king was fundamentally imprisoning the old magus, no one was either surprised or even angered by it. If both twins were heavily protected, it would cause suspicions, but now, one was a target while the other was just a normal bystander. Both brothers sighed, but not really because of this. From now on, their daily interactions will meet an end, and both Jorien and Owen won''t see their favorite granduncle for a long time.


    After that, the king waved at them with his hands, signaling to leave. Bowing one last time at their sovereign, Sarah, Artour, and Arthar left the room and closed to door. Now that no foreigners were present, the real discussion could begin. Forchon grabbed a paper that was in his pocket and showed it to the Sword Saint, that violently exclaimed.


    "What is this? It is a quarter of what we earned each year in gold? Wait, don''t tell me ¡­"


    "Yes, the White Hand has finally moved and made an offer. In exchange for this, they will reveal the base of operations of the dark gods and everything they currently know. If you remember, the last time an offer with that high of a price was conducted, it was made on behalf of our friend in the North. And the Synnada Empire deeply regretted to not have paid it directly."


    Forchon had a sad smiling while saying this because he remembered when he was a kid how that played out. His own father, that stern and a little bit alcoholic king, laughed for five entire minutes while hearing what happened. It was the first and last time he ever heard him compliment that outlaws that formed the White Hand. But this time, however, it was their turn to be hooked by the criminals.


    "Even if we truly know where they are, what can we really do? That is the main issue, Idhrenil Gwendhir, if we know where they are, can we beat them before they regain all their strength?" As his son, Ferrod was questioning his only real friend, the king finally put down his cup. Sometimes, it was time for a drink, but this was not one of them. Turning around to face the Sword Saint, he asked the very same question, only with his eyes.


    Feeling everyone looking at him like he was an attraction of a zoo, the First Warrior of Massalia had a hard time thinking. What he just experienced was a crude invocation that took place in a hurry, and probably nothing like the experts that were resting inside the depths of the base. They wanted him to answer if, by themselves, they could kill beings that were on par with the stuff from the legends. Seven beings, against an entire world, and they only lost because of this.


    Unsheathing his sword, he looked at it, to see if he could find a true answer. The dim light was reflected on the sharp blade, mesmerizing Galiana. It was the same one that the Hero of Massalia used in the fight against the Dark Gods, and even now, he still couldn''t unleash its full potential. Thinking about this, he realized why he was that reluctant at saying it would be a massacre, it was because he was expecting a miracle.


    "No, even if the three Legions throw all their men in the battle, we will still lose, I feel it. Right now, we don''t need an army or even magicians. What we need, is a Hero!"

 64 Construction in progress

    In the middle of the afternoon, in a barren land mostly filled with stones and rocks instead of grass and trees, a frail little girl suddenly appeared from nowhere and fell from the air. When she first arrived at her destination, Leilade realized that Malakov changed a bit the surrounding landscape, and to avoid being materialized into the ground, she preferred to be a little bit higher. However, this time, it was really too high.


    Thump aaaaaAAAAh Pouf


    Everyone she knew, except the harmless Candaith, always had a small period where they had an issue with moving their own body. It was only a few seconds for most, like her, that''s why most portals and teleportation gates where located in secure and protected locations. Even when invading, the magicians made sure to be covered by either the local obstacles or by a defensive structure. That''s why, after her fall of nearly 5 meters, she couldn''t balance her body quickly enough to not fell on her butt.


    At the same time, she had let out a small shriek not befitting at all of her position in the Demonic Army and looking around, she was relieved to not have any witness. Cleaning the back of her clothes, to remove the dust and dirt on it, she scanned the surroundings and found the position of the base a little further North. That small incident was the only reason why she didn''t appear immediately near it, otherwise, the image she projected in front of the rest of the survivors would have been slightly damaged.


    Thinking about that, she only noticed something unusual when the Viscount warned her about something.


    (Outlander, there is something weird around the base, and not some eccentricities of Malakov, something not from our side.)


    Hearing what her most trusted soul said, she paused her walk and truly use her entire power to scout the surroundings. At first, she found nothing, but in the end, there was a place where her mana couldn''t enter. It was similar to the spells surrounding the base, but unlike them, it was far too crude. They made sure to still allow magic to pass through and only gave the illusion of emptiness. What the other party did was just blocking everything in a small area. To put it more blindly, it was the difference between something concrete with camouflage and something without it.


    Approaching careful that place, the more she crept closer, the stronger was her interest. She was certain that none of the magus she met could have felt it, with their archaic ways, meaning that only other nations or that Organization could be responsible. She was certain that they would be found, albeit not that quickly. She still had no idea if the gigantic scene was truly prepared, especially the fake and the true armies.


    Deciding that it was still useless to spare a bit of mana, she turned invisible when she was dozens of meters away. Finally arriving nearby, she saw a grey patch of land, not really that discreet. From afar, it could pass as a big rock, but when someone was as close as she was, it was obvious that it wasn''t natural. But they still made some efforts, so it was a good initiative. Piercing through the cover, she stumbled upon three individuals, one was sleeping while the other two were discussing while looking through a weirdly shaped instrument. Looking more attentively, it was similar to a binocular or scope.


    "So, they are the surveillance team." Laying around, three bags were used as a mattress with one occupied and a small pile of garbage was located at the outskirt of the small encampment. Right now, the only human was noting something on a small book, probably what they observed. As for the two others, one was a sleeping female elf while the other was a ratman. "Weird combination."


    Inside a country that still had some slaves, albeit not openly like the Synnada Empire, to find two non-humans working with a human was rare. But thinking about the supposedly immense power of the Organization, it was not that surprising. However, the appearance of the ratman still baffled a little Leilade, since she hadn''t heard about that race since she first arrived here. Meaning that he was a long way from home.


    Now she had a choice, should she kill them or just let them be? Because they were quite far, she had a doubt whether Malakov located them. She was certain that the unreliable lich felt their presence, otherwise, he wouldn''t have been her strongest subordinate. But to pinpoint exactly where those rodents where located, without leaving the premise of the base, it was pretty hard. Especially since he had to use all of his mana daily just to meet the requirements of master Agnil.


    Because she didn''t want to ruin a plan, she decided to just let them live a few hours more. Reaching the base, she didn''t have to wait for a lich to open the way. The sight beyond the shield and protections was quite good, especially the entrance. She was not deceived. Touching on of the two statues representing Ymir, she felt an uncontrollable terror filling her heart. Even that small detail was taken care of, not that it affected her in any way. Nodding her head with a smile, two undead similar to the one she created at the Academy opened the door.


    They still were not armored and equipped with weapons, but it shouldn''t take very long. Depending on whether they will still be bait or a threat. Inside the first room, she saw numerous smaller skeletons carving the stone walls of inscriptions. Most of those were just incomprehensible sentences in Demonic Language, that didn''t make any sense. Like "Attaquer sala de ba?o with kinder". That made no sense, but because no one could really understand it, it was just nice to have.


    Some spiked lanterns were hanging around those comical sentences, making the room illumined but not that much. On the ground, beautiful artworks and drawings representing the numerous planets they conquered were visible. It was still in construction, but to make a first impression, it was nice. After two, two new doors led to the deeper part, but a lich indicated the wall standing between the two.


    After hearing the undead casting a spell, the wall opened himself and let place to a small room composed of only a magic seal. It was mainly used for very short distances teleportation, only less than a kilometer. But it had a very low cost, so, when a base was located underground or in the skies, it was the main way to transport good and peoples. Standing on it, she felt a brief change of air and soon appeared in a room filled with scribblings and a huge holographic globe.


    "Empress of the Underworld, welcome back." Malakov was the first to greet her, in his usual-licking tone.His only main drawback was his inability to consider the subordinates of Leilade as equals and not his subordinates. But from the looks of it, they had no problem and did a good job, gathering enough intelligence without being detected. Unlike her, but she won''t say it.


    "We greet the Empress of the Underworld" Davion and Meridiana slightly bowed in front of the small girl and they kept working. Because they didn''t have any living beings under them, all the reports were sorted by them. They could let some liches do the most basic things, but the undead that were of such a low level were not the smartest. Only one comparable or slightly inferior to Malakov could be of a help, but that was not in the orders of Leilade.


    Looking around, she didn''t see Ymir, but it was possible he was just resting. Not wanting to uselessly bother someone, she got an update on the latest news from their side. Meaning not very much since they were waiting for things to go down a little bit. Hearing about that, Leilade couldn''t help but raise an eyebrow, until Meridiana finally spit it out.


    "Well, you see, there was a slight issue with the adventurers. Malakov didn''t tell you about that?" Shaking her head from left to right, both the orodil and the succubus realized that the undead wasn''t that unreliable since he hid the worst parts. But now that they said it, it will most likely fall on them.


    "First of all, I need to say that they are the most backward, primitive and stupid humans I ever saw. The amount of distrust we received was so important that it is a miracle that non-humans are accepted with such behaviour. When we arrived, we were told to undress, and as you can expect, we couldn''t. After that, we received mockery after mockery, everyone doubted us. Because of this, we killed some weak monsters in the underground grid under the mountains, to shut their mouths. And even that, they didn''t believe it was us. And maybe, I threatened of death some adventurers. In a very friendly way."


    (Looks like they are as reliable as you are, Outlander.)


    "Not another world." Leilade really thought that with a succubus, it was nearly impossible to not gain the trust of some petty humans. A race born with such a massive advantage against males, capable of finding their deepest secrets in a blink of an eye, managed to alienate an entire guild of adventurers. Getting found out by the Academy was less a failure than that. Thinking about that, it was the moment that Malakov chose to ask the questions that were bothering everyone else.


    "Empress, not that I doubt you but, why are you here right now? The useless humans were too boring? You have recovered all of your powers?"


    After he said that, the little girl proceeded to unleash all the darkness inside her. The two living beings and the lich withdrew, not saying anywhere close to the dark tentacles. Two enormous ones were wiggling in the air, and a very small one was a tenth of their size. Even if it was a better sight than previously, they knew that if Leilade had her full powers, the entire room would be filled with shadows, not just a corner of it.


    "Yes and no. Their pathetic attempts at teaching magic were too long, especially when they weren''t even teaching it properly. Because I could already destroy it by myself, I had nothing left to keep me there. And finally, I learned the only important thing that mattered. The reason why the previous dark gods failed at their invasion or whatever it was."


    Nowhere in her small tale did she said that she was found out and she only escaped because of this. She was still the highest ranked commandant around here, so she didn''t need to be honest every time. And it was not really important, or at least, that was what she was repeatedly told to the Viscount that was bothering her with this. No, she rather focused her efforts on the initial worst case scenario that they formulated, and that was in the end, the truth.


    "Empress, sorry for being late." The huge Ak?l finally entered the room, leaving the lich behind. He was enjoying a nice dream where he was eating ten humans when an undead woke him up. But to his surprise, it was to tell him that Leilade had arrived. He was not late enough to hear the last sentence and express the same surprise as the rest.


    Casting a small spell, she made the exact painting she saw in the basement of the Academy appear in front of everyone. Even the small writings under the drawing, that described what happened were easily visible. It didn''t take long to read the few sentences, but even the impassive Davion showed a fearful face after being done reading. Because what they all feared when they first learned that it was a planet built by the Ancients did happen.


    "One of them is here."

 -1 Bestiary

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 65 Ancients Compendium : The Saksa

    With the superior technology created by the Mind, the surrounding planets were quickly conquered by the Ancients. Because it was the first time their population was truly growing thanks to the reduced mortality, the resources of only one world was not enough. Whether it was an asteroid, a satellite or a star, every bit of energy and matter was requisitioned for the greater good. As for the races that were developed and alive, they were either sent to research centers for experiments or turned into materials.


    Thanks to that quick expansion, the next century happened without any incident, only letting the Ancients grow without any limit. Until one day, the sensors finally captured the signature of a foreign creature, that didn''t possess any mass. Because it was potentially their second encounter with such a being, and it had been a long time since they waited for it, everything was armed and ready. The malicious god that tried to feed itself on our own people never understood what went wrong until it was too late.


    That despicable liar tried to enslave us with petty and unreliable words, thinking that we were fools. The exact speech he gave us was recorded for future generations, to always remind us that their very existence is a threat to our civilization. Gods were neither friends or allies; they were only enemies that will be enslaved or siphoned of their energy. Like everything else in the Universe, all will bow to the Ancients if they dare to even attack us once.


    To resume the encounter, the lying creature promised us everything if we served him. Technology beyond our reach, immortality even, all if we just fed him with the souls of our death and redirect some of the energy produced by our generator toward him. His sweet lies couldn''t prevent us to figure out that he was just lusting after what we created by ourselves, by the sacrifices of our brave and fearless ancestors. Whether it was those that sacrificed their lives in our original worlds or after, all had only one purpose, to save everyone else.


    And we should have let an alien, just reap all the benefits for what? Technology? No matter how long it would take, we will find it thanks to our great minds. Immortality? A previous promise was already made before we realized it was a trap. Maybe infinite power? Only to be the mere servants of something else, not able to take out own destiny in our hands.


    The entire time this worthless being kept talking, the orbital cages we prepared were being put in position.And when it was time, the second god we met was finally ensnared into a net. He did try to escape, but nothing in his power was able to breach the energy grid that surrounded the entire planet. Soon after, we began to harvest the energy that was furiously trying to flee, only to realized it was a mistake.


    This was the first time after discovering the existence of mana that something stumbled us. The numerous devices were overloaded with that strange energy, shutting everything down. That shutdown spread to the energy grid, and the malicious being managed to flee in panic, but not before taunting us one last time. The Primarchs of that time bowed in shame in front of our people, for their pride was the cause of underestimating a god. Striving to wash away their mistakes, they began to study the strange energy.


    As more and more miracles were derived from the small part of the god''s body that was harvested, it became obvious that truly capturing one would be the most optimal thing to do. Because the element of surprise and fear where taken out, what was only left was the powers of a god. And in that department, none truly knew what it meant.


    They were never directly attacked by one of those beings made completely of energies, and because it was the case, they still had no idea what was the extents of their powers. Because it would have been too dangerous to let a god caused havoc and mayhem in their main solar system, they chose a lone planet not far from it as a giant bait. They surcharge the entire system with energy, creating a beacon for every god. And it didn''t take very long for one to take the bait.


    Because they were truly ready this time, they faked their intentions of being the slaves of that being. They created a smoke screen, portraying the Ancients that lived in that small planet as sad and destined to die. The planet was truly scarce in term of resources, and the alien was fully convinced by that. At the last moment before reaching an agreement, the first of many more gods was finally captured.


    This provoked another new golden age for our people because even as we were siphoning his energy, we were also talking and questioning that being. It was still the first and only intelligent species that was met at that time, besides primitive tribes. Thanks to the intelligence that was extracted, the Ancients realized that they had a lot of neighbors in the vicinity, and a few had even managed to build some spaceships.


    This revelation provoked a rift in our societies that could have led to a grave social crisis, the first the Ancients ever had. Against gods, no one forgot what happened and will never do. They were the mortal enemies of our people, they tried to lie and enslave us, maybe even caused the first rocket carrying 3000 of our bravest men and women to die without any reasons. But for the other species, it was a debate. The Arm was heavily favoring immediate annihilation or enslavement, the Mind had no real voice because of the confusion while The Heart was more about seeing what was the intentions of those foreign races.


    Because the citizens of our great nations were mainly managed by the Heart, it was them that convinced the rest to have a more passive approach for the moment. Because they were the closest, the first intelligent race similar to us was a reptile one, that called themselves the Saksa. They were nearly two times the size of the Ancients and were only listening to the strong.


    The life on their planet was very hard, for many monsters and gigantic creatures were almost impervious to any weapons. Even some of the lesser energy weapons made by our people were barely scratching the heavy skin of those threats. Even if they could be compared to a dumb warrior, they were still capable of thinking an even creating some innovative sources of energy. Especially when it was to kill something else.


    The first encounters were filled with suspicions and tensions, from both sides, but soon, the Saksa welcomed the Ancients with their arms open. As a more advanced civilization, we helped them a little with their technology, improving efficiency and reducing the waste. And it could have kept continuing if they weren''t that greedy.


    One day, without any notice, they hijacked one of our ships and kidnapped our own brothers and sisters. They demanded more, more of everything, food, weapons, energy. Those scaly animals only saw a glimpse of our power and thought that we were weak and only relying on our weapons. To answer that, we had to show what we truly were. The sudden shift of opinion let the Arm free of any restraints, and comparable to the treatment the captive god received, the end of the Saksa was not pretty.


    After releasing our captives, the entire planet was burned to the ground, every living creature annihilated under the heavy bombardment we unleashed. But because of this, many Primarchs of the Heart lamented across the eons of the lost opportunity to ever befriend another race. For the Arm never let go of its control over foreign diplomacy. But even the smallest threat to any of our citizens was far too horrible to even think. Only a few survivors were kept in the same state as the god, a perpetual remember of what happened.


    As for the other neighbors, they were repeatedly enslaved for experiments until no one was left alive. Past this initial massacre, it was decided to repress the bloodthirsty ways of the Arm to only do this after one attack was made against us. Even if it was nonsense and risking lives for nothing, it was still approved by both the Mind and the Heart. Thankfully, the amount of death that was provoked by civilized nations was relatively low, because most of the time, they captured the Ancients in a pitiful attempt at bargaining.


    Because our glorious nation was spreading its wing, we had to have something to defend our planets, and not just some robots or androids. Besides the usual glitches that plagued some stations, turning it hostile against everything included its own creators, we needed something reliable, something intelligent. It was at that moment that someone had an idea that was so strange that it almost never saw the light of the sun.


    To create a race to serve us. In our current era, something like that would be common knowledge, but at that time, it was a very strange though. What was the need to create a race? How could we be sure that it wouldn''t betray us at all? And what would be its characteristics? To answer all of this, someone took the shape of a Saksa warrior and turned it bigger, much bigger. She also infused some of the godly energy in it and had some robotic parts.


    The entire thing was so weirdly shaped that it was abandoned until a better solution was found. But she was restless about her idea, sure that it would work. Working with her friends and colleagues, she convinced them that it was viable. Past the initial surprise and misunderstanding, that small group began with a normal Saksa.


    Because there wasn''t a lot of them still alive, they needed to have some help, and one Primarch of the Arm covered everything for them. After a few failures, they managed to have a more or less good combination of both organic and metallic parts, living and artificial intelligence, mortal and godly energy. When they presented their product to that Primarch, he was ecstatic and immediately showed it to the rest of the Arm.


    A perfect servant, not having any need, not having a true conscience, built only to defend a planet against foreigners and external threats. Only the recognition of targets and some commands were still not that perfect, but its ability at using mana and weapons was beyond anything they ever met. The perfect soldier was created, albeit only at a smaller scale. But that proof was enough to begin the creation of something big enough to truly defend an entire planet by itself.


    Of the initial project, only the name and the vague shape was maintained. The name of Saksa was not related to a reptilian race anymore, but to the deadliest creation of the Universe. Even today, every planet terraformed or even built by us still have a Saksa defending it, whether it is against a natural disaster like an asteroid or some pesky pirates that think they can steal. So fear not citizens, for nothing can happen to us thanks to them. For we are the Ancients.


    -Arm Primarch Geril Ofterne?n

 66 A New Threat in the Sand

    Far away from any vegetation or lush forests, far away from any farms or garden, in the middle of a desert, a fairly small bird was flying at full speed. His pure and shiny white feathers were reflecting the light of the sun, creating a disturbance in the eyes of many monsters. But even after noticing that strange little bird, not even one was capable of even approaching it, because its speed was far too huge. A gigantic fowl, at least 2 meters tall without his wings opened eyed this new prey with increasing interest.


    But even that king of the sky wasn''t even able to begin to fly toward it before that white spark disappeared in the horizon. Staying far above the ground, the monster reluctantly had to let it go, searching for an easier target. Like the dark shadows of death, its body was blocking the light of the sun for whoever was stupid enough to look at it directly. The same routine was applied for every monstrosity the small white swallow met. A sudden interest followed by a bit of a disappointment caused by the extreme speed.


    Finally, that beacon stopped on one of the few stones present inside the desert. If one could gather all of them, that person would still notice a huge quantity of rocks. But the problem was that the desert was not that small, so that huge amount meant nothing. After landing on that small mound, the bird jumped on its feet and looked everywhere else, like he was trying to see if he had any neighbors.


    A minute or so later, that volatile appeared pleased and began to produce loud and weird noises. Like his bones were being fractured, his skin was inflating and its entire body was suffering terrifying torture. From the original very small form of a bird, something else was appearing, something longer, slim.


    The small legs were progressively disappearing, letting place to scales. The feathers were dropping one by one, not needed anymore. The beck was long gone, and a maw filled with sharp teeth replaced it. The tongue was not a normal one either, turning more purple, and even being separated on its tip. From a small thing barely less than 50 centimeters tall, a huge snake at least 20 times its size was being formed.


    "Exccccccellent!" An ominous voice managed to speak with that deformed maw, and while saying this, wiggled a bit his body. From his tail to his head, everything was responding without any issues, confirming that nothing wrong happened. Opening his mouth in an angle that could be considered impossible, two mandibles violently rammed in each other, leaving the buccal cavity. Contrarily to most snakes, the mouth of that creature didn''t have two fangs for the poison, but those deadly mandibles. The rest was filled with teeth, capable of even piercing metallic armors.


    Effortlessly piercing the sand without any effort, the strange snake''s head plunged head-on in the underground. Provoking the less perturbations possible in it, he soon found his first prey, a huge scorpion preparing a trap. If someone dared to walk in front of it without knowing about the threat, what would await that person was a huge sting in his stomach, followed by two claws tearing about the main body.


    That monster had the size of a human, or maybe a bit more. Its heavy and sturdy skeleton made it avoid death many times since its aggressor had to have the ability to pierce it. And except those pesky things flying above it, not a lot of thing was capable of threatening it. The monster was calmly resting a bit since he knew he had some times before having to actively hunt. If something came, that was good, but otherwise, it was not bothering it too much.


    Whether it was his innate instincts or the ones he developed after many years of harsh battle, but the scorpion suddenly felt unsettled. Not moving at all, fearing that it will be detected, he tried to look around it. He was at the limit between the sand and the air, and with his multiples eyes all around its head, he saw nothing in front of him. His only dead angle was its back, and as the pressure increased, the arachnidan was getting more inclined to suddenly jumped at the threat and breaking its camouflage.


    At the breaking point, the monster jumped in the open and turned itself to face that danger.But to its surprise, there was nothing around him, neither in front or behind him. Trying his best to make its body look above it, there was no sign of those dangerous vultures. His meager knowledge of its natural enemies denied the possibility of a worm or a snake attacking it since they were not capable of harming it. Since it was still feeling the dangerous predator near it, the scorpion had no choice but to run away.


    The monster ran for a few minutes, before barging into the territory of another scorpion, an older one. Normally, they wouldn''t even approach each other, except when it was time to mate, but the scorpion had his mind nearly broken. It had never felt so in danger than at this very moment, and it didn''t react until the other member of its species probed it with a light attack.


    Finally stopping for a moment, the two monsters were in a deadlock, one so agitated that its movements were erratic while the other was puzzled by the behavior of the other one. It could have continued for a while, but when a hole suddenly appeared under the first arachnidan, it was over in an instant.


    Two sharp blades pierced the scorpion in the middle, wreaking havoc in its organs. The monster was then pulled into the sand, not letting it fight back for even a second. After that, the calm was back again, and only a slight hole in the location where the prey previously stood showed that something happened.


    After living so long in the desert, not a single inhabitant was truly stupid, and the older scorpion soon realized what was the cause of the abnormal behavior of the other one. Looking left and right, he saw a small batch of stones nearby and immediately ran toward it. Normally, doing such a foolish action would only attract the giant birds lurking in the sky, awaiting an opportunity. Only the flesh creatures with strange limbs were capable of preventing that to happen.


    Like the other, the monster soon felt the presence of a terrifying threat slowly turning around it, patiently waiting for an opening. Because it was on solid ground, it feared nothing about that unknown predator. In a frontal assault, nothing was able to bypass its mighty claws and even those fowls had to retreat in front of it. But the longer the scorpion waited with that increasing pressure, the more he realized that it was too dangerous.


    One time, it was on the left, the next second it was behind it. All of its senses were sending mixed signals, perturbing, even more, the sturdy creature. Until finally, its adversary showed himself. "Sssss" That small sound made the scorpion turned, to face a snake he never saw before. Maybe that snake was not very long, but he was abnormally large, and not thin like the rest. Seeing the maw wide open, the monster felt that it would only take two times for its entire body to be eaten.


    "Do you undersssssstand me?" The same weird noises reverberated, but the scorpion heard nothing more but some threats. Its intelligence was not developed enough to understand that the flesh creatures were humans, and the strange limbs were not some real body parts. Making its claws smacking each other, it got in a real battle stance, prepared for anything.


    Seeing this, Kardel internally sneered. The only reason why he hadn''t killed it was to see if they were some sentient species, and not just some dumb monsters. But apparently, they were not. As for the previous chase, why prevent a duvodiad to feel the thrill of a hunt? At the same time, he truly needed some time to digest the previous scorpion, so, he had no choice but to wait a bit before eating the second one.


    Facing the unwilling monster, he used the back of his body to have his head getting higher and higher, ready to pounce on the small creature. When his mouth was two times higher than the sting of the scorpion, his opponent was having a real hard time to move its body to see him. The vision of a creature like that was not made to truly see above it because its neck was too rigid. When the eyes of the arachnidan couldn''t follow anymore his head, Kardel suddenly fell on top of the scorpion.


    Using his two mandibles, he easily pierced the skull of the monster, killing him in an instant. After that, he leisurely took his time to eat everything carefully, still watching for the venomous tail. He was not certain how dangerous it was, and had no intention of testing. He was far away from any help, and to be poisoned for nothing would be a shame. After getting those two kills, he was feeling a lot better.


    Pondering for a moment whether he should make a ritual to absorb the form of those scorpions, he denied the idea. They were far too weak, and he had already a few forms that could accomplish the same purpose. Looking toward the sky, he saw one of those giant things circling around him, but not approaching. He was a perfect target, in the open, on a rock, so to not attack him was weird. But now, it was too late to turn into anything else with a presence like that watching him.


    Sliding into the hot sand once again, he kept searching for more living things. It was then that he met a group of humans that were walking slowly in the uneven terrain, visibly on their guard. Because he had flown without any real direction except that North-East was the Synnade Empire, Kardel had no idea where he was truly located. And he couldn''t just extract information from their souls like Leilade or even seduce and controlling them like Meridiana.


    So, he followed that group three meters under them, hearing a little of their conversations. It was mostly silent, only some warnings about a potential threat or talking to get some supplies, like food and water. Confronted at that situation, the duvodiad was slowly losing patience and wondering if he shouldn''t just kill them all. Trying to think what Leilade wanted and would not make him killed by her when she finally recovered her powers, he was getting a headache. He was not trained to think about such a thing, only tasked to kill or hunt.


    But that group of humans clearly knew what they were up to. They dodged nearly everything that prepared a trap, from scorpions to snake, from sandworms of half the size of Kardel to birds that were immediately repelled by some arrows the moment they began their descent. Only right before dusk did they had to face something quite unexpected.


    Using the vibrations of the ground, the duvodiad couldn''t help but feel that something was weird. He was getting the same thing that he received when he encountered a scorpion, but there were a lot of other things that weren''t making any sense. Because he couldn''t understand how the sand could move and be displaced without being stomped on, he got away from the group of humans and only let his head leave the ground.


    From afar, he could see five or so sand silhouettes fighting a scorpion, with weapons comparable to the one that the humans had. However, their defensive equipment was clearly lacking, since it was only covering the chest of those sand people. Trying to remember a thing about the djinns and how they were behaving with the humans, it soon turned useless. Because even while they were fighting the monster, some djinns were already pointing their weapons against the foreigners.

 67 An useless escape

    The arachnidan monster was still relatively healthy, thanks to his sturdy external skeleton. The weapons of the djinns were barely able to scratch the edge of its body, but the reason for the usage of the word relatively was the spear inserted in one of its eyes. It provoked an intense pain inside the head of the animal creature but didn''t impede it to counter-attack. The sand people were trying to end quickly the fight after doing this, but unfortunately, some humans appeared right at this moment.


    One could say that the desert was big enough for everyone, but unfortunately, neither the djinns or the humans of the Synnada Empire were in an agreement about that. But both suffered under the hands of the Dark Gods and the Lick King Ptolekh, and allied with each other for that small period of time. Afterward, the bloodbath that happened between the two races was caused by the numerous artifacts of great power that dropped from those threats.


    Because of that, peace was never actually made and the domineering human empire never forgot what was still present inside the desert. But unlike the djinns that could stay forever in the hot temperatures of the desert or survive the coldness of the night, the army of the empire had to prepare so many supplies just to survive, not even win.So between their inability to even properly attack the djinns and the fact that they would need to win the fight, the Synnada Empire only slightly roamed the outskirts of the desert.


    The only rule was to kill any djinns they met but to escape if they couldn''t do it. The rate of reproduction of the humans was so enormous compared to other races that throwing bodies for centuries was always a better choice. Until one day, they could do a final assault, putting an end at this stalemate between the two races.


    All of this, Kardel was oblivious to it. What he only knew and saw, was that the two groups were hostile to each other and didn''t even bothered to talk to the other. Put an additional thing in it, like a monstrous scorpion, and you had a perfect situation for a duvodiad to do whatever he wanted. And to be fair, human flesh was still a lot better than scorpion meat, which was bit chitinous. Gliding into the sand, he retook his place right under the ground of humans.


    "Don''t get close to the scorpion." That was the only sentence pronounced by the leader of the humans. The rest of the warriors were slowly spreading, but not too far from each other. The tight clothes and fabric protecting their head were reducing their sight and slightly slowing their movements, but they had the advantage of not being targeted by a monster.


    Everyone had two sabers, but most only unsheathed one. Since they were dealing against some spears, anything more would be useless and only the best archer would be able to target such a precise thing, the heart of the djinns, in the desert. And they weren''t that type of warriors.


    Soon after, Kardel heard some strange noises, not natural ones, and he felt that the scorpion was getting closer and closer to the group of humans. None of the two groups was made of idiots, and because the only variable was the scorpion, it will be the main focus. The monster was injured on one side of its head, but it still had enough eyes to know that it was the djinns that attacked it.


    So when the creature felt that it was led between the flesh thing and the sand thing, it got increasingly angry. Seeing one of the flesh thing trying to approach, the scorpion threatened it immediately with its mighty claws, only to realize that it shouldn''t have done it.


    SKRIEKKKK


    Another spear was inserted in one of its eyes, making it mad. Not caring whether one was the culprit, it attacked the human warrior that was too close. The latter barely dodged the claws, but still got hit by them and was sent flying a little further. He was not in mortal danger, but the monster didn''t stop at just one attack. Following its prey, it suffered a wave of attack from the other humans. The scorpion only retained its frontal vision, anything in the side being blurred or gone.


    Because of this, the sharp sabers of the humans inflicted wounds after wounds, even piercing a bit the durable skeleton of the beast. Shaking its opponents off, the scorpion lost its focus and began to retreat right in the ranks of the djinns that were surprised by the sudden change of event. They were enjoying the sight of their two enemies fighting each other.


    One djinn was cut in half by the claws but escaped unscathed because they didn''t hit his chest. Another one felt the sting piercing his own head, but like his peer, that did nothing. Repelling the enraged beast toward the middle, the scorpion was violently shaking its body left and right, attacking even imaginary adversaries. This kept going for a few more seconds until a sudden hole appeared under the monster and grabbed it into the depths of the desert.


    This vision shocked everyone still alive, and the screams of the scorpion ended brutally. Nothing remained of the monster, besides the broken handle of a spear that was planted on the ground, signaling to everyone where once stood the monster. The leader of the human group, that was attending to the injured warrior, slowly walked toward that location, and looked at the djinns.


    "Was it you?" His face was barely visible under the heavy tissue efficiently arranged around his head. But the tone of that sentence made the djinns realized that the humans were as surprised as them. Reluctantly speaking the language of the humans, they answered his question. "No, now go before we kill you all!"


    The previous moment of peace and surprise ended as fast as the scorpion disappeared, and the lowered weapons were raised once again. The cocky djinn that said those words were pointing his spear at the leader of the human, taunting him to make a move. A smile was visible on his face made out of the sand, even at that distance. They were a few meters apart, but even getting closer of one step will be hard against a volley of spears.


    Even if the djinns only had one spear, they were all made of the strongest material available to them, rarely breaking. Even if they missed their target, who could prevent them to just control the sand to pick it up for them or even best, dashed toward their lost weapon. In the desert, their control over the environment was absolute.


    That''s why the human warriors were that prepared. Clothes so tight that not a single grain of sand could enter them, glasses to protect their eyes against it and two small plugs to block their ears. The first time the two races fought, a very long time ago, they were killed only by being attacked with sand. That was also one of the reasons to only allow small strike teams to fight the djinns because otherwise, the cost to equip an entire army was too high.


    Rumble


    The same sound that was made right before the scorpion died resonated once again, albeit closer to the djinns than the humans. The arrogant hunter looked in despair under him, but only saw a dark hole before it was too late. A gigantic serpent head emerged from the sand, gobbing the unfortunate one that was a bit too cocky. Not letting anyone react, the serpent suddenly disappeared under the calm surface of the desert, as nothing happened.


    "RUN!" The humans immediately followed the advice of their leader, two carrying their injured fellow in a desperate attempt to escape that new threat. They were quite a few days away from leaving the desert, but a forward base had been built not far from there, allowing them to maybe survive.


    The djinns were still stunned by that appearance that they only reacted when the humans were already beginning to run at full speed. One even tried to throw a spear at them, but he was eaten by the terrifying monster beforehand. The slowest human warrior saw that and immediately screamed that information to the rest. "IT ATE ANOTHER ONE! FASTER! FASTER!" Unknowingly, his own speed was suddenly increased and he even bypassed a few of his peers. Fear truly gave him wings.


    For a few more seconds, they heard the scared shouts of the djinns, three of them, then two, and finally only one. The final was so full of terror that even a few hundreds of meters away, they were still capable of easily hear it. But in the end, only silence reigned, not prompting them to slow down at all. They didn''t know what happened, but one thing was certain, they shouldn''t have tried to attack it.


    Even injured, a scorpion of that size and age was still a threat, and could, with a bit of luck, even kill one of them. But that thing, it killed it in an instant. Still perturbed by what they saw, the humans weren''t as careful with their approach and even attracted the attention of another monster. It was a snake, but one that they easily recognized.


    It was less of a monster than a normal creature, only having an extremely potent poison at its disposal. It was currently enjoying to eat a small mammal creature when the leader accidentally appeared right in front of it. Getting in a position to launch itself at the bothering human, it never made it, for the bigger one swallowed it all.


    For the next hours, were everyone exhausted themselves in a foolish run, the giant monster never appeared directly to attack them. But each time the leader made a mistake, entered the territory of a monster or even stumbled on one, the unknown threat saved them. Even if it seemed that they got a guardian angel, they were really, really scared of that one.


    Barely a kilometer before reaching the forward base, the group of humans found an immense pile of rocks, spreading on nearly a hectare. On it, they finally took a small moment to rest and check their conditions. Everyone was both equally tired and scared, and the injuries of the wounded warrior were worse than at the beginning. The only saving grace was the fact that it wasn''t infected yet, but he will have to rest for a few days.


    "Team leader, I know that we shouldn''t refuse your orders but ¡­"


    "But you think that this creature only wants to find where is the rest of us? Right?" Finally calming their mind, everyone could think of the unbelievable situation they were in. A huge monster, never seen before, capable of slaughtering monsters and djinns as it wished didn''t attack once the humans. They were not optimistic enough to believe that it was the Synnada Empire that sent this monster.


    "And what do you propose? Based on its speed, this snake or whatever it is will find this base one way or the other, because of us or not. And it is better to warn them about that thing than letting more patrols leave the base and die meaninglessly. And there is one magus that could probably help us sense what is hiding in the underground. No, everyone, take another few minutes, and we do a final sprint."


    Emptying their gourds of all the water they had, the warriors were getting prepared to run once again with their lives on the line. "GO!" They left the protection of the rocks under their feet to escape the invisible enemy lurking in the shadows. The latter only slightly raised his head out of the sand, looking with an interest at the humans. "A magusssssss? I wonder what''sssssss his tasssssste?"

 68 A Monster My Lord

    Stumbling on top of a dune, the running and exhausted humans arrived inside a small valley containing an oasis. The terrain around it protected from being discovered, and only by standing on top of the dunes nearby one could notice the tents of the Synnada Empire. Of course, for the giant birds that were controlling the skies, that was easy to spot. But for the rest, including the djinns, only luck could help them in their search. Fifty or so tents were visible, and most were large enough to let four humans sleep inside them without bothering anyone.


    That sight made the out of breath warriors broke into a smile, but they didn''t slow down in anyways. Until they arrived truly inside the protective encampment, none dared to even stay on the sand even one additional minute. Because it was a bit more than the middle of the day, not a lot of people were still present, but the few threw perplexed gazes at the strange spectacle they saw. Of course, since they were well trained, they didn''t forget to equip themselves and prepare for the worst. It won''t be the last forward base being dismantled because of an attack.


    They were reassembled in front of the main tent, where the commandant and the magus were currently talking and idling. They were enjoying a very nice drink from the Grey Lands, a little bit fresh thanks to an ice spell casted by the magus. But their leisure time was brutally interrupted when someone barged into the tent, saying that a patrol came back terrified like the Dark Gods were behind them. The two important men laughed at that joke but still left their seat to see what was happening. "The Dark Gods returned, who would believe that joke?" was in their two minds.


    But after seeing the truly panicked faces that were appearing closer and closer, especially since the turbans protecting their head were disheveled and weren''t covering their mouth anymore, the commandant had to stop smiling. Giving a few orders to get a few magical bombs and mithril arrows they were blatantly overpriced by the White Hands, he tried to see what was the threat. But since nothing was in sight, he turned around to look at the magus.


    He was a very handsome man, in his early forties and with a small beard. Unlike the regular robe that the magicians of the Massalia Kingdom wore, that was sober and humble, his clothes were very costly. Numerous golden threads were sewn on his sleeves, golden inscriptions around his neck and the fabric was of the highest quality. It would have been ruined in one day inside the desert, but thanks to his power as a magus, he still maintained it like it was brand new.


    Using all of his power, he thought of every spell at his disposal to search for anything unusual, like an important displacement of mana, or a thing that shouldn''t be there. But even after the first warrior finally arrived inside the encampment, the magus still found nothing, perplexing him. Shaking his head at the commandant, he confirmed that there was no actual threat against them right now. A few seconds later, the leader arrived with the two warriors carrying their injured friend and presented himself in front of his superior.


    "Fuh, Fuh, Fuh, Leader of the, Fuh, ehh, Fuh, we found, fuh ¡­ "It was the first time that they ever ran that fast, and the rest of his team were laying on the ground, not even capable of moving their little finger. To be able to still stand up and even talk was a feat in itself.


    "Stop, you won''t do anything panting like a stray dog. Someone give this man a gourd." A warrior close to the exhausted leader gave him his gourd, and saw the latter plunging on it and emptying it in one go. A small rale of satisfaction escaped the lips of the now safe man. Taking a few big inspirations to calm his heart, he reported immediately the most important news.


    "A snake, a BIG SNAKE! Never saw anything like that. Fuh, it was capable of just eating a Skorpus entirely with its immense maw. It moves inside the sand, at a speed far faster than ours, maybe even the one from a djinn. It killed them also, and ¡­" The report was nearly incomprehensible and just junctions of sentences that weren''t making any sense together. Stopping once more the man in front of him, the commandant asked him to start from the beginning.


    "Yes, my Lord. We were roaming in an already surveyed area when we stumbled on a group of djinn hunters. They were fighting a Skorpus and were winning, having injured the beast with a spear in its eye. Because we weren''t careful enough, a small battle was engaged, and the creature went berserk because it lost its sight. At that moment, anyone approaching the Skorpus would have been killed instantly, without any distinction. And IT appeared, that thing."


    Raising his hand, the commandant stopped the report and looked at the magus once more. The latter had no choice but to scout the entire area, even farther than his initial cast. But no matter if it was the first or the second try, he achieved nothing and could only look back at the commandant, shaking his head. Whatever was that creature, it wasn''t near them.


    "A don''t know how, but a hole appeared under the Skorpus, and he shrieked for a second before it turned silent again. Neither we or the djinns knew what happened, and we both asked if it was the result of an action from the other party. They denied it, and it''s not us right?"


    "A giant snake at our service? What more, you want a Dark God to specially come here and ask if we need something? Cut your crap and keep going!" He couldn''t say it loudly, but the possibility wasn''t that low. He had heard a few disturbing things from the North of the Empire, where a dark cult was apparently working together with the actual power. Thinking that it could be the results of a shady deal, he still decided to dismiss the idea for the moment.


    "So, we were both looking at each other, when I decided it was best to run away. We were not prepared to face something like that, and neither were the djinns. The next moment, one was eaten alive by the monster, and we could all saw a giant snake head. It was of the same color as the desert, a pale yellow, like the Skorpus. As we ran, we heard the shouts of the djinns getting smaller and smaller, until no one was screaming anymore. I think the monster ate everyone."


    That information shocked everyone that was listening. If the djinns were their enemies, they never underestimated them, especially in the desert. To kill one of those strange elementals, one had to destroy the core located in their chests, but the rest of their limbs were near indestructible. They were also capable of moving in and out of the sand without any issue, so to managed to hit that ever moving core multiple times in a row was extremely rare.


    And those hunters weren''t rookies, even the human warriors rarely wiped out a group of hunters. It was very frequent to find one or two survivors that ran away and there was nothing they could do against that. The leader looked like he had finished saying everything he had to say, but the commandant was still perplexed by one thing. Why were they that terrified a minute ago and so relieved afterward?


    "What happened afterward?" The leader was shocked to still be questioned, and he was very reluctant to say anything. He knew the moment he arrived inside the encampment what will probably happen, and he did try to escape his fate. Omit something was less punishable than straight out lying to the harsh man in front of him.


    "We ran and, eh, the creature followed us on a few kilometers. But we didn''t see it since a long time, at least a few kilometers away from here." He was reducing his mistake to its maximum, and the rest of his squad were already thinking to stick to that version. Otherwise, they would be sentenced to die at worst.


    "Few kilometers? Really?" The commandant unsheathed his saber and pointed at the naked throat of his subordinate. "You take me for a fucking moron? At best, it was one kilometer, and it followed you all the way to this place. FUCK! That man, over there, was he attacked by it or not? AND THE TRUTH!"


    "No, no, no, he was attacked by a claw of the Skorpus, he wasn''t attacked by that thing." The team leader was panicking and visibly telling the truth, but to be sure, the magus nearby looked at him to see if there were any traces of something else. After a quick examination, it looked like it was only a blunt injury, that could have been caused by a large object like the edge of a claw.


    "It looks like it''s your lucky day, you will die for the Empire. Everyone that just arrived, hear my words. You have put this entire base at risk, and you will have to protect it. If only one man instead of one of you dies here today, the entire squad will be executed, got it? We are facing something never seen before, so think of that snake or whatever it is as something coming from the Necropolis of Ptolekh. Absolutely don''t touch it, and cut any limbs in contact with that creature. Everyone get ready to fight!"


    The previously quiet base rumbled with agitation. Everyone tighten their armors, resupply all the crossbows and disposed of the magical bombs at a strategic position. Some small wooden pikes enhanced with magic was planted in the outskirts of the base, in any case. The squads that should have left were staying inside, and one could only hope that those outsides made it alive. Even the commandant entered his tent once again, to truly wore the armor gifted by his father.


    The only one that was still calm was the magus, or at least, that was how he appeared to the rest of the warriors. Standing still, with a small smile on his face, like nothing was truly threatening. But if one could get closer to him, that person could have heard the magus murmuring spells and after spells, refreshing them every minute. If something did come after them, he won''t miss it.


    After the initial confusion and preparation, the silence took its rightful place and not a single thing was moving in the base anymore. Everyone was standing ready, the only one not participating was the injured warrior. For the moment, it was not so desperate that they need half of a man fighting with them. For a few minutes, that peculiar base was void of any movements.


    "SAVE ME! SAVE MAGGGGGGGRH!"


    On one of the dune, a warrior was fleeing something when two long blades pierced his body and dragged him into the abysses of the desert. None had the time to see the monster that did that, but the leader of the surviving squad immediately recognized the blades. That was those that pierced the Skorpus previously. "It''s that monster, my Lord."


    The commandant was now clearly angry; a complete team of warriors had been annihilated. And he couldn''t do anything against that. Leave the premise of the base? From the looks of it, that monster was a true master in ambushing and moving undetected. Gripping tightly the guard of his saber, he looked at the magus that was extremely pale. Feeling something weird, he asked what was going on.


    "I didn''t sense it. Even when he has killed that man, I still wasn''t able to feel anything. It''s like, it''s like ¡­ I have no idea. LISTEN TO ME! WARN YOUR SUPERIORS NOW!" The peaceful face crumbled under the threat, and the elegance and bearing of the magus were nowhere visible right now. The commandant was still being held by his shoulder when he was violently pushed by the magus. He didn''t understand why it was happening before he heard something.


    "[Earth Shield]" The magus casted that spell not near him, but under his very feet. Barely a second after, two blades pierced that protection without injuring the human, and a very wide maw was ensnaring the small island of rock were the magus stood, elevating them both. Standing two meters above the ground, the magus had a very hard time stabilizing himself while the snake head was still ascending.


    Everyone could finally see the monster, like a pillar, erupting from the desert and within its maw, a small batch of stones and an unfortunate magus agitating his arms in a desperate attempt at not falling inside the stomach of the monster.

 69 A Minor Victory?

    The magus never experienced anything like that in his entire life. He was respected by his peers and the commoners alike, treated well anywhere he went and could enjoy a leisure life without any worry. Sometimes, he had to participate in some operations for the Synnada Empire, but it never was very dangerous for him. Yes, people died around him multiple time, but the number of things that could pierce his magic shields was low. And when he saw the meager protection stuck in the throat of that giant monsters crumbling, getting shred to pieces, his mind blanked out.


    After each second that passed, the serpent was opening and closing his maw more furiously than ever. Even from the outside, it was visible that the rocks won''t stand a chance against the mighty creature, and that the magus needed to escape right now. But to their surprise, besides instinctively regaining his balance the powerful man was not doing anything. But after that small period of confusion, the warriors finally began to act.


    The commander that was the closest took his precious saber in his two hands and tried to chop down the body of the snake. But to his dismay, his weapon didn''t even manage to cut a single scale from the monster. Slashing one more time, two more times, again and again, what could cut open the durable skeleton of a Skorpus was ineffective. Sensing that the threat was too big for them, he stood back and shouted at the magus.


    "GET OUT! NOW! FLY YOU FOOL!" That insult, in the end, broke the stupor the magus was in, and he realized that it was only a snake in the end. Laughing hysterically, he cursed his own weakness. "[Levitate]" All magus from every nation trained that spell because it was far too valuable. Being able to avoid the constraints of the environment, being capable of scouting large areas more easily was the main reason magus were so respected. Thanks to this single spell, the might of a magus was decoupled, if they had nothing to shoot him down.


    And that was the case, what could a snake do against a flying human? Even if they still didn''t know how big the monster was, it was certain that it won''t be able to touch him fifty meters above the ground. A few seconds after casting that spell, he saw the protection that saved his life finally crumbling after the assault of the powerful teeth of the creature. Seeing their only hope surviving, the rest of the warriors shouted and redoubled of efforts to take down the giant snake.


    But like their commandant, sabers were useless, and even the mithril arrows were only stuck on the cracks between two scales, not really damaging the monster. Because of this, they had to aim at unprotected areas, meaning the eyes and the mouth. But both were still a few meters above the warriors, inaccessible since the creature was staring at the magus. Even if he escaped, the powerful mage was still feeling that he wasn''t out of the danger yet, even when he was visually untouchable.


    "[Burning Hand]" Because they were in the desert, it was stupid to use any magic related to either ice or water, due to their reduced effectiveness. And even if most of the monster around here were more resistant to heat, there was always a point where the temperature was too high. Throwing a line of burning fire at the head of the creature, the magus saw it closed its eyes and maw while lowering its head. The spell barely scratched the scales of the snake, only leaving a darkened area on top of its neck.


    The residuals of [Burning Hand] ended up hitting one set of wooden pikes in the outskirts of the base, not injuring any humans. After seeing this, the magus remembered that he still had allies that won''t be pleased if they were hit by one of his deadly spells. In the hurry, he actually forgot about that while casting the hot fire.


    As for the warriors all around the battle, they were looking at the magus with adoration in their eyes. Past the first sneak attack, the magus managed to hurt the creature and make it lower its head, a great victory. For them, they had no trouble imagining that the magus will beat the creature so hard that it won''t be able to escape or be able, but with great injuries. On the other hand, the commandant had a far graver face, because he truly saw what happened and it scared him. Turning around, he was managing the new emplacement of the magic bombs, in case his worries were made real.


    The handsome mage was preparing another wave of spells when he saw the monster straightening its spine and looking at him in the eyes. The two reptilians and alien iris were staring right into the soul of the human, slightly scaring him. From the beginning, the beast didn''t act like one, but more like an intelligent animal playing with its prey. But still comforted by the idea of his own safety, the magus didn''t notice the maw of the snake moving in a weird manner.


    SPOO


    "AAAAAH!" The cry of the injured magus resonated in the silent base, dumbfounding the warriors. Everything happened so fast that nearly no one noticed the small rock that was spat by the snake right into the shoulder of the magus. With horror, the latter realized that his very own spell that saved his life was now acting against him. A mere monster, managed to think about using a projectile to attack a flying target? The more he thought about that, the more he was shocked and scared.


    SPOO SPOO SPOO


    Retaining his screams of pain, the magus was hit one additional time in the leg. Thankfully, the monster wasn''t able to throw those stones at a speed so high he couldn''t avoid any. But for the moment, the human had no idea how much reserve the giant creature had in its possession, but remembering the important earth shield he created, the man shuddered. Regaining his spirit, he casted another shield to protect himself. "[Wind Shield]"


    SPOOPOPOPOPOPOPO


    A true burst of stones was systematically thrown at the flying man, nearly piercing the strong winds protecting him. But he held his ground, repulsing the stones in multiple directions, without caring about collateral damages. On the hot sand of the desert, the warriors of the Synnada Empire had to suddenly take cover to block the heavy projectiles falling from the sky. A few were unlucky enough to receive some on their heads, knocking them down for good.


    After confirmation, they were just unconscious, not dead, letting the commandant breathe a bit. He had absolute trust in the promising magus and knew that only a few were above him, even with his relatively young age. So if he wasn''t able to even injured the beast, only one man could really kill it, and it was the Archmage. Even if they managed to make that thing retreat, he was already convinced to ask for his help, and ready to plead his case even in front of the Empress. She wasn''t as inflexible than her late father and was striving to improve the empire.


    But for the moment, he wasn''t thinking much about politics and imperial favors. Now, they had to use the magic bombs whether they liked it or not. Otherwise, the moment the magus died or was forced to flee, the rest of them will be condemned in a gruesome and painful end. They only had three magic bombs, with one having the infamous [Arc Lightning], responsible for turning battle between warriors to battle between mages.


    Since the giant beast was neglecting them and only concentrating on the flying man, they used that opportunity to get closer and pierced at least one scale. Three of the strongest fighters of this camp, including the commandant were repeatedly hitting the same point, using all their strength in the maneuver. A few dozens of seconds later, due to the very immobile snake that greatly helped them, a scale was finally slightly torn, letting the more tender flesh behind it in the open.


    That small hole was compared to the snake, but it was still at least an opening of 10 centimeters. In it, they managed to stick the magical bomb filled with the electric spell and activated its internal countdown. Retreating with great haste, the entire base was looking earnestly at this small device, while wailing about the now disheveled state of the magus.


    From his prestigious golden clothes and his impeccable haircut, nothing remained. Even with his [Wind Shield] standing between him and the snake, the magus still suffered greatly under the constant barrage of projectiles. The worst part was the fact that he couldn''t even flee now, because if he lost control of his shield, the next stone will hit his head and condemned him to die. The snake was now very accurately only aiming at his face, and only the strong magic winds were diverting the deadly rocks toward the less important areas.


    He was feeling that his stomach was leaking blood inside his own body, but he couldn''t do anything about that. As for his own mana, he was feeling more and more depressed. Normally, he should have easily been able to both levitate in the air and protect himself, but he had to cast [Wind Shield] again and again since the snake was destroying it every three or so shots. He didn''t even notice, like his enemy, that the warriors were running away from the monster.


    ZZZZZZZZZZIP


    The bomb finally unleashed its deadly magic, creating lightning arcs on the entire body of the snake. The giant creature was convulsing under the lethal spell, not even moving anymore. The previously tall pillar erupting from the depths of the desert slowly began to fall, prompting every human in that direction to flee in panic. The massive body of the beast crushed everything under it, tents, equipment, useless wooden pikes.


    STOMP


    The shock provoked a cloud of sand, perturbing the sight of the warriors nearby and making everyone cough. Soon after, another thing fell from the sky, albeit something far less big. Seeing this, the commandant dashed and managed to grab the now exhausted magus before he hit the ground. But now, the powerful magician was barely stronger than a kid, his entire body shaking.


    Seeing the dangerous state of the magus, but at the same time, the immobilized beast, the commandant had to make a decision. Risk their lives to kill that monster, or flee while they could before it was awake again? Giving the broken shell that was the magus to his most trusted subordinate, the commandant approached carefully the giant snake, to see how it fared.


    No one was approaching the immobile body until they were asked to, because they had seen how sturdy and durable its scales were. Even now, they would take some times to kill it, since its maw was closed and its eyes protected behind their eyelids. Slowly extending his hand to touch that bastard, the commandant suddenly felt a cold sensation gripping his heart. The same he felt when he first saw the two blades piercing the body of that fleeing soldier.


    "We need to leave this place, now. EVERYONE, GET OUT! THAT''S AN ORDER! LEAVE EVERYTHING AND FOLLOW MY LEAD! I WANT TWO MEN FOR EACH INJURED SOLDIER! NOW GO!"


    Searching the surroundings, he made sure that no one was left behind while he ordered to his aide to get the magus out of here as soon as possible. He also told him to ask the Empress the help of the Archmage, only leaving the shocked messenger with his relatively heavy package. A minute later, everyone had exited the forward base, and the trail of fleeing warriors was seen on top of one of the nearby dunes.


    The commandant was still in his tent, writing on a paper the instructions to potential survivors of the patrols. He didn''t hope anything, but if at least one man was alive, he had to warn him. Nailing the directive on one wooden stick, he put it in front of his tent. Right before finally leaving, he threw one last stare at the immobile snake, still affected by the powerful spell.


    The moment he did this, he saw the two eyelids opening and the eyes of the snake staring at him, like an ominous threat. Not daring to wait any longer, the commandant fled in panic, only looking back when he was nearly out of the small valley. Seeing the snake that hadn''t move yet, he sighed, thinking about the fact that they didn''t have a lot of time anymore.

 70 A Futil Escape

    Kardel was impatiently waiting for the paralysis that afflicted him to wear off. In truth, he lowered his guard and he knew it. Thinking that those miserable ants wouldn''t be able to even hurt him, he let them repeatedly hit his scales and even torn off one of them. As for the small object stuck on this minuscule hole, what damage could it really do? The answer was an intense electric shock, that froze his muscles and made his entire body fall. The only good thing was the fact that his eyelids were closed, like his mouth, otherwise, he would have really suffered a terrible fate.


    Not to the point of losing sight or even dying in that short period, since he made sure that the magus was totally out of the battle. As for why he would have just experienced pain and suffering but nothing irreversible was his own innate ability as a duvodiad. Like a lizard growing back his tail, his race was capable of recovering with only a breath of life. As for things annihilating all life and stuff like that, well, they were only surviving, not capable of enduring such ferocious attacks.


    He truly regretted the fact that those morons didn''t stay and tried to kill him, it would have made his life so much easier. But that allowed the lone snake to think about a lot of things, like whether or not he should go back to the base. Merely a day after their arrival, it would be pointless. As for communicating with them, it was impossible until Leilade recovered from her losses. Malakov was good at managing undead, liches, skeleton dragons and such, but for everything else, he was merely so-so.


    As for how long he had to wait until that moment, he had no idea and didn''t really care. He did escape as soon as possible the clutches of Malakov, because that thing was only listening to one person and it was Leilade. And the moment one of them were deemed expendable, the Herald of the Empress will not hesitate a second before hunting the unfortunate one down. Only someone that powerful at their best and so threatening could oblige four commandants of the Demonic Army to bow before her. If the highest graded had been anyone else, even Davion, the group would have been disbanded instantly.


    Swoosh


    Finally, his body was beginning to be manageable once again. Shaking a bit more after each additional second, Kardel forgot all his philosophical thoughts and theories to focus only on the easy trail the humans let. They were so scared that they didn''t even bother to clean their footsteps behind them. The wind did cover up greatly the holes created by their hardened boots, but not entirely. Even if that had been the case, a duvodiad had multiple ways of tracking a prey and ambushing it. But that would obviously be for later.


    Like a wave piercing the sand, at a speed so great that the commandant would have paled at that sight, a giant snake was rushing toward its goal. Retracing the path of the fleeing warriors, he noticed each event that happened to them. Finding a Skorpus, that was the name he heard, probably the one for those giant scorpions. Avoiding it, but failing at that. Appearing in such a large number that the monster had no choice to retreat. Not noticing the return of the arachnidan, and losing an isolated warrior in the panic.


    The Skorpus was still eating the bloody corpse of the human when it saw right in front of it two eyes staring at it. Around those eyes, yellow scales were slightly protruding from the desert, hiding the rest of the monstrous beast. Like the other members of his species, that Skorpus felt truly threatened, and began to slowly retreat, still a half-eaten corpse in one of its claws. But Kardel had no intention of battling right now, and he merely bypassed the monster.


    A few kilometers after that, he saw another agglomeration of stones, forming an elevated plateau. Shaking his reptilian head, the duvodiad could easily figure out the reason of why they walked on that specific terrain. They thought they could lose him on those rocks, not letting any footprints of their travel. To that, he wasn''t even bothered to care, and just circled around that pile of stones. What was the point, when you had such a superior speed?


    At this time, they were only slowing down their own progress, because the path was absolutely not straight. More like, 145 degrees, a not too important deviation, but one had to also count the fact that they aimed at this location, losing more time previously to do that. If they had just run away directly to where they hoped to be sheltered, they would have potentially reached it before Kardel caught up. But it was not the case.


    They probably overestimated the power of that magic contained in the bomb, but it still allowed precious hours of advance to the escapists. And because he had to follow the trail rigorously, Kardel still wasn''t at his full speed. But in the middle of the desert, after half a day and the two moons glowing above his head, the survivors were finally in sight.


    The main issue was the fact that the area was illuminated, and not only by the silver light coming from the skies. No, something more was piercing the dark veil of the night, something that was making the tired runners shout in joy. Unlike the forty or so tents that were composing the first encampment Kardel saw, this one was obviously bigger, at least two times its size. Because it was in plain and only had small dunes around it, the number of sentries was far more important.


    By a group of three, they were standing guard, warning about any abnormal event, like a group of 100 warriors panting like stray dogs and without any real equipment besides their weapons and armors. If it wasn''t so late in the day, they could have loose people because of the heat and the lack of water. Because of this, there was a line of bases built deeper and deeper each time, to have the ability to fall back in case of a big problem.


    For the commandant that was leading the group, it was the case. A decade ago, terrors were unleashed from the depths of the Necropolis of Ptolekh, more precisely his Tomb. Those apparitions were totally random, sometimes, a century was between two openings while a particularly dark time had three of those in the span of a month. The less threatening was scarabs plaguing the desert with their corruption, slowly making all lives going berserk. The only available move was to totally withdraw from the desert and just wait a few years., letting the djinns deal with it.


    But faced against that snake that was targeting them, he had no hope of ever escaping the monster. His only way out was to truly injure it, and unfortunately, the beast won''t be caught two times in a row with the same trick. Right now, he could feel something in the air, as he prompted once again the more exhausted one to do one last effort. As for the sentries that were inquiring about what happened, he just told them to help carry the injured.


    The previously silent area suddenly resonated with a loud gong, waking everyone from the comfy arms of Morpheus. Still a bit tired, the sleepy eyes all were wide open when they saw the pitiful state of the incomers. Even the magus and the man in charge couldn''t believe to see their counterparts in such a lamentable condition. The proud and handsome magus was still carried by the aide of the commandant, but he was unconscious, asleep. When someone tried to awaken him, the commandant stopped it.


    "Commandant Adin, in charge of the 12th Base. This is Magus Khala, he was deeply injured by a sudden assault against our encampment. He used his entire mana just to allow us a chance to escape, it is useless to prevent his recovery."


    The other magus, a woman of roughly the same age as magus Khala, approached and scanned the body of her peer. Nodding toward the two commandants, she acknowledged the fact that the man in front of her was a liability for the moment. At the same time, she was getting extremely worried about the fact that Khala ended up in that state after a battle. She was only a bit weaker than him, something that wasn''t granting her more confidence at all.


    "Fine, now can you tell me what the fuck is happening here? Why did you leave your base, with so little men, you are not even half of your numbers? Was it the djinns?" The impatient commandant assaulted Adin with questions, wanting some answers. He was also awoken by the gong, making his mood slightly sour. It was only a larger base for supplies and rotation with the men in the forward one, and because of that, he was not the superior of Adin.


    In fact, with his birth name and his position of commandant of the 12th base, Adin could order the irritated officer without any problems. Without bothering anymore to explain the situation when the monster could arrive at any moment, Adin ignored the complaints and gathered everyone. Facing everyone, his announce immediately jolted back to the reality the last sleepers.


    "Another wave of terror left the premise of the Necropolis. You all know what this means. This time, for the moment, we had to face a giant snake, capable of eating a Skorpus in a second. Do not be mistaken, this beast is no ordinary monster or snake. It won''t stop until every single one of us is dead or eaten. It had already used extreme intelligence, beginning its assault by targeting and hunting every patrol in the outside. Because of the time of the day, half of our warriors died without even knowing what happened, and without anything we could have done to prevent it."


    Adin sighed, thinking about all those brave souls that were just unlucky. The angered commandant and the magus understood that it wasn''t the time to bicker anymore.


    "Its scales are tougher than even the steel of our swords, its speed is comparable to one of those damn birds mocking us in the sky. In its maw, two sharp blades could suddenly appear, even tearing down the [Earth Shield] of magus Khala. After it ate that spell, it threw back one by one the stone and rock that composed the shield. Its intelligence is the biggest threat. But fear not, for this monster is not invincible."


    His previously grave and dark words were already sapping the morale of the troop. One could still fight if he had a chance to win, but to fight while knowing that the end was already written would only be possible under extreme consequences. Like protecting a family, having nowhere to run and only the possibility to fight.But this was not yet the latter, because some where envisaging to just escape in the night.


    "First of all, you need to warn your brothers still watching the outside, no one past the light of the torches. Second, we need to gather every magical bomb we have. One that was infused with an [Arc Lightning] managed to take down the creature for a few hours. Now go, go, GO! You all know what to do."


    Turning around to face the magus and the now quiet commandant, Adin was not feeling any better. Sensing this, the woman asked with a very low voice. "The bombs ¡­ they won''t work, isn''t it? You say that this monster was smart, to that point?" She was clearly hoping to have a favorable answer, but only a shake of his head answered her plea. In the sea of activities that were ongoing, between people putting their armors and sharpening one last time their swords, injured being taken care of and runners quickly warning the sentries before it was too late, the only real question was when will the snake hit? And where?

 71 An Omnious Bomb in the Sand

    Not knowing the worry of the ones leading them, a group of warriors was bringing all the expensive stuff they paid a heavy price where brought in front of their feet. Like all the camps, and due to the nearly criminal price, only three bombs were stored in this location. But that wasn''t what mattered, only the spells contained by those devices were relevant at the present moment. Looking at the female magus, Adin raised an eyebrow, prompting to finally describe what he was seeing.


    "Oh, forgive me. Well, we obviously have some lower quality bombs than your base that was the deepest inside the desert, but it should still be enough. One [Burning Hand] nearly at the level of a [Demonic Flame]. I say nearby because it is still only a 5th Circle spell in the end, just expect a very nice explosion. This one ¡­ forget it. It was more created to target the djinns and disperse their limbs with a strong wind. At the same times, it would be used to easily repulsed any attack from those vultures above our heads."


    The magus then approached the very last bomb, that was completely painted with black. She only heard about this last invention recently, and that was supposedly using a type of magic so dark that rumors about a cooperation with some cultists spread like fire in summer. Because it was still very unstable and not tested and approved, that bomb was currently here for an experiment the next month. Jiggling a bit about using something that scared even the nagging elders, she thought about the fact that she will be the one doing it.


    "As for the last bomb, it was provided by the White Hand, for the humble sum of 1 gold coin."


    "1 GOLD COIN!?" "ONLY ONE?!!" The two commandants immediately shouted their surprise about that price, and also their total incomprehension. Most of the time, the annual salary of all the soldiers under their orders was the cost of just one bomb. One bomb was worth more than an entire base of warriors.


    But they were used only to deal against threats coming from the deepest holes inside the desert, things that should be contained immediately. The desert was far too big to permanently secure its border, and while some Skorpus could still escape, nothing as threatening as that snake was allowed to do that. Using the cover of reducing the territory of the djinns, the forward bases served also as the first line of defense inside the desert.


    "Yes, only one gold coin. To be honest, I only heard it recently, and magus Khala may have more information. What I only know is that there is a certain fear of this thing blowing up automatically, even without an external factor."


    "AND YOU SAY THAT ONLY NOW!" The commandant shouted those words so loudly that all the soldiers stopped what they were doing to watch him. Regaining his self-control under the numerous stares, he began to massage his eyes, visibly shaken. He had lived for a week already with this thing that could have blown out by sheer fuckin bad luck. Adin put his hand on his shoulder, comforting the poor man a bit.


    "I hear your words magus, but what does it do?"


    "Absolutely not a fuckin clue." The two leaders of their respective bases were getting more and more annoyed by this unreliable female.They were facing a threat that could easily kill everyone here, but instead of explaining clearly what weapons they had, she was described the flight of a stupid butterfly nearby. She raised her hand like she was trying to deny her responsibility.


    "Hey, it''s not me that created it and it is not tested yet. Those old farts accepted that free gift, but no one had the balls to approach it, so they sent that deadly package here. That way, in a supposedly near future, we would have a perfect location, mainly the desert, to see what could it do. I was supposed to ask you to find a perfect spot with some Skorpus, but I guess it will be canceled."


    She was almost lamenting about that, clearly far from the preoccupations of the mortal world.But she soon recovered from that state, knowing that she will see by herself in a short moment. As for the snake, now that she learned about its intelligence, she was ready to escape at any moment. The commandants couldn''t, either because of their position or their families, but as a magus of the 5th Circle, no one will condemn her for surviving.


    Knowing what the magus in front of them was thinking, the two men from the army had no choice but to prepare their defense with only one bomb in their hands. At least, they had a vague knowledge about an improved [Burning Hand] and could plan something with it. By now, after all their useless talks, the numerous runners came back with the sentries. Counting everyone and hearing the multiple reports, they were beginning to hope that everyone made it.


    "Lieutenant, is everyone present and accounted? No missing men?" A man in uniform began to leave the massive group in the center of the encampment and approach the commandant. After getting close enough, he quietly murmured some bad news.


    "No sir, there is one group still missing. The one in the North-West. But there is a small ¡­ issue. If you may want to look at this direction." The lieutenant then pointed at the sole source of light beside the torches spread everywhere in the base. On a dune, a little farther away, one could easily see a small light, probably caused by a single torch. But that light was totally immobile, not coming back toward them as the rest did.


    "I see, do not let anyone leave the camp from now on. If they ask why, tell them to look at that light, and ponder about why their friends are not running back. Now go." Turning back to face Adin, he had no choice but to finally acknowledge the presence of that monster. There was still a part of him that hoped this entire story was just nonsense, or at least, won''t threaten his life. But it was only hope in the end, and reality crushed his dream.


    "It did the same thing to my men, picking us off one by one. But what is making me even more scared is the fact that we didn''t hear a single scream. From that point, we should still have been able to hear something, as faint as it could have been. 4 men died, without a single sound. It kept getting smarter and smarter, not underestimating us anymore. For that I am sorry."


    The commandant was slightly puzzled by the last sentence, looking at Adin with a strange gaze. It was not like he was responsible for awakening this monster right? "What for? You want to say that you stole its egg and it is the reason why all this shit storm is ongoing?"


    Thinking about that funny story, Adin even laughed. Who in their right mind would do something that stupid? Not the men under his orders, that was certain. Not even the greediest adventurers dared to advanced deeper than the army, so to enter the Necropolis of Ptolekh, steal an enormous egg and get away without being found out by that monster was even less likely. Or if it did happen, Adin had to at least recognized that those crazy lunatics did something he truly thought was infeasible.


    "No, nothing like that. I am as much of an innocent bystander as you and your men are. But because we did hurt it with the last bomb, I fear that it won''t be as lenient as previously. The next base is at what, 3 normal days of walk? So, by running nonstop, we could reduce that to just one day, more or less. So more than double the amount of time separating our two encampments. We will never escape this rat hole without killing it."


    The commandant did harbor the idea of fleeing in case something went wrong, but facing the fact, he had to admit it would have been impossible. That monster caught them far too quickly, and with such a large distance, it will be a miracle that even one man survived. Alike, if they formed multiple groups, with different paths, it was not assured that even one will make it in the end. But if panic spread and the warriors under their orders lost themselves, they won''t rationally think about that impossibility.


    They will just try to get away from that nightmarish beast. "God damn it, why did you make that speech in the first place? Even if you said that you have a way to beat that thing, now, they will have lower morale."


    "Because it would have been better to realize in the fight that they weren''t even able to scratch a single scale of that snake? That they were completely defenseless in front of its maw, and that death could be unleashed in an instant, without any way to react? Quite frankly, the two were equally bad, in my eyes, but maybe you are right and I made a mistake. We will see."


    Looking around, the two men saw everyone getting in position. Like in the base of Adin, multiple pikes and traps were prepared beforehand and only activated at that moment. He didn''t have the will to say that they will be useless anyway, and if those brought any comfort to the soldiers, then it was good enough. The only woman, the magus, was still murmuring some strange things while looking oddly at the black bomb.


    Because of his family, he was far more knowledgeable than the usual commandant. He knew that devices with a similar shape were built by the dwarves, but unlike those, they were filled only with explosives. The black powder of the dwarves, far more destructive than even some magus, was the main ingredient to those devastating bombs. On the other hand, to palliate the fact that the trade of that substance was strictly forbidden to humans, they had to take another approach.


    Who was the strongest human alive? The Archmage. With that truth in sight, people tried to develop new ways of using magic, and more importantly, attack with it. After the Age of Darkness, people realized that magicians were not everywhere, and not that numerous. The original way of inscribing a spell on a piece of paper, to release it was filled with flaws, and not often on standard with the power of the mage that created it. And one linked the magical cores, hearts or crystals that were stored inside the body of monsters.


    Using those as a new medium, the magic stored inside was far more important than even ten thousand sheets of paper could contain. And it became a race to see who could exploit those cores to their maximum potential. The answer was a resonating victory of the Organization, via the White Hand. When the Synnada Empire was barely trying to just store a spell for more than a month, the White Hand already propose bombs with a greater might than even a magus.


    But to maintain their monopoly, the bombs were locked behind an even stronger enchantment, preventing anyone to analyze their secrets. In the end, the different nations, and even the dwarves had to pay the criminal organization a fee, to have one of those deadly weapons for themselves. As for how those bombs were truly created, even in this day, the Synnada Empire had no clue at all. Every man or woman that worked on those and were poached died a few days later, their workshop burned to the ground and their entire family beheaded.


    "Adin, you said that the creature was displaying a behavior similar to one that a human possessed?" Breaking the trail of thought of Adin, the commandant was slightly tapping the shoulder of the pondering man. Turning around to face him, Adin looked in the direction that he was pointing, and first saw nothing. But when he finally noticed what was on the illuminated dune, he cursed the Lich King for existing in the first place.


    "We can''t prevent it. Let it be. But you were right, I shouldn''t have described this monster in the first place. Now, they will fear it even more."

 72 Hundreds of soliders in the desert...

    If one didn''t really look precisely at this direction, it could be easily missed, especially with only the dimming light of the torch nearby. It was already a miracle that it wasn''t extinguished, but both the commandant and Adin realized that it wasn''t necessarily only luck that was involved. Looking around them, they were relieved to see that no one spotted the macabre spectacle in the horizon. They shuddered, thinking about the unfortunate fates of the bodies of their own soldiers.


    Because it was slightly elevated, and quite far away, the limbs that were planted in the desert were relatively small. But the message that was sent was quite clear. Using the common tongue of the humans, legs and arms were forming a deadly message "RUN". By now, it was confirmed that the snake possessed a true intelligence, and could even understand what they were saying. In the back of their minds, they didn''t realize it, but they far more reluctant to shout their orders.


    What was the point of coordinating their attacks if the opponent could easily hear it and prepare for it? Without even fighting, just by its presence and its actions, the monster was pressuring the two officers. Because they couldn''t let anyone notice that word made out of body parts, Adin checked if everyone was in position.


    "Lieutenant, is every one armed and ready?" The trusted aide nodded at those words but hesitantly lingered a bit more. It seemed that he was reluctant at leaving without asking anything. Feeling the sentiment of his subordinate, the commandant ran out of patience and bluntly asked what was on his mind.


    "What is it? Is there any problem?"


    "No sir, there is no problem. But I heard people talking about ¡­ unapproved actions. They are angry about the group of survivors that brought this on them and are thinking about escaping while leaving them as bait. The team leaders quickly made them shut their mouths before it was too late, but it was useless. A very unhealthy tension is lingering in the air, and the fact that the monster hadn''t appeared doesn''t arrange anything."


    "I see; tell the team leaders they did a good job. As for the monster ¡­"


    "You shouldn''t expect its arrival, but more hope that he will never come. You''re dismissed." Adin cut the commandant and the lieutenant, not improving in the slightest the mood. The soldier still bowed before leaving the two commandants alone. It had been several minutes since he made his speech, but no traces of even a single scale was found. The more this situation kept going, the more unstable it will be for them. Even without saying the bloody message on the dune, the warriors won''t be able to pass an entire night on their guard.


    "You may be the one in charge commandant Adin, but you are not the one that was with them for nearly two years already. Maybe you should take a small rest, you are maybe tired of your run in the desert. You still haven''t even seat since then."


    It was only then that Adin realized how tense his body was. He did saw the men under his orders instantly laying on the ground when they arrived, too happy to finally have reached a safe haven. Even now, most were still recovering, especially the injured ones. Thinking that at least resting on a chair couldn''t hurt, he tapped the shoulders of the commandant.


    "You are right, sorry about that previous order. I was so focused on that monster that I forgot myself. I let you command your men, just make sure to wake me if something happened. It''s going to be a long night, and every moment of rest are good to be taken."


    Right when he was departing, the lieutenant rushed in panic, shouting at them.


    "COMMANDANTS! IT IS HERE!" The loud sound of panicked voice resonated clearly in the silent encampment, every pair of eyes was staring at him. Even the maniac that was the magus stopped looking at the black bomb for just a second, before seriously scouting everything around her, to protect the deadly device.


    "COMMANDANTS! COMMANDANTS! IT ¡­ IT ¡­ IT!"


    "Calm yourself, where was it spotted?" The commandant of the base grabbed the shoulders of the lieutenant, trying to calm him. Adin arrived right after, and he also wanted to learn immediately what was happening.


    "It already has ¡­" The poor man stopped right in his track and looked around him. He saw the numerous soldiers, yearning for a way to avenge their brothers or to know where to flee. And because he was the only one that realized what happened in the calm time, he suddenly turned mute. Talking as quietly as possible, in the current situation, he murmured the terrible truth to the all ears opened men in front of him.


    "The soldier you brought with you, commandant Adin. The soldiers, they are all gone!" Without any delay, Adin immediately dashed toward one of the closest tents around them. He clearly saw one injured man getting transported there and most likely didn''t stood up even after everyone took their positions. But after nearly tearing apart the tough fabric that composed the tent, what he saw was a small hole on the ground.


    Everywhere else on the ground, carpets and mattresses could be seen, allowing the soldiers to not deal with the sand. It is coarse and it gets everywhere. No one liked the sensation of sleeping with something like that in their clothes. But on one location, the perfect ground made of tissue was torn apart, showing the yellow desert under it.


    Leaving in a hurry and merely shaking his head at the intention of the commandant, Adin searched all the tents, but he met no one inside. Leaving behind some baffled and curious soldiers, that were so surprised by his behavior that they also checked the condition of the exhausted warriors. Shouts and panic spread when they realized they were gone, and no one even heard them being taken away by the monster.


    "EVERYONE SHUT UP! AND GET BACK TO YOUR POSITIONS!" Feeling threatened by the invisible threat, the commandant quickly reacted and tried to appease his men. But it was to no avail, and he had to reiterate his orders multiple time before they listened. During that time, Adin had the possibility of checking everyone that arrived with him. But to his despair, he was now one of the last survivors of his base.


    "Everyone that served under my orders is dead. I am the last ¡­ no, wait, the magus, KHALA!" In a hurry, he returned to the commandant''s tent, where the injured magus was resting. Because he didn''t have the time to open it, he was still unsure if he could find the magus inside. Creating a path for himself inside the sea of warriors that were finally returning to their post, he bypassed completely the commandant that was looking at him with hope.


    Adin sighed, finally good news. The injured mage was still asleep, enjoying the comfy cushions that were under his body. But because it was now too risky, Adin had to wake up the magus. Grabbing in one hand a chair and in the other the feeble human, he left the tent and put the two in their line of sight.


    "So, it was true? Does that mean he is the last one still alive? Weird, if it had been me, I would have attacked him the moment he was left alone in the tent." The grumbling officer had a pessimistic way of thinking, but it was true. Maybe because they were right next to it and the creature didn''t dare to make action at such a short distance. And another magus was literally five meters away, guarding the precious magic bombs.


    Those thoughts were filling the head of Adin, but the main issue was that they already lost more men without even seeing the tip of the head of that monster. And they had absolutely no way of preventing more of those sneak attacks. They were even more useless than when they had to face those giant birds. At least, when it was those dangerous times, they could see their opponents.


    "We need to regroup everyone here. We are too dispersed. Even if the camp isn''t really large, the tents are blocking our vision. Hell, some groups could have already been eaten without us seeing them. Call everyone back." Standing right behind the asleep magus on his chair, Adin ordered the commandant to rally everyone. They will listen to his orders more than his own.


    "I hope you really know what you are doing commandant Adin. Being the son of your father wasn''t probably a good experience, but I won''t let you doom us all just because you want to regain your honor. If the situation is unsalvageable, the two magus will leave immediately. Agree?"


    The two men looked into each other eyes and nodded, signing that pact. Even the lunatic woman had lost her obsession with the black bomb and had her face very grave. Looking at her peer, she shuddered about the terrible beast that was escaping all her senses. But she couldn''t help but blurt her worry about the man she worked with for the last years.


    "But what about you? You don''t plan on dying heroically like a moron?"


    "Hehehe, no, don''t worry. I never liked this place anyway, but I fear that I won''t make it either. Too bad, I planned on taking you as my concubine after we left this damned desert."


    "Like hell, I will do something like that. Even marrying a commoner like you would make me the fool of everyone in the capital. But, I still don''t want you to die like that."


    Sneering a bit, the commandant watched those corpses parts that were now nearly invisible, since the torch will be extinguished in any seconds now. "A commoner that rose to the rank of commandant of a forward base. What could be better, right? Isn''t it the most prestigious title for someone that hasn''t been born a noble?"


    Even if it was a very honorable position in the army of the Synnada Empire, it was obvious that it was filled with dangers. Whether it was the djinns or the monsters that were repeatedly unleashed from the depths of the desert, it was not rare that every few years or decades, bases were annihilated. While the warriors didn''t have the choice and were most of the time randomly sent here, Adin volunteered.


    It was the best way to receive rewards from the Empress, and increase the power of one''s family. But when not enough people asked to be sent here and because the commandants couldn''t stay here forever, some were as unfortunate as the warriors. No children of a noble or a royal family had ever been sent there against their wishes, so it only let commoners as a target. Only when one was facing death would he think about all those things.


    "But enough with sentiments, just promise me to be my wife if you like me so much. LISTEN UP EVERYONE! ALL SQUADS, RALLY AT THE MAIN SQUARE!" His thunderous voice submerged the quiet answer of the magus. It was probably made that way since he hadn''t expected a positive answer. Seeing the hundreds of soldiers getting to their designated position, he looked with worry at the few empty spots.


    Even when people were still coming, the commandant and the lieutenant had their face paling as seconds passed. Like Adin predicted, the tents worked against them and every few groups had at least one man missing. What should have been a team composed of 10 men only had 9 soldiers in the end. Sighing about it, the commandant stood firm and stable, illuminated by the torches nearby. Drawing his saber of out his sheath, he looked like a general leading a charge.


    "From now on, no one leaves this perimeter. As you can see, some of your friends, our brothers, already succumbed to this vicious beast. But we will not allow any additional deaths. The next time this coward worm dare to show its head, we will slash it, so hard, that if its scales don''t break, then it will be his entire head. This ¡­"


    RUMBLE


    He stopped his speech, and like everyone else, he felt the ground shaking under his feet. Looking at the magus, she was desperately trying to localize where the monster was. A few seconds of silence passed before she opened her eyes widely and shouted in direction of the commandant.


    "JUMP!"

 73 One duvodiad appeared ...

    The commandant barely had the time to take a step back before a huge mouth pierced the hot sand and ate his arm. His previously majestic posture, his saber proudly pointing at the sky was no more. Under the intense pain that was the result of the loss of his limb, the man stumbled backward and fell on his butt, retaining with a great effort his scream of pain. Profiting of the shock of everyone, the snake didn''t linger any longer and use the momentum of his assault to attack a group of warriors. Seeing the dark hole, filled with fangs sharper than steel, coming far too quickly toward them, no one managed to react in time.


    "AARGH" "AAA MY LEGS!" "WHAT IS THIS THING?"


    Screams of fear, pain, and confusion filled the air as three soldiers were violently swallowed by the huge monster, and two others had some of their limbs torn apart. In barely a few seconds, the brutal assault began and ended. Leaving only a relatively organized army, shaking out of fear. Everyone was used to battle with the different monsters inside the desert, and casualties were never avoidable during those skirmishes.


    But nothing, absolutely nothing, ever attacked them directly in their base. The only safe haven for them, in the entire desert, was no more. "CALM YOURSELVES, PREPARE FOR THE NEXT ATTACK!" The commandant, holding his left arm that was bleeding, tried his best to prevent anyone from fleeing. The worst thing that could happen would be that since they had no chances of surviving if it did happen. Without noticing themselves, every group began to shrink a bit, their members seeking a closer companion.


    Normally, it could have been a good idea, but when the ground began to rumble again, instead of only 3 men missing, seven were killed by the already closed maw of the snake. Only its head was leaving the ground, and its escape was already achieved when they turned their sights at it. After that, not even the two efforts combined of Adin and the injured commandant managed to prevent a few men to panic and tried to escape.


    They barely made a few steps outside of the range of the torches before screams began to resonate, lingering in the air for a second. After that, no shadows were moving, and the very pale lights coming from the moons showed nothing moving in the desert. A few clouds were obscuring the sky, but it was barely enough to let them notice forms in the darkness. Some soldiers that were late of a few seconds stopped right in their tracks and waited a bit to see where their former peers were.


    One, more coward or brave than the others, tried to make walk away. But when his foot knocked a broken sword buried in the ground, he turned around, shouting loudly. "THEY ARE DEAD! WE CAN''T ESCAPE! WE ARE DOOMED, WE HAVE NO CHA¡­" His beheaded head flew in the night, putting an end at his pessimistic words. The lieutenant was watching the rest of the deserters, slowly cleaning his blade. They didn''t dare to suffer the same fate and returned inside the center of the encampment.


    Nodding at this resourceful man, Adin took note that if they ever escaped this ordeal, this man will definitely be rewarded. "As you can see, no one will be able to outrun this monster. Don''t be mistaken, it is either us or it. Now, don''t stand in groups like that, spread out. I want every man to be at least half of a meter away from his next neighbors. Every hit will count, so be prepared to strike at any moment."


    That was the extent of what they could do. The terrified army obliged to the orders of Adin, since their only other choices would be to be eaten. Turning around to face the female magus, Adin only saw fear and panic. She was attending the injured commandant, and his injury already stopped bleeding. Without even bothering to turn around, she answered the questions of Adin.


    "I''m sorry, commandant Adin but, this monster is far too quick. The moment I manage to finally track it down, it already has attacked and killed more soldiers. The only reason I was able to sense him the first time was because of the closeness. I am barely weaker than magus Khala and if even he didn''t manage to beat it, our only hope is the bombs. But you know¡­"


    "Yes, I know." Since he arrived here, he lamented about the fact that he inflicted such a heavy attack on the monster that he probably made it more careful. From the beginning, that snake never approached the tent of the commandant, where the bombs were put nearby. Even when it attacked the commandant, it was only when he stood up in front of the crowd and approached the soldiers.


    "AAAAAAJ MY ARM!" More screams and obviously, more deaths. In the illuminated plaza in the center of the base, more and more soldiers were dying. Some managed to at least slash at the incoming monster, but as expected, the sturdy scales nullified those weak attacks. The next minutes were a pure torment for every human, seeing their friends, colleagues, dying one by one, being so powerless at doing anything to prevent that.


    The rare moments the snake stayed above the surface of the desert long enough for the magus to do something, her spells were still not enough. Whether it was [Blizzard], [Burning Hand] or even other powerful sorceries, they barely slowed down the monster. As she further and further launched assault after assault, the dim light of hope that resided in the eyes of the soldiers was irreversibly snapped out. For them, there was nothing a magus could not do. But now, they realized it was not true.


    From the hundreds and hundreds of warriors that were suddenly awakened, only less than one hundred still survived. On the ground, bloodied limbs and destroy equipment were dispersed, between two shuddering soldiers. Now, holes of more than a few meters could be observed, brutal signs of the absence of humans.


    Not capable of seeing this gruesome spectacle anymore, Adin suddenly grabbed the normal bomb, filled with powerful fire magic and presented himself in the middle of the plaza. Carrying the deadly device in one of his arms, and his saber in the other, he taunted the creature, to leave his underground hole.


    "COME HERE YOU FOOL SNAKE! I AM STILL ALIVE, EVEN AFTER YOU KILLED ALL OF MY MEN! SHOW YOURSELF!" The once proud and confident commandant was slowly losing his mind, and the feeling that his end was near was getting bigger and bigger. His reckless action was the direct result of his inner fear, that he was trying to hide as much as he could.


    But his sentences apparently meant nothing to the monster, that instead ate another soldier a few meters away from Adin. And then another. And another. The closest soldiers were picked off one by one, and the rest of the warriors began to distance themselves with Adin. Because the plaza was no longer filled with living beings, they were capable of creating an empty circle around Adin, of at least ten meters.


    Seeing the soldiers fearing him as much as the snake, Adin finally snapped out and began to furiously hacked the ground with his saber. He moved erratically, and as his steps were bringing him closer to one warrior, the latter immediately backed off and escaped in panic. The injured commandant, the lieutenant and even the magus were the witnesses of that pitiful spectacle. The problem was that they didn''t know what to do, and could only see the rest of the camp slowly losing their minds.


    It took a while, but in the end, only Adin stayed in the open. The rest of the army, they were all gone. Slowly and steadily, a single monster managed to annihilate two forward bases by itself. The only survivors where the four breathing beings that were close to the commandant tent and Adin. By no one was even remotely moving. What they had seen will be engraved in their memory for the rest of their, probably short, lives.


    Breathing loudly, as he was gasping for oxygen, Adin fell on his knees, totally defeated. Tears were slowly falling on his cheeks. He had tried everything he could. When he saw the last soldier being eaten, he knew that they were truly doomed. Even if they had the powers of the magical bombs, he was certain that the monster won''t let them escape. And from the information given by the magus, the next time someone will arrive is in a month.


    "COME HERE YOU BASTARD! I AM WAITING FOR YOU!" He howled at the intention of the snake, waiting for him to finally appear. But only silence greeted him. Dropping his saber, he took the bomb with his two hands, looking for an answer. He marveled at the details on that relatively inconspicuous thing, that had so much power in it. It was shaped like a dodecahedron, meaning that it was a cube with 12 faces. That way, it was not quite a sphere but was far more stable than one.


    For the first time, he truly wondered what was the indestructible material that was used to protect its good. It had a silver color, a slightly metallic one, similar to steel. But it was far more durable than steel, and one of the faces, there was a little hole. Just a bit of mana spread in that hole, and the bomb was armed to explode. This particularity prevented some soldiers to manipulate it, but nearly all the officers were magicians of the 1st Circle. Adin barely scratched the 2nd Circle, so he was capable of arming the bomb by himself.


    If he did it right now, the bomb would explode five seconds later. But that was only if he used a bit of mana. If he emptied all the reserve of mana in his body, he could make himself instantly explode with the bomb. This behavior wouldn''t have crossed his mind a day ago, and he would have violently slapped anyone with this kind of idea. But now, if he could at least take the monster with him in his death ¡­


    Raising his head, he saw two eyes looking at him from the edge of the desert. It was looking at him just beyond the circle of torches, like a predator waiting for its prey. Slowly, the immense body still buried under the sand appeared to the sight of the few humans still alive. As the monster approached, he meticulously knocked down every lantern and torch planted on the ground, obscuring their vision.


    The only female began to cast a spell, to finally do something, but the injured commandant put his hand on her arm. He shook his head, signaling her that it would be pointless. The moment her spell would be unleashed; the monster will just dig to the underground. Now that their enemy finally showed itself, why waste this opportunity with something useless?


    But to their surprise, the snake began to contort itself, like it was in pain. It squirmed on the ground, trashing everything around it, and Adin had no choice but to back off. Everyone was baffled by that sight, not knowing what was happening? "Maybe ¡­" The feeble voice of the lieutenant made everyone turned to face him.


    "Maybe, it ate so many armored soldiers that its stomach can''t handle it?" That idea was so weird, so strange, that it made everyone froze for a second. But the small seed of doubt still grew, because it was the only logical explanation. What else could make the living nightmare that was in front of him act like this?


    Because of this, no one tried to attack the monster, letting it suffer alone. But to their surprise, it not only squirmed, but it also shrunk. More and more, the huge snake finally ended up the size of a human. And then, limbs began to grow on its scaly skin. His reptilian head turned rounder and rounder, hair even began to grow. Immobilized by this never seen spectacle, none of them had any idea of what was happening. Finally, what remained was just a tall, hairy and feral human, looking at them with a smile oddly animal.

 74 And then, there was none...

    "Those faces, the full display of their disbelief and terror." That was the main thought of Kardel. What he wanted was not just killing them anymore. If he was closer to the main base and had the approval of Leilade, he would have even brought that exhausted man in front of him, just to enjoy the sight of his mind crumbling. He had not suffered such a shameful incapacity since his first mission, where he nearly died because of his carelessness.


    To say that every duvodiad is an immensely proud and smug bastard would be underestimating them. Only the best of the best made it out alive when their entire home planet is turned into a zoo filled with creatures that would make the Skorpus looked like some small ants. Unlike even the strong Ak?l or the succubus, the number of duvodiad never exceeded 10 thousands of men or women. For a galactic empire that had its reach on countless solar systems and lone stars, that was a pitiful number.


    But even at a time where battles were mainly made in space, there was neither a moment where assassinating the enemy leaders was a bad idea. The success rate of the Noctulis Temple was high enough to still allow some important resources to be directed toward the duvodiads. Kardel himself had escaped death under threats far more deadly than a few feeble humans and with fewer injuries. But like all his peers, when he felt that his prey was far too weak, he enjoyed playing a bit with it.


    If it had been a formal mission, ordered by Leilade, he would have never been so carefree, but now, he just hoped that no one will ever hear about what happened here. Maybe at the beginning, he thought about letting one or two escape alive, to scare the rest of the pack. But not anymore. As he was thinking this, he kept walking confidently, alone in the middle of a sea of broken armors and weapons, dismembered bodies and bloodied limbs.


    Right at the moment when he was barely two meters away from the commandant Adin, he suddenly felt a bit weird in the lower part of his torso. Breaking the illusion of strength and confidence, Kardel had no choice but to throw up the undesirable object out of his stomach. Everyone saw a half melted hand, still with a bit of leather on it, fell on the ground. By sheer luck or not, the lieutenant did raise a point, about the number of dirty things he ate in the last days.


    They couldn''t see it, but right past the dune where the "RUN" was now "RIV" because two arms fell, there was a massive pile of dead bodies, still clothed. Even in his snake form, he couldn''t eat everything, so before deciding to retake his original form, he emptied his stomach entirely. Or that''s what he thought. Taking the hand now covered by sand, he threw it away. He couldn''t even take another bite to pass the bad taste in his mouth.


    The audience was truly baffled by the strange spectacle. A snake turning in a human, that spit out a hand and was now looking at them angrily. The foreign individual was more than two heads above Adin, and totally naked. Everyone sneakily peeked at his crotch, but after a short comparison, they decided to never do it again, to not ashamed themselves before death. Only the female magus stare lingered a bit more, because of its size.


    Raising his saber instinctively, Adin only relied on the training that was deeply inserted in his mind. Not daring to even slightly move the finger still inside the hole of the magical bomb, he prevented the stranger from moving any closer.


    "What ¡­ Who ¡­ Why? No, that''s not right, what. What are you MONSTER?" He was still not used to see something having such a big change in its form. At least not to the extent of turning from flesh and fur to scales. But far from doing anything threatening, the naked humanoid in front of them sneered at the intention of his saber.


    "Do you want an answer or to kill me? If it is the latter, we can all forget what is happening and be done with it¡­ No answer, I take that as a ¡­"


    "No, no. I want answers. WE ALL WANT ANSWERS. What are you, a human turned into a monster, an experiment of the Lich King Ptolekh?"


    "Ptolekh?" Kardel tried to remember anything about that name. Thinking deeply, while he totally disregarded the presence of the rest, "Why does that name seem familiar?" It was necessarily coming from the memories of the fanatics, those delusional cultists. Even after racking his brain, the only answer he got was that it was a lich. Thanks to its title.


    "Nope, never heard of that name." But to his surprise, that small sentence shocked everyone else. Even the dragons had heard and feared that name. All the creatures in the desert knew about it, even the Skorpus. The moment when one got enough intelligence to think about more than food, the name of the Lich King will be impregnated in its mind.


    "You ¡­ You truly don''t know?" Adin asked with a shocked voice. It was even less shocking that the transformation he saw a minute ago. "No, wait, you know about the Dark Gods at least, right?"


    "Yep" Even against himself, because he was getting slightly bored, he still picked up the hand covered in sand. Trying to clean it as much as he could, he began to eat the finger while casually talking. That sight reminded everyone that the naked lunatic was still a monster in the end, but because he assumed that form, they expected him to a least talk.


    Right now, without the knowledge of Kardel, everything he said or did was monitored closely by the female magus. Inside her robe, there was a small device capable of recording her experiences, and even if she did die in the end, at least it wouldn''t have been all naught. The reason why she had this quite costly device was because of the black bomb. In case of an emergency appeared, she had to record it immediately. Her superiors won''t blame her for using it for that other case.


    "Oh, by the way, I am a duvodiad. What''s a duvodiad, well, for you, it''s your worst nightmare. Quite frankly, you did surprise me with that bomb, so I was like, maybe I should let them go because they beat me. Not going to happen."


    He was obviously jeering at them, taunting with his disrespectful words. But he was still totally in control of the situation, and even the bomb in the hand of Adin couldn''t change that fact. Even if the latter tried to rush forward while releasing the deadly spell that he carried, he wouldn''t hit the so-called duvodiad. Otherwise, Kardel wouldn''t have been so complacent.


    "But because I still have a mission to accomplish, please state your name and function. Will be best to cooperate, trust me. I am the most merci¡­ well, not really, but I am a kind man. Compared to others."


    Bypassing Adin, he approached the still sleeping magus Khala, knocking slightly his head to the side. Even after all that happened, the toll that the magus paid was far too big, and he was not in a position of defending himself. Because Kardel didn''t show any intention of truly attacking, they let him do as he wished. But in truth, what could they really do?


    "Still sleeping soundly. He truly has a great life, must have a lot of wives too? Anyway, the name of the sleeping beauty?"


    "Magus Khala, of the 5th Circle." The lieutenant promptly obeyed, since he received no opposition from anyone else. Their only chance of staying alive was to obey the human monster anyway.


    "Anything else?" Kardel turned around and only saw a hesitant man. The rest of the group was staring at him, pressuring him to shut his mouth. "Well, that was expected. I suppose you won''t say anything else. Great, so now it is time for you to die. Now I can offer you a great variety of deaths. Acid, slowly melting inside an indestructible stomach. Torn in little pieces, deadly but quick. What do you choose?"


    He slowly distanced himself, to let them speak freely between each other. His eyes never left the black bomb that was hidden behind the female magus. In truth, the moment he got close enough to Adin, he felt the power inside the bomb. It was deadly, it could really kill him if he was standing still close to it. But it was easily dodged. But when he got closer to the dark device, he felt something that reminded him of only one being. The Empress of the Underworld.


    But that was impossible, impossible. He kept repeating this in his head, over and over again. She couldn''t have done this when they arrived on this planet more or less three days ago. He showed nothing on his face, but the more he stayed here, the more he felt that he needed to warn the others. Even if was just a bomb with a faint resemblance with the darkness in Leilade, that was important enough.


    "So, we will die today?" Adin looked fearlessly at Kardel, his mind finally settled. The duvodiad only slightly nodded, pondering about what will the human do next. As expected, Adin threw himself toward the monster, unleashing the bomb at once.


    The massive fire englobed everything around, besides the small bubble surrounding the now three survivors. She was breathing with a bit of difficulty, caught by surprise by the sudden assault of Adin. Even if they were farther away, the bomb could have still injured or even killed them. When the sand that was sent flying by the force of the explosion settled down, only a saber was still visible.


    From their point of view, they couldn''t know if it was broken or not, but it was certain that it didn''t escape unscathed of this ordeal. They could only lament about the son that tried so hard to repair the mistakes of his father but failed in the end. But both met their match far too soon, one by the hand of a human with the mind of a monster, the other by a monster with a human mind.


    CLAP CLAP


    "Hard to find such good lads. Even sacrificing themselves for the lives of others. The last time I saw this from my comrades, let''s see. Never." The mocking comment only made the sorrow turn into hate. The one-handed commandant and the lieutenant began to charge at Kardel, only to be stopped by the spell shield. The magus didn''t let it down, even after the bomb already exploded.


    "Let us go through, even if we have to die, we will do it by fighting."


    "No, you will take magus Khala with you and leave. I will slow him down." The female magus firmly ordered the two warriors around. Her tone allowed no opposition to be made. Looking baffled at the female, the commandant snapped out.


    "You dumb woman! Even if we escape our two heads will fly if you die. We were responsible for your security, Adin knew that everyone knows that. You are the only one that can escape. Now go, we will slow him down."


    Seeing the touching moment, Kardel slightly yawned, to make them remember he was here. Because they were in a hurry, the magus acknowledged the truth in the words of the commandant. Right before flying away with the still injured magus Khalan, she tried to speak with the two remaining officers. But her words were stuck in her throat, and when she saw that the two were staring at Kardel, she left without saying anything.


    Between the two men, only the dark bomb was present. The center of the attention of everyone since the beginning. Chuckling at the sight of the fleeing magus, Kardel was in no hurry. The hunt only began. Waving at the two soldiers, he began to escape.


    "You should have activated it the moment you were talking. Now, it is too late. Farewell". Retreating by walking backward, not daring to miss the slightest detail about the spell inside it, he didn''t saw the two men looking at each other one last time, before unleashing all the mana in their bodies.


    But nothing happened for a few seconds. Even Kardel stopped, not knowing what to do. He was only distancing himself because he feared it, but apparently, even if the bomb had immense power, it was not released. He saw the pitiful attempts of both the commandant and the lieutenant to make repair the device, but to no avail.


    Because it was the night, no one saw that the shadows under their bodies were growing silently, centimeters by centimeters. Not even the now laughing duvodiad felt it.

 75 Unwanted Rodents

    "So a Saksa is truly residing on this planet? I guess it was a good thing that we didn''t start right away a grand massacre. That would have allowed us to instantly heal all of our injuries and replenished the entire mana reserve of the Empress, but the risk was far too big."


    Davion was the first to recover from the shock of that news. Because of his own nature and the fact that the planet was already deemed to be completely made by the Ancients, for a Saksa to have been made to guard this place was logical. At the same time, it did give a great indication of where they were currently in the vast Universe.


    "Since we know for sure that we are in the territory of the Ancients, on a planet with a Saksa, we can already reduce the size of the planets we ended up on. But if we are on the other side of their former territory, it is still too far away from the Demonic Empire. If we are unlucky, we will never be able to ever come back."


    The outskirts of the vast space ruled by the Triumvirate of the Ancients weren''t protected by anything beyond a few automatons and some robots. Only the inner parts had some more advanced defenses, like a gigantic being designed to be the apex predator of the galaxy. Based on that, they could be as close as two to three years of space travel and as far as centuries away. It was only an estimation since they never truly managed to have a good grasp on the Ancients, only getting some clues here and there. As for their weapons, well, it was obviously more detailed, because of their massive power.


    "Yes, so because we are near immortal until we ran out of blood, we will continue as we first planned. Conquer this world, preferably, without destroying all races on it. If we have to kill their experts and such, so be it. But the masses should be tightly controlled, so never kill a king or an emperor if you can avoid it."


    Leilade affirmed once again her will to not have any complications, whatsoever. While herself had already made an enemy out of the Massalia Kingdom and both the orodil and the succubus managed to incur the wrath of the adventurers beyond the mountains. In truth, only Ymir and Malakov had truly met her expectations.


    But she had survived far direr situations and she knew that reality could destroy even the most perfect plan, so what to say about her half-baked strategy. Right now, the only reason they were currently able to stay like that, resting without any problems in their base, was because no one managed to pierce the disguise casted by her Envoy. But she knew it was close to being discovered since a group of rats was observing them in the dark.


    "Ymir, we have some unwanted invites lurking a little bit farther. Can you grab the three of them and ask them to join us?"


    The Ak?l raised his massive body at this order, harboring an evil grin. Since when the girl responsible for more deaths than his entire squad ever had good intentions? Bowing slightly, he left quickly the room. On the other hand, Malakov was a bit flustered. The undead was extremely confident in his skills, and wouldn''t have thought that he missed a group of living beings. He only inwardly rejoiced that since Ymir came back with the two members of the Organization, he never let a single undead leave the premises of the base.


    "My sincere apologies Empress. I was unable to even see those rodents scouting the area. I will strive to do better." The bootlicking lich didn''t let forgot to immediately apologize and try to appease Leilade. It was absolutely not necessary because she saw them too far away to be a threat and it would have been near impossible for Malakov to detect them. But the behavior of her Herald was to be without any faults since he had to compete against the Viscount.


    "So what are your orders, Empress of the Underworld?" For the first time since the beginning, Meridiana talked. She rarely ever joined any council or meeting during a war, mainly dealing with the loyalty of conquered worlds and new recruits. Even if she heard that the world would be destroyed in a few minutes and all hopes were on her shoulders, she wouldn''t be able to do a single thing.


    "Because of your mitigated success, you will keep pressing the issue in the Republic of Avenio. This time, try to not kill the adventurers, especially the dwarf?"


    "No, the elf."


    "Well doesn''t matter. You will be able to kill them soon enough, don''t worry. But before that, I need you to become the strongest force in that city. Something so strong, that if a dragon decided to attack, people wouldn''t turn their sights toward the mayor or some stuff like that. They would look at you and see what you could do. The best would be to find a cult or a sect nearby and destroy it. Save some orphans, reunite some families. You will be able to think of it by yourself."


    Davion and Meridiana looked at each other, not knowing exactly what will be the final point. It was still good to do that kind of stuff, but seeing the peculiar expression of Leilade, they were not sure that their thoughts were of the same kind. Probing a bit the intentions of the small girl, the orodil tried something.


    "And after that? We will stay in that city or roam the country, becoming a beacon of hope?"


    Right at the moment where Leilade was beginning to speak, master Agnil appeared with two liches carrying some clothes. Bowing in front of the person responsible for his own survival, he harbored an immense smile, knowing that she will be very happy. Sending a meaningful gaze at Malakov, the latter ordered at the two power undead nearby to show what they were holding.


    A very robust white robe and two slippers were displayed by the bony hands. Just from where they were standing, they could see the numerous magical arrays inscribed on them, and they had no doubt about the quality of that design. Grabbing the goods, Leilade felt the very familiar sensation of her petite hands, her only comfort during all those years. Waiting no more, she absorbed the boy clothes still on her body with her dark tentacles and wore the warm clothes in front of here.


    "Master Agnil, your expertise will always surprise us. You have done a superb work with that robe, it almost felt like the one I lost." While saying this, she extended her hand and one of her tentacles began to envelop the soul of the dwarf. A few seconds later, the transparent engineer looked a lot more tangible and was even slightly shining. On the other hand, the tentacle had regressed a bit, both in size and in length.


    "Everything will be done as you please, Empress of the Underworld." He bowed again and left the room, with an even bigger smile than previously. The remaining beings present in the room all saw Leilade in the same form that they always saw. The white paleness of her skin, the white clothes were contrasting heavily with her dark eyes and hair. From afar, she could look like an angel, but no one that knew her could be fooled by her juvenile and angelic appearance.


    "About your question Davion, yes and no. What I want to know is if we begin to conquer some cities, from either the Massalia Kingdom or the Avenio Republic, we will have some resistance. To counter that, the best way would be to have adventurers submitting to our rule. If even the heroes bow before the might of the Demon King Ymir, what should an ordinary peasant do? As for me, people will ridicule me, so I am not usable for that role."


    It was at that time that both of them understood why nowhere in the base was Leilade represented. They had their own idea, being that this base was a bait and not the real one that will be constructed later. But apparently, this location will be the castle of Ymir, while the rest will sow discord among the humans. Pondering a lot about that, no one came up with a better idea. It was not to say that this plan was perfect, but at least, it didn''t have a huge flaw.


    The might of the humans was clearly limited since even the Academy of Massalia was singlehandedly destroyed by Leilade. Even by taking into account the Organization and the mysterious Archmage that managed to live for more than a thousand years, those couldn''t tip the scale of power by a much. At least, that was what they were thinking right now.


    Soon, two men and one woman were unlucky enough to be thrown on the ground by Ymir. Their terrified faces showed clearly that they knew who they were facing right now. They never had a chance to do anything, in less than a second, three strong hands grabbed their head, menacing to press their frail skulls into a meat paste if they dared to make a move. After that, they were carried swiftly inside the base, passing the legion of undead still working hard to perfect the interior of the underground.


    Around them, the closest one was a little girl dressed completely in white and visibly the weakest of all. There was a woman a little farther away, but a strange man in armor and with a blue skin was far too close to do anything. Mustering the last bit of courage they had, the elf and the human dashed toward the small girl, intending to capture her as a hostage. The moment they got on their feet and ran, they step on a shadow waiting in advance for them.


    Only the ratman had the chance of seeing the entire corpses of his two companions being digested by a monster without any form.Soon after, he saw two blue orbs floating and spinning in the air, that were getting closer and closer to the little girl. In the end, they entered her little body, but instead of smiling, she frowned. "What kind of garbage information those two knew? Damn, they are far more prudent that I envisaged. Take a look"


    The ratman was baffled to see three additional orbs flying toward the demon, the woman and the blue man. Their faces turned sour as quickly as the one of the girl, and soon, everyone turned their sight toward the lone survivor of the group. Feeling that his time in this world will soon end, he desperately tried to buy his way out.


    "This lowly rat-thing knows no-nothing, skek skek. Praise the mi-might of the Supreme Ones." He then kneeled on the ground, chanting the last sentence like a psalm. In a mere second, the ratman turned from a scared captive to the most fervent believer. However, his little play was nothing in the eyes of the rest, since they had seen more shameless creatures than this little rat.


    "If what we learned from those two is true, this ratman wouldn''t bring us any additional information. They had sent their most expendable troop for this one. Even the two that were responsible for the trading with the trolls knew more. However, it is still weird. Why do I have the feeling that they were a bait?"


    The calm voice of Davion didn''t surprise Leilade at all since someone else had already reached this conclusion the moment she saw the group of scouts. But even if they were a plain bait, what did they need to fear.


    "Meridiana, I let this thing be of good use in your hand. Even if his identity is probably already compromised, we can still hope he will be useful one day." As she began to leave the rest to see the exact progress made by the undead while she was away, she soon received a transmission of Malakov prompting her to reach the entrance.


    Apparently, an extremely thin and naked man claiming to be Kardel was begging to enter. Not expecting any news from him, and especially not in this state, she dashed to see what was going.

 76 A Predator turned into a Prey

    "MALAKOV OPEN THIS FUCKIN SHIELD RIGHT NOW! Don''t even dare to say you aren''t in control of at least one lich nearby, so open the shield. Please, just do it." Without even his main body, a lich was harboring a smug face while looking at the panicked duvodiad outside. In truth, in the beginning, he was fearing that something was happening. But after a few seconds, where he felt and saw nothing, he relaxed and just enjoyed the spectacle.


    Kardel was just a shadow of his former self. His large body, his powerful muscles that were easily seen even in his original form were not even half of what it was. He was looking as frail as the weak Meridiana, even if her appearance was just a mirage. His two eyes were nearly completely red, and one couldn''t even distinguish one broken vein from another. As for the rest of his body, it was filled with small injuries and little wounds.


    Even if he had thinned out so much that even Malakov had a hard time believing it was really the duvodiad he knew, the fact that he was speaking a language that was only known by them was the only proof needed. With only a glance, the undead already knew that he will have to rest at least a month to recuperate from what he experienced. At the same time, he was obviously puzzled by the fact that Kardel seemed strangely scared of staying outside. Even when he was already in a safe zone.


    "C''MON STUPID LICH! OPEN THE FUCKIN DOOR! OPEN IT!" He was smashing the barrier separating him from the haven he sought. If the rest needed to rely on their magical powers or others to find it, it was as obvious as ever for him to spot the strange distortion. Even after the few weeks that have passed, he instantly managed to found the traces of the skeletons leading to this very place.


    "I''m sorry Kardel, but it seems that I have a hard time opening a safe passage. I guess you will have to stay outside a little more. But even if it rains, the worst we could have would be a wet dog entering my clean house." The mocking words of the Envoy of Leilade only made the duvodiad smash harder the magic shield. But what could brute force achieve against one of the most advanced spells created by the Demonic Empire?


    Even without hearing what happened before and only by seeing the attitude of a peculiar lich standing right in front of Kardel, Leilade more or less guessed what happened. No one under her was submissive and all were proud individuals that were only listening to stronger beings. If she hadn''t been here, she was certain that the group would have imploded right at the beginning. Especially Kardel, his kin were the worst, merely animals in human skin.


    "Please ¡­ fine, I submit. Malakov, Herald of the Empress, Envoy of Death and whatever else titles you managed to create in your twisted mind, open this door. I am fucking begging you."


    He was even half kneeling on the thin magical membrane separating the two worlds. Seeing this, both Malakov and Leilade were shocked. That a duvodiad obeyed an order was possible, for him to do whatever he wanted was a certainty, but to kneel? Instantly, a small door was opening near him, but Kardel didn''t look at that way and just screamed at something behind him.


    "No, no, no, nO, NO! OPEN NOW! THIS FUCKING THING IS COMING! FUCKI ¡­ Oh." He finally saw the opening and jumped in it. The passage was closed right behind him and seeing the levitating lich standing in front of his sorry face, he jumped on it and attacked it. Even weakened, he was still strong enough to deal with the feeble bones of an undead.


    "YOU ENJOYED IT? HA! NEXT TIME YOU DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT, I WILL HUNT YOUR MAIN BODY! NOW GET LOST!" Crushing the skull of the lich while saying those last words, he fell on his back and began to catch his breath. He had run away for the last weeks and while the rest were probably enjoying their holidays or easy days in human societies, he was escaping a monster. The stress of not sleeping for that long and having to use the reserves in his body was too much.


    But after all this long travel, he was finally fine. Looking through the transparent protection, he saw the thing that was responsible for his unhappiness being smashed on the magical shield. The dark shadows were acting like a hungry pack of wolves, assaulting without any rest the spot where Kardel stood previously. The mass without any real form kept attacking a few more seconds, before realizing it lost track of its prey. It then carefully extended its tendril around the area where the small passage was formed.


    "Where did you find this?" The infantile voice surprised Kardel, that didn''t expect Leilade to be back so soon. From what he understood, she was planning on getting some well-deserved rest in the primitive civilizations of this world. Even with her extremely reduced mana reserve, her expertise was big enough to create a disguise that no one could pierce through. But not daring to make her wait any longer, he quickly explained what he encountered.


    "I was in the Synnada Empire, hunting creatures here and there. I found some delicious scorpions, a little too small, however. Then, I met a group of sandmen and humans that were battling. After destroying maybe, a camp and killing some of them, they decided to use a strange thing that contained this. And here I am."


    Leilade rolled her eyes while hearing this. Especially the part where the duvodiad clearly minimized the fact that he probably slaughtered those encampments, and maybe not just one as he said. Otherwise, why would they react so strongly and unleash this monster to counter Kardel? Approaching a bit closer, she watched the dark beast stuck like a leech on the magical shield.


    Unlike the darkness that she cultivated in her own body, this lifeform, because it was one, showed no properties concerning the mana surrounding it. If it had been here, the entire spell protecting the base would have been absorbed in a short time. But even after nearly a minute of waiting, she felt no weakness in the work of Malakov, meaning that they had no worries to have on that part.


    Deciding to play a little about that thing, she voluntarily opened a very small breach, barely larger than the head of a needle, to see how the monster will deal with this. It didn''t take long for the unknown form to find it and soon, a very small drop of shadows was dripping from the orifice. It didn''t separate from the main body, merely hanging in the hair.


    The process kept going, while Kardel silently began to step back as the creature managed to pass most of its body beyond the protection. Even with the nearby Leilade, the disastrous time he spent fleeing was still too fresh for him. Especially the fact that this thing was just fast enough for him to never have the time to complete a transformation faster than the black mammal similar to a big panther. For example, the white bird would have allowed him to be carefree, but the minute that was the bare minimum for him to turn was never an option.


    "Truly interesting, you really don''t know where they got that thing?"


    "No, Empress. I did hear that it was a very costly device. Also, they had a few other, one was harnessing a huge amount of electricity, enough to incapacitate my entire body for hours. The other was just normal magical fire, even if I would have died if it was a direct hit. As for the name, I think I heard something like flaming fist, flaming hand, burning head maybe? They have a strong accent compared to the humans of Massalia."


    "It was [Burning Hand]. So it seems they still managed to condense a spell into an object, and even improve its might. Yes, I met two old farts that tried to kill me with this spell. Even when they used their life force to compensate for the difference between us, they were still not able to even be more threatening than Candaith. Even that space bunny would have been more dangerous. As for this¡­"


    Without even moving a single finger, the darkness that was constantly following her ensnared the shadow monster. At first, the latter tried to fight back and at a certain point, knowing that it had lost, tried to escape. But it was not facing some mindless being, and its path was already cut off. In the end, most of its body was lost to Leilade and only a small part still alive was encircled in a sea of even more terrifying darkness. Finally breathing seeing that Leilade quickly dealt with the threat, Kardel could finally be at peace.


    "As expected of the Empress, your ability is still as terrifying as ever." Snorting at this lowly attempt of praising her, she was far more interested in what was in front of her. Toying a bit more and launching a few basic spells on it, she realized that the monster was still quite resistant. In a sense, it was the weaker version of her own creation, albeit a crude one.Looking at Kardel, she questioned him once more.


    "Are you certain that you didn''t hear anything unusual?" The duvodiad tried to remember, but that was clearly not his forte.


    "Not really. They asked me if I knew the dark gods, hum, they may have talked about a certain lad. A lich called, the Lich Lord, with a big tomb or city at his name, Malekh, Moltekh, Palekht?"


    "I see; I guess you will have to pay a visit at this Lich King. Once you have recovered of course, if you encountered something else like that, you will be defenseless. Malakov."


    "Yes, my Empress?" Moving out of the shadows, the lich never truly left the scene. He had seen the entire thing, even the destruction of one of his servant. Even if they were the weakest of the liches he could create, it was still an affront against him. He also heard the useless information brought by Kardel. If they hadn''t learned the real names thanks to Leilade, they wouldn''t have understood a single thing of his tale.


    "Take this thing and find its weakness. Something that should be cheap to produce and that Kardel can use. As for you follow me, you have a lot to catch up."


    She didn''t even bother looking back to see if the duvodiad followed her. Here, in this place, her orders were absolute. She also didn''t care to see the two angered stares that her subordinates threw at each other. Whether they were friends or not, all she cared was that they won''t attack their peers. When he entered, even Kardel was a little bit surprised by all the progress that was made in his absence.


    Just in a few short weeks, and a quite impressive entrance was already created. As he saw the infinite waves of skeletons carrying rocks and minerals leaving the deep tunnels, he realized that it was just the tip of the iceberg. Instead of using the teleporter located right at the beginning, he and Leilade followed the lead of a lich that brought them inside the depths of the mountain.


    In the end, they arrived inside a great natural cavern where they were seeing hundreds of undead working without any rest, trying to dig with their own bones. Of course, they were not human skeletons, but the same type of mole that Malakov mainly used. As they watched this spectacle, they saw one of them crumbling and being reduced to ashes. Immediately after, one of the liches that were supervising the entire thing summoned another one to take its place.


    Feeling satisfied by this, the two living beings exited this area filled with the dead and walked back toward the main control room. But before meeting with Ymir and Davion again, Leilade had to see what master Agnil had in stock for the future. Because now, she was certain that their three groups had managed to cause enough problems to be taken seriously.

 77 The unfortunate Arche

    "Work harder, we need to transport everything as soon as possible. Why do I only have those few skeletons, hey, you the lich, can''t you just create more of these? ¡­ Why are you only staring at me like that, your boss said that you had to execute everything I said, otherwise what is the point of keeping you here? ¡­ Not talking eh, well call Malakov and transmit what I asked."


    Even if they were very far and a faint rumble could be heard because of the sheer number of undead carrying numerous goods, the loud voice of Agnil was clearly audible. The dwarf was clearly abusing of his authority, but that was logical since he was the only skilled person in the entire base. Even if his expertise in plasma energy and his revolutionary theories on the mana reaction in the fusion of plasma were next to useless, he was still a true dwarf at the beginning of his life. Before his world was conquered by the Demonic Empire, he was already old and respected by many for his forging skills.


    As he was bossing around, he finally saw the deplorable state of Kardel and was slightly shocked. He didn''t expect the latter to even come back before a very long time, and especially not like that.Launching a final order at the intentions of the mindless skeletons, he approached the incoming group.


    "What can I do for you, Empress?" Whatever happened to anyone besides her was not important for him, since they were incapable of saving Agnil. The only two beings that could allow the soul to not shatter because of time was Malakov and Leilade.If anyone else went missing or died, it would be regrettable, but that was it.


    "What are you doing here, why all of your stuff is being moved?" She was currently where master Agnil was usually forging, from what the rest told her. But instead of doing anything, he was just managing large amounts of minerals to be transported somewhere else. The pile of rocks where strange veins were shining under the magical light was swarmed by the skeletons. The line of undead then descended deeper inside the mine.


    "Well, we are quite lucky. This mountain had an ancient volcano that is now asleep, but a small river of magma was found. So, instead of relying on the liches to have a flame hot enough to melt whatever I am asked to melt, I prefer to have a more natural source at my disposal. I don''t think it will be enough to turn a shard of Aether into something liquid, but for the iron found nearby, it will be good enough."


    "Very well, Malakov, did you saw anything strange in that river of magma? Like a monster or something like that?" The moment she pronounced those words, a skeleton that was carrying something dropped it and approached the group.


    "I personally scouted the area, and nothing in a kilometer around it was suspicious. It is only a natural formation, without anything proving that it was designed by the Ancients or even a monster. Coupled with the fact that it was not illogical to find something like that at this distance from the ground, I stopped wasting time searching for something that probably didn''t exist."


    Leilade nodded at those words. They could be prudent, but to be overly paranoiac would do more harm than good. Before leaving, she still checked one last thing.


    "Considering that it will be quite far, does it already have a teleportation array linked to the command center?"


    The white skeleton shook its head.


    "It will be done as soon as I have recovered enough mana. Do you need anything else, Empress?"


    "No, that''s enough. You should just focus on that strange little monster that Kardel brought to us."


    While saying this, the duvodiad shuddered a bit. What was his nightmare turned into a strange little monster. Feeling even more dejected, he mindlessly followed Leilade across the numerous tunnels, until they end up in a brighter room. Inside, an orodil and a succubus were currently conversing happily with a ratman. The latter was in a very submissive posture, and whatever Meridiana said was immediately followed.


    Right now, he was standing on one leg while counting his entire life. Instead of having a hard time balancing his body, the ratman was as stable as a tree completely focused on serving the succubus. He didn''t even blink when he saw Leilade and Kardel arriving, like the sad fate of his two companions never happened.


    On the other hand, both the orodil and the succubus were puzzled by the sudden appearance of the tall thin man. It took them a few seconds to realize that it was the duvodiad, albeit gravely weakened. "Kardel, is that really you?" The succubus put a hand in front of her mouth like she was shocked by this discovery.


    The small rictus that let his canines appeared proved his identity. At this point, the only two that were calm was Leilade and the ratman. The latter was still standing on only one leg, a dumb smile on his vicious face. That almost made her kill the creature because she found it unsightly.


    It didn''t take very long for Kardel to tell the entire story once again. This time, however, he added a little more details, but still firmly denied doing more than just killing a few humans. No one was foolish enough to trust his words fully. But the general description of the event was clear enough to forget about the small details like the number of casualties.


    "¡­ and I ended up here. And you two, you were supposed to pass a happy time in this Republic something something. Doing something called adventuring? That should have been easy for you when one of the most powerful succubi is nearby. Right?" As he said that, he saw the lowered head of Meridiana that was trying to escape the situation. Davion was no better but at least it wasn''t as obvious.


    When he turned his sight toward Leilade, he saw that it wasn''t even necessary to ask about her. Everyone reached an understanding that they more or less all failed. "Where is Ymir?"


    "He has returned to his room and is sleeping. Because of the lack of victims, he is trying to reduce the energy used by his body."


    "Oh, I see."


    At this point, a very awkward silence was present. Because they weren''t really friends and didn''t have a lot to talk about, no one knew what to say. Everyone was slightly ashamed by the result of their expeditions. If someone said that a group capable of capturing an entire planet by force was reduced to that state, none one present in this room would have believed it. But they were up against something that was strong enough to repel some weaker galactic nations by itself.


    Thomp


    The ratman finally fell on the ground, his leg betraying him. His body couldn''t cope with the duration where he stood in that position. In the end, they still had to decide what to do next and hiding in their corner would solve nothing.


    "So, we can forget the participation of Kardel for the next few months, since he is obviously in bad shape. As for how you will recover, do as you want. But no human lives will be taken, you can hunt inside those mountains or even under it.As for us, we need to begin our expansion. I already offended greatly the Massalia Kingdom, so it will be impossible for them to even remotely accept Ymir. Our only way is through the Republic of Avenio for the moment."


    Leilade approached the rotating globe that was still in majority greyed. On it, she expanded the view on the city that was visited by the orodil and the succubus.


    "As I said, we will need you two to do all the work. Even if you are hated by probably all the adventurers, from what I heard, the common peasant won''t know about it. And what you want is just them and the nobles to hail you as true heroes or whatever stupid titles they have. Killing monsters are not enough for this, you need to singlehandedly defend the city against an even bigger threat."


    Even if the principle was easy to understand and even easier to say, it still posed a big issue on one point. They needed a threat that was way beyond the abilities of normal adventurers and still something that they could deal with.


    "But, Empress, what sort of threat are you talking about? That kind of stuff rarely happens how can be as lucky as have one hand to us on a silver plate? Because, from the looks of it, we shouldn''t really rely on luck." Meridiana was visibly not convinced, but Davion slightly shook his head.


    "We don''t need to rely on external factors when we have Malakov and the Empress. They can easily create an army of undead strong and large enough to scare all the guards by its sheer presence. With that type of threat, we can manipulate the tide of battle as we wished, to create the illusion that as soon as we appear and battle, the undead begin to retreat. On the other hand, we can suppress the might of the adventurers. But it would still be strange for this to happen."


    "That''s why you two need to find some heretics, cultists or even madmen to be a scapegoat. They need to be known in the region, have done several bad deeds and have the ability to summon at least one lich. Using this as a smokescreen, it will not bear the mark of Ymir or us and will just be a random disaster that can happen. For this, I don''t expect it to be done in a single day but in a week or so. With this rodent here, it will be easier."


    Both the orodil and the succubus were pensive about that idea. It was doable, clearly, but it will be a little hard. As for the purpose of it, both could clearly understand the fact that a passive population will be easier to convert for them instead of having to deal with some rebels. In the end, they needed to control the surrounding nations and if they wanted to leave this planet, having a happy workforce under the orders of master Agnil was a priority. After a certain point, when technologies dealt with extremely precise measures, if one worker messed up even slightly, the entire thing will be a complete waste.


    "As for me and Ymir, during your little trip, we will meet the trolls you encountered during your travel in the mountains. I want to know exactly if they can be used later and the reaction of those primitive creatures when they will saw Ymir. If you have anything else to say or add, now is the time."


    Kardel was merely standing still since it didn''t concern him for the moment. As for Meridiana, she wasn''t really adept at planning anything at all. Only Davion was thinking deeply, pondering about everything that could go wrong. Even if it seemed to be a huge waste of time and resources, because the location of their base was still not known, it was fine. From the report of Malakov, in a month or so, he will have enough equipment to equip a large amount of high ranked undead.


    "We will do as you ordered, Empress." The orodil finally accepted the plan as it was told. It was merely the general description since he had to personally find a bystander to shoulder of the blame for the future attack. The two others quickly nodded at his words and executed immediately the first part. Grabbing their helmets, Meridiana and Davion left the room, followed by the smiling ratman.


    Leilade looked closer at the single white point representing the city on the virtual globe. Reading its name, she felt it was a strange one.


    (So, Archet will be the first one to fall.)


    "Indeed Viscount, indeed."

 78 Where evil and demon meet?

    "Can you remind me why we are currently in the middle of a cemetery?" The calm voice paused for a second, before adding something else.


    "In the middle of the night?" Davion was quite perplexed by this action. Because of the size of Archet and the fact that not a lot of people liked to live close to the dead, the cemetery was outside of the walls. If it was during the day, when the sun was up, some could easily see it from afar. Maybe not distinguished precisely a silhouette from a tomb, but if someone dared to move, that silhouette would be seen.


    "Because ¡­ bad guys often come in those type of places? No?" The succubus was a little bit exasperated because they were already waiting for quite a long time and they saw nothing. Well, a few owls were roaming in the night, seeking for a prey, but except that, nothing interesting. As she felt that the stare of Davion was quite more and more intense, she turned around and faced the ratman barely visible in the dark.


    "Hey, you! Why did you tell us that shady business was conducted here? No one is here! NO ONE" She screamed the last part, and a part of her voice was even slightly heard in the ramparts of the city. The few unlucky guards shuddered at that sound and got closer to the torches. But that changed nothing in the face of the brainwashed ratman.


    "Because it is true, mistress." His dumb smile was angering Meridiana but she felt that she probably missed something. Because of what she has done to this humanoid, he would only respond directly to her questions, without adding any information. Scratching a bit her forehead, she thought about a more appropriate question.


    "And how often did those things happen?"


    "Oh, a few days ¡­ each month." The orodil put his hand on the shoulder of the succubus, before she torn apart her servant. It was also his fault for not asking the questions, before the departure, he trusted her to extract any chunks of information she could. Shaking his head, it seemed that from now on, he will take the lead. Otherwise, they will never progress.


    "Besides the cemetery, where can we find those people?"


    "The sewers, more specifically the northern one, slightly outside the poor area. There is a hidden room where they sometimes accomplish a ritual or attend a meeting. The poor area in general, we are unsure about which precise house is used for the gathering. And of course, where they usually are during the day, at the city hall, in an inn, in the garrison, on the ramparts, in their houses ¡­"


    "In Archet, we get it. No need to precise it anymore." He had to stop the unusually chatty ratman because he realized his question was too vague. That was the main issue when controlling the mind of other beings. It was very hard to not make them lose their own identity, and they had neither the time or the mana to waste for preventing that right now. On the other hand, for the moment, erasing all trace of resistance was more than enough, even if it caused those inconveniences.


    "So, I guess we go to that secret room. With a bit of luck, we can even encounter one cultis¡­ Meridiana, you did ask for that?" Because he had his helmet on, the succubus couldn''t see the face of Davion. But she easily understood the underlying tone in his sentence, not calming her at all.


    "Yes, of course. I asked where they met the most and when I thought of this, it seemed obvious that it will be the best place to start. I just didn''t realize that the word most meant 3 times a month. But it''s his fault too, he knows nearly nothing and hides everything from me. Why are you blaming me?"


    Not even responding, he just left the mindless ratman and the angry succubus behind and started walking toward Archet. Not willing to be left behind like that, she immediately ran after him, with a little rodent following obediently. Because their little companion was still relatively despised by even the open-minded population of the Republic of Avenio, they didn''t head toward any gates.


    Instead, they relied on the brainwashed prisoner to open a path toward the sewers, without damaging too much the infrastructure. Without even destroying the rusty iron grid that blocked the numerous obstacles in the river of garbage, they found a hole nearby. Descending through a disturbingly well-maintained iron ladder, they ended up in the dark.


    No one was truly bothered by it since everyone had an extremely good sight in dark environments. For the first time of his life, it was the ratman that was having the hardest time moving inside the treacherous corridors of the sewers. Because of him being slightly slower, Meridiana reluctantly created a small magical light, to help them navigate in the maze that was this underground place. Soon after, their guide stopped in the middle of nowhere.


    Looking at him puzzled for a brief moment, they saw him pushing a few stone blocks, but nothing happened. Waiting for the door to be opened, the ratman was still touching more and more blocks, trying to find which one was the right one. Feeling bored, Meridiana knocked a few junks laying around, when she saw on the ground under her a few traces. Following them, she turned her sight toward the wall that was behind her previously and found a very thin fissure in it.


    Using the tip of her finger, she easily moved the supposedly heavy stone door and opened the secret lair. Maybe not even feeling any shame because of his brainwashing, the ratman only moved near Meridiana, not feeling bothered by the fact that he messed up the location. At this point, Davion was already regretting getting himself inside this giant mess.


    The insides were, as expected by at least one of the three, totally empty, void of any life. Not even a small rat was visible. The room was quite large, or at least could contain more or less twenty humans without any problem. Searching the ground, some strange marks and traces were quite visible, but in a weird shape.Most of the time, it would be a geometrical figure, like a circle or even a square. But what they were seeing were multiple lines, a bit disorganized.


    "So, just an empty room, without even a chair or something like that? That''s it? That''s your secret lair?" Meridiana was grabbing the ratman by the throat this time, and Davion was way past the point of caring about it. The barely struggling creature was trying to answer, but only some guttural noises were produced. For someone capable of destroying the entire door in one punch if she wished, doing this to a frail ratman was nothing.


    "Hum? Not answering? So what are you good for?" She threw her prisoner to the ground and turned around to find something. But even after a few minutes, even after removing some titles, they had to realize it was as clean as possible. They knew those cultists were trying their best to not being find out, but couldn''t they just drop a few hints here and there? Sitting on the ground, the succubus was exasperated.


    "I guess we should just wait for her for them. I just hope Leilade won''t be displeased by the fact we took too long to even deal with the most basic thing ever. I am absolutely certain that she thinks it is truly easy. But stuff like heretics and cultists don''t just grow on trees."


    "And you want to tell that to her?" The moment he said that Meridiaian shuddered and stopped complaining. They could say those things when she was not there, but the moment they were close, no one would dare to contradict her.Since she was declared to be the Empress of the Underworld, it became clear how dangerous that little girl was.


    "No of course, not. The fact that we are still alive is a blessing that I won''t waste. Each time those tentacles appear, ehhhh, they send shivers all over my body.Anyway, we just need to obey her and everything will be fine. Just look at what happen to Kardel. Faced something unknown, that a duvodiad wasn''t even able to face, captured in a second. If we don''t disturb that Saksa, it''s going to be good. I hope. But, should we wait here?"


    Sensing the pure sincerity inside the voice of the succubus, Davion was slightly surprised. It was not in the habit of anyone of their level to truly share anything. But to her small confidence, he had nothing else to say. Instead of sitting like his companion, he began to aim at the exit.


    "You can stay here for the moment, while I will search for something to eat. I would say that we could have let this ratman stand here as a sentry but ¡­"


    He didn''t have to end his sentence to get the feeling. No one will ever trust that ratman to stand still, so to warn them if someone came was just a faint hope. Taking his time to be as discreet as a huge walking armor could, Davion stealthily exited the sewers inside the poor area of the city. He noticed quite easily that a few dozens of meters away, some planks of woods were quite burned.


    Thinking about the last time they came and the fact that they unleashed a small fire, it was probably their doing. Based on this, he scouted a little the area and confirmed that it was the shady inn where they stayed for some times, waiting for thugs to harass them. Because of this, he randomly chose a house and just crushed the door with his hand. The sound that resonated was so unnatural that it immediately warned the people that were sleeping in it.


    Everyone here was used to a lot of sounds. Bottles being broken, thieves trying to unlock something, knocks on a door, brawl, insults, threats. But the sound of wood being destroyed and a door being dislocated into multiple parts was a first. The man and the woman immediately picked a sharp sword and a kitchen knife. The house was merely a single big room, only separated by a thin layer of fabric to form a bedroom.


    The light of only one moon was not enough for the humans to see anything, but for Davion, it was no issue. Even if he was in front of them, they couldn''t have seen him yet. Not waiting for those humans to begin screaming or doing something stupid like that, the orodil extended his two hands through the curtain and grabbed the necks of those two.


    He only slightly pressured the throat of the male, preventing him to produce any sound while totally snapping the spine of the female. The few slashes of the sword did nothing on the armor created by master Agnil, what could be expected of a poor quality weapon. Tears were falling on the cheeks of the male, while he was desperately trying to kill the thing that murdered his spouse in the middle of the night.


    Sensing the prey in his hand falling unconscious, Davion was beginning to leave when he saw something in the corner of the room. On the bed, there was still something else. Grabbing the crude sheet and pulling it away, this revealed a small body under it. The little boy was still sleeping, not even realizing what happened around him. Putting the corpse of the woman on his shoulder, Davion used his now free man to grab the defenseless child.


    Verifying that he was not followed or seen, the orodil arrived at the hidden room without any problem. Meridiana thanked him for the meal while he dropped the boy in front of the ratman. This race of humanoid rodent was able to eat nearly everything, including human flesh. Because they were still using him and that they didn''t have any other type of food, he would have to settle for this. Fortunately, the brainwashed ratman didn''t even hesitate at all before planting his sharp teeth in the tender flesh. Their worries gone, no additional words were needed for the moment.

 79 An Inconspicuous Employee

    "Thank you very much for being this patient, the Mayor will receive you in a short period." A good looking woman wearing the same outfit as the rest of the employees was currently bowing in front of many wealthy men. She just a normal receptionist on the surface, mainly dealing with the numerous merchants and nobles that had some appointments in this place. Seeing the beautiful woman giving them some delicate beverages and adopt a submissive attitude, the men only slightly smiled and enjoyed the scenery.


    Her outfit was not necessarily provocative or even depraved, but it absolutely shaped her forms beautifully. At the same time, it was of a more solemn tone, mainly with black, white and grey colors. All the clothes were of very high quality, to not be belittled by others. The entire group was deeper inside the City Hall than most visitors, due to their more prominent status. After staying with the men and distracting them for a few minutes, another woman arrived to say that the mayor was finally free.


    Sighing a bit after seeing that the group finally left, the first employee enjoyed a short break. Trying to remember the next appointment, she will have to deal with a nasty noble that was far more lecherous than those traders. Silently adjusting in front of the mirror her uniform, to appear far less attractive, she patiently waited for him to arrive.


    Unlike the other human nations in this part of the world, the Republic of Avenio wasn''t ruled by one man or woman. Instead, it was a council of the five most influent families. At the birth of this republic, four of those families were nobles and only one was from the commoner. But a thousand ofyears later, the situation was reversed and only two noble families were still part of the original group.


    Because of this, each city was governed by a similar council, with one man elected as the mayor. The latter was in full control of the future of the city, where to develop and what objectives were chosen. The council only had to give its trust every year, and that event will happen in just ten days. So during this small period, the mayor needed to please a lot of people or at least, prevent them from supporting his opponents.


    Fortunately, it had already been seven years since the last change, meaning that unless he made a critical mistake, he will not have to make a lot of concessions. Stability and peace were far more important than just a very small loss. Not thinking about all those things and only focusing on appearing as ugly as she could, the employee heard the door being opened.


    Putting her very best smile on her face, she seemed to not notice the lustful stare that the old man was sending toward her body. She spent the next twenty minutes dodging his attempt at groping her body, never frowning or even complaining. When the old noble finally left, she asked for a short break that was accorded. Not a single women wanted to deal with that kind of man, especially since strange rumors were spread about some peculiar disappearances in the surroundings of his manor. Some beautiful young girl, never seen again after that.


    The rest of the day kept alternating between waiting and entertaining the guests. She was a little bit exhausted, but she never showed it. Because of this attitude, she climbed the ranks far more quickly than most, even if it was mainly due to her appearance. Leaving the City Hall, she spent a few minutes buying food for the next day When she arrived at her place, she quickly undressed and dug under the comfy sheets she bought a year ago.


    Staying in this position for a while, she reluctantly began to prepare some food for herself. She was by herself, not even having a small pet. For her, it was a waste of both time and money, something she would never do. Because she was employed by the city, she had the opportunity of living in a special room.


    Like many other people, she was currently staying in a very vast building, similar to a dormitory of an academy. Of course, the rooms were more spacious, but the rent was far lower than most houses of Archet. In addition, it was located barely dozens of meters away from the garrison, making it one of the safest location of the entire town. This opportunity was only reserved for those that were working directly for Archet, one of the most visible benefits.


    Until it was in the middle of the night, the room was awfully calm and silent. But a little bit after that time, a shadow opened the door and closed it, while scanning the surroundings. Being extremely careful, the silhouette in the dark patiently waited far away from a certain intersection. After even more than five minutes, the shadow was still waiting, albeit, feeling a bit exasperated. Suddenly, the patrol appeared and bypassed her location, without noticing anything strange.


    This obstacle removed, the shadow rushed toward a remote courtyard, filled with a lot of garbage and wreckages. Moving a small pile of those, she uncovered the hole where a ladder plunged in the dark. Before using it, however, she grabbed a small wood stick nearby, covered in a viscous substance on one of its end.


    The silhouette walked without hesitation with the dim light provided by her improvised torch. Unknown to all of her colleagues, she was capable of casting the most basic 1st Circle magic, like [Fire]. Finding her way inside the maze that was the sewers, she arrived in front of a corridor without any special features. Looking left and right one last time, she began to search the entire wall, trying to find the opening.


    But to her stupor, she instead found the hidden door slightly opened, something very unusual. Normally, every member will have closed perfectly the door after entering, even if the chance that a patrol managed to see an irregularity in the wall was thin. Even they sometimes have a hard time finding it, especially in the dark like that. Pondering a bit about that abnormal situation, the beautiful employee put her ear on the stone door.


    Trying her best to hear anything, she still found nothing.The massive door was still enough to attenuate any sounds in the room, and while it was slightly opened, it was not enough for her to even see inside. Not really knowing what to think about all of that, she still activated the regular mechanism. Pushing a few stone blocks in a precise pattern, the heavy part of the wall began to move a bit, until it was stuck.


    Repeating the process once more, the same sound of the mechanism resonated. Accompanied with the exact same result, being the inability to move the stone door. Trying her best, she tried to use her hand to pull it, but she had to realize it was totally useless. Her full out effort resulted only in her exhaustion, nothing else. As she was feeling dejected and preparing to leave, the door suddenly moved.


    Because she had to put her torch on the ground when she was trying to open the door, the light was not directed toward the inside of the room, leaving her in front of a very dark opening. Shaking her head to destroy those stupid thoughts, she quickly grabbed her torch and extended it in the empty room. Or that was what she guessed.


    At first, she saw nothing at all, since the light was not strong enough to illuminate everything. But when she lowered her torch and looked more at the floor, she noticed a large amount of red liquids that were forming some ponds. It only took her a second to realize what it truly was, and by instinct, she began to retreat. She only managed to step back one time before something suddenly appeared in front of her, grabbing her pretty face into an iron grip.


    "?gnitiaw erew ew tahw si siht ,oS" She couldn''t understand a single thing of what the creature said in front of her, only feeling terrified by what she was seeing. A giant in a dark and menacing armor was barely visible in this dark environment. At his feet, a half-eaten body, visibly the one of a child.But past the initial shock and fear, the beautiful woman began to ponder a bit more.


    "If they are here, then they knew about the hidden room. Only we could know, so someone leaked it to them. Since they killed a child, they can''t be good people or the guards. Maybe they are from another group of believers?" Instead of cowering and sobbing like a pathetic weakling, she stared at the giant that was not really hurting her that much. Of course, she couldn''t get away, but it was not forceful like some ugly nobles groped her.


    "Ach chou memhe mor ghe magher?" Trying to talk when something pressed your two cheeks was awfully difficult and maybe sensing this, the giant released her. Massaging her red face, she opened and closed her mouth a few times before getting rid of the discomfort.


    "You should treat a lady with more gentleness. Anyway, I was saying, are you here for the master? And who recommended you to come here in the first place?" Even when facing someone two times her size, she was not even showing her fear anymore and ordered the giant to explain himself. She was constantly in contact with people far more powerful than her, reducing her apprehension at defying someone stronger.


    At her words, the giant was visibly surprised, and he couldn''t help but turned around, staring at an obscure corner. From it, appeared a similar armor, albeit far less threatening and smaller. The second being, covered in an iron suit, approached the employee of the City Hall and began to examine her. Even if it was not the first time for the human, she felt that it was not the same type of examination that she generally received.


    Nodding a bit, Meridiana approved the fearless woman in front of her. Still talking in the intergalactic language of the Demonic Empire, she acted like no one else was present. "I guess we can say that. I mean look, she is beautiful, she is great, she has at least ten times the courage of that ratman. No, in fact, that''s not good at all. Why should we kill such a person? Better kill that master of hers instead."


    "Why do you like her so much, she is just a human? But I agree, someone like that could be more useful after we capture the city. During the initial confusion, especially if we utilize some undead in the open, people will react badly. If she could at least appease them, it would be even better if she was someone important. Fine, go ahead."


    Agreeing partially with the succubus, Davion closed the door behind the human, while Meridiana was removing her helmet. It was far easier to control someone when direct contact between their two pairs of eyes was made. Manipulating her powers to their maximum, the moment she took off her helmet literally cut the breath of the human. It was the very first time Meridiana didn''t care about mana and she enjoyed seeing the expression of that beautiful girl. A mix of envy, jealousy, worship, and hate.


    "Where do you work, honey?" The succubus touched a bit the cheek of the human, even putting her hair behind her ear. Of course, the latter didn''t notice at all this, totally focused on the perfect goddess in front of her. She mechanically answered everything that was asked, telling all her secrets. By the time someone else arrived, the employee of the City Hall had betrayed everyone, both her secret cult and the city of Archet. But she didn''t care at all about all of this. Her main goal in her life was now to please Meridiana at all cost.

 80 Gwendoline has the eyes green

    "This damn door again, why is the mechanism broken ¡­ wait. It is opening?" A quite audible male voice resonated through the small opening of the stone door. Like the woman before him, he tried many things to open the hidden path toward the room, to no effect. So when the door magically opened, he was quite perplexed and hesitated a bit. The completely dark room in front of him was not reassuring at all, and quite creepy for him. Normally, he arrived late and a few others would already be inside, talking in a relatively lightened environment.


    "He-Hello? Is-is ¡­ no, no one is inside right? RIGHT?" His voice slightly shook while he was nearly shouting the last word. It was not enough to truly be audible from afar, but it resonated in the room, allowing everyone inside to hear it distinctly. Since no answers were made and the room was still as obscure as before, the man just waited outside. Seeing this, Davion shook his head. Apparently, not everyone was as curious or foolish as that woman.


    The moment he made his first step, he didn''t try to be discreet at all. The loud sound produced immediately reached the unfortunate man outside, sending shivers in his back. Turning around, the latter tried to see through the darkness but to no avail. Inside the mind of the human, he was debating with himself between running away in fear or enter the room to inspect what made that noise. Normally, it should have been empty¡­


    Thomp


    The sound of a second step immediately finished convincing the skinny man. "RUN AWAY!" He screamed as much as he could and buggered off more quickly than a rabbit at full speed. Not expecting that reaction from someone supposedly trying to not be found, both Davion and Meridiana looked at each other, a little bit lost. Was this someone trying to kill others? Past that small moment of surprise, the orodil pursued the man without waiting any further.


    After his first scream, the man then remembered that it would be bad for him to be found inside the sewers. But while he was thinking this, he failed to see one small pile of garbage on his way. Stumbling on it, he nearly ended up inside the putrid water that was carrying even more things. However, he lost his torch in it, turning the entire area dark. Using his hand to stand up and then navigate inside the labyrinth of corridors, he couldn''t see the thing standing right behind him.


    Snap


    "wwwwwwwwhat?" The weak voice barely escaped the lips of the now terrified human. He could have sworn to have heard a metallic snap behind him. But even if he was offered thousands of gold, he will definitely not turn around. Robotically raising his legs to walk away from that sound, he tried his best to remember where to go.But whether it was his instinct or not, his head was only filled with the idea of seeing what was behind him. He could felt not, even if it was irrational. He felt that something was extremely dangerous and that something was right behind him.


    The moment he finally turned around, a dark gauntlet suddenly left the darkness and grabbed his own throat. Seeing the dark veins on the hand that was grabbing him, he couldn''t help but shudder at that sight. Only one man had something like that, someone so powerful, so terrifying, that no one dared to even try to attack him. Linking that man with the immense faction behind him, the human realized that maybe death will be better. In that moment of panic, he preferred to die than ended in the hands of those lunatics.


    Feeling the mana inside the body of the man running amok, Davion was extremely perplexed. What was happening to this coward for him to turn like that? Even if he couldn''t use mana inside his body or even outside, he could still feel the extremely strong force rampaging inside the poor human. If that kept going, he would die. Shaking a bit his victim, that only reinforced what was happening inside the human body. In the end, he saw blood pouring out of all his orifices, and when he released his grip, a lifeless body fell on the ground.


    Even after he came back inside the room, Davion was still a bit surprised by what he just experienced. What kind of misunderstanding provoked this? If it had been a normal situation, no one would voluntarily give up their own life when encountering a danger. Helplessly, he put it aside but didn''t forget to bring back the body.


    "Where is the man? Wait, why are you carrying him like that? Is he dead?" Meridiana looked at the spineless corpse that was hanging weirdly. Because Davion was so tall, only the head of the man was touching the ground, making it quite weird.


    "Yes, he ¡­ killed himself?"


    "Huh? You, tell me why?" The employee was immediately questioned and she easily recognized the man. He was also working inside the City Hall but as an accountant. Even if he was not one of the main treasurers, he was not insignificant either. At least, this man had an extremely good grasp about the entire finance of many of the forces in Archet. At the same time, he rarely had any conflict with anyone and often submitted without even fighting back.


    "I don''t know, Mistress. He is not really a coward, but will not actively seek a fight or danger. I don''t know a lot about him since he was usually very quiet, but he had immense hate and fear about the poor area, never entering it once. Except this, I have no idea why he will kill himself without proper motivation."


    The gaze of the former employee was as calm as a lake, even when she looked at the bloodied corpse. Like it didn''t affect her at all, or it was the same as an ant dying on her path. Not really feeling satisfied by this answer, Meridiana had nothing else to say. She knew that unlike Kardel or even Ymir, Davion will never do something useless or detrimental. And killing a potential snitch was definitely not good for them.


    The third person that arrived was a bit braver and actually entered the dark room. Facing Davion and Meridiana, the man was shaking from head to toe. Especially after seeing the poor state of his former peer. They had hidden the converted woman from his sight with the perfectly still ratman, to not influence him. After gathering everything they could from the man, they killed him and Davion ate his brain. The gruesome spectacle didn''t even make the two brainwashed prisoners blinked.


    The same routine was applied to everyone after. Some retreated while others entered. That was more or less the only difference. No one was as fierce as the first woman that entered, even if the reason for her lack of fear was a complete misunderstanding. No one else thought that Davion was a friend of their cult or invited by someone else. Well, the pile of corpse near him was probably the main reason for this.


    After nearly half of an hour, the orodil had already killed 5 man and 2 women. All of them had jobs in some strategic locations. One was even a true guard while a woman was a waitress in the most renowned establishment for adventurers inside the city. Just with that, the two foreigners realized that it would take a lot of efforts and preparations to achieve all of this. But from the looks of it, they all had different motivations in the first place.


    For example, Gwendoline, that was the name of the employee, as for her last name, no one truly cared. She only joined this sympathetic little cult a year ago, but harbored a huge grudge way before that. When she was not alone like right now, she lived with her mother and her sister. They were not wealthy, but they had no problem having a roof and food. Her mother was also working at the same location where she currently was working. One day, she never came back. Her sister desperately tried to find her, only to went missing instead. A few weeks later, their two bodies were found nearby.


    Fortunately, she was already an adult and because some friends of her mother were pitying her, she easily managed to find a small job inside the City Hall. But the more she stayed at that location, the more she understood what probably happened. Even if her mother should have been protected, the precedent Mayor was not as strict as the current one. The building near the garrison was also his idea, but that didn''t make her forgot about what happened to her family. Because of this, one day, while she was currently buying food, an old man grabbed her arm and told her that other people suffered the same fate.


    At first, Gwendoline didn''t believe it, but this idea turned in her mind the following weeks. And when she saw the same man one day, she asked who they were. Instead, he led him toward the cemetery outside the city. In front of an unnamed grave, he asked her who was buried there. She tried to guess and said that it was a criminal. Usually, people with a family or appreciated by others would not have an unnamed grave. Instead, it was his entire family, his only daughter, her husband and her three children.


    He was a magician that was extremely close to becoming a true magus. One day, his family that was traveling to see him were attacked near Archet and were all killed. He entered a state of fury and sought the culprits himself. The bunch of thugs and brigands that were supposedly arrested for that crime all died before he even arrived to interrogate them. Because of this unexplained event, he became suspicious and investigated more. In the end, the only thing he managed to uncover was the fact that a secret operation made by the White Hand happened the same day his family died.


    Asking for an answer, as a magician of the 4th Circle, all he received was useless excuses and fabricated lies. Even his friends told him that he could only blame bad luck for what happened to his family. Getting more and more isolated, he ended up reaching a truly dark cult that was predicting the return of the Dark Gods. The former lunatics and fanatics that would have been killed immediately by him ended up comforting him more than his own friends. Instead of focusing on the massacres that happened, they talked about an alternative reality.


    When they first heard that, both Meridiana and Davion raised an eyebrow since all they heard was that they were a bunch of bloodthirsty monsters. But apparently, the Dark Gods did try at the beginning to convert people toward their cause. Promising many miracles and extraordinary objects, some that could even make magic looked like a trick made by a street artist. At those words, Merdidiana began to laugh.


    "But mistress, aren''t you doing the same thing?" The innocent sentence pronounced by the already converted Gwendoline turned the laugh into a violent cough. It was at that moment that the succubus realized that they were actually trying the same thing, and she stopped interrupting the tale, a bit embarrassed.


    But it was not the only thing that the Dark Gods assured. They promised peace, security, and freedom for their new Empire. Even if that didn''t convince a lot of humans, this did bring the idea of creating a separate entity from the Synnada Empire. And even if at the beginning it was a good thing, in the current days, the corruption and greed inside the Republic of Avenio were no less than the arrogant and dominating behaviors of the noble families of the Empire.


    After this wonderful story that nearly brought the ratman to tea¡­ no, nothing happened. In fact, the ratman was gradually being forgotten, in his dark corner.Instead of being concentrated on the useless rodent, Meridiana and Davion were more concerned about the sudden flux of mana outside of the room. Like someone was casting a spell and ready to unleash it whenever it was deemed to be useful.


    "Finally, the master." The succubus licked her lips, feeling that it was finally time to meet this strange old man.

 81 A Misunderstood Cul

    Because the stone door was still closed, neither parties could see the other one. That was a terrible flaw for the old human, but not really bothering much the demon commandants. Because of this, this time, Davion didn''t move the heavy obstacle out of the way and waited for the magician to do his job. The patience of one side was getting thinner and thinner as the seconds passed, finally moving first.


    SCHLRLRLRLR


    The previously sturdy and durable stone turned into mere dirt, crumbling on itself. This action finally let some light enter the room, but not enough to make anyone visible. They could, however, see the nearly seventy years old man frowning a lot, mana converging toward his two hands. Even after casting his first spell, he was absolutely not relaxed and didn''t move at all. At first, Davion didn''t understand why he was waiting like that in the open, but he finally found a potential reason.


    The human race actually had an extremely good vision during the day compared to many races. Even if the elves had a better one, the human sight was far better than the ones of a goblin or an orc for example. But that was under a source of light, like the sun. On the other hand, in the dark, inside a cavern or in the middle of the night, it was ridiculously bad. Even the beings that were not truly nyctalope had a better vision when the light was dim than the humans.


    Right now, the old mage was trying to make his eyes used to the darkness, to see inside the room without having to put himself at risk. Normally, he was always the last at arriving, meaning that the moment he reduced the door to a pile of dirt, he should have seen people discussing with numerous torches. Even before arriving, he felt that something happened, even if he couldn''t pinpoint what. And now, this sentiment was only growing.


    "Is anybodyhere?" The frail, but still commanding, voice asked the air. But no one answered. The longer the silence kept going, the more the old man thought about just leaving. Something was definitely wrong, and the worst part was the fact that it was not made by the city. If either the guards or even the adventurers had their way in this, he could have easily found out evidence to prove it. Searching who else could act like that, the only two possibilities was the Black Gauntlet or his former colleagues, a group of magicians.


    Right when he began to step back, he finally caught something in his eyes. It was the form of the body of the man that killed himself. A few seconds later, the silhouette of multiple bodies laying on the ground was visible to him, confirming that it was truly not someone from Archet that did it.


    "[Wind Storm]!" He activated this spell of the 4th Circle, that wasn''t really powerful on its own. However, it was one of the most restrictive spells, capable of easily project knights with their heavy armor in the air, slowing them down. Whatever was inside this room, it will stay in it, stuck on the walls because of the very strong winds. At least, that was the thought of the magician.


    "Is this all you can do?" A voice void of any emotion left the armor that was grabbing his throat. He didn''t even have the chance to turn around before a huge hand left the obscurity and chocked him. The old man was trying his best to conjure a spell, but he was already having a hard time breathing.


    "[Fi¡­ Argh ¡­ RE¡­ heg"


    "Ts ts ts" He then saw one of the most beautiful women he ever met entering the radius of the light of his torch. She was waving her hand, only one finger raised like she was forbidding him to do anything else. He then saw her cast a light without even moving her voluptuous lips, something that he never achieved.


    The entire room was then illuminated, displaying the terrible spectacle of his former friends, or at least acquaintances. The body of the half-eaten child was still in the middle, while two bodies totally mummified with their skull wide open where thrown in a corner. But what made the old man despair, even more, was the fact that Gwendoline was watching everything without even displaying anything on her face. Like nothing really mattered for the young woman.


    He tried to grab her with his hands, even if he was very far from his reach, to make her react. But she looked at him like he was just a plant or even worst, an object. Not even her eyes were slightly moving, something that was inconceivable for the elder. He had chosen everyone here, and while they were a dark cult in a sense that they were waiting for the reappearance of the Dark Gods, it was just a facade. No one, beside him, had murdered a human and it served more like therapy for people with grudges than everything else.


    Everyone wanted to take revenge for something that happened to them. He wanted to find the true responsible for the murders of his only daughter. Gwendoline wanted to find who killed her mother and her sister. The man covered in blood sought to repair the wrongs that happened to him when he was enslaved by the White Hand. But that was just a wish. Talks. They were not bad people, just people that were wronged.


    And to appease those poor souls and made a link between themselves, he thought about the ideals and ideas first promised by the Dark Gods. Before the Age of Darkness. That''s why they were not masked, and why he couldn''t understand why someone would try to kill them like that. Like his family, like his new friends. Finally calmed by the intense despair and sorrow that gripped his heart, the old man wasn''t even moving at all.


    Seeing this, Davion released his grip, letting the elder stand by its own. After that, they waited a bit, to see what will be the reaction of the master of this cult. He was ready to crush his head at the first sign of an attack like Meridiana was ready to stop him. But all they saw was a human, his back getting more curved as the seconds passed like a heavy poise was on his shoulders.


    "Fine, let''s be done with this. Just kill me." The orodil and the succubus clearly didn''t expect that he would lose all hope right away. Trying to escape, yes. Made an attempt at catching a hostage, even more. Unleashed his full power to kill at least one of them before dying, sure. But not that.


    "Mister master, you are a cultist, right? You believe in the Dark Gods?" The sweet voice of Meridiana barely made the magician livelier. He only looked at her like she was a dead tree, not even affected by her beauty.


    "Yes, I believe that the world that the Dark Gods promised would be better than the current one. That if they succeeded, we could have finally been in peace, not fighting wars with our brothers or sisters. Those people wouldn''t have just killed a group of innocents just because they wanted it. If it is what you wanted, then yes, I would have loved that the Synnada Empire and the Massalia Kingdom failed like Pankow."


    The anger was now clearly visible in the eyes of the magician. His last words were said in such a harsh tone that even Meridiana was rebuked. But during all this time, he was not looking at one of the two armors, but only at Gwendoline, to see if she reacted. But unlike the ratman that was without any conscience, the female human only had her priorities messed up. If it wasn''t something that Meridiana wanted, her only sentiment would be a plain disinterest.


    "You don''t remember, do you? When you first arrived, how sad and angry you were. Even right now, you are still filled with hatred, but you are also smiling? What have they done to you ¡­ You are looking at me, but you don''t even see me, see THEM!" He pointed at the pile of bodies. Some were already sucked dry by the succubus or had their brains removed by the orodil. But none of them had a peaceful expression, most were only showing how terrified they were before being killed.


    "You ¡­ you look like a copy she made of the real Gwendoline, like a doll." Because they let him move because he was inoffensive, the old man ended up in front of the employee of the City Hall. Even when his wrinkled hands were centimeters away from the visage of the woman, she didn''t react. Sighing, he turned around, not daring to touch her anymore.


    "Not even that, anymore." The nice, feminine, voice of the succubus disturbed the mental state of the elder. What did she imply by that sentence, that she was not even a copy? However, when he saw the splendid smile that Meridiana harbored, it didn''t bring him any warmth at all.


    "What do you want in the end? What?"


    "We want someone that could become the target of everyone in the Republic of Avenio. Someone that could serve our interest and then be discarded. Preferably, someone believing in the Dark Gods."


    Her smile was getting larger and larger as she spoke. Even if the old man still didn''t know who they were, he quite easily understood what was going on. Whatever these people will do, it will end up on them. But seeing the devastated state of the bodies and the immobile Gwendoline, he couldn''t even fight back. He didn''t even want to live after all that happened. Sensing the same variations of mana inside his body that he already experienced, Davion slapped the old man.


    "What''s that for?" Even if he was depressed, he was still mad for being slapped like that. His angered stare was thrown at the intention of Davion, who would have died if stare could kill. Well, some species were capable of killing with one stare, just not a human.


    "Don''t kill yourself, you still have a purpose to fill. One last. Do you want to save that girl?" The orodil pointed at the brainwashed human. At that mention, the visage of the magician was suddenly illuminated, but right after, darkened. What could guarantee him that the two murderers will honor their words? Feeling suspicious, he didn''t trust them at all.


    "What other choice do you have? Die for nothing while we will drag your name in the mud and turned this beautiful little flower into the most hated enemy of the Republic? You know what will happen after that, right?" Meridiana caressed the cheeks of Gwendoline, while staring at the old man. This made the latter shuddered, thinking that it was the least he could do to save at least one life.


    "I ¡­ I will do as you wished. Whatever you want, just, promise me you will not make her die."


    "We, Davion and Meridiana of the Demonic Empire, will protect and safeguard Gwendoline here present. Is it enough?" For the first time, the old man was truly shocked by what he heard and not what he saw.


    "De-de-demons? You are demons?" It was understandable. The last time someone pronounced that word, it was to talk about the Dark Gods, calling them demons. Even later, it was always related to them, for the latter disasters that spread across the various nations. The dangerous creatures lurking inside the depths of the mountains between Massalia and Avenio.


    "What are you going to do? Don''t tell me ¡­" Even his most vivid imagination didn''t prepare him for what followed. When he heard the words that were then pronounced, his aged brain took nearly a minute to process them.


    "We ¡­ You are going to destroy Archet!"

 82 The Forgotten Duel

    After that, Meridiana let the old man go, leaving only a pensive man with his mind in turmoil. Of course, unknowingly to him, he had already been under the effect of a spell made by the beautiful succubus. It was only one restraining the thoughts of the target, not letting him go against his rightful master. The moment the old human will try to rebel and break his word, his mind will be shattered and his soul dispersed immediately. On the other hand, it had none of the drawbacks of normal mind control and he still conserved his full lucidity.


    The main reason for doing this is for the future. The moment the expendable magician will be captured or killed by them, an investigation will surely happen. And they rather wanted to only have an unsuspicious spell hardly detectable than one that had visible traits. And even if the elder tried to betray them, the soul bomb will appear only as retribution from the dark powers he served. But because they were not in charge of conducting the parody of attack on Archet, they were not the one that will prepare their new puppet.


    He only had to reach the cavern where they first found the members of the White Hand or fought the strange reptile underground. There, a lich will directly bring him in front of either Malakov or Leilade, neither Davion or Meridiana truly knew what will happen after that. But they didn''t really care since they still had a lot of things to do before the masquerade was ready to be displayed.


    "You, Gwendoline. You will return to your work as if nothing happened. You will keep doing your best ¡­ hum ¡­ should I do something more?" At first, the succubus only wanted to let the young woman live her life like she was just an ordinary employee. But after a short moment of reflexion, if she could just be a little better... Not turning into a saint in a week, but just slightly better.


    "I don''t think it is necessary. Your spell already dulled her sense of pain or even fear. So whatever will happen afterward, she will still be the bravest woman they ever saw. That will be enough and explicable since dangerous times create extraordinary situations. The proud could turn to be a coward while the discreet could rise as a shield."


    "You are right, that will be good. Anyway, we will monitor everything to make her as impressive as possible. If at the end of the battle, she isn''t rewarded for all she did, it would only mean that this entire city needs a transformation more radical than planned." She nodded at the words of the orodil. Waving her hand, Gwendoline promptly bowed while murmuring "Yes, Mistress." and left the room.


    "Now, we can go outside and ¡­ the rat. Do we kill it?" The immobile ratman was still smiling in the corner of the room, traces of blood on his sharp teeth. From the beginning, he never moved, except to eat the small human body. But because his mind was totally empty, he didn''t mind at all. But his presence was now bothering slightly the succubus. They couldn''t roam inside Archet with such a thing following them.


    "Your creature, your choice." Davion just shrugged it off. He had the same desire of getting rid of that pesky follower that was not really appreciated by a lot of races. But as for what will happen to him, it was the same interest as seeing an ant at the side of his path. But Meridiana was a little pissed by that plain disinterest.


    "A little help? No? Well, then let''s kill him. We can''t just send him back?" The two began to weight the advantages and drawbacks. Being found out, being designated as an enemy, pinpointing their location, extracting the few residual information still left inside the broken mind of the ratman. But they couldn''t find a single advantage since there was no chance that the most powerful and terrifying organization would welcome the sole survivor of a group of three with enthusiasm.


    Since it was the case, the succubus quickly approached the prisoner that was staring at her with his blank expression. He didn''t even realize he was dying before his mind disappeared. Taking a few minutes to gather all the bodies in one part, they cleaned the entire room with an immense heat that nearly made the stones melt. Looking one last time, they found only the traces of the burning funeral, ashes dispersed everywhere and black traces on the floor and the wall. From one look, someone could easily guess that something burned. But that was it.


    After ending up in the corridor inside the sewers, Davion closed the door for one last time and let Meridiana do the rest. She slowly began to melt the stones, not even leaving a single opening inside the wall. Originally, one had to be extremely sensitive to find it, if they didn''t know of its existence. Now, it was totally impossible. She also made sure that the mechanism was totally broken and beyond reparation, meaning that the once secret room was unreachable. After cleaning the last miscellaneous details of that bloody night, the two left the obscurity of the underground maze and reached the cold outside, under the two moonlights.


    Finally breathing some fresh hairs, the two adventurers, since they did receive their certification, found their way to a good looking establishment proposing a bed for the night. Because it was very late, their arrival was met with suspicious eyes, especially one of the innkeeper. But after seeing that they were adventurers, he relaxed a bit and offered a single room with a huge double bed. Not caring at all about that detail, they bought it and idled inside the bedroom.


    During that time, because it was relatively safe for her to do so, Meridiana completely undressed and left her tight armor. Even if she was totally naked and the two were alone in a room with one bad, neither had any intentions about doing anything. If one would have asked Davion his thoughts, he would have only received something along the lines of "One shudders to imagine what inhuman thoughts lie behind that beautiful face".


    As for him, even if they had no reason to believe that someone would spy on them in the middle of the night, he couldn''t leave his armor. He just took off his helmet, still protected by the magic mask. No one wanted to suffer or be bothered by something if they could just avoid it. If it had been a true battlefield, that type of behavior would have disappeared instantly.


    The next morning, after patiently waiting for the sun to rise, the two left the building without a word. Some adventurers were already awake and either talking between each other or enjoying a warm meal in the vast room prepared for that. Nearly all the inns were based on one of two principles. Either it was a place to sleep and a place to drink or a place to sleep and a place to eat. This one was the latter.


    If some were wearing the same clothes they used during their missions, most had lighter clothes on them in this period, to not be bothered at all. But no one was without weapons, and a wide display was clearly visible, even at the entrance of the building. Some were new, other old, some were damaged. But all paled in front of what Davion and Meridiana were wearing.


    Seeing the two moving armors, many were puzzled by their appearance while others were remembering where they had seen them. In the time the two left, the previously calm but a bit loud room was turned into a true mess where everyone was asking what was that. The previous display of strength made by Meridiana truly made everyone renew their first opinions. But that wasn''t enough for them to be accepted, especially when the two weird individuals were clearly disrespecting the very function of being an adventurer.


    Those scenes were not reproduced in the nearly empty streets, but as they approached the nearby building where most warriors and fighters were heading, they kept appearing. Besides the young men and women that didn''t care, most veterans were looking with attention to what new problem will arise.


    Whether it was luck or the opposite, but the very same group that belittle them in the first place was also present in this splendid morning. The female thief and the elven archer immediately locked their sights on the unmistakable living armors. Not expecting this, both Davion and Meridiana stopped talking for a few seconds, not really knowing what to do. Now that the succubus was a lot calmer than previously, she realized that it was petty for her to lower herself at the level of those idiots.


    Thinking this, she resumed her travel, quickly followed by the orodil. They bypassed the group that was trying to kill them with their stares and arrived in front of the receptionist. Like the one they saw the first time, she was a beauty that was very pleasant to the eyes. They truly did a good job of finding those women. Maybe because she was not present the first time and only heard the rumors, but the human seemed very award while dealing with them.


    "Good morning¡­ May I help you with something?"


    "We want ¡­"


    "They need nothing at all, just to leave this place." The knight that previously stood up for his companions still cut the exchange that had nothing to do with them. He still hadn''t forgotten that Meridiana threatened his friend of death the next time they saw each other. He won''t stand still until this was resolved.


    "And here I thought that you guys would be smart enough to not bother us. But no, better interrupt my discussion with this beautiful flower. So what if I don''t listen to your instructions? You will do what? Kill us?"


    The succubus still wore her helmet, otherwise, her face would have expressed her sentiments far better. She was already trying her best at being merciful and not killing them, so why did they wanted to die that much? Feeling the hand of Davion on her shoulder, she was even more exasperated. Like she will slaughter people in the public? Actually, she was thinking about that, but she won''t admit it.


    "No, but you previously attack my friends for no reason. Killing you will be as bad for us, but there are still some rules where two groups of adventurers can fight between each other. Do you accept?" He was looking confidently at the two foreigners, sure that they will refuse. They were vastly outnumbered, maybe even out skilled, so they had no reason to accept. As for what Meridiana did, it was a fluke, in that messy situation, anything could have happened.


    "Great, great. Like killing us would be bad for you. Maybe not as bad as being dead? No? Truly a sight to behold, that''s how the humans of that city treat the others, eh. Well, too bad for you, but you made the wrong person mad. We ¡­ no, I mean, I accept your duel or whatever it is. I don''t need anyone else to help me with that."


    The now grumpy succubus immediately left the building, under the stunned stare of everyone else. She dared to fight against seven full-fledged adventurers on her own. Without even having any help from anyone else, like her companion. Baffled by this suicidal behavior, the previously angered knight became a lot calmer. To his knowledge, only someone excessively strong would behave like that. For the first time, he doubted that it was a fluke, and as he walked, he conveyed his suspicions to his colleagues. The rest didn''t pay any attention and only smiled at their ever worrying leader.


    "You¡­ you won''t stop her?" The receptionist looked at Davion, expecting something from the immense armor. Even if she didn''t know the relation between the two, it was obvious that they were a team. Was he not worried about his friend? Feeling the gaze of something dangerous living behind the dark metal, she curled up a little bit, not asking anything else. In the end, while everyone else was leaving the building to see the fight, only the woman and the armor stayed together.

 83 Speed against Patience

    The very large street in front of the Guild of the Adventurers was still relatively calm and peaceful. People were walking happily in this beautiful day, some were conversing among the brave fighters and warriors that protected them from monsters. Some sellers were still preparing a bit their stands, ready to grab the attention of thirsty or hungry humans with very odorous food. But the resting sound of those small talks and early routines suddenly let place to an ominous silence.


    At first, it was those close to the building, but it spread in an instant, everyone wondering what was happening to create such an abnormal situation. The rumors inflated at an even more frightening speed, letting even the commoners that rarely heard any news from the internal state of the guild to be the witnesses of what will unfold.


    The first to appear in a place where the rest of the adventurers were clearly getting away was Meridiana. Her face was still hidden by the masterwork of Agnil, only slightly more shining than normal iron. The tight scales that embraced completely her entire body left no place for imagination since everything was displayed. Just with her shape, she was able to gain a lot of admirers, not that they will amount to anything in her view.


    Even if at her waist was still hanging the two daggers specially crafted for her, she didn''t make a single movement of her hand toward them. The exquisite design and beautiful appearance couldn''t hide the fact that they were just relegated to became kitchen knives. Something that was stronger than her or her magic will not be harmed by those pretty things, and in that case, only Davion could do something. As for the current situation, she felt that she will lower her standard if she used those daggers.


    While her anger was still calmly brewing behind the iron helmet, the general sentiment of her opponents was jovial. It was not that they didn''t put her in their eyes ¡­ well, actually they did that very thing. Even the female thief and the elf that were beaten blue by the succubus only remembered that she took them by surprise. Not to say that she was weaker than them, in fact, they were comparing her to someone just barely under their level. But it was in case of a duel between two people, not their full squad against just one petty and angry woman.


    Only the knight that served as a leader was more composed, but the more he saw his companions acting lightly, the less he felt that it was worth to worry that much. They will only injure her slightly, none of them dared to harm someone badly in the middle of the street. Even if she insulted their group, it was not that it didn''t happen before. In the end, they were still alive while the others were rotting in a dark cavern or dissolved inside the stomach of a monster. As for whether they had a part in their death, only a few knew the answer.


    "Let it be known that I didn''t warn you before. Even if you are acting arrogantly, disregarding anyone else besides yourself and definitely not worthy to be called an adventurer. You are facing a group of adventurers of rank M, called the ¡­"


    "AOOOOOOH" She voluntarily faked that she was yawning just to stop this nonsense. With only hearing the second sentence, she realized that they were just trying to make the public stand on their side. And while she absolutely didn''t care at all about adventurers, since they will soon become more useless than sunglasses inside a cavern, she couldn''t let the public have a bad opinion of her. And as expected, the brawny man still had his mouth slightly opened, turning it into a rictus.


    "Since you can''t appreciate goodwill, I don''t think we need to waste more time, you can have her for yourself, we won''t intervene." The knight just waved at the woman in leather armor and then proceeded to look with expectation at the incoming battle.


    "Thank you." She was overjoyed that she could make that arrogant bitch in iron armor kneeled in front of her. She hadn''t forgotten at all that the slap she received took nearly an entire week before being healed. She refused any sort of treatment, and even her lover, the elven archer, was slightly worried about that fixation. But now, it was all in the past. Since she will make her suffer so much more.


    Even if she was totally exposed, as opposed to her main ability as a thief, she still felt that she wouldn''t lose. She immediately took out her two knives, and the visible enchantments that the two received were fully displayed to everyone that had a bit of knowledge. While many were dissatisfied with Meridiana, and in a certain measure Davion even if he did nothing, they were frowning at that sight. One should only take out their weapons when they wanted to kill, and it was still, in the end, a normal fight. The spectators were looking at each other, inquiring about the nature of the battle, but none received a satisfactory answer.


    "I heard that you are more beautiful than any woman in this city. Even if you hide behind that helmet of yours, when I will be done, you will yearn for that past." Without explicitly saying it, the threat was obvious. No one was foolish enough to not realize that it won''t end with just some slight injuries. Taking a proper position, she didn''t even wait for the succubus to even speak before rushing toward Meridiana.


    Because they were quite close, the distance was crossed in less than a second. The eyes of the audience flashed with surprise, seeing such a high speed. The five or so meters were looking like half of a meter, and one could easily feel a small trace of mana in the air. The more experienced adventurers still approved such a power, even if they inwardly lamented that it was used so shamelessly. Everyone held their breath, seeing the two deadly knives getting closer and closer of the immobile armor.


    SKRIEEEEEE SKRIKKKKKKKKKKKKKK


    Two strident and acute sounds drilled the ears of the spectators and even the female thief. Seeing the immobile Meridiana, all thought that she was so scared that she couldn''t even move a muscle. But even if that was found to be true, it was still irrelevant. Because the two most prized weapons of the thief didn''t even make a dent on the shining armor. They only violent grazed the body, forcing her to back off.


    At that time, everyone could clearly see what was the aims of the woman. One knife headed to a shoulder while the other tried to pierce her leg. From the outside, it could have appeared to be merciful, since it was not vital locations. But if her attacks truly hit, the victim would have lost complete control of the two limbs. Their nerves would have been totally severed, and an imperceptible trace of poison was spread on the two blades. Not even a qualified priest or alchemist could have healed those injuries.


    "Hehehe, that''s it? All you can do? Pathetic." The mocking words hit the thief harder than any slap in the world. Even when she attacked a totally immobile target, she still couldn''t hurt her. Gripping tightly the two knives, she attacked once more, but this time, aimed at an altogether different part of the body.


    "NO!"


    "STOP HERE!"


    "SHE IS MAD!"


    The previously veterans that were just looking with interest at the duel broke out of their neutrality and tried to interrupt the battle before it ended badly. Before, they could see some spells to reinforce her speed, and they allowed it. But now, the thief was in the same condition as she would if she was facing a monster. At the same time, even the most ignorant rookie or innocent bystander felt a pressure on their mind. Like someone wanted to kill them.


    Because of the presence of mana, most warriors could display a form of killing intent, intentionally or by accident. But the very presence of this meant that someone wanted to kill someone else. Monsters and animals could produce the same sensation, only at a generally more powerful level. Alerted by that familiar intent, they could only lament that she was too fast and them too slow. Strengthened by the mana inside her body, the female thief was even faster than before. Now, normal humans couldn''t even keep up with her image. But all saw clearly the result.


    One woman was standing on top of a statue wearing an iron armor. Her two legs were ensnaring the neck of that armor, locking her firmly on its shoulders. The tight leather armor was not big enough to hide what happened, and where her two knives were planted. Every armor has some weakness. Whether it is the joints, its durability or its weight. As for the helmet, to be considered as such and not a bucket blinding its wearer, it needed to have some openings.


    The two holes that let Meridiana see were now blocked by the sharp blades. However, unlike what everyone thought, the thief was not happy or even satisfied, but completely terrified. At first, she truly wanted to blind Meridiana, and let her suffer miserably for the rest of her life. Even if she loved her husband and he deeply loved her back, she still enjoyed the stare of the males around her. To know that she was still extremely beautiful was a pleasure. When someone even more gorgeous than she appeared in the surroundings, she couldn''t help but feel a bit of envy or jealousy.


    But none of them dared to humiliate her multiple times in front of everyone. When she realized that she may have made a mistake, it was already too late, and her attack already hit. If it was only this, she would have only been shameful, and not scared like she was. Because, the moment she wanted to retract her weapons, she realized that something was wrong.


    Because she was a thief, she was extremely perceptive about distances. She knew her entire equipment fully, how much they weighted, even how long each lock pick was. And her instinct told her that none of the two knives even touched the skin of Meridiana. And when she tried to pull them, none of them were moving at all. Looking left and right, her opponent still hadn''t even lifted her fingers.


    That could only have meant one thing, that was totally unthinkable if she didn''t know that the knives never touched the body of Meridiana. "Everyone has been fooled, even me." She thought about all they saw since the beginning, and that nothing could have let them figure out the truth. Turning around, she began to articulate her warning when a small hand closer her mouth.


    Looking at the iron helmet that was shaking its head while chuckling, the female thief knew that she was going to have a very bad time. Even when she used her legs and pushed with all her strength, she still didn''t manage to escape the strong grip of Meridiana. Her last effort was wasted, and she didn''t have the time to think about anything else before her head crashed into the ground.


    "Weakling like you shouldn''t be responsible for protecting others." The succubus then stood up once more, not looking at the small pond of blood that was slowly growing under the skull of the female human. Even if it looked bad, Meridiana made sure that the stupid woman wouldn''t die before she finished to injure the rest of her friends.


    After what happened, no one reacted to her words, all were too baffled by the sudden reversal. All it took was just one action from the iron armor, and the entire duel was over. Too many questions were left unanswered. Why was Meridiana not injured by the two knives? How could the thief let herself be caught without reacting? What will be the reaction of the other adventurers? In the end, all the eyes were looking at the dumbfounded knight, that had his eyes wide open like his companions.

 84 One versus Six

    If the first time, it was deemed as a fluke, now, everyone realized that something was very wrong about the beautiful female inside an iron armor. Her arrogance that was linked to her complete ignorance may have been more related to her own strength. Even right now, she stood fearlessly next to the unconscious thief that was slowly losing even more blood.


    "YO-YO-YOU, YOU¡­" The first to finally react was the only elf in the group of adventurers, who didn''t even finish his sentence. Just stammering the same word, again and again, he began to pull from his quiver the same type of enchanted arrows her previously used. The thin trace of mana was glowing out of the tempered steel that formed the head of those arrows. Unfortunately for him, the exact issue that occurred was once again displayed.


    Breaking the deadly projectiles with a wave of her hand, she snickered, seeing the hateful expression of the archer. "What? I already did that last time, are you dumb?" One could almost see a vein bulging on the head of the elf. He tried to fire once more, but the knight put his hand on the bow, preventing it to fire another arrow. Looking angrily at the leader of their group, he saw him only shaking his head, while extending his hand toward the audience.


    It was only at that moment that he realized the fact that everyone was silent. And the faces of many adventurers were unsightly. Previously, they were cheering for their peers and quite happy to have some vent their anger for them. After a certain point, where the fame and the immense reputation began to cloud the mind of those experienced adventurers, everyone acted truly arrogantly. But all were repressed by someone slightly stronger, and sometimes, humiliated publicly.


    Following that lesson, they humbled themselves and just looked once more like normal adventurers. It became a hidden rule of the guild, otherwise, it would have been filled by hot-blooded and cocky humans. And if everyone was like that, why would the rest of the population take seriously a bunch of jerks?


    But in this generation, it never happened during one of those private lessons to have someone injured seriously. They were facing fellow citizens of the Republic, whether it was a human, an elf or something else. Since the opponent was not a monster or one of those barely sentient races that were feasting on human flesh, it was useless to cripple him or her. But what they had seen was someone trying two times in a row to truly turn someone into a waste.


    At first, only the oldest adventurers noticed the vengeful attempt at the nerves of the limb of Meridiana. While being slightly disgusted, they refrained themselves from shaming publicly the female thief just for that, since it failed. But after seeing the two knives planted inside the helmet of the ironwoman, they willingly shared what they saw. The happy mood of seeing a friendly fight immediately disappeared and was replaced by this very heavy atmosphere.


    It was the human nature to cheer for the weaker one, and right now, the sympathy of everyone was for Meridiana. If they knew who she was, that same feeling will disappear as quickly as a thunderbolt. But right now, all they saw was a group trying to permanently harm her for no reason except pride. The knight realized that even if they managed to win, they already lost. If in the end, all roads led to the same destination, why should they necessarily take the worst one?


    "Very well, you asked for this." Even if his voice was calm, one could still feel the anger contained in that short sentence. He gestured to the rest of his group to be prepared. Everyone behind him was getting ready, the weapons were unsheathed, magic was casted left and right. Seeing this Meridiana sneered inwardly. What was the use of being so conceited while doing all of this? They were all purposely slowing down their movements to appear as mighty as possible. And it did have an effect, seeing the reactions inside the crowd.


    Grabbing the female thief, she scanned the surroundings, trying to find someone that looked qualified. Locking her sight on a very small human in a white robe, she felt that he pleasing to the eye. "Hey you, white!" The latter was perplexed and pointed at himself, not knowing why he was targeted for absolutely no reason.


    "Me?"


    "Yes, take care of her. Don''t let her die." He hardly had any time to process what she was saying before a body was suddenly thrown toward him. He cowered and curled up before the impact, not even trying to receive the unexpected present. Hopefully, his neighbors were not like that and made sure that the thief was not injured in the process. Soon, everyone turned their sight toward him, and he could only blame his bad luck to now have become a target. He knew that if she happened to die, it will be him that would be blamed.


    Sighing, he asked his friends to help him carry the patient away, a bit infuriated to not be able to see the fight anymore. But in case something went wrong, she couldn''t be healed next to a potential battle. Neither the knight or the elf said anything since they recognized the small man. Actually, he would have probably been contacted by one of the two after the fight to heal the female thief, so it saved them the gold for the treatment. But then, they remembered he was stingier that the treasurers of the Mayor, and he will probably come up later, claiming the fees for his service.


    "Thank you. But don''t expect us to be lenient." Even if they will fight in less than a minute, the knight still thanked Meridiana. Right now, they already lost the support of the audience, but they still had their integrity. A few years later, who will still remember this event? As long as they don''t do something more horrible, they could still repair their damaged reputation.


    "More actions, less talk." As for the succubus, she already achieved what she wanted. As for the six morons that were trying to fight her, it was not even important. She never expected to lose in the first place, so she had no reason to care about humans. Her nonchalance pissed off the four warriors, but they still waited for the orders of the knight. Sensing this, the latter raised his hand, signaling the beginning of the battle.


    Hehehehe


    The eerie laughed resonated, and the previously immobile iron armor disappeared from the sight of everyone. It had lasted far too long for the succubus, and she just wanted to be done with it. After angering the pretty couple and forcing them to make mistakes, she only needed to wrap up everything. As for why the emotions of those adventurers were abnormally strong today, a woman needed to keep her own secrets. Scanning the entire area, Meridiana didn''t notice anyone that realized what happened.


    "Where di¡­ AHH" The elf that was supposedly well protected in the back suddenly shouted, prompting the rest of the group to turn. The unnatural speed of the armor that shocked everyone was even more frightening than previously. Before, they could see her move, but she moved so fast that she looked like she was able to teleport. Barely a second after the knight raised his arm, one of his companion was already downed.


    Naturally, he was only knocked out and his injury will only be a sharp pain in the neck. Well, his body did fall head on after, so he will also experience pain on the forehead, but that was it. But their only ranged damage had been taken out right at the beginning, without even allowing them to fight back.


    The closest warrior began to slash at Meridiana with his double-hand axe, only to find out that his enemy was gone. His instinct told him that she was extremely close, far too close for his own comfort. Turning his head, he saw a terrifying helmet looking at him. Reacting instantly, he began to use his elbow to push back the terrifying woman.


    What he didn''t expect was the long sword coming his way that he barely dodged. His companions were not idling, but when they were facing someone that quick, they realized their shortcomings. By the time one used their weapons, the succubus will already be gone. The same situation, where she toyed with one man only to leave him facing the attack of one of his friends was repeated multiple times.


    Seeing this pitiful spectacle, the knight couldn''t help but be infuriated. If she was that powerful, why couldn''t she have said it from the beginning? It was clearly not possible for a human to be like that, so why did they dig themselves a hole to be buried in? The desperation was slowly spreading among everyone still conscious. Not being even able to graze the iron armor was beginning to weight on their minds, without even talking about the fact that they probably couldn''t even damage it.


    THUMP


    Another warrior hit the ground, knocked out by Meridiana.


    THUMP THUMP THUMP


    Right after, the three remaining warriors were laying on around the knight, out for good. All of them were wearing leather armors, reinforced by plates of steel. But they still had a lot of areas of their body slightly protected, like the back of their head. Unlike them, the knight was wearing a complete set of armor, so to be taken out like them would be just a wish.


    Stopping in front of him, Meridiana just looked a bit bored. Even with her helmet hiding her face, her posture was voluntarily provocative. She was even crossing her arms like she was waiting for him to finally do something. The situation escalated when the crowd began to express their dislike about the immobile knight. They were cursing the unfortunate man for not having the guts to fight and called him by a lot of bad names.


    By now, everyone was clearly on the side of the succubus, waiting for her to win this. Those that had pure mind were relieved to see someone that strong in Archet while those with ulterior motives hoped that she will be satisfied with this fight and not humiliate them. But everyone had set their mind on not bothering any of those two armors. Because if the smallest one was that powerful, no one could even imagine how strong the 3-meter-tall giant could be.


    "Well, if you don''t want to move, allow me." The iron armor slowly walked toward the knight. Unlike before, she was just walking, one step at a time. But that didn''t reduce the pressure on the mind of the knight. In fact, it was the opposite, he was more scared of this. Because it meant that she was so confident about her ability that she didn''t even need to use her full speed.


    The moment she entered the range of his sword, instead of charging forward, he backed off. Provoking the ire of the entire audience. They never had seen such a shameless knight, someone that cowered in fear when he faced danger. Feeling his face getting redder as the second passed, he realized that they already lost anyway. So what was the point of losing even more of his reputation for nothing?


    Stopping in his track, he swung his sword while still maintaining his shield to protect himself. Meridiana only had to tilt her body for his attack to miss, but still didn''t make any attempt at attacking herself. A bit encouraged by it, the human resumed his assault and kept attacking. But no matter how he did it, his sword never touched the peculiar woman.


    Truly going all out, he stopped being so defensive and even began to use his shield as a weapon. The impressive shield, that was nearly two-thirds of his size, should have left no place for Meridiana to dodge. But the moment he swung it, she just grabbed it. The situation then turned into a duel of strength, that was totally one-sided. The good thing for the knight was the fact that his face was hidden. Otherwise, everyone could have seen his red face, worn out by the intense effort.


    "Your loss." She threw the tower shield away and just kicked the last man standing in the stomach. The impact made the human fly a bit and crash on the ground, a few meters away. With this anti-climatic end, the expected cheers took a long time before erupting. But a few children that were only bystanders passing by exclaimed their admiration, prompting everyone to shout. Seeing this, Meridiana felt that it was good that her work was finally rewarded.

 85 An Unexpected Proposition

    The crowd immediately separated itself in front of Meridiana as soon as she began to walk toward the Guild. Right now, no one dared to even slow her down for a second, fearing that they would be the next to be laying on the ground like beaten dogs.Hearing the clamor, everyone inside was a bit baffled by it. For them, it was logical that the group of experienced adventurers would crush the arrogant rookie, even if she was extremely strong. Because of the duel, however, the receptionist was completely free to just submit under the bored stare of Davion.


    Whether she was extremely sensitive or not, the cute woman felt that the giant near her was more terrifying than even the most bloodthirsty warrior she ever saw. She did try to begin a conversation with him, but each time, the only answer she received was just a slight movement of his helmet. That simple thing increased the pressure on her so much that she had to curl up more and more. She truly wished that his companion will lose as quickly as possible, to make both of them go away. Even if they were adventurers, they were already labeled by her as people to avoid as much as possible.


    "That''s done, we can go now." The sweet and seductive voice of the succubus made everyone raise their head and look at her. Her iron armor was still as shiny as before, without making anyone believe that she fought a minute ago. But the fact that she was standing like that fearlessly meant only one thing. She had won. Behind her was a big influx of people entering as well, spreading what they saw from the battle.


    On the other hand, unlike one could have expected, the main protagonist of the entire ordeal was leaving with her companion. And as much as she wanted the giant in his dark armor to disappear, the receptionist knew that she couldn''t let the two leave like that. "Wait, please." But her shout was swallowed by the immense ruckus that was caused by all the discussions. Seeing them not responding at all, she screamed for good. "WAIT!"


    She managed to grab the attention of Davion and some of the closest adventurers. The orodil grabbed the shoulder of Meridiana and nodded his head toward the young woman behind her desk. Since they were there, they felt that they could see what she wanted. But before they got any closer, the succubus felt a fierce killing intent targeting her, making her stop in her tracks. Davion felt it too, be unlike the succubus, he was far more used to that sensation. He was, after all, regularly sent to fight on enemy planets and not inside already conquered worlds.


    Shaking a bit his companion, Davion decided to just deal with the threat himself. He still hadn''t made a single move in this country, at least, openly. Disregarding everyone in his path, he carelessly bumped into the humans that weren''t quick enough to step aside. Just this projected the unfortunate ones on the ground, making the rest understand that it was not in their interest to stand their ground.


    At the end of his path, the orodil saw the instructor that was supposedly in charge of training and testing the new recruits. Also, the very same man that asked them to strip and forced them to do useless things just to repair the damage done. That human was waiting for him to approach, smiling like a wolf staring at his prey. Even if he was only wearing some light clothes, the way he stood was as domineering as one could be in a set of an indestructible armor. Like he was invincible.


    "So she beat them, eh. What about you, big boy? You are strong like her or weak like them?" He was taunting Davion, but his target was not some hot-blooded moron that could be influenced by mere words. After seeing that it was all the strange man wanted to ask, the orodil just joined Meridiana at met the receptionist. Even without looking back, he knew that the instructor probably had an unsightly face. From the looks everyone sent toward him, he seemed to be heavily respected by everyone.


    "The Guild Master wants to meet you. Both of you." The pretty human added the last sentence when Davion came back. Previously, she talked a bit with Meridiana but it was just some casual introductions. However, the most important information was transmitted, being the fact that her superior was interest in them.


    "Lead the way." Meridiana ordered the receptionist around, but the latter only bowed and brought them toward the stairs. The situation inside the vast wall was still a bit chaotic, with everyone talking about the duel outside. So, she could probably be absent for a few minutes without anyone being bothered. If it had been another city, it would have been fine because they had more employees. But this region was a bit barren, because of its proximity to the fallen Kingdom of Pankow and the uncharted mountains.


    The floor they ended up was pretty small, with only a single corridor and two doors. Most of the infrastructures were on the ground and a few were even underground. As for the first floor, it was only composed of the apartments of the Guild Master and the meeting room. That was toward the latter that the receptionist was leading them. After knocking on the door and hearing the sound of a small bell, she opened the door and prompted the two aliens to enter it. Afterward, she closed it and walked toward her post behind the desk.


    The interior of the room was filled with exquisite goods, whether it was the chairs, the table or the rest of the furniture. A man, in his forties, was calmly and slowly moving his spoon in the cup in front of him. Putting the spoon aside, he began to sniff the contents of his cup, and feeling that it was not good enough, began to form a small fire under it. "[Fire]" After getting the perfect temperature, he enjoyed his tea, from the strong odor, and finally looked at the two intruders.


    "You have caused quite a lot of issues. And your records could be considered, quite unusual. In fact, it could be even more, since you managed to kill a monster from under the mountains for your first task. Disregarding the rules, not wanting to submit to a simple test, injuring your fellow peers after they slandered you, and finally, won an impossible fight. Have I resumed everything?"


    He was looking neither angry or happy, just blatantly stating all the information he had. Without any emotions, he just picked up his cup once more, waiting for an answer. Turning her head, Meridiana looked at Davion, and saw him nodding. It comforted her greatly since it was his way of saying that he was capable of killing their enemy. Of course, the orodil could be wrong, but he was not the kind of being that would overestimate himself or underestimate his opponent. Removing her helmet, she let loose her hair, managing to make the man in front of them froze for a second.


    "Yes, Guild Master. What task do you have for the two of us?" Instead of a mature and seductive voice, she was as sweet as a teenager. Even her face looked visibly young, even younger than the receptionist or Gwendoline. She hadn''t expected for a man like him to be attracted so much by a young girl. It was not to the point of her looking like a child, but it was not far either.


    "I ¡­ I didn''t expect you to be this young. I heard ¡­ never mind." His previously impassive face was getting a bit flustered. Even without using her magic, a lot of people were truly losing control over their emotions when facing their inner desire. Right now, Meridiana was the incarnation of what he loved, taking him by surprise. Shaking his head, all the previously confused emotions were cleared and he regained his composure.


    "Because you are strangers of this city, you are weirdly enough the less suspect in a certain case. You see, adventurers don''t always face monsters. Sometimes, what could be asked would be related to people that forgot the fact that they were human. Usually, those are bandits, criminals, and kidnappers that do a lot of wrongs to our society. But this is related to a cult worshipping the Dark Gods. I can''t trust anyone, but we have found that certain members of even the City Hall could be accomplices of this cult. That''s why I want you to investigate that."


    Hopefully, for the two former commandants, they were master at controlling their emotions in grave situations. Before, it was because they were carefree and could vent a bit the tensions that built up after their arrival on this planet. But now that Leilade was personally supervising them, all their actions will be professional. Like now, all the man could see was a poor girl being deeply surprised by what he saw. A hint of fear and anger was even subtly visible like she felt the same as him.


    "This can''t be. How could that happen? What kind of evil deeds this terrible cult performed on the innocent citizens of Archet?" Meridiana was perfectly playing a poor girl a bit afraid of such a dark force. At the same time, it was normal for her to be curious about it, and ask questions. Noticing nothing that couldn''t be explained, the man that could be father adopted a more paternal attitude.


    "They were extremely secretive. All the last night did someone notice that a guard was missing. It could have been explained, but that guard didn''t come back. After investigating a bit, a certain pattern was found out, where this man went missing during several nights. At the exact same time, other employees at strategic positions have disappeared. In one of their home, a book lying about the Heroes and the Dark Gods was found. This is why I need external help. And you arrived at the best time, you couldn''t have, in two weeks, be approached."


    Behind her worried face, Meridiana was inwardly laughing. Who would have thought that they were so in the dark about what was happening inside the city? Even a lowly member of the Black Gauntlet knew more than the Guild Master. Well, one was specialized in gathering information while the other was in charge of dealing with a massive amount of adventurers. So, it could be explained.


    "Of course, we will do whatever you want us to do. We will not let those madmen destroyed such a beautiful city. But ¡­ I know that you are giving us a very important ¡­ we are just adventurers, not some spies. So, we will try our best, but we can''t promise anything."


    She was visibly embarrassed by saying that they had a weakness, making the heart of the man melt a bit. Even after he tried to convince himself to be impartial, he had a very hard time not rushing and comforting such an innocent young woman. As for the silent giant near her, he didn''t even glance at him since the beginning.


    "Of course, I know that this is a very hard task. The Mayor is also trying to understand the ramification of such event, like the nobles and the merchants that know about it. But at the same time, whoever they will choose to investigate, they will have a small amount of distrust, not knowing if that man or woman is also a traitor. As for you, take this." He threw a small insignia, with a symbol neither Meridiana or Davion saw before. The man laughed at the surprised face of Meridiana. That only confirmed the fact that they were truly not from here, otherwise, they would have recognized it.


    "With this, the guards won''t bother you. I know it is just a faint hope to uncover anything, but if you find something, anything, report it immediately. I, and the entire city of Archet will reward you greatly. More than you can imagine."


    For the first time, the two aliens felt that they were lucky. They managed to convert a powerful magician without even having to completely mind control him. They found a pretty and brave woman to appease the population afterward. And they will even be rewarded for the inevitable disaster that they brought to this city. As for if her smile was mistaken for something else, the succubus was totally innocent.

 86 Life and Death, Black and White

    "Thank you for your patience, the Mayor will receive you shortly." The male employee left the group of merchants in the hands of a beautiful employee. With the time, they were used to this and happily took a more comfortable position on top of their designated seats. As for the woman, she expertly dealt with all their grievances and complaints as it was nothing serious at all. Usually, those powerful men only enjoyed seeing her shape and gorgeous face, but today, was a bit different. None of them could really put their fingers on it, but she seemed more ¡­ happy?


    In fact, it was true. For the first time since her sister and her mother died, Gwendoline was happy. Not even her friends or the acquaintances she made when it was dark in the night managed to achieve this. And, if in a very remote part of her brain, her conscience desperately tried to make her realize it was just an illusion, she didn''t care. She embraced the mirage with all her might, fearing that it will leave her alone like she was.


    This feeling of happiness was highly contagious, and those men weren''t spare either. Without noticing it, they suddenly were in an excellent mood. Without knowing the reason why they were here, one could think that they were celebrating a joyous occasion. In fact, it wasn''t necessary to talk about grave subjects, but more about a certain apprehension of some of their friends concerning the general movements of both Avenio and Massalia. Because Archet was quite close to the border, they hoped that the Mayor could give them a feeling of security in the near future.


    When the male employee came back to inform them that they could finally come in, he was perplexed by the joyous mood. Most of the people present in this room were shrewd merchants, and while they were friends in appearance, it was just good business. If anyone of them asked another to help him do something that would make him lost even a single gold coin, it would be immediately refused. But now, they were happily chatting like they were blood brothers. Even the female employee was doing the same thing, forgetting her status.


    Even after coughing two or three times, they didn''t stop and he had to raise his voice to finally be heard. Sending a peculiar gaze at Gwendoline, he only questioned inwardly the strangeness of the situation. However, as the hours passed and the numerous visitors came, the mood was never bad. Even when an enemy of the mayor approached, asking for compensation, he still succumbed to the jovial mood. Leaving before even meeting him, he excused himself, saying that it was nothing and that it could wait a few more days.


    By now, one needed to be stupid to not notice that Gwendoline was radiating an energy so strong that one couldn''t be mad after receiving it. The other employees, especially the female ones that had to suffer the constant harassment and improper touching, pressured her to admit what happened to her. But all they received was a radiant smile and a very strange sentence. That she finally was happy. As for what or who provoked this sudden change, one could only wonder.


    Far from this calm and peaceful city of the Republic of Avenio, another woman was currently dealing with the aftermath of meeting an escapee of the Demonic Empire. But unlike the lucky Gwendoline, she had received a fate far more constraining. After the massacre of the Academy, like it was later called, Muirn? never really had the time to rest. Even with her father and her brother defending her, the princes, and especially Ferrod, never stopped suspecting her.


    As for her poor and frail sister, Istuienn, she locked herself in her room, inside the Gwendhir manor, and never left it. She was still traumatized by Leilade, especially after knowing that she was not human at all. The young child felt threatened, fearing that the monster will come back and kill her in her sleep. Remembering all the things she did and said against Leilade, she could only shudder at the inhumane torture she would receive if she ever was captured by the dark god.


    Facing this, both her father and her brother were helpless, not knowing what to do. With the absence of her mother and more generally of a maternal presence, the family was in dismay. If someone learned that the Sword Saint, someone capable of fighting an entire army by himself, was helpless against a little girl, Idhrenil Gwendhir would be ridiculed. But the clumsy father could only knock softly on the door of Istuienn, inquiring whether she felt better or not.


    Only Muirn? and a few maids could enter without receiving an unstable [Fireball] on their head. The wall was darkened by the numerous impacts of that magic, but past the initial shock, even the maids were now used to this. They did try one time to clean it, only to be threatened of death if they dare do such a thing. The head of the family could only shake his head after learning this. After taking care of her sister and trying to comfort her, Muirn? left without a sound the manor and headed toward the city.


    Her white armor was easily noticeable, and with the two knights following her, none dared to stop her for even a second. The usual citizens that walked in this part of the city knew very well who it was, as for the others, the menacing armors deterred them from having any idea. Naturally, a path was formed in the dense crowd and the princess managed to reach her destination without any worries.


    The imposing building that stood in front of her was one that only a few people sought in their lives. Comparing it to the crowded streets where people had a hard time to walk, the surroundings of it were so empty that it was even hard to find someone willing to walk on it. The numerous guards patrolling didn''t help on that side.


    Entering the prison of Teldil, neither Murin? or the two knights following her needed to present anything at the entrance. All the guards in their path quickly dashed to the side and saluted them. Not even the entire prison reunited would have the guts to make the daughter of the Sword Saint angry. And the commandant in charge of it was no exception.


    "Princess Muirn?, your presence honors this humble establishment. What does the family Gwendhir need from us?" The man bowed lowlier than even the entrance guard, visibly worried by her sudden apparition. As for why she didn''t even want to know. The only thing the population and the crown cared was whether someone escaped or not. Since the answer was no, the entire prison could become a small kingdom that no one would battle an eye.


    "You don''t have to worry about whatever shenanigans you were up to. Even if you dealt with the White Hands, that wouldn''t matter to our family. I heard that you caught the serial killer of the southern area, is it true?"


    The old man finally breathed a bit after hearing the pardon granted by Muirn?. As for the serial killer, it was true that he was caught and sentenced to die in a few days, but how was it related to the princess? Looking at her, he couldn''t even saw her expression between her helmet. Cursing inwardly the princess for not even being agreeable, he answered meekly.


    "Of course, princess. This madman was trying to take out the eyes of his last victim when the latter managed to injure him. Screaming, the poor man caught the attention of the nearby patrol and they managed to capture the killer. This ¡­ this beast in human skin never stopped trying to escape. Even right now, he is more watched than the royal treasury. There is absolutely no way that he will escape."


    The commandant proudly straightened his back, looking very proud of his prison. It was very rare for such an establishment to not have any escapees, but in the twenty years that he ruled it, that never happened. Of course, the man never was in charge of dealing with the most dangerous criminals, but that still was a proof of his capability.


    Seeing this, Muirn? slightly nodded. She despised a bit the man for his underhanded deal with numerous criminal organizations, but it was found out to be the very reason why he was so capable of controlling the mass of criminals. Since it was harmless and just a bit of corruption, no sanctions were ever enforced.


    "Very well, so, the criminal was probably already judged. Was he sentenced to the Lake or not?" At the mention of the Lake, both the knights and the commandants shuddered a bit. The old officer quickly denied that possibility.


    "Of course not. Only the maddest and violent lunatic would be sent in that place. And, unfortunately, he was not strong enough to be deemed useful for the lunatic knights of that place. Eh¡­ I meant the noble and proud knights that served this cou¡­"


    "Yeah, I know, I know. You have the utmost respect for the member of the 1st Legion stationed in that place. And since they don''t need him, I will take that prisoner with me."


    She cut the afraid speech of the commandant. It was not right to say that the entire army was looking down on the warden of the Lake. But, anyone that ever met one of them would know that the difference between them and a cultist was just the fact that they were not slaughtering the innocent. Otherwise, why would they remain near that damned and cursed place?


    But the commandant was unsure about the request of Muirn?. It was not usual for a member of the Gwendhir to casually pick up a criminal for no reason. Thinking that it was way above his grade and probably something that he shouldn''t probe, he agreed with it. It was still a good thing for him in the end, one maniac removed from his prison.


    "Of course, princess Muirn?. I will accompany you to the prisoner personally."


    Then, the group of four entered the depths of the prison and the dark corridors within it. Neither she or her followers even looked at the hungry and pitiful prisoners behind their iron doors. The usual mess created by an external visitor was spread among the residents. Numerous criminals and convicts tried to grab the princess, only to be violently suppressed by the guards. The more knowledgeable, on the other hand, quickly tried to step aside and not be part of it. Anyone that didn''t seek death wouldn''t dare to hurt a single hair of Muirn? Gwendhir.


    "Open the door." Inside a single cell, a man visibly dehydrated and thin was enchained on the wall. The number of chains on his body would have been enough to suppress five normal prisoners, but none of the guards felt that it was too high. Even his mouth was closed by an iron mask, preventing him from even biting someone. That was the harshest treatment one could receive, but since he was sentenced to die in a few days, nobody cared.


    "Unlock the chains." The guard looked at the commandant like he didn''t want to do it. Losing a bit of patience, he repeated his order. "I said, unlock his chains." The process took a few minutes, but in the end, the prisoner was encircled by two wardens, not even letting him move. Bowing once more in front of Muirn?, the commandant gave her the man. "He is all yours, princess."


    After hearing that word, the prisoner went mad and tried to push away the two wardens. The princess simply walked behind him and grabbed his neck with such a strength that his spine nearly broke. Grabbing him like a cat, she left the building by the same path. However, unlike the loud travel she experienced at first, it was deadly silent this time. The reputation this prisoner had was enough to show her strength, and by now, her identity was known. Even the most lustful rapist had a sense of survival.


    Using her two knights to open a way, she left the city. Ordering the two to stay put, she found a remote location where no one could bother her. Even if it was later known that she killed that man, it would only have seemed as venting her anger on a criminal. That''s why she chose such a scum, someone no one will miss.


    As for the former prisoner, he didn''t understand a single thing. But he realized that he was alone with a woman, and maybe he underestimated his opponent. Thinking that he will have the advantage when they were alone, he tried to attack her. "STOP." However, before he even managed to get close, he felt his entire body not responding. Falling lamentably on the ground, his muscles were still frozen in the same state.


    Moving painfully his eyes in a desperate effort, he saw the helmet fading away in front of him. She didn''t grab it and remove it, no, he saw the white metal disappearing like a vapor. The pupil of the beautiful woman in front of her where dead, without any traces of light inside them. His last vision before he died was her terrifying smile and way she was licking her lips like she was staring at a generous piece of meat.

 87 They are Dumb. And Na?ve.

    "So that was what they called an elemental. Quite a small one, isn''t it Ymir?"


    "Yes, Empress."


    The two were patiently waiting for a signal from Meridiana. Normally, the couple should have reached Archet and began to search for the cult, with the help of the brainwashed ratman. Looking at the sun high up in the sky, they would need to wait a few hours for the night to come. And since they had received nothing, it meant that the first night was a failure. Leilade was a bit disappointed, even if it was highly plausible.


    As for the creature that was smashed under the heavy foot of the Ak?l, from now on, it looked nothing like an elemental. Previously, its shape vaguely humanoid and his height so small that a dwarf could even be taller were the proves that it was a young one. The content of its body was already reclaimed by the liches following her. And the few remains were quickly absorbed by the rampant darkness from her own body.


    Since they reached the area where they could find monsters and creatures worthy to be eaten, they have met only a few. They couldn''t know, but the previous passage of Ymir created such a mess that everyone with enough power migrated to the North. Now, only some weaker monsters, like the young elementals and the wolves were still present. As for the troll tribes, they were currently on their way to meet them.


    Because she had left her spatial bag with Malakov, she couldn''t store anything and had to rely on some undead she will have to create as she walked. But that was not really an issue since nothing was worthwhile to spend even an ounce of her mana. Because of their speed, they had already met a few wolves too slow to flee in time. They were now all inside the stomach of Ymir, and probably already dissolved.


    The fact that they were not in a hurry allowed the two to roam around a bit and explore some areas where they never went. By doing this, when the liches will return to the base, the holographic map will be updated. They still had to send a few of them more toward the South, and maybe even invade the undead Kingdom of Pankow. With a bit of luck, the inhabitants of that nation will not attack them on sight, but it was hard to predict. Like for the humans, two undead were not necessarily friends or allies.


    Those days, they discovered a few caverns where many dead skins could have been found. Those were most of the time the scales discarded by a dragon that grew up. Because it was a new world, they were unsure whether it was a dragon, a drake, a wyvern or anything else related to a dragon. Because it seemed to not be very large, barely two times the size of Ymir, Leilade opted for a drake. Those skins were eaten on several parts, meaning that something was brave enough to enter the cavern and seek it.


    One should know that even the dead scales contained an immense quantity of mana and other nutrients. The horrible taste and the inner pride of any one part of the draconic species were the two reasons why no dragon ever lowered themselves to eat their previous skin. But that didn''t prevent other monsters to be that wasteful, and many creatures had evolved and transcended the limits of their own race by swallowing those dead parts. Of course, eating the corpse of a drake would be better, but that didn''t happen as much as a drake discarding his own skin.


    Of course, that was also the case for Leilade. The meters and meters of scales were slowly absorbed, leaving not a single one behind. As they entered deeper those caverns, sometimes they found a dead carcass of a wolf, sometimes some strange stones glowing with a blue light. Examining the later, Leilade discovered a good amount of mana inside them. As from where they came, she wasn''t an oracle. Even when she spread the liches far and wide, they ended up finding nothing. It was probably too late to find any trace of lingering mana in the air.


    In the end, by the time they met those trolls, she had managed to finally stop the overall decay of the Vault of Souls. With three tentacles, it was sufficient enough to fend off any threat that this planet could put against her. Besides the Saksa, but since it was way above her, she could only hope that they will never wake up that monster. As for Lucio, she felt that his soul was close to its awakening. It seemed weird to prioritize someone that could make food instead of anything related to war. But when they will have to promote their culture to their new subjects, making a wonderful meal will be quite useful.


    At least, that was what the Viscount hammered at the end of their mental discussion. He was doubtful about the success of their plan to frame a cult, but since they never met someone really smart, it could still be done. Of course, it was because it will be their first action inside the Republic of Avenio. If Leilade dared to try to infiltrate the Academy once more, she will be noticed instantly, because they will be on their guard. In that case, she will have to make a lot of efforts, that won''t be worth it.


    "You will talk with them Ymir. From now on, I am no one, give me your hand." The Ak?l obediently extended his armored hand toward Leilade. Unlike her, he was in a complete set of armor designed for his size. It was not yet the final product and just made out of normal iron, but Malakov insisted on painting it completely black. Facing no objections, Ymir truly looked like a demon coming straight out of a dark dimension, ready to slaughter every living being. Now, he finally looked more terrifying than the statues at the entrance of the base.


    She casted a mental connection, making the demon a bit dizzy. If they hadn''t touched each other, Ymir would have received a more important shock, that''s why she asked for his hand. Only Kardel and he were subject to those drawbacks because they were not capable of manipulating the mana easily. After confirming that the link was strong, the Ak?l released his aura to its maximum.


    Even before reaching the gates, they could see the usually proud trolls shuddering and curling up behind their walls. Not even one dared to take a peek at the incoming nightmarish group. They had seen a few days ago the sad fate of the humans they traded with. Even if they were not friends in the strictest of the terms, they had still enjoyed a bountiful partnership. But with the appearance of the demon and his horde of undead, that will probably be canceled.


    Seeing this, Ymir couldn''t help but sneer at this spectacle. They already proved to him that they were unreliable allies when they didn''t even make a move when he captured the members of the White Hand. As for the fact that they didn''t talk about their arrangement with the humans, it was not to protect the warriors from Avenio but themselves. Feeling that they will try the politic of the ostrich, he decided to act first.


    KRASH


    He kicked wide open the reinforced gate, projecting everywhere some shards of wood. To resist the assault of many creatures, the gate was not simply made of wood, but also tightly linked by some pelt skins. But all those preparations were naught in front of absolute power. Instead of even fighting back and trying to attack the giant in armor that stood in the middle of their village, the trolls just slowly backed off.


    They were still protecting the children and those that couldn''t defend themselves. But not even the bravest hunters left the protective circle to personally injure the monster that threatened them. Before he truly massacred someone, Leilade made sure that the Ak?l knew what to do.


    "Ymir, we are here to talk. You can maim, injure or remove a limb, but do not kill."


    The demon merely nodded, before beginning to talk in their language. The trolls were all stumbled to hear the familiar language leaving the mouth of their enemy. Two were not surprised by this, but by the fact that suddenly, everyone could converse with them. Normally, only the dark humans were capable of that, but in a month, they had already met two other groups capable of the same deed.


    Ymir explained that he was here for ¡­ At that time, after presenting himself and beginning to show off, he stopped and mentally asked Leilade why they were here. He had already been tortured by the fact that he had to learn forcefully that language the same way he learned about the memories of the dead after their arrival. Maybe because of this, he forgot their plan.


    "We are here because ¡­ hold up for a second." She terminated the connexion and asked the Viscount why they were here.


    (It was not my plan. Davion said that there was a troll tribe, and then, you decided to go. For no reason. I thought that you had at least an idea, but it looks like I was wrong. So, Outlander, you can either make them submit to the rule of Ymir. Or, you can converse with them as allies, even if their pitiful strength will not be very helpful. But, their skeletons would make some fine undead for Malakov.)


    Hearing the rant of the soul residing inside her mind, she explained the two choices to Ymir. And asked him to choose. In the end, the unfortunate Ak?l that was not in charge of anything besides killing had to make a vital choice. The worst part was the fact that if he failed to accomplish his task, he knew that Malakov will not let him off for at least a year or so. As for Leilade, she will be displeased, but why did she choose him for that?


    Feeling wronged even when he had done nothing bad, Ymir decided to not act like a tyrant. He never had a choice in all the world he fought on, and always had to kill everyone he saw until they surrendered. So, he wanted to see what could happen if he tried to be friendly. The more he talked about the greatness of his rule, the more he noticed that it was efficient. Especially when he said that they will never run out of food.


    Hearing this, Leilade had a stiff smile. This was the truth for the five living beings and the horde of undead. But if they had to feed all those trolls, they couldn''t do it at all. Of course, Ymir didn''t understand that since he never asked for this, but anyone with a brain would have seen that they had no farms or such. Feeling a bit pressured and hating that, she was adamant on not having her reputation fall because she trusted Ymir for one simple thing.


    "MALAKOV! I want you to create an underground farm right now. It should be able to feed at least 100 ¡­ 200 ¡­ 500 humans. It is your utmost priority!"


    "Yes, Empress. May I ask why?"


    "No."


    Not wanting to talk about that any longer, she saw that the hunters had already lowered their spears and where looking earnestly at Ymir. Because she was talking with Malakov, she didn''t see what happened, and could only ask what the Ak?l had done.


    (Not a lot. Strangely, he is extremely efficient at convincing those lowly lifeforms to join him. I think that they are just profoundly and fundamentally dumb. And na?ve. The only reason why they survived is that they are only facing monsters and animals. If someone else besides the White Hand had arrived, he could have swindled them from all their treasures easily. Maybe that Organization felt that they were more useful here, by providing them with rare resources for free, basically. All in all, this mission was doomed to be a success.)

 88 No one ever made it out alive

    The sudden change of atmosphere was so quick that by the end of the time where the Viscount was talking to her, Ymir was already surrounded by a horde of trolls. And not in a bad way, he was literally surrounded by them, but they were acting like servants around their master. Some even tried to touch his armor, but a deep glance at them made them rethink the intelligence of such an act. Not that they were very smart, but they were still capable of understanding that something was off limit.


    From the looks of it, the chief of those morons was happily chatting with the Ak?l, nothing like he was previously. In fact, he was hiding even more deeply inside the group of elderly than the oldest of them. Only when he noticed the fact that he will not be killed did he finally showed himself. But no one was even battling an eye about such behaviour, so why should Leilade raise a fuss about it? Looking around, she only found that it was a huge mistake to even come inside this thing, it couldn''t even be called a village.


    There were approximately a hundred or so trolls. Only ten children were visible, but it was unsure if more were not hidden somewhere else. If they hadn''t done that and really brought everyone in the main plaza, well, Leilade will really have her mind blow out. In all her hundreds of years, it could be the stupidest tribe of trolls she ever met. And she had seen many of those with more muscles than brains, but they still were quite capable. Even one managed to reach the same level as master Agnil, meaning that it was not something necessarily innate for this race.


    As for her, for the moment, she was totally forgotten. The few liches standing right behind her suffered the exact same fate, and only when those hunters tried to encircle Ymir did they really saw them. They quickly distanced themselves from the undead group, showing their immense displeasure and disgust. Unlike the little girl, the Ak?l was enjoying such attention. He rarely gained anything like that, since most of the time, people ran away in fear, screaming with all their lungs.


    "Empress, I think I managed to convince those trolls. What should I do now?" He still didn''t forget that he was not really the one in charge of the entire thing. But when he turned around to face Leilade, he saw her sunken expression. Not knowing why he stood quiet, and the silence spread. Those trolls couldn''t understand what he said, but they were quite receptive. They recognized that whatever the small uhanz was, she was important for the large demon.


    "As I said, it is up to you. But you know very well how the Demonic Empire works, even if you haven''t enforced it previously. Now that we have limited personals, we will all have to improve ourselves. See this as an opportunity, so don''t waste it."


    Even if her sentences could be mistaken as kind advice and a caring attitude, the glacial tone left no mistakes to be made. Ymir understood very clearly what it was, but even ten of him couldn''t measure to just one Leilade. The only moment he could have killed her was when they first arrived. But after their first departure, everyone silently agreed to let her control their fates like she was doing before.


    At the same time, he felt that someone would have to make a crucial mistake to be condemned by the Empress. Like they chose to trust her, she chose to trust them, otherwise, she could have just relied on her undead subordinates. Talking more and more with the chieftain of the troll tribe, he inquired about any dangerous locations with very rare resources. Anything that could Malakov or Agnil to create something.


    The chief looked very pained by this question and was reluctant at spitting what he knew. One mighty stomp quickly destroyed his reserves and he began to speak about everything he knew. The liches were continually storing all of those locations and were prepared to scout them if the need arises. At the same time, he began to bring them toward the entrance of a cave nearby. Looking around, both the Ak?l and the small girl were impressed by the natural defenses surrounding them.


    From whatever reasons, the trolls did chose a very good location. It was hard to say that it was because they thought for once or that they just stumbled on this place by sheer luck. At least, that was how Leilade disregarded the intelligence of that race. By the tribe settled inside a half opened crevice. There was only one path to enter and the same path was used to exit, preventing any type of encirclement. Except if something could dig through the incredibly hard ice walls.


    As for a threat from above, it was possible if the monster was flying. But it was nearly fifty meters above the ground where they currently stood, if something living fell from that height, it will be reduced into a meat paste. Therefore, reinforcing the wooden gate and constructing some strange constructs that could vaguely look similar to ramparts were the only improvements possible. It was a wonder that with all those times they traded with the White Hands, it didn''t reach their brains to ask for proper fortifications.


    " Tarlakh!" The chieftain roared this name, and everyone still following them fell to their knees and began to psalm that name. Ymir was perplexed, but Leilade quickly filled the blanks in his memory.


    "That''s the name of the Hero from the troll. So, the reason why they are here is that this place must have a signification for them. Maybe it is a tomb, but apparently, he fell in a battle with one of the dark god, in this mountain. And they rarely let anyone have a complete body. At the same time, does this look like a battlefield? After thousands of years, it could be ¡­"


    Especially the way the crevice was formed. A huge sphere with only one path, it could have been the result of something exploding around them. Or like a meteorite falling on a planet, something threw so strongly that it created a crater in the ice. It was clearly not impossible that it was the last place that the Hero Tarlakh ever saw before dying.


    The moment that name left the lips of Ymir, all the trolls looked at him like he just killed their entire family. The Ak?l felt a bit wrong, nothing prepared him to see such an intense reaction. Only the chieftain was more filled with regrets than with hate. Trying to pat the shoulders of Ymir, but remembering that for once, he was nearly a meter smaller, he explained everything.


    This was supposedly the tomb of the Troll Hero, the smartest one to have ever lived. Unlike the rest that was only capable of hunting and creating some basic stuff, he was capable of reading the paper things of the humans and even use spells. Because of this, every tribe dispersed around the planet were training their offspring to reproduce that exploit. Mountain trolls, ice trolls, sand trolls, forest trolls. All the races were yearning to see another troll worthy to be called King.


    Because Tarlakh was an ice troll, this tribe was tasked to guard his tomb and never let anything escape from it. Ymir was nodding his head, understanding that it was important to protect the tomb from potential thieves and tomb raiders. But then, he realized that a word was weird, did he truly heard escape? Was it not enter, the right word to use? As he pondered, he saw the troll shaking his head.


    Ordering two hunters nearby, he asked them to throw a piece of meat inside the hole in the ice wall. Even if they were in the middle of the day, they could not see very far inside the tomb, even with their extremely good vision. Leilade scanned it with her magic and realized that it was not working normally either. But she could feel that something was lurking beyond the range of her spell.


    SKRIEEEEEEECH


    Barely a minute after the large piece of meat was lost inside the shadows, a terrible noise resonated. Because they were in a crevice, the sound was reverberated, prompting some children to use their hands to close their ears. The hunters were trying to look relaxed, but still, their hands were gripping tightly their spears.


    "Empress, what is present inside this tomb? I can''t see beyond the initial aperture. But, something is present."


    "Well, it''s hard for nothing to create such a huge noise. But you don''t have to worry, it is not something that could even injure you. Not that we necessarily need to enter, we can send some skeletons to scout that tomb." She won''t admit that she is as clueless as him, she had to uphold her reputation. At the same time, she saw him satisfied by her explanations, good thing it was not the calculative Davion in front of her.


    However, when Ymir asked what was inside this tomb, the chief said that the relics of the Dark God and the Troll Hero were present. Also, a huge amount of mana stones was probably formed after all those years, since even a few were harvested inside this very crevice. After hearing this, Ymir couldn''t help but question if someone ever entered the tomb, if it was so rich in resources.


    The troll looked at him with horror, like the Ak?l just confessed that he killed his only son. Asking the demon to lower himself, he murmured a few words in his ears. Words that were instantly retransmitted to Leilade.


    "I asked if someone ever entered the tomb. He answered that no one ever left this place alive. From the looks of it, it is truly dangerous, to have such a high death rate after so many centuries. I mean, they are still capable of hunting animals and monsters alike to survive in such a harsh environment. But they can''t even manage to conserve their lives inside this tomb."


    This made Leilade frowned. It was right to say that a location could be deadly, and have an absurd amount of death. But to not have a single being capable of even surviving and escaping was very weird. Normally, fleeing was a relatively easy task to perform, compared to fighting back. And she was sure that the trolls were not stupidly proud, meaning that they still possess a certain sense of fear and self-preservation.


    "We still don''t know how many people died. Maybe it was only their champion, meaning that they were acting weirdly and unwilling to back off even in spite of the danger. We don''t know the reasons for such a terrifying rate of casualties, so ask him about that."


    Seeing Ymir also murmuring something to the ears of the chief, the latter was visibly surprised. Like he didn''t expect such a question, but he was not feeling sorry or pained at all. It was not matching his position as chief. Normally, he should have looked saddened, to think about all those trolls that died meaninglessly. But when she saw Ymir straightening his back and staring at her, she was even more perplexed.


    "I may have made a mistake while translating. He definitely said that no one left the tomb alive. But apparently, it was because no one ever entered it in the first place."

 89 The tomb of Tarlakh

    Ymir could see the eyes of Leilade turning into something inexplicable. They were still as dark as they could possibly be, but he felt that she was ¡­ embarrassed? Shaking his head, he reminded himself that she was still after all a monster in a little girl''s body, and shouldn''t feel such emotions. Unknowingly, he was actually spot on his deduction. She was already thinking about retreating for the moment and call Malakov to deal with such a dangerous location. Both the Viscount and her were already planning to explore it slowly and steadily, even if it took months.


    But as expected in this planet, nothing was evident. At this point, she was even feeling a hint of exasperation, since whatever she did always make her feel like an idiot the very next second. Sending an order to the nearest lich, the undead created a very small skeleton, not even taller than Leilade herself. That sudden apparition provoked a huge uproar among the trolls that were still present. But after seeing the white summon not even looking at them, they returned to their calm state.


    Controlling the skeleton remotely, she made it enter the tomb. Barely ten seconds after the undead went past the shadows covering the entrance, she lost contact. Sighing, she was glad that her instincts didn''t betray her. It was still very dangerous, just that the trolls were either prudent or a bunch of cowards for never scouting the tomb. Because just a skeleton was not enough, she ordered the liches to create more.


    Still preserving half of their mana in an emergency case, tens of much stronger undead appeared. They were barely two meters tall, still smaller than Kardel, but their very bones were visually strengthened. Their arms were also ended by a bone scythe, d this time, the trolls didn''t react as passively as before.


    The chief shouted some words and the entire tribe was once again in a very defensive position. The hunters that were previously looking in awe at the strength of Ymir were scared by the recent influx of undead. The only good thing was the fact that they didn''t proactively engage in a fight. Otherwise, the thin patience of Leilade would have been expanded and the trolls would have been all wiped out.


    Seeing this, Ymir didn''t stand still and began to convince the trolls that they were not dangerous. All he received was dubious stares, who could be fooled by such words when the skeletons were visibly armed to the bone. Feeling that he may have used the wrong words, he explained that they were not dangerous, for them. Because of this, the trolls lowered a bit their weapons and saw that the small army of undead was not looking at them but at the tomb.


    Because she was unsure about the strength of her invocations, one of the skeletons tried to hack the sturdy ice wall. His hand, or weapon, in that case, managed to be deeply inserted, about half of its size. Using herself as a test subject, she also punched the wall, but her fist went way deeper than the scythe. However, it was enough for her, and she took control of her army and enter mentally the tomb.


    As she was doing this, she paid no notice to the dumbfounded expressions of the trolls. Because the giant Ak?l was so big, they were only focusing on him and dismissed the frail little girl and the undead as weaklings. Even when they knew that they were probably stronger because of the usage of magic, they didn''t respect them for that. Only sheer strength was proof of power inside the troll tribe, mainly because that was the only way for them to fight.


    But seeing something that didn''t even reach their waist have such strength was mind-blowing. Some of the dumbest warriors tried to punch the ice wall too, but they only received mild injuries while not even having their full fist digging a hole. Looking at their hand, then Leilade, then their hand again, their brains had a hard time linking the two notions. But in the end, they still acknowledged her strength, not that she truly cared about being recognized by a bunch of trolls.


    The dozens of skeleton warriors entered the tomb by pair. Because the entrance was made for a troll, two of them could enter at the same time. The only one that will probably have a hard time would be Ymir, since he was a bit bigger than the crack on the ice wall. The deeper they went inside the tomb, the more Leilade noticed that it wasn''t really one. She could more or less see or guess the form surrounding the undead, and it wasn''t something made by a race.


    It was a completely natural formation, and the path was only leading to a deeper destination, inside the mountains. She could also feel an influx of mana, and the walls were sprinkled with mana stones. At the same time, the threat that ended the previous connection was still nowhere to be seen. Finally reaching the same location where the first skeleton was destroyed, she encountered resistance.


    The link between the undead and her was gradually getting thinner and thinner like something was perturbing it. That was highly unusual. She had not reached the stage where she could control undead from hundreds of kilometers, but she was absolute in her ability when the range was less than ten kilometers. Otherwise, she wouldn''t have been forced sometimes to personally land on a planet to destroy all their enemies. She could have just stayed on a ship in the orbit of the planet and remotely control everything while staying safe.


    So, to be disturbed when the distance was merely hundreds of meters was definitely not natural. For the moment, she could only input that deficiency to the important amount of lingering mana inside the cavern. Something designed and created by the Ancients always created a lot of problems for those not related to them. Thinking about that, she wondered how the few plants and bugs she released were doing. The hope to remove that major obstacle was entirely on their tiny shoulders.


    However, for the moment, the skeletons were still responding perfectly to her commands. One began to carefully dig a hole around a mana stone that was big enough to be interesting. At the same time, she realized that those scythes were extremely useless when they were used for such delicate work. Seeing the pathetic attempt at grabbing the stone between its two hands, if it was still called hand in its case, she gave up and ordered to create a more human skeleton.


    They had to wait for a minute before the human skeleton brought back the mana stone. The eyes of the trolls were all shining since they never saw one so beautiful and big. Murmuring among themselves, the chieftain returned to his tent and brought the most precious one his tribe managed to gather. Comparing the two, it was easy to see which one was better. Just from the blue light manifesting the presence of mana, the stone of the trolls lost decisively.


    Even if both had a dim light, one was just barely covering the stone while the other was creating a complete additional layer of light. The size was also another indicator; one was smaller than a single inch while the other was slightly bigger than a finger. Whether it was in quantity or quality, it was certain that the tomb of Tarlakh would provide a huge amount of satisfying mana stones. Even if the chieftain was not very smart, he was capable of adding two and two.


    Looking at the stone hold by the skeleton, he casted his sight at the tomb, visibly seeing the profits he could make. Those greedy thoughts were of course seen by both Ymir and Leilade, unfortunately, it was not useful. If she could, she would have let those trolls here and order them to dig all the resources inside the tomb. However, it was certain that doing this will only cause the entire tribe to die, and she wasn''t even sure that they could dig a single mana stone before getting slaughtered.


    Because they were dumb and easily convinced, they were the perfect example of proving that Ymir wasn''t a bloodthirsty demon. Well, he was, but it didn''t really matter. After a week or so at the hands of Meridiana, she was certain that all those morons could join the population of Archet. It will provoke a few tensions, but they were still an incredibly strong workforce. And better to start to make humans and trolls live in harmony before immediately putting two races that were in a perpetual war.


    For example, the goblins and the humans. She had heard that the North of Avenio was plagued by that green pest, causing a lot of problems. Because it was at the border with the forest of the elves, and the latter was also under the assault of the green tide, the situation was nearly like a war between the three races. If she asked goblins to live happily next to humans or elves, she was certain that the situation will turn into a civil war instantly.


    But on the other hand, the trolls weren''t necessarily hated, they were just despised by the humans. So, to promote all races, they needed to start slowly. To be truthful, after living so long inside the Demonic Empire, the very concept of races was rendered useless. As long as one was worthy, one will earn the respect of others. Even if two races that should have been sworn enemy met, they could still become friends. Vampires that were drinking human blood could converse with a human eating a normal meal, and nothing seemed wrong for anyone.


    It was not out of kindness or anything like that, just because there was nothing like a perfect being. Well, except the Saksa, but that was the ultimate creation of the Ancients, so it was understandable. As for the rest, there was always something, a domain, whether it was magic, intelligence, strength, durability where they were weaker than another race. Only by using the strongest point of someone to cover the weakest point of another could society progress. The same could be seen inside the human nation, only at a smaller scale, segregating humans and non-humans.


    By now, some of the smartest minds of the troll tribe were currently pondering about the reason why they were still alive. Even if some weren''t capable of utilizing their brains correctly, the rest at least understood that they were in a bad situation. And not even the friendly and kind interactions they had with Ymir could cover everything. Of course, that the extent of their intelligence, since they weren''t capable of understanding that they should try to please Leilade. They were still thinking that it was the strongest, Ymir, that was in charge.


    "Bring them all to the base Ymir. I will let you control them, but Malakov will watch you. None of them are to ever leave it or see Agnil. Don''t disappoint me."


    The Ak?l smiled at those words since it was a relatively easy task. But the last sentence was clearly because Leilade was mad at something, and recalling that the group of skeletons was still inside the tomb, he figured it out. Hesitating a second, he still asked about the undead.


    "Of course, Empress. About the cavern, should I personally enter it?"


    "No, it''s fine. They are all dead. You don''t have to worry; this wasn''t caused by the Ancients or the Saksa." A bit doubtful, the giant became to explain the events that will happen in the future to their new subjects. All the trolls were afraid of leaving the tomb unguarded and also about the long travel filled with dangers. But under the orders of Ymir, the liches sealed the entrance and summoned once again a small troop of skeletons. Their two worries answered the families began to organize what to take and what to leave.


    As for Leilade, she was replaying the last scene that was captured by one of the undead inside the tomb. Because of the lack of light and the bad vision of the skeletons, she could only vaguely distinguish the form that destroyed them. A nearly transparent silhouette, without any distinct traits or features.


    It could be anything, from a specter to an elemental or a soul. But it instantly destroyed all the undead without even moving, meaning that it was still a dangerous threat. Sealing it for the moment was the best thing to do. But as Leilade thought of this, she imagined the amount of mana that was probably stored in this thing. After the attack on Archet, this will be their priority. She couldn''t let a living battery of mana alive so close to her.

 90 Cultist Lair on Sale, Big Discoun

    "My apologies, but are you with the two dark ¡­ demons?" In a barren land, near one of the entrances to the underground maze that was formed under the mountains nearby, an old man was currently looking at a lich that was totally immobile. If it wasn''t for the fact that the monster was floating a good fifty centimeters above the ground, someone could have mistaken it for a corpse. Even after the human get truly close, there was not a single reaction from the undead.


    On the other hand, the old man was still thinking about his future and the fate of Gwendoline. It wasn''t necessarily out of sheer kindness that he was willing to sacrifice for her. But since his death was assured, he only hoped to leave on a good deed this cruel world. Not that she will ever understand what he did since he had seen the sad state of mind the beautiful woman was in. And now, as he was walking this path where he couldn''t stop or go back, he met this impassive lich.


    "Hello? Do you hear me? DIE FOUL MONSTER! ¡­ no reaction ¡­ weird." He tried several things to at least get something out of the immobile undead. He even began to cast a spell, but that changed nothing. After feeling a bit lost, he just sat on the ground and felt that he was far too old for that type of bullshit. He was also feeling that he hadn''t got any rest since he had to travel to this place in the night and only arrived at the earliest hours of the morning.


    "Ah, the sacrifice, you are finally here. How was the travel?" The slightly mocking, but very lively, voice woke up the old man from his thoughts. The previously stoic undead was now vigorously moving its limb. He couldn''t understand this type of behavior since it looked the same as a warrior flexing his body before a fight or a duel. Any training grounds on this planet would have people doing the same exact movements that the lich was currently performing. But, they had muscles, that''s why they were doing that. It was useless for someone dead to care about it, no?


    Not caring about the questions that were plastered on the face of the elderly mage, Malakov was getting used to his new body. He had forgotten that he sent a lowly kind of lich in this place, making it awkward for him to transfer his conscience. After all, he couldn''t just come with his main body here, if someone by sheer luck found out his presence, it will ruin the entire plan. On the other hand, this lich was still a possibility. An extremely thin one, like knocking a random stone to find out it was gold, but not impossible.


    "¡­ good ¡­" The old man still answered mechanically at the question, making the lich smiled. Well, not really since there wasn''t enough flesh around its teeth to form a smile. And the sensation of being stared by such a high ranked undead was not necessarily pleasant either.


    "Perfect. For the next 4 days we will use this cave as a hideout. You will then proceed to tell me everything that should be found in such a place. How many bodies of young children, how many spines and skulls were broken in tiny pieces, that kind of stuff. Also, are the books written in the normal language or in gibberish that no one can truly understand except some fanatics?"


    They had already a good image of what they should prepare, but Meridiana informed him that the old man in front of him had previous dealings with multiple cults. So instead of relying only on the Church of Torment that was located in the Massalia Kingdom, they will apply the rules of the cults inside the Republic of Avenio. It was possible that some regional traditions existed, like hanging three bloodied heads instead of four. And for that, they will have to rely on the expert in front of Malakov.


    As for the human, his feelings were extremely fuzzy and confused. He hadn''t expected to be treated like that, and not at all like a prisoner. Either he was truly going insane, or the lich was looking at him sympathetically. At the same time, to be regarded as an expert in cults was weirdly making him a bit proud. Ashamed also, but still proud. He was facing a direct servant of the dark gods, that were capable of destroying nations by themselves. And if the Gods didn''t meddle with them, they would have ruled the entire planet.


    But they still earnestly asked the help of an old man like him. He didn''t forget that he will die in a few days, but he had seen fates worse than death in all the years he had lived. And as he was getting closer and closer to his final die, he was trying his best to help as many people as he could. To leave a trace of what he did, or at least, have someone remember him after he died. He just hadn''t expected that he will go down in history as a monster.


    "I am not sure that I can help you a lot. I did saw a lot of cultist bases and ¡­"


    "Then that''s perfect. But let''s talk more inside, we are still in the open. You wouldn''t want some moronic heroes to waste all of our work by spotting you too early, no?" The lich was still happily chatting as it was nothing while patting the shoulders of the old human to make him move. The two entered the cave that was discovered by Davion a while ago, but not without Malakov looking behind him one last time. The air suddenly chilled around the dark entry, and two shadows without any form began to cover it, leaving only an uneven terrain in sight.


    Of course, the human was oblivious about the amount of undead that was around him. In fact, his very path had been followed with an extremely attentive eye by the Envoy of Leilade.As for the small amount of time the lich made him wait, it was to see how the mage would have reacted. Whether it was useful or not to brainwash him. Seeing that the descriptions made by Meridiana were close to reality, Malakov dismissed the idea and had to resort at being overly friendly.


    "So, you were talking about your immense expertise. I am sure you wouldn''t have forgotten all those bloody details, the immense despair you saw on the face of the victims and the madness inherent at those lunatics?" Even if the voice was trying its best to be warm, the content of the sentences was actually terrifying. Trying his best to forget the fact that the cold hand of the lich was on his shoulder and his empty eye sockets were staring at him, the magician began to feel a bit uncomfortable. Not even the bright light that was casted by Malakov lightened his mood.


    "No, all I saw was imprinted in my memory. Even if I tried to forget, those images will come back to haunt me in my sleep. But, the amount of corpses you will need is quite huge, won''t you have a problem gathering so much in just a few d¡­" Without noticing that he was encouraging someone to slaughter other humans, he realized that his concerns about not getting enough corpses were futile. He was dealing with a dark god, just killing a few people wouldn''t be a problem. Right after thinking this, he noticed the dark path his thoughts took and shuddered.


    "You don''t have to worry about anything related to materials or goods. We have our ways to gather what you will ask. And here we are, behold, your future mad lair." Malakov extended his hands, and the light illuminated the immense room. It was the former goblin territory, and the traces of that race were still plenty. Because it was the only location they truly explored, it was chosen to be the start of their attack on Archet.


    Seeing the totems and the mural paintings, as well as the numerous destroyed barricades and burned planks, the old man was a bit perplexed. Was this destroyed only for the convenience of having a room for him? It was not illogical for him to think that just because they wanted this very place, the lich or anything else hadn''t just barge in and killed everyone. As he was raising his head to look at the ceiling, he found many dents on it, like someone tried to dig it. But to transform this in only four days, it will take an immense amount of people.


    CLAP CLAP


    Malakov clapped his hands, and an endless amount of skeletons began to enter from every tunnel. While he had waited for the scapegoat to arrive, he wasn''t idling. Just that it was stupid to keep all those skeletons outside, so he had made them wait nearby. At the same time, seeing the shocked face of the human flattered his ego. In a few minutes, nearly all traces of the goblin presence had been erased completely.


    "Now that the initial cleaning is over, we need to decorate everything properly. What is first, an altar made of stone and strange runes? Something menacing, like the head of a Ytura or a Koshur? Yes, you don''t know those two, so what is it?"


    The old man stood silent for a few seconds, pondering about it. "An altar is definitely a good thing. It only depends on the size of the cult, if it has a low amount of members, it doesn''t necessarily have everything. But I suppose you want to make me appears as evil as possible. For that, I would want a few instruments of tortures."


    For whatever reason, the moment he pronounced those few words, the emptiness of the eye sockets of the lich weren''t as empty as before. Like, it was getting more and more happy at these recommendations. But it didn''t stop with that.


    "Now it depends on the mood you want to give to those that will arrive. Is it disgust, making the weakest souls throw up? Despair, seeing the madness lingering in the air? Wrath, what exactly do you want? Well, you say that it is my choice. A bit of all of them then."


    The energetic skeletons were already bringing some stones prepared in advance. Bookshelves were also brought, with blank pages that will be filled entirely by the old man. Tables, beds, dishes, everything that was necessary for a human to live in a location. At the same times, walls were being erected and rooms were being dug up to make it look like a lot of members should have been present.


    "And about the corpses?" The absolutely not innocent question made by Malakov led the unfortunate human to keep answering without letting him ponder about his own actions. Only by keeping him busy and not allowing him to think about the morality of his actions will the magician help them at the best of his capabilities.


    "Not necessarily about the corpses. In truth, some hideouts were extremely clean, without even a drop of blood seen anywhere. No, we need a prison and a room with the altar. Yes, a little further, not here where it will be the dining room and meeting hall. Commune prison or individual cells? Commune, but a little bit divided. 5 persons by cells, but only 1 bed. And by a bed, I mean, 1 pile of straw that could be used as a bed. That way, the five people will fight for it. Yes. As for the room with the altar, fill it with random magical things. Stuff that needs mana to be activated, but isn''t necessarily useful in a battle."


    He stopped for a second, and Malakov thought that he was noticing the weird mental state he was in. But the next second, he looked at the lich like he was normal and kept talking about corpses and children like they were vegetables. Of course, no one perturbed him in his long list of improvements or additions, whether it was someone from having the iron bar of the cells tainted with blood to having better knives for the kitchen.


    During all those days, he never took a moment to rest or even eat. Each time Malakov approached him and lightly tapped his shoulder, he only felt that he was getting more and more alive and energetic. Because his brain was too focused on his mission, and he was also in a cavern in the underground, he didn''t even saw the days passed. Only after seeing the result of his work, a perfectly authentic and terrifying base of a dark and bloodthirsty cult, did he pondered about the times he spent there.


    "You have done an extraordinary work here. I was glad to have work with you until the end." The lich that followed him everywhere he had gone enigmatically left him with those words. But as he was thinking about their meaning, he suddenly felt extremely tired. Without the permanent influx of mana inside his body, he had a hard time even standing on its legs.Stumbling on his way toward a nearby bedroom, he fell on the warm and comfy bed, wanting to rest for a while. Not for long, just a few hours.

 91 An Army of Undead

    "You truly have managed to turn this entire place into such a thing. Everything is perfect, Malakov, perfect. You know what this means, right?" Leilade was roaming into the newly built hall, using her fingers to scrap the untouched table. Whether it was the walls or the furniture, she couldn''t find a single speck of dust, no matter how hard she tried. Wand while it was not impossible to find some lunatics with cleaning issues, they were not that common.


    "Of course, Empress. Your servant will fix this issue right now." Snapping his bony fingers, the lich woke up the sea of skeletons and manipulated them to begin to damage the beautiful and perfect scenery. From a totally clean sanctuary that could have been used by priests, if not some unholy things, it was turned into a more believable hideout of maniacs. Some skeletons were still periodically moving the chairs from one point to another, to make some marks on the ground, as Leilade kept visiting the rest.


    Even if she wasn''t aware of those dark magicians operated in this world, she had tasted the madness and despair that was lingering in the air. Even when she saw the small bone dust and crumbled pieces of skulls laying between two mattresses, she felt it was not enough. What it lacked was still a bit of blood, well, not only a bit actually. It was impossible to never have anyone injured, but as the time before their attack was getting shorter and shorter, she decided to postpone it a bit.


    The reports of Meridiana spoke about the cute little slave she got. Apparently, after interacting with the succubus a bit too much, some of her charms tainted the fortunate human. Because of this, she felt that in a week or so, people will have their views changed about the beautiful woman, meaning that waiting was for the best. Past that period, Gwendoline, since it was her name, will still have an increase in status, but not at a rate quick enough to be worthwhile.


    At the same time, the convoy of trolls was still inside the mountains, preventing Ymir to be present in case something went wrong. Of course, 3 out of the 5 survivors of Artosis were in the surroundings of Archet. So if someone was capable of beating that group, just the addition of the Ak?l would hardly make the balance of power tip in their favor. At the same time, to still have those trolls perfectly visible was something she didn''t want.


    With their bad luck, the Organization will finally find their base thanks to those primitive giants if they were alerted by the surge of undead near Archet. And seeing the sorry state of Kardel and the fact that their full power was still a variable, no one rejected her proposal of delaying the attack by a few additional days.


    With this, she personally entered Archet, to grab a few humans for their blood. Because of the suspicions of the powers located inside the city, and the fact that a family had already disappeared, the inhabitants were frightened. Hardly anyone was dumb enough to not notice the grave face of the guards nor the fact that the patrols had been increased a lot. In addition, groups of adventurers commissioned by the noble families were investigating any traces of something unusual.


    The thieves, thugs and other criminals that thrived under the complacency of the guards suddenly found their business heavily impacted. At the same time, many families living inside the poor area reached for them for protection. Only a few appeared in front of them the first day, but after five people disappeared in the night of that day, the number was decoupled. Because a lot of outlaws had their families in that part of the city, the pressure of the unknown threat and the guards created something only a few could have imagined. A frail solidarity inside the darkest and cruelest place.


    Shaking her head while hearing Davion reporting this, Leilade looked at the two in front of her. She was inside the room that the two rented in this inn. As for its name or why they chose this one, she hardly cared. But by extending her mana, she felt the numerous people with powers near them. This establishment was visibly flourishing thanks to the influx of adventurers inside its walls.


    "Following your instructions, yesterday, we planted some pieces of evidence with the help of Gwendoline inside the sewers. This night, we, accompanied with a few guards, are supposed to accidentally stumbled on the secret room. With those humans as witnesses, no one will think we are accomplices. The Guild Master seemed to trust us a lot and seemed to be a bit infuriated with Meridiana. At the same time, she can''t change her appearance anymore."


    While Malakov was building the bait and Ymir was protecting the trolls, Meridiana and Davion were not idling. They had numerous appointments with the Guild Master and even one time with the Mayor. Gwendoline didn''t betray anything when they were present, but they had seen that many people were looking at her with the will of protecting her. Of course, not a single magic was used, meaning that no one could find any fault with the beautiful employee.


    This favoritism to the two strangers of the city provoked quite a few rumors in the ranks of the adventurers. The origin of those was not hard to find, but because they were supposed to act like a saint from now on, they didn''t answer them. In the end, when the Mayor will personally thank them in front of the entire population, anyone with a brain will despise those slanderous adventurers. The more they appear lofty and unconcerned, the better it was.


    Malakov was overjoyed with the fresh bodies that arrived each day in front of him. Carefully extracting every single drop of blood from their bodies and putting their organ into bottles, the clean prison reeked off blood. He then used numerous spells to made it seems like the blood was very old and not at all gathered an hour ago. Noticing a door still clean, he purposely added rust on it and made it look like a prisoner tried to cut the iron bars.


    The routine kept going, until the very last day before the assault. The horde of rail skeletons and few zombies were ready to depart, but they still needed to do two things before. That someone saw an undead kidnap one human and that the trail toward the cultist lair was found. The first will be of course discovered by Meridiana and Davion, but the latter should not be related to them at all.


    Perfection never existed, and will never exist. Because of this, making the succubus find every clues and secrets of the cult would only make her more suspect. If by accident they find a secret room, it was a possibility. If they were lucky to catch an undead kidnapping someone and stop it, it will be weird and smart people will find it unlikely to happen. One time could be a coincidence, two times attributed to luck but three times was a conspiracy.


    During the night, the succubus and the Ak?l, therefore, roamed the poor area. If before they would have received angered stares and constant oppression, now they were welcomed like kings. The number of bodies that went missing was now 43, making it extremely obvious that something will happen very soon. Even the mother of one of the gang leader disappeared, provoking a wave of panic. But when the citizens tried to escape Archet, they realized it was a mistake as well.


    Dozens of people had tried to flee the city. But the first night after they left Archet, they vanished. One caravan of merchants that arrived in the direction that they took was then questioned to know how they were. The merchants never saw them, making everyone close their door with the worry of being the next to be taken. All the patrols sent only managed to find the belongings of those families, but not a single human was present.


    Unlike the ones captured inside Archet, Leilade didn''t let anyone escape the city either. The merchants and the adventurers were spared because it was not logical for a small force to attack them. As for the inoffensive commoners, they were currently turning into zombies. She truly hoped that people will remember them when they will see their undead state. The more terrifying the experience will be for everyone, the more limelight Davion, Gwendoline and Meridiana will receive.


    As for the five ghouls that were easily climbing out of the sewers, they were nearly invisible in the dark night. With the massive clouds obscuring the city, not even a single light from the two moons was visible. Those five undead were specifically created by her. They were barely smaller than Meridiana, but were far more deadly than any zombies. They still were soulless, since they were just pawns, but they were not dumb.


    Compared to a zombie, a ghoul was obviously at the advantage. They were similar to the vampires in a sense that they were not alive, but not dead yet, allowing them to still keep their brain intact. Its corpse was not decaying like a zombie, and its muscles were still reacting well. Its body was strengthened and its extremities were longer than expected. It claws and teeth were extremely sharp, making it a deadly threat for anyone without a weapon. And when people were asleep, it only took one second for her deadly servants to end their lives.


    Two ghouls had already finished their tasks and were using the hidden passages from the White Hands to escape. As for the three others, Leilade was leading them in front of some patrols. Of course, the first will be totally slaughtered. Hearing the screams of the guards, many people woke up immediately. She could already hear the cries of young children, terrified by the sounds resonating in the night.


    At the same time, people were beginning to take a peek at the outside and saw two armors rapidly heading to the location of the screams. The closest managed to see the battle between the two adventurers and the dark shadows. Cleaving two shadows in half, they could only reluctantly see the last one escape. Of course, the last ghoul wasn''t really escaping, but it stumbled upon another group of guards.


    They managed to heavily injure the beast, but not without suffering some casualties on their side. In the end, the creature found its way toward the sewers but was not able to harm any further the population of Archet. Following the dark blood that was spread on the ground, some adventurers immediately pursued the ghouls, thinking about the hefty reward they will receive. Her work accomplished, Leilade disappeared, not leaving a single trace about her presence.


    The next day, the two brave adventurers that killed the ghouls were present in the meeting room of the City Hall. Inside, everyone holding a substantial amount of power was present. From the captain of the guards to the main treasurer. The obvious discussion about the imminent threat had hardly begun before it was interrupted by a servant that was panting. Without even caring about the fact that a few were angered by someone barging in like that, he explained that the adventurers found an army approaching. Feeling that everyone was perplexed by his words, he rephrased. They had found an army of undead.

 92 Now these points of data make a beautiful line

    @@


    Greetings, honorable reader that have reached this place. Before the adventure continues and we finally saw some dramatic actings from the protagonists, there will be a short pause. Unfortunately, the Archmage from chapter 137 has volatilized and the search for his whereabouts is ongoing. Since it is the case, the rate of update will dramatically be reduced, with probably one each week until the situation is resolved. By April 22, everything should return to normal.


    I will still advise you to not remove this novel from your library if you like it. The story will be resumed, no missing author by the end of the deadline. We are just getting started since it will be the first major point of problems in this world. By the way, I still kept saying this planet and such, so, feel free to think about a name for the planet. Just, don''t pick one copyrighted or not logical. I will not choose "Planet McPlanet" or "Mickey".@@

 93 We are out of beta we releasing on time

    Everyone looked shocked after hearing such words, especially since it was a few moments after dawn. Who among them would have expected that a horde of undead would march under the sunlight to attack them and not behave like normal monsters and use the cover of the night? From her point of view, Meridiana could enjoy the plethora of emotions painted on the faces of the humans in front of her. Diverse nuances of fear and panic, some even had terror visible in their eyes, and only a few were still relatively calm.


    For the men belonging to the latter group, it was easy to spot them. Neither the Mayor nor the captain of the guards or the Guild Master showed any surprise like they already knew that it will happen. Tilting her head a bit while thinking, she guessed that maybe the adventurers were not the quickest at transmitting the information. But if they were not, who would be?


    "Gentlemen, gentlemen. Please, behave yourselves. Can a mere group of undead truly make you act like a headless chicken?" The firm voice of the head of this small kingdom resonated across the room, making the rest remember both their status and the location they were in. If some were slightly angered by such a crude choice of words, most were embarrassed.


    "That''s better. They only said that they saw an army, but we haven''t heard a single thing about their numbers. Do I have to remind you that our strong city was built on the premise of resisting anything that could descend from those mountains? Or something even worst, breach the southern frontiers and come from the Fallen Kingdom? That''s also without counting the adventurers inside our walls, all more experienced at dealing with monsters and capable of unleashing the best of the abilities of our mighty garrison. I am asking you this question, do we really have to fear this?"


    Even if he was getting older and older as time passed, it was no wonder why it had been so many years without a change of leadership. The Mayor was constantly smiling as he talked, not a kind one, but the type that one could see on the face of a general winning the war. Confident, sure of his abilities and without a single trace of fear. The murmurs of acknowledgment and the relative calm that followed his declaration proved his great capability at handling the wealthy and the powerful.


    "That''s true, my family paid a huge price following the end of the Age of Darkness, to help build this city. There is no way that it will crumble in front of mere undead."


    "Mine too. Everyone doubting those walls would be doubting the honor of the Elritch."


    "And the honor of my family too."


    Nearly half of the board was composed of aristocratic families, and all of them looked down at their neighbours that weren''t part of them. Those loud taunting both appeased them and displeased the numerous merchants and commoners that didn''t necessarily relied on their families to achieve their goals. At the same time, looking at so many of those old men getting more and more confident after remembering that their families played a part at constructing Archet, they could only think the same.


    By the time the room was once calmer, a few minutes had passed. The only people that didn''t move or even looked pleased was both Meridiana and Davion, and the servant that barged inside the room. The more smiles the unfortunate human saw, the more he was sweating. Realizing his condition, the eyes of the Mayor flashed of incertitude. He already received all he had to know about the army, and while it seemed that 20 000 undead was a lot, they were almost entirely just skeletons and zombies, presenting barely any threat to the huge walls of Archet.


    "Helmut, do you have anything else to say? The adventurers probably reported a huge number of skeletons and zombies, but fear not. Even if it something as high as 25 000 of undead, what can they truly do against our mighty walls? Our reinforced gates? And even if they are more, only something as high as 50 000 skeletons could inflict significant damages to our city. And there is no way such a high number of undead could stay unnoticed, isn''t it, Guild Master?"


    Trying to both calm the servant and reduce the impact of hearing such a large force outside the walls of Archet, the Mayor gained the nod of the Guild Master and the captain of the guards. Even if it would be very complicated to defend against such a horde, it was still possible to contain the threat beyond the walls. But unfortunately for him, the sweating man wasn''t really looking any better.


    "My lord ¡­ the adventurers, they ¡­ they talked about sixty ¡­ gulp ¡­ thousands of undead!"


    The smiles of everyone froze in an unnatural way. Inside their minds, only that terrifying number was resonating, again and again. 60 000. "WHAT?!! HOW!??" The previously calm and confident leader leaped from his chair and began to walk toward the servant. Disregarding any customs and procedures, he grabbed the other party and began to shake him violently. "TELL ME HOW?"


    "I-I-I DON-DON-DON-T-T-T KN-KN-KN-OW-OW-OW!!!" After hearing this, he let go, leading the unfortunate servant to fell brutally on his back. Not even letting out a single sound of pain, he could only see the rock that was supposed to protect them look extremely vulnerable.


    "Those bastards, Mayor, let me hunt those rats before the undead arrive. Lying like that after we uphold our part of the deal is just courting death. I am certain that I can catch them in les¡­"


    He didn''t finish his sentence, seeing the raised hand of the Mayor. Looking at the Guild Master, he saw him with a pale complexion, pondering about the current situation. Just a few minutes before entering the room, the three of them received an envoy of the White Hand. Because it was in their interest that Archet survived and was not damaged, the envoy of the criminal organization proceeded to sell all the information about the group of undead at an extremely low price.


    After all those years in charge of the city, it was not the first time that one of them had to talk or discuss with either the White Hand or the Black Gauntlet. And because the price was really low and the information seemed really accurate, they let the envoy leave with what he asked. It was the complete information of all the movements and actions of the two new adventurers. As for why the Organization sought this, none of them dared to ask. Because there was nothing that was directly hurting the two strangers, the transaction happened without any incident.


    But now, everything changed. From the mouth of the envoy, an army composed of two liches, twenty ghouls and nearly 19 000 skeletons and 1 000 zombies would arrive at the last hour of the day, right before dusk. However, the number of monsters was already not the right amount, so what about the rest. What could have been an entire day of preparations could maybe be even less, there could be even more liches, more ghouls. And they were certain that no adventurers could match the efficiency at gathering information of the White Hand.


    "No. We are dealing with something far more dangerous than expected. Not a single man will be wasted at chasing phantoms. Prepare the troops, without any additional news, the army will arrive at noon. We barely have six hours and I prefer to be pessimistic this time. Guild Master, we will have to increase the incentive. Double every reward but do not talk about the number of monsters present. That rule is applied to everyone here. Because so many people had to transmit the information, it is impossible to prevent it from spreading. But do your utmost at reducing the threat. For most, the difference between 60 000 and 40 000 isn''t easy to see."


    The two men bowed and left without a word the room. They will both have a lot to do before the siege happened. Before leaving, the Guild Master couldn''t help but look at Meridiana, not really knowing if he should bring the two out or not. But since the Mayor didn''t say so, he didn''t make any move.


    "Now gentlemen, I know you are afraid. I know that you never thought that something like that will ever happen in your life. I know that all of you are probably thinking about two different things. However, I have to remind you that those two wishful thoughts will have all of us killed, you included."


    The Mayor was walking around the room, his speech only broken by the sounds of his steps. He could see what everyone was thinking, their faces already behaved like an open book. To be truthful, he felt the same as them. However, because he was far less free than anyone would think he was, he couldn''t leave. He was bound to this city, and if the city was destroyed, he had no hope of ever surviving. Even if it was a Republic, no one would keep a failure like him afterward. Like the captain of a ship, he will have to sink with it.


    "First of all, you think about leaving Archet, run as far as possible. The moment you step outside this room, you contact your servants, tell them to prepare all the wealth and artifacts you kept well hidden inside your manors. While the population is unaware of the threat, you use this opportunity to silently slip up and leave unnoticed. Even if I am certain that you would do such a thing reluctantly, leaving the city that let you grew, married, prospered, with your family around you, it would be better than death."


    Some couldn''t help but nod at this idea. Even if they will end up as outsiders in another city, it was better to be alive and scorned than completely dead.


    "But of course, that is if you survive. Not like the many citizens that tried to escape, only to vanish without a sound. And if previously, the merchants and adventurers were spared, I don''t think that''s necessarily the case anymore. As for last, the gates are already closed by now. Before the council even began, the orders were passed. No one leaves Archet anymore."


    The Mayor remained unperturbed by the bunch of elders that were screaming at him. They could curse him to die a thousand times, he wouldn''t care either. Because they still had the other option.


    "Next, you would behave like a turtle outside water. Hiding inside your shell, not daring to even let a single batch of skin outside of your fortress. With all those years, I know that a large amount of adventurers is secretly under your orders. Greed is inside the heart of every human. And in this dark time, instead of letting those experienced warriors fight side by side with the guards, you will ask them to protect you. There are still quite a few teams of grade N and M around here, easily capable of handling a few hundreds of undead with the protection of your manors."


    He still insisted on the word, hundreds, making those that were still silent shudder. It was at that time that they realized, they were facing an extremely important army. It was even more than half of the regular army of the Republic of Avenio. But the latter was currently spread around the three Gates of the desolate mountains and in the West. None were close enough to reinforce them before at least 2 days or so. Seeing that he had managed to convince everyone of how perilous the situation was, he dismissed the old bunch.


    He had done everything he could, not even looking back, he grabbed a bottle of wine. It came from Genablum, and even if they were technically enemies, he managed to put his hand on it. Since it could be the last time he enjoyed such a thing, why not drink it. Remembering that the servant still hadn''t left, he released him, without even looking at him.


    "You can go now, Helmut."


    "Yes, my lord." The latter couldn''t help but look at the two strangers still in the room, but it was not up to him to know what someone else was thinking. Closing the doors behind him, only three beings still remained. Because they were completely silent while immobile, even with such strange armors, they could appreciate the little song the human in front of them was humming while pouring the expensive liquor in his glass. They couldn''t recognize it without the lyrics, but it looked very solemn and sad. Maybe because he was drinking alone, but he raised a bit his voice, allowing the two strangers to barely hear it.


    "¡­ have come to kill me and my kin, to set this blessed lands to blaze.


    Is it my fault? Am I this weak? Why no one can stand against them, even your pope?


    Blessed Aria, what are our sins? For you to let your virtuous believers ...


    Hum? What are you two still doing here?"

 94 Two Living Liches

    To this question, no answer was provided. In reality, Meridiana wanted to leave with the group of nobles and merchants, but they were not sure that they were truly dismissed. But at this point, only an idiot would not understand that they were truly forgotten. Sighing once more at the fact that they were always in that kind of a situation since they first arrived in this city, she only looked at the Mayor, her eyes filled with disappointment.


    "Oh, well, forgive me for forgetting the main topic of this council. You didn''t even have the time to explain anything to the rest before this madness appeared. I only hope that you will provide your strength to Archet. I and all its citizens will be immensely grateful to have such powerful people protecting them."


    Even when he was talking to them, his voice didn''t change at all. Whether he was facing nobles or commoners, the Mayor never spoke haughtily at anyone. Otherwise, he wouldn''t have conserved his position for so many years. Only when he was alone, or when he thought he was, did his calm and respectful tone turned into something else. Like he was previously when he was humming that song.


    Recalling that event, his face flushed with embarrassment, but it only lasted during a blink of an eye. And since the two others were neither speaking or moving at all, the Mayor was a bit perturbed. Anyone normal would have understood that his praise and demand needed an answer or at least a reaction. "It was a basic courtesy, from which deep hole of this planet did those two came from?" Remembering that even the White Hand didn''t manage to find a lot on them, he decided that it was fine anyway. Until they betrayed them and attacked them, he will consider the two strange armors as allies.


    "If you have any questions, you can ask the Guild Master. I am certain that he will use your abilities to the best and not belittle you or undermine you. Don''t worry about the rewards, Archet will not let anyone that worked at its defense to be unrewarded. That''s it, you can go."


    Seeing Davion and Meridiana both bowing at him and beginning to leave, the Mayor finally could enjoy his drink alone. Right before they closed the doors, he felt that the Black Gauntlet could already be on their tails and from the reports of the Guild Master, losing those two would be extremely detrimental for their survival.


    "Stop ¡­ wait a second."


    Meridiana reopened the door and looked at the human in front of them. This fickle con-man would be capable of selling snow to an ice troll if he had the occasion. With him in charge, it would be impossible for Gwendoline to gain anything and his death was already planned. Otherwise, whatever will happen afterward would be firmly controlled by this human.


    "What did you do to the White Hand? Someone came looking after you."


    "Nothing."


    The young and sweet voice of Meridiana matched her face and took the Mayor slightly by surprise. He wondered if she was truly a human or another race similar but with a higher life expectancy, otherwise, how could she be that powerful. Slightly tilting his head to look at her more carefully, he saw nothing that could not belong to a human. As for her companion, he was so ugly that it was apparent that he was either a troll or something alike.


    "I see. If it is the case, be more careful about your backs. Monsters won''t be your only problem if I am right. That adventurer''s group you beat down; they will probably come back after you to test the waters. That''s all I can do for you."


    He was suspicious about the fact that they truly did nothing toward any branches of the Organization, but it was also true that the latter targeted any peculiar people without any distinction. However, the moment someone entered their radar meant that they will have to either work with them or against them. Even if it seemed radical to only deal with absolutes, it was the way those criminals worked. Nobody that had the power, intelligence or charisma to threaten them will be allowed to roam freely any human kingdoms.


    "Thank you, Mayor." Meridiana bowed and left without any additional words. Turning around, she saw Gwendoline smiling at her and the group left the City Hall without any other incident. Maybe because they were looking at those humans or they relapsed their vigilance, but no one noticed the extremely thin and barely perceptible trace of mana behind a tableau hanging on the wall, near the room they left. Nor the dark silhouette that silently grabbed it and left without making any sound or being seen.


    Far away from the human city, on a nearby plain, an immense amount of skeletons and zombies were currently looking at the two liches that were constantly pestering at each other. It had already been the third time that the army stopped because the argument was getting too heated. A skeleton inside the army was constantly shaking its head and squeezing the two empty orbits where its eyes should have been. He was the only undead moving, excepting the two liches.


    For avoiding to be traced by anybody or anything, Malakov had the initially brilliant idea to not use any souls that he or Leilade captured and trained but something coming from this planet. Namely, the female elf and the male human that were spying at them with the ratman. With all those days at his disposal, he managed to wipe out most of their memories and inscribed the fact that they hated all living beings. Right before letting them march toward Archet, he was quite proud of his work, but to still be without worries, he planted a spy. He never expected them to behave so ¡­ humanely.


    Because they were originally some normal living beings, a certain procedure had to be accomplished before turning them into true undead. Unlike those that were naturally born like that. Even in death, there were different kinds of beings. Dozens of different classifications existed and every hundred of year, a new one was created because they encountered something new. But for easier understanding, three main groups were defined.


    The first one is the basic and mindless one. They are created by a superior undead like a lich or created by an unnatural environment but don''t have a real soul. In that case, the first question would be how could they move if they don''t have any muscles or their bones are not even really tied together? The answer was mana. Either the environment or the lich provided mana that allowed those mindless creatures to move and accomplish a basic task.


    At the same time, for a skeleton that is conceived without any external help, why would he hate living beings? Only a few special locations can accomplish this feat, and nearly all of them are battlegrounds were armies were slaughtering each other. All the baleful emotions, hate, fear, anger, sorrow and such that are naturally present during those dark times are deeply rooted inside the very soil. So, when an amass of mana find a skeleton and give birth to an undead, the latter gain those emotions. It''s not that it hates all living beings, in truth it hates everything. It''s just that it recognizes his peers and won''t attack them. In the same logic, the lich spread its dark emotions inside its minions.


    Without any supply of mana, the undead will naturally crumble on itself. Diverse spells and technologies could cut that connection, and most of the times, when someone spoke of a holy spell that could kill a skeleton, it was just that it cut the undead from the mana that sustained it. Of course, sometimes, it was just a ray of light so powerful that it destroyed the body, but it was quite wasteful.


    Finally, the more decomposed the undead was, the higher the demand for mana was. In other words, if the mana was infinite, only destroying all the limbs until it turned into dust would truly kill the undead. If the amount of mana was pitiful, just beheading it could make it crumble. Of course, since none of them had any souls or emotions, they wouldn''t even care if they lost a limb or were seconds away of extermination.


    The second type of undead was the same as those two liches that were still fighting each other. They had a soul, and most importantly a mana core inside their bodies. It was both an advantage and a fatal weakness. Only by destroying the mana core would such an undead die, but at the same time, even if the core was extracted from its main body, the soul will not be destroyed. Meaning that some funny situations did happen across all the planets. Funny for Malakov of course.


    For example, a lich core was protected for so many years that it was in the end forgotten. Looking at the gem that was dirty and covered by dust, they only thought of it like a jewel. It was later inserted inside a necklace. The day the woman wearing it died was the day for the lich to be reborn. Using her body as a catalyst, the lich managed to destroy the entire kingdom and took its revenge. Thinking about that, Malakov tried to remember its name. Was it something like Kelops? Phelet?


    "Why are we going this direction? Why are we going right? Why not going left?"


    "Because I chose it, I chose right. I am an elf ¡­ a lich elf ¡­ a lich ¡­ something andI chose right!"


    "Well, I am an huma ¡­ lich too ¡­ and I say we go left!"


    "Right!"


    "Left!"


    Who would have thought that the two actually deeply hated each other? Because they only had access to their memories to prevent their soul of collapsing, they only saw cordial interactions between the elf and the human. But the moment Malakov left the two together, they began bickering for anything. The more they did this, the more he had to manually tamper their minds to make sure they followed his road.


    Unfortunately, by doing so, the previously sealed memories were sometimes leaking, like right now where the two instinctively said their races, but only remembered their current condition after a few seconds. The only good thing that did happen was when they first met a group of soldiers. The two liches instantly attacked them without even asking a question beforehand. Meaning that his training did have some qualities.


    "Right!"


    "Left!"


    "RI ¡­"


    "Le ¡­"


    Shutting down the two morons, he once again temporarily took control over their bodies and mind and the army began to march toward Archet once more. At this point, and after looking at the sun that was high in the sky, he felt that he would need to do that at least one more time. And with a bit of luck, they will arrive a few hours before dusk. If only they hadn''t stop for so long, and he hadn''t been reluctant at fixing the problem quickly.


    "Well, it doesn''t matter anyway" They had voluntarily pumped up the number of skeletons just to make the defense even more heroic. However, half of the undead will crumble after just a single arrow hit them. There was no way for liches like those two to manage and provide mana to such a large army. Otherwise, undead across the entire universe would have already conquered each planet.


    "Why does your side have more zombies than mine? I want some zombies too."


    "Hahaha, that''s because I am better than you. You only have skeletons, look at those three zombies."


    "Shut up, give me my zombies."


    "They held for one minute." The only intelligent skeleton in the entire plain was mindlessly looking at his two white feet while trying not to think too hard about the rest.

 92 We are out of beta we releasing on time

    Everyone looked shocked after hearing such words, especially since it was a few moments after dawn. Who among them would have expected that a horde of undead would march under the sunlight to attack them and not behave like normal monsters and use the cover of the night? From her point of view, Meridiana could enjoy the plethora of emotions painted on the faces of the humans in front of her. Diverse nuances of fear and panic, some even had terror visible in their eyes, and only a few were still relatively calm.


    For the men belonging to the latter group, it was easy to spot them. Neither the Mayor nor the captain of the guards or the Guild Master showed any surprise like they already knew that it will happen. Tilting her head a bit while thinking, she guessed that maybe the adventurers were not the quickest at transmitting the information. But if they were not, who would be?


    "Gentlemen, gentlemen. Please, behave yourselves. Can a mere group of undead truly make you act like a headless chicken?" The firm voice of the head of this small kingdom resonated across the room, making the rest remember both their status and the location they were in. If some were slightly angered by such a crude choice of words, most were embarrassed.


    "That''s better. They only said that they saw an army, but we haven''t heard a single thing about their numbers. Do I have to remind you that our strong city was built on the premise of resisting anything that could descend from those mountains? Or something even worst, breach the southern frontiers and come from the Fallen Kingdom? That''s also without counting the adventurers inside our walls, all more experienced at dealing with monsters and capable of unleashing the best of the abilities of our mighty garrison. I am asking you this question, do we really have to fear this?"


    Even if he was getting older and older as time passed, it was no wonder why it had been so many years without a change of leadership. The Mayor was constantly smiling as he talked, not a kind one, but the type that one could see on the face of a general winning the war. Confident, sure of his abilities and without a single trace of fear. The murmurs of acknowledgment and the relative calm that followed his declaration proved his great capability at handling the wealthy and the powerful.


    "That''s true, my family paid a huge price following the end of the Age of Darkness, to help build this city. There is no way that it will crumble in front of mere undead."


    "Mine too. Everyone doubting those walls would be doubting the honor of the Elritch."


    "And the honor of my family too."


    Nearly half of the board was composed of aristocratic families, and all of them looked down at their neighbours that weren''t part of them. Those loud taunting both appeased them and displeased the numerous merchants and commoners that didn''t necessarily relied on their families to achieve their goals. At the same time, looking at so many of those old men getting more and more confident after remembering that their families played a part at constructing Archet, they could only think the same.


    By the time the room was once calmer, a few minutes had passed. The only people that didn''t move or even looked pleased was both Meridiana and Davion, and the servant that barged inside the room. The more smiles the unfortunate human saw, the more he was sweating. Realizing his condition, the eyes of the Mayor flashed of incertitude. He already received all he had to know about the army, and while it seemed that 20 000 undead was a lot, they were almost entirely just skeletons and zombies, presenting barely any threat to the huge walls of Archet.


    "Helmut, do you have anything else to say? The adventurers probably reported a huge number of skeletons and zombies, but fear not. Even if it something as high as 25 000 of undead, what can they truly do against our mighty walls? Our reinforced gates? And even if they are more, only something as high as 50 000 skeletons could inflict significant damages to our city. And there is no way such a high number of undead could stay unnoticed, isn''t it, Guild Master?"


    Trying to both calm the servant and reduce the impact of hearing such a large force outside the walls of Archet, the Mayor gained the nod of the Guild Master and the captain of the guards. Even if it would be very complicated to defend against such a horde, it was still possible to contain the threat beyond the walls. But unfortunately for him, the sweating man wasn''t really looking any better.


    "My lord ¡­ the adventurers, they ¡­ they talked about sixty ¡­ gulp ¡­ thousands of undead!"


    The smiles of everyone froze in an unnatural way. Inside their minds, only that terrifying number was resonating, again and again. 60 000. "WHAT?!! HOW!??" The previously calm and confident leader leaped from his chair and began to walk toward the servant. Disregarding any customs and procedures, he grabbed the other party and began to shake him violently. "TELL ME HOW?"


    "I-I-I DON-DON-DON-T-T-T KN-KN-KN-OW-OW-OW!!!" After hearing this, he let go, leading the unfortunate servant to fell brutally on his back. Not even letting out a single sound of pain, he could only see the rock that was supposed to protect them look extremely vulnerable.


    "Those bastards, Mayor, let me hunt those rats before the undead arrive. Lying like that after we uphold our part of the deal is just courting death. I am certain that I can catch them in les¡­"


    He didn''t finish his sentence, seeing the raised hand of the Mayor. Looking at the Guild Master, he saw him with a pale complexion, pondering about the current situation. Just a few minutes before entering the room, the three of them received an envoy of the White Hand. Because it was in their interest that Archet survived and was not damaged, the envoy of the criminal organization proceeded to sell all the information about the group of undead at an extremely low price.


    After all those years in charge of the city, it was not the first time that one of them had to talk or discuss with either the White Hand or the Black Gauntlet. And because the price was really low and the information seemed really accurate, they let the envoy leave with what he asked. It was the complete information of all the movements and actions of the two new adventurers. As for why the Organization sought this, none of them dared to ask. Because there was nothing that was directly hurting the two strangers, the transaction happened without any incident.


    But now, everything changed. From the mouth of the envoy, an army composed of two liches, twenty ghouls and nearly 19 000 skeletons and 1 000 zombies would arrive at the last hour of the day, right before dusk. However, the number of monsters was already not the right amount, so what about the rest. What could have been an entire day of preparations could maybe be even less, there could be even more liches, more ghouls. And they were certain that no adventurers could match the efficiency at gathering information of the White Hand.


    "No. We are dealing with something far more dangerous than expected. Not a single man will be wasted at chasing phantoms. Prepare the troops, without any additional news, the army will arrive at noon. We barely have six hours and I prefer to be pessimistic this time. Guild Master, we will have to increase the incentive. Double every reward but do not talk about the number of monsters present. That rule is applied to everyone here. Because so many people had to transmit the information, it is impossible to prevent it from spreading. But do your utmost at reducing the threat. For most, the difference between 60 000 and 40 000 isn''t easy to see."


    The two men bowed and left without a word the room. They will both have a lot to do before the siege happened. Before leaving, the Guild Master couldn''t help but look at Meridiana, not really knowing if he should bring the two out or not. But since the Mayor didn''t say so, he didn''t make any move.


    "Now gentlemen, I know you are afraid. I know that you never thought that something like that will ever happen in your life. I know that all of you are probably thinking about two different things. However, I have to remind you that those two wishful thoughts will have all of us killed, you included."


    The Mayor was walking around the room, his speech only broken by the sounds of his steps. He could see what everyone was thinking, their faces already behaved like an open book. To be truthful, he felt the same as them. However, because he was far less free than anyone would think he was, he couldn''t leave. He was bound to this city, and if the city was destroyed, he had no hope of ever surviving. Even if it was a Republic, no one would keep a failure like him afterward. Like the captain of a ship, he will have to sink with it.


    "First of all, you think about leaving Archet, run as far as possible. The moment you step outside this room, you contact your servants, tell them to prepare all the wealth and artifacts you kept well hidden inside your manors. While the population is unaware of the threat, you use this opportunity to silently slip up and leave unnoticed. Even if I am certain that you would do such a thing reluctantly, leaving the city that let you grew, married, prospered, with your family around you, it would be better than death."


    Some couldn''t help but nod at this idea. Even if they will end up as outsiders in another city, it was better to be alive and scorned than completely dead.


    "But of course, that is if you survive. Not like the many citizens that tried to escape, only to vanish without a sound. And if previously, the merchants and adventurers were spared, I don''t think that''s necessarily the case anymore. As for last, the gates are already closed by now. Before the council even began, the orders were passed. No one leaves Archet anymore."


    The Mayor remained unperturbed by the bunch of elders that were screaming at him. They could curse him to die a thousand times, he wouldn''t care either. Because they still had the other option.


    "Next, you would behave like a turtle outside water. Hiding inside your shell, not daring to even let a single batch of skin outside of your fortress. With all those years, I know that a large amount of adventurers is secretly under your orders. Greed is inside the heart of every human. And in this dark time, instead of letting those experienced warriors fight side by side with the guards, you will ask them to protect you. There are still quite a few teams of grade N and M around here, easily capable of handling a few hundreds of undead with the protection of your manors."


    He still insisted on the word, hundreds, making those that were still silent shudder. It was at that time that they realized, they were facing an extremely important army. It was even more than half of the regular army of the Republic of Avenio. But the latter was currently spread around the three Gates of the desolate mountains and in the West. None were close enough to reinforce them before at least 2 days or so. Seeing that he had managed to convince everyone of how perilous the situation was, he dismissed the old bunch.


    He had done everything he could, not even looking back, he grabbed a bottle of wine. It came from Genablum, and even if they were technically enemies, he managed to put his hand on it. Since it could be the last time he enjoyed such a thing, why not drink it. Remembering that the servant still hadn''t left, he released him, without even looking at him.


    "You can go now, Helmut."


    "Yes, my lord." The latter couldn''t help but look at the two strangers still in the room, but it was not up to him to know what someone else was thinking. Closing the doors behind him, only three beings still remained. Because they were completely silent while immobile, even with such strange armors, they could appreciate the little song the human in front of them was humming while pouring the expensive liquor in his glass. They couldn''t recognize it without the lyrics, but it looked very solemn and sad. Maybe because he was drinking alone, but he raised a bit his voice, allowing the two strangers to barely hear it.


    "¡­ have come to kill me and my kin, to set this blessed lands to blaze.


    Is it my fault? Am I this weak? Why no one can stand against them, even your pope?


    Blessed Aria, what are our sins? For you to let your virtuous believers ...


    Hum? What are you two still doing here?"

 93 Two Living Liches

    To this question, no answer was provided. In reality, Meridiana wanted to leave with the group of nobles and merchants, but they were not sure that they were truly dismissed. But at this point, only an idiot would not understand that they were truly forgotten. Sighing once more at the fact that they were always in that kind of a situation since they first arrived in this city, she only looked at the Mayor, her eyes filled with disappointment.


    "Oh, well, forgive me for forgetting the main topic of this council. You didn''t even have the time to explain anything to the rest before this madness appeared. I only hope that you will provide your strength to Archet. I and all its citizens will be immensely grateful to have such powerful people protecting them."


    Even when he was talking to them, his voice didn''t change at all. Whether he was facing nobles or commoners, the Mayor never spoke haughtily at anyone. Otherwise, he wouldn''t have conserved his position for so many years. Only when he was alone, or when he thought he was, did his calm and respectful tone turned into something else. Like he was previously when he was humming that song.


    Recalling that event, his face flushed with embarrassment, but it only lasted during a blink of an eye. And since the two others were neither speaking or moving at all, the Mayor was a bit perturbed. Anyone normal would have understood that his praise and demand needed an answer or at least a reaction. "It was a basic courtesy, from which deep hole of this planet did those two came from?" Remembering that even the White Hand didn''t manage to find a lot on them, he decided that it was fine anyway. Until they betrayed them and attacked them, he will consider the two strange armors as allies.


    "If you have any questions, you can ask the Guild Master. I am certain that he will use your abilities to the best and not belittle you or undermine you. Don''t worry about the rewards, Archet will not let anyone that worked at its defense to be unrewarded. That''s it, you can go."


    Seeing Davion and Meridiana both bowing at him and beginning to leave, the Mayor finally could enjoy his drink alone. Right before they closed the doors, he felt that the Black Gauntlet could already be on their tails and from the reports of the Guild Master, losing those two would be extremely detrimental for their survival.


    "Stop ¡­ wait a second."


    Meridiana reopened the door and looked at the human in front of them. This fickle con-man would be capable of selling snow to an ice troll if he had the occasion. With him in charge, it would be impossible for Gwendoline to gain anything and his death was already planned. Otherwise, whatever will happen afterward would be firmly controlled by this human.


    "What did you do to the White Hand? Someone came looking after you."


    "Nothing."


    The young and sweet voice of Meridiana matched her face and took the Mayor slightly by surprise. He wondered if she was truly a human or another race similar but with a higher life expectancy, otherwise, how could she be that powerful. Slightly tilting his head to look at her more carefully, he saw nothing that could not belong to a human. As for her companion, he was so ugly that it was apparent that he was either a troll or something alike.


    "I see. If it is the case, be more careful about your backs. Monsters won''t be your only problem if I am right. That adventurer''s group you beat down; they will probably come back after you to test the waters. That''s all I can do for you."


    He was suspicious about the fact that they truly did nothing toward any branches of the Organization, but it was also true that the latter targeted any peculiar people without any distinction. However, the moment someone entered their radar meant that they will have to either work with them or against them. Even if it seemed radical to only deal with absolutes, it was the way those criminals worked. Nobody that had the power, intelligence or charisma to threaten them will be allowed to roam freely any human kingdoms.


    "Thank you, Mayor." Meridiana bowed and left without any additional words. Turning around, she saw Gwendoline smiling at her and the group left the City Hall without any other incident. Maybe because they were looking at those humans or they relapsed their vigilance, but no one noticed the extremely thin and barely perceptible trace of mana behind a tableau hanging on the wall, near the room they left. Nor the dark silhouette that silently grabbed it and left without making any sound or being seen.


    Far away from the human city, on a nearby plain, an immense amount of skeletons and zombies were currently looking at the two liches that were constantly pestering at each other. It had already been the third time that the army stopped because the argument was getting too heated. A skeleton inside the army was constantly shaking its head and squeezing the two empty orbits where its eyes should have been. He was the only undead moving, excepting the two liches.


    For avoiding to be traced by anybody or anything, Malakov had the initially brilliant idea to not use any souls that he or Leilade captured and trained but something coming from this planet. Namely, the female elf and the male human that were spying at them with the ratman. With all those days at his disposal, he managed to wipe out most of their memories and inscribed the fact that they hated all living beings. Right before letting them march toward Archet, he was quite proud of his work, but to still be without worries, he planted a spy. He never expected them to behave so ¡­ humanely.


    Because they were originally some normal living beings, a certain procedure had to be accomplished before turning them into true undead. Unlike those that were naturally born like that. Even in death, there were different kinds of beings. Dozens of different classifications existed and every hundred of year, a new one was created because they encountered something new. But for easier understanding, three main groups were defined.


    The first one is the basic and mindless one. They are created by a superior undead like a lich or created by an unnatural environment but don''t have a real soul. In that case, the first question would be how could they move if they don''t have any muscles or their bones are not even really tied together? The answer was mana. Either the environment or the lich provided mana that allowed those mindless creatures to move and accomplish a basic task.


    At the same time, for a skeleton that is conceived without any external help, why would he hate living beings? Only a few special locations can accomplish this feat, and nearly all of them are battlegrounds were armies were slaughtering each other. All the baleful emotions, hate, fear, anger, sorrow and such that are naturally present during those dark times are deeply rooted inside the very soil. So, when an amass of mana find a skeleton and give birth to an undead, the latter gain those emotions. It''s not that it hates all living beings, in truth it hates everything. It''s just that it recognizes his peers and won''t attack them. In the same logic, the lich spread its dark emotions inside its minions.


    Without any supply of mana, the undead will naturally crumble on itself. Diverse spells and technologies could cut that connection, and most of the times, when someone spoke of a holy spell that could kill a skeleton, it was just that it cut the undead from the mana that sustained it. Of course, sometimes, it was just a ray of light so powerful that it destroyed the body, but it was quite wasteful.


    Finally, the more decomposed the undead was, the higher the demand for mana was. In other words, if the mana was infinite, only destroying all the limbs until it turned into dust would truly kill the undead. If the amount of mana was pitiful, just beheading it could make it crumble. Of course, since none of them had any souls or emotions, they wouldn''t even care if they lost a limb or were seconds away of extermination.


    The second type of undead was the same as those two liches that were still fighting each other. They had a soul, and most importantly a mana core inside their bodies. It was both an advantage and a fatal weakness. Only by destroying the mana core would such an undead die, but at the same time, even if the core was extracted from its main body, the soul will not be destroyed. Meaning that some funny situations did happen across all the planets. Funny for Malakov of course.


    For example, a lich core was protected for so many years that it was in the end forgotten. Looking at the gem that was dirty and covered by dust, they only thought of it like a jewel. It was later inserted inside a necklace. The day the woman wearing it died was the day for the lich to be reborn. Using her body as a catalyst, the lich managed to destroy the entire kingdom and took its revenge. Thinking about that, Malakov tried to remember its name. Was it something like Kelops? Phelet?


    "Why are we going this direction? Why are we going right? Why not going left?"


    "Because I chose it, I chose right. I am an elf ¡­ a lich elf ¡­ a lich ¡­ something andI chose right!"


    "Well, I am an huma ¡­ lich too ¡­ and I say we go left!"


    "Right!"


    "Left!"


    Who would have thought that the two actually deeply hated each other? Because they only had access to their memories to prevent their soul of collapsing, they only saw cordial interactions between the elf and the human. But the moment Malakov left the two together, they began bickering for anything. The more they did this, the more he had to manually tamper their minds to make sure they followed his road.


    Unfortunately, by doing so, the previously sealed memories were sometimes leaking, like right now where the two instinctively said their races, but only remembered their current condition after a few seconds. The only good thing that did happen was when they first met a group of soldiers. The two liches instantly attacked them without even asking a question beforehand. Meaning that his training did have some qualities.


    "Right!"


    "Left!"


    "RI ¡­"


    "Le ¡­"


    Shutting down the two morons, he once again temporarily took control over their bodies and mind and the army began to march toward Archet once more. At this point, and after looking at the sun that was high in the sky, he felt that he would need to do that at least one more time. And with a bit of luck, they will arrive a few hours before dusk. If only they hadn''t stop for so long, and he hadn''t been reluctant at fixing the problem quickly.


    "Well, it doesn''t matter anyway" They had voluntarily pumped up the number of skeletons just to make the defense even more heroic. However, half of the undead will crumble after just a single arrow hit them. There was no way for liches like those two to manage and provide mana to such a large army. Otherwise, undead across the entire universe would have already conquered each planet.


    "Why does your side have more zombies than mine? I want some zombies too."


    "Hahaha, that''s because I am better than you. You only have skeletons, look at those three zombies."


    "Shut up, give me my zombies."


    "They held for one minute." The only intelligent skeleton in the entire plain was mindlessly looking at his two white feet while trying not to think too hard about the rest.

 94 A Brewing Storm

    "Did you hear what is happening right now? Every guard and adventurer have fearful faces, and I even saw some merchants waving their arms like some headless chicken."


    "WHAT? You still don''t know? Let me tell you, my son is a guard in the North Gate and he told me ¡­"


    "¡­ and apparently, one hundred thousands of undead are approaching!!"


    "100 000!!! That''s impossible"


    "¡­ 30 000, I am telling you, no more than 30 000 skeletons are approaching. Anyone that is telling a higher number is either dumb or a liar. You know me, my father is the main treasurer of Archet. There is no reason to worry, the walls will protect ¡­"


    As they walked in the street, they could feel the fervor that seemingly everyone had embraced. Children weren''t playing anymore but where tightly gripping the legs of their parents, scared by the behavior of the surrounding adults. Nearly all the different stalls were closed and many peddlers were surrounding them, in some heated debates. In this day, no one had the will to happily shop.


    Funnily enough, even the usual petty thieves and beggars were weirdly absent from such a huge crowd. For the usual humans, they wouldn''t be able to spot them or even notice the many traces that were invisible to the unknowing eyes. But inside the dark alleys that led to the poor area of the city, mutes were arguing against one-legged men that were standing on their two feet. To their despair, the ongoing disaster that plagued their homes didn''t stop, it only grew worse.


    Too many families were randomly targeted by those dark monsters that were lurking inside the night, and now, an army will besiege the city. If it had been anything else than some undead, they wouldn''t have been so concerned and their entire gangs would have left without making any sound. But now, they knew that trying to leave would only result in their death, making them really scared. At the same time, many thought of this as an occasion to cast aside their old self and begin an entirely new life.


    No one had their hands entirely clean, meaning that everyone had at least some skills at fighting another human. Even if it wouldn''t amount to a lot on a normal occasion, they had already managed to extract the truth from the lies that were spreading like a fire in summer inside Archet. As for who told them that, well, as the Mayor had many dealings with the White Hand, many wealthy families had a dark side hidden from the eyes of the public.


    This time, whether they wanted it or not, they knew that they will not be able to leisurely wait for the end of the conflict without even lifting a finger. If the grunts and low ranked subordinates were arguing about that in a small group, under the scorching sun, those that had real power were no better. Inside a room without any windows and a few meters under the ground, their fears were awfully similar compared to those under them.


    Maybe because they had tasted the sentiment of greatness before, but most were inclined to help the local garrison at all cost. Previously, they were considered the scummiest reject of mankind, mere defects of the society only busy at stealing the possessions of someone else. And while it was completely true, they were fine with their lack of conscience. But recently, that last week, they felt how many people had relied on them to survive.


    While those monsters hunted those that were cast aside and left to rot in the dark corners of the city, only the numerous gangs were originally roaming in the night to protect them. The number of patrols of the guard was increased, but they seldom entered deeply the poor area. It gave a sense of security for the rest of the city, but for those that were neighbors of the victims, they didn''t feel the same way.


    The sentiment of being looked upon in such a favorable way was like a drug for those men. They already had most of what they wanted. Money, power, women. But when an innocent little girl offered an apple to one of them, while looking at adoration to the man that was protecting her and her family, he felt it. They were previously as popular as a disease, making everyone run away in fear and locking themselves in their homes. But now, they were just ¡­ humans.


    Of course, not even Meridiana or the Mayor could have predicted that. She was currently watching a single human trying to convince a far greedier crowd to fight for the city. Namely, the adventurers. Of course, there was always a few idealists and optimists that didn''t need anything to give up their lives for an empty belief. Most of that group were rookies that would barely help at anything except moving water, rations and equipment.


    As weird as it was, adventurers rarely had living families waiting for them. It was usual to see couples inside the same group of adventurers, but that couple would only retire together. And most descendants of those former adventurers were firmly forbidden to ever act as recklessly as their parents. After knowing far too well the dangers and risks that this type of work had, what kind of parent would deliberately encourage their own children to be an adventurer?


    Contrarily to what they would have expected, the number of people surrounding the Guild was not very high. Trying to remember it, Meridiana even guessed that there were fewer people right in front of her than when she pummelled to the ground that stupid group of morons. After all, she fought right after dawn and the immense ruckus that she made make everyone come closer in curiosity. Nearly everyone was still inside Archet, and even if they were very early in the morning, it was not impossible for some groups to have already left to partake in a mission they took the day before.


    Acting like some foreign observers, both she and Davion only looked from afar to see the numerous receptionists and cadres trying desperately to appease and incite the crowd to fight for the city. Raising the prices for each monster killed or even creating special bounties after a certain number of skeletons was killed. All those incentives were not only funded by the Guild, but the treasurers of the city were also present to confirm that Archet will not let anyone feel wronged.


    Following this, the numerous blacksmiths and merchants that usually supplied the adventurers and other mercenaries were secretly prompted to do the same. Not even the families backing those shops dared to profit from this disaster, especially after knowing how dangerous the situation was. Funnily enough, if Malakov wasn''t so adamant at virtually growing the army to such a terrifying state, the inner conflicts between each power would have really impeded the defense of the city.


    In the end, numerous weapons and armors that were making every swordsman or warriors drooled but were previously inaccessible were now at a price that one could afford. In contrast with the joy displayed by those lucky adventurers, the clerks and other assistants were mourning the loss of their respective shop.


    As the two kept roaming, they stumbled upon a beautiful edifice that had a circle encircling a sun with two faces on each side on top of its bell tower. It was a temple built in honor of the gods. Even on planets that had both magic and science, it was still usual to see such beliefs spreading inside the common populace. Not even talking about the numerous leeches called gods that attached themselves upon planets to suck all the souls they could gather.


    At least, those that were protecting this world were quite active, since they played a part during the Age of Darkness. They had seen numerous beings far more coward that promptly left without even repaying all those years of survival. The name Aria that they heard the Mayor pronounced was one of those gods that were supposedly still protecting this nation. Unfortunately, she was considered the guardian of a certain country that didn''t exist anymore. Indeed, the Fallen Kingdom of Pankow was her domain.


    On the other hand, the imposing building in front of them was the one of Oslo, the two-faced god, protector of the merchants and the thieves. Quite logical for a republic to promote such a god. The only thing that neither Leilade or anyone else managed to know was whether Aria, Oslo, or any other god truly existed. At least one of them was a true god, but that was the extent of their knowledge. And they couldn''t just barge inside any cult and ask if their god was real.


    Normally, there was always someone that should be either the envoy of a god or the high priestess or priest. Those that had devoted their lives for the higher existence that fulfilled their entire lives. If they had any technologies of the Demonic Empire, they could have just directly scan every one to see if someone truly had a link with something above the atmosphere. Because everyone will tell the truth, only it would be their truth. When someone was brainwashed since their birth to believe that first of all, a god existed, and secondly, that God could talk to her, well, hallucinations were still a possibility.


    Silently entering the church, or as much as Davion could, they saw many men and women of faith comforting everyone. Nobles, commoners, guards or adventurers. Everyone fearing for their lives of the ones of those that were close to them. It was not visible from the outside, but the building had an open area in the middle, a sort of garden. It was well preserved, and it seemed to have a very positive effect on the minds of those humans. Seeing that it was all in all, just a standard edifice, neither Davion nor Meridiana had anything else to do beyond looking around.


    They just leisurely spend the rest of their times looking around and helping the guards moving numerous crates. At first, they were quite scared by the immense height of the orodil, but after seeing him do the job of five normal men, they only expressed their gratitude. In the end, they were even noticed by the officers and gradually the difficulty of their tasks was increased.


    By the time the sun was getting closer and closer to the horizon, dozens of groups of scouts came back running in panic, telling everyone to close the door. They had searched everywhere to warn those outside of the walls to reach Archet as soon as possible before the undead arrive. After counting every head, many in the garrison sighted in relief. No one had died, and the worst case scenario hadn''t happened.


    But those smiles and sentiment of joy were quickly overshadowed by the very sight of what was appearing far, far away. A single spot of white, gradually growing and growing, until it swallowed the entire ground. By now, every bell across Archet was ringing, hardening the faces of soldiers and adventurers alike. The bustling streets filled with worry and panic were deserted in a blink of an eye, every house had their door locked.


    Most of those still outside were gathered around the eastern gate, and the ramparts that should have been possible to reach were so full of guards that no one that wasn''t affiliated directly to Archet couldn''t climb it. Only a small island inside this sea of men in uniforms could be seen, surrounding the Mayor. Nearly everyone that partook in the previous council was present and soon, the orders will be transmitted after seeing precisely what was in front of them. As for negotiations and diplomacy, no one had any hope when facing undead.

 95 Seron, the captain of the guards

    Klek Klek Klek Klek


    The sound of bones hitting the malleable ground resonated across the walls like a perfect musical piece. There were only two different cadences, ringing the tempo of the march of the undead. The only reason why it was made obvious that it was not the same group that produced this sound was the fact that one was slightly delayed compared to the other. Coupled with the knowledge of two different liches, it made sense that they were not facing just a single army but two, each controlled by one superior undead.


    Nonetheless, thousands and thousands of bone feet crushing, stamping and trampling everything on its path was still a sight to behold. A terrifying one for sure, especially for the guards that were more used to fight against bandits and thugs, rarely patrolling the outskirts of the mountains. In that sense, they were most of the time used as bait, and whether the patrol was totally slaughtered or just partially indicated which group of adventurers would be qualified for the task.


    Whether the Mayor remembered that a peculiar patrol in the area where the undead should have appeared had actually gone missing was a mystery. If he knew, it would be a certainty that he would be immensely regretful for not investigating more that disappearance. At the same time, since he was oblivious of the participation of the demon commandants, that wouldn''t have produced any results, besides more death.


    Directly under him, near the ramparts, some moats were barely dug, proof that they weren''t expecting it at all. Centuries without any problems had made the city save the funds for all the external defenses, judged far too costly when not used. Even if they were relatively close geographically to the Kingdom of Massalia, they weren''t considered as such in reality. The natural defenses that were the mountains and the underground mazes were far more efficient than all the fortresses in the world.


    As for the three passages that were void of monsters, there was at least a city between those and Archet. Therefore, like all the city deep inside the territory of the Republic, its defenses and garrison were not really the best.It was a clear oversight to think that nothing will leave the mountains, but with all those years without any problems, it was human to relax and forget the threat. But the unsightly face of the Mayor clearly showed how deep was his regret. At best, the moats would be able to have a dozen skeletons to fill the hole, but what was that number in front of the gigantic army?


    "Seron, prepare the scorpions and the balistas. And make this damn ramparts trafficable, how can someone bring any additional ammunition when they are as close to each other as that."


    The Mayor angrily ordered the captain of the guards, Seron, to reinstate the order on the ramparts. At the same time, the numerous nobles and merchants felt that the time for sightseeing was done and that they should probably just hide in their manors during the crisis. For their own safety. Only the Guild Master of the adventurers stayed at the same place, not feeling concerned by the anger of the man next to him.


    Right now was the only time where they could inflict any type of damage to that sea of white bones without having to suffer any casualties. Without any words, the numerous officers spread the word and everyone that carried any sort of bows or crossbows was quickly prompted to climb the stairs. Magicians were told to save their mana for later, especially to deal with the liches. At every meter, a barrel filled with iron arrows could be seen, surrounded by quivers filled to the brim.


    Hundreds of machinery were brought from the other walls on the eastern one, and a few different types of siege weapons could be observed. Most were either balistas or scorpions, with a principle similar to the one of a crossbow. But instead of having a simple bolt that was the length of a forearm, the projectiles launched by those deadly devices were larger than the full arm of an adult. On such a plain environment, it could pierce a good amount of skeletons without any issue.


    There was also a sort of small catapult, albeit with a smaller range. It could propel a stone at more than two hundred meters away, but with slightly less strength than a complete catapult. Compared to the rest, it seemed weirdly comic, but after looking at what would be launched, no one dared to laugh. In fact, if Ymir was present, he would have already started to run away, not wanting to deal with those bombs any time soon.


    The products of the White Hand were renowned in the entire world, both for their power and their hefty price. Fortunately, the cuts of the budgets of the defense of Archet didn''t touch the stock of bombs, reaching the impressive number of 2. Coupled with the catapult, it was the perfect weapon to behead a careless leader that approached too close the ramparts. Because of both the dangerousness of the bombs and the fact that every shot had to hit, only a few were able to get close and operate the mechanism. And in that case, the heavy charge ended up on the shoulders of the Guild Master.


    Seron grabbed a magician nearby and ordered him to amplify the volume of his voice. Without caring at all about the fact that he slightly pushed the mage or his visibly angered face, the captain of the guard transmitted his last instructions.


    "LISTEN UP EVERYONE! Every officer is responsible for his part of the walls. If you still haven''t organized who will resupply the ammunition, do it now. I don''t want any unwanted elements on this wall until the undead army is close, am I clear?For those that have served with me, you know what to do. As for the rookies and new recruits, if you think what your sergeant is telling is stupid, bash your own head on the wall first and then think again. Most of them are veterans of the war with the goblins or Massalia that sought a peaceful location.They have already met such a dire situation, trust them, trust the man on your left and the man on your right."


    Seron paused for a bit, and then looked at the nearby adventurers that were already displaying the difference between them and the guards. Their nonchalance, their carelessness, their freedom.


    "As for the adventurers, the moment you step on this wall was the moment you gave me control over your life. Those brave men I talked about previously, they are all me for you. Their orders are my orders. No personal initiatives, no breaking out of the line. I will not let a single one of you endanger this city."


    The more he spoke, the bigger he seemed for those that listened to him. Contrarily to the Mayor that was capable of manipulating nobles and merchants alike, Seron would only be able to create a bigger conflict, and as such, he never implicated himself more. But since the moment he stood on those walls, the roles were reversed. He was now the highest authority in the entire city and anyone daring to confront him will be dealt with appropriately. All the holes and marks on his armor didn''t destroy his image, it only improved his aura.


    "Citizens of Archet, this is the moment of truth. You will not fear; you will not falter. You will not give a single step to the enemy. They have come for us, but the only thing they will receive is their new tombs!"


    He raised his sword as many soldiers were roaring. Seeing the state of the surroundings getting more fervent and enraged than worried and fearful made both the Mayor and the Guild Master smiled for a brief moment. If it was them speaking like that, it wouldn''t have made the same effect.The latter could have motivated the adventurers, but it will be the guards that will make the hardest sacrifice.And even if they respected his strength, he was not one of them, and that barrier couldn''t be overcome by just a few words.


    The last traces of confusion were quickly solved and soon, the first line of defense was finally armed and ready. Numerous scouts were constantly rushing toward Seron, easily dodging the careless soldiers that were still filling their quivers. Even if Archet was large enough to spread on several kilometers, the incoming army was not small either. Reports from both the northern and southern officers were talking about the fact that the sea of skeletons still reached them.


    The only saving grace was the fact that not a single undead could be seen near the West wall. But many quickly realized that there was a particularly huge issue when everything was resumed. The undead were spreading on many fronts, but even as they watched them, they couldn''t do a single thing. They were staying put at a very safe distance, slightly less than a kilometer away. Their hope of facing either two arrogant or two moronic liches was immediately crushed.


    If it had been the case, all those skeletons would have only received a single order, being to kill every living being in sight. Based on that, the humans could have used their brains and abuse the simple order to its best. Looking at his right hand that was shaking his head, the face of Seron was getting more and more impassive. The officer right next to him had participated in many campaigns near the frontier of Pankow and was probably the more knowledgeable when facing an undead army.


    Looking at the tall walls under his feet, that was the only advantage they still had. But the damages will be a lot more than first expected. At that point, even the entire city could fall, they were vastly outnumbered and even if those undead were of the lowest quality, the difference was far too wide. Approaching the mayor, he had to acknowledge the issue.


    "Mayor, it will be an uphill fight. I can no longer guarantee that the citizens of Archet will be safe as long as they don''t get near the walls. Maybe it would be best to open the gates and order the evacuate¡­"


    "Enough!" The Mayor raised his hand and several guards nearby looked at the two, wondering what they were talking about. Feeling that his voice was a bit too loud, he lowered it, only allowing a few to hear its content.


    "No one will leave this city before the walls fall. The moment an evacuation is ordered, we will lose both the support of those families and the adventurers. If the fight has a chance of being lost with them, imagine what will happen without them?No, this will not happen. I trust you for defending Archet, but let me handle the rest."


    "Yes, I understand." The minds of the two were working differently, but even Seron could pick up the hint that the Mayor gave. His only disappointment was the fact that innocents will be harmed to save the rest because by the time the retreat will be ordered, it will be too late for some. The Mayor could only sight about it. Looking at those surrounding him ready to protect their families and friends, he should have least try a bit more.


    "I guess I will have to personally make a move. Seron, hold the wall until I come back. Your request for reinforcements has been accepted." Without waiting any additional second, he left the wall, leaving the captain of the guard slightly stunned. He looked around, not knowing who else could come. There were already several personal mercenaries and warriors from many noble and wealthy families reassembled near the ramparts.


    But he couldn''t look around anymore, because two skeletons were approaching quickly the city. He could only shake his head because even right now, the liches were not taking any risks. As for what those two will speak of, he would allow it only if it was not detrimental. Actually, he was considering more and more at just destroying those two the moment they entered the range of a crossbowman.

 96 So it begins

    While they waited for the two white things to get closer, Seron discussed with both the Guild Master and his aide about the liches.


    "Right now, is it better to prolonged as much as possible the beginning of the battle or should we start right away?Can those two liches truly have such a large army without any issues on their side is what I mainly want to ask. If that''s not the case, let''s just destroy those two skeletons."


    The two people questioned took their time before answering. They already had their idea, and with a closer look at the skeletons, their worries were not irrationals. The undead didn''t seem like they were either incomplete or clumsy. Right now, they were already in the range of most scorpions, and near range of some of the best archers among the adventurers.


    "Captain, there doesn''t seem to be any issue on their side, meaning that those two liches can probably sustain their forces without any problem. That also means that the more undead we will kill, the higher the chances will be that one of the two enemies will personally start casting spells. As for assassinating them, we don''t have anyone qualified for this mission. Unless you know someone, Guild Mater?"


    The latter simply shook his head. "Waiting will be useless. I already had a very hard time convincing those men and women to fight with us, I won''t be able to promote what seems to be a suicide mission. Anyway, I support the idea of battling as soon as possible. The longer we wait, the more apparent will be the difference between a living being and an undead. The battle won''t be finished in just a day, I am afraid."


    The main difference the Guild Master was talking about was the fact that the needs of the undead were basically inexistent. They only required a source of mana, either internal in the form of a core or external. They were never tired; they were never hungry nor thirsty. They could walk for an entire month and still be in their most optimal condition.


    On the other hand, races like the humans were particularly frail in term of survival. Even if they were provided basic necessities, they could still crumble under the pressure of their mind and soul, succumb because of a disease and such. Even goblins were slightly more durable, albeit far less intelligent and strong. Turning around, Seron signaled to the two archers near him to unleash their arrows.


    The projectiles formed two beautiful arcs and pierced respectively the skull and the rib cage. The sheer strength knocked the skeletons down, provoking some shouts among the guards. The undead that was beheaded merely tried to raise its hand, but soon froze and crumbled on the ground. On the other hand, after only losing a few bones, the other slowly tried to get back up. After receiving another arrow that severed his spin, his fate was the same as his companion.


    Even after this, there was a small period of silence when the cheers of the humans faded and the undead were still not reacting. At such a short distance, the moment thousands of skeletons will begin their walk will be easily heard. But there was nothing, only making Seron frown. The longer the battle was delayed the worst it would be for them. Looking toward the North, he saw the sun getting redder and redder, nearing the end of its course.


    Calculating for a few seconds, he guessed that only one hour was left until the sun was gone. "I want a report about the torches and the oil!" The scouts quickly dashed and began to compile the state of the ramparts, from North to South. Even after they ran for dozens of minutes, the undead army still hadn''t made a move. The good news was that everything was ready for the night, the braziers and pole for the torches were already ready, only needing a flame to light them.


    "Good, good. Tell them that the moment the undead begin to move, light up the torches. Better be wasteful than sorry." With the darkening sky above them, the faces of many adventurers couldn''t help but be worried. It will be nearly an hour in a few minutes that the white sea had first appeared in front of them. But besides two kills, they had done nothing but worry while idling. And without the clear light of the sun naturally easing their minds, darker ideas were already growing in their brains.


    Karamord Morakan


    Karabos Guanakor


    Two otherworldly voices resonated the moment the last sunray disappeared in the horizon. Even if the sun was gone, there was still enough light to distinguish the army in front of them. And largely enough to see that a certain point inside that sea of white was getting incredibly more black, like a hole devouring everything. Unfortunately, as much as everyone wanted to know what were the contents of those four words, none knew.


    Click Klek Klock Cluck Clek


    With the interference of that black magic, only the sound was giving them an opportunity to peek inside the shenanigans of those liches. But what they heard only stumbled them even more, because it sounded like a waterfall made of bones. Imagining the water to be replaced by thousands of bones, all crashing into one other. What kind of sorceries could provoke it? By the time Seron thought of this, he deeply regretted to have ever think about that.


    Standing in the darkening plain, a colossal giant made its appearance. Even from such a distance, it was easily visible from the sea of skeletons surrounding it. Unfortunately, it was not the end, for more and more were forming in its surrounding. The previously tall walls that could force the undead to use their own bodies as ladder were no longer as solid as they seemed.


    Stomp Stomp Stomp


    The numerous bony giants began to advance toward Archet, followed closely by the rest of the undead. The whereabouts of the liches were unknown, and Seron could only shudder because of this. "If they create a few of those in the West, the walls will fall before we even get there. But I can''t allow anyone to leave this place."


    The captain of the guards could only hope that they weren''t any problem. Only a small fraction of people were left in the western part of the city, and anything beyond one thousand skeletons could defeat them, even with the support of the wall. Looking in front of him, he had a far bigger problem to first solve.


    "BALISTAS! FIRE ONLY AT MY COMMAND!" Arrows and crossbow bolts would be useless at taking down such large foes. And they couldn''t waste any of those, seeing how easy it was for their enemy to create new threats. Hearing the sound of the footsteps getting louder and louder, as much as the clatters of the naked bones, they could only wait for them to get closer and closer. Looking at the bomb near the Guild Master, he could only hope that they would find their targets quickly enough.


    "Hold! Hold! READY ¡­" The sound of his voice was spreading amongst the officers, all repeating the same order. "READY! READY! READY!" Because it was not a living being, targeting either the head or the heart would be completely useless. "AIM AT THE WAIST!" Only if they could cut the massive body in half would they have a chance at stopping them. By now, they could all see that each giant was at most ten meters tall, and its shoulders would be slightly above the ramparts.


    "FIRE!!!" Dozens and dozens of spear-like projectiles suddenly showered the undead, piercing deep holes inside the massive fame of those gigantic skeletons. They didn''t only do that but also destroyed many undead that were behind the original target. Many giants were cut in half, the upper part of their body twirling slowly and disintegrating while falling. Others just fell back on the ground, under the massive strength that the projectiles gathered.


    But under the light of the torches, the faces that were getting excited at that sight quickly turned into horror. From the legs that were intact and still standing, numerous skeletons were climbing again, replenishing the missing part by their own bodies. Even the few giants that weren''t destroyed received the same treatment, and all the efforts of the guards ended up doing nothing.


    "RELOAD! RELOAD!"


    "Give me that quick!"


    "What is this? How can we fight this!"


    "Shut up and bring me my ammunition."


    The giants taking so much focus, no one noticed that nearly all the undead that were destroyed previously were not resurrected. If they had, there wouldn''t have been so many guards murmuring prayers for all the gods they knew. While the numerous siege weapons were reloading, the position of the undead army was close enough for the archers to begin to fire too.


    "ARCHERS!"


    "AIM!"


    "FIRE!"


    The first volley of arrows destroyed the progress made by the skeletons at repairing the giants. Because a bow was quite easy to reload and that the enemy was not even trying to defend itself, Seron felt that he could let loose the bowman under his orders.


    "ARCHER! FIRE AT WILL!"


    The order was immediately put into action, and while the damage was less visible, it still stalled the advancement of many giants. Many arrows were not even aiming at them, but in front of such a large force, it always hit at least a skeleton. As for whether it only injured it or destroy it, it was most of the time up to luck.


    "CROSSBOWS! AIM AT THE LEGS!"


    Seron ordered to destroy the very foundation of the gigantic skeletons. Even if that sequence only lasted a minute, it was enough to prevent anything besides a few undead to reach the ramparts. Fortunately, the stiff body of the skeletons was not the best at climbing a surface like a stone wall, and several of them destroyed themselves while climbing and falling into others.


    "Ready!"


    "Ready!"


    "Ready!"


    Hearing that the balistas were armed again, Seron patiently waited for a bigger target. However, he could still that some giants were already completely formed, and couldn''t let any of them get closer.


    "The three scorpions and balistas near the reformed giants, fire. The rest, stand still." Because the battlefield was getting louder and louder, it was more and more difficult to organize everything. At the same time, the scouts were having a very hard time running in a more and more chaotic rampart. Nonetheless, they still achieved their purposes, and the few remaining intact giants were taken down.


    But even after all those things, none one could see accurately where the army of undead ended. The night was getting more and darker, and the sight of many was restricted to a dozen of meters beyond the ramparts. It will not take a long time before only the area around the torches and braziers will be visible.


    Looking above him for a brief second, he only hoped that the clouds will not obstruct any of the two moons. Remembering that only one should be clearly visible in this night, he felt that even the gods were not optimistic about them. He knew that they had nothing to do with the moons and couldn''t control whether they were full or not. But it was such a stroke of bad luck to fight against undead without any light.


    "Captain, the number of ammunitions is drastically getting smaller and smaller. No undead has yet to reach the top of the ramparts, but many arrows are wasted on those that are climbing."


    Adventurers and guards alike were firing without any care of all the arrows they had. In a way, that was logical, since they couldn''t miss their target in such a situation. The only issue was that because they were not aiming properly, skeletons with a few holes in their bodies were legion. However, the moment they stopped such a deluge of arrows, they will have to fight the undead personally. Feeling mixed about it, Seron could only think of what was the best for him.


    "Guild Master, the liches will not visible any time soon. The bombs are too exposed here, retreat with them and guard the device of the White Hand. Only you and those around you right now are allowed nearby. No accident will happen; we cannot allow them. From now on, only the adventurers with a higher grade than K and the marksmen of the garrison can use the arrows. As for the siege weapons, they will only target the giants until they run out of ammunition. From now on, the real fight will start."


    Clutching his fist on the sturdy battlement, he could only sigh thinking about all the lives that will be lost in the next hours. "So it begins."

 97 Blood on the walls

    Seeing the Guild Master and a few of the elite soldiers of the garrison accurately dismantling the catapult and carefully carrying the bombs, Seron could only look around at the incoming skeletons.After his orders were given, the numerous waves of skeletons that were swarming the foundation of the ramparts were no longer reduced to only a few groups. Only white could be seen, and not a single patch of grass was visible from the tall walls of Archet. Whether it was thinking about the ground or not, but Seron quickly realized he had forgotten something.


    "Damn it, stones! We didn''t prepare a single projectile, are we such fools? Too late anyway, it will be even more exhausting for the men to pick up a heavy stone and throw it rather than just swinging their swords. Too late, too late."


    The surrounding guards could hear him mumbling something, but they were far more focused on the moving bones that were clumsily climbing the stone walls. By now, many of the archers were replaced by guards wearing a more appropriate outfit. It didn''t mean that those that were leaving the walls will be slacking off, but arrangements were already made since the beginning. Unless the ramparts fell before they came back from the main garrison, whether they were present or not will not make a difference.


    Because none of the gigantic skeletons had managed to reach the city, the situation on the battlefield was still immensely favorable to the side of the humans. Allowing them to use more efficient ways of managing their troops, albeit with a far bigger risk in case of an emergency. Looking at a new recruit near him, Seron could only be sorry. Because the first wave will be the less dangerous, most recruits were part of the first batch of soldiers.


    Many veterans were mixed in, but it was not difficult to find a young man barely old enough to have a kid. The fact that they were not already running in fear was a feat in the eyes of many, but they couldn''t really rely on them. The more they will fight and the more they will lose their innocence and be more composed. There was still the risk of the breaking down completely, but such a thing was not important right now.


    CLANK


    CLANK


    Dozens of bony hands gripped tightly the battlements, only to be destroyed instantly in so many ways that it seemed to be a contest in that regard. Swords, axes, pikes, halberds, gauntlets, and even reinforced boots pushed back the undead as quickly as they arrived. The only relief the human side had was the fact that none of the undead had any sort of equipment.


    This provided relief to a lot of those fighting directly with them. Sometimes, they were grabbed by a skeleton, and could only praise the blacksmith that built their armor for the fact that they suffered no damage. The initial worry and fear were replaced by excitement. They were facing an enemy that couldn''t attack them, while each of their slashes killed one of them. The stalemate held for a few minutes until a panicked scout came running toward Seron.


    "Captain, captain, the northern side has run out of ammunition for the scorpions. A giant is approaching. He should already have reached the wall." Before Seron could even react, another scout arrived from the South, bearer of a message extremely similar. The rate of healing of those giants was too terrifying, needing only a minute without interference to be completely formed.


    This caused a constant barrage of projectiles on them, just to stop it. Unfortunately, while the undead seemed innumerable, each time a ballista fired meant one less shot in the future. Shortly after, everyone could hear that the usual resounding of a siege weapon''s shot was no longer audible. The crossbowmen and the few marksmen that were still up looked with worry at the giants that were beginning to walk once more.


    Even when focusing on them, they could only barely slowing them down, not having the firepower to truly maim it. Those that were fighting too close from those larger foes could only begin to slowly step back a little. Unfortunately, that proved to be a disaster, allowing the skeletons to finally put a foot on the walls. The intensity of the fights was greatly increased since the two fighters were on an equal standing. It was no longer just pushing back the undead, but truly destroying them for good.


    ARHOOOOOOO BUMMMM


    The gigantic foes slammed down their arms on the ramparts, crushing a few guards that were unlucky enough to be on their path. It was the first time, the side of Archet first had a casualty, and it was such a gruesome one. But only a few seconds after, at the same time many were trying to rescue those that were only immobilized under the massive bone arms, legions of undead began to descend the massive bodies.


    Instead of desperately trying to climb a smooth and nearly intact wall without any good ways of doing it, the undead began to use the bones that composed the body of those giants as ladders. From the beginning, dozens and dozens of skeletons had killed themselves just when trying to reach the top of the ramparts and injured those under them.


    Another issue that arose was the fact that the flow of people that could walk on the ramparts was disrupted. The arms of the giants blocked the way, and the scouts and officers were having a harder time transmitting information from a side of the wall to another. A few portions of the walls were even completely cut out off any reinforcements, not having any access to a stair. Without any choice, the soldiers in those situations were forced to jump off the ramparts, sometimes injuring themselves in the process.


    The heavy armor they wore proved to be a huge drawback, and they could only shudder when they saw the skeletons following them executing the same jump. To their surprise, however, they saw that none of them survived the ordeal, and it seemed comical to see undead crashing down on the ground. It only lasted for a few seconds, and no other skeletons tried to do the same afterward.


    Sensing that the entire battlefield was getting more and more chaotic, Seron could not do a single thing. The chain of command was already cut off, and the only reason why they were still holding on was the fact that their enemy was too weak and lack weapons. But the longer the fight went on, the more disorganized it became. This only profit the undead, that was still seemingly infinite.


    More and more soldiers were getting injured, and the adventurers were getting more and more lawless. While the fight was still in their favor, they acknowledged the orders and acted like obedient dogs. But sensing the weakness in their masters, the dogs came back biting the hand that was protecting them. If they were not plain out fleeing in panic, many simply disregarded the formation and backed off when the pressure was too high.


    This provoked the downfall of many groups of guards that were counting on the adventurers to fill in the blank. An officer that was fighting three skeletons at once could only shout in fury when he saw a well-known group of adventurers meekly fighting while pushing undead toward others. Crushing the three skeletons in front of him, he could not take another step before five others arrived in front of him. That small distraction made his attack uncertain, allowing the undead to gang up on him and disarmed the veteran.


    Without his weapon, the man was overrun, and that portion of the wall had fallen. The surrounding guards could only cry and scream while retreating, barely maintaining their formation. The garrison of Archet could only retreat step by step, and blood was spreading more and more on the stone floor. The moment one was caught by the undead spelled his doom since they could easily dismantle their armors and torn their flesh apart.


    From North to South, many officers could only let those under their orders retreat toward the stairs, not without making sure that no one was left behind. Some companies of crossbowmen and archers still had a few projectiles to spare, allowing an easier retreat. But others were not that lucky, and few could not reach the stairs in time before being swallowed by the sea of skeletons.


    Even Seron and his trusted aides could not stay any longer on the ramparts. They had all received a training vastly superior to the common guard and were all veteran of the army of Avenio. Even if Archet was not threatened by anything and had lower defenses compared to some city near the frontiers, that didn''t mean that incapables were in charge. Seron was singlehandedly hacking every giant nearby, even if it seemed useless.


    Every time he saw the numerous bones falling down, he could see a few skeletons merging with the giant and healing the damage. It was like extinguishing a fire with a single cup of water. It provoked smoke, it did reduce the fire a little, but the outcome didn''t change. Turning his head during a small moment where he was not killing undead, he tried to see inside the darkness where the two liches were hiding.


    But it had already been so long since the beginning of the battle, and the night was already old. Coupled with the fact that the light of the only visible moon was extremely dim, nearly obscured by the clouds above, it was impossible to see anything beyond the light of the torches. Not even lifting his sword and violently kicking the skeleton on its chest, Seron could only begin to retreat as well.


    "Retreat! Obstruct the stairs and do not let the single undead make an additional step inside Archet!"


    His tall voice reverberated in the night, and the words spread quickly. This also made many adventurers reluctant at truly escaping while it was still chaotic, and most remained near the stairs. All the troops had already fought many times, and all were tired. Reflexes were getting slower and slower, and the strength required to crush the bones of the undead was causing some issues. Sometimes, even after hitting a skeleton, a guard could find himself still facing the same undead, albeit with a huge crack on the location where the sword landed.


    On the other hand, Malakov was complaining to himself about the incompetence of the two liches he trained. Not talking about the giants, that was actually his idea. Because they couldn''t crush the opposition so badly that victory was assured, they had to realistically lose. That was very hard on the envoy of Leilade, since he was very reluctant at doing something so embarrassing like that.


    The main issue was the ramparts, if that problem was not resolved, it would be impossible to enter the city. And they needed to reach Gwendoline and display the braveness of Meridiana and Davion to their maximum. The best way would be that they save a few nobles or other important people inside Archet. Even the Mayor was a target, but it would be stupid to think that he didn''t have anyone protecting him personally.


    Therefore, he forced the two liches to create those giants, bypassing entirely the tall and sturdy walls. But to his surprise, he noticed that they had already lost a huge portion of the expandable skeletons. But the tactic was still the same, those two idiots didn''t take profit about the fact that the humans were getting tired and tired. He had to make several changes, and he was even beginning to doubt whether he should just personally take control of the army. The risk of being caught later was far less threatening that failing the current task Leilade gave.


    At worst, one could provoke some problems later, while the other could reduce his worth in the eyes of Leilade. In this planet, unfortunately, being worth in the eyes of her was probably the only reason one could survive. Even if she won''t kill him for failing one time, it didn''t mean that he was the first to be called her Herald. He just hoped that he will be the last, and from what he was seeing, it was not very hopeful.

 98 Bravely Run Away

    AAAARG


    The cry of a soldier getting caught by skeletons was now far too common, and if it was anywhere but near this location, the result would have been obvious. The numerous ponds of blood that were spreading across the ramparts and falling down the streets were such consequences. Right before his life began to be resumed in front of his eyes, the soldier couldn''t help but feel that the weight of the undead one its body was getting lighter and lighter. Feeling that he was ascending toward the Heavens, he felt great that even if he had done a few relatively bad deeds, they were not enough to condemn him.


    Only after opening his eyes when he felt that he was still very cold and tired did he noticed the two armors that were crushing down any threats. They kept destroying groups of skeletons like they were harvesting a field, not like they were hardly having any trouble. Before he could even get up and try to thank them for saving his life, he realized that they were already too far for his feeble voice to reach them. From the beginning, they hadn''t spared a single glance at the fortunate guard, too focus to face the enemy in front of them.


    "C''mon, stop being dazed and move on! They are stalling the undead, we need to leave the wall before it''s too late." A more experienced warrior grabbed the half kneeling guard and began to quickly retreat. There was still a few soldiers and adventurers that were cut out of the reinforcements and were desperately fighting for their lives. Those two armored adventurers were the only reason most of those lost souls managed to escape.


    A few officers were still standing on top of the stairs, repelling all the attempts of the skeletons nearby to descend. Because of the presence of Davion and Meridiana, they were still not retreating and abandoning their men until all hope was lost. The shaken guard was escorted toward that fortified location and was allowed to rest for a few minutes. He soon was surrounded by others that were traumatized by the experience of near death. Some were even in tears and wailing their suffering.


    Shuddering at the sight of being so close to such a desperate man, he shook his head, dispelling all the dark thoughts that were spreading in his mind. The ones that rescued him were shocked to see him fighting barely a minute after being saved, but they quickly forgot it under the heavy assaults of the undead and were only thankful for another guard to shoulder with them such threatening attacks.


    "TAKE THAT UNDEAD!" A visibly stronger officer was fighting four skeletons at once, not even caring about the fleshless arms that were trying to grab him to take him down. After finishing them, he could only let his subordinates replace him for a while. He joined the other senior guards to discuss the situation.


    It had already been a dozen of minutes since Seron had passed the order of leaving the walls. Without the appearance of the two adventurers that were more terrifying than even the dead, none of them would be fighting so hard to gain some times. But they were reaching the point where they couldn''t hold the stairs anymore, otherwise, they will begin to lose too many good fighters for a mirage. When he heard them beginning to sound the retreat, his massive hand grabbed the one that was talking.


    "We will not abandon Gerald, he is still stuck behind those skeletons. If it was any of you, you will also want to be saved. Are we the kind that abandons their brothers? Their friends?" None had the strength of fighting, and even the tough looking officer was just grabbing, not lifting the other party like he usually did. With someone finally standing out to voice out his opposition, a few indecisive seniors gave their support.


    "Gerald would not want his wife and his daughter to die because of you either! Look around us, we are barely standing on our feet. Even while we talked, someone could be too tired, make a mistake, and lose his life. We have waited too long; we need to retreat. I am sorry about your brother. But everyone knew about this."


    Even when grabbed by the collar and facing such a threatening brute, the only sentiment visible on his face was fatigue. The order of Seron was for the greater good, and only an exception like those two adventurers could have made them change their minds. And as much as the strong officer wanted to silence him, deep down, both knew that it was not a good decision, but it was definitely not a bad one.


    The two were silently staring at each other when an exhausted adventurer stumbled in front of them. Frowning about that interruption, their faces went from exasperation to joy in less than a second. "The two adventurers had come back with a group of guards!" Without waiting any longer, all the officers went back and prepared the escape. The fighters redoubled their efforts and fought like there was no tomorrow, knowing that they will be able to rest a bit when they will reach those at the bottom of the stairs.


    The few humans that were on one side, however, were staring dumbfounded at the spectacle in front of them. The bigger armor was just swinging his arms, throwing every skeleton in his way outside of the ramparts. Seeing those undead flying above the torches were such a strange sight that even some began to pinch themselves to see if they were not asleep. As for the armor that was of more regular size, it was just tearing apart the limbs of the skeletons while violently stomping everything that was still moving on the floor.


    After making sure that this group of guards was safe, Davion and Meridiana took an entire side by themselves, making many of those that were fighting worship them completely. The officer that was previously advocating to retreat as soon as possible approached the two with a peculiar look. In all honesty, he was dubious at first when he heard the report that those two were crushing down everything on their path. But after seeing this, he understood why many thought that it was possible to save Gerald and his men.


    "We will begin to retreat, thank you. Don''t get caught." Because of the urgency, he only said a few words and awaited an answer. But neither Davion nor Meridiana slowed down their actions or even talked to him. Feeling a bit ashamed to be ignored like that, he guessed that until the liches personally appeared, nothing could threaten the two. Meaning that his advice of being careful probably didn''t apply to the two.


    Nonetheless, thanks to the two being so efficient at crushing bones, the remaining garrison suffered only some minor casualties. There was also far less missing people on their side, compared to some part of the ramparts where dozens of guards and adventurers alike weren''t found. Descending the stairs, they found the comfort of being surrounded by living beings. The wall of shield that was hastily formed sometimes was reinforced here with a line of spears. They only disrupted the formation long enough for everyone to pass through.


    It was only at that moment that all of those that came down noticed the absence of their two saviors. The moment someone began to question where was the last time someone saw them, a feminine voice resonated above. "MOVE!!!!" They could only look above and see two forms beginning their descents toward the ground. Thankfully, the two choose the location where the soldiers were the most parse, but one was still knocked down by the impact.


    STOMP


    The very stone street under their heavy boots was broken, many fissures spreading all around. Even the most experienced adventurer was deeply shocked by that sight, wondering what kind of monster was hiding behind that dark armor. All they knew and was spread among the fighters was that they were strangers from an unknown country. The smallest was supposedly a beauty rarely seen, but she was as vicious as she was beautiful. As for the tallest, the only knowledge about him was that he was uglier than a troll and never spoke. But all that felt his stare on them still shudder when remembering it.


    In the end, the entire eastern part of the ramparts had fallen in the hands of the undead. Past it, the northern and southern sections were still facing the huge influx of skeletons on the walls. But unlike those that were facing the army head front, they couldn''t retreat like them. Otherwise, the control over the walls will be lost and the skeletons could slowly surround the entire city thanks to the ramparts. Even such a thing truly happened, no one in Archet will make it alive.


    "Leave only one company in the entire western wall. We need every man we can get." Seron was currently resting a bit in one of the houses that were claimed by the garrison. The previous occupants of that place were shivering at the sight of so many injured people entering and leaving their houses. Some stayed nearby, looking in both curiosity and terror, while others had friends or family that could shelter them for the moment.


    Nonetheless, the fact that the fight had already begun to reach the very habitations of Archet was spreading like a fire in summer. It didn''t take very long for even some of the member of the council to come asking about the situation. All their efforts at inquiring what really was happening were met with a dead end, all their subordinates were beaten black and blue. None had the patience to see an arrogant dog barking at them, or that was the sentiment of the guards.


    As for Seron, he was barely better than them. Instead of smashing the empty skulls of those that bothered him, he still nearly lost his calm and physically harmed them. After seeing such a scary side of the previously impassive captain of the guard, the cowardly men quickly escaped toward their manors, not daring to face him any longer.


    "You know; the Mayor won''t be happy if you ruin all his efforts at pacifying the city." Seron barely lifted his eyelids when hearing the Guild Master near him reprimanding his actions. He felt that he was already generous not forcing them to fight amongst the guards, even if the Mayor would have definitely claimed his head for that. Remembering that he promised Archet will not fall under his command, he began to regret saying such a boastful promise.


    "So be it. Do you see those surrounding you? They are exhausted, they are terrified but they are fighting for something they want to protect. Their family, maybe their soulmate. The last thing they want right now is someone scarily asking something they should never know. At the same time, I never found the voices of those nobles to be particularly enjoyable. The bellowing of cows is like music compared to it."


    Seron snickered a bit after saying this, only receiving a shake of the head from the Guild Master. But the later also knew Seron didn''t want to lie to his soldiers. But if they had heard the same reports as they did, because of those nobles, some would not dare to get up anymore. The main issue lied with the adventurers. Half of them had already bravely run away, from the saying of the officers. By that, they meant that when they heard that a group was in dire need of help, they volunteered, only to never be seen again.


    Paradoxically, the mercenaries affiliated to the numerous families across Archet were still present, even after Seron had violently kicked out their masters. The main differences between mercenaries and adventurers were that one group didn''t belong to an entity like the Guild of the Adventurers. In that regard, the former could only on their reputation earned in a region. While adventurers would be recognized internationally thanks to their badges.


    In far cruder words, if the two escaped to the same region, one will have to start at the bottom once more while the other could immediately enjoy the same benefits. There was still a few famous bands of mercenaries that were well known, but they were always viewed as lesser adventurers. Because there was no rules or rankings amongst them, one could never know the strength of a group. While that provoked a lot of issues when accepting a mission, that also meant attacking a mercenary was an extremely risky move, because his strength was uncertain.

 99 Shadows in the Nigh

    Right now, Seron could see a group of warriors that wouldn''t have to lower their head facing the strongest adventurer team of Archet fighting side by side with the guards.On the other hand, those proudly respected fighters that always wore their emblems on their chest were nowhere to be found.No he spoke too soon, a little farther there was a group of them, but just from one glance, the ratio between the two professions was still overwhelmingly in favor of mercenaries. At this time, Seron couldn''t even imagine the incentives those wealthy leeches had to promise for them to fight so hard, disregarding their own lives.


    However, even if they had far more superior equipment, skills or even sheer strength compared to the local guards, they couldn''t break through the chains of humanity. Not even the Heroes of the legends were capable of fighting without any rest for days, and the few hours of hacking skeletons and dodging their ghostly grasps were putting too much pressure on everyone''s body. But from the continuous reports that were coming in, the situation had been stabilized after the initial loss of the ramparts.


    The surges of undead in the South and North had both been handled well by the officers in charge, and they were no longer spreading on the walls of Archet. The sudden arrival of the giants and the numerous ways of attack of the enemy army that was provoked by it caused that disorganization. Because of this, they had to retreat and reform the defenders, unless they were ready to lose even more lives than they already did. Fortunately, the giants were principally concentrated on the eastern walls, meaning that without them nearby, the panic wasn''t as dire on those places.


    "The first section had lost 124 men and has 39 injured ¡­"


    "The second section had lost ¡­"


    "The third section ¡­"


    Every time someone came near Seron, it was to report the number of dead and injured that couldn''t fight anymore. Strangely, unlike many other conflicts, the number of dead was far higher than the number of disabled soldiers. But the reason was that there was no real moment where one could receive deep injuries, except right before dying. The skeletons had to remove the armors of the guards before being able to do anything, so it meant that those injured were saved at the very last moment. At the same time, those that were mentally or physically exhausted were not counted as injured, since they could still pick up their weapons. Or at least, that was what all hoped.


    " ¡­ 3 men and 1 injured ..."


    Seron was still mechanically nodding at each scout when he finally understood what the later said. His brain still took at least a few seconds before truly understanding, and even then, he wasn''t capable of guessing how it was possible.


    "Stop! What were the numbers you said? From where did you come?" The scout was slightly surprised by the reaction but told once again what the commanding officer wanted to be transmitted.


    "I come from the third section of the North Wall. There have been three deaths, lieutenant Gerald Woodfield, private Ernest Ambermoon and private Dirk Crowhaven and an injured that have lost his arm. I do not know his name."


    Facing the man that was telling this with such a straight face, like it was normal, both the captain of the guard and the Guild Master that was nearby were a bit puzzled. Even if they were in the North, both the second and fourth section had a death toll higher than 50. So how was it possible for this very place, stuck between the two, to not have a similar number? Trying to remember something about it, Seron could only wreck his brain in vain.


    "How did they survived with so many? Did they not have a single giant on their side of the wall?"


    The scout was a bit surprised, and his face was a bit paler. He hadn''t time to talk with anyone else, so he hadn''t known that the situation everywhere else was far worse.


    "No, there were two giants, but all the skeletons were destroyed by the two adventurers that were present. Their names are Davion and Meridiana, but I do not know about their ranks or anything else. But they are truly strong, I mean, they kil¡­"


    Seron raised his hand, stopping the man in his track. Even right now, he could see that the moment he spoke about those two, the eyes of the scout were shining more brilliantly. It was a gaze of adoration, something he hadn''t expect to see in this night. But from what he could deduce, just those two had at least done the same job as 100 guards reunited. He could only smile about that news since it was the first good one he heard since the night had fallen.


    "I got it, make sure to hold the stairs. At the same time, both the second and fourth section need additional reinforcements, so if the officer in charge thinks those two could be of additional uses, he can order them around as he likes. Tell them that the Guild Master had given his accord."


    Without even checking on the person in question that was barely a meter away, the scout rushed back, bringing the news as fast as he could. The Guild Master was just shaking his head, feeling that even his very authority was worth nothing this night. But he couldn''t cause some issues while people were dying. Otherwise, he wouldn''t be able to sleep well.


    "Next time, can you at least ask me first before saying something on my behalf?"


    "You said nothing, so I understood this as an acknowledgment. Was I wrong?" Facing such a shameless question, he couldn''t retort anything. Seron, on the other hand, was not concerned at all. If it was a normal day, he would have suffered thousands of critics from the Mayor, for being non-diplomatic, harsh, rude. But since the later was not here, he could finally express himself without any worries, since the aftermath was not his problem.


    On the other hand, a skeleton was particularly gloomy. He was currently sitting on top of a giant, looking at the sea of skeletons still flowing on the huge arms of those improved ladders. It had been at least six hours since the beginning of the fight, and the army had been reduced to just 15 000. It could have been fine, but from the reports of Meridiana, not everything was thrown out against them. Meaning that he would have to worry, even if the two liches managed to finally break down the garrison.


    With just a single thought, 5 ghouls appeared near him. The others were sent in the West, hunting everyone trying to leave the sinking ship that was Archet. They were waiting in ambush near all the shortcuts created by the White Hand, ready to catch everyone that will use them. For now, they had only managed to grab two small fries from that criminal organization, but because the situation was not dire for the humans, it was logical. Those two dead were probably more of messengers than anything else.


    Guiding the five deadlier undead, he aimed that toward the South, far from both the captain of the guards and the two spies they had infiltrated. There, an officer had just begun to shift the guards defending the place. Because the waves of skeletons were near infinite, this action had to be extremely precise. At the same time, the undead were so mindless that they could bait them away from where the guards were swapping by advancing other fighters nearby.


    Right when Malakov arrived, they were still in the middle of doing this, and even if they were tired and concentrated, they were not fearful. They had already done it numerous times in the last hours, and even when one man was grabbed, he was quickly saved not even a second later. Everyone was a little more careful after that, and it seemed to be on a good way to not have any incident.


    The 5 shadows were hiding inside the sea of white bones, moving unnoticed by the humans. The light produced by all the torches and braziers was enough to cover the stairs and a part of the walls, but by now, all the torches on the walls were knocked down. Some giants were still barely visible, and some lights were not yet extinguished, but in most cases, the vision was limited to a few meters. That was the case in this place.


    The same accident happened, and a soldier was grabbed. His neighbors broke the formation to help him, as usual, unfortunately, they noticed something strange far too late. The thing that grabbed the man was not white, or even bones. It was a rotten hand, with long and sharp claws. In fact, the guard was already dead, blood spreading from the cut in his neck. The moment the two close to him saw the blood, they saw two fast moving pair of blackened arms heading their ways.


    In a matter of a few seconds, three had already lost their lives and a hole had appeared in the line of shields. By now, a dire flaw had already been integrated into the mind of those that were fighting. Because it happened so many times, a tactic understanding had spread, meaning that only the two closest to the victim will move. This meant that everyone else was focusing on the incoming skeletons, and were trusting the rest to handle the rest.


    This caused the ghouls to have this little buffer before anyone could react. Using this to the maximum, they slaughtered three additional guards before anything was made to stop them. And even then, even when the officer began to shout a warning, even when those close began to back off, it was far too late. The wave of confusion slightly messed up everything in an area of dozens of meters. But just that slightly allowed numerous accidents to happen simultaneously, letting the ghouls leave unnoticed.


    Their entire attack had lasted so little times, but the impact was far bigger than just three deaths. At the same time, everyone that had a glimpse of their presence had succumbed, allowing the trump card of Malakov to remain a secret. This sudden disturbance caused nearly a hundred casualties and picked the interest of Seron. By all means, this shouldn''t have happened, no matter how someone looked at it.


    However, misfortune was still a possibility, and since no one saw anything related to any of the two liches, he could do nothing. He still said once more to always look for the two main enemies, since killing just one would make the entire defense easier. But when he heard the exact same thing happened once more, five minutes later, he immediately understood that something they overlooked was the cause.


    The day before, agile undead had entered Archet and escaped with victims. Some were killed by those two powerful adventurers, Meridiana and Davion, but the rest escaped. Because there was only two alive that were reported, he didn''t think that they would be particularly useful. However, they were apparently far more dangerous than he guessed. At the same time, he had no idea how many were really available for the two liches.


    But if he guessed the reason why this happened, he still had no idea how to prevent any other slaughters to happen. Creatures that managed to escape nearly two weeks of intense searches, outwit even the gangs of the poor area could not be caught by normal means. Just when he felt that they could still hold, even after losing the ramparts. But if more troubles arise, the pressure will begin to be far too important. And if that happened, it will not be a single place that will crumble. But maybe the entire eastern front.

 100 A Required Help.

    "Do you want something with your tea? Maybe something from the Synnada Empire?" Two men were facing each other in a room lighted only by a dim light. If one didn''t know where they were, they could think that they were inside the City Hall. This very room was not any less prestigious or sumptuous than the place where the council was held.The walls were well decorated, for the paintings that were displayed, even the Mayor could either recognize their creators or their provenance. But unfortunately, he was not her to appreciate art or how good was the tea.


    "I have made a transaction with one of your men, but even when I uphold my part of the deal, he didn''t. Concerning the current threat against my city, Archet, I wanted information, precise information. He didn''t even manage to give me a third of the real number that the undead army had. I want something in compensation."


    Even while he was saying such harsh words, the voice of the Mayor was calm, not even with an ounce of anger. Knowing that he was dealing with something far more dangerous than himself, he could only complain. And because the reputation of the White Hand was to always honor their engagements, he could also try to gain something that could protect even a tiny bit Archet. He had already lost too much time just to end up in this room, and even his impassive mask was beginning to crumble under the worry behind it.


    "Oh, I heard about it. But you know that there is rarely a good end for those that oppose us." The white-haired man in front of the Mayor was neither quick or slow while picking up his own cup of tea. He was only appreciating the brewage while making the other party have to endure patiently without saying any other words. Even if it seemed that they were only two, only a fool will believe that no one was securing the outskirts.


    The shadows of the Black Gauntlet were in charge of protecting all the higher-ups of the Organization, and even the Mayor knew that the elder was not just a nobody. It was not his usual contact, and the first time he ever saw him, but the security was pretty tight around him. He knew that he had been asleep for four hours, making it impossible for him to deduce where he was exactly inside Archet. His clothes were replaced, substitute by something workers inside the City Hall would wear. It wouldn''t surprise the Mayor if he was touched everywhere while asleep, to make sure nothing could threaten the white-haired cadre.


    "Did you talk about us with the two newly arrived adventurers?" An innocent question, that required an honest answer. Leaving the other interlocutor slightly baffled, since only 3 people should know about that, otherwise he wouldn''t have the courage to speak so freely.


    "Yes, they are an important part of the defenses. They are currently the strongest group of adventurers, based on the saying of the Guild Master. To deepen the bond between Archet and them, I tried to be a bit friendlier." The Mayor couldn''t just say that because the criminals had let him down and lied to his very face, he decided to repay that. Or at least, he couldn''t say that to the man in front of him.


    "Good reason, wrong cause. But you were honest, so I will overlook that slight discrepancy in your tale. Human emotions could make even a saint fall into darkness. But the White Hand has already decided that Archet was an important asset for the future. The city will not fall under our watch. You can go now; your question has been answered."


    Lifting with his left hand the cup of tea, he finished drinking it elegantly, like someone that knew the etiquettes of the nobility. The second cup was completely untouched, however, making the entire ordeal unsightly. Frowning seeing this, the old man could only look at the Mayor, signaling him that it was time for him to leave.


    Looking at the door that was opening on nothing and the two silhouettes that were appearing nearby, the leader of Archet could only feel his back sweating. He had lost so many hours, only to be dismissed barely after a few minutes. And he only had a vague answer, not even a precise one, or when the help will arrive. But that was way above his current power, so he only bowed to the man in charge, before falling into a deep slumber.He was totally unharmed during the entire process, but he will not be able to wake up before the sun will be rising in the sky.


    Looking at the dead weight that was carried away, the cadre of the White Hand discretely switched the two cups and enjoyed more the tea. Of course, that was seen by everyone around, since they were all experts, but everyone pretended that they saw nothing. It had already been three days since he arrived inside Archet, and everything he heard was pretty bad. Even the communication from his colleague on the other side of the mountains reported more and more problems with that wild zone.


    He was sent here to find about the disappearance of the team supposed to meet the trolls and also to decided what to do with the two strangers. Only a few were above him inside the entire Organization, and the fact that he was here proved that everyone took the new threat seriously. Reports of the arrival of Dark Gods were flooding inside the Massalia Kingdom, especially after the incident at their Academy of Magic.


    Even without them selling the news to the other nations, they had already realized something wrong, only not knowing the exact nature of it. They had enjoyed a global peace for far too long, and the usual skirmishes between the human nations were already creating a few issues for the criminal empire. They were extremely reluctant to face something as terrible as monsters that could threaten nations by themselves. All they could pinpoint was that this city and Ronta inside the Massalia Kingdom were the two closest towns to the potential base of those dark invaders.


    "How much time before they arrived?" A shadow approached the old man and began to murmur a few sentences in his ears, making him nod his head a bit. "They will only have to survive to dawn then. However, those ghouls, did they strike again?" The same shadow only moved his fingers a bit, but the message was sent. Only the elder could see it, part of the code that was enforced inside the Organization. Between those that know, and those that shouldn''t know.


    "This will be an issue then. Exterminate them, make the liches expand their mana but just enough to make the line stand. Let the proud and honorable knights gain all the merits once more, hehe." The small laugh in the end was his true sentiments about the one they asked for help. Not that he felt they were neither honorable or proud, just that they were always in the open while he stayed in the dark.


    By the end of his orders, the shadow that was previously kneeling immediately left and exited the underground maze that was leading to the exquisite room. Arriving at a specific location that was also hidden, he saw three ratmen and a man playing cards while waiting. Not taking another step forward, the shadow only looked above, to see a female elf pointing at him with a bow. She was behind a fake wooden wall, only letting the very tip of the arrow visible. If someone tried to barge in, he would automatically be shot, and none of those that were supposedly playing cards were truly relaxed.


    "You have disappointed the Hand of Avenio. Five vermin incapable of even gathering basic information. Even someone as weak as the mayor of this city dares to slander us because of you. You have a rare chance of making up for your past mistakes. Kill the ghouls, injure the liches. Don''t come back until you have finished."


    None of the hardened killers dared to even retort something. When they heard who was in charge, the only thing that went through their minds was that they were quite lucky. The four that were responsible for the collect of information still didn''t understand when did the army suddenly gained so many additional skeletons. But after checking once more on the undead, they couldn''t help but acknowledge the fact that they were deeply wrong.


    If it had been someone from the Black Gauntlet, it wouldn''t have ended with everyone getting a free pass. At least one would have been executed for such incompetency. But because they wouldn''t change anything about their future, they could only wait until the judgment was pronounced. Looking at the dark silhouette fading in the opening, they finally breathed normally. The tense atmosphere was lifted and everyone began their preparations for the incoming battle.


    "Kreek, those ghouls were normal or did you notice something out of the ordinary?" The only female asked one of the ratman about their targets. He was the most experienced of the fives, especially since he was often sent in the South, inside the fallen Kingdom of Pankow.


    "Su-superior ones. No ssstiff movements, agile and ni-nimble. We need to ssstrike hard, in a re-real fight, we will mossst likely loose." The weird speech of the ratman didn''t prevent everyone to clearly heard everything.Even if they were trained as assassins, it wasn''t to the point where they were defenseless in the open. Against armored targets or skilled fighters, they were obviously at a disadvantage, but a local guard wouldn''t be able to even inflict a single injury on them.


    "Like we always do, like we always do." The man could have been recognized, if the Mayor was present since he was the only one that could be contacted inside Archet. While gathering their weapons and equipment, they could only let nearly half of them on the ground. Various poisoned darts and other smoke pouches were rendered useless by the nature of their enemy. It will only slow them down if they picked it up.


    Unfortunately for Seron, he had no idea that help was coming. And he was slowly beginning to lose confidence about being able to defend Archet. The numerous assaults of the ghouls were creating more and more issues, and he couldn''t prevent it. They had free reign on where and when they will strike, and on the few times where they faced a strong team of adventurers, the undead only retreated inside the sea of skeletons. It was also at this moment that they noticed the same adventurers falling sick, poisoned by something on the claws of the ghouls.


    This was not deadly but forced them to retreat to heal themselves. Without those strong group to help relieve the pressure on the guards, many points on the frontline were on the brink of breaking. The only good news was the fact that both Meridiana and Davion were single-handedly saving the northern part of the city, allowing him to take many men from that place to support the rest. Looking above at the nearly imperceptible moon shrouded by clouds, he could only keep fighting while hearing the reports of casualties growing bigger and bigger.


    Even at that time, he still hadn''t seen a single trace of any of the two liches. Fighting undead armies were the most frustrating thing for any human commanders. As for the fact that the Mayor promised him reinforcements, he had totally forgotten about it. It had already been more than six hours since the beginning, and dawn was still a few hours away. While thinking this, he began to hear the shouts of those surrounding him.


    "Ghouls! STAY IN FORMATION!"


    "We''re getting overrun!"


    "HELP! HELP!"


    "By Oslo, will someone stop those monsters!" While praying internally all the gods he knew, Seron began to charge toward the disorganized frontline, hoping to reduce the number of death even just by one.

 101 Frostbound ...

    His prayer was quickly answered when he saw five strangers appearing and jumping toward the deadly threat. Weirdly enough, the fact that they were constantly pushed back in the last hours allowed this, because the frontline was getting closer and closer to the numerous houses and other buildings located near the ramparts. This higher ground allowed those five beings to bypass the numerous guards that were securing the area to directly jump into the sea of skeletons.


    But even if it seemed that they were fighting with them, Seron was hardly happy about that. Glancing at the building that should have been occupied by the remaining crossbowmen and most importantly, the mages, how could someone infiltrate this place without anyone noticing it? If it had been someone with far more evil intentions, their main fighting force against the dark spells of the liches would have been killed.


    The five silhouettes that suddenly disrupted the activities of the ghouls provoked many shouts of victory, especially after one exhibited the very head of one of those monsters. The monstrous face of the undead responsible for so many death was soon brought toward Seron, who could finally examine it clearly. As for the supposed saviors of the guards, they were nowhere to be found. Thanks to that influx of determination and excitement, the fighter doubled their efforts, and soon, the bodies of two additional ghouls were found laying on the ground.


    That was not without any cost, and before they were killed, a few soldiers still fell under their sharp claws. Grabbing a few torches to have the entire bodies visible, everyone could see the three empty holes in the middle of the chest. A few were perplexed by that, but soon, someone explained to them that it was the location where the undead core would be formed usually. There was not a single injury anywhere else, besides the beheaded one. Without a doubt, those that executed those monsters were proficient at launching sudden attacks.


    "Captain, do we pursue this matter?" A few officers were looking at him, unsure whether they should act or not. If the one that helped them had stated their allegiance or at least said something, they would have dropped the matter. But because everything happened too fast, it was still unknown if they were truly friends.


    "No. The only enemy we have today is those undead. Or maybe you want to fight both the Organization and those monsters at the same time?" His last sentence froze everyone in their thoughts. But after thinking for a few seconds, they realized that besides those criminals, not a lot of powers could have such a strong force located inside Archet. Not a single human nations had managed to really harm it, so what to say about an exhausted troop of guards?


    On the other hand, Seron still reinforced greatly the security around the Guild Master. He was considering to allow the elites guarding the bomb to be dispatched to counter those ghouls, but he would never do that now. For them to steal something they had sold at a very high price was not unheard off, meaning that while he didn''t have to worry about them killing his men, things could still be stolen.


    Nearly half of an hour passed before any signs of another ghoul was seen. This didn''t prevent the southern part of the eastern frontline to be on the brink of collapsing. Because there was no one like Davion or Meridiana that was capable of destroying a large amount of undead, the adventurers, mercenaries and guards alike could only suffer and retreat step by step. A few buildings had already been lost completely to the skeletons, and the only relieving news was the fact that they were too dumb to use those. None attempted to climb the walls of those houses, because unlike the very tall ramparts, falling from a few meters would not be fatal to the undead.


    It seemed that just a slight additional force could bascule everything. Because of this, Seron could only bet that the killers sent by the Organization will think the same way. And that the liches will also follow. It was risky, but only with the disappearance of all the ghouls will he be able to barely hold. It was already a miracle that the fighters were not falling asleep on their feet, most were awake for more than 24 hours. The longer the fight went, the more tired their side will be.


    On the other hand, Malakov had transcended his fury and attained another state of mind. Or, in another hand, he was currently torturing the soul of a traveler that was killed near the fabricated lair of cultist. That woman was seriously unlucky to just happen to be in that place at that time, but it did allow him to have a very satisfying stress relief. Unlike the souls that were planned to be turned into liches, he was just meticulously stripping layers of memories inside the soul, while maintaining its consciousness. Even as she screamed and begged for help, she could only suffer an eternity of torments for the very fact that he would never acknowledge that his training was clearly lacking.


    It had been so many hours, but the liches had spent the entirety of the time fighting each other. If he hadn''t sealed their magical powers, they would have thrown spells after spells. The amount of hatred the two had for each other was remarkable, even he had to recognize that. How they managed to survive and work together was an equally baffling question. If anyone could have seen the pitiful spectacle he had in front of his eyes, they would have slapped themselves to be sure they weren''t sleeping.


    As for the fact that three ghouls had been destroyed, they didn''t care at all. It was even to the point where Malakov wondered if they had realized that they were in charge of an army currently in a battle.Thinking that all this nonsense was clearly taking longer than it should, he decided to truly do as he wished, without worrying about the potential consequences. In the end, he was still an undead, and whatever they will find in the end is the trace of an undead. He had slightly more flexibility than Leilade in that regard, especially since he could freely utilize the mana of this world. If it wasn''t for that Saksa hibernating on this planet, they wouldn''t have to do many things just to conquer a single city.


    Searching through the sight of the skeletons were to use the last remaining ghouls he had at his disposal, he found the place where the soldiers were having the hardest time dealing with his summons. It was located a little bit South from where he currently was, but even without his intervention, he felt that the skeletons will pierce through in a matter of hours. If that was the case, attacking there will maybe lead to larger destruction than the humans would expect. Right before ordering the ghouls to break the morals of the tired guards, he still felt that something was a bit off.


    Even if he was capable of seeing the issue because he could remotely scout the entire battlefield, Malakov was not blind to the point of not seeing the numerous soldiers transmitting information among the troops. Meaning that whoever was in charge couldn''t just be blind to the terrible state of the people fighting inside the southern part of Archet. Since the beginning, he had let the ghouls act as they wished since they were far more intelligent than the common undead. The fact that they had cores in their bodies was the proof, without even talking about who created them.


    And if he wasn''t ordering them, he was also certain that they would have attacked that point. Not forgetting what happened the last time, he felt that it was time for the liches to finally act. Binding them to his will, he brought them with him as he planted his bait. Everything was just expendable for him, and only the end goal was the objective. As the two mindless slaves began to walk toward him, a subtle riptide was spreading amongst the skeletons.


    In a matter of a few seconds, the previously feeble and stupid undead that were hacked repeatedly in pieces with only a few slashes began to move weirdly. Instead of just charging to their death and try to grab the limbs of the living to tear them apart, some began to crouch. That caught the sight of everyone not desperately fighting for their lives, and the spectacle that was showed froze their blood in their veins. The worst scenario that Seron feared, even more than fighting two liches that had a fraction of the power of the Lich King.


    Klik Klek Klek Kakaka


    The sounds of bones and metals resonated, especially from the ramparts that were shrouded in darkness. More and more undead were appearing, wearing an iron helmet, a chest plate, holding a shield, a sword, an axe. All were bloodied by the red liquid that belonged to their owner. The sudden change caught everyone by surprise, and the battle that was in a stalemate was getting more and more inclined toward the dead.


    Using this, the ghouls began their assault, and barely less than a second after they killed their first victim, the hidden shadows appeared once more. Only that, they were not the only one waiting for something.


    "Malaka Karatros" "Korkaran Madaka"


    The unholy and frosty voices of the liches sounded like a death sentence for all near them. Their very body lost gradually the warm temperature allowing them to work normally. Muscles were no longer usable, senses were blurred. Even the tempered killers suffered the same fate, only worse than the surroundings. They were blocked by the ice statues that were previously skeletons. The spell was not discriminating between friends and foes, making most undead crumble into tiny icicles. But for the guards, that was not even a good thing, since they were not in a state any better, most of them had already breathed their last.


    Even if it seemed to be a little late to act only now, Malakov was still confident that Archet will now be irredeemably doomed. He was a bit surprised by the appearance of those living beings that tried to harm the creations of the Empress, and he was certain that if he hadn''t taken the reins, they would have also harmed the two idiots that were turned into liches. Anyway, it should have been the last trump card those humans had, otherwise, they wouldn''t have waited so long before using them.


    Because the spell ended up creating a huge hole in the line of guards, even if the skeletons had to destroy all the frozen undead and now dead, they still managed to pierce through and create an additional front. The thin defense that was hastily put in front of the now armed and a bit armored group of skeletons crumbled in less than a second. For the first time, Malakov had a way of mobilizing his army beyond the encirclement the guards had created.


    Now, he could finally slaughter the citizens and innocents to the point of them losing all hope in those supposedly protecting them. Just as he was thinking this, he heard a very loud noise, that was getting more and more echoes as the minutes passed.


    DONG DING DONG DING


    The bells of the city were as loud as thunder, awakening those that managed to fall asleep in that dark night. Everyone understood the very signification of that sound, meaning that something terrible happened. Families quickly grabbed a few belongings and began to leave their houses in a hurry. Unfortunately for a very few of them, instead of finding terrified faces like their own or the pale ones of the local guards, they found something far more terrifying. Red bones, barely visible holding a sword above their heads.

 102 An ordered retrea

    Facing the masses that were getting more and more important as the seconds passed, the meager troops still guarding the West Gates were sweating a lot. They had hoped that the bells of Archet will never ring in that night since it would only mean one thing. That the captain of the guards had acknowledged a breach in their lines and that the safety of the citizens of the city was no longer guaranteed. At the same time, the previously closed gates will now open their doors, since the uncertainty lying beyond the tall stone walls was better than the waves of undead.


    It was time for them to protect the terrified population from anything that will await them in the dark, and while a few were trying to appease the first families that were rushing toward them, a small group of guards was scouting the surroundings. The dim light of the torches they carried was not enough to see very far, but it seemed that no army was encircling them from that side. Just at the moment where the officer in charge was beginning to order everyone to go back, he froze himself at the bloodied spectacle in front of him.


    Shadows from everywhere were decimating the twenty or so men that were first sent. Some of them didn''t even have the time to raise their swords and shields before dying in a gruesome way. Screams filled the air, even reaching the walls of Archet. Shortly after, silence reigned once more supreme, shocking everyone. The gates that were beginning to be opened were immediately closed, and not even the most desperate human opposed this decision. It created a surreal situation where the first that tried to escape were violently preventing the latecomers to try that solution.


    The issue that none that exited the city managed to came back made the lucky ones that were not part of that group shiver. But while they could still manage to appease the small groups that kept coming that way, it wasn''t long before their numbers were too overwhelming. Even with the help of the dozens quickest that heard the same as them, the garrison could only stand their ground to prevent the opening of the few gates on that side of the wall. The fleeing families were gradually repelled only to that part of the city since both the northern and southern walls were getting more and more dangerous.


    Neither the Mayor that was still knocked out nor Seron could have imagined that the flow of the battle would accelerate so quickly. But the latter couldn''t do a single thing against the shadows that were blocking the way in the West since he couldn''t spare a single man from the ongoing battle.The number of casualties was growing at a terrifying rate, and more and more adventurers that were previously resting were discreetly trying to escape. The only thing that was good for Seron was the fact that most magicians and priests that decided to leave still threw out a few spells.


    It was enough to create many problems for the undead. Whether it was an elemental spell, that could turn the ground into ice, making the clumsy skeletons fall on themselves or support prayers, invigorating the exhausted warriors, they were of great help. But he still knew that it was only delaying the inevitable because undead were still climbing the walls of Archet. He couldn''t know how many skeletons were still standing, but no zombies had been seen since the beginning. And their very presence meant that those liches could resurrect the fallen defenders. But besides the deadly spell they threw in the South, to deal with the killers of the Black Gauntlet, they had not made another move.


    Looking around at everyone that was still fighting, Seron couldn''t help but think that it was no longer possible to hold on such a large front. Soldiers were spread on such a large distance, and with the new increase of intelligence from those skeletons, it was not viable to stay like that. It had already been 15 minutes since the bells were ringing, meaning that everyone should have escaped by now. Or at least, left this side of Archet.


    "RETREAT! TO THE CITY HALL! RETREAT!" They could only leave, but not in a disorganized way. As the message was spreading, the frontline was retreating step by step, not turning their backs toward the skeletons. If they dared to do that, no one could hope to escape. Many men were carrying the most injured and exhausted one with their shoulders. The process was slow, but no one was left behind.


    As more and more houses were left in control of the undead side, there was only one particular thing that Seron was dreadful. The main barracks and armory was located in the North of Archet, but will be left defenseless if they retreated toward the City Hall. Logically, seeing how none of the skeletons sparred a single glance toward the numerous goods inside the houses, it wouldn''t be a problem. But if they had another progress in their intelligence, many weapons were still usable on the ramparts, and a few things were not yet used. Not that they decided to save anything, just that they were useless against undead.


    Diverse poisons and fluids particularly efficient against flesh would have only been dangerous for the humans. So, they were still stored inside the barracks, but it was only a worrisome idea. There were little chances for the enemy to even notice it. At the same time, the Guild of the Adventurers was located near the City Hall but will have to be protected at all cost. Even if he didn''t know how many secrets were preserved inside this building, he couldn''t let any of them escape.


    While fighting and retreating at the same time, he could finally see by his own eyes why every report from that part of the battlefield was so eloquent. The two moving armors were rampaging amongst the undead, and even with their newly found weapons, they couldn''t even scratch the two strange adventurers. This also created a vacuum in the influx of skeletons, many of them being attracted instead of continuing toward the guards. Just by themselves, they could replace nearly 100 guards, since they weren''t tired and never rested.


    He could only sigh since even himself had to rest a few times since the beginning. Even if he wasn''t as vigorous as when he was younger, it was still a bit shameful to be that worse compared to the two. A few minutes later, both groups ended up in front of the majestic building symbolizing the very city of Archet. The large plaza was already filled with guards, many still defending the streets leading to that position while the injured were transported.


    A few orders were quickly transmitted, drawing the new line that should be defended. Two-thirds of Archet was deemed as lost, including the entire eastern part and the northern area, with the poor side totally left on its own. Many families were still appearing once in a while, right in front of the incoming groups of fighters. They rapidly reached the gates, screaming and shouting in a scared and angered crowd.


    At that time, a few reckless people had overrun the guards and opened one gate. They ran in the dark, followed by many. Unfortunately, the same trap caught them, their screams managing to even silence the loud ruckus. Like a net encircling the only exit, no one could pinpoint precisely where the enemies where. But that wasn''t enough to calm so many people. As the minutes passed, more and more injured and deaths appeared, either because they were trampled because of the panic or they were fighting among themselves, falling into insanity.


    With the absence of the Mayor, no one had enough authority to be audible, and numerous powerful families suffered the wrath of the populace, escaping a public execution by a short margin. The expensive adventurers still deterred even the most wrathful to try something illegal. But that didn''t prevent more and more to find horrible and ignoble for them to guard the wealthy instead of protecting Archet. Murmurs were spreading, and the adventurers couldn''t prevent them, the bitterness only growing.


    Numerous employees of the City Hall were in the crowd, but most were trying to stay as low key as possible. Ingeniously, they were all smart enough to remove any traces that could link them toward their profession. In the panic, to remember their faces would be a feat that only the most spiteful citizen could do.


    In that regard, they were all shocked when they saw a young girl approaching still wearing her recognizable uniform. Even if they were all cowards, that didn''t prevent a few to try to approach her before many recognized her. None of them wanted to see one of their colleagues getting hurt since they didn''t have the protection of anyone in those dark times. But as they got closer and closer, they couldn''t help but feel a bit calmer, and less scared.


    The young woman was faintly smiling, and it brought peace to those surrounding her. It wasn''t enough to remove all fear and anger, but at least, they were not cursing as vehemently, and one or two were even looking at their feet, ashamed by their earlier behavior. She broke through all the mobs and even managed to bypass those that were encircling the adventurers. It seemed that no one was finding any issue with her being an employee of the City Hall.


    In mere minutes, she ended up facing the line of guards that were still protecting the mechanisms to open the gate. With the two escapes ending up in the death of everyone, they had finally unsheathed their weapons, ready to protect the greater number against the insanity of the few. Even if it provoked the ire of many, that order still deterred the more frightened families to do anything out of the ordinary.


    Still smiling, she was nonetheless refused to approach any closer. The entire situation was getting more heated as the minutes passed, and the sweat on the faces of the guards was easily visible, even with only the light of the torches nearby. But because her appearance and her outfit was out of the ordinary, one officer left the rank to inquire about what she wanted. Her warm voice was audible, but the contents were only for the officer. The latter had a mixed face but was a bit relieved. He allowed her to go up on the ramparts, even when a few others were not really keen on letting that go like that.


    He quickly transmitted what she said, and even if they were not all convinced, they couldn''t have a better idea. They were only responsible for the security of Archet and catching criminals, not experts at dealing with a crowd. Without any additional opposition, the woman reached the top of the ramparts and was visible by everyone under it. Coupled with the torches lightening her figure, the attention of all the citizens in the surrounding was concentring on her.


    "Citizens of Archet, I know you are worried about your safety. You heard the bells and maybe even saw the terrifying army besieging us. Even Seron, the captain of the guards, couldn''t prevent the undead to breach inside Archet. You fear that by the end of this night, you will maybe lose your life. You have lost your trust in the management of this city, but this is all for naught. The night will not last forever, and I can assure you, that by the first rays of the day, help will arrive. In the meantime, don''t succumb to fear and anger, don''t increase the burden of the brave guards that are defending us even at this very second. Thank you for listening to me."


    She bowed in front of the pacified crowd, still smiling. Even the guards began to sheathed their weapons, not destroying the mood with their swords. They were still in line and preventing anyone from getting closer, but it was more friendly and less authoritatively, like previously. The first officer that allowed her to reach the ramparts escorted her along the walls, for her to deliver the same speech again and again. If she could reassure everyone that would be best. The only things that only the officer wondered was that, since when help was coming at dawn?

 103 Truth or Lie?

    In fact, Gwendoline, since it was her that had both the guts and the will to face the angry crowd, had absolutely no idea what the Mayor had planned. But, since he had already been in charge of this city for many years, it would make sense that he could gather a few things before dawn, and that''s what she was counting on. After the beginning of the battle, she hadn''t any contact with Meridiana, but as she came more and more in contact with the succubus, her personality suffered a few changes.


    Previously, she was filled with sorrow and anger, seeking revenge for her murdered family. She still retained her memories about that terrible fate, but the feelings connected to it weren''t as strong as before. Her mind was getting clearer and clearer, and subtle details she couldn''t see previously appeared distinctively. Her subconscious was sometimes making her do things that she could only remember do after a few seconds. Her entire posture was built by this newly found instinct, like the fact that she almost never removed the beautiful smile on her face. Before, she couldn''t maintain that fa?ade for more than a few dozens of minutes, but now, it seemed to be part of her.


    This proved to be extremely efficient, since she managed to appease most of the terrified citizens of Archet, under the baffled sight of the guards. But the latter were quick to act, and immediately retreat from their earlier aggressive postures and formations. The bearded officer that was the first to trust her could only have his eyes wide open, not knowing how a frail young girl could manage to do this. However, he kept his inner thoughts for himself, since she had resolved that explosive situation almost by herself. However, right after she arrived at the northern part of the wall, where the fights were extremely close, he couldn''t help but ask the question that everyone wanted to ask.


    "Hmm, young lady, did the Mayor said anything else about the help? And was is preventing him from speaking in person?" His voice was neither loud or quiet, but the few dispersed guards nearby were on high alert, meaning that everyone heard it. They tried to stay impassive, but one could easily see them looking at Gwendoline with the corner of their eyes.


    To this, the woman only raised her right hand and pointed it with her left one. This puzzled many, but the officers were quick to understand the meaning of this action. Her white hand was looking even paler under the light of the torches, but only one thing could be linked to it. The previously tense bearded man relaxed because it made sense that those criminals could respond more quickly than the regular army of Avenio. And it also explained that the Mayor couldn''t leave, because negotiations with those bandits were filled with multiple checkpoints, tests, and searches.


    "Thank you very much ¡­ young lady ¡­" By then, he was a bit ashamed that he didn''t ask her name even when they traveled for nearly half of an hour by now. He could only murmur a bit the young lady, not really looking at Gwendoline in front of him. But she didn''t take this seriously and only smiled back, making the officer a bit redder than he should be. Nonetheless, a citizen couldn''t stay on the ramparts, so he personally escorted her beyond the line of soldiers. He could only stay slightly dazed, as her silhouette was absorbed into the huge crowd.


    It didn''t take long for the important families to also inquire about the same thing as the officers. Most of them were members of the previously hold council, and all recognized the cheerful servant that was often attending to them. Normally, they were in a position of force compared to the young woman, but the attack of the undead changed that. Not wanting to lose even more reputation than they already did, all appeared to be calm and collected, even when their lives were in danger. The Mayor would have happily laughed, seeing those old turtles trying to be brave, even when their faces were filled with sweat and even paler than a corpse.


    "Miss Gwendoline, what a pleasant surprise to see you here. We feared that something could happen to those working inside the City Hall, but our worries were apparently unfounded. What a relief." They of course still acted like the businessmen they were. No one would refuse someone that was smiling or was extending his hand. But seeing the five or six old men surrounding a frail girl could lead to malevolent rumors. Fortunately, the adventurers were blocking the sight of the curious that was nearby.


    "Yes, yes, if you had been injured, this would have been a terrible loss for Archet. A terrible loss."


    "Indeed, but, we know each other, isn''t it Miss Gwendoline? We heard that you spoke to the Mayor, but we haven''t caught sight of him after the gian ¡­ can we say that?" One almost blurted something that shouldn''t be said in public, but the others only looked around. Seeing that no one was nearby, they nodded at the talkative elder.


    "Since you know about the future, I guess we can trust you. After all, you were the best attendee inside the City Hall."


    "Yes." "Absolutely." "Without any question." The praises could have kept coming if the patriarch of the Eltritch family hadn''t stopped them. He was the one with the lesser amount of adventurers because he was one of the few that had directed all his forces toward the eastern walls. But after the bells resonated in the city, even he couldn''t stay any longer, so he began his escape with his family.


    "Miss Gwendoline, we have lost contact with the Mayor after the liches created terrible creatures, gigantic skeletons. He left asking for help, but no one saw him after that. You said that help will arrive at dawn. Are you absolutely sure about that, would you bet your life on it?" The friendly atmosphere disappeared immediately, worry and expectations could be seen on the faces of those old foxes. However, Gwendoline was unfazed, and she repeated the same gesture she did in front of the bearded officer. Sighs of relief could be heard, and even the adventurers nearby relaxed a bit.


    "So this explains everything. It is only weird that you were chosen to transmit the information but ¡­" Looking at the young woman, she seemed trustworthy and absolutely not capable of catching any of the outlaws of the Organization " ¡­ you were a great choice nonetheless. That speech managed to calm even my eccentric sister, that is scared when a bird land on a tree. Thank you very much, Miss Gwendoline, for bringing comfort and warmth to our old bones. We won''t hold you back anymore, but if you want to stay here, you are extremely welcome."


    One person more to defend wouldn''t change anything for them, and it was always pleasant to have a beautiful woman in the surrounding. She also couldn''t be considered as a stranger, since they had more contacts with her than even some members of their own families. But she dismissed the idea.


    "Thank you very much for this opportunity, but I have to deliver the same message to the captain of the guards and the Guild Master. I only came here first because I was worried that some unfortunate accidents would happen because of fear."


    "Yes, yes, terrible things could happen in those dark moments. You did very well, Miss Gwendoline. Hector!" A swordsman that was visibly tired and had blood on his leather armor approached.


    "Bring her to Seron and the Guild Master. Nothing should happen to her." The adventurer only nodded, because he had seen what sign she made. It was rare for an innocent to be in contact with the White Hand, and if she was to die, even he couldn''t be sure that he wouldn''t follow her in the afterlife.


    "Miss Gwendoline, if you could follow me." She diligently walked behind the adventurer, leaving the group of old men thinking. Because the enemy outside the gates was in an unknown number, they had first thought to break through, but now, they only needed to hold a few more hours. Since that was the case, they dispatched nearly half of those protecting them back to the frontlines. Of course, it wasn''t without a change of contract and an increase in pay at the end of the entire ordeal. But they didn''t forget to remember who was loyal to Archet and who was greedy. The future of those belonging to the latter category will not be great.


    When Seron saw the young lady coming his way, he almost cursed the one in front of her. "What kind of bloody moron bring a civil here?" He had recognized her immediately since she was wearing her regular outfit. She was quite bold to stay in those clothes, but his mind was entirely occupied at holding the City Hall. His worst worry still hadn''t happened, nothing from the armory was seen. But his bad mood couldn''t prevent his harsh words.


    "You! Go to the South, right now!" He pointed at the swordsman, not even asking for his opinion. The latter could only grumble in his beard but still followed the order. He only had to survive the night anyway.


    "Gwendoline, what are you doing here? We are at war!"


    "I am here to bring you a message." She then repeated her hand gesture. "Reinforcement will arrive at dawn." Following this, she could only see Seron laughing madly. She was a bit baffled by this, but still maintained her smile, not perturbed at all.


    "That old fool. He promised help hours ago, and now it became dawn. I presume it wasn''t him that say this to you?" She could only nod since no one actually told her this. But she won''t say this loudly, otherwise, she would lose all the goodwill she gathered. "And because he talked to them, he is now stuck in some dark ceilings, and we have to deal with the situation in the West. One spark and everything we worked for will crumble, could you please ¡­"


    Thinking for a few seconds, he remembered she came from that side and with an adventurer. Only those old families could command them like that, meaning she already did something big enough to gain the recognition of those old farts. "Captain, the West had been pacified. A pretty girl appeared out of nowhere and ¡­ Heee!" The scout only recognized her after saying so much, but Seron dismissed him. He didn''t have the time to ask the details, but what he heard was good enough for him.


    "Miss Gwendoline, I suggest you return to safety. This place is dangerous, and we have no idea when or where the liches will attack. You, loud mouth, bring her back." The scout was a bit embarrassed by the nickname, but he didn''t dare to contradict Seron. Bowing to the captain of the guards, Gwendoline followed him, leaving a now smiling Seron.


    "GENTLEMEN! HELP WILL ARRIVE AT DAWN! WE NEED TO HOLD FOR 2 HOURS! ARCHET WILL NOT FALL TONIGHT!" His loud shouting could be heard from everywhere, even by the Hand of the White Hand. The latter could only look puzzled, before asking a question. "Your woman is very quick, it has only been five minutes and she already accomplished his mission." Just that praise was enough for the agent to have a vastly more flourished future.


    The woman in question was looking at where Gwendoline was like she had seen a ghost. Right after the departure with Seron, a group of adventurers approached and the scout let her go back alone, guiding the incoming fighters toward the frailest places in the frontline. Following this, the agent of the White Hand picked up the beautiful employee of the City Hall and began to transmit her message.


    Because they couldn''t let the Mayor leave and the city was in danger, the Hand had decided to divulge the fact that he had asked for help. Otherwise, if the knights he called ended up finding an empty city, it would have been a waste. The moral of the guards was at its lowest, and knowing that someone was willing to help them will greatly invigorate them. As for transmitting the information, they had to find an employee of the City Hall. At least that was the thought of the woman they sent.


    When she saw Gwendoline alone, with her distinctive uniform, she thought it was fate. After quickly telling everything she knew, she let the employee go. And a second later, she heard the shout of Seron. Even if the frail girl she captured was an expert, she couldn''t be that fast. Shaking her head, she tried to see where the girl went, but she couldn''t get a glimpse of her uniform. Puzzled, the agent could only think that her mission was still a success. Only that, there was something extremely weird. But what?

 104 An opportunity arise ...

    The only humans that were absolutely not happy with that were those still residing in the northern part of Archet. When the retreat was ordered, they were pushed back, both by the citizens and the guards. For them, the leeches that were only causing problems in daily lives didn''t deserve to be protected. For Seron, it was only because his men will be too much spread out, but some had other ideas behind this order. Thanks to the chaos, some spiteful officers manage to permanently block the poor inhabitants, even threatening them with their weapons.


    Faced with the incoming sea of skeletons, the outsiders could only rally behind those that could protect them. The numerous gangs, bands of criminals and other dark societies that never saw the light of the sun. Because the undead were completely mindless, none of them managed to see the numerous hideout and secret passages, allowing the outlaws to provide a shelter for many. Or at least, that was until Malakov decided to get rid of the expendables.


    From his point of view, Archet was already theirs, so, feeding mouths that will only provoke issues and not repay the favor was definitely not a priority. After cutting wide open the walls and furniture blocking the way, he didn''t dwindle any longer.He had to guide a huge amount of undead directly toward Meridiana and Davion, to make them even more incredible. Each time a skeleton was aiming at them, it was him doing it. Otherwise, even basic summons like them would not actively seek out such frightening monsters. Not that they will not target them at all, just that only those at the very front would do, the rest will naturally try to kill the feeble humans nearby.


    But just a small action from the Envoy of Leilade was enough to provoke a huge issue to the refugees. The dark tunnels and somber ceilings that should have guarded them were suddenly turned into traps that no one could escape. Even if the enemy could only attack one by one, or at most, two side by side, the undead were still infinite in the eyes of the humans. The petty thieves and weak beggars were only capable of using agilely a dagger, but such a weapon was useless against a skeleton. Their experience at targeting a weak point in the flesh didn''t prepare them at all for such a grim battle.


    Without the support of any renown fighters or a solid formation, the true murderers and bandits were the only one still standing. Their families were all located in their headquarters, protected by their brothers and sisters. A rare sight, but all the grudges were forgotten between every group. They had all joined the underground fortress that was only the fa?ade for the activities of the Organization, but the latter didn''t answer any of their calls. The fact that none of them were expulsed and killed by the trained killers could already be considered mercy, but the desperate peoples could hardly see it that way.


    All the shouts and cries that resonated beyond the reinforced gate couldn''t be heard by the kind old man still enjoying his tea. He had already brewed a second one, but that didn''t prevent him from appreciating the exquisite taste of that brewage. Not a single trace of worry was seen on his face because he was confident that even if the two liches came knocking on the gate, the only result would be their obliteration. The power behind hadn''t spent so much gold bribing dwarves and magus alike for their fortress to be breached so easily. And some things that were only exchanged inside the White Hand and not with any nations around here were powerful enough to take care of the undead. It was just too wasteful to use them.


    "¡­ her mission." A few minutes after saying those words, he saw one of his bodyguard approaching him and murmuring the reports from the outside. The last criminals had died, crushed in less than 30 minutes. It had not been that long since the local garrison left them to die, alone at the mercy of the skeletons. Some had worked for them for many years but since they were not approached to join the Organization, that meant no one had a high esteem of those gangs. But what was more interesting was the following sentence that was pronounced.


    "So, after seeing the door and the pile of corpses nearby, no skeletons even tried to hit it? Interesting. Is it because the liches know what the gate means or were they not controlling their servants anymore?" The white-haired elder was just saying his thoughts loudly, not bothered by those residing in the shadows nearby. If it was the former, it meant the entire situation was far more complex than it seemed at first glance. If it was the latter, it also brought a few incoherencies, regarding the intelligence of the undead.


    "Tell me when the knights will have cleansed the battlefield, I will personally ask them their feelings about that. It''s a shame we hadn''t predicted this uprising; we could have got the opinion of more qualified experts." As for whether those experts were human or not, only a few could know that. But since the liches were not very keen on fighting the Organization, he will not send another group of killers. Their losses of qualified personals in this part of the world were getting higher and higher.


    This distraction still served a purpose, allowing an important amount of fighters near the poor area to finally catch a break and rest for a bit. The flow of skeletons was incredibly low while the gangs were still alive, making those that had a bad conscience forgot it. In the end, for the protection of many, a few were sacrificed.Or at least, that was what they were constantly saying to themselves.


    Those that managed to rest for more than a dozen of minutes were quickly dispatched to the South. Numerous rotations between the walls in the West and the frontline had already happened, but because of the huge crowd between the two, it was not really efficient. Seeing the injured and exhausted soldiers and adventurers appearing once in a while, the previously extinguished fear was once more rising. But now, thanks to the reminder of Gwendoline, the old families were truly putting their weight in the matter. They acted like peace guardians, quickly suppressing any belligerent individuals.


    The next hour was harsh for Seron and his men, but they were still capable of holding the line. After discussing with Meridiana for a while, he convinced her to move across the battlefield, to show hope for the guards. If even he was totally amazed by her vigor and power, what to say about the few rookies that were still alive. They would be galvanized by that sight, and maybe hold for the last hour. It was only when he heard that they were too far away from him did he realized that it was an error. For rising from the ground, a lich was floating a hundred meters away from him.


    SLING


    He was not alone in that case. Before he could even begin to create a word in his mouth, he heard the sound of a string being released. The small catapult, or what seemed to be a catapult, released its deadly projectile toward the terrifying undead. Their chance of finally hurting the lifeless army at its core at long last appeared. Only to be crushed in the most brutal fashion.


    FUSHHHHHHHHHHH


    A huge fire exploded, illuminating the city in its red light. Shouts from everywhere celebrated that sight since it only was possible when a bomb provided by the White Hand was used. And everyone had full trust in Seron and the Guild Master to not waste any shot. But only the two and the few elites guarding the latter were not enjoyed at all, but only shivering. Even if the bomb was meters away from the lich, they knew it didn''t inflict enough damage to destroy it.


    Utilizing the surrounding building, a gigantic skeleton had eaten the bomb, suffering the blunt force of the magic from the 6th Circle. The reason why the flame was so high in the sky was that the huge foe opened a way for the flames to go toward that direction, even if it meant the be burned to the crisp. They could see from afar the melted remains of the skeleton, only the charred bones forming its feet. Everything else had disappeared, but not the silhouette still intact. With the magic shield protecting the lich and the sacrifice of its guardian, they had lost an opportunity.


    "TO ME! FORWAAAAAAAAAARD!" Brandishing his sword, Seron dashed forward. The remaining of the veterans that were previously guarding the Guild Master quickly joined him, acting like a piercing spear in the sea of skeletons. They had not fought once since the beginning, ready to group with Seron at his command. This was the only action still available for them since even the mighty bombs were not capable of dealing with the opposing side.


    For the first time, they displayed entirely their strength, not sparing anything. Even if it seemed hopeless since the lich could still fly away. But because the latter was immobile, the crazy idea of the undead being stunned by the bomb grew in their minds. No one could infer what was truly inside those locked devices, so it was a mince possibility to have an additional spell in it. But a possibility nonetheless.


    In a matter of seconds, they had arrived in front of the lich. Their training, all the sufferings they endured to have a body reinforced with mana was finally paying off. Right under the sword of Seron, the lich was still immobile, even when its doom was arriving at great speed.


    SLASH


    The image of the undead was cut in half, the lack of sound disturbing the veterans nearby. If a sword hit something, especially bones, it should create a sound. After that, they saw the lower and upper parts slowly fade in the dark, like a dream escaping the mind of those awakening.


    "KAKAKAKAKA"


    "KEKEKEKEKE"


    The chilling laughs resonated from both sides, one on the left and one on the right. Even without seeing them, the small group knew they had fallen in a trap. But it was necessary, they couldn''t have lasted that hour if the liches decided to partake in the battle. Even without their intervention, the help would have to arrive exactly at dawn, not a minute later. Not even the exceptional performance of Davion and Meridiana could have prevented thousands of casualties among innocent civilians.


    "Madala Naratros" "Mordaran Malaran"


    "I failed yo¡­" The frozen statue that Seron became will never be able to finish his sentence. He was gazing at the terrified guards and adventurers, seeing them fell into despair. But in the end, Archet will be destroyed and razed under his watch, a city that had survived more catastrophic situations. But those were when everyone was prepared and the army of Avenio was also present.


    "I am sorry Seron for I was not able to help you more. Would you two despise me, if you knew what was located inside the Guild?" The master of the adventurers inside Archet could only watch the entire ordeal unfold, only blaming himself for it. He was bound by his position but it was the first time he realized how huge were the shackles around him. Even if everyone died here, those above him would be pleased if nothing was touched inside his Guild. But if he dared to even take something out and use it to save others, he would not be the only one to suffer.


    Unlike the magicians and magus that were trained by the nation, adventurers only respected gold and power. Creating the huge monster that was the Guild of the Adventurers, spreading its tentacles inside every city, every region. Similar to the White Hand, only that they were always placing themselves on a higher pedestal, acting like they were heroes. But even after someone he could call a friend died, the Guild Master was still too scared to act like he wanted to. Looking downward, he saw guards and adventurers alike running for their lives. Only a few still maintained the formation, but it was evident it would not hold even a minute.


    The Guild Master noticed for the first time that he was alone, truly alone. Those guarding him had all died along Seron or were sent when the situation was too dire somewhere else. It was only him, and the other bomb. Surrounded by the screams of pain and cries of panic.

 105 ... only to be a mirage.

    The impact of the death of both Seron and the elites accompanying him was far more important than what the local guards already experienced a few hours ago. Indeed, in the previous situation, numerous locations were still strong, capable of holding back the undead until dawn and ever later. It was most of the time the result of a powerful group of either mercenaries or adventurers, replacing a few guards by themselves. Even if it was not to the extent of Meridiana and her companion, their strength was significant enough to impact the battlefield.


    As a central figure, Seron was the beacon of all the fighters and was even more important for the guards. The countless rotations of fighters were made to always see him, even if it was for a brief moment and most of the time, from afar. If it was truly not possible, one of those previously guarding the Guild Master would act, to ignite the spirits of those that were crumbling under the pressure. This battle was destined to be won by the moral of the living since nothing else was on their side.


    Without anyone to rally them after the initial panic, since even the few officers that witnessed this also ran, frightened, the entire position of the City Hall turned defenseless. This gap was proven to be extremely deadly since no one could stop those desperately trying to flee and ask what happened. In that sea of screams and cries, only one man was still not moving. Glaring at them from the roof of a house nearby, he could only lament inwardly. Finally, he sat down and began to toy a bit the strange device that was near his legs. The black and metallic octahedra that should have been their hope was reduced to being useless.


    "What is the point of a bomb, if we can''t use it properly?" Usually, the finest product of the White Hand was highly sought, because of its incredible capability at dealing with large threats. One was used in the North to wipe out an entire tribe of goblins inside their very own lair. And it was not a little one, but a more or less trustworthy account reported at least 2 thousands of head in that tribe. All reduced to rotten meat thanks to just one bomb. Even if it was barely a year ago, this was not the most important deed that those devices provoked.


    Unfortunately, because the humans, the elves or the dwarves that used them were on the smartest side, they accomplished miracles. But the crude reality was still that everything besides their own power was an external force, proved by the death of Seron. They didn''t have a single magus in Archet, only a few magicians of the 4th Circle that belonged to the Guild of the Adventurers. With a true magus in bones and flesh, they wouldn''t have been so scared of the liches and so adamant at trying everything to kill just one.


    Those terrible undead were born with knowledge about magic vastly superior to any other races besides the dragons and the vampires. This was a true enigma for the rest of the world, how they all acquired that ease at manipulating mana. But, from a general consensus, a lich would be capable of reaching the 5th Circle in a few years after being born. Some were even more powerful after being created, but because it was quite hard to track it, the 5th Circle was the initial estimate. A vampire would be barely weaker in term of magic while the race and parents of the newly born dragon would have to be considered to make a judgment. Any other races couldn''t assure with a 100% of certainty that it could awaken his potential.


    This was proven when the liches began to create gigantic skeletons and were capable of freezing vast surface times and times again. All while maintaining the vast army that was slashing down the fleeing guards in the streets. Funnily enough, from the point of view of the Guild Master, he was completely ignored. By now, he could no longer see anything else but skeletons around him. Not even one of them raised their heads to see if someone was above. If it wasn''t so grim for him, he would have laughed at that sight. To realize that just being a few meters above the ground would protect him.


    Of course, that was only because the liches were not paying attention to a lone man. If they found the city empty, they would logically search everywhere, including the ceilings, basements, and roofs. By then, the hidden citizens would be slaughtered, but at the current time, the Guild Master was safe. Absently rotating the black bomb in his hands, he could only appreciate his last moments in relative peace.


    Klik Klak Klonk Klyk


    The sound of bones shattering and being crushed was getting closer and closer. Raising his head, the man lost in the ocean of bones managed to spot the two armors that were moving toward him. The already clumsy undead appeared to be immobile objects in front of Meridiana and Davion like they were not threatening at all. He could see the two continuing to destroy skeletons after skeletons, paving their way of crushed bones and white dust. "What are they doing here?"


    There could be only one reason, destroy a lich. But it was pure folly, complete madness. Brave men had already sacrificed themselves, for nothing. If they also lost the two pillars that were the only hope of even one human surviving, Archet would irremediably fall. Not that it wouldn''t otherwise, just with fewer casualties. In this mindset, the Guild Master was beginning to stand up to shout them to retreat when he finally noticed something weird.


    The skeletons were not actively attacking them. From afar, it was truly not obvious and it explained why he didn''t see it at first. But as the two kept getting closer and closer, he saw that they were only killing a few skeletons there and there. Every swing of their weapons was large and magnificent, but the actual damages were too little, even pitiful. Some undead weren''t even destroyed, just merely knocked down for a brief moment. And when he saw the two liches approaching peacefully, his heart broke down.


    Not even in his wildest nightmare would he have imagined that the two saviors of the city were actually colluding with the undead. He was so shocked that he didn''t even hear what was first said and had to focus his mind. Not that it was hard, since the sea of skeletons was quite silent, besides the bones knocking on themselves.


    "... hard, but they did put a lot of effort into it. Especially those reinforcements, we hadn''t heard about it all." The usually warm and caring voice of Meridiana was now colder than the heart of the undead. Like she didn''t care at all about the corpses that were at her feet or everyone else that died fighting.


    "All I can say is that the ghouls are still alive, meaning that they were a bit far from Archet. You still have the time to save the day and kill a lich. Now, let''s talk more about what you need; how many skeletons have to die? Two thirds and the zombies will begin to appear or even more?" Shockingly, it was not one of the liches that were talking but a small inconspicuous skeleton near them. Nothing was different between him and any other skeleton, but the way he talked and gestured while speaking was weird. He was clearly on the same level as Meridiana, but his appearance did not match.


    The Guild Master was now confident that this entire thing was just a massive ploy. He was not certain about all the ramifications, but Archet was visibly only the first step. Otherwise, they wouldn''t be so carefree and discussing leisurely in the middle of a plaza tainted by blood. His sorrow and fear were gradually turning into anger and hate, knowing that he was played like a toddler. Everyone that died, only because those strangers decided it?


    "... well, do it that way. Concerning the mountains, everything is cleared on that part, they are both here?" It was the first time the adventurer saw Meridiana a bit worried. Whoever was in the "they" she pronounced, they were important.


    "Yes, so whatever happens, unless you manage to wake up the only thing capable of killing us all, you will be fine. I mean, except being overconfident like that rabid dog, there is no way any of us should suffer any injuries." From his tone, the feeble and weak skeleton was extremely proud. Even if he understood some bits of information, there were a lot of dark areas. Like the fact that they were scared of something but what could that be?


    Right after hearing this, he saw one of the two liches extending its neck in front of Davion, that used his hand to crush it. Instantly after that, a subtle riptide inside the white sea spread far and wide, disrupting the undead. Some were only mildly shaken and even lost their balance, while others simply crumbled and had their limbs detaching from the main body. The majority belonged to the last group, meaning for those that weren''t him, they would be extremely hopeful.


    Unfortunately, this sight that should have brought him joy and relief only worsen his mood. That meant they had the powers and the means to do whatever they wanted inside the Republic of Avenio and feared nothing. Otherwise, they wouldn''t have decided arbitrarily on the number of undead to destroy, just to make things more interesting. This was not the end however, far from it.


    Gwaaargh Bwwwaaargh Baaarh Boooooooarw


    The gruesome sounds of zombies were getting louder and louder. That terrifying sight, of a family with their little girl in their arms, completely beheaded was shocking even from him. It was certain that many were guards, some still wearing their leather outfits that were under their armor. But others were just unlucky citizens or the forgotten outlaws from the northern area. Whether it was their eyes gouged out, or their elbows broken, to have their kneecaps split, and their body burned away. Also, maybe some limbs were all hacked and mangled. Anyone would bravely run away seeing this, especially in the current state of mind the fighters currently were in.


    They were, however, not smarter in any way compared to the skeletons. The Guild Master was still not noticed from his hiding spot, not daring to expose his head. The moment he saw Meridiana and Davion meeting with the skeleton, he lowered his body to the maximum. Otherwise, he would have probably been noticed and therefore, killed.


    But his potential of surviving was practically nonexistent. Even he knew that. He would have to bypass without being seen all the undead currently roaming inside Archet, without knowing their positions or what they were. If he could probably fool a few zombies, he couldn''t do that against hundreds of them or even a single ghoul. Since the moment he is seen, the lich will not spare anything before he was silenced forever.


    Still manipulating the black device, he only had in mind a crazy idea that was absolutely not normal for him. But that was something that Seron would have approved or even done if he was in his shoes. If he could just make them feel a tenth of what they had felt, it would be worth. And when his soul will leave his body, he would not regret if he could bring a few additional with him.


    They were still chatting and were getting closer to his position. A few more meters and he will be able to reach them in less than 3 seconds. It was a long period for him, but he couldn''t afford to lose the effect of surprise. If he was discovered beforehand, even if he was 1 meter away, would be too far for him.


    "Hold your breath next time." Those words froze his heart as he was jumping out of the roof. There was a trace of jeering in the voice of Meridiana, but he still didn''t care. Dashing with the bomb in his hand, he tried to get closer and closer but no matter what he tried the distance was still the same.


    From the outside, the Guild Master would have looked like someone running still. He was in fact trapped in an illusion created by Meridiana. Because they were still a bit afraid by something that caused Kardel to suffer that much, they were reluctant at utilizing a spell capable of activating the bomb.


    However, targeting the mind of a perturbed individual that was clearly losing his mind was child''s play for a succubus. Right after they had first talked with Malakov, she had spread her senses and detected the human. Because it was not logical for just one to be alive, they had baited a reaction and from the looks of it, he was truly alone.


    "So it was him, that''s good he was meant to die anyway. We are now just missing the Mayor and we will be good, we just don''t know where he is. Malakov, warn us if you find him. In the meantime, let me take a look at the bom..."


    "CAREFUL!"


    Davion grabbed the succubus and the lich, pulling them far away from the explosion. Whether it was from despair or something else, but the Guild Master had unleashed the myriads of spells contained in the metallic device without getting closer. His body and the one which Malakov took control were melting in front of their eyes. A green mist was propagating itself in the surrounding, causing numerous buildings to lose their walls and be destroyed. All the corpses and pieces of bones were also wiped out, and a hole toward the sewers appeared in the middle of the street.


    Facing this, none of the two could dare to say they would survive. Just when they thought it was over, they had to flee once more. A torch that was still burning came in contact with the mist, causing another explosion. That part of the city was in rumbles, nobody could recognize it anymore. The City Hall that was nearby was turned into a ruin, something that they originally didn''t want. They didn''t want to lose time at rebuilding a city, but from the looks of it, they will have to.


    "Thank you Davion, I hadn''t expected him to be so fast at igniting the bomb. One more second, and we could have to get it for free. It''s a shame."


    "Talk for you, I was lucky to escape in time. Do you have any idea how painful it is to lose a part of your soul?" A skeleton appeared from nowhere and began to complain. Meridiana could only roll her eyes hearing this, she had heard from others it was really not painful at all. It just provoked a feeling of weakness for a certain period of time, but there was no pain associated. But because she didn''t want to hear anything else, she left, not forgetting the head of the lich in her hands.


    Their arrival provoked an extreme reaction from the fighters. Coupled with the reduced number of undead, they were confident that they would last until dawn. As for the explosion, none bothered them for the moment. A few smart officers linked that with the remaining bomb and guessed that with the help of the Guild Master, they had brought down one of those monsters. As for the disappearance of that man, they could only pray for his soul.


    Even against the zombies that were constantly arriving, they still managed to hold longly enough. It was not without his toll on the living, and the ratio of injured and alive was growing. The diseases and unholy blood that was stored inside the zombie caused a lot of issues, and the few priests were powerless against it. The reserve of medicines was extremely low because they were not transported when they hastily retreated for the first time and gave up the ramparts. So when a horn resonated in the West, everyone could finally smile once more. For help had arrived.


    TULU TULUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

 106 The Order of Kirof

    Except for those that were still fighting, everyone stared at the closed gates, to see who will pass them. The sun was quite not yet visible, but the sky was turning more and bluer and it was not that hard anymore to spot the zombies rushing at the living. Of course, it did provoke fear and panic prior to the sound of the horn, when people realized how bad looking were the injured. In the cover of the night, it was hard to discern the injuries behind the heavy armor.


    But even if the zombies were more frightening than the skeletons, their number was far lower. This allowed the few survivors from the garrison to incapacitate more than kill them. And with the arrival of the reinforcements, they were only using numerous obstacles gathered in the surrounding houses to form barricades here and there. Since the zombies were even clumsier than the skeletons, this resulted in temporary success, at the cost of the furniture that was getting destroyed.


    TULU TULUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM


    The sound of the horn resonated once more, albeit far more closely than before. The gates were slowly opening, and the soldiers that were on top of the ramparts were shouting in joy after discovering who was coming to help them. Some people that were familiar with that sound finally remembered where they heard it, sharing the extremely good news to their neighbors. So when the citizens first saw the skull helmet worn by their saviors, they only felt relief and not fear.


    The mighty riders didn''t stop at all, a passage already formed in the huge crowd to let them through. In a blink of an eye, ten or so knights charged forward, agilely controlling their mount to not harm the innocents nearby. It was not that hard since the way was large enough for two horses to walk side by side, by for the previously desperate inhabitants of Archet, it was like they were Heroes.


    The frontline had been pushed back repeatedly so many times that the incoming knights barely had to ride for less than 30 seconds before reaching it. With the usual traffic and the size of the city, it would have taken nearly 5 minutes to reach the eastern gates from the West, even with a horse. This was also proof that if the local guards had to fight by themselves till the end, they would have perished not long after dawn.


    Everyone cleared the path for them, whether it was civilians or fighters, but the group split up in five duos. Each heading to different directions, to deal with the undead in multiple locations at the same time. This could have appeared to be presumptuous, to only change the tide of battle with only two riders, but Davion and Meridiana had already proven it was possible. And the moment the exhausted warriors saw them in action, they felt that the comparison was quite accurate.


    Like vicious animals, the knights launched themselves in the fray, hacking down any undead in the range of their weapons. Most used a greatsword that should have been handled with two hands accompanied with a massive shield. Only one was even more reckless, dismissing the great shield for a short sword. Nonetheless, both weapons were used only offensively, the weight of the shield used to crush the frail limbs of the undead.


    Some guards couldn''t help but have goosebumps, and if they hadn''t known they were here to help, they would have thought the knights were madmen, not caring at all for their lives. But the result spoke for themselves, in the few minutes following their arrival, the different groups of strangers had pushed back the undead farther than where they were before Seron died. The only moment they momentarily paused their assault was when they arrived at the destroyed City Hall and had to be careful near the hole on the ground.


    Looking at this, Malakov was a bit shocked, for it seemed that those knights had infinite stamina. Only beings that would never tire or rarely would act at their full potential all the time. So either the way they fought were not even the maximum they could accomplish, which would be extremely bad for them, or they were lunatics. They had heard of their reputation and the stories surrounding them, but it was always rumored and they hadn''t killed anyone that directly saw them fighting with their own eyes.


    But if anyone asked in the human nations or even beyond that who they should call to fight an undead army, it would be those knights. The Order of Kirof. The fallen knights, the former Eagles of Parkow. The only surviving entity of the previous human kingdom. They dismissed their helmet shaped like the head of an eagle to wear those skulls, symbolizing their origin.


    In truth, their story was a bit pathetic. The moment one of the Dark God unleashed that spell, turning the entire country into a land for the dead, they were fighting another one near the mountains. They had helped the trolls and their Hero, Tarlakh, only to come back and see their own country devasted. The thousands of men and women could only lament, knowing that they hadn''t protected their families, their friends, their cities.


    Following the fall of Pankow, the numerous refugees entered the neighboring countries and adapted themselves to the local life. But that was because they were not the most elite troops of that said kingdom. The sovereigns of that time were extremely reluctant at sheltering those knights, who acted like one group. They didn''t deny the fact those loyal souls were to be praised for their actions in the Age of Darkness, but after the Calamity ended, the purpose of the Order of Kirof was a thorn in their side.


    Because of this, the first years were extremely rough for the knights. They had to give up their weapons, their armors, their brothers and sisters. Some enjoyed the sudden peace and truly converted themselves to the life of a civilian. Others joined the Adventurer Guild or entered the battle as mercenaries. Seeing the ancient heritage and culture of the Order being slowly destroyed, the former officers were desperate. Until, a movement was seen from Pankow, a large force of undead heading toward the Republic of Avenio.


    Because it was shortly after declaring its own independence, the army was stretched out between the North, frontier with the Synnada Empire, and the South from where the undead were coming. Lacking men, experienced fighters, they were on the brink of losing and allowing the dead to roam inside Avenio. It was at that time that the Order forged a pact with the high council of the republic.


    The latter will guarantee that they will not influence in any way the Order of Kirof. For this, the knights will fight for them any time an undead was spotted, for free. This point was the ultimate concessions of the former officers, and this was what made the aristocrats and merchants accept the deal.


    In the following years, multiple fortified hamlets appeared not only in Avenio but also in Genablum and Massalia. Most descendants of the knights of that time are part of the Order, and whenever someone had to deal with the undead, they are ready to fight them. Of course, for the common eyes, they are doing that for free, true heroes worthy of the immense sympathy many commoners have for them. Behind the scenes, most nobles in charge of the area where the Order was called still had to pay them for their services. It was always a gift or repairing their equipment with their own funds, minor dealings like that. Otherwise, the Order would have run out of weapons in a few years.


    No one was really angry about that. For them, it was always much cheaper to call the knights of Kirof for help than dealing with greedy adventurers. The only problem was the fact that even if each knight was extremely powerful, capable of holding their ground against the elites of each nation, they were not a lot. More or less 1 thousand, in 3 different nations and even some often roamed inside the realms of the dwarves and the elves. So, it was not uncommon to not be able to ask for their help if the problem was urgent.


    Because of this, it seemed like a miracle for ten knights to be present near Archet when such a grave crisis happened. But those ten were clearly capable of killing every undead Malakov still had in reserve. Even the lich will fall under their swords because they were trained from their childhood to kill undead. Because of this, the Envoy of Leilade had mixed feelings. He was reluctant at letting the last lich die so easily since it will make Davion and Meridiana look a bit worse. But he had to kill it without the intervention of the other two, he had planned to make it fight the adventurers till the end and died while taking dozens with it.


    After pondering for a few seconds, he guessed that it was time for him to leave it to fate. Releasing his control over the army of undead, he returned to his true form and waited for the news. As for the ghouls that were encircling Archet, he had them attack the walls. When he first heard the sound of the horn, he immediately ordered them to not attack, since it would be pointless. But now, he only wanted to get rid of everything, just forbidding them to harm the human Meridiana choose.


    The moment a part of his soul left the weak skeleton, the lich that was nearby sighed in relief. She had seen her companion controlled only to be crushed by those two monsters. Even if she hated him, even when she doesn''t understand why she still was terrified to be so powerless. She tried to levitate toward the North-West, her home. Or at least, she felt it was her home, somewhere with a lot of trees. In her mind, trees were good, it made life happier, but now she was dead, so she wondered if it made death happier too?


    But after being 3 meters away from the ground, she felt stuck. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn''t get higher than that. It was illogical, since before she could bypass the ramparts entirely, and they were taller than that. Trying a few more times, she resigned herself and tried to leave the city. But when she was above the walls, an invisible wall prevented her from even having a finger outside.


    Even if she wasn''t a genius, she could easily understand what was preventing her from leaving. Feeling panic when noticing the two ferocious knights that were approaching her, she tried to argue and plead her cause. "Foolish mortals; prepare to die!" She hastily put her bony hands in front of her mouth. She hadn''t meant to say that.


    "Succumb to my power worms!" "Bow before your death!" "This city will fall by my hand!"


    In quick successions, she tried to beg for mercy but only spoke those cruel words. Even when she tried to do some hand gestures to signal anything to those warriors, she couldn''t do it. For some reasons, she found those knights familiar, or at least, she knew about them. Instinctively, she executed a quick movement from her right hand, making the knights paused for a moment.


    But the backlash from defying the order of the one who created her was horrible. She felt like thousands of needles were piercing her entire body, but couldn''t even scream at all. Seeing the lich being immobile, even if they had their doubts, the knights still jumped on the occasion.


    Her rotten face and her lifeless orbits would never be able to share what she was feeling, when that greatsword pierced her chest, shattering her core. She could only grab the sword and knock it twice with her little finger and one with her middle finger before her very soul was destroyed.


    This caused the remaining undead to crumble, but also the two knights to be extremely pensive about the situation. The two signs they saw where two different means of conveying the same issue. The first was from their own Order, signifying a trap while the other was from the White Hand meaning that an ambush was prepared. A lich shouldn''t know that, and it hadn''t even tried to attack them.


    Because they feel perplexed, they inspected the body multiple times, even dismembered it to see if it was an illusion. As for the undead core, they gathered the fragments and will destroy them this night, but after understanding everything. Even if they were doubtful, their main priority was to annihilate all possibilities of revival. The cleaning of the city was quick after that, and the bodies of the other lich and the ghouls in the east were salvaged. Their cores were all reduced to mere dust, but the other knights were doubtful about the strange lich.


    Not even talking about whether it was a ploy to have them not destroy the core, the body of the other lich was in a weird state. It had been partially blasted by the explosion of the bomb, but it had been beheaded with a strange weapon. Maybe a hammer or something, the cut on the neck was not clean at all and it was the only visible sign of a fight. This meant that whoever killed it was in just one hit. It was not that common, but because they had no idea how old those liches were for the moment, that was just a casual reflexion.


    After all of this, they returned to the eastern part of Archet, only to hear that a group of undead had attacked. They were surprised since they had not seen anything while riding to help, but they could only return as quickly as possible. It would be a shame for them if they managed to kill a lich, only for innocents to die because of other monsters that they didn''t know about.

 107 A happy ending?

    The first thing they saw was scared families all gathering near each other, in an attempt of protecting everyone. While they seemed to be on guard, they were not frightened to the point of shaking. The injured were still taken care and were not being transported anywhere else like they should if danger was imminent. At the same time, the external forces that didn''t belong to the guard were only in a more vigilant state. "At least, it was not a complete massacre" The leader of the knights were relieved because from what they had heard, it could have been anything.


    Unfortunately, while he was thinking that, the citizens of Archet were no looking as highly as before their saviors. Because they were still attacked after their arrival, and many good men had died on top of the western ramparts to protect them., even after they heard the complete defeat of the two liches, they were barely grateful. Meeting this hard resistance from the civilians, the helping riders could only smile weirdly, not knowing what to do. They were not particularly good at doing anything, besides training and killing monsters.


    So in the end, they could only reach the walls, only to see two armors being acclaimed, alongside the guards. The moment they put their eyes on the two supposedly adventurers, they felt something bad, deep inside themselves. Their instincts were telling them to not fight the two, that they were extremely dangerous. Of course, they took it as proof that they deserved to be cheered like that, especially when they received the news that it was them that killed the other lich.


    Looking at the dark armor the giant one was wearing and his massive and powerful hand, they linked that with the weird wound on the deceased undead. That was at least one of the two mysteries that was solved, even if that one was just curiosity more than anything else. Because they were tainted by the undead blood of the zombies, no one was willing to get close to them, especially knowing who they were. They saw a few officers discussing about them a few meters away, but they had only come here after hearing the situation from the White Hand. Making the knights a bit reluctant at taking the first step.


    Fortunately, a pretty young woman approached them, wearing some kind of uniforms. They were not expert in clothes, but it was apparent that it represented something, especially since the surrounding citizens looked at her earnestly. "I, on the behalf of Archet, thank you for your help in this dark times. May I ask you if you have vanquished the remaining lich?"


    Her question provoked the curiosity of everyone, and because the knights were way faster than the common guard, the later hadn''t propagated the news. They were also in a hurry when they heard that there was an attack here, so they had rushed at full speed. "Yes, we have destroyed all the undead still left in this city. Their core had been shattered, they will not be resurrected."


    Even the most doubtful pessimist broke in laughs and cheers after hearing this. This meant that they were safe, and the officers linked that with the recent attack. It seemed for them that after the death of the lich, the ghouls were free once more and, attracted by the living humans, they attacked in a disordered fashion. After talking a bit more, the situation was resumed in a few sentences.


    This place that was apparently the closest for the ghouls was caught slightly by surprise. Dozens of guards were killed before the adventurers and mercenaries downstairs could react. Following this, with the help of Davion and Meridiana that blocked their way, the undead were slain. The 10 ghouls were mostly killed by the magicians that finally acted and displayed their power. Because they were supposed to counter the liches, they only played a minor part, and the resentful stares from the other fighters were making them ashamed of themselves.


    It didn''t reduce the fact that they had done next to nothing in this battle, but they had at least saved a few lives. They also went on top of the ramparts, ready to unleash spells at whatever new threats will arise. But none could notice any other enemies, meaning that the city was finally safe, leading to the spectacle the knights first saw.


    "I see, that''s a relief to hear that all the undead are exterminated. May my men examine the surrounding, to not miss anything else?" The leader of the knight was trying to fix his past mistake since they hadn''t spotted the ghouls when they arrived. At the same time, now that they knew ghouls were present, they will act differently. The only thing they heard was that two liches were seen in a city called Archet.


    "Of course, no one here would want to live in fear for the next days. I am certain that you will not miss any undead, again." Even if her voice was agreeable to the ears, the last word still stiffened a bit the knights. But they couldn''t retort anything since they truly could be blamed for the recent deaths. Unconsciously or not, the survivors of Archet completely let Gwendoline act as the representative of the Mayor. Not even the old families said anything.


    After exchanging a few more diplomatic sentences, the group of riders approached the walls and examined everything. At least, she managed to get rid of them. As long as they were not messing with their plans by being here, Meridiana was pleased. The longer those knights stayed, the bigger would be the impression they will leave in the heart of the humans. That''s why, with Davion, they were traveling everywhere, to be seen as often as they could. They knew that nothing else will happen, but they couldn''t show that. From an exterior point of view, the two would seem to be patrolling.


    "Zzzz ... Zzzz ... ZZZUNDEAD!" An old man violently woke up and found himself in a familiar place. Only that the roof was gone and the beautiful painting that should have been seen on the wall was partially destroyed. Looking around, he could see the comfy chair he was in and the luxurious tables, surrounded by wreckages and stones. Feeling a nasty headache, he massaged his head and tried to figure out what the hell happened here.


    "Wait ... City Hall ... that means the undead have breached the walls and the rest. What in all the gods I know did you do Seron? But it''s the day, so the help from the White Hand have probably arrived. But you will hear me nagging for a long time, look at that buildi ... THE STREET?!!" He was only looking at the City Hall, but when he finally got out, he noticed the huge hole in the ground.


    "Bomb, that''s the bomb. That means one lich is gone, great job Seron!" He was mumbling in his mouth, talking to himself. The city was totally empty, not a single soul could be seen. Looking around, he could only feel bad when he saw the amount of blood spread everywhere. The two main colors surrounding him were white and red.


    It was at that time that he saw a bit further some ice sculptures. Because they were not in the middle of winter, it was obvious that magic was involved. But from where he stood, he couldn''t see what was inside them. There were numerous sculptures, and as he approached he saw that they were all encircling a skeleton. He couldn''t see beyond the first rank, but since that was the case, it was probably a magician from their side.


    "So, if they are here, the hole is over there. They probably retreated even more. But to give away the City Hall, they must have suffered a lot of casualties. Bah, who am I kidding? I didn''t even study how to participate in a war. And why am I still talking to myself ..." The lack of sign that someone was still alive still perturbed him. He was certain that the cadre from the Organization was alive, since killing him would be next to impossible. But if only those people survived, it would be a calamity.


    Thankfully, he was fully clothed, the same outfit that he wore when he left Seron, meaning that his appearance was easily recognizable. Because the euphoria of surviving was still present, all he saw was smiles, everywhere. There were also tears, but tears of joy, laughs, the atmosphere was similar to one that could be found in a party. It was only when he spotted the old turtle from the Elritch that he faced the harsh reality.


    Seron died, the Guild Master perished, the poor area was wiped out, not even a tenth of the guards was still alive and at least thousands of civilians had perished inside the East of Archet. Even with all his experience at not letting his true sentiments appeared on his face, the Mayor was incapable of doing anything but stare blankly his mouth agape. The more those words resonated in his mind, the more inconceivable they seemed.


    "Wha... what... why ... How?!! Tell me HOW!" He grabbed the other man by his collar and shook him. The adventurers tried to approach, but after seeing the deadly stare the Mayor sent at them, they diplomatically backed off. He was, after all, not just some random peasant trying to attack someone.


    "The situation about Seron is extremely confused. Only a few that were there survived, and they are all terrified and gravely injured. Apparently, he managed to hit one of the liches but was frozen afterward. Nonetheless, he was a great man and we couldn''t have..." The Mayor didn''t hear the rest, only focusing on the frozen part. Remembering the ice sculptures, he could only shake his head. The good part was that his corpse was probably intact, he will have a proper funeral.


    "... exemplary. As for the Guild Master, ask the two adventurers, Davion and Meridiana. He was in charge of the bombs, and he used one of them to kill the injured lich. He apparently sacrificed himself in the explosion. Too many good men and women had died this night."


    "Too many ... far too many ..." The perturbed man left him with those words, still baffled by everything that happened. He could have never guessed that it will end up like that. He reached the location where a field hospital was created. His appearance managed to appease a lot of wounded, and he still dutifully spent as much time as possible with them. A few were those that recently survived from the claws of the ghouls.


    Because the priests were barely lucid and all the healing potions and remedies had already been used, those poor men were condemned to die atrociously. There was not a chance that they will survive another hour, and all he could do was stay here and listen to their dying breaths. From the moment he managed to be elected, he had constantly received the praise of everyone, even his adversaries.


    While some of his choices were dubious, the majority managed to improve a bit the life of the common citizens. But that was at the expenses of the defense of Archet, since he thought that they will never be threatened. It was not to the point of giving broken weapons or firing guards, but he still reduced a bit their numbers. Thinking about that, he could only imagine if Seron would have survived if he hadn''t done this.


    The harsh reality awakened him, meaning that if he hadn''t been protected by the White Hand, he could have died. At this moment, a very muscular officer got closer and officially informed him of the current number of casualties. The missings were also recorded, mainly the adventurers and mercenaries that succumbed in unknown locations. The Mayor could only laugh drily since it was barely better than what he heard from the old Elritch.


    Looking at the young boy that had his mouth filled with blood, he felt incredibly tired. He had no wife, no children. All he did in his life was fighting for power, be respected, enjoy the cheers from the crowd. All his visions for the future, the dream he shared with Seron, it was not appealing anymore. So, when he heard the sentence of the officer, he felt an exit from him.


    "Do you want me to bring you Miss Gwendoline?" From everyone else, she was the representative of him. She was the one that calmed the angry crowd, she was the one that brought the fact that help was coming. She currently was held in high esteem by everyone, and for him, that was enough. "The next council will be in a few months, so why not try someone young for once?" He thinking those words as the beautiful employee arrived.


    She looked behind him and saw the numerous corpses, making her face sadder. They were only a few meters away from where he was seated because he didn''t want to disrupt the rest of the injured. As for her reaction, neither horror or disgust, but sadness and compassion, they were good. At this point, he didn''t care if they were genuine or not, because they felt real and that was enough.


    "Mayor, I am pleased to hear that you ..."


    "Cut the crap. I am tired of all those things, even if you are as used as me to it. I will be brief, from now on, you are the Mayor." After the bomb was dropped, both the muscular officer that was walking away and Gwendoline were stunned.The former could barely restore his balance before falling while the latter had no idea how to react, just what happened?

 108 And all it took was just one seed

    A completely armored man was putting his fingers on a table, gathering all the dust on it. Looking at the infinitesimal amount that tainted his glove, he could only shake his head. Around him, a few shadows and a knight wearing a skull helmet were patiently waiting, examining the room with their eyes. A few seconds later, a dwarf opened a door nearby and got closer.


    "This ... I am afraid that I can''t pronounce myself on this case. I managed to learn the cause of death, but it is truly baffling. I have only seen this situation a few times, but that can''t be the same. But he died before the attack started, I am only certain of this." Hearing the report f the dwarf, the Hand of Avenio couldn''t help but be surprised.


    They had waited a few days after the end of the battle of Archet to get their hands on an experimented alchemist, and even him knew that if the one in front of him was clueless, others would be even worse. The more he stayed in this region, the more he saw things that shouldn''t happen. As for the aftermath of the battle in itself, it was not nearly as important as this. Whoever will become the Mayor of that city would inevitably someone from the White Hand one day, so it was not really urgent.


    "Master dwarf, whatever you have in mind, say it. Even if it seemed to be coming from a tale or a legend, it is of the utmost importance." He couldn''t let common sense influence anyone right now. The report he should have received from the other side of the mountains was still delayed so he couldn''t know what the supposedly dark gods were doing. And to be truthful, he wanted to get as far as possible from them.


    "Legends? No, no, no, you misunderstood me. It''s just that ... can I speak of this here?" While saying this, he was staring at the knight that took a few seconds to realize it. Feeling that everyone was looking at him, he was escorted outside with those that were not necessary.


    "That''s better. This old man, he died of exhaustion. But not just something banal, his entire body is like the string of a bow being pulled. In my opinion, he had not slept the few days preceding his death. I only saw this type of death caused by one thing. That drug we experimented a few years ago."


    "The Dragonroot one?" It was one of the main researches back when he was first promoted at his position. A diluted Dragonroot could grant an increase of strength and stamina for hours, before leaving the body weakened for days. It was a very good potion, and it sold extremely well, since it could be used as a last resort and was effective.


    Following this, many alchemists were hired to improve it to its maximum potential. One day, one of them managed to nearly remove the drawback, reducing it to just half of a day. This was an amazing breakthrough, and the tests were all showing good sign. Until something more insidious was revealed. The subjects of the tests gradually lost their sleeping and were always moving. They could not be stopped, they were caught in a frenzy.


    Nearly all of them died and the one survivor was left in a vegetative state. Their bodies were all tense, forced to move for too long without any sleep. But besides the fact that it was a failed project, not many people knew about it. And normally, no one should have any vials from this event.


    "Exactly, but I was there when they gathered everything and burned it to the ground. The formula and all the diaries were destroyed. Even if the one that created it is still alive, he wouldn''t be able to produce it."


    "You are not mistaken. In fact, he is currently in Genablum and was for the past months. That means it is something else. Anything else?" The dwarf turned around to look at the opened door, but he couldn''t add anything. There was no sign of any attack on the body or any sign of tortures. If not for the fact that the body was in an unusual state, the old man could have been mistaken to have died in his sleep.


    "Then we will escort you back. Thank you for coming in such short notice." Lifting his hand, two shadows approached and left with the dwarf. At the same time, the knight of Kirof returned inside the cavern. He was not particularly thrilled to be surrounded only by assassins and killers, but it was them that asked for his help in the first place. And not a lot of people could refuse an invitation from them.


    "So, what do you think of this place? Good enough for two liches?" The Hand of Avenio was slightly tapping with his fingers on the table as he walked around it. Sometimes, his index touched a fissure in it, sometimes, the surface was so smooth it felt nice.


    "Yes ... I mean, no. This, this looked normal. There is the smell of blood, bones shattered, everything. Books, actual manuals that I have found elsewhere, but ..."


    "But what?"


    "I don''t know. I don''t feel anything. We are trained from our birth for this. I killed my first skeleton at the age of 8. Every one of us could feel the aura of the undead, but I don''t feel that here. Even if outside, there are the traces that skeletons and zombies walked out, the liches were not here for a very long time. Maybe not even for 1 minute, but I can''t tell."


    This was the longest discussion the knight held for a very long time. But even if he was not habile with his words, their meaning was easy to convey. Looking around, the white-haired elder saw the shadows protecting him approving the knight. Even if he also felt the same, he was not a fighter and thus, could be mistaken. But this unanimous consensus still proved something.


    "Very well, I will not hold you any longer." None of them discussed the rewards, but the knight knew he will not be swindled. In fact, the Organization had asked their help more than anyone else, sometimes just to help train the new recruits of the Black Gauntlet. Nearly everyone could kill a skeleton, but how to be efficient and not waste any stamina was very hard to learn. Even if it seemed that the Order of Kirof was composed of lunatics, the way they thought was perfected by the centuries of innovations.


    Staring at the room one last time, the cadre of the White Hand could only have suspicions. Even if the situation was weird from one angle, it could also be perfectly normal from another one.


    "A pacifist cult has many members disappearing, managed to build this place without us noticing, summoned two liches and an undead army rarely seen but no one is found beside the founder, who is dead." Looking at the ground, he saw the traces of a chair being pulled many times.


    "Or, an event happened, that we don''t know. Slowly corrupting the original cult. Dwindling into madness, they sacrificed themselves to invoke two liches and give them power. Only for the old man to succumb after the ritual. Which one is the truth?" Only silence answered him and even with all the agents under him, he could not be omniscient. Shaking his head, he left the cave. "Burn it!"


    At the same time, a very large man was running away, in fear. Around him, five mercenaries were injured but still protected the man. The only other person present was a frail woman, that had her dress slightly destroyed and her left arm in blood. None of them had expected to end up like that, but they could only look behind, remembering the terrible spectacle.


    They were part of a convoy ordered by the plump man. They were departing from the frontier with Pankow and were heading to the capital of Massalia. They were mainly tasked by the crown to supply the frontlines, and therefore, their convoy was nearly empty. Even it had been normal times, the merchant wouldn''t have employed more than those five mercenaries.


    But because, recently, a lot of rumors were spreading, he engaged the double of the usual number. He was so glad that he had this idea. Shortly after heading North, toward Ronta, to join the main road, they were ambushed by monstrous wolves. In his entire life, he had never seen such massive beasts. The ten helpers that worked with him for many years and the other mercenaries were slaughtered.


    He could only escape with his wife and the few survivors. The three wolves did not follow them, but that didn''t prevent the humans to still run as fast as they could. Who could know if the monsters didn''t change their mind after tasting human flesh? Because they had chosen a random direction, they ended up in a small hill, void of any trees.


    Out of breath, both the merchant and his wife sat on the ground, not capable of moving at all. The fighters that were more used to this kind of activities could only stop, otherwise, they would not be paid. They still took the opportunity to slightly patched their wounds and take a rest. They also took care of the injured woman, stopping her bleeding temporarily.


    "By all the gods, what was that thing? What are those monsters? Shouldn''t this region by one of the safest?" The plump man could only lament since none knew anything about those wolves. It had been a very long time since anyone entered the huge mountains in this region, besides the Organization. So, the common populace had forgotten what terrifying things were lurking in the frozen summits.


    "Oh my dear, are you alright? This ... this ... don''t worry, they will take care of you." All he received was a deadly stare, which quickly shut his mouth. It was not that he truly abandoned her, for he was not close to her when the attack started, but he didn''t wait for her either. If not for her luck being close to one warrior, she would have died too.


    Just as she was beginning to argue, the only archer of the group called everyone. Because they did not look behind the small hill, they had no idea what was beyond. But as everyone gathered, they couldn''t help but be shocked. Mixing with the fresh and green grass and all the beautiful flowers, a red disease was spreading.


    Carefully approaching it, they couldn''t help but notice that the unusual plants were all thorny. Even their very leaves were filled with little spikes like the plant was trying everything to not be picked up. It was not in a large area, but there was still at least dozens of those red plants.


    "Does anyone know about this?" The archer looked at the merchant that starred at it, dumbfounded, but it was his wife that approached it carefully. "Dear, I think ..." "Shut up! And someone, give me a glove." She harshly rebuked him but faced with such an authoritative tone, one of the warriors gave her what she asked.


    Slowly plucking out a red flower, she looked at it from all side. She didn''t dare to sniff it since she knew that this would be the dumbest way to die. But as she turned it again and again, she still had no idea what it was. In the couple, she was the one that mainly dealt with medicines and potions when supplying the troops. So, in that regard, she could be considered as knowledgeable.


    "Drop everything that you don''t find in your bags. We will compensate you for your losses. Also, don''t touch it with your naked hands or directly sniff it. We will bring this back with us. Also, don''t talk about this to anyone, otherwise, you will lose a lot of gold."


    Her last remark was meant to the mercenaries. She was certain that if anyone offered something for the location of this place, they would have sold that information without even thinking. This was a pure bet from her since she couldn''t know if this plant was useful or not. It could be sold for not even a bread or more than a jewel.


    As they began to gather a few of those, they could also see some insects that had very strange forms. Scarabs with spikes on its chitin, ants with additional legs, a bee with another pair of wings. In majority, they were also much bigger than their counterpart, and one of those deformed ants was feasting on another one. The moment he saw that, the merchant stepped back, in fear, but looking at his wife, he shut his mouth. "She was trying to salvage their losses, who was he to oppose that?" He couldn''t help but also think that it was just flowers and tiny insects, there was no danger with that.

 109 An omnious reques

    A little further to the East, An extremely muscular and tall man was happily chatting with his friends. They were discussing their daily lives, how one of them would retire in a few years and finally get a wife for himself. His white hair proved that he had truly stayed an adventurer for far too many years. But because the region was relatively safe, it didn''t mean he had faced death too many times.


    "Bah, a bunch of foolish youngsters. Wait and see when your back will hurt like mine. You will be glad to have kept some of your gold and not spent everything on drinks, food or women." Even as he was nagging a bit, it was on the tone of jokes, and his big smile betrayed that. None of those that heard it truly took note of what he said, if they did not enjoy their lives to its fullest, what was the point of being an adventurer?


    "Fine, fine, we will behave gramps Dickon. Just don''t kill us by starting one of your sermons. I swear you could kill a man with those things." The youngest of the group, a brat of nearly 25 years, was hit on the head after saying this. Looking around, he couldn''t guess who was the culprit, everyone suddenly looking at the ceiling while whistling.


    "Respect your elder for once. You can call yourself whatever title you want, Sword of Ronta or best swordsman, no one would care. But sometimes, you won''t be able to unsheathe your weapon before a monster fall on you. Geez, how did you even survived that long?" The fourth member of the group, a mage, was calmly drinking his cup while roasting his younger friend. If someone looked at the group, he would see the four leaders of the best adventurers in the region.


    The reason why they were reunited was because of something unusual that happened the very morning. The Guild Master of the city summoned them, to discuss a request made by a noble. Apparently, someone had discovered an ancient grave near the mountains, something created by the Dark Gods. Because they had no idea what was inside, they wanted to use the adventurers as explorers.


    Even if Kozak was not particularly enjoyed by such request, he still wanted to know a bit more about the specifics. The main point was the extremely huge reward, something that could be considered as their annual earnings. Just to explore one tomb or whatever it was. Facing this, no one could say that they were not interested.


    "Because you will have to cast a spell? Anyway, let''s forget the bad jokes and unfounded critics. What are your views on this thing?" The berserker finally started the real discussion. However, no one was willing to go first, since it was truly a weird request. Maybe the biggest the adventurers of Ronta had in many years. Sensing that no one wanted to talk, Kozak started.


    "I don''t feel good about this. This is so unexpected, I mean, an ancient cave from the Age of Darkness? I don''t know if it is real, or the noble is misleading us to do something else. But there is a possibility to only accompany the convoy and defend it while others explore the cave, so I will probably choose this option. After knowing what we will face, my team will choose if we enter or not."


    His worries were shared with the 3 other men. If not for the name of the noble that was real and the enormous reward, they would have dismissed it as a joke. Violently slamming his fist on the table, the youngest agreed.


    "I am with you on that point. I, Hugo, will also wait and see." He immediately drank the entire bottle that was in front of him. The other two were shocked, wondering if he was drunk or what? Since when this reckless brat did not act first and think after?


    "I did not survive this long to die this old, if that noble try to pull a trick on us, he will see why we are called adventurers."


    "Only someone stupid would barge into a place without at least knowing what to expect. He can only ask us to take a look, but if he wants to pressure us to enter that tomb, he will have a hard time. Let''s see how he will react when he will find out that we are not suicide squads ready to die as he wants."


    The rest of the discussion mainly focused on what to expect if it was true. The most certain thing was the presence of at least a few undead. Everyone had in mind the current state of Pankow, but which undead was the question. After so many years, could they have survived? They were experts at killing them, not knowing their life expectancy. With this in mind, the old man called Dickon proposed to contact one of his friends, a knight of Kirof. They could never be too careful.


    The request had a deadline, three days from this point. With this, they had all the time to truly be fully equipped, from head to toe. Using all their contacts, the four teams of adventurers managed to gather an impressive collection of weapons. The magician managed to borrow a few things from his peers and buy with a reduction numerous potions. The cost of everything was shared by everyone since they could never know if it couldn''t be used later.


    The morning of the departure, the adventurers couldn''t but frown at the spectacle. Surrounding multiple carts pulled by well-fed horses, a dozen men and women in armor were waiting. Apparently, it wasn''t just the adventurers that were requested to explore it. Both groups always had a slight animosity between them, both thinking that the other was stealing their job. An elegantly dressed servant appeared from the crowd of mercenaries, visibly the one in charge.


    "Messires, Mesdames adventurers, I am glad that you have accepted this request. My lord, Reggie Blackwood will be pleased. May I ask if you have everything you need and we can begin our travel?" The four leaders looked at each other and simply nodded. If the carts were mostly empty, there was still provisions and tents for the few days where they will be traveling.


    Neither the adventurers nor the mercenaries talked with each other, clearly staying on their side. This didn''t matter for the servant, however, since he made no move to fix the situation. Even if the first day was calm, by the second day, Hugo organized a small reunion about something bothering him.


    "Did anyone noticed something weird about the drivers? Even if they seemed to be simple servants, I can''t see if they possess a weapon or not. The way they are dressed, it is not normal." The more he talked, the more the others remembered the details that were out of place. However, Dickon was a bit familiar with those situations, thanks to his age. Adopting a condescending posture, he talked like a teacher lecturing his student.


    "Little boy, do you really think a noble will left a group of mercenaries and adventurers near a potential treasure without doing anything? This servant is maybe a decoy, but those drivers are probably the personal guards of Lord Blackwood. He wouldn''t use someone without any fighting experience to guard those carts. My advice, don''t seek a fight with them."


    Even if Hugo was slightly pissed by the way the old man talked, he was not brainless. He could clearly understand the underlining thoughts beyond the words, that his suspicions were true. It was just that it wasn''t a trap or anything alike, but something logical. Nonetheless, he still kept watching those drivers, not reassured in the slightest, knowing that they were probably experts.


    After arriving at the bottom of the mountains, the convoy finally stopped. Because the night was getting closer, one last bivouac was organized, to start at dawn. Right before the servant reached his tent, he was stalked by the four adventurers. Feeling a bit weird, being encircled by them, he was still confident that they wouldn''t dare to do anything.


    "What can I do to help in this late night?" All he received was silent, not even cut by the sounds of the forest nearby. This part was left untouched by the violent fire that happened a few months ago, but strangely, the various animals that should be present were gone. This intensified the sentiment of unease he felt, but even if inside he was scared, he would never show it on his face.


    "We don''t plan on entering the tomb at dawn, we will wait for the return of the mercenaries first." Even if they were saying this calmly, the servant couldn''t help but curse them. They will be paid for this, what was the point of being so cowardly. Of course, he couldn''t say this since any one of them could probably kill him in a second. Grinding his teeth, he still amiably acknowledged the issue.


    "You know that the rewards are based on the exploration of the tomb. If you only guard the carts, I will not be responsible if you are only paid a fraction of what was promised." Unfortunately, they seemed to be certain about their decision.


    "We know, but we won''t throw ourselves into a trap. But don''t worry, if there is nothing rivaling the Dark Gods inside this, we will accomplish our missions." After the magician said that, the four left the angered servant by himself. He was, after all, only the voice of his lord, not worth their attention.


    The reactions of the mercenaries, on the other hand, was far more violent. Cursing the adventurers to be eunuchs, maimed, blinded and everything that could be related to a malformation of the body. But even with that, they could only charge forward, alone. Generally, due to the misperception of the public for the mercenaries, they were underpaid compared to adventurers. So, if for Kozak, it was an annual earning, it was nearly three years of salary for the other fighters.


    Filled by greed, they could only climb the mountain, and see the drivers in front of an enormous gate. Even the adventurers that followed them were taken aback. The terrifying statues on each side were looking like they could just start moving and murder everybody. But the most important part was still the massive dimension of the entrance, how could someone miss that?


    It was too far from their encampment to be seen, but it should have been impossible for the soldiers regularly patrolling here or even training to not find it. However, the 13th Legion had withdrawn from this place a while ago, meaning that it probably was discovered after they left.


    One mercenary slightly bolder than the rest extended his hand to touch one statue. The horrifying monster, fully armored and holding that giant axe was still only stone in the end. But, the moment he touched it with his hand, he couldn''t help but feel cold. Extremely cold. Looking above, the eyes graved were almost ... moving? Panicked, he fell on his back and quickly used his hands to distance himself from it.


    Following this, no one truly wanted to enter it anymore. Even the drivers had their hands on their weapons, not truly certain that it was not extremely risky. It was at this moment that Kozak noticed something behind them. Approaching his mage friend, he pointed at the device, wondering what it was. His reaction was instantaneous, and he pulled Hugo and Dickon with him.


    "Let me warn you, this place still has mana inside it! If you enter it, be warned that anything could be cast, from the 1st to the 10th Circle. They used a device that could be called the glutton. It has another name, but this one is more simple. Fundamentally, it is used to siphon the mana out of a mana shield or a magical barrier. The reason why no one found this was because of this."


    The others understood his words, but they couldn''t help but feel that his intense reaction was too much. It was just magic in the end, and Hugo couldn''t help but blurt that out. "Hey, so what if there was a shield, it is gone now. So, it can''t be that dangerous."


    Smack


    Once more, he was hit on the head by the magician. Looking at the other two that were reacting the same way as they did a few days ago, the young adventurer could only suffer in silence.


    "It''s the Dark Gods we are talking about, the DARK FUCKING GODS! If I haven''t seen the fact that they used a glutton to breach through, I could have been convinced to enter. Now, I am out, see you in Ronta. I have to warn the Academy."


    Without waiting any further, he picked up his crew and started walking all the way to Ronta. Even if the ones that followed him were bewildered, they still trusted him about anything related to magic. Their sudden departure also grabbed the attention of the mercenaries, that couldn''t help but wonder what made them leave?


    "This was a bad idea. I am tempted to follow him ..." The old Dickon patted his beard but was cut by the intervention of the servant. The latter was feeling that the situation was getting out of hands. Even those accompanying him were fearful of the statues, the statues that were not even inside the tomb.


    "Everyone, listen to me. Thanks to the grace of Lord Blackwood, everything you will find in this tomb will be yours. We will not take anything from you." Desperate times required desperate measures. The previously shaking and fearful fighters suddenly had their eyes shining with a new light. There were only a few problems in the world that could not be solved by a huge amount of gold, and it was those that needed an even bigger amount of gold.

 110 A request that canst be refused

    Past the moment of surprise where they slightly lost themselves, seeing their future filled with all the treasures they could gather from their own hands, the hardened veterans did not immediately rush inside. From a conservative point of view, if the tomb was completely empty, they could only at best get the double of what they could have earned at first.


    Indeed, whether it was the mercenaries or the adventurers, both were employed with special rules concerning the loot found. During the initial contract, some exceptions could be made, like them getting everything or nothing, depending on the nature of the task. If it was to gather a specific material or kill a certain monster, besides the target, they could keep everything they earned.


    In this case, for exploring a certain area, the general consensus was that half of the resources they could earn from killing monsters would be their, in exchange for everything found belonging to the employer. After all, the later provided the location, the transport and a fixed reward. Based on this, the percentage could change based on who was recruited and who was the recruiter.


    The only few times where either the adventurers or the mercenaries could earn everything was when nations or powers rivaling them decided to use them as bait. It was the same thing that happened when several attempts were made at conquering the wild and uncharted mountains between Massalia and Avenio. This also happened a few times, when the two nations tried to enter the fallen Kingdom of Pankow. Of course, after all those years, not even the most greedy and desperate fighter dared to accept such a task.


    So, when a random lord began handing them promises of wealth, one after the other, even the dumbest member of that expedition could understand that something was wrong. Therefore, contrary to his expectations, instead of rushing inside like mad wolves, the mercenaries quickly ran away and joined the adventurers. The servant of the House Blackwood was fuming in the inside, who told him that only by waving gold, every mercenary was ready to give up their lives?


    "I know we have our differences and will probably not be friends anytime soon. But, why did the magician left in a hurry when he arrived here?" The de-facto leader of the mercenaries proposed a temporary peace among the two groups because he wasn''t willing to die so soon. Especially when they won''t even know how they died.


    Kozak looked at his friends, and when he saw them nodding their heads, he agreed to the demand. "You remember the fact that the drivers were there before us? Apparently, they used a magic device to break the barrier surrounding this place. Because of this, that meant that whatever magic was inside, it might still be active. As for why he was so scared, it''s the Dark Gods we are talking about ..."


    The berserker purposely finished his sentence that way, making the mercenaries think about it themselves. "The 10th Circle." In less than a second, someone blurted those words loudly, but afterward, quickly put his hands in front of his mouth. He looked at the terrifying entrance, fearing that by saying it, he would be cursed. Even if his reaction was a bit extreme, the rest was not really any better.


    "Hehehe, the entire world and 13 Heroes only managed to barely beat them, but we are asked to potentially enter their hidden base? Us? Hehehe" The representant of the mercenaries drily laughed at that notion. Even the adventurers in front of him were only the best in this region, not in the entire country. Fundamentally, they were strong and skilled enough to maybe survive, but that was it. Thinking about the line, he turned to look at the servant that was visibly angry.


    Everyone followed his gaze, and soon, the only civilian present felt goosebumps when so many were looking at him with hatred. Sneaking a peek at the guards nearby, he convinced himself that he was not afraid of those he recruited. But as the menacing group began to walk toward him, his apprehension turned into real fright. If he wasn''t so absolutely certain that the fake guards that accompanied him could handle those lawless bastards, he would have already started to run.


    "What is it? Do you want to breach the contract? If you do that, I will make sure that everyone will learn that, you hear me, your reputation will be blargh!!!" Kozak grabbed him by the throat and raised him in the air. The frail servant violently began to kick with his legs, searching the ground under him. After being shaken a few times by the tall adventurer, he stood still.


    The rest were all pointing their weapons at the drivers that were nearby. The latter hadn''t moved at all when they saw the entire thing happened, but that didn''t mean that they were not ready to fight. Even if it was five against nearly thirty, it didn''t seem that they will be on the losing side. Being stuck in a standoff like that, everyone listened carefully the exchange between the two men.


    "I will ask you questions. If you answer truthfully, I will put you on the ground and you will not feel any pain. If you don''t, you will beg me to stop. Understood?"


    "bwarg-yesh-blarg"


    "Great."


    Pouf


    The servant fell on his back and began to massage his throat. Red marks could be seen on all his neck, proof that Kozak didn''t go easy on him. The moment he got up, he almost began to order the guards to attack them but stopped when being stared by the berserker. Feeling someone two heads taller looking at him, he knew he would not be able to escape him. Feeling shame for the first time since he had promoted to this position, he still harbored a polite smile, hiding his heinous thoughts beyond a mask.


    "Did you knew that magic will still be active inside this tomb?"


    "No ... I mean, yes, yes." He tried to lie, but seeing the two huge hands heading for his throat, he could only submit for the time being. The mercenaries were now looking disdainfully at the one that was supposed to supervise them.


    "Did you enter the tomb?"


    "No, or at least, I don''t know about that. But the barrier was still up this morning." Since it was useless to try to fool them on such obvious facts, the servant could only say the truth on some subjects.


    "Who is behind Lord Blackwood?"


    The moment the berserker finished his sentence, the guards that were only on alert immediately put their hands on their weapons. As for the servant, he turned extremely pale, visibly scared to the bone. Even after a few seconds, it was obvious he would rather die than say it loudly.


    "Who used Lord Blackwood to investigate this tomb?"


    "You know very well I won''t answer you! So fuck off and go back to your miserable dirty hole that is your home!" Never once he looked at Kozak while swearing.Obtaining the answer he wanted, the later knocked out the frail servant with one punch. Afterward, he joined the rest of the adventurers in front of the guards. His initial assumption that they were part of the troops under the orders of that lord was apparently false. Otherwise,there wouldn''t have been fear in the eyes of the man he just hit.


    "Who ar..."


    "Why couldn''t you just obediently go in and do what someone asked you to do? Stop asking questions and do that." The harsh voice of one of the guard cut short the attempt of dialogue between the two sides. "Anyway, why am I even talking to you, Delanda!" Even if neither the mercenaries or the adventurers understood the last word, they quickly saw what it brought upon them.


    Surrounding them, numerous silhouettes covered in dark clothes were aiming at them with crossbows and bows. Prior to this, not even one of them managed to spot even a trace of their presence. "Let me go, I am a mage of ... Oh." The previous group of adventurers that tried to flee was caught and brought here as well. Seeing this, everyone could only have dark faces, because it meant only death or success.


    "See, now, would kindly enter this tomb and explore it?" Even if the guard tried to speak nicely, his contempt was clearly audible. Threatened by so many weapons, there were no chances for them to escape. But as the adventurers began to walk with the mercenaries inside the tomb, he fake guard stopped them.


    "Not so fast, the mercenaries go in first. In two hours, they will be able to leave and have to bring something out. Then, it will be the turn of the adventurers. I don''t want for you to be all killed on the first day." The hateful glares he received brushed on his uniform like it was nothing. Resigned to their fates, the mercenaries approached once more the door, looking at it like it was the grim reaper itself.


    Rumble rumble CLONK


    Without even touching it, the huge gate opened itself on a dark hole where no light could enter. Even the dark shadows were truly shocked by that, but, in his outfit of a guard, the one responsible for this entire thing still gave the order. The elected leader of all the mercenaries could only take the first step, disappearing from the outside after walking for a few seconds. The rest followed after him, not daring to be separated.


    Contrarily to what they guessed, they entered a superbly decorated room, illuminated by bright flames. The only singularity was the fact that those flames were levitating near the walls and were not supported by anything. But after looking at it a few additional seconds, they noticed the support a few centimeters under it. Even when they tried to approach it, they could only stare at the empty space between the light and the support.


    As for trying to take it off the wall, the room was huge. Like the gate outside, it would take nearly three humans standing on the shoulders of the one under it to touch the ceiling. And the flames were clearly out of reach. Besides the weird torches, or that was how they called it, the room was actually quite empty. Statues like the one found outside were present, always as terrifying. There were a dozen of those, and the pressure they brought on the mind of the mercenaries was extremely important.


    It was only the first room, but no one dared to go beyond the middle of it. Knowing that they had to bring back something, they looked around and saw the two passages on the other side of the place. But without a light in them, only darkness could be seen. Following their thoughts, they could only do two things. Trying to break one of those magical torches or grab the weapon out of the hands of a statue. Because, even if the floor was graved with beautiful drawing and visibly impressive events, that was after all only stone. They did not hope that someone as brutal as their kidnapper would be touched by it.


    Klik Klak Klok Klic


    The sounds of bones moving resonated in the vast room. Thinking the worst, everyone got ready to fight, only to see a few skeletons clumsily approach them. They were dispatched in the blink of an eye, only creating even more confusion. Was that all this tomb had, or something more powerful was hiding deeper inside the lair? They were, after all, in the very entrance, it was not unheard that sometimes, it was the least protected area.


    Not forgetting the real threat in the outside, they helped each other at reaching a sufficient height to grab one of those flames. Because of this location, they were extremely careful and that saved one of them from a grave injury or maybe even worst. The thief that was raised several meters away from the grounds by his friends first wanted to touch the metallic support. Renouncing at the last second at this idea, he used a random expendable dagger to touch it.


    The liquid metal that was formed the moment his dagger had contact with the support was barely dodged by those under him. Unfortunately, that made the thief fall head on the ground and he got the breath cut. Because it was not the first time he fell, he managed to avoid any injuries. Helping him at getting up, they could only look at the wall, regretting the missing opportunity.


    Because they couldn''t even make a dent on it before losing their weapons, they could only switch their target. Encircling a statue, those with hammers began to hit the terrifying demon it represented. However, after only one swing, they were all paralyzed by fear, their muscles froze. They sought shelter in the middle of the room, the place the farther away from any of those nightmares.


    Even after cheering them up and comforting them, none wanted to hit the statue even one more time. A few others took their places but suffered the same fate. Like that, they were facing a huge dilemma. Continuing a bit the exploration and face something worst that was basically normal things, or try to plead their cause.


    In the end, they spent the remaining of their time inside the room at debating what part of the wall they were meant to present. If some of the scenes they were seeing made sense, most were so strange they could not find the beginning or the end. For example, one one, a huge ball was getting fractured under some sort of ray, from the outside of the picture. What kind of magic could accomplish such a thing? What was the ray, what was the ball?


    After reaching an agreement, they put their eyes on something that could potentially interest someone. It represented two demons similar to the one represented by the statues. Both were gravely injured, but one looked like he was turning into something else. From his missing arm, something else was growing and the pig head was no longer recognizable. The other demon looked pained by that sight and was trying to prevent it. As for what lead to this, they couldn''t find the reason.


    The moment they left the tomb, they saw the darkening face of the guards. Seeing so many mercenaries carrying such a large stone, every gaze was on what was sculpted on it. "Are you fucking kidding me? You spent 2 hours, and all you picked up was a fucking stone? Did you thought I would not kill you myself if you don''t do what I said?"

 111 An terrifying overview

    During the time where the humans were only weakly trying to do something, the other side was not as idle as them. If someone said that they were not surprised that their base was finally discovered, it was mainly because they knew very well what was the cause. It was hard to miss a long line of tall trolls leaving the mountains to disappear from the sight at a specific spot. And even someone as powerful as they were couldn''t manage to get rid of all the spies and observers well hidden in the entire area.


    The only thing they still hadn''t manage to understand was the identity of the one that called that expedition. They were heavily favoring the White Hand, or should they say the Organization. If it had been the Kingdom of Massalia, they would have sent the remnants of the mage still alive, to at least be present in case something went wrong or maybe even study the magic shield surrounding the base.


    But up to that point, the four survivors of the Demonic Empire still didn''t know what to really do. They had the intelligence to not make too many noises, contrarily to the Dark Gods that awakened the Saksa, so they could only create basic plans to slowly conquer this planet. But besides killing everyone, right now, not a lot of propositions were made. Of course, Ymir was hungry and Kardel needed something to accelerate his healing, that''s why two voices were for a complete slaughter.


    Malakov, on the other, truly didn''t care at all. When Leilade was here, he dare not propose anything that wasn''t her will. So, like an obedient lich, he only howled at the two when he saw the Empress was unhappy. As for the later, she did have one or two ideas, but they were always destroyed by the Viscount, that sometimes agreed with the two brainless commanders.


    (We are discovered, now we need to show strength. If you hadn''t decided to wipe out the magus of the Academy of Massalia, we could have tried something else. But since we are in enemy territory, surrounded by foes everywhere, our only hope is to inspire so much fear that they will back off for a long period of time. And by that time, Master Agnil will have finished equipping our army.)


    She thought of several things, like allowing the adventurers to leave with a hefty amount of gold and rare weapons. Just a few would be a drop from the sea they already possessed, as for the gold, it was the same Meridiana discarded because it was too foreign. With that, they could have hoped to attract greedy fighters willing to risk their lives for profit. By doing this, they could have created a slow supply of humans for themselves.


    She had always planned that when she first decided to create that base underground. If not for the ones that managed to link them to this place, it could have been a normal dungeon that was only recently discovered. She had even asked Malakov to begin preparing enough mana to fake an earthquake. Like that, the entrance would have been accidentally dug, and everything would have been logical.


    (It could have baited a few at first, but even then, what you wanted is incredibly rare in this world. Even from the memories of all those people that were killed, such dungeon only exists in 2 other locations. In all the human nations, something similar does not even amount to 10. And because they are all deadly, they are most of the time left alone. It''s not like gold or weapons could grow back after being taken. Past the initial rush, when the danger is too high, everything beyond is only dreams and no one is willing to die.)


    What the Viscount said was entirely true. Most of what the inhabitants of this planet call dungeon are past fortifications or lairs created by superior beings. Whether it was the Dark Gods, the Lich King, or anything that reached a certain level of power, they could amass vast quantities of wealth and treasures. But like the Necropolis of Ptolekh, they were forbidden zones, were not even madmen even thought of entering it.


    "Fine, if only the Saksa was not present, I wouldn''t have to think of petty tricks. Maybe I should pay a visit to the dwarves, after all, they are the ones that apparently were the closest." While thinking this, she looked at Ymir and Kardel, that were expecting to finally have something to do.


    "Malakov, accompany Kardel outside, you can kill everyone that is hidden in the vicinity. Ymir, you can have everyone but the adventurers. None of them will die if they don''t do stupid stuff, but you can kill whoever attacks you."


    "Empress." The slightly deformed black panther and the red giant bowed in front of her and began to prepare themselves. Even if Malakov looked with disgust at his bony hand that was touching the fur, he did not complain and executed his order. As for Ymir,she had something special for him.


    "My friends, we are all experienced adventurers. We all have survived deadly situations, escaped the clutches of death more than once. We are the best that Ronta can offer, and today is not any different. Twenty veterans will not succumb to ghosts of the past, we will explore this tomb, we will return with treasures and we will shove it in the throat of those bastards! Are you with me?"


    "Yes" "Hourra!" "Let''s show them"


    In the middle of the first room, Kozak was trying his best to ignite the spirit of his fearful friends. Without a fighting mentality, they would have fled in panic at the first obstacle. Not that he blamed them for that, but someone had to be in charge. And since none of the others wanted that position, he had to take it.


    However, past the three or four seconds he said that brave speech, he suddenly saw the faces of the adventurers getting paler and paler. Some were even pointing their fingers at something behind him, mumbling inaudible words. Right before he turned around, he finally understood what they meant by "Ghosts of the past!"


    Leaving the statues one by one, terrible spirits grabbed their weapons and headed toward the exit, they totally bypassed the living and trembling group, someone even passing through their bodies. The unfortunate ones that suffered that fate passed out in fear, their bodies shaking violently. They couldn''t even raise their weapons against such a threat, not that it was necessary.


    THOMP THOMP


    All turning toward the wall from where the sound came, they saw a massive metallic silhouette leaving a perfectly intact wall. The uncanny resemblance between that newcomer and the statues was obvious. If not for the fact that the floor was resonating after each of his steps, they would have taken him for another spirit.


    "What do we do? We attack it?" "I don''t know." "Maybe he is not hostile?" "Have you seen such a terrifying monster not attacking everything?" "Well, the ghosts didn''t harm us." The group of humans broke into discussions, not daring to make the first move. Meanwhile, Ymir was walking slowly but steadily toward them. He tried his maximum to appear as threatening as possible.


    His purpose was to bait one of those morons that came here into trying to harm him. That way, he could have more flesh, since Kardel will have a claim on most of the hidden assassins in the surroundings. They all saw the situation beyond the gate of their base, in reality, only 5 guards or whatever they were called could be considered not hidden.


    "LEEEEEEEEER..." "STOP IT!" Someone lost his mind due to the pressure, but thankfully, the old man Dickon managed to trip him. After the shock of his head touching the floor, the reckless warrior lowered his head and return to his group. Seeing this, Ymir could only inwardly despise that white-haired man. Why did he had to ruin such a great opportunity for him?


    THOMP THOMP THOMp thomp


    Naturally, they made way for the giant in armor, allowing him to go through their group. Only after he was gone did they all sigh in relief, forgetting one crucial fact for a few seconds. Between the ghosts and that thing, it was normal for their minds to relax a bit. Until Hugo violently slapped his head while shouting what he realized.


    "Wait a minute, they just blocked the exit!" Linking the presence of the very things that terrified them beyond the darkness that symbolized the gate with the fact that it was their only way out, everyone was stunned. But at this point, they would rather stay here for a few minutes than even make a single step outside. Like that, they patiently waited, for what? Even they didn''t really know.


    SPLASH


    Half of a human body flew through the black membrane, crashing a few meters away from them. They had a hard time recognizing who it was until they noticed his rich clothes. The worst part was that he was not completely dead, holding on his life. His eyes glimmered with madness and pain when he saw those in front of him.


    "REQ--UEST ... BLACK--WOOD ... OBEYYYYYYYblurg!" His last word was snapped out by his red blood that was leaking from his mouth. Even in his worst nightmare, the servant of Lord Blackwood would have never guessed he would die in such a way. A few seconds later, the ghosts floated slowly toward their statues and the black giant appeared.


    He did not even slow down while picking up the half-corpse that was tainted with blood the clean room. The all thing seemed to be a bad dream for most adventurers, and they could only pinch themselves and shudder. The spectacle outside was not any better. They could distinguish the armors the mercenaries and the guards wore, and see the massive amount of blood spilled everywhere. But no corpses, no skeletons, not even a limb in sight.


    "Look at the statues!" At those words, they all turned like on man. Blood was leaking from the maws of the demons, and the tips of their weapons were the same. They were certain that if they entered once more, they would see the same thing inside. But who would have the gut to do that? Returning to the encampment, they discovered that the horses were also missing.


    Faithful to their nature of adventurers, they tried to salvage as much equipment as they could. But most were utterly broken or destroyed by something with a terrifying might. In the vicinity, they also managed to discover traces of ambushers. They were probably the same that targeted them with crossbows but strangely, they felt pity for them. It was a miracle they were unharmed, but they wouldn''t have wanted that fate even to their worst enemies.


    Wanting to leave this place as soon as possible, they did not dwindle any longer. None of them noticed the black panther that was resting leisurely above their head. Even if he looked a bit thinner than at his arrival o this world, Kardel was no longer just a shadow of his former self. But still, he was not full yet, and those retreating humans looked delicious. Wondering that if one went missing, will someone notice it or not. Right when he began to move, he noticed a skeleton looking at him from the ground. Growling angrily, he jumped on it and tore it apart, not forgetting the smile his victim harbored.

 112 Talking with a god

    Slightly above the atmosphere of the planet, multiple beings made entirely of light were moving in some very strange ways, to qualify what they were doing. Never once two of those made contact with each other, and there were very clear frontiers between each other that none bypassed. If most were very large and were moving fluidly, one was in such bad shape that even its light was particularly dim.


    "Ah shit, here we go again. Look at that, another group of strangers arrived on this planet. What is so important here that they are always things like that that happened?" If the Oracle of Avenio could have heard the telepathic conversation, he would have almost immediately recognized that voice. The God protector of their country, such a wise and generous entity was speaking like a shady seller.


    "I don''t know. I just hope that they will not do the same as the last ones a while ago. It would be a shame for one of us for sure, am I right Aria?" The stares, if such being could stare at something, were all directed to the extremely feeble god. She had suffered the worst fate amongst everyone that was surrounding this world, and such comments were extremely familiar to her.


    "Laugh while you can, fools! I will just remind you that now, I have nearly nothing to lose, unlike you. And who knows, maybe one day, after suffering the same way I did, you will relapse your guard and be swallowed all." The last thousand of year, she was put in an extremely dangerous position. Unlike her current form that could be still described as a god, she had been reduced to just a fraction of it.


    Gods are by definition, voracious eaters, and cannibalism is a form of eating in the end. The only reason why no one dared to try to consume the remnant of Aria was the fact that she could kill herself extremely easily. And the self-combustion of a god was powerful enough to kill the one trying to eat it at that moment. Fortunately, they were still acquaintances and the others didn''t try too much, allowing Aria to survive. Even if she had lost a lot of the good spots where souls often left the planet, it was still enough for her to slowly repair her elemental body.


    "Enough. We have not escaped the grip of the Ancients to let foreigners steal our world. We will deal with them as we did previously. It will only be slightly harder this time, they are far more discreet and are not splitting their group. And whether you liked it or not, Aria and her believers were extremely helpful." The biggest god spoke harshly, but none contradicted him. Even they had to take centuries to completely regain the amount of energy they spend to deal with the Dark Gods. Because of this, a few wanted to leave, fearing that this situation will happen again and again.


    "Leave if you want, that will only make more souls for us. Good luck finding a planet with that many humans, what could possibly go wrong, it''s not like you will only reach worlds filled with dwarves?" Several gods expressed their disgust hearing the term dwarves, one of the worst creatures ever created. They are incapable of utilizing magic and had an extremely hard time even feeling mana. But the worst part was not even that, they had a very nasty soul and for some, not even one.


    In their regards, the more a race was familiar with mana, the better the soul will be. After that, you also have the specificity of the race, with the humans being one of the most sought beings for the gods, with them being numerous and capable. On the complete opposite, the dwarves with their horrible soul were despised. As for the soulless, they did not even want to talk about that. This caused the vampire to be as hated as the dwarves, even when their affinity with mana was extremely good. It was not that they were soulless, but they intentionally fractured their souls, making it the same for the gods.


    So in the end, nobody left. After all, it was a gamble to let go of such a wonderful world for an uncertain future. But to protect it, they had to once more sacrifice a bit of themselves. Feeling extremely despondent about doing such, they still couldn''t find another option. Until Oslo proposed something extremely stupid, even for their standards.


    "What if we just talk to them?" After such an idiotic statement was pronounced, everyone laughed. And then, wondered why they didn''t think about that. As much as it sounded stupid, there was nothing against such action. Only Aria was totally adamant against that, but no one truly cared about her opinion. She was the weakest of them all, only surviving because they couldn''t kill her.


    "Fine, do it!" The largest entity in the cold space approved it, only for Oslo to have better shut his mouth. If he knew it would have ended like that, with only him consuming his energy to establish a communication, he would have convinced another god to tell the idea instead of him. Reluctantly, he created a projection on the planet, right in front of the base of those demons.


    He didn''t have to wait for very long, and soon, the small child that seemed to be the leader appeared in the outside. Even if it was quite costly to permanently use their powers to see what was happening down there, they still shouldered the cost to understand how big was the threat. The problem was that they could receive from the souls'' information about the shape-shifting man, the red giant, the blue man, and the succubus. But absolutely nothing on that child.


    Because of this, they estimated that it was like that time when the Dark Gods roamed the land. There was also one man that stole souls from them, and a few others that were destroying the souls. Without the later, they wouldn''t be able to eat anything, meaning that as a result, they gave powers to mortals on this world. And will most likely do it again if he couldn''t convince the other party to not do that anymore.


    Leilade looked at the breath-taking man in front of her. He was absolutely perfect, no other adjective could describe him, and would have looked almost human, if not for his gold skin. Seeing this, she could guess who had come to pay them a visit. Truthfully, she was puzzled by this sudden arrival, knowing far too well how the gods disliked above anything else having to use their energy. And this projection had to cost something. Trying something, she threw a name, randomly.


    "Oslo I guess? Why are the gods interested in this world?"


    Oslo was completely shocked by it. "How was it possible for a mortal to know about him, no, before even that, how did she find out he was a god?" If Leilade would have learned this thought, she would have gladly laughed, as much as when she managed to beat Candaith to the ground. Besides a god, who would be looking like that, and with a golden skin to add. And who would be right in front of her like that, it''s not like they had killed everyone that came nearby previously.


    Because the projection was still accurate with the emotions, she saw that handsome jaw dropped and his mouth agape. Waiting a few seconds and still not seeing him react, she wondered if it was really shocking. Similar to the Ancients, the Demonic Empire was very prone at hunting gods, besides the demonic ones. So, she never had the chance to interact with one, but seeing this, she could only think of them as weaklings. After all, they were the leeches of the universe.


    "If you have something to say, say it. Otherwise, we don''t have the entire day." Finally waking up from his stupor, the gorgeous god tried to straighten himself as much as possible. It was comical for anyone looking at the scene, and only him thought it made him look bigger. Next time, he should have chosen a size at least taller than Meridiana, since he was only surpassing Leilade.


    "Hum, Hum. Can you stop what you are doing?"


    BWHAHAHAHAHAHA


    The loud laugh of Ymir leaked out of the base, only making Leilade shake her head once more. She revised her opinion from weakling to idiotic weakling. At what moment someone came in front of the base of their enemy and asked them to stop. If they had made some preparations, they could have at least completely sucked the energy out of the projection. But they were not expecting this at all. On the other hand, Oslo did not know what he did wrong. Finding in his memories an important word, he tried once more.


    "Can you stop what you are doing? Please?"


    HIHIHAHA


    The laugh only grew louder, with Ymir joining the fray. Even the Empress was harboring a helpless smile. She had seen stupidity, but that was way back in the past. It had been a long time since she had lost the opportunity to not interact with responsible beings but with those under them, especially those lacking in the intelligence department. Or, for the rare cases, she still met them, it was only to kill them.


    "Ok."


    "Oh."


    Now, he was looking like a dog that lost his bone. A few seconds later, the god began to fade and finally, disappeared. She was really wondering if she was not dreaming, for this to have happened.


    (I can confirm. It''s real, Outlander. All those stories, about how wise and powerful gods are. Mere fictions and mirages. But I just didn''t know it was to that degree. Maybe they are mentally impaired? I mean, I have some records about gods besides the Venerable Ones, and they at least were self-conscient about their nature.)


    "The more we stay here, the weirder the situation turns. The presence of the Ancients, of a Saksa. A direct conversation with a god, what else can still happen?" While thinking this, she realized for the first time that something didn''t add up at all. The Heroes, the last one, something-something the Archmage. No matter how she much she searched the memories of her victims, she could not find his names or which God blessed him. And why he was still alive.


    The energy that was provided to him to fight the Dark Gods would never be replenished, it would be an impossible thought for a god to think about doing such a thing. Leaking such an important amount for so many years, for no reason at all? No one was benevolent to that point, especially them. "So how did he survived?" Her question was left unanswered.


    As for the other gods that were waiting for the return of Oslo, they could only be gladly surprised. He did manage to talk with the demons, against all odds, so there was a possibility for them to stop doing what they were doing. It was a false hope they all convinced themselves, just by hearing a single confirmation, but if they could avoid losing energy, it was worth it. Only Aria looked with contempt at them, not thinking the same. But she was far too weak to do anything at the moment, not even talking about actually giving a blessing to someone on the planet.

 113 A fortunate acciden

    Looking at the ratman and the human kneeling in front of her, Leilade was wondering if the gods were watching her or not. While others could have misunderstood the words of Oslo, she had totally understood what he meant when he asked her to stop what they were doing. After all, the gods were only interested in one thing and she had already stolen quite a few from them. Since she said she would stop for the moment, to not face whatever Heroes they could create before having a fully equipped army, she had to uphold her promise.


    Meaning she couldn''t just kill the two worms and just steal their souls to know all their secrets. Of course, it was only a temporary measure, none of them were willing to be restrained by the parasites lurking above the planet. So, in the absence of Meridiana, they could only resort to violence and tortures. Being lifted without even being asked one question, the two survivors of those that tried to invade their domain were feeling the herculean grip of Ymir. The Ak?l sneered at their faces getting redder and redder by lack of oxygen.


    However, that was not even the beginning, four liches appeared in the room and began to cast restrictions after restrictions, circling the prisoners with even a mute spell. Cornered in a remote location in the room, they were dealt as Malakov wanted, while no sound could perturb the Empress. "Kardel, I understand the human that Ymir spared since I asked him to. But why do you brought back another ratman? Hasn''t the other one proved to be quite useless in reality?"


    The human was the leader of those guards and commanded the hidden forces positioned all around their base. So he was their best shot at knowing who dared to come here. However, to the surprise of everyone, Kardel did not slaughter his way out and actually spared a ratman. At first, Ymir thought it was quite smart to keep a bit of food for later and lamented he did not do the same, but it was not the case.


    "Empress, this one had a smell I already knew. It was the same as the magus I fought in the desert of that Empire, Synnada. Meaning he had been in contact with him shortly before heading here. Based on this fact, I hoped you could have peeked in his memories to know how they reacted about my presence." Nodding at those words, Leilade agreed with the duvodiad. If she could have just dealt with their souls, they could have learned everything they wanted on the situation outside of Massalia.


    "Well, the procedures designed by the Demonic Empire will not fail. Malakov, when they are ready, tell us. I am expecting some news for two days."


    "Yes, Empress." The lich bowed before her. Even if two days could be long compared to how she could be more efficient in barely a few seconds, they couldn''t do that for the time being. As for the delay, it was something they couldn''t shorten. If it had been a strong race on another planet, the procedure could have taken even longer, sometimes reaching an entire week. And by procedure, they meant tortures, both physical and magical all while leaving the soul completely intact.


    Looking at the deformed head of the two prisoners, visibly crumbling under the pain and shouting with all their strength, it seemed that it will be even shorter. Turning around to look at the holographic globe nearby, she injected a few elements. From the ones she killed in Archet, she could shape the frontiers to be more like reality. The entire West was still blurry, with no defined locations, but the frontier with Pankow appeared a bit more concrete. Unlike the mountains between Avenio and Massalia, the only thing preventing the undead to attack the Republic was a vast river.


    Because of this, it made sense that the Order of Kirov was called back quickly after the first undead was spotted. Even if nearly all the bridges were apparently destroyed by the humans, there were several locations where a group of undead could reach the other side, albeit with a few casualties. It also served previously as a way for the dwarves to trade with the Kingdom of Pankow since the source was in their mountains. As for the other end, it dived under the ground a bit before reaching Massalia and the monster land nearby.


    All she knew was that by following the river, she would automatically get to the dwarves. Based on the location of Archet, she would then only need to develop toward the South and capture another city before opening a direct passage between their two people. After all, if she could have the help of the dwarves, a lot of things would become far easier. Besides trying a way to return to the Demonic Empire, they only needed a constant supply of living beings to survive.They could be war prisoners, tributes or the outlaws of their future empire.


    Thinking about the fact that they had to conquer the world or a big part of it, just to survive,Leilade did not lament. After all, they had all lived centuries by sustaining their bodies with the lives of others. With that, she visited once more the Vault of Souls, to see if there were any changes. Because she could only absorb the souls and not the body at Archet, she still hadn''t recovered enough to wake up someone else besides Master Agnil. Checking the condition of her main guest, she was pleased to see him in a deep slumber. The later he will wake up the better it will be.


    Leaving the central room, she headed toward the newly created place in their base. Passing in front of a gigantic underground farm, she stopped a few seconds to see the disposition. The plants were under artificial light and numerous water containers were periodically leaking their contents. A few liches were guarding the place, controlling everything with magic. Only now did she wondered from where the seeds came from.


    "Malakov, where did you get so many seeds so quickly?" Creating an inanimate object by using mana was already costly, even more, if the object had innate properties, like the Aether. It was because of this that while the lich could easily create a large amount of gold, just a gram of Aether was even more costly. As for living, truly living, creatures, it was definitely not worth it. That''s why, seeing all of this, she could not figure how could Malakov created so many.


    "Oh, it was sheer luck, Empress. A few days ago, one of my ghosts spotted an ambushed cart. Inside, there was numerous plants and seeds. So, I stole them." Nodding, Leilade did not believe a single word. The lucky ambush was probably caused by him, especially if he found out they had what she asked. However, she was also certain that there will be no survivors to tell what happened, meaning that it could be considered as an accident.


    "Be careful to not let any survivors. But you did a good job to gather so quickly enough food for those trolls." Even if it had been only so few days, she could already sense that a few tubercules similar to potatoes were nearly fully grown. With a special soil infused with magic, the most optimal light changed every minute to be as efficient as possible and also magical water, it was no wonder they would manage to feed an entire tribe of trolls. It only lacked meat for now.


    "Since you already found enough plants, you can begin to capture animals. You can go as much as the closest farm to steal them, but not too much. Enough to piss off the humans, but not to organize a vast search against us. I will let you modify those creatures." They were not planning on waiting hundreds of years to have the most perfect genes thanks to cross breeding and careful selections. They couldn''t turn the child of a cow into a pig while it was a fetus with what they had in their hands, but they could certify the children will always be better than their parents.


    Immediately after saying that, she could see numerous columns of skeletons heading toward one of the walls and beginning to dig it. She had let full control of the design of the base to Malakov, meaning that he was also the only one that knew it entirely. She could always use a bit of her mana to achieve the same result, but that was not necessary. After all, every time one of them entered the underground maze, a lich will always be there leading them to their destination. After a few hundreds of meters, she ended up in a vast natural cavern.


    Or at least, that was from its appearance. She didn''t know if it was Ymir or her Envoy that had the idea, but it was probably better for the wild trolls to be in such an environment. They already had to leave the open space of the mountains, so if they were confronted to a cold and fabricated habitat, their reactions could be extreme. She could see numerous floors seemingly natural, except for the uniformed stairs. On all those floors, numerous caves, and holes, big enough to shelter the trolls.


    Even if they had more or less hundred of them, the vast quantities of caverns could allow at least thousands. Right now, no undead could be seen, and a fake sky had been created above. It made look like the ceiling had a very vast hole, allowing the light of the sun to reach this dark place. Seeing the very considerate arrangements, they seemed to work quite well. Even if the food was only vegetables, for now, it also had an exotic taste for the mouths used to the coldness of the high peaks.


    Even if the White Hand regularly provided them with preserved meat and other conservable food, they never had the chance to lay their hands on even one apple. And while some were grumbling that it was really filling their stomachs and they still were hungry, others were happy to slap the top of their heads and make them remember they had experienced far worst. Soon after everyone had eaten, most adults left the center, only a few guarding the children.


    The women and men that used to stay and keep the tribe safe while others hunted were helping gathering fruits and vegetables. In the end, a skeleton stayed an undead. Meaning that it was often clumsier than a real living being, and had a faint aura of death. This nearly imperceptible taint could worsen a bit the taste of the harvest, something even Leilade could agree on. There were countless races that were forbidden to even enter a canteen or touch the meal of others.


    As for the main force of the trolls, they were actively training under the supervision of Ymir. Helped with liches that could create almost any type of enemy, the hunters were facing everything, from a wyvern to a pack of wolves. The summons of Malakov, in addition, to create skeletons, also applied some illusions on them. Meaning that for the unfortunate ones that were facing those monsters, it made them seem real. Right now, an entire group was running away in fear after a giant dragon appeared.


    Even if it was not up to the standards of some simulations she experienced, it was enough for them to feel the cold grip of death numerous times. That was maybe the first rule everyone learned after joining the Demonic Empire, to never have succumbed to fear. Otherwise, one would become a corpse in some random planet. Looking at the Ak?l that was shaking his head, he seemed disappointed.


    "When can those fresh recruits be used?" Hearing the childish voice near him, Ymir began to ponder. She had agreed on his request because it served their interests. The fact that a race was willing to serve them and was also not mistreated. But the best way to show that was for the trolls to be visible, and what could be possibly better than making them fight? After all, trolls were never known for being artists, scholars or merchants.


    "Depend. It has only been a few days since they settled in. Without meat, a huge quantity of it or an enhanced portion, it will be a lot slower. At this rate, I would say in a few months." Being the commandant of the World Eaters, he was used to training new recruits. However, they were all Ak?l, like him, so he had to review the process to not kill everyone.


    "Months are fine. I never expected a lot from them in the first place. As for the meat, Malakov will soon begin to raise some animals. Did you sent your demands to Master Agnil?"


    "No, not yet. I first want to see how strong they can become. But I will ask him to keep a few crystals aside from me." What he meant by crystals was any of the materials of a similar rarity compared to the Aether. There was no need to use the most precious things they had for those trolls, but a few lesser composites could achieve good results at a lesser cost. Not bothering Ymir any longer, she looked one more time at the map in the control room.


    "Maybe it is time to visit those dwarves after all."

 117 A spy in their mids

    Even the nobles of Avenio and some of the counselors from Synnada were a bit puzzled by the sudden interruption of Amdir, it made the rest ponder greatly. After all, they were not talking about just a random group of adventurers, even those with the highest grades. No, the very snake that managed to escape the grip of all the human nations and even grow under that threat had finally met an obstacle. Something that even it could not even discern clearly.


    "So what if it is a suicide to enter? What if everyone here died just to get past the entrance? Are you willing to let those Dark Gods destroy everything you hold dear to your eyes? Your families? Your nations?" The man with the black artifact was not concerned by their fear. Otherwise, he would have not personally made a move and greet them all. It would be best if he managed to convince them to send their own troops and not use the Black Gauntlet, but that was just false hope.


    "We currently have the advantage of knowing exactly where they are. We are in the dark while they are in the open. I guess you don''t really know what I am talking about, but I can assure you that it is our domain of expertise. However, we can only overestimate their strength with the lack of knowledge at our disposal. In that regard, I hope that you can all spare as many troops as you can, to besiege them as soon as possible."


    Hearing the call of help from one of the most hated and hunted humans in this world was something none of the guests expected, after entering the building. But if the threat they will face was on par with what their ancestors faced during the Second Calamity, it would require everyone to be vanquished.


    "Massalia will answer that call. But, time is of the essence. In four weeks, no less and no more should all the armies arrive in the vicinity of Ronta. We can''t let another month for them to heal their wounds and gather their strength."


    The second prince of Massalia, Ferrod, was the first to agree. While others were still pondering, this action made them react in the moment.


    "The Empire of the Desert will support you."


    "The Republic of Avenio will too."


    "The Forest Kingdom will battle with you, one more time."


    Seeing this, the giant could finally smile, slightly at ease. Truthfully, he was still unsure if they would believe him, but apparently, the daughter of the Sword Saint was extremely convincing. Looking at her, he could not help but feel that she didn''t appear extremely thrilled by the news. More like, scared. Shaking his head, he couldn''t catch her face afterward, the woman hiding behind her brother.


    "But we have one exigence." The first prince of the Synnada Empire suddenly raised his voice, while looking at Ferrod. Not really knowing what to expect, they wondered if it was related to the fact that they will bypass the frontiers between the two countries. After that, the nobles from Avenio began to murmur between each other about that detail.


    "Concerning who will be in charge of the entire operation, the battle. I think everyone has something to say about that, right?" After that, it suddenly appeared to the crowd that at least four different armies, all commanded by different individuals will have to fight together. With such a complex chain of command, it made sense to have one above them all, but it will be hard to reach a consensus; or at least, that was what many were thinking.


    "I suggest we appoint, him, to lead our men, everyone." When the prince said the word "him", he spoke with such disdain, such hate, that it could only describe one person. Someone that was partially responsible for the death of the late Emperor, to the extent of having a decree forbidding everyone to even pronounce his name in the empire.


    Chuckling again, Amdir could only increase the ire from those tan humans. "You mean that old man? You know, he is very old, maybe even dead, do you think the Dark Gods will think that too?" Opening once more a wound that was ten years old, one finally lost his calm and drew his sword, attacking the brother of Muirn?. Of course, he was no match and was quickly disarmed due to his irrational action. But when another one tried to do the same, a loud sound resonated.


    BOOOM


    The saber that was in the hand of the angered man was cut in half, a clean cut. Looking dumbfounded at his half weapon, he turned his eyes toward the giant that was fuming. The darkness surrounding his hand was getting bigger and bigger, the black veins were beginning to pulsate at a great speed. "STOP! Calm yourselves." The prince of Synnada could only stop this nonsense before one of his men was truly killed. The sound from previously was something he hoped to never hear again since it was a death sentence. To only have a weapon cut in half was already a miracle.


    "Amdir Gwendhir, we are currently talking about the future of all the humans. Can you please not do that again?" The host of the meeting had no choice but to calm everyone down. Even if he knew that the son of the Sword Saint was widely recognized as being carefree, it was a serious affair. With the nod of the interested party, he could only look at the two other groups, to see their stance of the subject.


    "We agree, he, we think this man will be the most qualified for this job. If he isn''t, who would be?" The nobles of Avenio could only acknowledge that fact. But in the end, the only one that was still a bit perplexed was the elf. He had no idea who they were talking about, to the point of all being fearful of that name. But because he did not want to be seen as ignorant, he also agreed.


    With that, they talked the entire night about all types of issues that could come up. The legions posted at the borders that needed to let a vast army bypass them, enough food to feed everyone at Ronta, everything related to such a large amount of soldiers traveling and fighting. Because it would be too slow to transmit the news by horses, the Organization graciously offered their services.


    "You know that it would take at least 4 magus to operate that thing, right?" Amdir was looking at the orb in front of him. After the fall of the Dark Gods, they had salvaged many objects, including something capable of establishing a connection between two objects. But unlike the monsters of the legends, one human could not accomplish that alone. Depending on who was activating the device, it could take four magus to rest for half of a month before having enough mana to use it again.


    But to his surprise, he saw ten mages appearing out of nowhere, with only two surrounding the orb. "Maybe your technology is like that, but we have made some improvements. You can also tell Arthar Rodil that it was truly groundbreaking what he found out last year." Not knowing whether they should be happy or sad that their own research was stolen and used, the three humans from Massalia had mixed feelings.


    Each nation had at least three of those, spread across the territory to be used in case of extreme urgency. With that in mind and a bit of patience, everyone could tell in person what happened at the meeting. With the magus replacing the exhausted ones after each utilization, no issue came up. After that, everyone looked awkwardly at each other, not really knowing what to say to excuse themselves and leave.


    Because he was not really used to such things as talking, the giant only walked toward a wall and disappeared through a hidden door, letting them deal with that themselves. With that, the twenty or so guests all decided to leave together and part ways after reaching the exit. Seeing the sun quite high in the sky, they only realized they were tired at that moment.


    Still escorting the prince outside, Amdir and Muirn? finally arrived at the inn and got rid of their mission. Wishing a good day of sleep to her brother, she sat on her bed, not even feeling pain anymore. She undressed, putting the clothes she used in a basket. In the early days, she only created an image of being clothed, but afterward, the maids began to ask a question about where her dress had gone.


    Therefore, she had to wear those pieces of fabrics, even if it was painful. But by now, her soul was so used to that feeling, that one time, she accidentally pierced herself with a real sword. She was alone at that time, fortunately, but she only noticed the tip of the sword on the other side of her arm after a minute. This also reinforced the need to have a real armor, otherwise, she could be attacked without her realizing it. At least, with some iron, it could create noise.


    Trying to meditate in the bed, she was ready to waste ten hours at doing nothing. With her brother so close, and the bodyguards of the prince, she could not train her new powers like she usually did. Creating a sword in her hand, she waved it a few times, enlarging or minimizing it as she wanted. The sword turned from a dagger to a claymore in less than a second. She could also change it by just a few centimeters, catching by surprise some experienced swordsmen.


    Right after absorbing the sword in her soul, she began to feel her neck getting colder and colder. Not daring to touch the silver necklace that was fused with her skin, she could not do anything. Thinking for a bit, she realized it was the first time she felt that cold, even colder than just being a living soul. A bit fearful, she grazed with her fingers the silver, only to feel a shock in her entire body. Looking at her finger, she saw a growing shadow on it, like a tentacle coming from her neck.


    Knowing that she couldn''t move at all, she looked at her own body in the mirror nearby. With their identity, the rooms they all had were well equipped and extremely clean. What she saw made her remembered the first time she saw Leilade. Out of her flesh, something was desperately trying to escape, a monster without any name, any form.


    When it reached the size of a fist, it suddenly fell to the ground, not moving anymore. Carefully approaching her hand, she jumped back when she saw it rush with great speed toward the window, stuck on it. The shadows then infiltrated the tiniest holes in it, to reach the outside. A few seconds later, she could see once more the clear blue sky, without any traces of the monster she had just seen. Putting her hand all around her neck, Muirn? wondered what was that thing? And how many more are inside her?

 118 The first one to fall

    "It''s a very good wine, very good, Grey Plain, I suppose?" A robust man, near his fifties, was seating in the sumptuous room. Even in that environment, he still had his armor on, only removing his helmet. Behind him, two fully armored soldiers, standing guard in case of any mishap. Facing the overbearing army men, the two civilians in front could only smile and wait.


    "Yes, it was a miracle that it survived the previous attack. But, unfortunately, the glass was slightly broken. If you have not arrived, I would have been forced to drink it for no reason. As you can expect, there are currently very few things to celebrate with a glass of good wine." Hearing that, the smile of the face of the general dimmed a bit. No one was happy when they heard something like that, but he nonetheless appreciated the gesture. The wine was still in good condition after all.


    "So, Miss Gwendoline, we ..." "Mayor." She interrupted him, not letting herself be retrograded in any way. Even if the one in charge of a city should have been chosen by the High Council of Avenio itself, it was in fact extremely rare. In a sense, all the towns of the republic had a larger autonomy than their equivalents in the other nations. It served as a way to let them grow as they wanted. Of course, if the choice was truly catastrophic, the ruling families could always remove the unwanted human in charge.


    "Mayor. You probably know why we are here, right?" The man could not really show how he felt, talking to a woman like she was his equal. Even in those times, where women could enter the army in Massalia or were practically having the same rights in Genablum, some behaviors didn''t change. Especially inside the Synnada Empire, where they were treated as a mere commodity or breeding animals. Only a few with exceptional talents could break free of those shackles.


    "Yes, you are here because of the Dark Gods." The cup nearly escaped the hand of the general. He did not expect her to truly know the reason why they were here in the first place. Normally, she should have said that they were here to fight the Massalia Kingdom. At least, that was the information that was spreading in the entire republic. Using this as a false argument, it could make the population behave normally.


    But if the news was that the potential Fourth Calamity was happening, a wave of unrest would spread among all the civilizations. Still shocked, the general could only blurt out his question. " But how? It was a secret." Gwendoline, as well as the former mayor behind her could only smile. Truth to be told, the White Hand was surprisingly very agreeable to them after the failure that was the defense of Archet.


    "Everyone has their ways, why couldn''t I have mine? Or, maybe you are looking down on my age?" After all, she was probably the youngest Mayor in the history of Avenio, and one of the few women to obtain that position. Those two factors had made her life very difficult in the last weeks. At first, when it was only dealing with the citizens of Archet, she could use their memories and her charm to reduce their anger. But the outsiders only saw in her a doll, or worst, a pawn.


    "Anyway, you know the truth apparently. This shouldn''t have happened, meaning something illegal was conducted in that very place.Men, capture Miss Gwendoline right now!" Dodging the questions, he immediately used his position to arrest her. In his mind, only by colluding with external forces could she learn about his goal. Meaning that she was an enemy of the nation. Compared to the shocked state the former mayor was in, Gwendoline was still slightly smiling.


    "Andre, can you please give me that letter." By now, he was used to being called by his name and not by his title. Even if at first, he abhorred it, however, the fact that it was said in neither contempt nor mockery made him used to it. Even the other families inside Archet still talked to him with respect. Grabbing the piece of paper he had stored minutes before the visit of the general, he showed it to him.


    "Blablabla ... distinguished Mayor Hmpf. More bullshit, blablabla ... the only one to know? Trust you with that secret? Provide anything at your disposal?" Looking at the letter, then at the woman in front of him, then at the letter once more, he was completely shocked. It was supposed to be a complete secret, so why the very men that told him that still sent that letter. Looking at the smiling Gwendoline, he still ordered to let her go. Even if he would rather lie than being embarrassed like that, the seal on the letter could not be counterfeit.


    "We will not stay any longer if you know everything. Goodbye Miss Gwendoline." Picking up his helmet, the general left with his two officers, not without throwing a glacial stare at the young lady. After they were sure all the military men had left, Andre crumbled on his seat, quickly followed by Gwendoline. After all, for everyone that has trained their body to the extent of those soldiers, they were all accompanied by that imposing aura.


    "I warned you that he was never known for being kind with woman, but that was at another level. Who would have known that the General Avirus would still lose against you? But be careful, if I know one thing about him, it is that he never accepts defeat. Otherwise, he wouldn''t have been called the Butcher of the North."


    Remembering the reports she read about him, she could only agree. Shortly after they had received the letter from the High Council, and therefore learned that the General Avirus would arrive, an agent of the White Hand graciously offered what they knew about him. The least she could say after hearing everything was that whoever was with or against him will have a big chance of dying.


    After fighting for decades against the goblins, that man had changed drastically the way each battle were conducted. If previously, each side retreated after a certain number of dead was reached, now, it was a fight to the last man. As terrible as it sounded, it was still brutally efficient, because the morale amongst the goblins will never be higher than the one amongst the humans. If it greatly increased the number of dead and injured, it still allowed Avenio to repel the ever advancing green skins.


    Thanks to this, the number of goblins was dwindling, allowing them to in return reduce their own casualties. It was predicted that if it kept going for at least a decade, all traces of goblins inside Avenio will be completely destroyed. Compared to the stalemate that the eastern front, with Massalia, and the southern front, with the undead of Pankow, were in, the General Avirus was often rewarded for his success.


    At the same time, pulling him out of that war would only mean something very dreadful was happening somewhere else. They could not conceal his departure, so instead, they used the excuse of him finally acting against Massalia. Even if everyone knowing the true situation between Synnada, Massalia and Avenio was certain that the kingdom could not be fought until that monstrous man was finally buried. And will have to wait a few years after he died, to be certain he was truly dead this time.


    "I know. But that''s only if he survives." Her soft voice that turned into a murmur made Andre not understand what she meant. "What?" "Nothing." Since the moment she heard from Meridiana that an attack was coming against them, the two adventurers that saved Archet accepted a request from the Adventurer Guild making them leave the city. It was obviously a trap to lure them away from a crowd, but they were confident that they would still underestimate them.


    "Make sure they are lacking nothing, otherwise, I am certain he will find a way to do something against me. With some hope, by dawn, they will already be gone and well on their way." Looking at the number of papers stacked on the nearby table, she pinched a bit her right cheek and got up. Right before Andre left, he could not help but turn around to ask something.


    "Do you think they will win?" Thanks to the help of the White Hand, they had a far broader vision of what was happening. Not only Avenio, but nearly everyone, even the elves were on the move. However, even with such a large coalition, he could not help but remember the siege of Archet. When he woke up, his friends, thousands of families, they were all gone. And that was probably not the full extent of their powers.


    "Do not worry, nothing will happen to us anymore. After all, if what they are doing is not enough to handle that problem, aren''t we all doomed?" Faced with this curious way of seeing the future, the man could only pray for the success of that war. Finally being alone, Gwendoline began to see what this day will bring to her. Some old foxes managed to have pieces of information about the purpose of the visit of the General Avirus, but they still missed his true motive. Therefore, they began to swarm her, hoping to obtain what they wanted.


    But against her perpetual smile and her charm, they could only reluctantly calm down and admit defeat. With everything pressing done, she left her office and roamed in the streets nearby. Looking at the children happily playing, the still tired faces of the adults, filled with uncertainty about what will happen tomorrow, she wondered how everything will be in the following days. All she knew was that the moment Meridiana will arrive will be a new beginning for Archet.


    The humans in the region slept safe and soundly, except the few sentries guarding the military encampment nearby. Even in such a safe area Avirus took no risk at all. He was even willing to stay up with another guard, just in case. Since the moment he left that damned woman, he felt something weird in his stomach, like a bad feeling. That prevented him from sleeping, so he would prefer to let one man sleep instead. Trusting their superior, a few officers did the same, for they had survived the war against the goblins thanks to him. For others, he was a butcher, but in truth, he was only merciless in his plan. He would not sacrifice his men for barely anything, but he would gladly cause the death of hundreds if he could slay thousands.


    So, in this ambiance, not even the General himself could have known that a few kilometers away from here, an army was approaching. It was only when the sun began to rise that he was awoken by the sound of a horn. After managing to force himself to sleep only hours ago, he could not forget to curse the one that made that sound. But after seeing what was in front of him, he forgave that nameless soldier.

 119 Unforeseen Consequences

    A black mass of swords, armors, and shields was slowly approaching them. In the shining light of the day, it was an eyesore for anyone looking at it. All around him, he could see soldiers rapidly getting their equipment and preparing themselves for the battle. Doing the same, he could not help but feel the unease growing inside him. It shouldn''t have been possible to meet something like that, especially since it was relatively secret.


    If the White Hand knew about their project, it was logical. If the Synnada Empire or the Kingdom of Massalia were to learn about the precise path he would take, it would cause some suspicions. "But how their enemies, that were supposed to be entrenched in a hole beyond the mountains could ... " With that trail of thoughts, it could only mean one thing. "They bypassed the mountains ... A new tunnel has been dug."


    He was all alone at the entrance of his tent, but he still talked to himself. While it did make him look like a madman, it always had helped him think more clearly. Remembering the distance between them and the incoming army, he could probably spare a minute. "Goblins! What was what the elves said, tunnels of two to three kilometers? Surprise attacks, caught off guard. But that''s mere kilometers, we are talking about dozens of them here, maybe even more."


    One officer, not seeing the general coming peeked inside the tent, only to see Avirus mumbling some incomprehensible sentences. He waited a few seconds, but seeing no reaction from the later, he made some noises to made his presence known. It was not really effective. "General, the enemy ... the White Hand just came and said they belonged to the Dark Gods!" At the mention of the Dark Gods, the general broke through his state and looked at his officer.


    "Go and say to the Mayor that a new tunnel has been formed between Avenio and Massalia. Actually, no, just go in Archet and shout that very loudly." He began to also push away his subordinate, prompting him to go as fast as possible. Even when the other party was completely surprised. "What ... what do you mean by a new tunnel? ..." The two men looked at each other for a brief second, and he finally understood. "Yes, Sir!"


    With the enemy approaching, he could see with a better accuracy how many he will have to kill. However, he was not really feeling confident when he saw that instead of a true army, it could only be considered as a small force. Maybe one hundred, two at best. Compared to his vast army, where everyone from all across Avenio had come. Each city had provided their reserves, and a good chunk of his own troops from the North had joined him. They were at least 8O OOO thousands good men here, and with a bit of luck, more will wait for them at the Troll Gate.


    Previously, only three passages could allow an army to go from Avenio to Massalia. In the North, the Wolf Gate and the Dragon Gate were considered the less dangerous. It was near the end of the Wild Mountains, meaning that Humanity had already managed to tame the monsters nearby. On the other hand, the Troll Gate was extremely close to the Fallen Kingdom of Pankow. Just the journey alone could decimate anything that had less than 5 thousands men. However, recently, numerous reports had revealed that a huge amount of monsters had gone from the South to the North, freeing partially the Troll Gate.


    However, the direction from where that dark army came was not the one he would have taken if he had to go there. Because it was unknown how they managed to survive the travel, he couldn''t know if those hundreds of foes were only the survivors or were everyone that departed at first. Taking into account the worst case scenario, with each of those black armors true experts, he could only try to swarm them with numbers.


    Unfortunately, they had no siege weapons or anything alike, because Archet was supposedly just a temporary stop. All those weeks of preparations, and he had nothing for his first battle. Still grumbling in his beard, he still began to spread out his army as much as possible. A quick recapitulatory of the number of bowmen still managed to put a smile on his face. Even if they were undead, he would like to see how they could resist a tempest of arrows.


    Taking the reins of his horse, he calmly walked forward, to be in front of everyone. On his sides, he could see some regiments beginning to run on the side, to encircle their foes. However, he made sure it would not form a complete circle, only half of it. If a second force was nearby, it would be too late for them to save those stuck between that black army and the unforeseen one. Nearby, he could see many faces, some worried while others were half joking about the small group they will slaughter. Old and young, they were still present to defend their country and their families.


    The small troop kept walking toward him until they were barely a few hundreds of meters away. Finally stopping, the General Avirus could finally examine who he will face. His initial guess was not wrong, an officer with sharp eyes counted exactly 110 black helmets and one giant in the back. As for why he did not include the giant with the other, it was because the giant was ... very tall. At least two times the size of what they would presume to be a regular soldier, if not more. But what he also saw was the dark veins pulsating on everything they were wearing.


    It was nothing like they had seen before, not like an arrow infused with mana or even a spell enchanting a sword. It seemed to be half-alive, like veins spreading on metal. Trying to remember where he had heard that, Avirus thought about the two supposedly adventurers. It was confirmed that they were, in fact, part of those he was supposed to kill. Their equipment was also foreign and similar to what he was looking at right now, but no one asked too many questions back then.


    "ARCHERS! LOAD!" At his command, the sounds of an arrow leaving its quiver could be heard everywhere. He just prepared them for now, since the enemy was out of range anyway. But one could never be too careful, especially when myths and legends suddenly came back to life. At the same time, the more he looked at them, the more he felt that myths were not the only one that should have stayed dead. He had heard about the so-called spirits of the statues, but what he was facing was most likely just some undead.


    "Surrender now, and your lives will be spared. Fight us, and even your gods will not save your souls." The thunderous voice was audible in the mind of all the humans. Some soldiers were panicked, not expecting that at such a huge distance, one could so easily enter their mind and speak like that. Avirus could see many hands trembling a bit, or the opposite, gripping tightly their swords. At the same time, he wondered if peace was really an option. "Probably not."


    "You have made your last choice poorly." The giant that was at the back began to steadily march forward, fully displaying the huge axes in his hands. His four hands. Each and every one of those could be compared to the size of a human, even taking by surprise Avirus. Seeing the black army approaching more quickly as the seconds passed, he began to shout his orders.


    "Make the two flanks collapsed on them as soon as possible. Full speed ahead. Now go! Let me see if what is dead can die again. ARCHERS ... AIM ... FIRE!" The sky was darkened by so many projectiles, but all could see that many will fail to hit their foes. But with that amount of arrows, it still managed to hit everything multiple times. But instead of hearing some screams or anything like that, what was produced was just the rattle of the metal against metal. Some lucky shots did manage to pierce the armor of the common soldiers, but that didn''t slow them down at all.


    "FUCK! SHIELD WALL! DROP YOUR BOWS!" The archers hastily dropped everything and went back behind the frontline. It was just a dream to be able to destroy them all in one volley, but to not have a single one of them at least killed is bad. Extremely bad. Dismounting and slapping his horse to make him flee, Avirus stood still facing the incoming giant. "FOR AVENIO!"


    His long shout was soon swallowed by the sea of screams everywhere near him. He stood blankly at his right, where dozens of men that were previously alive were now reduced to dismembered bodies. Their spears had not inflicted any damage whatsoever to those dark armors, while on the other hand, their armors were rendered useless. The heavy iron, that was tempered and forged with great care looked not more resistant than butter.


    But what he still couldn''t understand was the reason why he was still alive. Replaying the scene in his mind, he saw himself jumping to hack the chest of that giant, only for the latter to deflect the hit with one axe. But instead of counter-attacking, his enemy showed mercy and just bypassed him entirely. Enjoying a scenery he would have preferred to never see, Avirus could only hope now that peace was a real possibility.


    Each soldier of the Dark Gods was single-handedly decimating tens and tens of humans. They had spread in such a large area that even the reinforcements were already caught up with them. Looking beyond that, he could see many fleeing in panic, and for once, he was glad they were doing that. Staying here could only mean death for the unfortunate one that was present. "H..e..l..p" A weak murmur calling for help managed to reach his ears.


    Rushing forward, he found the injured soldier. The later had his left arm cut, but besides this, he was relatively fine. A pile of corpses was on, probably the very reason why he was still alive. Looking to his left and to his right, he saw the remnants of his army getting slaughtered. But no enemy was nearby. "Don''t worry, everything is fine, you will survive." Pushing away the bodies, he found out the injury on the arm was not the only problem. An open wound was present on his chest, near his heart.


    Fortunately, the blood didn''t seem to be leaking as much as it could. The sword of those black soldiers probably missed the heart by a millimeter, granting the man a chance of survival. Just as he was trying to apply some tissue on the bleeding hole, he heard calm footsteps approaching. "YOU WILL NOT TAKE ANOTHER LIFE!" Lifting his sword, he blocked the advance of the foe. Maybe he was nothing compared to that giant, but he would make sure that at least one of them died today.


    CLANK


    The dark helmet flew in the air, revealing a clean skull. What he expected did happen. But if he could remove that helmet, he could also kill that undead. Fighting with rage in his heart, he overwhelmed the skeleton, leaving it no chances to even take another step forward. Just as he was aiming to hack its neck, another one appeared. Then a third, then a fourth. Disarmed, Avirus could only see the one he fought first approaching the dying soldier and pierce his heart, for good this time.


    "WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS? WHY ARE YOU NOT KILLING ME?" The once proud General was getting crazy. Even when he was kneeling and grabbing their leggings, the undead did not even bother to look at him. It was like he was invisible. He stayed like that for a few minutes, until the perpetual screaming faded in the air. Raising his head, he saw two large red eyes looking at him. Blood was dripping from the axe that was put on his shoulder, but Avirus did not care about the metal entering his flesh.


    "Do you truly want to die?" The large demon was looking at him while asking this question. Letting go of the leg he held, the only remaining human seemed to ponder for a while. "I ... want ... YOU TO DIE!" Grabbing a random sword on the ground, he stood up and attacked the giant. He did not care about his shoulder that was cut during the assault. He did not flinch under the pain. He only despaired, when he saw that his weapon was blocked by the helmet. The holes giving the giant vision were too small for his sword to use them.


    "HEHEHE Good try. Aiming for the head while I was leaning. You have a strong soul, Leilade will appreciate that." Freeing one of his hand, Ymir picked up the brave human, wondering if he should send him back by the tunnel right now. Since they had first arrived here and the duo of the succubus and the orodil had traversed those mountains, the Envoy of Leilade had begun to dig a tunnel. It was good that it ended before they were attacked, allowing Ymir to capture Archet while everyone was focused on the situation in Massalia.


    "So now what, you''re going to use your natural charm to make them submit?" The cynical voice of the lich resonated, but strangely, it made the Ak?l smile. Not expecting this, Malakov could only stay silent, especially after hearing the answer. "Of course, after all, what better way to introduce yourself than to butcher thousands of their kin right next to them. And if someone dares to still oppose resistance after what they have seen ..." Ymir smiled ferociously "... I don''t mind eating one of them." It was only at that moment that he realized that something weird was happening in his hands.

 120 Spoiler, so no title

    "By Oslo, what did we do to deserve this?"


    "Nothing, like those living in Pankow suffered a similar fate. Sheer bad luck."


    The two humans were looking at the gruesome bloody plain that was in their sight, just a little farther away from Archet. When they had heard the horn of the army nearby, they had rushed toward the ramparts, but could only see the scene happening without being able to do a single thing about it. In the short minutes that were used to completely dry the green herb red, they were joined by nearly every officers and elders of the important families. Some even began to throw up, after witnessing so many brutal executions.


    The only one that was still capable of ushering anything but prayers or mad thoughts was Gwendoline. Even if it was still visible that she was shaken by the ordeal, she still managed to maintain her smile, albeit stiffened. For that, even those that were displeased by the fact that she earned her position thanks to a miracle in their eyes were a bit reassured to have someone to rely on. Thinking inwardly that if it was them in her shoes, they would have already begun to flee in panic, knowing that the Mayor of Archet will probably have an early end.


    "I pray you, Aria, for in those dark moments ..." Murmuring the last song of that country, Andre was looking with worry at the young woman next to him. He would have never thought that his gift would turn out to be a trap. But he truly knew that she was one of the best candidates, if not the best, to appease the citizens living in the city. And she had proved that there was only a very slight amount of chaos after the knights of Kirov left. Without the guards to protect the houses, pillages, murders and rapes could have happened, spreading across all the districts of Archet.


    But fortunately, by personally helping everyone to return to their normal lives, she had alleviated that risk by a lot. Coupled with a redistribution of many goods that were without any owner, the inner greed that was growing was satisfied. Of course, those that received the largest amount of gold from this operation was the surviving guards, to which no one had any complaints. As for the adventurers, some tried to conduct improper actions but were met with the resistance of the entire population. Even they couldn''t fight hundreds of mourning and angry civilians and expect to escape with their lives.


    "Mayor, we will talk about our ... mutual problem later. I wish you good luck." The only elf in the tall stone wall began to walk away with great speed. As a representant of the elves, he was here to deal with rumors about elven bodies found in some basements. With the abolition of slavery and the friendship between the two nations, it had become a pressing issue for Gwendoline. Even the day before, she had to prevent the elf to capture a few aristocratic families and bring them to justice inside the forest.


    As for whether the rumors were true, well ... they were. It came as a surprise for the woman, but she had managed to become so trustworthy that they had come clean before her. Expecting the Mayor to defend them against the representant. Faced with the fact that, even if they were guilty, she would need the help of everyone to rebuild Archet, she could only delay as much as possible the cunning elves. She had also bribed many mercenaries to, fortunately, patrol near the inn where the pointy ears were sleeping, to prevent any of them to sneak out in the dark. While also denying her responsibility when the envoy came knocking on her door the next day.


    So, when they all saw him virtually flying in the air to flee as quickly as possible, she could only sneer in contempt. But that spectacle did not bring a smile to anyone, even those that were guilty. When he was too far away, she turned toward those that were sighing in relief. "If we survive this, I hope all the prooves will be truly destroyed. For good this one." For the dumbfounded officers, they couldn''t understand what she meant, but those elders and wealthy men quickly got the intent.


    "Of course Mayor, nothing happened in Archet." " Those were groundless rumors in the first place." "Thank you, Mayor." Those that had a free conscience, for this crime at least, looked toward the air like they had not learned everything. Of course, some still threw a black stare at those men, that couldn''t even manage to keep their secrets secret, as the Lord Eltritch did. With this, she finally looked at the man in uniform next to them, that was looking with horror at the grand massacre. He was part of the group that barged in her office the other day, with the Butcher of the North.


    "Commandant, I don''t think Archet needs you anymore. You should personally transmit the news to the capital." The soldier tried to speak a few times, but he was still shocked by what his eyes transmitted to him. At the same time, he wondered what this bunch of old and young people had experienced here to be so quick at regaining their spirits. But seeing the smile of Gwendoline slightly warmed his heart, he still bowed in front of the Mayor.


    "Yes Mayor, I will leave right away ..." but after only two steps, he realized what she implied by this. Looking at the fearless woman, he could only lament about the way the general treated her. If the later had known her even a bit more, he would have not acted as he did. "Are you sure you don''t need an experienced officer for the defense?" The only answer he received was Gwendoline shaking her head. Both ashamed and grateful, he silently left, only looking back when they were just dots in his vision.


    "You truly think it is hopeless?" Andre was starring at the leaving man, that was visibly conflicted with his new orders. All wished that they were him, for he was escaping Archet before the arrival of the Dark God. As for them, it was a bit too late, even if they were to begin their preparations right now, they wouldn''t be able to outrun the black army approaching. And seeing the fleeing soldiers being hunted like it was nothing, any hope was utterly crushed.


    "An army composed of all the troops available in Avenio, led by the most accomplished general of this country managed to last ... a minute? Less than a minute? If it had been that undead army we faced, I am certain they would have defeated it in an hour. But now ..." Her young voice faded silently in the air, the worries inside it not concealed. Truthfully, Gwendoline did not know about that attack and was a bit fearful. Remembering the legends, it said that not all the Dark Gods were allied, so it could be the same right now. Meaning that her Mistress and those monsters were not working together.


    "But! But! There is something we can do? Right? Anything? You, tell me! Anything!" The old man from the Eltritch family began to shout at an extremely muscular officer, with a weirdly cut beard. If it had been any other situations, some could have found funny that a frail elder was acting like that in front of such a tall warrior. But because of the oppressing silence, this only reinforced the weight that was on their minds.


    "Let him, whatever we had was used before. And I guess that not even the White Hand can save us now." Andre laconically brought up the only name that had a sliver of chances to do something. After all, it was no secret that their new Mayor was truly appreciated by the criminal organization, even if it made no sense. Moments later, before the first survivor could reach the ramparts, an inconspicuous man approached the group.


    Some recognized him but were too numb by what they saw to even be shocked. The fact that someone that belonged to darkness was willing to walk in broad light was enough to confirm the sentences pronounced by Andre. The only specificity that could differentiate him from a normal citizen was his limp leg, that was significantly slower than his other leg. But that was only a minute difference since it was barely perceptible if it wasn''t known beforehand.


    "Mayor, Andre, gentlemen. I am sorry to inform you that we have decided to remove all our agents from Archet from this very moment. This will be the last time we see each other in Archet. Farewell." His elegant posture and fluent speech did not reduce the impact of what he said. But at the same time, everyone understood the logic behind it. Unlike the nations, like the Republic of Avenio, that had a duty of protecting those living under it, the Organization was not bound by those rules. It was often that protecting a certain individual or a group was in their interest. But they would not sacrifice themselves for the greater good.


    Right before the envoy of the White Hand left, he still turned around to give his personal advice. "Just one last thing. Try to submit to them. Even if they had not left a single survivor from my peers, they still sparred a group of adventurers for no obvious reasons. I can only hope your luck is good, but it is worth the shot."


    "Thank you for your advice, we will try everything to save Archet."


    "Good, good. That''s good" Descending the stairs, he was nowhere to be seen after a cart coincidentally cut their line of sight. As for his advice, that was just a hopeless dream. They will try it, they will bet their lives on it because that was their only choice. Nothing else could save them anymore, not even the intervention of a god. "If you have anyone to pray to clean your mind and cleanse your sins, it is the moment." Gwendoline was seeing with them the hundreds of humans running for their lives but were still hunted like stray dogs.


    There was now barely a few hundred meters before they will reach the walls of Archet, but the chances that even one could manage to do this were slim. The dark armors were relentless at slaughtering the soldiers of Avenio, not sparing a single one. Because of this, the guards responsible for opening the gates could only look at their superiors, not knowing what to do. They did not want to condemn another fellow human to die by closing the door but did not want just one monster to enter the city.


    As uncertain as them, they could only look at the only one capable of making that decision. Only the Mayor could free them from the guilt of thinking for themselves instead of helping others. Noticing the insisting gazes of the officers nearby, she looked at the direction they were pointing. Linking quickly the two together, she did the only thing she could do, shoulder the blame alone. "Close the gates!" Her order was spread with the speed of light, but this also made the quickest runners shout in panic.


    Those standing on the ramparts could only decide to not hear anything, some even putting their hands on their ears. The already weak minds of some collapsed with such close proximity, and they left the premises. Whether they were part of the group of Gwendoline or real guards, none prevented them from doing so. The already scarcely populated ramparts began to be even emptier. The deserters were not even caught, letting them spread panic in the clueless population. Seeing the mess that was being created under their eyes,they still did not move.


    When the last living being in the outside fell down on the ground, his heart pierced by a sword, they could see some dark armors looking at them, menacingly. Surprisingly, that was the extent of their actions, they began to fall back silently, returning toward the bloodied battlefield. Seeing that maybe their prayers had worked, a few began to murmur a bit louder what they were psalming. Even Andre was slightly dumbfounded. "Could the gods truly hear us? After all those years?"


    The non-believer that was Gwendoline could only shake her head. From what she knew, the being called a god was not worthy of all the praises he could receive. But if it could pacify the other humans, that was good enough for her. Nonetheless, she could not resist expressing her disbelief. "Not necessarily, they could only have orders about that. Weird ones, I agree on that. But that was not the action of a god, it''s not like we would see the birth of a Hero under our very own eyes, ri..."


    She was suddenly cut by the apparition of a pillar of light on the horizon. Remembering what the Mayor had said seconds ago, they could only think of one thing, something that would have been unthinkable weeks ago. A Hero. Shouting in happiness and even hugging themselves, none noticed the crumbling expression of Gwendoline. All she could think was that now that she had chosen a side, she could no longer be considered as someone to protect for the Heroes. And could even be hunted down.

 121 A costly error

    "This ... what did I say? F*ck, did I talked about souls? Leilade is not going to be happy, not happy at all." Ymir only realized he had made a huge mistake after receiving the full blow of the attack of that human. The one he had firmly gripped in one of his hands and had taunted to the point where he was red of fury had managed to even push him back. Still a knee on the ground, the red giant was feeling his body but didn''t sense any injuries.


    "Couldn''t even measure to one of my fists, HEHE. Fat luck for you, HERO!" He purposely accentuated the last word, while looking at the now shining general. His hand that should have been red of blood for punching the armor of Ymir was perfectly intact. Even now, the human was barely understanding what was happening and only came to his senses after the Ak?l shouted at him. Realizing that he managed to push back the monster in front of him, and filled with hatred, he launched attacks after attacks.


    But before he could do that, numerous skeletons got in his way, all expertly attacking in concert to bring the newly born Hero down. But even the expertly forged weapons of Agnil and the sturdy armors could not stand against such a vast influx of divine power. However, each time one undead was destroyed, the light surrounding the body of the human began to dim. Seeing this, Ymir could only smile while patiently waiting. Waiting for a moment of inattention, one moment where the exterior power will not protect the fortunate soul from his mighty axes.


    Seeing this, and after nearly a minute of intense fighting, the Butcher of the North understood what was happening. It was no different from what he did when he exhausted the goblins before launching a full-scale assault. And if the first attempt was not enough, he organized a second one less than a day after. Still filled with an energy he never felt before, he escaped in the opposite direction of the giant demon. Taking by surprise Ymir, that was ready to pounce on him at any moment.


    "RUN LITTLE PIGGY! RUN, AS FAR AS YOU CAN! ONE DAY, YOU WILL HAVE TO FIGHT US! AND DIE!" Taking out his disappointment at letting escape such a large piece of meat, especially one with such a high concentration of mana inside, the Ak?l was not willing to pursue. After all, if he were to fight alone against the Hero, he would be injured, at best. Feeling hungry, he picked up the corpse of a soldier nearby and began to eat it. Now was not the time to waste his strength in a wasteful way. He still had something to do.


    Turning his sight at the city that was barely visible in the horizon, he called Malakov. "Did she already know?" None of the nearby skeletons made any move, filling the demon with unease. It was impossible for someone like that Envoy to miss such a thing, even with the impressive amount of undead he had to manage. Therefore, he should have begun to torment him with sarcastic remarks and visions of a grim future. But only one being could prevent him from mocking the rest of them. Confirming his worries, not even a minute later, an extremely small human approached them.


    "Know what Ymir?" Seeing the one he feared, Ymir bowed immediately and ushered quickly everything he knew. "Something unexpected happened, Empress of the Underworld. A Hero. I did manage to make him escape before he destroyed too many skeletons, but he was unharmed. I have failed you."


    It was extremely rare someone ever called Leilade by her complete title, unless that someone screwed up royally, or was trying to bootlick her. Looking at the dozens of broken armors laying around, she could only sigh. Lifting her hand, she began to reshape them, extracting from the inferior equipment of the humans what she needed. Soon,the same bones that were finally resting began to move once more, like the entire ordeal never happened. As for everything that was not useful anymore, it still had a utility.


    Darkness covered the now red plains, swallowing bodies, armors, swords, and shields. Even the green grass was not spared, leaving a lifeless ground behind it. The hole inside the red sea was like an eyesore for everyone else but them. After gaining more mana than she used, Leilade waved her hand at Ymir, letting him continue. The large demon was a bit disappointed to not even have another body to eat, but he would never complain when the reason was that small girl. To already have one human in his stomach was good, all things considered.


    With that, the small army left behind nothing but the very corpses that were in front of the walls. Everything else that even had a drop of blood on it was completely gone. From what was seen for those on the ramparts of Archet, it was like a nightmare. They had seen the divine light landing on the ground, proving that after so many centuries, another Hero was finally alive. Only to be gone seconds later, and finally, the very soil was swallowed by a black liquid.


    When it finally stopped, barely a few meters away from where they stood, they were practically holding their breaths. Knowing what will happen if they touched it, they were paralyzed by fear. Dazzled for several seconds, they only noticed that the group of black armors was standing nearby afterward. Making the previously ashamed guards near the gate now shuddering in panic. Swallowing the slim amount of saliva in her mouth in an attempt to reduce the dryness of her throat, Gwendoline made everyone jump in surprise.


    "Open the gates." She, who had forced to shut down the only entrance for the fleeing soldiers was now opening the city to their enemy. But past the initial fear and misunderstanding, they could only wryly laughed at the only available option she had. None imagined that just a wall made of stone could stop those monsters, meaning that they could only try to act as obediently as they could. Vastly outnumbered and not even ready to fight, what would be the point?


    "Open the gates." The officers that understood that truth ordered once more to let them in. But the guards were clearly unwilling to do that, making them personally move to do so. "I say, open the gates! That''s an order! Let me do it!" By now, they were moving as fast as possible. If they lost any amount of goodwill from their new sovereign because they were too slow, they would never forgive themselves.


    In the end, Ymir could finally put his own foot inside the wide street in front of him. A street that was entirely desert, with not a single soul visible. With the earlier departure of the elves and some guards, every citizen knew that an army was approaching. And that it was most likely not the human one. Coupled with the fact that almost every inhabitants of those houses were dead since it was the eastern part of Archet, there wouldn''t have been a lot of humans in the first place. But the two or three families in the vicinity had locked their doors at least three times, just in case. And probably hide under their beds or furniture.


    That worsened the mood of the demon even more than he previously was. But even then, he couldn''t just rampage as he wanted. He had enough wisdom to know that what they were doing was the best way to survive more than just a few years. After all, as long as they could feed on something alive, they could live almost like immortals. The two rows of skeleton warriors on his sides walking uniformly, he advanced a bit more on the paved way until he met the welcoming group.


    In fact, they were only 7 in the end, everyone else had left because of some urgent problems with their parents or children. Even most of the officers managed to create a very vast issue with their equipment, making it not efficient to be present. There was also the case that they forgot to eat their breakfast, being so early in the morning. Besides Gwendoline and Andre, there were three officers, with one being the muscular one that the Eltritch noble verbally assaulted. The later was also present, with another noble that visibly didn''t want to be here. But, after all, no one truly wanted to be here in the first place.


    Putting all of his axes in his back, Ymir tried to appear as friendly as possible. Extending his four imposing arms in the direction of the humans while looking at them with his kind red eyes, he began to speak what Meridiana created for him. The succubus was the most qualified for this job since they couldn''t let him think for himself about what he should say or not. Otherwise, they would have ended up with him telling in great detail how he would kill all of them if they betrayed him. Literally tell them that, without any nuances. And with a very precise way of how their limbs would be torn apart and slowly digested. Not something really agreeable to the ears of humans.


    "Humans! I ..."


    "We surrender." The remaining words got stuck in his throat because Gwendoline cut his speech instantly. A bit irritated that all his efforts were rendered fruitless, it also spare him from saying this complete nonsense he had to learn. She should have said those words after he had finished, but that wasn''t enough to make him baffled.


    "Great! From now on, you are the very first city in my new Empire. I will bring peace, security, and freedom to all the races under my command." He paused, to see their reactions, but got nothing. Truth to be told, at that moment, the Ak?l was appreciating, even more, the attitude of those trolls. They had immediately accepted him, and listened to him, while right now, those humans were like statues. He did not expect cheers and such, but at least a reaction, except seeing their faces getting whiter and whiter.


    "My first order is to dismiss the garrison of Archet. Their services are no longer needed, the security will be handled by my legions of undead. Fear not, they will only act if something illegal is happening." Because the population of Archet was low after that assault of the liches, everyone will be assigned to manual labor. They could not afford idle guards when skeletons could do the job better. But that provoked immediately a wave of protests, especially from the three officers. Right after they put their hands of their swords, they saw the dangerous light of the red eyes of the demon looking at them. Shaking uncontrollably, they could only slowly remove their hands. Leaving only their Mayor to ask something that was bothering her.


    "Excuse us, Emperor ... Demon Emperor. But what is illegal in your empire?"

 122 Short story : A lucky soldier

    Removing his helmet that was akin to a second skin now, a young man struggled to escape the hole he fell into. Looking at the devasted space surrounding him, he was quick at removing all pieces of armor that could make him seemed to be a soldier. Still painstakingly crawling on the dry soil, he could only look at what previously was a lush plain with healthy green grass. The yellow dust that was tainting his fingers was a worst sight than the sand of the desert in the North.


    "Is anyone here? Hello? Someone?" With no answers and only the wind making any sound, the only survivor of this battle began to truly look at what was near him. Not even a single trace of those that ate and drank with him the night before. All the bodies had mysteriously disappeared, or should he say, magically. It was sheer luck at this point that a hole in the ground was enlarged by the powerful attacks of that demon, just enough for his body to fit in.


    Pushed down by the fallen soldier in front of him, the young man tried to not make any noises afterward. He was not really in the frontline, so if the fight already reached him, it meant that the battle was lost. With his conflicted memories, he tried to remember anything useful, but all he could think was the sudden darkness that fell. Not even the corpse that was on top of him was sparred, but the black liquid did not infiltrate the ground and the hole.


    "Oh man, what am I supposed to do now? Think, think, think." He began to walk in circles, oblivious to everything in his surroundings. Without his armor on, and with only the clothes he wore under it and his disheveled appearance, he could easily pass for a beggar. After nearly a minute, he finally stopped and looked at the city far away.


    "Archet. Uncle said that if I ever had a problem, I should stay near the ... near the ... near what? Old tree? Old Church? It was an old something. Forget it, just walk Martin, that''s what he said." Filled with determination, he followed the trail that the black army took minutes ago. The dry soil under his shoes was remembering once more about what happened before. As for whatever was next, he could only guess. Only his uncle could help him at this point, even if he didn''t understand how a tea merchant could do something about gods.


    Arriving at the open gates, he was baffled to not see anyone. Not even a single soul in sight, even when the walls and sturdy doors had no impacts on them. Even he could see that it was the city that surrendered, not that he blamed them. He was already lucky to be alive, so he could understand why they were terrified and yielded. But right after entering the city, he could see a little farther the same black monsters that killed his friends, well aligned in two rows.


    Profiting of the fact none of them were looking at him, he began to walk away, as discreetly as he could. It was almost comical to see him taking nearly an entire second just to move one leg after the other, but his efforts rewarded him since he finally left the area without being seen. Breathing, at last, he found that it wasn''t just where he was that seemed odd. There was still a lacking human presence in the path he had taken. Unfamiliar with Archet, he could only keep heading North, feeling that at a certain point, he should meet a fellow human.


    But as he walked, all he saw was partially destroyed houses, with breached doors and open basements. Even on the very street, sometimes, the wreckage was visible. In the end, he finally met a small garden, or what looked like that, with a very big tree. The green grass seemed really comfy, compared to the broken wood and stone laying around. With all the tension in his body and mind finally being released, the former soldier managed to fell asleep in a few minutes.


    When a group of dark shadows left an underground passage nearby, they could only be surprised by that sight. Not knowing why someone dressed like a refugee was sleeping in this place, especially at that time, they had mixed feelings. Only when one realized that the clothes he was wearing were the same as the regular army of Avenio did they decided to bring him away. After all, if they could learn from the probably only witness still alive what really happened, it would be great. Putting a small vial under the nose of the sleeping youngster, they made sure he would not wake up before they had left this place for good.

 123 The new Demon Emperor

    "What is illegal? How am I supposed to know all the specificities?" Of course, Ymir would have never said that loudly. Still maintaining the posture befitting of his position, and using the fact that his face was hidden behind his helmet, he could only chuckle menacingly. That was his idea, to act so terrifyingly, that they will forget the question. But that was proved naught since Gwendoline knew she had someone that was above her.


    "In the emergency state that Archet is in, we need clear instructions. Otherwise, it will only create even more panic, and make people leave Archet in a hurry." Not saying that it was currently happening, since the group of humans was also buying time for the others. By now, most should have already packed their stuff and begin to run. As for whether it was possible or that something was blocking the escape road, they couldn''t know and could only hope that it will not happen.


    Still chuckling, the red demon was making his brain work at full capacity. Faced with so many possibilities, he only noticed the insistent gaze that on skeleton had after several seconds. Not understanding it, he could see the bag hanging on the waist of the black armor. Waving his hand like he was in complete control, that specific undead began to pick from the bag a very large scroll containing all the demands and rules.


    At this sight, everyone alive was completely baffled. The Ak?l, because it was plainly obvious that he had been left out of this part when they explained what he had to do. Not that he wanted to speak for hours about fictional rules, but still, he wasn''t aware of this. And the humans, since the giant monster in front of them was clearly prepared. Picking up the really, really large scroll, Gwendoline and Andre began to study it.


    "... no one allowed in the streets after 22 hours, so an early curfew for only ..."


    "... murder, thief, robbery, ****, all the usual stuff ..."


    "... trial by a jury made of citizens picked randomly, so, not by the nobles only? Interesting ..."


    "... all of those condemned to death will be ... taken care by the undead???" Finally reaching this line, the two raised their heads and looked at Ymir. That was the only thing he knew of the entire nonsense they were spouting. Fundamentally, Kardel had explained to him that it could be translated as the food will be handled by the skeletons. After all, they liked to have fresh meat, especially something that was still living seconds before.


    But they couldn''t say that those with a death sentence will be eaten alive, so, this line was created in the most diplomatic way. The first victims will be the hardest to obtain since it meant for them to condemn a fellow human at ending up in the hands of the undead. But, from the estimation of the succubus, if it became the norm and as long as they never learned the true fates of the convicted, it would be a strong and steady flow of food.


    The part of the scroll that was already read by the Mayor was picked up by the others, and soon, the entire group was reading everything. Sometimes, one could hear some grumbling while sometimes, it was an understanding exclamation. Even if he couldn''t really understand the technical terms that they were constantly murmuring, it didn''t really matter for Ymir. All he needed now was to wait and ...


    "You giant moron! They are escaping! No ones are allowed to leave this city now that it belongs now to the EMPRESS!" The brutal mental connection was established, nearly making him kneel in pain. Fortunately, the humans were so engrossed in ready some petty words on paper that they didn''t notice it. Not wanting to even argue with Malakov and be on the receiving end of the pain, the Ak?l began to run past the group at full speed.


    Only after hearing the massive footsteps getting farther and father did someone had the guts of speaking. "Eh ... Mayor? Do you think he ..." Nodding her head, she agreed with the muscular officer. "Yes, I guess it couldn''t be avoided. As for them ... I don''t think we can move." In his hurry, Ymir had not ordered the skeletons to move with him. However, right after saying this, Gwendoline and the others saw nearly all of them moving at once and trying to catch up with the giant monster.


    Ymir did not have to think a lot to find where they were leaving Archet. After all, the entire map of the city was imprinted in his brain, thanks to Meridiana that had been in every corner of the city while maintaining her identity of an adventurer. With that in mind, the obvious place would be in the West, where they previously spent the night during the undead assault.


    His colossal appearance shocked those that were still on their doorsteps, making them go back inside and locked their door at least three times. While putting everything they had in front of it, to make sure nothing could enter. As for the bystanders located in the middle of the streets, the screams that followed the giant Ak?l, made them run in remote alleys as soon as possible.


    The rare adventurers, guards or mercenaries present dropped their weapons at that sight. Some even removed their armors and pants, while trying their best to be some random homeless humans. So, when he finally arrived in front of a gate, without even hurting anyone, not that it was hard, considering everyone immediately fleed in panic, Ymir was remotely pissed. Only then did he remembered that without the skeletons, he could not prevent someone to leave from another gate.


    Luckily for him, Malakov was not complacent while working for Leilade. He could see four undead coming his way to completely block this exit. It was probably the same everywhere in Archet, but for those that he could discern a little farther down the road, he could only let them go. After all, they probably were the most despaired of the bunch, willing to immediately run in panic at the slightest problem. All in all, not someone they will miss a lot.


    "Go back to your home!" His loud voice resonated in the air, startling, even more, the scared crowd. But facing him, they could only dejectedly look at their close friends and family, some even crying. The sound of sobbings and wails was so loud that even he had a hard time listening to his own thoughts. However, three men and a woman still stood in front of him, visibly apprehensive.


    "What?" Even after being questioned, the four humans were really not leaving, but not advancing either. Not understanding what was up with those fools, the woman suddenly shouted back. "We live outside of Archet!" Realizing what she had done, she quickly cowered behind the three men, with the latter not looking thrilled by that. "Oh!" Faced with this problem, Ymir could only think of one solution. "You can go then."


    The baffled humans had their mouths wide open, one even pinching himself in disbelief. They weakly tried to get closer to the demon, step after step. After realizing that they were not dead yet, they bypassed the skeletons, not without looking terrified. Only after reaching one could be considered a safe distance, more or less 100 meters for them, did they acted normally. By fleeing as quickly as they could.


    Seeing this, a few that were still present began to have hope of escape this soon to be hell for them. Hesitantly, they gathered as a group and tried to scam their way out. "We also live outside of Archet." Faced with a ploy that a child could see, Ymir had only one thing he could do. PIcking up one of his axe, he hacked the air in front of him a few times. Moments later, not a single soul was in sight. Signaling to close the gates that were defenseless now that every guard had escaped, he returned to meet the protege of Meridiana.


    Not seeing fresh blood on the giant monster, Gwendoline and the others could only sigh in relief. At the same time, they wondered if truly no one had been killed. After all, the armor of every one of those foes was painted red with the blood of humans, so they could miss a few drops of a new one. In the dozens of minutes Ymir used to pacify the West, they had the time to read the entire scroll, and were relatively pleased.


    Of course, they could not remove the idea of their new emperor to dismiss them entirely. The nobles and even kings often bend the law to their own profit, so why not a monster. But at the same time, the fact that he created such a complete set of rules, only to break it later, was weird. It was like making a chair, only to use the nearby rock to sit and not what you created.


    "Demon Emperor, I, as the Mayor of Archet, wholly support the regulations you have brought up. But, may I suggest something?" Hearing this, Ymir lightly waved his hand, like he was trained to. Remembering the incessant nagging of Malakov about how to act like a leader, he still didn''t fully understand it, even now. After all, what was the difference between lightly waving his hand in a certain way and doing it in another way? However, it was apparently important, and under the watch of Leilade, he had to learn.


    "You say here, in article 12, paragraph 4 of section 2 that the garrison will be composed exclusively of undead for, let me see the exact terms ... eternal impartiality. I understand the notion that undead will see all living beings the same way, but, the situation is extreme right now. Is it possible to have seasoned and experienced former guards following the undead, to prevent any bad situations?"


    The main fear that they had was that if someone was acting in an illegal way, and they had discovered the full extent of what it meant, the undead will immediately assault the guilty one. However, sometimes, people acted against the law with small infractions that could be resolved peacefully, but could they expect a skeleton to sit and chat to pacify the situation? Just this idea made a few shuddered.


    "Present a complete plan tomorrow and I will decide. In the meantime, the rules must be enforced on this very day. By the first light of dawn, everyone should be aware of what it meant to be a citizen of the Demonic Empire." Leaving them, Ymir headed to the City Hall, or more precisely, in front of the City Hall. The deep hole was barely covered and the entire plaza was still in ruins. Looking at the vast space, he could only imagine what will be the final result.


    "Wait, where am I supposed to find him tomorrow? Did he said where he was going?" Gwendoline only thought of that after the giant left them alone. Well, still surrounded by a few undead, but with their armors on, they could forget them and act like they were just statues. Also, it was good that it was very early in the morning, that way, they could work the entire day to fix this mess.


    "Look over there!" The pale noble had looked back and was shocked by what he was seeing. Soon, the living beings could witness something that was nearly unreal. A vast line of skeletons that were carrying stones, wood planks and other materials from the outside. They entered Archet without any worry and did not even react at the close presence of the humans. Following the trail with their eyes, they saw them heading to the center of the city, toward where the Demon Emperor was going.


    "Well, I guess you won''t have any problem now, Mayor."


    "Indeed, Andre. Indeed." It was obvious that whatever will be built, it will be hard to miss it. Just the sheer amount of stones was already the proof, and they could not see the end of the line. Discussing a bit more, Gwendoline began to send everyone to spread the message. Each had a different target, affiliated to their positions. As for the common people, it was Andre that suggested using the bells of the Church of Oslo.


    "I don''t think he will be particularly pleased. I mean, we just saw his Hero getting pummeled, or at least, I think it was him." With all the news and such, they only remembered now that a Hero was born. But, truthfully, none of them were particularly enjoyed by that. After all, the Hero, their supposed savior, fled at his first encounter with a Dark God. And didn''t even manage to hurt him. But they could not prevent from talking about it since a lot of eyewitnesses were alive.


    DONG DONG DONG DONG DONG


    The loud sound of the bells launched a wave of cold in the entire city. The last time it had been used was for the terrifying night some weeks ago. The memories being fresh, many imagined the worst. And they were more or less right at doing so. Seeing the pale faces surrounding her, not even one was looking at her with hope. Even the priests were almost curling up, not appeasing the fear at all.


    "Citizens of Archet, I am standing in front of you for this is a new day that begins. As you already know, an army composed of many brave men of Avenio was located near us. This morning, they were ... defeated." Strangely, no one seemed surprised. There was still a few cries here and there, but no massive reaction.


    "At one point, a light fell from the sky and touched the battlefield. We think it means that a Hero was born once more. Meaning that more and more will appear, to help the civilized nations at fighting against darkness and evil monsters." She was slightly saddened while saying this. Seeing all those children, that were looking at her with stars in their eyes, after she pronounced the word, Hero. Only to know that they will face the brutal truth of reality.


    "However, not even the Light of Oslo could oppose them. Without any other choice, we ... I surrendered to the Demon Emperor. From now on, Archet is part of his Empire." Families began to group up as a single entity, comforting themselves of what they thought was their final moments. Even at his point, no one that lived here could affirm that they won''t die tomorrow.


    "Therefore, new rules are to be implemented. By decree,all guards are removed from their positions, the garrison being replaced by the undead. According to the emergency state,the following statutes are temporarily amended. Right to assembly, suspended. Right to possess a weapon, suspended. Right to ..." The more she talked, the more she felt the hate in the stares of the crowd. But even then, she could not stop, since it would mean that someone could breach rules that they did not know. By the end of her speech, she could not say another word, otherwise, she would be publicly lynched.


    Leaving in silence, she could only see the citizens either going back or turning their sights to the church nearby. The priests gladly accepted them, even if they were also worried about the current situation. Being patted on the head, the young woman could only see the former mayor smiling at her. "They will understand it later. That was the best option." Feeling the warmth of another human, her thoughts were turned toward Meridiana, wondering where she was.

 124 A hasty trap

    "That was easy, did they really thought mere mortals could stand against us like that?" The red hair of Meridiana was floating in the air, like hypnotic flames. The powerful light of the two moons was accentuating this even more. Her skin had finally recovered the slightly purple color that was the true form of a succubus. Without needing to be someone else, both her and Davion were completely different than their former appearances, the one they used to fool the humans.


    "Too many of them escaped. This could hardly be considered a success." Like her, he had removed his helmet to feed himself on the survivors, or those that survived before that. His blue face was the last thing many eyes saw on that day. However, unlike the succubus, he was not happy by the fact that they were unharmed. The ambush that was planned against them was hardly a threat, making it weird. Maybe the fact that they dealt with it beforehand was the reason, but the orodil felt that something was off.


    "Well, if you hadn''t prevented me from chasing after them, we would have killed more of those delicious humans. It truly is a wonder that they decided to attack us in the middle of the night. In the end, they could flee in panic while we stood there, watching them. Why did you do that?"


    "Feelings."


    Brushing off the answer of Davion, she could only respect it. After all, if an orodil felt something, it probably meant mana was involved. The fact that they probably attacked the early scouts made those that prepared the trap mad. Even more when against all odds, they decided to just retreat, without even chasing the fleeing soldiers. "By now, with the fact that the sun will be visible in the sky in a few hours, Ymir should have already begun to act. We need to go."


    They were not very far from Archet but they were not supposed to come back there. Instead, they needed to take the tunnel the Ak?l and his army crossed to go toward the other side of those mountains. The offensive on Avenio could accelerate everything, and with someone having to defend the newly conquered Archet, it was too risky to expose Leilade to unnecessary risk. After all, Kardel was not really suited to fighting head-on fights, contrary to Davion and Ymir.


    After all, if she was to die, no one else could hope to survive. And from what she had extracted from that princess from Massalia, it was complete cooperation between all the human nations and the Organization. Maybe even the last Hero, that Archmage could come as well. And if with less than 900 years, Leilade had reached this point, they could not underestimate a human that had lived for more than 1000 of years. Even if he only stayed on the same planet for all those years and could only painstakingly find new ways to develop magic by himself.


    They arrived right after dawn at the same cave they used to create a fake cultist lair. The previously normal cave had been turned into a polished tunnel, with legions of skeletons guarding the entrance. They were wearing grey armors, and behind, dozens of liches could be seen. Obviously, they were weaker than some undead they had seen, but their number could compensate for that. From what they knew facing and battling adventurers, those skeletons could hold their ground against most of them.


    Hundreds of meters after entering, and after dodging the vast amount of skeletons still working at digging the walls and cleaning the tunnel, they reached a room with a very familiar inscription on the ground. Not bothering at all by its presence, Meridiana immediately stepped on it, and soon, a blue light surrounded her and made her disappear. Right before walking on it as well, Davion could only see some liches crumbling on the ground, all the mana in their bodies being siphoned by the portal.


    "Davion, can you ..." Even before he could reorganize his thoughts, the orodil had the smaller duvodiad in front of his face. Kardel was looking at him, like he wanted to use the portal, in a slightly urgent way. Because they could only step aside since it was quite a surprise, the two newcomers saw the duvodiad disappear in a flash. Turning around to look at Meridiana, he saw her raise her shoulders, as she was as clueless as him.


    Walking a few meters, they entered the central room of the base, where they could see a very bright dot appearing on the globe. It was the first time they had seen this, and could only wait for Leilade to inform them about what happened. At the same time, they noticed that the shadows surrounding the little girl were clearly bigger than before. They could no longer touch her without being in contact with the dormant evil that was inside her body.


    "A Hero had been spotted in Avenio. During the battle, Ymir had some ... unfortunate words. In reaction, those gods from above blessed one human, to a point where he was capable of forcing the Ak?l to kneel. But not enough to injure him with the armor of master Agnil. Therefore, Kardel personally proposed to hunt the unwanted guest."


    The cold lich quickly summarized the previous events, leaving the two baffled.Wasn''t the gods convinced by Leilade that they will not hunt for souls anymore? Thinking about the slight pause in the speech of Malakov, they truly wondered what nonsense the red giant managed to say to make a god use his own energy. They did not have access to the amount of information the Empress of the Underworld could obtain, but the general behavior of those godly beings was no mystery to them. But what followed was even more perturbing.


    "Did you two heard anything? Meridiana? Davion?" The small child turned her sight on them, but they had a hard time understanding the question. However, they still had to answer as the baffled succubus was beginning to do. "No, Empress. But what do you ..."


    "We did not hear a loud roar, Empress." Davion cut the succubus in her tracks, allowing the later to figure out by herself. Linking the roar with something utterly terrifying, she almost smashed her own head. She had completely forgotten about that detail. But then, she wondered about the same thing that Leilade asked.


    "There are two possibilities. The first is that those gods are considered as a part of this planet, meaning that their intervention would not make the Saksa react. From the rare records we have of the Ancients, they seemed to truly hate all the gods, even targeting the Venerable Ones at sight. Therefore, we can rule out this hypothesis unless you could believe that they had a change of heart all of a sudden."


    Nodding their head, the three others agreed on that. Many weapons they had collected from the Ancients were fueled by divine energy, meaning that gods were not only not welcomed, but even hunted. The fragments of their history they managed to gather were generally speaking badly about gods. So, for the ultimate weapon designed to protect one of their worlds to not react when such being was manipulating their energy in the vicinity was weird. Nearly impossible.


    "The second is the fact that the Saksa is completely asleep. Better not bet on its death, even millions of years could not amount to anything in front of that thing and if someone wants to make me believe a creature on this planet is capable of killing a Saksa, I would crush that fool. But if he is so asleep, that the intervention of one god is not enough to activate its protocol, we have more things at our disposal. Of course, those are last resort actions, I don''t want to be the reason why we have a Saksa killing us all."


    If Leilade could just use a single of her own spells at her disposal, no Hero could ever harm them. Entire planets were devasted when she finally had the authorization from the one above her to act as she wanted. Of course, it was also when she had the support of one of the orbs of the Ancients, meaning an almost unlimited amount of energy. But out of fear, on this planet, she could only resort to low spells, only breaching this rule once, to give a body to Malakov. Fortunately, with her own blood as a medium, it was bound to provoke fewer ripples than anything else at her disposal.


    "As long as the pressure from the gods is not too strong, there is no need to take any risk. However, for the incoming battle, I would suggest that Kardel could use his rifle, especially if another Hero is born." The suggestion of Davion had already been put in motion when Malakov reported the news of a Hero in the first place. The completely broken weapons and armors she had managed to keep after arriving on this planet had been repaired, with still some issues.


    Mainly the energy weapon that was salvageable. Because the inner mechanisms and the ammunition were completely destroyed, Agnil could only come up with a pale copy. He was maybe a master engineer, but he was definitely not knowledgeable in that area. He could probably come up with a plasma generator if he ever found the right materials, but that would need things that not even Malakov could create from sheer mana. And what was the point of creating something that provides so much energy when they couldn''t even use that energy efficiently?


    "Agnil has already restored it to a functional state. As for the firepower, he still hasn''t tested it yet. Malakov, tell him to put everything else to a stop and focus on this. I want to know if it can truly fire."


    "Yes, Empress."

 125 A caring elder

    Inside Ronta, there was a crowd rarely seen in the entire kingdom. Many merchants and peddlers came, attracted by the massive influx of soldiers heading that way.Families sometimes just took their offsprings to see how those newcomers looked like. In that regard, many young boys were attracted by the shiny armors that were blinding them with the sunlight. Of course, some couldn''t help but feel scared by this.


    After all, there wouldn''t be so many armed men and women in the surroundings if it wasn''t for something threatening. Similar to their counterpart beyond the Wild Mountains, the excuses of launching an assault against their neighbor was advanced. To the eyes of some that were in the secret, it was funny to use war to appease the common people. When the prospect of thousands of their friends and fellow citizens was less scary than the truth.


    "Grandpa, do you know why there are so many soldiers? You said that we shouldn''t have seen them again, you promised! They were scary when they entered our house." A cute little girl was walking side by side with an old man. He was not decrepit or frail but was not strong anymore. If one had to guess his age, he would be given seventy years, more or less. With his white hair disappearing slowly and letting place to a bald head, he began to mess up the hair of the little girl.


    "I know, I know, little bunny. But I also promised you that we would travel to the South one day. And here we are, it was not my fault that those brats in armors are here too!" The girl did not look convinced at all by that.Even when the old man tried to appear as kind and sincere as he could, she was clearly not fooled. "But, you said that no one could force you to walk out of home..."


    Causing her to be puzzled, the old man chuckled and looked above him. The sun was very high in the sky, and soon after, he heard the sound of an empty stomach shouting for help. Grabbing her hand, they both headed to the nearest inn. Inside, they found a huge amount of adventurers that were leisurely waiting. With so many soldiers, they had been rendered useless and were almost forced to rest.


    Bypassing a group of seven men that were laughing and drinking, his dear granddaughter almost fell because of one of them. The probable leader, a mass of flesh and muscle hit the back of the knight that was clearly too drunk. After some apologies, the duo finally reached an empty table and waited for a bit. There, the tenant of the inn, a jovial woman quickly took their orders.


    "Are you sure about what you heard? Does he no longer dislike staying outside? Is he not restrained anymore?" Barely a meter away, two adventurers were murmuring something. Even if he was old, he was not senile nor deaf. Extending his ears, he could understand most of that discussion.


    "Yes, the General Darkwater should be in charge of that offensive. That''s why so many soldiers are here."


    "But, why now? It has been ten years since that battle, that turned the general into a full-fledged noble. That''s a lot, ten years."


    "Oh, what do I know? I am just telling you what I learned."


    "Who are you talking about?" Both men were surprised by the tiny human in front of them. Without noticing it, she had slipped from his vision and had directly confronted the two adventurers. Before he could even react, one had already grabbed the girl and put her in the empty chair next to him.


    "What are you doing here? Where are your parents?" She immediately pointed at the elder, that was trying his best to not be ashamed. He swore that he would teach her a lesson tonight, for selling her old grandfather so quickly. "Sorry, sorry, we were right behind you and she disappeared in less than a second. You know, child."


    Looking at each other, the two adventurers relaxed. After all, it was only a family taking a meal. Even if the inn was mainly providing food and drinks for adventurers, it did not prevent normal citizens to enter it, once in a while. But after that, they saw that the girl was still looking at them, her stare unmoving.


    "Eh... girl?" She did not even blink, while one of the strangers was questioning her. "You did not answer my question, who are you talking about?" Faced with such a serious inquiry, from such a cute little face, the youngest of the two began to talk. After all, they were bored and had nothing to do, so why not amuse her for a moment.


    "The most intelligent human of this world, the defender of the North, the ..." "We can cut all the titles, do you see how much she cared?" His companion cut the crap he was spouting because the girl was clearly not understanding everything. She was barely six years old, so it made sense for the adventurers to skip directly to the interesting part.


    "Ok, fine. Where was I? Ah, yes, Lord Darkwater, or the General Darkwater. He had another nickname previously, but it would not be very respectful to say it loudly. So ..."


    "But I want to know! Bwahahaha" The now almost wailing child was looking more and more like a monster to the two fighters. Her skill at changing her emotions in less than a second was even faster than a wolf leaping on its prey. But with her guardian nearby that was only smiling, they understood it was normal.


    "Yes, yes, I will say it. Stop crying, please." They then saw her tears vanishing in the blink of an eye and her mouth turning into a smile. Wiping the sweat on his forehead, the youngster began to regret inviting this demon.


    "He was previously known as the General Rat. Because unlike other generals or even officers, he was not battling with honor. Anything was allowed, as long as he could achieve victory. That''s also why the emblem of the now noble Darkwater is a rat."


    The girl then turned to face her parent, visibly puzzled by something. "But, is it not ..." "Chut, don''t cut them like that. Keep listening." The old man patted her head and also turned it to face the adventurers. With his audience listening once more, the adventurer could only continue.


    "As for his most brilliant battle, the battle of Darkwater that gave him his noble name, it was the most ingenious trap that has ever been created. This ..." "I think you have talked enough, it''s my turn." The older adventurer was getting more and more impatient and actually wanted to enjoy the attention of the little child. She was literally drinking the words of his companion, and it was not often that they could be looked upon like that.


    "To put the entire thing in context, the northern frontier had been pacified by the General Rat. With that peace, no one expected that terrible news to happen. He was found dead!" Using his hands to have the maximum impact, he almost made the girl fell backward. Fortunately, her grandfather was here to catch her. But to his surprise, instead of being impressed, she was only laughing.


    "What are you laughing?"


    "Because he is not dead, otherwise, he wouldn''t be here." Looking at the old man nearby while saying this, she was completely certain of what she was saying. Pondering a bit, it actually made sense in the current days. But at the moment, it was truly unexpected news, so the speaker didn''t really focus on that. "You are right, but no one knew it at that time. So, with the main threat being gone, the Synnada Empire prepared to invade Massalia. But they were extremely prudent."


    Drinking a bit before continuing, he could see that even some of those nearby was listening to his story. Feeling a bit more confident, he began to narrate even more. "The decades before, every officer from the empire were defeated by the hand of Lord Darkwater. Because they feared it was another trap, they waited a day, a week, even after the funerals, they still waited."


    "But when they saw the devasted mood of his only son, they could only accept that their nemesis had died like that. Two months after, a vast army marched toward the frontier, ready to spill the blood of our brave soldiers. The only thing was, there is a small issue in the North."


    Using the utensils on the table, he put two glasses together, separated by a knife. "A large river is between our two nations. Only a few locations can be used to bypass it. No bridges were built because of the war. And when there is a tempest, no one would be brave enough to try his luck."


    "But, to their surprise, the river was relatively calm when they arrived. Because it was a matter of speed, they used the cover of the night to progress and enter the Kingdom of Massalia. The drenched soldiers of the empire were completely wet, so much that it created ponds on the ground."


    At those words, the old man began to laugh, followed by the other listeners. Leaving only the little girl wondering why it was so funny. Seeing that she was not understanding the joke, the adventurer told her the reason.


    "You see, it was not water on the ground. But oil. And it was not because the river was calm, it was because multiple barrages had been built kilometers away. The enemy scouts never noticed them, but that night, one arrow managed to force the entire enemy army to retreat. Either they were burned or they would be swallowed by the large wave that followed. That''s what gave him the name of Darkwater."


    "Well said!" The giant that apologized before raised his glass, many others followed. Some even applauded the storyteller, with the little girl being the most enthusiastic. "More, more! What happened next?" However, after she said that, the mood suddenly turned sour. Even when the old man near her was no longer smiling or laughing.


    "Something foreseeable, but terribly unjust. Years later, the only son of Lord Darkwater was assassinated with his wife, leaving only his baby child behind. Maddened by that loss, the General started an offensive, using every trick and mad plan he had. The result was so devastating that the Empire was forced to negotiate. They would never harm his last relative alive, but he would only defend the kingdom from now on. The contract was signed, with a guarantee from the Black Gauntlet. For whatever reasons, they managed to gain so much gold from his fake death that they owed him a debt. If his granddaughter were to die, the entire imperial family will follow."


    Such a shocking deal did not surprise anyone since every citizen of Massalia knew about it. As long as the General Rat lived, and even years after his death, the Empire of Synnade would not dare to even touch the ground of their country. But the tragic fate the general suffered after all he did to protect them was a black mark for the inhabitants of Massalia.


    "I don''t understand."


    "That''s fine, you will understand later." The elder was looking with sadness at his granddaughter. Messing again with her hair, he saw her infuriated face, making him smile once more. But the child was apparently not finished.


    "But, why did they made my grandpa come here then? Since he can only defend Massalia?" Her words shocked a bit those around to hear them. Looking at the two, they could not understand the logic behind them. "But, your grandfather is not ..." Even before that adventurer could finish what he wanted to say, four knights of the 1st Legion entered the inn. Advancing without caring about anyone, they bowed in front of the old man and transmitted their message.


    Turning his head to the little girl near him, he could only shake his head. "Little bunny, I am afraid we won''t be able to eat here after all. Come." Obediently, the girl and the elder left, accompanied by the four knights. Leaving behind only dumbfounded adventurers and the tenant that was still not realizing what just happened. Causing the two plates she had to drop on the ground, awakening everyone.

 126 Part 1

    The moment the old man finally left the inn, three strangers that were previously joking and chatting with others suddenly stopped everything and left as well. They were joined by two others that were in the vicinity of the inn. Nothing in their outfits nor their equipment could link them all together, so much that even the most cautious observers could only guess and not conclude. After all, if the most famous General of Massalia could truly walk in the streets without anyone following and protecting him, it would be shameful for the very king of this nation.


    But, if someone was capable of learning who those five humans were, he would be extremely shocked. Not by the fact that even without looking at each other or sending hand messages, they were capable of communicating. And even less by their capacity to easily merge with the crowd, not appearing to tail the old noble at all. But by the fact that they belonged to the Organization, and the fact that the safety of the protector of the North was maintained by criminals and outlaws.


    Looking at the nice looking couple that bypassed him, Lord Darkwater, of his real name Remy Rattle, smiled at the clueless knights around him. Even if they seemed to be in a hurry, they were on high alert, making the common people baffled by their presence. But not even once did they noticed the shadows tracing them. Looking with a bit more attention at their uniform, he noticed the emblem of the Sword Saint. "Maybe I should teach them a trick or two ..."


    "What is it, grandpa?" His voice was so soft that only the little girl nearby heard it. Pinching her cheeks, he finally picked her up afterward, noticing the impatient stares of the knights. "Nothing little bunny. But like I told you, youngsters trying to make me move. And what do I hate the most?"


    "To walk outside!" She nearly shouted that sentence, grinning happily. Their house was quite big, but besides the servants and tall adults, she had not a single friend of her age. So, each time she wanted to go outside, she had to solve one puzzle from her grandfather. And recently, he had been making them incredibly difficult, proving that he truly didn''t want to left his comfy home.


    "That''s right, that''s right." Hearing the strange discussion between the two, the leader of the knights could only look helplessly at the speed of the old man. At this point, he was willing to bet that even the oldest cow could move faster than this, or maybe the fastest turtle. But knowing the identity of the one he was bringing in, he had no choice but to suffer in silence. After ten minutes like that, and without any incident, the group stopped, blocked by a line of soldiers.


    An entire area of houses had been requisitioned for this, making it off limits for all the civilians nearby. The security was extremely important, and at the same time, numerous armies each controlled their own locations. The yellow emblems of the Synnada Empire were already visible when they arrived inside the perimeter. Next to them, some elven bows could be seen stored inside some crates.


    If the real armies were not yet here, each nation had already sent some emissaries to ease the process. No one wanted to find out there was a lack of food or arrows only the day before the assault. With that in mind, the cooperation between the nations was... tensed, to say the least. Each faction had their own allies and enemies, making some discussion particularly heated. And the presence of some special individuals would not reduce them at all.


    Like right now, if before, the three officers of the Synnada Empire were talking peacefully with someone from the Massalia Kingdom, their stares turned hateful in a blink of an eye. Spotting the very man responsible for the most terrible defeat in the history of their country, their hands instinctively reached their sabers. Only the same reaction from the knights prevented them from rushing at the old man to cut him in half.


    "SO SCARY!" The little girl was in shock, suffering from the intense pressure from those officers. She was, after all, only a child, and because of this and her remark, the tension was slightly reduced. While the men from the desert were still pondering whether they should die trying to kill the target of their hate, someone put his massive hands on their shoulders. Feeling the inescapable grip, they could only turn to see an unrefined brute looking at them.


    "SWO ... SWORD SAINT! We ... eh ... farewell!" They did not dwindle any longer, knowing that they couldn''t kill Lord Darkwater anymore. If before, it would be a sacrifice, it now became a suicide. The old man couldn''t be harmed when the first swordsman of the kingdom was present. Looking at the fleeing officers, the later was not even smiling. After all, they were supposed to be allies in the end.


    "Hey brat, you brought what I asked?" His ears were slightly shivering when he heard that. As for the knights nearby, they all looked the sky, wondering if the clouds were always so beautiful during the day. The number of people that could call Idhrenil Gwendhir a brat could be held on one hand. Maybe even two fingers only, namely the two old generals. Looking at the pair of old and young foxes that were smiling widely, he reluctantly gave the old man the bag he was holding.


    "Great, great. Thanks a lot for this, now, little bunny, did I ever told you about ..." He triumphantly brought the small bottle that was inside the bag up." ... THIS!" On the other hand, the little girl that was visibly expecting something else looked a bit disappointed. After all, it was just a bottle filled with something pink in it, she could not make any sense of that.


    "A bottle?" Shaking his head, Remi Darkwater looked sad. "Remember the last summer when you were desperately trying to make me buy one of those, only to find out they were tasteless?" Hearing this, the little human did not even wait for the end of that sentence to grab it. Her eyes were looking at it like it was a treasure. The massive and respected Sword Saint was looking weirdly at that spectacle, while the knights were still wondering what was happening.


    "Just don''t ... ah, too late." She had already eaten a good third of that bottle, and then, her expression of pure bliss froze. Holding her head, she was beginning to cry, only to feel a massive hand on her forehead. Feeling the sensation of pain getting away, she looked at the bearman in front of her. Smiling, she quickly thanked him before swallowing the rest of the bottle. Leading to the man once again negating the pain.


    "Thank you, mister!" Her angelic voice still brought a smile on his face, but what followed did not. "Thank you brat!" The strange couple then proceeded to walk toward their destination, without even batting an eye at the baffled expressions of those surrounding them. At this point, only the leader of the knights still had the guts to ask what they all wanted to know. "Sir, what was in that bottle was ..."


    "An ice cream. A delicious ice cream. Strawberries flavored." His grave and somber voice was a drastic contrast with what he was saying. Sensing that he would not escape punishment if he was to ask any other question, the group of soldiers followed their leader and quickly reported the success of their mission. Elsewhere, but not near the Sword Saint. As for the fact that the later was sent to do an errand, this memory was buried as deep as it should be.


    After bringing his most precious possession home, he left her with a group of children a bit older. The five of them were all students at the Academy of Magic, far far away from Ronta. They all had special identities, except one with red hair. Daughter of the Sword Saint, grandchildren and child of Magus. If they were to be kidnapped before the battle, it would be a complete disaster. As for whether the one he called little bunny would have fun, he was certain she will. After all, it was not often that she could bother real apprentice magicians. Since he wouldn''t miss such an occasion, she won''t either.


    To the group that was tasked to keep him safe all the time, the changes in the General Darkwater were obvious. The kind and joking old man, that often had a smile on his face was no longer present when the little girl was gone. The traits on his face hardened, the malice in his eyes was snapped out. The more he walked, the more those passing by couldn''t help but bow when seeing him. Even those from the desert respected him in that way, even if it was buried deeply beyond shame and anger.


    When he finally reached the vast manor that was guarded by three lines of soldiers, his very appearance made all discussions stop. The Sword Saint that was nearby could only sigh, remembering the jovial appearance from minutes ago. No one present here could ignore what happened to the most cunning general of mankind. Thinking about his own daughter, Istuienn, and what almost killed her, he could only understand slightly Lord Darkwater.


    "Is there any news from past the Wild Mountains?" Arthar Rodil shook his head. He was in charge of monitoring the orbs of communication. A few days ago, General Darkwater asked to change the path of general Avirus, from Avenio. It was only late that the officers from the Republic told them that he would stop at Archet. When he heard this, Remi Darkwater did not waste a single second before ordering it to make a big detour and avoid that city.


    Some were a bit surprised by that reaction and tried to promote the decision by saying it was the fastest path from the North-West of Avenio. If they did not stop at Archet, they would be delayed by a few days, because of the absence of roads or the increase of distance. But the one in charge acted like he was completely deaf. As such, those coming from the Republic were beginning to complain a bit. But before anyone could say anything else, a female magician stumbled on the entrance, nearly knocking down Remi Darkwater.


    "AVEN ... ouch." Patting her dress to remove the dust on it, she saw everyone looking at her, especially the very old man near her. Feeling a bit shy, she looked at Arthar Rodil, that nodded. "We finally have something from Avenio. One good and one bad news." Looking then at the general near her, she waited, to see which one she should tell first. "Bad."


    "Yes, the general Avirus had been defeated. His entire army had been slaughtered by the giant demon. Archet ... Archet has surrendered and belongs to them now. Also, the general is still missing." Not a single sound could be heard after her report. Even the ruckus outside, made by hundreds of men and women working together was nearly inaudible. Not a lot were capable of maintaining their facades after hearing this, but soon, they realized something else.


    "You knew that will happen." Ferrod Minalcar Teldil, Second Prince of Massalia, was the quickest to get the idea. At those words, the General Darkwater still kept his impassive face. For him, he had already predicted every possible scenario, every possible outcome. The first one would be to target their reinforcements, and they had communicated beforehand about that. Only to realize too late that the nobles and merchants from Avenio did not take his advice at his worth.


    "I would have done the same. But the reputation of the Butcher of the North was not unfounded. Gwendhir." "Understood." Without any other words, the Sword Saint began to leave the room to reach the room where the orb was present. They could not trust a magician to understand everything that could be said about war. And in this incoming conflict, everything was critical for them. A second later, the bearman was followed by a few officers bringing what to write.


    "And the rest? Why you said the general went missing when his army was destroyed?" Taking a huge breath, the female mage was still unsure if she will be believed. She had to repeat her questions three times when she first heard it. "The general Avirus seemed to have been blessed by a God. They said that ... that a new Hero was born!" This time, not even the old fox that was Lord Darkwater managed to contain his surprise. But unlike the others that were all rejoicing and smiling, he couldn''t help but shudder, thinking about dark possibilities that suddenly appeared. If them, humans, elves, and others could receive the help of a God, why their enemies couldn''t?

 126 Remi Darkwater

    The moment the old man finally left the inn, three strangers that were previously joking and chatting with others suddenly stopped everything and left as well. They were joined by two others that were in the vicinity of the inn. Nothing in their outfits nor their equipment could link them all together, so much that even the most cautious observers could only guess and not conclude. After all, if the most famous General of Massalia could truly walk in the streets without anyone following and protecting him, it would be shameful for the very king of this nation.


    But, if someone was capable of learning who those five humans were, he would be extremely shocked. Not by the fact that even without looking at each other or sending hand messages, they were capable of communicating. And even less by their capacity to easily merge with the crowd, not appearing to tail the old noble at all. But by the fact that they belonged to the Organization, and the fact that the safety of the protector of the North was maintained by criminals and outlaws.


    Looking at the nice looking couple that bypassed him, Lord Darkwater, of his real name Remy Rattle, smiled at the clueless knights around him. Even if they seemed to be in a hurry, they were on high alert, making the common people baffled by their presence. But not even once did they noticed the shadows tracing them. Looking with a bit more attention at their uniform, he noticed the emblem of the Sword Saint. "Maybe I should teach them a trick or two ..."


    "What is it, grandpa?" His voice was so soft that only the little girl nearby heard it. Pinching her cheeks, he finally picked her up afterward, noticing the impatient stares of the knights. "Nothing little bunny. But like I told you, youngsters trying to make me move. And what do I hate the most?"


    "To walk outside!" She nearly shouted that sentence, grinning happily. Their house was quite big, but besides the servants and tall adults, she had not a single friend of her age. So, each time she wanted to go outside, she had to solve one puzzle from her grandfather. And recently, he had been making them incredibly difficult, proving that he truly didn''t want to left his comfy home.


    "That''s right, that''s right." Hearing the strange discussion between the two, the leader of the knights could only look helplessly at the speed of the old man. At this point, he was willing to bet that even the oldest cow could move faster than this, or maybe the fastest turtle. But knowing the identity of the one he was bringing in, he had no choice but to suffer in silence. After ten minutes like that, and without any incident, the group stopped, blocked by a line of soldiers.


    An entire area of houses had been requisitioned for this, making it off limits for all the civilians nearby. The security was extremely important, and at the same time, numerous armies each controlled their own locations. The yellow emblems of the Synnada Empire were already visible when they arrived inside the perimeter. Next to them, some elven bows could be seen stored inside some crates.


    If the real armies were not yet here, each nation had already sent some emissaries to ease the process. No one wanted to find out there was a lack of food or arrows only the day before the assault. With that in mind, the cooperation between the nations was... tensed, to say the least. Each faction had their own allies and enemies, making some discussion particularly heated. And the presence of some special individuals would not reduce them at all.


    Like right now, if before, the three officers of the Synnada Empire were talking peacefully with someone from the Massalia Kingdom, their stares turned hateful in a blink of an eye. Spotting the very man responsible for the most terrible defeat in the history of their country, their hands instinctively reached their sabers. Only the same reaction from the knights prevented them from rushing at the old man to cut him in half.


    "SO SCARY!" The little girl was in shock, suffering from the intense pressure from those officers. She was, after all, only a child, and because of this and her remark, the tension was slightly reduced. While the men from the desert were still pondering whether they should die trying to kill the target of their hate, someone put his massive hands on their shoulders. Feeling the inescapable grip, they could only turn to see an unrefined brute looking at them.


    "SWO ... SWORD SAINT! We ... eh ... farewell!" They did not dwindle any longer, knowing that they couldn''t kill Lord Darkwater anymore. If before, it would be a sacrifice, it now became a suicide. The old man couldn''t be harmed when the first swordsman of the kingdom was present. Looking at the fleeing officers, the later was not even smiling. After all, they were supposed to be allies in the end.


    "Hey brat, you brought what I asked?" His ears were slightly shivering when he heard that. As for the knights nearby, they all looked the sky, wondering if the clouds were always so beautiful during the day. The number of people that could call Idhrenil Gwendhir a brat could be held on one hand. Maybe even two fingers only, namely the two old generals. Looking at the pair of old and young foxes that were smiling widely, he reluctantly gave the old man the bag he was holding.


    "Great, great. Thanks a lot for this, now, little bunny, did I ever told you about ..." He triumphantly brought the small bottle that was inside the bag up." ... THIS!" On the other hand, the little girl that was visibly expecting something else looked a bit disappointed. After all, it was just a bottle filled with something pink in it, she could not make any sense of that.


    "A bottle?" Shaking his head, Remi Darkwater looked sad. "Remember the last summer when you were desperately trying to make me buy one of those, only to find out they were tasteless?" Hearing this, the little human did not even wait for the end of that sentence to grab it. Her eyes were looking at it like it was a treasure. The massive and respected Sword Saint was looking weirdly at that spectacle, while the knights were still wondering what was happening.


    "Just don''t ... ah, too late." She had already eaten a good third of that bottle, and then, her expression of pure bliss froze. Holding her head, she was beginning to cry, only to feel a massive hand on her forehead. Feeling the sensation of pain getting away, she looked at the bearman in front of her. Smiling, she quickly thanked him before swallowing the rest of the bottle. Leading to the man once again negating the pain.


    "Thank you, mister!" Her angelic voice still brought a smile on his face, but what followed did not. "Thank you brat!" The strange couple then proceeded to walk toward their destination, without even batting an eye at the baffled expressions of those surrounding them. At this point, only the leader of the knights still had the guts to ask what they all wanted to know. "Sir, what was in that bottle was ..."


    "An ice cream. A delicious ice cream. Strawberries flavored." His grave and somber voice was a drastic contrast with what he was saying. Sensing that he would not escape punishment if he was to ask any other question, the group of soldiers followed their leader and quickly reported the success of their mission. Elsewhere, but not near the Sword Saint. As for the fact that the later was sent to do an errand, this memory was buried as deep as it should be.


    After bringing his most precious possession home, he left her with a group of children a bit older. The five of them were all students at the Academy of Magic, far far away from Ronta. They all had special identities, except one with red hair. Daughter of the Sword Saint, grandchildren and child of Magus. If they were to be kidnapped before the battle, it would be a complete disaster. As for whether the one he called little bunny would have fun, he was certain she will. After all, it was not often that she could bother real apprentice magicians. Since he wouldn''t miss such an occasion, she won''t either.


    To the group that was tasked to keep him safe all the time, the changes in the General Darkwater were obvious. The kind and joking old man, that often had a smile on his face was no longer present when the little girl was gone. The traits on his face hardened, the malice in his eyes was snapped out. The more he walked, the more those passing by couldn''t help but bow when seeing him. Even those from the desert respected him in that way, even if it was buried deeply beyond shame and anger.


    When he finally reached the vast manor that was guarded by three lines of soldiers, his very appearance made all discussions stop. The Sword Saint that was nearby could only sigh, remembering the jovial appearance from minutes ago. No one present here could ignore what happened to the most cunning general of mankind. Thinking about his own daughter, Istuienn, and what almost killed her, he could only understand slightly Lord Darkwater.


    "Is there any news from past the Wild Mountains?" Arthar Rodil shook his head. He was in charge of monitoring the orbs of communication. A few days ago, General Darkwater asked to change the path of general Avirus, from Avenio. It was only late that the officers from the Republic told them that he would stop at Archet. When he heard this, Remi Darkwater did not waste a single second before ordering it to make a big detour and avoid that city.


    Some were a bit surprised by that reaction and tried to promote the decision by saying it was the fastest path from the North-West of Avenio. If they did not stop at Archet, they would be delayed by a few days, because of the absence of roads or the increase of distance. But the one in charge acted like he was completely deaf. As such, those coming from the Republic were beginning to complain a bit. But before anyone could say anything else, a female magician stumbled on the entrance, nearly knocking down Remi Darkwater.


    "AVEN ... ouch." Patting her dress to remove the dust on it, she saw everyone looking at her, especially the very old man near her. Feeling a bit shy, she looked at Arthar Rodil, that nodded. "We finally have something from Avenio. One good and one bad news." Looking then at the general near her, she waited, to see which one she should tell first. "Bad."


    "Yes, the general Avirus had been defeated. His entire army had been slaughtered by the giant demon. Archet ... Archet has surrendered and belongs to them now. Also, the general is still missing." Not a single sound could be heard after her report. Even the ruckus outside, made by hundreds of men and women working together was nearly inaudible. Not a lot were capable of maintaining their facades after hearing this, but soon, they realized something else.


    "You knew that will happen." Ferrod Minalcar Teldil, Second Prince of Massalia, was the quickest to get the idea. At those words, the General Darkwater still kept his impassive face. For him, he had already predicted every possible scenario, every possible outcome. The first one would be to target their reinforcements, and they had communicated beforehand about that. Only to realize too late that the nobles and merchants from Avenio did not take his advice at his worth.


    "I would have done the same. But the reputation of the Butcher of the North was not unfounded. Gwendhir." "Understood." Without any other words, the Sword Saint began to leave the room to reach the room where the orb was present. They could not trust a magician to understand everything that could be said about war. And in this incoming conflict, everything was critical for them. A second later, the bearman was followed by a few officers bringing what to write.


    "And the rest? Why you said the general went missing when his army was destroyed?" Taking a huge breath, the female mage was still unsure if she will be believed. She had to repeat her questions three times when she first heard it. "The general Avirus seemed to have been blessed by a God. They said that ... that a new Hero was born!" This time, not even the old fox that was Lord Darkwater managed to contain his surprise. But unlike the others that were all rejoicing and smiling, he couldn''t help but shudder, thinking about dark possibilities that suddenly appeared. If them, humans, elves, and others could receive the help of a God, why their enemies couldn''t?

 127 An unfair hun

    High above them, the ones that were the main topic amongst the humans were not freed of the same worries. Not at all impassive and objective godly beings, they were almost all surrounding one that had his energy rapidly leaking. Previously the second before the largest god in size, Oslo was now in the middle of the group. But unlike when they were mocking Aria for being so weak and without having any chances of capturing souls, they were worried. Greatly worried.


    "Are you sure that monster said that? Did you not imagine it and overreacted? After all, you talked to them, they even said they would stop." One of the smaller god and the same that first proposed the idea of leaving this planet was voicing his concerns. They were shared by many here, by at least half of the twelve beings that were still swallowing souls as they spoke.


    "Do you take me for a fool? I would rather still have a nation believing in me and losing some of my energy than ending up like Aria." Hearing her name in the empty space, the concerned party couldn''t help but express her disdain. "You bunch of cowards! I was the one that said they were a threat and you did not listen to me. Like you didn''t one thousand of years ago. But this time, I won''t be the one that will lose. Look at me, I am soulless."


    Looking at the extremely dim light that was produced by the goddess, they couldn''t help but agree. They had pressured her those past years, to the point of only letting her have what she needed to survive. Meaning that if they wanted to fight back, they could only use their own energy. "Enough, no need to argue once more. Oslo, can you tell us why I feel your energy is still declining?"


    The massive behemoth that secured his position as the first god was a bit afraid by that sight. Last time, they all contributed and that was barely enough to fight back those Dark Gods. In fact, their memories were all extremely fresh about that dark period, and what were the results. But now, maybe he would have to bless two beings to balance the fact that Aria was too weak. However, if he did that, he would potentially loose his standing, something he was extremely afraid off. One blessing was a massive expenditure of energy, but in the case of Oslo, it seemed it was not over yet.


    "Because he is being hunted! The one that is capable of shapeshifting. He is after my Hero, I just need to ... NO! I lost that monster. If he dies right now, you can all blame yourselves. We already failed to cooperate last time, and see what happened. Hundreds of years wasted just to wait for them to breed enough new souls." Even if the situation was not as dire as in the Kingdom of Pankow, the losses in the other human nations and even beyond them were still important. And if they all wanted for everyone to die to collect their meal, it did not mean they were dumb enough to kill everyone.


    "Where is he right now, if there is a potential candidate nearby, I will bless him." A quite large god proposed his help. The others inwardly rejoiced for a brief instant, before remembering that they will have to act as well some days. Thinking about this, some began to scout the planet, searching for future Heroes. The act of giving divine energy was not as mindless as it could be. First of all, the bearer of the blessing should already be an expert in a domain. They did not have to choose the number one swordsman or such, but they would never choose a newbie. Only someone with great potential could be worthy.


    At the same time, it was a relatively risky move for them. It was absolutely not as simple as just pouring their energy in their target. They had to refine it in the process, to model it to bring the Hero to its maximum capacity. Normally, it should be done in a slow process, taking a minute at least. But the quicker it was done, the more chances that something could go wrong, injuring them in the process. Right now, Oslo was at the brink of an injury, but at the same time, couldn''t stop to give more energy to the human he chose. Only when he could close the connection cleanly would he be able to avoid any further problem.


    If a human was injured, he would lose some blood and heal. If any living races suffered the same thing, they would also close their wounds, thanks to something created by them or naturally. But that was because they had a huge amount of blood to lose and could survive a bit while losing some. For an undead with a core, the slightest injury on the said core would lead to its death. It could take years and years, but the mana would leak permanently, weakening it in the process. Something similar could describe the injury of a god.


    Even if it was hard to see, because they were being made of pure energy, but there was a very slim membrane all around their bodies. This was the last safeguard they had, to prevent them from collapsing. If that was even slightly pierced, they would need an extremely important amount of energy to fix it. They could also live with a hole in their body. But that would mean they had to permanently take care of not leaking energy. The moment they stopped focusing on that, for example, to search some souls to eat, the inevitable will happen.


    In that regard, an injury was quite deadly, since only two or three gods had enough to heal themselves at the moment. And that would only leave them to the state of Aria, not something they truly wanted. "He is in that chain of mountains, the one with many monsters. There is nothing around here." The dejected voice of Oslo resonated before it was interrupted by someone.


    "And the trolls, there are trolls, no? The one that I blessed was killed in the vicinity." The one that talked was the smallest one of the group if one did not count Aria. With that new hope, Oslo searched everywhere, making his body smaller and smaller. But, after finding the empty and destroyed encampment of the trolls, he was facing once more the harsh reality. Not wanting to talk anymore, he only focused on helping his Hero.


    "Go South right now! Your only hope is to reach that tunnel that was under the mountains. There should be some humans nearby, right?" Hearing the worried voice in his head, Avirus was still running at full speed. Shortly after he escaped his encounter with the giant demon, he found out he could communicate with a god. By chance, it was Oslo, but before he could even talk, the latter informed him of a terrible threat.


    Without even seeing it, he was told to run, like he never did. To his shock, his speed was so important that even himself was baffled. But shortly after, he felt extremely hungry. "That''s normal. The same thing happened previously. But that was that or dying in the hand of those liars." Not focusing on the last word, the human agreed with the god. He was extremely grateful since he knew his end wouldn''t have been pretty. However, none of them noticed the white spark in the sky, that was moving so fast and so high it was hard to distinguish. After all, not even the gods were truly omniscient.


    Kardel was still thinking while watching the Hero under him. He was a bit surprised by the speed of the human, meaning that a lot of forms were rendered useless. If he could not catch up to him, what would be the point of being able to kill the Hero? At the same time, he had to be something that could harm Ymir. After all, from what he was told, that human could punch with his bare hands the armors that the skeletons were wearing. And that was not just some low-quality iron made by an idiot blacksmith, but something forged under the supervision of Master Agnil.


    Because of this, he waited several seconds, still pondering about his options. Counting the time to transform in his operation, he could only settle for the best of the worst possibilities. Looking at the straight forward way the human was running, he bypassed him and began to transform. His little winds and beautiful white feathers took a far more hideous look. The flesh on his body was getting harder and harder, like an armor. Instead of scales, chitin was slowly appearing. His legs were getting longer and longer while being multiplied.


    A green color spread on his body, before turning red, yellow, brown, blue and green again. He was only slightly taller than Meridiana by now, but his arsenal was far deadlier than the succubus. His body was composed of two different parts, the lower one with 6 legs while the upper one that was raised had four arms finished by deadly claws. Retracting a bit his torso and neck, the insect-like Kardel was beginning to fade in the environment.


    After walking as fast as he could without breaking the illusion of being invisible, he noticed the fact that the Hero dodged him. The large footsteps created by the human were so obvious that a child could have seen them, not even talking about an expert like him Even with the superb camouflage innate to that type of insect, he could not avoid the detection of a God. "Let''s see who is faster now, me or you!" That did not disappoint the duvodiad, quite the contrary. Thrilled by the hunt, his entire body was at the horizontal.


    With this posture, his multiples legs worked at full speed, far more than when he was previously trying to hide his presence. His eyes with multiple faces could clearly see the traces left on the ground. The only drawback of this form was the complete lack of being able to smell. But this was not an issue that often arose. Like that, an insect taller than a human and a Hero were stuck in a pursuit. But unfortunately for one of them, it was a bit too late. Slowing down while taking the color of the tree nearby, Kardel could only see, the massive troop next to his prey.


    By sheer luck, part of the army that was supposed to reach the Troll Gate was right on the path of the Hero. The thousands of men could probably not injure the duvodiad, but the issue was with the Hero. Without knowing exactly his strength, he could not risk his life for anything. Feeling a bit vexed to let him go like that, he did not forget to give him a surprise. Extending his body to its maximum, nearly his real size, he raised his head way up toward the sky. Activating the glands that were located right under his head, a powerful acid rushed through his maw.


    "JUMP!" The panicked voice of Oslo warned Avirus at the last second. Without even thinking, the general rushed forward, throwing the soldiers on his way to the ground. Turning around after hearing the shrieks of pain and agony, he saw some men covered by a green liquid. Their faces were melting in front of his very eyes, and not even their armors could do a single thing to protect them. Not even a second passed before everything in contact with that acid was gone, and much of what was nearby melted. Looking at where the projectile should have been thrown, all he could see was a patch of trees.As for the culprit, he was already gone.

 128 A careful approach

    TICK TONK TOK TLUNCK


    The sounds of metal against stone was easily heard from a great distance. Surrounding the ten or so men that were panting while visibly scared, many men and women in robes were watching carefully the giant gate nearby. Not a single soul dared to get close to it, and even the excavation ground was a few hundred meters away. Thanks to the reports of the adventurers, they could guess the general direction of the ominous tomb in front of them. And therefore, planned accordingly.


    But, even then, no one was truly enjoying the fact that they were close to those demons. Very, very close. Whether it was the magicians and magus or the miners,they tried to act as silently as they could. All feared the moment when the statues will begin to move and come forward. They were not alone, actually, just that the army was a bit behind. The day before, they had finally heard the news of the General Avirus being defeated, making them even more panicked. But they couldn''t do as they wished since they had orders.


    Looking at the notes nearly incomprehensible, Sarah handed them to the magus near her, Artour. That was the advice of his twin, Arthar Rodil, and it was at that moment she understood why the latter had so many assistants. Because he couldn''t write correctly at all. After a minute where they both read it a few times, they could finally decrypt what was written on it. But when they looked at the gate, they wondered if they were truly understanding the situation in Ronta.


    "Do we really need to do that now? Can''t we wait a day or even their arrival?" The jovial botanist was no longer smiling anymore, and many wrinkles could be seen on his face. After all, the two brothers were very old, and in recent months, they had been put under a lot of pressure. Even now, he could not help but worry about his two grandchildren, that were supposed to be safe and secure.


    "No, Lord Darkwater will not arrive before two three, and the full army before a week. And from what we understood of that paper, the two statues in front of us needs to be destroyed and analyzed before his arrival." Sarah Meridil was not pleased by that. Especially since she was one of the two living beings that saw the Dark God with the shape of a little girl. Looking around, at her peers from other nations, she couldn''t help but be disappointed. None seemed to be able to match the power of that demon.


    "Pull the workers out. Who knows if those ghosts won''t be able to pass through the stone and attack them directly." The old magus nodded at those words and approached the officer that was nearby. Seeing the face of the soldier getting completely white in a matter of second, she could only shake her head. But soon, a troop of hundreds of veterans stood in formation and began to walk. Not in a straight path at all, but made a circle clearly avoiding the entrance of the tomb.


    It could have been a funny sight if it was not such a necessity. From afar, they could see the workers jumping out of the hole the moment the officer spoke to them and immediately seeking shelter in the middle of the squadron. It took a dozen of minutes, but they could see the relieved face of the strong miners, with some even thanking the gods to be out. No one thought it was overreacting, showing how pessimistic everyone in the vicinity was.


    "Magus Meridil, magus Aradil." A handsome, but visibly worried magus approached the duo, accompanied with a few others magicians. Even as he spoke, he couldn''t help but sneak a peek at the impressive gate. Nowhere was found the previous arrogance he had in the desert. "Magus Khala" The two mages from Massalia returned the greeting to their peer of the Synnada Empire.


    "Is it really time? Right now?" He was not thrilled at all by the perspective of bothering those living under the mountains, not happy at all. But from the moment he arrived, a few days ago, he had not seen the now deep hole above the tomb being empty. Even in the middle of the night, workers and soldiers were digging a way to enter the tomb without breaching the front door. After all, if something wanted to exit the tomb, it had to face thirty full-fledged magus and magicians, with the less experienced being of the 4th Circle.


    It was apparent by now that even as large and lengthy the gate was, it was only one entrance after all. The coalition could not be overwhelmed by huge numbers of undead, but likewise, could not use all their troops at the same time. In that regard, Lord Darkwater wanted to open another path, from above. And during the process, if something came out to attack them, the important number of mages will take care of that.


    After the initial report of the defeat of Avirus that was only describing the outcome for Archet, the White Hand provided a very detailled description of what really happened. A little more than 100 undead, all wearing an armor sturdier than the very swords of the soldiers from Avenio decimated the humans. But past that point, it did make mention that no mages were present in that battle. After all, the latter could travel far more quickly than the important troop of soldiers, visible by the fact that even near Sarah Meridil, a few could be seen.


    Because of that, it was uncertain if the result could have been avoided if someone of the 4th Circle or above was present. After all, each magus was an army by itself. Furthermore, the new Hero Avirus had also said the same thing, albeit in other words. However, after the escape he made, he was so tired and hungry that they haven''t heard anything else yet from him. Looking at the sky above, Sarah counted that it was already three days since they received the news, and with the delay, the Hero had probably slept two entire days. Otherwise, Arthar would have spoken about it.


    "Magus Meridil?" The voice of the man from the desert broke her thoughts, and she realized that they were still looking at her. Staring at the gate, she nodded, making them visibly scared. "Lord Darkwater wants those two statues and what is hiding inside to be destroyed by the end of the day." She didn''t even have to turn to hear the massive sighs of relief behind her. At first, they had imagined something far worst, but if it was only that, it would be fine. They hoped.


    Soon, the numerous siege weapons that were already deployed began to turn slowly to aim at the two stone monuments. The unworldly creature displayed and its weapon were still as menacing as the first day they put their eyes on them, maybe even more. However, because the targets were very small, if we could talk about a nearly 5 meters tall statue that way, only some balistas were truly concerned.


    The deadly projectiles that were patiently waiting in the complex mechanism were ready in a matter of seconds, but it was the mind of those that will unleash them that was worrisome. The already dead zone where no living being was present was slightly enlarged, with the magicians retreating to a safer distance. A wall of soldiers advanced in front of the balistas, letting only the tip of it visible from afar. Fluctuations of mana could be felt all around, as everyone was getting ready.


    "Wait a bit, you, yes you, you fire first." Sarah approached the closest soldier and only ordered him to fire. Shaking his head left and right while approaching his hand to the lever actioning the siege weapon, he hesitated a bit. But sensing everyone looking at him, he rashly put his hand on it and pulled right away.


    By a stroke of luck or not, the beautiful arc in the empty land ended up right in the middle of one eye of the right statue. Because it was only stone in the end, albeit a cursed one that would frighten even the bravest warrior, it goes without saying that it had a massive impact. But, contrarily to what some could have expected, seeing the huge chunks of rock falling while leaving a deformed head brought no joy to those seeing it.


    They waited like that for a long time. One second, then another one, all looking at the statue far away. But when half of a minute passed without anything happening, Sarah pointed at another ballista. "You, go ahead! Aim at the same spot!" Still breathing heavily, the three soldiers around the destructive weapons began to turn it slightly, to aim correctly. A few seconds later, metal cut the left arm of the stone creature.


    "You, again!" "Again!" "Again!" Slowly but surely, the once gigantic body was destroyed, leaving only one leg and the chest standing. The mighty axe had fallen to the ground, in a resonating ruckus that made some of the cowards jump in fright. But while some had a hard time distinguishing something from the distance, it was not the problem of the magus.


    They could not say it loudly or even describe it, but they felt something unreal about it. Like, something was slightly disturbing the space surrounding the stone monument. "Again!" As she ordered another time to fire, what they were waiting for finally appeared. And it was exactly what she could have read from the reports. The giant demon slowly condensed its body inside what should have been the statue. They could see it appearing from one point, the one that was pierced by the last projectile.


    Without a word, the ghost began to walk toward them, fully armored and armed. It was not the first time the humans had met a creature like that, but it was not to reassure them. From the South, beyond the fallen Kingdom of Pankow and even inside the former human kingdom, high ranked monsters in the form of a ghost could be spotted. Capable of inflicting terrifying injuries and killing people just by passing through their bodies. And at the same time, immaterial, without shape and without a way to touch them.


    "[Burning Hand]" But even something dead can be killed again. The mana that was present everywhere and in nearly everything was a wonderful thing. If swords were not capable of harming something, magic was always the solution. Joining hands with the gorgeous magus, the designated magicians began to cast spells. The soldiers surrounding them had a hard time resisting the intense power that was rampaging when they were not even the target.


    Like a dream, when the calm reigned once more, the ghost had disappeared. Not relaxing at all, whether they were from Synnada, Massalia or somewhere else, they all looked around, feeling with their affinity with the mana. But in the end, they could only agree on one thing. That the creature had disappeared. "Did we really destroyed it?" !!! was not convinced by his own words. But the reality still proved him that he was right.


    Still a bit unconvinced, the entire process was repeated in the annihilation of the second statue. Sarah made sure that it was done slowly, to gather as much information as possible. And when the place where the heart should have been if it was a human was hit once more, the ghost appeared. Followed by its quick demise at the hands of many mages. After a few minutes where they couldn''t help but search everywhere, they had to acknowledge the truth.


    "Did you got everything?" The beautiful head of the Academy of Magic of Massalia approached three silhouettes in black that were murmuring and writing. Above them, a small wood tower had been built, where they saw everything thanks to the binoculars. Hiding his small notebook inside his coat, the smallest of the three nodded.


    "Yesss, but on-one last thing. Can you tell usss how you fe-feel, scle-scle?" The vicious voice of a ratman did not even bother Sarah at this point. If at first, many frowned when seeing the observers from the Organization, no one could deny they were the best at what they were doing. Pondering a bit, she could only feel inside her disbelief. "It was easy. Too easy. I don''t know why, but I feel those we killed were just a test. To see if someone was worthy of heading deeper inside the tomb. No one could convince me that they didn''t put the weakest ghosts to guard the entrance."


    "Th-thank you. We alssso share the same thought." Bowing one last time, the talking ratman grabbed the other notebooks and rushed toward the forest. Even if it was not visible from where she stood, she knew where the foul creature was heading. An improvised stable had been built hastily to provide shelter to two hippogryphs. Without them, they wouldn''t be able to communicate with Ronta as easily. As for the orbs of communications, it was too risky to put in such a great danger. After all, the cost to built just one was at least a hundred years of intensive search to find the materials necessary.


    Looking at the sky, she saw the majestic flying monster flying upward. The task that was given to her had been accomplished quickly, all things considered. However, as she lowered her gaze, she saw the miners looking fearfully at the gate surrounded by two stone legs. Remembering that they still had something to do, she sighed. "Second team, pick up your tools. Lord Darkwater wants this hole opened as soon as possible."

 129 Met an expected resistance

    On the other side of the gate, things were far calmer and composed. Not that no one had any worries, just that none of those still alive at this point hadn''t encountered such a situation. Well, not exactly that one, in particular, they never ended up on a planet ruled by the Ancient with a sleeping Saksa and some nasty gods willing to gave up energy just to kill them. But something similar, yes. Therefore, even when they were slightly fearful of the power of those Heroes, it was just them in the end.


    "The portals to Archet had already been prepared." While everyone was frantically gathering men and weapons for the ongoing war, there was one island of peace. Well, peace may not be the correct term, but Archet was extremely calm. Nearly all the adventurers and merchants had fled at the dawn of the second day, leaving Ymir with the shell of a city. With the numerous problems related to the daily lives of his subjects, he, fortunately, had the help of Gwendoline to fix a lot of messes.


    And he made a lot of them. Not that everyone was surprised by that, an Ak?l in charge was never a good idea if it was not a fight. But he was still the biggest bait they had at their disposal, and the most resilient. With his new castle built and the restless guards that were the undead, no one could spot the hidden room with a portal in the basement. As such, even if something unexpected happened, they would be able to easily retreat.


    "Was that necessary to let the ghosts die in such a way?" Meridiana was still looking at the small screen reflecting the situation outside of their base. Another group of humans was marching fearfully toward the deep hole that was nearby. in truth, it was just sheer curiosity that made her ask that question since she knew they wouldn''t last very long anyway.


    "Yes, as such, the others still residing in the statues will die in the exact same way. Only after having their hearts pierced, of course." While saying this, the lich began to laugh evilly, soon joined by the chuckles of the duvodiad nearby. If someone wanted to find the weak spot of an Ak?l, aiming for that place would amount to nothing. In fact, even hitting the head would only turn the giant monster into something more terrifying. But the humans won''t know about that before it was too late.


    "Ymir will thank you for that later, Malakov. When they will desperately try to destroy his heart, only to realize the useless thing they have done. But, concerning the rest, will we truly abandon this base?" For the moment, only four of them were in the room. The absence of Leilade did not really scare them, even if they had no idea where she went. But because of that, they could only predict things or retain their secrets.


    "If the might of the Heroes is too important and the gods are willing to waste all their energy, so be it. That was her words. Also, if the other thing is awakened, none of you wants to stay here." That was something they all agreed. Even from where they were, they could hear the faint rumble of the last skeletons heading toward their positions. Those last days, both Kardel and Davion had watched every corner, every corridor, to see how they could be utilized at their maximum potential. They even prepared something that was called crazy by Meridiana.


    "And the trolls?" The orodil took the parole for the first time since he came back an hour earlier. At those words, they all looked at the lich, wanting to know. Not that they cared, but they still had done a lot of things for them. It would be a shame to all be for nothing. " Right now they are ... late. Once more. A second."


    The body of the lich stood still for a brief moment, before returning to its past condition. "Those braindead savages only listen to the giant and the troll girl. Yes, don''t repeat that to the Empress, otherwise, she would blame us." As for who the term troll girl referred to, it was not hard to get it. Maybe those trolls found it funny, but the four inside the room knew that it was closer to a death sentence than a joke.


    "From what stupid hole in their brains did they came up with that?" At this point, even the duvodiad was impressed by their wish to die a slow and painful death. Sensing that the discussion was heading to a dangerous direction for all of them, Davion focused everyone on the main topic. "What did they said Malakov?"


    "Nothing they will be able to repeat in the future. Not that they can talk anymore, I made them all sleep and have to take some skeletons just to transport them. Coupled with the seeds and the cattle, it will take days before they reached Archet. But truthfully, I had totally forgotten about them after I told them to follow the lich when they were ready to go."


    BZZZZZZZZZ


    One of the screens Meridiana was looking at was getting blurrier as the seconds passed until it finally disappeared. Seeing this, the rest quickly gathered around her, to observe what was happening. Time and time again, they saw the numerous magicians trying to aim at something invisible that was around them. The spirits created by Malakov were extremely well hidden, even in plain sight it was invisible to the human eye. "Did you see what they used to target them?"


    "No, I just know that they are extremely bad at aiming. Or that thing is not accurate." The succubus was looking everywhere, to see what was the thing they were using. But the more she looked, the more it seemed they were, in fact, betting on their luck. Of the four spirits, only one had been touched. The others were completely fine, not even scratched.


    "Look at that side, they are throwing fireballs at nothing. Malakov, can you confirm that nothing is in that area?" Looking at the screen Meridiana was pointing at, the lich pensively scratched his bony head. But even after searching all the connections he had with his summons, he couldn''t find anything. "Nothing. But how did they knew that we were observing them? I mean, they clearly can''t feel anything, otherwise, they would have shot down the others."


    The only one that came up with an answer was Kardel. "Blind luck. I mean, it worked, even if they have no idea of it from what we can see. If I had time to spare, I would have done the same thing." As much as Malakov wanted the duvodiad to be wrong, he could not find anything destroying his hypothesis. The magicians were really acting like headless chickens, firing spells after spells at an empty area.


    But the more they looked, the more they saw them getting braver and braver, even sometimes hitting the outskirts of the entrance. That was visibly angering the lich near them, and at the same time, Davion was worried they would become too bold if nothing was happening. In the absence of Leilade, they had no certainty of winning if numerous Heroes appeared all of a sudden. "Malakov, unleash half of the other ghosts, right now." Four eyes and two empty sockets looked at him like he was crazy. But without their commander, Davion would be the most experienced leader among them.


    "Fine, but with or without victims?" The question was answered decisively without any regret. "With. You can start by those digging that hole." The white teeth of the lich moved in an uncanny manner before he nodded. "Finally." After this, they could all appreciate the spectacle that will happen shortly. Those that were currently digging were quite fortunate since they could hear a very faint "Third team, your turn."


    Following this, they could see dozens of humans exchanging their places, with some falling to their knees and thanking the gods for surviving while the others were praying while walking. The armored soldiers and the magicians around them did not notice the fact that several ghosts were patiently waiting for a prey to get closer. And after the first pickaxe touched the ground, a ghostly axe appeared from under it and cut the miner in half.


    He was not the only, in a matter of second, terror took place in the heart of the humans, immobilizing their bodies. The ethereal souls were able to freely leave the ground and kill everyone on their path, met with little to no resistance at first. But soon, the magicians regained their composure and threw spells after spells. If one ghost was destroyed in the process, this time, Malakov was personally controlling them. The moment he felt the mana surrounding one of his summon getting manipulated, he immediately made him go underground.


    The cat and mouse between the humans and the spirits ended not even ten seconds after the first death. The sound of horn resonated in the air, and the remaining humans that were still near the hole began to flee. If some mages tried to do the same, they quickly met a sword in the back in the process. Multiple groups of mages tried to help their peers, but for each ghost Malakov lost, he could take two to three humans with it. Satisfied with the results, since he still had a few in reserve, their enemy began to retreat farther away than before.


    "That''s more like it." Kardel was a bit excited by the gruesome scenes he had watched, even if it was the doing of the lich near him. But for now, he knew that with the presence of the gods watching them, he could not act as he normally did. And as much as he had fun with Davion, devising traps and deadly pitfalls, it was nothing compared to killing preys with his own hand. "So now we do what? We rest for the remaining days?"


    Meridiana raised her hand at this notion since she truly had no purpose in the current situation. She regretted at this point that she was here and not replacing Ymir, where at least she could have played a bit with humans. In a measured way, of course. It was followed by Davion that simply nodded his head after he came with the conclusion that he had done everything he could in the last weeks.


    "Go ahead, I will wake you up when the real army will arrive. Or if the Empress orders it." Waving his hand, the Envoy of Leilade kept reinforcing his undead army and scouting the enemy while the rest was leaving the room. However, contrary to his composed facade of an undead, he still checked once in a while if his connection with Leilade was not cut. The only thing he knew was the fact that the Viscount clearly disapproved her action, that he judged reckless.

 130 A pitiful helper

    Everywhere she could put her eyes on, all she could see was snow and ice. The previously well-maintained encampment with sturdy barricades created to resist monster was now in ruin. Funnily enough, a horde of wolves had decided to make this place their new home, following the massive mayhem that followed after the arrival of Ymir. Not that she cared about them, as not even their corpses could be seen. Gazing at the massive ice wall that was in front of her, she began to slowly melt it.


    (Are you sure you want to do this now, Outlander? Even with the high probability that you are right, they had failed already and are all dead. If their bodies had anything useful, the races of this planet would have taken them immediately, like with that black gauntlet.)


    As hard as the Viscount tried to convince her that it was a mistake, he was not in charge of her body. At least, when she was here and awake. But the more she learned about this world, the more she felt that something was not right. Especially concerning those Dark Gods. And because that was the only place she could search for the moment, she wanted to be sure before facing any Hero. So, in the mist that was created, she entered the cave full of mana crystals.


    It was just what she saw when she sent those skeletons in the dark tunnel. The entire place was filled to the brink with mana, so much that it could have probably blinded Davion. Not literally, after all, what was the point of being that sensitive, the Ancient wouldn''t have created that race to be weak like that. But the orodil would have still felt disturbed. Contrarily to her.


    Taking her time, she made sure to not miss a single crystal. The dark tentacles that were leaking from her skin began to grow longer and thicker, with more and more appearing outside of her body. With that sudden influx, she finally managed to stabilize once and for all the Vault of Souls inside her own spirit. Taking a moment to see if any threat was incoming, she let the Viscount took control of her body for a few minutes.


    "Empress, you saved us all! Not that I didn''t believe in you, but now, I feel the same way as before." The armored dwarf was smiling like he had won the lottery. The numerous holes in the shelter that he could call home were finally fixed, and his soul was no longer deteriorating as the days passed. With him to accompany her in her journey, she checked one more time the condition of all the other residents.


    If before, they were sleeping because they were badly injured, now it was slightly different. After all, the more they moved, talked and acted, the more Leilade would have to use mana to provide the energy they spent. And because none could truly bring a significant advantage in the incoming battle, she forced them to stay in the artificial coma they were in. As much as she looked at the massive werewolf in front of her, and wanted to have a delicious and efficient meal, she could only do that later.


    Finally reaching the last place she wanted to see, Agnil suddenly stopped in his track. Looking at him, she could see he was suddenly shivering, visibly scared of something. "I-I-Is he awake? I-I don''t feel so good, Empress." Because she was the owner of this place, since it was in her own soul, she did not feel anything. But judging from the reaction of the ghostly dwarf, she will have to deal with that troublesome fellow.


    "You can go back now." "Thank you, Empress." The short dwarf used his strong legs to bugger off as soon as he finished his sentence. Even if his race was not known to be fast, the speed he reached was truly impressive. Opening a door so big that even Ymir would appear small if he was close to it, the tiny girl entered the place.


    Rumble rumble


    In the obscurity, she could only notice movement, of something massive hiding in the shadows. Nearly raising her eyes to the fake sky above in exasperation, she lightened the room. "ROOOOOOAR! WHO DARES ENTER MY DOMAIN!" The giant dragon was standing on his two legs, dominating Leilade with his height. As for his behavior, that was why she hated this guest. Except for that mad dragon, who would use their own power just to act dramatically? After all, she was the one that will pay the price at the end.


    "Drogoth, are you really asking the question or not?" Seeing the frail child that was not even the size of one of his toe, the massive creature agilely moved to put his face on her side. His giant eye was looking at her so closely that she could have almost touched it. Opening his maw full of sharp teeth in a smile, he did not seem that he truly respected Leilade. "Yes, tiny human. Also, I order you to call me by my full name. The Demon Emperor Dro ..."


    "STOP!" Raising her hand, she began to feel a headache. In reality, even if she had only a few beings above her, this dragon was part of them. He was killed recently while battling a Saksa. Not a 1 on 1 duel, of course, otherwise he would have been slaughtered in a few seconds. But he did reduce the casualties from millions to million. As the monster created by the Ancient, he had been destroyed when he self-destructed itself. From their guesses, the last order the Saksas received was to not let a single trace of their existence if they were to be killed.


    "We are no longer in the Demonic Empire." " ... estructor of Worlds, God Eater, Slayer of Sak... WHAT!" He had completely disregarded Leilade when she told him to shut up since he was superior to her. But in the end, he was still shocked when he told her that. Trying to remember the last thing that happened, he was leisurely idling in his lair when the entire Vault violently shook. And after that, a huge blank in his memories. Realizing that, the head of the dragon faced directly the small girl.


    "How many days did I slept?" Counting for a few seconds, Leilade raised her head. "More or less three months." "THREE MONTHS!" The majestic posture that Drogoth had previously was nowhere to be seen. He was almost running in a circle, murmuring things like "Unacceptable" "How dare they!" before remembering the important part of what he heard. But the more he looked at the immensely bored face of Leilade, the less he wanted to ask.


    Knowing what was in the mind of the proud dragon, she could only try to reduce as much as possible her interaction with him. "Tha Lanfos managed to activate The End of the Ancients, we end up on this planet, also created by the Ancients with a sleeping Saksa. And right now, gods are trying to mess up with us." The visage of the massive creature went from surprise, intense fear when he heard one name and then sheer anger.


    Finally sitting down and being in a position where Leilade didn''t need to raise her head so high that she had her neck completely bent, Drogoth was thinking. Not something that he usually was doing, but he had no choice. On the other hand, Leilade was wondering what was going on in his empty brain. Not that she intentionally smeared the intelligence of the dragon in general, but that was the harsh truth for this one. If not for his strength and resilience against almost anything, Drogoth would not have become a Demon Emperor. Before dying, his body could only be measured in hundreds of meters.


    "I ... eh, no." Raising one of his claw, he almost immediately put it down. Sensing that it could continue for a long time and since she didn''t have all the time in the world to please the soul, Leilade had to influence slightly his thoughts. "Facing those gods, only a mighty being could be able to slay them. Unfortunately, I am too weak to do that." Seeing the corner of his maw being lifted, she knew that it was done.


    "Gods, hehe. Petty and frail weaklings. For who they are taking themselves, to dare impede the Demonic Empire? The Ancients?" As he was shouting, he passed the massive door and arrived in the open space of the Vault, lifting his massive wings, the strong muscles could be seen to be used on his entire body. At the same moment, Leilade was opening a way for him to leave this place, a bit relieved. If that lazy dragon wasn''t so arrogant, it would have been a lot harder to force him to move.


    "They will see why I am called the God Eater, tiny human. MWHAHAHA!" As he was speaking, he still looked at Leilade one last time. After all, she was the one that preserved his soul during that unfortunate event. But because it was her job, he just felt that she was good at it, no gratitude or anything alike.


    VOOM VOOM VOOM VOKRAP


    Barely after flying upward, the dragon felt no strength in his body, and suddenly, he plummeted toward the ground. Crashing down, he could not see the two fingers that Leilade was using to massage her eyelids. Truthfully, she had not expected that situation to happen. First of all, the fact that he was awake when she arrived proved that he had recovered, but she had no way of knowing how much. And contrary to Master Agnil that immediately begged to be saved, her most honorable guest would never do such a thing.


    "Hmpf, a minor setback. I will take care of those weaklings another day. You can go now, tiny human." Still acting proudly, the powerless dragon immediately closed the door behind him afterward. Looking at the place where he will rest, the little girl was trying to see if she could provide him enough energy to get rid of that pesky fellow. But knowing very well how important the cost will be and with the incoming war, it was a bit too risky. Even with the potential outcome of getting rid of the gods.


    Finally returning to her body in the real world, she looked at the completely dark cave. Previously, it was filled with blue lights, but now, it was empty. Controlling the shadows with her thoughts, she was glad that not everything was consumed just to fix the Vault of Souls. But if Drogoth did not decide to rest by himself, the expenditure will be a lot bigger than first expected. As for her not even trying to force the dragon to do it, it was because it was completely useless. Only another Demon Emperor could force him, but she was just the rank under that.


    (As expected, our guest will cause more problem. But, I had to admit I did not expect him to not be able to even lift his wings more than three times.)


    "Agree. Even Agnil was not that weak, and he didn''t even have the best protection. But now, I will not have to use as much mana as previously just to prevent their souls to disappear. Anything while I was away?"


    (Nothing. No scream, unexpected sound or earthquake. Like previously, even if this cave was filled with mana, the monster hiding deeper does not seem to be able to come here. I will still advise you to not face the unknown by yourself, Outlander.)


    Shaking her head, she gripped a mineral that was void of mana. The frail stone broke under her grip, turned into dust. "I know you are more careful than me. But facing gods without my full power is also a risk. Now, can you tell me which is the worst choice?" The soul in her head that had accompanied her from her natal planet did not answer this, letting her gaze at the darkness. "That''s also what I think."

 131 Expectation or surprise ?

    Marching forward, a little girl was not feeling heat or cold in the dark environment. The clothes fabricated by Master Agnil were custom made after all and were not just pretty. Couple with the natural, or should some say modified, resistance of her body, it was hardly possible for her to catch a cold. Counting in her head the distance from the entrance and where she was, she felt that it will be soon that she will reach where her skeletons were destroyed.


    KROK


    Raising her foot, she saw a piece of bones under it. A bit further, more were laying on the ground, the last remnant of the undead that died. Grabbing what should probably be a finger, she inspected it but found no problem. If that was the case, the white silhouette she saw only wanted the mana necessary for the summons to be able to move. But if that was the case, it still returned to the same question. "Why doesn''t he go to that cave above filled with mana?"


    As she descended, she could see the concentration of mana gems getting lower and lower. The most probable explication was the monster monopolizing the flow, disrupting the natural appearance of those crystals. Even where she stood, the surface of the walls was as barren as the ones where her shadows absorbed everything. But shortly after thinking this, she felt the thin mana around her concentrating in one location.


    Seeing the appearance of a mana gem under her very eyes, she was not in a hurry to grab it. At this point, only one was like a drop in an ocean for her. She was far more interested to see who or what will try to take it first. Like that, she concealed herself nearby, patiently waiting for prey to come. After what she felt was an hour or so, something a bit too noisy arrived. Without even needing to see it, she could feel its presence, lurking on the ceiling of the tunnel.


    From afar, it looked like a spider hanging downward. With its completely black body, it could fool even some races capable of seeing in the dark. For some reason, she felt that she had heard about this creature.


    (Davion and Meridiana met it in the cave we used to create the tunnel linking our base to Archet. They said it was scared of them and had one massive eye in the middle of its body. But it only opened it after sensing light.)


    The Viscount quickly brought the information she wanted. Now that it was close enough to be visible, it did seemed to be what the orodil and the succubus saw. Also, the moment he arrived so close to the mana gem that the blue light touched its body, an eye was slowly opening, barely visible. Soon, Leilade could appreciate the spectacle of the monster sucking dry the mana from the stone. When it had finished eating, the gem fell on the ground and break in many pieces.


    Because of this, the eye of that creature fully opened itself, looking left and right. He turned in all directions, before stopping when he was looking where a little girl was hiding. She had barely concealed her presence, not even using a spell for that. But with her little body, the lack of light and the distance between the two, it was still hard to spot her. However, the monster seemed to have at least see something unusual.


    Now silently planting its legs on the ceiling, the one-eyed monster closed its eye. Without that clue, its body was almost invisible as it was slowly approaching Leilade. When only 30 meters separated the two, a sound came from the left tunnel. It did not take long for the approaching predator to choose to flee, letting its prey for the moment. Whatever was coming was clearly a danger for it.


    But when she saw what it was, it almost made her laugh. Even if it was extremely big, it was just a terrifying earthworm. Its skin was looking like metal, and even the sound produced between the ground and that was similar. But after thinking that, Leilade realized something else. The monster she just saw before the reports of the men from the Organization and finally this. Deformed monsters, but very close to commonly found animals.


    (If a Hero had been killed her, and also a Dark God, it is possible that they were just normal insects in the first place. But, if they entered in contact with the blood of one of the two or even both, the result could be what we are seeing. Fascinating.)


    Even if it was just a theory, it was not impossible. Even her own blood could provoke unforeseen consequences. Of course, since it will be immediately contaminated by the darkness inside her body, any living being in contact would die. But the blood of someone else, like the Ak?l Ymir, would produce with almost certainty mutation to the one absorbing it. With that in mind, the monstrous earthworm became energy for Leilade. As for the spider, it had escaped her for the time being.


    Creating some skeletons to scout every tunnel, the undead all ended up destroyed in a matter of minutes. It was not just one living being that was tainted by the power of whoever they sucked the blood, but a myriad of them. The entire underground maze was filled with annoying insects, reptiles and small mammals. All stranger than their original form. But then, two categories were quickly formed for Leilade. The dumbs and the cowards.


    Half of the mutated monsters had sufficient strength and sturdiness that they could fight head on, and that''s what they did. But opposing flesh and matter to the shadows without shape that were surrounding Leilade was just suicide. As for the more agile monsters, those that relied on their instincts to escape danger, the moment they noticed her was the moment they fled in panic. But even as she slaughtered more and more, she was having a hard time finding the two corpses.


    SKLIK


    Hearing a spider approaching with great speed, she turned her head. The creature on the ceiling made a complete stop when it finally noticed the very small human under it, and in its panic, almost hit a stalactite. But it quickly regained its spirit and escape in a nearby tunnel, dodging the threat from behind and from the front. Soon after, a pale mist appeared, spread inside the entire tunnel. "It was time."


    Creating a light, she saw it disappear soon after. Apparently, the thing in front of her did not even let off the mana of that spell. But it was enough to see something special on the nearly transparent ghost. A porcupine head, with more than three arms at least. Even now, the monster had not attacked her, proving that she was right all along. She wrote in the air a symbol, filled to the brink with mana. But unlike previously, the roaming soul did not make a move to absorb it.


    (So, it really is an Ak?l.)


    "Indeed. Who are you?" Her question was left without an answer, as the soul wasn''t moving anymore. It seemed to have been stunned by the appearance of the symbol in front of it. "The Empress of the Underworld, Leilade Octavius, order you to identify yourself!" Even after nearly shouting, the ghost was not even reacting. Left with no choice, she spread the darkness all around it, covering the tunnel with nothingness, like a black hole swallowing everything.


    Only at that moment did the soul shook his head and looked at her like he was shocked. Immediately bowing, she awaited his words. Words that did not come. Slightly perplexed, she tried to establish communication between her and the ghostly Ak?l. "HO''E! HO''E! E''PRESS! HO''E! DE''ON! HO''E!" The whirlpool of thoughts she expected was reduced to three words, repeated in a loop. Whether it was its memories or its instincts, but he had at least recognized her.


    (It had been one thousand years. If it was you, how your soul would become?)


    "Probably half of what it is. And that''s only me. For a demon like him to be able to at least form words is a miracle. Even if it seems he has lost the letter m in the process." Even if a soul had a constant supply of mana, only the strongest will could afford to suffer too much time all alone. But that was clearly not the case for the Ak?l. Using her mana once more, she carefully searched its memories, to see where its body was.


    The extremely empty space only contained a very imprecise plan of the underground, with many parts confusing. If she searched more intensively, she knew the soul would disappear. Not wanting to kill it unless it was necessary, she began to walk toward the deepest part of the maze, followed by the white mist. On her way, she could see the terrifying states that the monsters were in when they spotted the soul floating behind her.


    The moment she reached her destination, she was slightly in awe by the spectacle. A gigantic cave, filled with countless crystals everywhere. They were, however, only normal, as that was the first thing she checked. But, their varieties and their huge numbers were extremely impressive. But, after examining the bottom of those mineral formations, she noticed a lot of rusted weapons and broken armors. Like that, she ended up in front of the massive pillar in the middle of the cave. Inside it, two tall skeletons could be seen.


    The tallest that had four arms was still gripping the neck of the other with one hand, while the three other limbs were severed right at the elbow. On the ground, dozens of swords, spears, and axes could be seen near its bony feet. From what she could see, both the Hero and the demon died in a short interval. Most likely, the Ak?l decided to take at least his enemy with him in his death, strangling the troll with his last breath.


    As for the crystals surrounding them, they were formed from the corpses of all the creatures that had died in the battle. She had no idea about why, but seeing the massive pillar that was formed around the two main protagonists of that battle, it was most likely true. Turning around to look at the ghost, she saw it getting closer and closer to its former body. "''E! ''E! ''E"


    Without talking, its thoughts were all turned toward itself. She had already gained a lot from this little trip, but she was a bit reluctant at letting the ghost stay that way. "Ak?l, do you know your name?" She tried one last time, but what she heard was not encouraging. "''E! AKUL! AKUL! AKUL! ''E! HO''E! AKUL!" Extending her hand toward the white mist, a large tentacle appeared and began to swallow it all.


    However, the broken soul had no reaction to the loss of itself, still repeating the words he heard from Leilade. Even when it was on the brink of collapsing on itself, it still was not able to gain a true consciousness. Sighing at the blue dot that was even smaller than sand, she absorbed its entire memory. As she expected, there was nothing new in it. A third of it was filled with the image of Leilade and the symbol she drew. But right as she was losing hope, she saw a flash of green. It was all blurry, but it looked really small. However, it was still clearer than a lot of things.


    "What small green thing could be so important that he remembered it more than the faces of his own companions?" The rest was a mass without shape or form. Sometimes, she could see a human without a face, or other demons and monsters. But, she couldn''t tell with certitude if it was on this planet that he gained that memory or not.


    (There is nothing left. Whatever that green thing is, I can assure you that it is on this planet. In the last decades, there had been no report of something of importance similar in the Demonic Empire.)


    Nodding her head, she looked at the beautifully colored cavern one last time. "There is still one last thing I need to do." Lifting her hand, she inscribed on the pillar near her the symbol of the Demonic Empire. That hardly made a difference in her vast reserve of mana, so little that even the Viscount did not complain. "Now, let us see how much those humans stole from them."

 132 Fluctuant human nature

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 133 Battle of the Wild Mountains : Part 1

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 134 Battle of the Wild Mountains : Part 2

    TCHAK


    The string of a bow was suddenly released, throwing an arrow with great speed toward the first soldier to put a foot in the room. Thinking that he was safe behind the Hero, he noticed too late that the latter was not really focused, shocked by what he was seeing. And by the time, Avirus reacted to the sound, he could only see the meticulously crafted wood deeply inserted in the flesh of the soldier. It was an extremely clean shot, aiming directly at the thin opening between the bottom of the helmet and the chest plate.


    TCHOK TCHLAK TCHEK


    The three others that were too close to the dead man and were also walking too fast to stop nearly escaped death. Fortunately for them, Avirus was capable of stopping the arrows before they reached their targets, but that was not something he was truly happy with. "RETREAT! DON''T STEP INSIDE THIS ROOM!" The artificial cave was maybe only a hundred meters deep, but it was too vast for him to protect everyone.


    From where they were, the foreigners of this world could hear the belligerent man grumbling and cursing them. But since he did not seem to have gain powers capable of turning his words into actual threats, none of them were affected.The only thing that was impacted was, in fact, the morale of the humans, that was seeing once more their Hero come back barely a few minutes after entering the tomb. The improvised council was reunited, again, leading to the Hero being accompanied by another group.


    However, contrarily to the precedents that were composed of soldiers, Leilade could only notice their luxurious and rich robes. Not even the third room and they were already using magicians to deal with the undead of Malakov. Compared to what was beyond that, it was a bit overkill, but at the same time, it was possible to breach everything if those humans had a cautious usage of their mana. The only thing they may have forgotten is the fact that the undead should have been the last of their worries.


    "Malakov, tell Kardel that he can go to the first point. But he must not use his rifle." Looking at Leilade that nodded her head, the lich began to transmit what he heard from Davion to the duvodiad. Soon, they could see in a remote corner of the room something moving behind a very tight opening. Like the ramparts built inside the very wall that protected the skeleton archers, numerous secret hole were pierced everywhere. Most of the times, Davion had placed liches behind them, but some were reserved to Kardel, like this one.


    As for how he was capable of moving so quickly from one point to another, they were not idle those last weeks. Not a single place in the entire base was exempted of a trap, a mechanism or an undead aiming at it. Whether it was the ceiling or the very ground, it could deal with both levitating mages and strong fighters. "They are only at the 5th Circle, at best." Looking at the ten or so hooded men and women that followed Avirus, Leilade could feel their power quite easily.


    "What does it means?" They all had received the information that the little girl gained from her little holidays inside the Academy of Magic. But because that classification was prone to only focus on the best spell that could be cast and not necessarily on the number possible, it was not truly reliable. "The lowest recruit of my Death Corps wouldn''t even take him as an apprentice." While saying this, Leilade still remembered the fact that her greatest pride had been destroyed in a blink of an eye.


    Seeing the slightly angered face of their superior, neither Davion nor Meridiana asked anything else. But, if that was true, that means that if they were still inside the Demonic Empire, those magicians were not strong enough to be exempt from being eaten or sacrificed. Looking at the volley of arrows that was aiming at those humans, reality will prove what they were truly worth.


    Not surprisingly, none of the iron arrows managed to pierce the magical shields. At the same time, besides seeing them worried, the observers did not manage to sense any traces of real fear. Most likely, the mages were just apprehensive at being inside the tomb and not outside. After firing two times, the skeleton archers suddenly stopped, creating a stalemate.


    Both sides did not move for a few seconds, everyone waiting to react to what their opponent will choose to do. Feeling a small spark in the surrounding mana,lifted her hand, making the lich freeze for a brief instant. And before the old man that was casting his spell could use it, something pierced his throat. Without a sound, his aged body fell backward, his hands desperately trying to grab something while he was falling.


    Shouts of panic spread, and many tried to help their peer. A light that seemed warmth and peaceful surrounded the fallen mage, but to their horror, his skin was turning black near the hole in his neck. In less than five seconds, his eyes finally stopped moving, black blood leaking from his entire corpse. Still shocked by this sudden turn of event, they forgot that they were still visible.


    THUMP


    A woman screamed while holding her chest. The wound was right next to the lungs, slightly above the heart. But instead of being a missed shot, the helpless humans realized it had destroyed the small organ that was linked to the two lungs. As she was gasping for air, the exact same fate awaited her, as the hole in her chest was darkening. "RUN AWAY!" Without waiting any longer, the panicked mages left the two corpses on the ground and dashed toward the tunnel.


    Shaking his head, Avirus wasn''t able to react to those projectiles. Turning his head toward the wall behind him, he saw two arrows entirely made of metal inserted inside it. Not daring to pick them up,he could only touch with his eyes. They were slightly bigger than the one he could commonly found in his army, but not that large. But as he looked, he did not drop his vigilance, especially after what he had seen since he first entered the tomb.


    Suddenly, he violently turned his body and raised his hand, catching something in the air. It was the same arrow that he was studying, and as he looked, he could not see anything on it. However, the voice in his head told him immediately to drop it and run away. As he was taking large steps to avoid being shot at, he could begin to see his hand reacting weirdly. Thanks to the power of Oslo, he was nonetheless capable of resisting whatever evil was spread of those projectiles.


    "Truly bold to catch an arrow thrown by a duvodiad. But it''s a shame those gods are willing to help to that extent." Even Leilade herself had no idea what kind of poison was on those things, but she was sure it would be quite deadly. There had been so many deadly and strange creatures send to those duvodiads that it was almost impossible to find a cure against them. After all, only a race rivaling the Demonic Empire in terms of size and number of planets controlled could have known about so many monsters.


    They were all watching the Hero walking toward the exit of the underground base, more specifically his hand. If it was nowhere near the terrifying state that the two mages'' bodies were in, it was not looking good either. His skin was beginning to peel, continuously, removing all the layers and exposing the flesh and muscles behind it. It did not spread further than the elbow, but the result was still visible from far away.


    "Now, they will only have one choice, enter by the hole. And if that fails, they could only pray the gods to have more Heroes." The calm and cold voice of Davion made them turned their sights from the Hero to the almost finished hole. It was almost fifty meters deep and was right above one tunnel. If most of the base had been covered under many spells to hide the layout to the humans, some parts were too far away to be protected. Allowing the enemy magicians to detect those underground passages.


    BRRLRLRLRLRLRLR


    One magician used a spell to destroy the last meters separating them from the tunnel under their feet. The hole had been dug methodically, with the opening spread on nearly one thousand meters square. Like a whirlpool, a small slope could allow three men to walk side by side and descend. Gazing at the dark place right next to them, one soldier dropped a torch, lightening the stone ground. Sensing nothing, the mage near him raised his hand and called the warriors carrying ladders. Four were deployed, at a distance where no one could bother someone descending at the same time.


    As the first began to use those ladders, Malakov snapped its bony fingers. The previously small opening suddenly crumbled and grew bigger, destroying the stable footing many were on. As for those using the ladders, they only fell down from a few meters and suffered mild bruises. As such, nearly thirty men ended up in the tunnel, some trapped under the rocks that surrounded them. The magus that was also present had just the time to levitate before following the soldiers to the ground.


    However, instead of being just five meters above the floor of the tunnel, the closest point was now at least the double. And nothing could assure them that this incident won''t happen again. Fortunately, they were prepared for the worst, and in a matter of minutes, bigger ladders were coming to save the trapped humans. But for the latter, those short minutes, alone, in the dark, only seeing what the sun rays could touch felt like an eternity.


    "Nothing else?" Leilade looked at Davion and Malakov, wondering why those soldiers were not killed. After all, it was obvious the hole had a problem only after the lich made a move. But she had expected something after that, like skeletons attacking them and such. "No, every undead are already placed at strategic locations where they will be far more useful. I did not have a single one to spare at harming whoever would fall there."


    Hearing the excuse of the orodil, she turned her sight toward the lich that seemed a bit flustered. "Empress, you know very well that this body was just a replacement. Until true Demonic Energy is created and I can recover my true form, I have some issues concerning the amount of undead I can create. And with the very high requirements of Ymir and the fact that I had created the strongest skeleton warrior at my disposal, I may be short in mana right now."


    If Kardel had been present, he would have never missed such an opportunity to complain about Malakov. However, what the lich was seeing was in reality really important, and even dire. "What do you mean by short in mana?" Looking at the shadows that were silently creeping toward him, Malakov had at least the benefit of being undead and having a facial paralysis. Otherwise, his face wouldn''t have been pretty to see at this moment.


    "Without counting the undead helping Ymir, those carrying the trolls and all the spirits used to scout the enemy. 356 normal liches, 3 high-rank ones, the fake dragon, and 5903 skeleton warriors. But, there are dozens of traps capable of slaying an Ak?l so there is nothing to worry. Also, everything you asked had been prepared." He began to chuckle stressfully at his last words, before stopping right away after seeing the face of Leilade. To be blunt, she only cared whether her orders were executed, not how it was done.


    Since she finally knew why Davion was right when he said that he had no skeleton to spare, she began to compare what they had with what the humans had. But, even if for once, the undead had lower numbers than their enemies, it was still a different situation. Those iron skeleton warriors she could see were nothing like those she ordered Malakov to create to attack Archet. And she was no stranger to the concept of quality and quantity. If it had been a fight in a plain, her army would have been swarmed by the hundreds of thousands of soldiers, but in such a tight space, it could be fine.


    (Creating more undead now would be wasteful, Malakov needs to have some mana to spare in case of an emergency. And even after it will happen, we can''t exclude they won''t try it again.)


    "I know this, especially since what I asked is extremely costly in mana. Just that I was surprised by such a low number of undead." Talking in her mind, she retracted her gaze from the lich and looked once more at the screens. Finally breathing, if an undead could do that, Malakov did not try to apologize any further. Only actions and results could appease the little girl, something he will gladly obtain.

 135 Battle of the Wild Mountains : Part 3

    Forced to enter the tomb by the only way available to them, the humans could only overwhelm the undead with sheer numbers. Even knowing fully that the entire room was just an open trap to kill as many living beings as possible, they had no alternative, now that the hole they prepared could no longer allow many soldiers to take it. As for the more elite troop sat their disposal, they wouldn''t sacrifice them and used them as just scout.


    The hundreds of skeletons, both fighting in close combat and firing arrows from the walls were able to easily hold their ground, with the absence of the Hero. With Kardel preventing any magus to even show his face, they had no way to deal with heavily covered archers that seemed to have an infinite supply of ammunition. Seeing the numbers of soldiers halved before even reaching the first line of undead, the humans could only wreck their brains to find a solution.


    What they ended up with was not really satisfying, but still managed to work. Betting on the fact that the hidden threat that managed to kill their peers and injured Avirus would not personally act seeing normal archers, they took some of their best men to fight bows with bows. But, to not be at a disadvantage, the magus that were fearfully staying behind the entrance casted a magic shield big enough to cover the human bowmen.


    Even as they breathed in relief, realizing none of them were getting shot it, they couldn''t help but realize it was awfully inefficient. While they could shot the skeleton archers, most arrows were blocked by the stone ramparts dug in the very wall. After that, even if an arrow could destroy a rib or two, the undead was perfectly fine, still firing projectile after projectile into the tender flesh of the humans under him.


    And as the number of skeleton archers was dwindling so slowly, the undead warriors were not idling either. Their visibly durable iron armors prevented them to be destroyed by mere archers. Only a magician or someone fighting them close could put their bones to rest. But, after the initial clash between the two armies, it was obvious which one had the superiority. Both by their nature and their equipment crafted by Master Agnil, the undead could slaughter the humans easily.


    The very ground began to form red ponds here and there, as the piles of corpses were beginning to appear. Some of the youngest fighters couldn''t help but feel disgusted while marching on the bodies of their former comrades. The weakest even threw up, as the air was getting saturated with fool odors. With nothing else to do, the magicians still managed to create an air flow, reducing the bad taste they had in their mouths.


    In the end, after nearly half a day of fighting, just to annihilate not even a tenth of what Leilade had at her disposal, her enemy had to pay a price reaching the tens of thousands of casualties. But to her surprise, instead of feeling dejected, the humans were cheering and smiling widely. None of those surrounding her managed to understand the impact of the defeat of Avirus. For those that survived the fight, it was like the gods had also blessed them.


    Even after containing the information as much as they wanted, rumors had still appeared in the army. How only one hundred skeletons had managed to kill more than 50 000 strong and solid men in a matter of hours. So, to destroy more than thrice this number, it proved that the Dark Gods were not as terrifying as they imagined. After all, with the recent events, numerous bards and singers told once more the Age of Darkness to the common populace. Making everyone remember the fate of both Pankow and the original 12 Heroes.


    Past that moment of some even jumped in joy, the sad reality still was present. Hearing the sounds of their boots touching water, the humans looked down at their feet and saw the immense graveyard that room had become. Still in a daze, a few officers were quick to regain their spirits and organize a wide cleaning of the reddened ground. If they were to head deeper with that many bodies rotting on their way, it would only lead to a disaster.


    Picking up both the corpse of their comrades and the damaged equipment of the skeleton, everyone that had fought was walking back toward the surface. Only a small group still formed an iron wall directed toward the dark tunnel leading to an unknown destination. Seeing this, the magicians also participated, now freed of the threat of those deadly arrows. As for the newcomers that just arrived, they were shocked by the state of the underground battlefield. Right before the first human that was carrying something managed to put his foot outside, Leilade saw Malakov snapping his fingers.


    BOOOOOOOOOBOOOOOOOOOOBOOOOOOOOOOOOOBOOOOOOOOOOOOBOOOOOM


    Multiple massive explosions resonated, creating an earthquake with their might. The ground shook so much that many fell to their knees, looking at the terrifying spectacle in front of them. The soil was projected in the air, unleashing a rain of stones, rocks and earth on everyone in the vicinity. The heat was so important that nothing was tainted red, with the blood turning into vapor.


    The officer that was the one to report their first win could only stare at this, not believing his own eyes. The second before, he had told them how they had managed to kill the last skeleton albeit with many casualties.Only two people were not staring with their eyes wide open. The first was the disciple of the Archmage, Three while the second was Lord Darkwater. Signaling Arthar to approach, he asked the number of casualties amongst the magicians.


    In recent years, magus represented the strength of a country. With them being equal to thousands of soldiers, and the loss of a single one had a huge impact. As it also took years, dozens of years to train a proper magus, Massalia was in a precarious position after the terrible wound Leilade inflicted to the Academy of Magic. But when he heard the fact that a magus did die, Remi was not pleased, even if the death was from Synnada.


    "Think of it positively, now we know that there will be no trap on our way." His words caused those surrounding him to look at him with disbelief. "Has the old man turned senile?" were the thoughts many had. But past the shock, and as much as they hated what he said, it was still true. Nothing could have survived those explosions, not their soldiers nor the traps of the Dark Gods. Looking at the landscape that was similar to a beast whose stomach was cut open, the humans began to clear the path and remove all obstacles.


    What was previously buried under meters of stones was now quite visible, including an awfully strange place. The pedestals of all the statues had been vaporized, except one that was not really impacted. The wall behind it was in the same state, forming a globe hiding anything that was in its center. Therefore, while the passages leading to the second room were still blocked, many magicians began to ponder about that surprising discovery.


    Of course, that was only during the brief moments when the information was still traveling toward Lord Darkwater and before the latter firmly forbid every mage to get too close. Even if that was not a trap and was just something totally different, he will not lose a magus for anything. However, that strange intact part of the tomb ignited the curiosity of the magus near him. "Let me take a look." Three was maybe asking, but no one would dare prevent him from doing anything.


    Waving his hand, the old general could only hope that those disciples of the Archmage knew what they were doing. It was a funny sight to see every soldier trying to be as far as possible from that intact pedestal, but at the same time, still forced to be close because the tunnels were near it. Leading the way, the highest ranked magus of this place began to talk with his peers. However, instead of using words, they had all learned the way of their master, using only their minds to prevent anything from being found out.


    To the soldiers sneaking a peek, that made them look like madmen. Sometimes, one was gesturing in the air, explaining something with his hands, but without any words to do it. Seeing the slacking soldiers that were perplexed by what was nearby, the officers had to remind them of their priorities. This strange spectacle lasted for a dozen of minutes until the oldest magus present extended his finger and touched the wall.


    VVVVVVVVVVRM


    Slowly, the path was opened, allowing humans to peek at what was beyond. Even if the very small room was completely empty, they could feel the intense concentration of mana in it, as well as the circle inscribed on the ground. Foreign to them, Seven tried to touch it before he was stopped by Three that shook his head. Creating a small waterball, he threw it toward the circle, only to see it disappeared before making contact.


    Remembering something, Seven left the group and returned to the outside. There, it looked around a bit, visibly disappointed to not see who he was looking for. Turning his sight toward the old general that was staring at him with an odd look, he transmitted his thoughts. "I am searching for Muirn?." However, he still approached Lord Darkwater and murmured gibberish in his ear. "Amdir, we need your sister."


    "With pleasure." The face of the young man brightened at those words. If those magicians needed his sister, that would mean they could get her out of her current situation. Not even Avirus and Ferrod could oppose the Archmage, but not even once did he thought it could be dangerous. After all, if it was truly risky, they wouldn''t have specified to get Muirn?.


    Soon after, a fully armored fighter approached, following the son of the Sword Saint. A bit perplexed by the sight of such a costly armor, the magus did not make the link immediately. Only after hearing the young feminine voice leaking from this mass of metal did he realized who it was. "What can I do for you, Magus." Without answering, he only grabbed her and brought her to where the strange inscription was. Under the dumbfounded stares of many, worrying over the sanity of the disciples of the Archmage.


    "Princess Muirn?, we were hoping you could tell us more about that circle, over there." Acting as a kind elder, Three was incomparably nicer than the one that dragged her here without any explanation. But when she peeked at what was behind those magus, she regretted to not have found an excuse to not come. Even if they couldn''t see her expression behind the heavy helmet she was wearing, the sudden step back she took betrayed her feelings.


    "That was what we wanted to know, is there anything else you may add?" The circle on the ground was identical to the one she found in the bottom of the library, back when Leilade was still disguised as a human. However, even if many knew about it, only three knew its exact design. Besides Muirn?, her father and Sarah Meridil had also seen it, before the two decided to destroy it. However, it was too risky to bring any of the two her, as their deaths would be terrible for the entire army.


    "She used it to teleport herself somewhere. I don''t know where, just that by stepping on it, she was gone in a blink of an eye." After saying those words, she saw them exchanging glances, but without saying anything. However, she soon began to feel a headache, as many murmurs were reaching her mind. If it had been someone normal, he would have already been to his knees, but she had already suffered far worse. Unknowingly, the suffering living spirit managed to catch the ongoing discussion.


    "... no idea where this is going. Imagine it''s a trap."


    "Of course it''s a trap. Only, if we can use it at our advantage, don''t forget what we learned from the Archmage."


    "Too risky, even the best of us can''t create something that can teleport something further away than 100 meters and you want to modify what they made?"


    "Also, we still don''t know if they can listen to what we are saying. We should wait for his arrival."


    The more she listened, the more she understood how little she knew about the Tower of the Archmage. Besides being the last remaining Hero and surviving all those years, nothing ever leaked from what he was doing. But now, if what she heard was true, they were already capable of accomplishing miracles. But if they were that powerful, why they hadn''t noticed anything weird with her. Fighting her impulse to touch the silver necklace that ensnared her neck, she lightly coughed.


    "Yes, yes. You can return to what you were doing princess." The oldest magus dismissed her, before returning to his intense debate with his peers. it was only when she was outside that she noticed her condition. She was craving for blood, her hunger had been exacerbated by her short time spent underground. However, she knew that she could not move as she wished under the caring of her brother and the vigilance of Ferrod. Repressing her urge, she reported all she could to Lord Darkwater, without betraying what she heard them say with their minds.

 136 Battle of the Wild Mountains : Part 4

    The rest of the day and even a big part of the night were peaceful. The disciples of the Archmage tried everything they could to pierce the magic shield Malakov created, and one even injured himself after the lich played a trick. The undead momentarily allowed something to pierce through but reactivated when one magus tried to do the same. Kardel laughed at that sight, especially because of the pathetic face the human harbored after that.


    A few hours before the sun was up, the most advanced team of miners managed to finally stumble upon a room that hadn''t been destroyed. After entering it, they soon realized that it had become a maze. Dozens of tunnels were leaving from this place, most diving deeper into the ground with a few going upward. Making sure to not go where the polished stones were present, many groups of soldiers explored those tunnels.


    One came back in a hurry, signaling they had found where the hole had crumbled. The wooden ladders were still laying on the ground, in the same position they were previously in. Besides this, what they could only see were huge piles of rocks and well-maintained tunnels. Even after 30 minutes, they could only say that the Dark Gods were better at digging than them. Standing in front of the last place they hadn''t check, someone threw a torch that was quickly swallowed by the darkness as it fell.


    Looking at the light disappearing, they still heard the sound of wood hitting the ground. One more courageous than the others approached the entrance and bypass the dark wall, only to see that it was stairs. Finally knowing why the torch had made that sound, the magicians destroyed the weak magic. The fighters surrounding them could only shake their heads when they saw those usually proud mages running away as soon as their task was finished.


    Deciding to wait for the sun to be up, the rest of those that worked that night began to check every stone, wall, and ceiling, searching for a trap. They did not hesitate at even using heavy hammers, only to realize the walls were less damaged than their own weapons. The few adventurers that did not manage to escape before being requisitioned also did the same. Even if they were told to be rewarded at the end, none of them wished to be present.


    When the army stayed at Ronta, the adventurers began to quickly disappear one by one. Only know some soldiers realized that the rumors they heard were actually true, just that they were the ones that kidnapped them. After all, the adventurers were the most experienced at dealing with monsters and searching for lairs and such. But this time, no one was too scared of the Adventurer Guild behind them to not use those living beings as they wished.


    So, when Lord Darkwater woke up, he could see the depressed thief in front of him reporting everything that they had not found. Or, in other words, explained that it was not their fault for being too bad, but that there was truly nothing. Glancing at the man that was trying to find any excuses, Remi Darkwater was not doubting his words. He was just doubting the fact that nothing was prepared for them at this location.


    "Even the ceiling?"


    "Yes, nothing at all. And if something was there, I can assure you those brutes with their hammers would have activated it, killing us all. Do you have any idea ..." Glancing at one of the guards that was inside the tent, the old general used his eyes to convey his message. "... how dangerous it was? I was there yesterday, I saw what ... HEY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING! GET OFF ME! OK, I WILL WORK, EVERYTHING WAS FINE!" The shouts of panic of the thief did not draw a single look of sympathy. It was not like they will kill him for that, what was the point of screaming like a pig being slaughtered?


    Shaking his head while thinking about the thief with a too vivid imagination, the old man still asked the disciples of the Archmage to take a look before continuing examining that portal. Some minutes after the first troop was ready to descend the stairs, all he could hear from the scout was that they also had not found anything weird. Just that the room was slightly hotter than its surrounding.


    The next room was awfully similar to the one where they had lost thousands of good people. Only that, in addition to the normal skeletons, a few dozens of liches were also staring at the incoming humans. And to make things worse, the hidden threat that injured Avirus was still present, verified by the death of a careless magician. As for the magic shield that previously protected the human bowmen from the skeleton archers, it was mercilessly destroyed by the liches.


    Thinking about the situation they were in, Lord Darkwater could only reach one conclusion. "We should all pray the gods. Before we have to sacrifice everyone." Right after saying this, they could all see the most rewarded general of Massalia calmly get on his knees and pray in silence. Feeling a bit baffled by that, more and more joined him, while ordering the entire army to do the same.


    "Pray, pray even more. Do they really think it will work?" The duvodiad was mocking the pitiful action of the humans. Relying on another race to survive was never a good idea, especially when it involved beings like gods. Meridiana was also laughing a bit, agreeing with Kardel. On the other hand, Davion was even more impassive than usual, something Leilade noticed.


    "You think it will really work, don''t you?" Nodding at the words of the Empress, the orodil was far more inclined to believe the gods will finally start making their moves. The only thing he couldn''t predict would be the scope of their actions, how many Heroes will appear. They hadn''t wait for a long time before a beam of light reached the encampment.


    "Malakov, do it now!"


    "It will be my pleasure, Empress!" A black tentacle left the chest of the little girl and entered the body of the lich, violently shaking the undead from its inside. If the duvodiad and the succubus were mildly affected by what was happening, Davion couldn''t help but fell to a nearby chair. Even as he and Kardel ranted about getting more undead, Malakov had always conserved a huge amount of mana in reserve. Now, they knew why.


    It was not visible from where they stood, but from the humans outside, the beam of light they were seeing began to dim, reflected away from its initial target. At the same time, another beam appeared in the sky, only to not even being able to touch the ground before dispersing itself. This sudden disruption shocked everyone even more than the fact the crazy idea of Lord Darkwater worked. Because they realized their enemy could counter the very power of the Gods they venerated.


    Sensing the light slowly leaving his body, Idhrenil Gwendhir was left with a feeling of weakness. Putting his hand on his chest, he took a step forward, before throwing up blood. His condition was extremely severe, as many priests and magicians immediately rushed toward him. Seeing the familiar bear man falling like that, Amdir rushed to see his condition. With this, many left the tent and looked at the sky, trying to know where the light was going.


    In Ronta that was not that far away, a little mouse was patiently waiting above the door with a bucket full of water. The impressible tower she was using to be that high was shaking like crazy, but still did not fell. Hearing the footsteps of someone, she dropped what she was holding the moment she noticed something red.


    SPLOOSH


    "KABOOOOM!" The shout of victory of the little girl did not match the dejected face of the young magician. His red hair, his robe, everything was wet. In the last week, he couldn''t help but find that it was often him that was targeted by that little imp. As for what she was playing, all he could get was that the name was "SPLOOSH KABOOM!" It was extremely obvious why it was named like that, unfortunately, he was the one on the receiving end.


    "STOP RIGHT HERE! I WANT TO PLAY TOO!" Casting in his hand a small waterball, he found out that the little girl that should have been right behind the door had already disappeared. Not even a trail was visible, leaving him hanging like that, still drenched. "Got caught again?" A cute girl approached from behind, making him smile.


    But while he was doing so, he noticed that not even the corners of her mouth were lifted. Even after all those weeks, Istuienn was no longer smiling like she used to. If before, she would have found out that Ronald was tricked like that, she would have been on the floor, laughing so hard that her stomach would have hurt. But now, even her voice hardly expressed any emotion.


    "Yes, she truly is the granddaughter of Lord Darkwater. Catching by surprise her enemy, leaving no choice but to be helpless." As he was speaking like that, she could see how high was the esteem of the population for the old general. The man that protected Massalia for so many years, the most cunning man alive for some. After all, Massalia was a kingdom surrounded by enemies, making the military play a huge role in the daily lives of the citizens.


    Those sentiments were widely promoted, with often a son or even a daughter of a family enlisting themselves. Without the support of Genablum, it wouldn''t have been possible, but it was nonetheless the current reality. Thinking about those grave things, she did not react in time when a beam of light fell on her. Fearing the worst, Ronald quickly pushed her away, to protect her.


    She could see the young man tortured under the light, his nose beginning to bleed. "RONALD!" Screaming as much as she could, the rest of those living in the big manor ran at full speed. Only to see the crying Istuienn a few meters away from the red-haired boy, that was visibly in pain. However, to their surprise, the fear disappeared from his face, letting place to joy. And when the light finally faded, he managed to stay on his two feet without falling.


    Looking at his two hands, he closed and opened them a few times, before turning his sight toward the bystanders. They were still shocked by what they were seeing and having a hard time understanding what happened before their eyes. "I feel ... great." Trying to take a step forward, he found out nothing unusual. "I feel really great." Still repeating the same sentence, he began to hear a voice in his head.


    "Eh... Hello? You hear me?"

 137 Battle of the Wild Mountains : Part 5

    Whether it was those above the skies that suddenly shuddered in fear, worrying truly for their safety or those on the grounds, shivering after learning how strong their enemy was, both were equally surprised. Looking at the god that was reduced to the state that Aria was in, many retracted their vision from the planet under them, fearing that just this small contact could have unforeseen consequences.


    Only the strongest of them all still had the guts to throw a glance at the situation, seeing the panic spreading amongst their believers. But right after this, when he wanted to look one more time into the underground base nearby, he felt a cold pressure on him. From the beginning, they hadn''t been able to truly know what was going on inside the tomb, mainly because of the arrangements Leilade ordered Malakov to take.


    First of all, it was not the first time those surviving demons had to deal with godly beings, and blinding them was the easiest part. But even then, just one soul could be eaten by them, all the information inside it revealed. Therefore, a massive net had been cast above the tomb, catching everything that had died in it. Using the very souls the gods sought as a fuel, they extended it for a short time to cover the human base, cutting directly the link between the gods and their Heroes.


    Nonetheless, if it was a battle of attrition, Malakov would always end up in the losing side. Even with Leilade behind him, what he had couldn''t amount to the vast reserves of the beings above the planet. However, with the almost non-existent intel the latter had, they will never be able to learn that weakness and as such, they preferred to not engage in that duel of mana. As the gods were screaming in panic and debating what to do, the humans were no better.


    The Sword Saint of Massalia was still heavily wounded, but it was not deadly anymore. There was still some batches of lingering light, but they were quickly disappearing. The hope everyone had about the gods saving them was crushed in a way no one ever thought it could happen. It was only known that they realized why the legends talked about the Dark Gods, and used this specific term. Because who could beat a God if not another one?


    "Gentlemen, miladys, we need to strike right now! Begin the next offensive." The stoic Lord Darkwater was still looking as calm as ever, but the ones that heard his words were not sharing the same state of mind. "But, general, how? Why? We will ... we will be slaughtered, even the gods can'' ..."


    "STOP!"


    Raising his hand, the old general approached the panicked officer. From his uniform, it seemed he was from Avenio, but that wasn''t a problem. All around him, he could see many falling into despair, dark ideas growing in their minds. But who could blame them? "Do you really think they can go against the Gods without paying the price? Whatever they used, if we pressure them enough, we can get rid of it. And at that time, Heroes will appear."


    Unknowingly, what he ordered was the exact thing Malakov wanted. More souls to resupply his mana. If the humans had waited an entire week without attacking, the magic protection surrounding the base would have crumbled naturally, by lack of mana. And it would have taken at least half of a day to rebuild it since Leilade wouldn''t have wasted anything just to maintain it a few additional hours.


    "YES! DESTROY THEM ALL!" Appearing in the entrance of the tent, Avirus looked even more vigorous than before. The remnants of the godly light had all been absorbed by him, finally curing whatever poison he had in his hand. Seeing the Hero at full strength once more, the dark clouds that were beginning to obscure the minds of many were dissipated. Hearing the shouts around him, Lord Darkwater still took Arthar apart.


    "Make those disciples participate by all means necessary. We need a victory now, hopefully, one less costly than the preceding." Nodding, the magus from Massalia left pensively while the others were encircling Avirus. Almost alone in the tent, Darkwater only realized that he had not seen the prince since the lights arrived. "Amdir, have you seen Ferrod?" Only then did the young man also remembered not seeing him before Avirus arrived.


    "No, lord Darkwater. Do you want me to get him?"


    "Maybe, but not for now. He is probably preparing a message for the king."


    A few kilometers away from there, the prince they were talking about was finally reaching his destination. From what his bodyguards learned, it was a very open plain, with nothing around on hundreds of meters. No trees, no hills, just a plain. Descending from his horse, he gave it to his maid for the moment. Walking further away from those supposed to protect him, he extended his arms.


    "Mighty Gods, hear the call of one of your believers. Without you, we will fall before the Dark Gods. You have also witnessed their strength, but they can''t defy you everywhere. Here, in this place, nothing will prevent you, oh mighty Gods, to bless us." After saying this, he waited and waited, but nothing happened. Instead of getting impatient or mad, the second prince only smiled.


    "My prince, it is too exposed here, we need to go back to the camp." One of his bodyguard, a knight from the 1st Legion was not reassured to be in the open like that. After he heard the theory of his prince, he reluctantly agreed because it was better than nothing. But since it had failed, it was not good to remain here.


    "I find your lack of faith disturbing. Maybe it''s the reason why they have not answered my call. All of you, get further away." Waving his hand, the prince dismissed all the knights, leaving only his maid and the leader still trying to argue. "My prince, please. We don''t know if ..." "That''s an order." Seeing the determined face of Ferrod, the knight could only augment the distance between them.


    "And you, are you also doubting me?" Questioning the slightly tan maid, he could see her smiling back. "I will never doubt your highness. If your highness believes it will work, then it will work." Feeling happy with that, he still had his eyes turning slightly cold when he heard a specific word. "I told you, you can call me by name when we are in private. Well, I guess they may still hear it."


    At this moment, what they were both waiting for finally arrived. A column of light dropped from the sky, not obstructed by anything. Laughing as he could feel the power inside him rising, Ferrod knew he had made the smartest choice. And with this, all he had planned will finally happen. Because they were still relatively close to where the tomb was, this was seen by many scouts patrolling the surrounding.


    When he heard the news, the first reaction of Lord Darkwater was to calmly acknowledge it and focus on what was important. But for the young man behind him, it was like thunder had struck him. Maybe it wasn''t known by the old general, but the first prince had already been decided to become king after the death of the current one. If not for his calm nature and the fact he was not interested in actively looking to invade the neighboring nations, Forchon Minalcar Teldil wouldn''t have any adversaries. Especially since his wife was a princess from Genablum, assuring the long-lasting alliance between the two kingdoms.


    However, Ferrod was definitely not happy with that. In recent years, he had begun to move a lot, forming a faction preaching a more ... violent approach. Even if they were now just a minority, his new status as a Hero could dangerously change the inner politics inside Massalia. And with the fact that the second prince was at odd with Muirn? for obscure reasons, his potential crowning was something neither he nor his father wanted.


    The news of a second Hero spread quickly amongst the soldiers, with many cheering. Only the foreign officers were not happy after hearing it, especially those from the Synnada Empire. There was still no Heroes in sight for them, tilting dangerously the balance of power away from them. Even if right now, cooperation was more important, the aftermath of the way will be dreadful if any Hero survived.


    For the moment, only Leilade and her subordinates knew that in fact, another Hero had been blessed, only further away than the rest. They had no idea who it was, but Ronta had definitely been under the light from the heavens for too long to only be nothing at the end. Raising her head to look at the fissured skull floating above her, she saw a part of the jaw missing. The body of the lich was still too crude to handle spells of that power.


    "Fix yourself Malakov. We can''t exclude they won''t try another thing."


    "Yes, Empress." Gritting his teeth, the Envoy of Leilade called a few liches, turning them into dust as their power entered his body. The fissures that were spreading on his skeleton began to disappear, and even new teeth were formed. However, before he could repair the hidden injuries that were inside his marrow, he saw the Hero leading troops to attack once more.


    "If he dares to go like that, he must be sure that Kardel can''t harm him. Davion, take care of him, once and for all."


    "It will be done, Empress." Picking up his helmet, his longsword, and his shield, he left the room under the worried stare of Meridiana. The succubus was thinking about the future, where she will have to fight. Cheering internally for the duvodiad and the orodil, she hoped that they will never need her help since it would mean something went horribly wrong.


    "You know no one will escape this unscathed." The tone in the voice of Leilade made sure that it was not a question. Feeling the gaze of the little girl near her, Meridiana nodded. Leilade will only move when no one else could, that was the truth that everyone knew. They could only rely on themselves to fend off the humans, except if the threat is so big that the Empress of the Underworld needed to fight. The only reason she would do that would be the Archmage, now that Kardel couldn''t move as he wished.


    "Prepare yourself, you will be the diversion when the second Hero will arrive."


    "Yes, Empress." Letting the girl and the lich alone, she approached the portal nearby. The undead were still around it, but their numbers were just enough for one travel. Trying to remember what Davion said last night, she repeated everything in her head in the meantime. Whatever will happen afterward, she will have to find that hole and take the hidden tunnels.


    "She will try to hide as soon as possible." Malakov only commented after the silhouette of the beautiful succubus was gone. But what he said fell into the ear of a deaf, since the girl had no reaction. But he did not take it badly since it was obvious what she would do. However, because he looked like he was still thinking about Meridiana, Leilade was forced to explain everything to him.


    "She will. But she knows she can''t run away from a Hero, Kardel proved it. Therefore, she will try everything to return to the tomb and use the tunnels of the duvodiad. While doing this, she will have to fight, driving many humans away. Or she could die lamentably while trying to do that. But that would be a surprise."


    To not be as strong as Ymir or Davion was a fact, but to be as weak as dying to mere humans would be a shame for someone like Meridiana. After all, Leilade did not want any of them to die so soon, especially when it was unsure how many Heroes could suddenly appear out of nowhere. Only after everything at her disposal was used would she personally act, for it would mean she was to die at the hand of the Saksa or survive.


    (That creature still hasn''t shown any sign of life. Would it be fun for you, Outlander, so powerful, to be restrained by a mirage? Even when it is the best choice.)


    Not bothering to answer the Viscount, she still felt the same. If only she could be freed from doing everything she wanted, they wouldn''t even have this conversation nor have humans trying to kill them. But nothing could survive the grip of a Saksa, neither a soul nor a god. And even less the Hero that was valiantly charging forward in the sea of skeletons.

 138 Battle of the Wild Mountains : Part 6

    "What kind of monster is this?" Kneeling on the ground, with his right arm bleeding profusely, Avirus was looking above at the massive armor standing in front of him. Spitting the blood he had in his mouth, the Hero from Avenio quickly jumped backward, to avoid the large sword that pierced the ground where he was previously. He only regretted now to have underestimated his enemy, too focused on slaughtering the skeleton warriors.


    At first, they had managed to pierce the first line of the undead, with the disciples of the Archmage managing to block the arrows from that hidden sniper. But even he could see that they could not divert their attention to anything else while doing so, otherwise, those metallic projectiles will claim the lives of many. Therefore, facing only mere undead, he charged right into the middle of them, crushing their bones into dust. That was the moment when he heard that cold voice.


    "Hello, general Avirus."


    Nearly double his size, the armor described by the reports was calmly walking toward him, the skeletons quickly avoiding him without slowing him down. Soon, a small empty circle was formed around them, and a few soldiers used this at their advantage. Avirus did not even have the time to shout at them to not do it before their heads were flying in the air. The charging humans behind them followed the example of the undead and let the two alone.


    "What is it monster?" Still a bit perturbed by the fact that his enemy knew who he was, he unconsciously relaxed a bit. After all, if he could get some information from the armor, that would help greatly the coalition. However, the helmet blocked his sight, otherwise, he would have seen the small smile that Davion harbored when Avirus reacted as planned. Counting down the distance between the two, the orodil talked until he was just 5 meters away from his target.


    "You shouldn''t have attacked us. You could have all lived peaceful liv..."


    CLANK


    The Hero barely dodged the sword that cut in half one of the headless bodies on the ground right behind him. Feeling furious to have nearly be taken by surprise, Avirus was now fully angered. "YOU SLY BASTARD! DIE NOW!" Unfortunately, he only realized now that he was facing someone even the Sword Saint would seek to learn from. To this moment, the former general of Avenio still had not a single weapon capable of surviving more than five hits, making him fight with his bare hands most of the time.


    But now, he could only grit his teeth when his flesh hit the sturdy black shield. After a minute of fighting, he could see something red shining on the dark shield, only to realize it was his own blood. "After you faced him, we made some changes." The same cold voice spoke methodically, but for the human, it was only taunting him. He understood that the monster was talking about when he became a Hero and fought that giant.


    Not backing down, he exploded, rushing madly like a bull at the armor. But even then, he could only see a shield in front of his fists or nothing. And the sharp glint on the sword was getting closer and closer to his own body, something he did not wish to. When they were still engaged closely like that, he did not have time to think, but apparently, the unknown dark god had. "That was a shame, those magicians are already out."


    Hearing this, even the hardened general that was Avirus slightly panicked and couldn''t help but sneak a peek at where the disciples of the Archmage were. Only to find out they were perfectly fine, albeit a bit pale. Seeing this, he realized too late what was really going on, when the sword finally cut open his right arm. But that was not the end of it, with the monster not giving him any time to rest. With his new injury, Avirus began to be sloppy, sometimes receiving the tip of the shield on his chest. Leaving the circle that was formed, he knelt while seeing his soldiers stalling for time.


    "[EXPLOSION!]" For a brief second, every human that was not fighting looked at Three that was extending his hand toward Avirus. The Hero did not even think before getting away, leaving the armored monster alone amongst the corpses. A blue light blinked inside the underground room, and a projectile was thrown with great speed at Davion, who only had the time to lift his shield.


    BOOOOOOM


    The ceiling began to shook, but nearly nothing fell off. If it had been a natural cavern, everyone would have already been buried under tons of rocks. Even then, the ground that was supposed to be as resistant now had a small hole of many meters in it, with everyone surrounding the monsters being blasted off. The cries and shouts of the injured and dying human soldiers broke the daze of those watching this, especially when they realized the undead were completely unfazed by what happened.


    Approaching the crater, Avirus looked down to see the armor on one of his knees. The shield that managed to inflict damage to his skin was barely covering the hand of the creature, and a blue skin could be visible in the cracks of his helmet. If his condition was not looking good, it was still better than the one that casted the spell. The old magus was laying on the ground, without even the strength to move his head to not eat dust.


    Seven was quick to slightly turn his body to have his back on the ground, allowing easier breathing. From the looks of it, it seemed to not be the first time he did that. But that still provoked a great loss of power in the magic shield protecting the magus, and a new volley of metallic arrows arrived to prove it. If before, it was so durable that not even a fissure was made, now, the light had begun to dim and holes appeared after each hit. They only had the time to fix it before another arrow landed.


    Jumping downward, the Hero looked closely at the blue creature, approaching carefully. If the big shield was broken beyond repairs, the sharp sword also showed signs of breaking down. Focusing on this, the human began to think about focusing on it, to break it with his two fists. Because the room was like the second one, with the end controlled by the skeletons higher than the side the humans were, Avirus could still see the liches casting spells even as he was in a hole. But he could not think more about that before he heard something that immediately put him on his guard.


    "SURPRISE!" The tall dark god threw his shield on the ground, capturing the attention of the former general. But to his surprise, the monster did not get up immediately, even if they were only a few meters apart. Raising his hands to defend against anything his enemy could throw, the Hero completely forgot that the disciples of the Archmage were now busy.


    PEW


    The sound of an energy rifle was maybe foreign for the local population of this planet, but not for Davion. Without even looking at the new hole the Hero had on his chest, he rushed forward and use his sword for one last attack. Piercing directly the throat of Avirus, he could see his red blood gushing from the wound. The human was now terrified, his eyes pleading for mercy, but that was not something that would happen. The two hands that managed to destroy countless undead began to lose strength while they were gripping the sword. Putting everything on his arms, Davion finally managed to cut entirely the neck.


    Thud


    The still scared face of Avirus landed on the ground, the corners of his mouth filled with blood. His two hands that were stuck on the sword managed to definitely broke it, leaving only half of a side filled with cracks. Starring at the magus that were extremely dangerous for them, the orodil waited a few seconds, only to see them retreat safely. He did not turn to look at where Kardel was, but he guessed the duvodiad had a problem with his new weapon. Picking up the body of the fallen Hero, he scanned the battlefield to see the results.


    If none of the liches were destroyed, the losses in the ranks of the skeleton archers and warriors were more important. A third of them had been destroyed, and the ramparts in the wall were severely damaged by spells. Remembering the might of the magic that hit him, he wondered how many times it could be cast in a single day. Because he was in the hole, Davion did not know that the one that cast that spell fell directly to the ground afterward.


    As he walked back, he could see the skeletons from the other rooms coming in and carrying the corpses of the humans. They knew that the latter won''t be as foolish as doing the same thing as before, and it was now more important to let Malakov and Leilade have as much mana as they could get. Feeling the air flow carrying ashes in the small holes in his helmet, the orodil could smell that it was made out of human bodies. Even during the fight, some magicians only cared about destroying the bodies of their former comrades.


    Before going to the command room, Davion still took another way and arrived where Kardel should have been. But even before, he could see the smoke accumulated above him in the tunnel, and dark traces all around the entrance. Knocking on the wall, he caught the attention of the duvodiad that was cleaning the rifle the best he could.


    "Good kill Davion, very good kill. Even from where I was, I could see the despair that was written on the face of that human. I only wished it was me a week ago that had done it." Nearby, a lich was carrying a waterball in his hands while another one had a small flame. On the ground, many pieces of the energy rifle were organized and display clearly, allowing Kardel to take them easily.


    "And the rifle?"


    SNAP


    The lich that was carrying water approached and the duvodiad took a small part that was completely burned and put it in it. "Honestly, it''s a wonder it even fired once. Do you see this, look, do you think it is normal to look like that?" The orodil shook his head at those words, especially when he noticed that a lot of those pieces were in the same state. "Also, those ammunitions are really bad. Definitely not adapted for this model. I will stay here and try to do my best but tell Leilade it can fire just one more time. Maybe. Actually, I have no idea."


    Leaving Kardel that was drying the wet part with the help of the lich, Davion did not wait any longer to reach Leilade. Bypassing the skeletons that were carrying bodies, he put the one of Avirus on the pile and only kept the head for himself. When he arrived, only Meridiana smiled at him and gave him a thumbs up. She was wearing her armor, only leaving the helmet on a table nearby.


    "Excellent work Davion. That''s one less Hero for the future. But those magus have escaped untouched by Kardel, and Malakov is saying that the weapon was broken?" Before he could remove the pieces of his armors that were planted in his flesh after the explosion, Leilade began to interrogate him.


    "It is true. He is working on it,but he can''t assure you that he will have another shot. Also, he noticed that the ammunitions Master Agnil prepared may not have been adequate for this type of energy rifle." When she heard this, Leilade couldn''t help but have a talk to talk with the ghostly dwarf. Seeing the little girl stiffening and then relaxing, the orodil knew what was happening.


    Slowly removing each piece of his armor carefully, he noticed the damage dealt on it. His legs had been completely protected thanks to his shield, but the higher it was, the more broken it became. As he was having a hard time removing one of his shoulder-guards, a small tender hand did it for him. "Thank you, Meridiana." Like that, before Leilade came back, Davion could finally gaze at all the damages his armor received.


    "Huhg, blaming Kardel for that? He is a member of the Noctulis Temple, why did he not asked for advice? Can''t anyone work together without any problem?" Murmuring her disappointment, Leilade also knew that the dwarf was really not an expert on weapons. And they had already killed a Hero, so everything was not horrible. Glancing at the magus that returned to studying the portal she left in the entrance, she also wanted to get rid of them before any new Heroes arrived.


    "Malakov, call Kardel. Tell him he can eat magician flesh today."

 139 Battle of the Wild Mountains : Part 7

    "What do you think Sarah? It is impossible that managing to pierce that magic shield is a good thing, especially after what happened a few hours ago. So why those magus decided to put us here, when they have failed?" The stressed magus from Synnada was murmuring at the ear of his beautiful peer. Both of them were slightly apart from the rest, that were still trying every magic they knew to get to that circle on the ground.


    Around them, there was still some soldiers that were walking toward the second room, to barricade the access. With the death of Avirus, even the arrival of the now Hero Ferrod Minalcar Teldil had not managed to calm everyone. The normal people that were fighting in this war were beginning to lose hope, something no one wanted to see. After all, their beliefs were utterly crushed, days after days.


    They were told magus were mighty and powerful, killed with a single arrow. That Gods would save them, banished from this place because of something no one truly understood. That the Heroes will vanquish the evil, beheaded, his corpse taken by their enemy. At this point, the initial fear that was among the magicians was now deeply rooted, and no one wanted to be visible, terrified by that hidden threat. But the worst part was that only one of the Dark Gods had shown himself.


    Trying to banish from her thoughts her memories of Leilade, when the latter slaughtered her way out of the prison they tried to trap her in, Meridil nodded slightly. "I think, they want us to act as bait. You see those two, on your right?" Khala looked discreetly where the woman told him to and saw two disciples of the Archmage leisurely talking.


    "Before today, they would have been near the portal. But now, they are very far away, meaning they predicted something we don''t know. Can be an explosion, can be anything, I have no idea." If someone saw two magus, one from Massalia and one from Synnada acting like conspirators, they wouldn''t have believed their eyes. Funny that by putting them close to each other, during several terrifying events, they began to drop their mutual hate.


    "Hey, what are you planning you two?" The female magus of Synnada that was present in the desert when Kardel attacked also began to separate from those too close to the circle. But before she could receive any answer, she heard a very unfamiliar sound from behind her, prompting her to turn. In a flash, something as grey as the stone walls surrounding them appeared.


    Four thin limbs, with claws at the end, suddenly extended themselves, bypassing entirely the magic shield that was between the creature and the magicians. Too fast to even have the time to scream, four unfortunate souls had their bodies pierced and pulled forward, disappearing along with the monster. Not even a second had passed, and all the humans could see was the traces of blood and the cut pieces of fabric laying on the ground, acting as proof.


    "CLOSE THIS WALL!" Sarah did not wait any longer to face those two magus of a higher Circle than her. If she hadn''t been talking away from that thing, she could have been killed as well. "Magus Meridil, I know it is a stressful situation, but ..."


    "No, but! Leaving this will only cause more deaths, look around you. Do you think we can afford to have some monsters tearing us apart from out of nowhere?" Around her, many officers and magicians were looking with fear at the opening in the wall. The soldiers that previously were passing by normally now were holding tightly their weapons, pointing them at the circle on the ground. A bit overwhelmed, by the situation, the two that were tasked to follow the progress still wanted to continue.


    "I see, but were ..." "I was not asking for your permission. I was just telling you what was happening. CLOSE. THE. DOOR." Joining hands with !!! and a few others, they began to create layers and layers of magic shield on top of the one created by the Dark Gods. Five began to raise his hand to cancel everything before she pondered a bit and decided otherwise. A few minutes later, the hidden door was now once more a sturdy wall.


    "Keep watching this wall. If something ever pokes his nose out of it, blast it into oblivion." The beautiful magus left the room, accompanied by the two magus of the 6th Circle. Sighing, she only hoped someone had a solution before they all died. Men and women were able to sacrifice themselves for something better than them, greater than them. But if the idea they hold tight in their hearts began to crumble, nothing will make them fight anymore. And if the losses were not too severe in term of numbers, they had lost many important people.


    "As your prince and a Hero, I order you to give me that sword!" The tense, calm maybe even sad atmosphere she expected to see was nothing alike, with the Sword Saint gritting his teeth, flanked by his two children. On the other side, Ferrod was shining, his stature far more important than previously. "And that''s the same for the rest. Do you know why Avirus died? Because Avenio did not have a single relics from the past. Normal weapons crumbled under his strength, but I will not make the same mistake."


    Calmly extending his hand, he unsheathed the sword that was on the waist of Idhrenil Gwendhir. In his hand, the weapon suddenly began to emit light, blinding everyone in the room. "Here, you can have mine." Dropping his belt, the carefully crafted sword was laying on the ground, but Ferrod had already turned his sight toward the men from the Synnada Empire. Not caring at all, he acted no less than a thug threatening innocent people for a protection fee.


    "Give it to him. We can''t afford the death of another Hero." Slightly bowing in front of Lord Darkwater and not looking at all at the overbearing prince, one officer from the desertic empire left the tent after he heard that order. The rest were looking with hatred at Ferrod, for asking them to give like that what was protected for thousand of years. Maybe for the first time since they arrived, Remi Darkwater was not the first one they would kill if they had the chance.


    Soon after, a complete armor was displayed to anyone to see. Even Sarah could tell the vast difference between what she was seeing and the rest, like the sword of the Sword Saint. The equipment crafted by the dwarven Hero, the blacksmith IronSkull had never be surpassed afterward. No one knew if it was because of the dwarf, because of the God behind him or both. But when the new Hero put the armor on, the same reaction happened once again.


    "You see, you all sent Avirus to his death. While I will lead you to victory." The ones that had many regrets were the men from Avenio, that only realized now what they should have done. Because their nation had been created after the Age of Darkness, everything they could have was either in the hand of the Synnada Empire or had been stolen by the Organization. But it was easier to steal from an empire than criminals.


    Leaving haughtily the tent, the sun above their head created an aura of greatness around Ferrod. All the stares of the preoccupied, worried and fearful soldiers were drawn to him. At the same time, they were not the only one watching what was happening. "Davion, what do you think of this?" The orodil leaned to see more clearly the small human that was wearing an extremely shiny armor.


    "Nothing that an energy rifle can''t pierce. However, Kardel won''t be able to break it with his arrows. Only magic could maybe kill the human, but a very strong magic." Rolling her eyes to the ceiling, Leilade couldn''t help but curse Master Agnil once more. It all came down to whether the repaired weapon could be used again. Turning her sight toward the broken equipment of Davion, she controlled the lich to get it closer.


    Using the meager reserve of irons and C''Thalium they still had, she managed to at least repair his sword and his shield to a decent state. It was not tempered and refined like Agnil would have done it, but it was enough to at least be used. However, she could not fix the tiny holes and fissures inside his armor, far too costly to do it. "Thank you, Empress." That did not bother the calm alien, who was already satisfied with the results.


    "Meridiana, it is time now." On the screen, they could all see the Hero charging forward, with fresh troops ready to battle. Behind him, nearly all the magus were present, except a few too tired or that stayed in front of the portal in the entrance. Neither she nor the orodil dwindled any longer, ready to battle. Right before she entered the portal, the succubus still waved at Davion, with the latter nodding back.


    "WHAT THE ... ARGH!" She appeared in front of a group of soldiers that were approaching the entrance. Before the one in front even managed to speak, her tail had agilely pierced his heart. Holding tight the two daggers in her hands, she cut down the small troop easily. Only after doing that did she realized how far was her shelter.


    Merely two hundreds of meters. Nothing at all, a breeze. Except when that entire distance was just human after human, soldier after soldier. Not daring to not go full out, she felt her entire body going hot, very hot. Flames could begin to appear on her armor, but instead of melting, it only strengthened it. "Emotions gives power. Fuel them, unleash your wrath and let your flames consume your enemies." Repeating the words the succubus that trained her told her, centuries ago, she exacerbated the anger she felt against Leilade to its maximum.


    As a goddess of fire, the entire air around her began to vibrate, provoking countless spontaneous combustions. The humans were also affected, and anyone getting too close could see their own skin melting on their bodies. The leather armors they wore under the heavy iron parts burned, sending shrieks of help everywhere. Right before she could reach the entrance, she had to face someone she never saw before.


    A huge giant, for the humans, looking not any different than a bear was blocking her path. because Malakov did not want to risk to expose his little spies, he did not put one of them inside the command tent, only looking at the surrounding of the underground base. Otherwise, she could have recognized the father of one of her acquaintance.


    Feeling the power in her body getting weaker and weaker, Meridiana screamed at the Sword Saint. "BACK OFF!" The grave and ominous voice were miles away from the usual sweet and soft voice of the succubus. But that did not even make Idhrenil frown. Pouncing on the small armor he was seeing, the two began to battle. However, in merely a few seconds, the human understood that his opponent was far less skilled than him.


    Meridiana understood that at the same time, and then decided to not hold any reserve. Murmuring in a small voice, fire snakes began to appear, all heading toward the Sword Saint. If at first, the latter tried to cut them in half, he quickly realized he did not have the same sword. His muffled scream of pain was barely audible, as his sword melted and his left arm was burned. Coupled with his injuries from a few hours ago, he could only retreat, while spitting blood.


    Relieved by that sight, the succubus was still not out of danger. She was forced to activate a magic shield upon entering the underground, consuming even more of her mana. The pitiful spells that should have not even made a dent in her magic if it was a normal day almost destroyed it. Barely quick enough to reach the two magicians, she sucked them dry, but it was clearly not enough. Using the fact that her physical body was far greater than the ones of the humans, she managed to just rush her way in the mass of soldiers.


    Her only worry was that the Hero was ready to catch her at the end of the tunnel, so she did not waste any times at killing someone that was not directly in front of her. Getting tired and tired as hundred had already fallen by her hands, she casted once more a magic shield to protect herself from the magus. But, it did not last a single second before crumbling. Her armor was getting colder and colder, the flames surrounding her body barely hot to start a fire.


    Almost panting, she caught a soldier at the entrance of the third room and threw it on the group of mages. The small mess that was created by that was just enough for her to dive into the sea of soldiers. Fortunately, the humans had weak hearts and did not shot a spell while she was holding that hostage. Leaving the trap they had created by emptying a space right at the entrance of the third room, she stumbled and nearly crash down.


    However, the soldiers that were looking at her did not waste this occasion, slashing down their swords and axes at her. If her armor had been reinforced with magic, it could also be weakened by it. And with the fact she could barely cast a spell, she was beginning to leech the mana inscribed on her very armor. One soldier a bit too strong and too lucky managed to hit her with his axe, creating a dent in her arm.


    In the last dozens of meters before she could reach the undead, she was subjected to that same event, over and over again. She could hear from afar the loud noises provoked by the duel between the new human Hero and Davion. But in her muddled state, completely exhausted, she did not notice that the sounds were getting closer and closer. "MERIDIANA!" Hearing the call of the orodil, she only lifted her head to see a brilliant sword heading downwards.

 140 Battle of the Wild Mountains : Part 8

    TCHIK


    The path of the sharp sword was deviated at the last moment by a metallic arrow, pushing it away from the head of the succubus. However, as strong as the strength behind the projectile was, it was still not enough to completely save the female demon. As she was weakly holding her two daggers in front of her, they offered no resistance when the weapon of the Hero hit them, making them fly away from the hands of Meridiana. As her right arm did.


    She could not see clearly, but she was still capable of feeling the intense joy that the human in front of her was feeling. Frantically using her last remaining arm to help her escape, she felt the grip of death coming from behind. Fortunately, Kardel had decided to save her and was constantly firing at the Hero, giving her a way to escape. However, she was still not safe, and some humans were on her path.


    Not caring anymore about the weapons that were either destroying slowly her armor or even pierce her skin, she just violently pushed everyone. The fire inside her was now completely extinguished, everything she had gone. Contrarily to Kardel or even Davion, she was the one that received the least amount of energy, and she began to regret not eating more humans while she was in Archet. Otherwise, she wouldn''t have been reduced to this state, with a missing limb.


    Mindlessly, she stumbled upon another warrior, pushing him away before he hurt her even more. Knocking the enemy down with her shoulder, she only noticed how cold he was afterward. Purple blood was tainting her former beautiful silver armor, and half of her body had been exposed by now. Looking at the trace of blood on the bones in front of her, she realized she had made it. Relieved by that, she fell unconscious in the lifeless arms of that undead.


    Even if she was now safe, it was not the case for the one that first tried to save her. Moving his shield to dispel the blue flames that were covering him, Davion looked at his surrounding and the fallen hand that was easily visible. Like Kardel had done it previously, the magus of the humans had focused all their efforts on him, preventing him from reaching Meridiana before the Hero. Fortunately, the duvodiad stalled for the few seconds he needed, allowing him to catch up before the death of the succubus.


    Disengaging quickly before Davion could be at arm range, Ferrod picked up his trophy that was laying on the ground. Raising it, he looked at the dark armor that was targetted by the magicians supporting him. "THE HAND OF A DARK GOD! THEY ARE NOT INVINCIBLE!" Even as he was saying this, countless soldiers were losing their lives to just deal with undead. The skeleton archers seemed to have an infinite amount of ammunition, and each time they pulled their string, another life was claimed.


    Easily deflecting the incoming metallic arrows that were coming at him, Ferrod was smiling even more. If before, he received three or four of those in a matter of seconds. Now, it was only one in the same period. He was no stranger to the fact that nothing in this word was permanent, and from what he could see, those deadly projectiles were clearly not meant to be wasted. Approaching the tall foe surrounded by magic, he was ready to attack when he noticed something unusual.


    "Stop." The voice resonated in the head of every living being, but was also followed by the undead. The latter froze and then began to slightly retreat and reorganize the lines, ready for the following battle. Dumbfounded, a few humans that were on the ground shouted in joy when they saw the blades that were next to them silently withdrawing. No one that was fighting attacked the immobile skeleton, not daring to seal their fate by doing something stupid.


    Floating in the middle of the room, a blackened lich was haughtily starring at the Hero from above. His dark hands finishing in claws were something they had never seen, even when the rest of the body clearly looked like a lich, except for the head. Not relaxing the slightest, Ferrod and the disciples of the Archmage were ready for anything. Finally able to stand up correctly, Davion was also starring at Malakov.


    "Return the hand to us." Extending his hand, the Envoy of Leilade looked at his target that was hanging on the waist of that human. Meridiana had succeeded at perturbing the reinforcements, but the equipment of the Hero was clearly beyond their expectations. Also, Kardel had confirmed he did try to shoot the energy rifle, but it didn''t even produce an explosion. It was still time to save the missing limb of the succubus and Davion from unnecessary injuries.


    "What if I don''t? You''re going to kill me?" Patting the bloodied object, projecting even more purple blood on his armor, Ferrod was not backing down. Whatever was that new monster, its presence only meant that they were winning. But contrary to what he expected, the lich only levitated the severed limb toward him, not caring about what he said. Angered by this, the Hero drew his sword and began to jump toward the floating undead.


    "Know your place worm!" Lifting his hand, Malakov projected the human directly to the ceiling, nearly knocking him down. Seeing Ferrod plummet to the ground after that, the disciples of the Archmage only protected him with magic shields, not daring to face this new foe directly. Seeing the prince of Massalia having a hard time standing on his legs, they began to order the retreat.


    Only when the last humans were out of sight did Davion sighed, a bit tired from his fighting. In a single day, he had met two different Heroes, and even if he could suppress Avirus, he was on the losing side against that new human. Grabbing a body that hadn''t been burned, he began to methodically cut his head open. Looking at the lich that was just staring at him, he waited patiently what will follow.


    "The Empress is beginning to feel that your last line of defenses won''t be enough to defeat that army, with the arrival of this new Hero. If you have anything left, I suggest you begin to use it." Hearing a human that was having a hard time breathing nearby, Malakov signaled a nearby undead to grab it for the succubus. All around them, every corpse was beginning to be carried away, to serve as nourishment.


    "There is still one room left after this one, but I can assure you that it was better than having all our forces in one place. Also, it will be time for them to walk through that part. Pull everyone out of this, the skeletons are not enough to hold any longer." With the battle earlier this day and the intense offensive later, the ranks of the undead had been almost decimated. Only the liches were still unscathed, but without anything to be between them and their targets, it would be futile to let them die.


    Following Malakov as he exited the battlefield, Davion could see the sleeping succubus behind Leilade. She was laying on the couch, completely naked and her two arms lethargically hanging on her sides. Only a small wound was still marking where her limb had been severed. Softly knocking her forehead with his fingers, he pointed to the sleepy beauty the few half-dead humans. Letting her to her meal, he approached the little girl that was visibly in a bad mood.


    A few drops of dark blood could be seen near where Meridiana was sleeping, and he could see the wound on the hand of Leilade that was closing under his eyes. "Davion, I trusted you to hold your ground against the Heroes. But, you are clearly not up to the task, making me wonder how we are supposed to defend ourselves? We have killed only a quarter of their army."


    The screens could display all the troops that were still available outside. Even if they had killed dozens and dozens of thousands of humans, it was still not enough. And right now, they only kept half of the undead they first had at their disposal. The ratio was definitively not in their favor, making Leilade unhappy. "Empress, we don''t need to kill everyone that is outside. If we manage to slaughter more than 75% of them, we will win. Unlike the undead, the living beings are scared of death, and will rather escape than face you."


    Nodding at this, the little girl awaited the next part. "In addition, what Kardel described as the fun part will soon begin. The distance between the battlefront where the Hero will be and the rest of the army is getting longer. As long as we hold for a few more days, their losses on the way of attacking us will become too severe for them."


    In the outside, the sun was getting smaller and smaller, and it won''t be long before it completely disappears. As such, even if the Hero was no longer just a normal human, he was not something too different either.And with the recent events in the day, he was getting incredibly tired barely walking straight outside of the tomb. Hearing this from Malakov, Davion also felt the strain on his body. Bowing one last time to Leilade, he left the room.


    Slightly disturbed by the dying rale of the humans that were close to the succubus, Leilade only noticed a fraction of a second later than the lich what was happening outside, making her extremely angered. "Malakov, can you make them understand once and for all that it is no longer their planet anymore."


    "Absolutely, Empress."


    Stiffening once more, the lich began to receive the dark energy of Leilade as he was repulsing the godly energy outside. The warm and calming light that pierced the darkness that was covering the sky did not last long when Malakov entered the fray. Whatever was the action of that god, it did not manage to even touch the ground before being dispersed.


    crack clik


    Pieces of bones began to fall on the ground, as the lich was feeling that his body was getting weaker and weaker. Clutching his hands, he regretted that decision when he saw one of his fingers being crumbling into dust. "Empress, I don''t think I can do it again. This body is not adapted to this type of magic. I need ... to heal."Leaving by walking carefully, while making sure that he did not lose any other part of his body, only two people were still present in the room.


    Sneaking a peek at the succubus being slowly surrounded by mummies, Leilade was watching the scenery outside of the base. The once calm and beautiful forest had been burned to the ground by her first. And now, one couldn''t even notice a standing tree, all being destroyed to let place to the numerous tents. After the gods had tried to barge in, the sky had been cleared of all the clouds, allowing the two moons to shine.


    Both were almost full, making the outside shining in their beautiful silver lights. Noticing a place where there was a distortion under those lights, she saw the familiar armor of that little princess. Like her, she was staring at the sky, all alone and without her helmet. Outside of her field of sight, an older man that had visibly drunk too much was approaching, with evil intention. The burly man was walking weirdly toward the princess, starring at the blond hair floating in the air.


    Watching this happening, Leilade turned to see Meridiana sleeping once more. Acting as a spy, she could see the princess stiffening when she heard the loud and unsteady footsteps behind her. The little girl could not hear clearly what they were saying, but Muirn? was visibly not scared facing taller than her in the night. But when the drunk soldier touched the top of his sword, the armored woman moved instantly.


    In a blink of an eye, she had already inserted her teeth on the throat of the man, silencing him. The last thing he probably saw was his thorax being eaten in front of him. Carrying the body a little farther away, she let loose of her instincts the moment she was no longer visible from anyone. Without knowing that a spirit was right above her, displaying fully the gruesome spectacle that was happening.


    "Too bad you are not as important as I thought you were. Even using you would be a waste. But at least, you contribute by killing a few soldiers." If Muirn? could have heard those words, she would have tried even harder to resist the hunger she was feeling. She was still desperately trying to not kill any innocents, even as she had less and less guilt when eating a human. However, anyone seeing her calmly and orderly cleaning the place where she murdered that soldier would have been frightened by such heartless actions.

 141 Battle of the Wild Mountains : Part 9

    While everyone was either peacefully dreaming or having nightmares, only a few living beings were still up and hesitantly walking on the even ground under their feet. After the news that the third room has been emptied by the undead, another unfortunate group of soldiers was tasked to explore the remaining parts of the tomb. Even if they were accompanied by three magicians of the 4th Circle and a few adventurers, the warriors were clearly not calmed by that.


    Especially when they heard their orders.When the officer in charge told that to those assembled in front of the ominous underground maze, more than one had his face turning white. Grabbing the hammers nearby, they couldn''t help but shudder, knowing very well what they will do in a short time. So, after bypassing another wall of shadows that was dispelled by the mages, no one was looking at the polished stone ground with good feelings. After a few seconds without anyone moving, one either brave or suicidal had the guts to raise his hammer and hit the ground.


    THOMP


    The metal almost bounced back, not even making a dent at the stone tab. Sighing in relief, more began to methodically do the same after each step. Like that, every single part of the tunnel was slowly shaken by the hammers, using brute force to reveal any traps inside those walls. After the soldiers had accomplished their work, both the mages and the adventurers began to examine the result, searching for any clues.


    But, even after reaching the end of the tunnel and seeing the next wall of shadows, nothing was found. The heat had only grown slightly, but it was still bearable. As for the magicians, as much as they wanted to act lofty, their perception was barely able to even sense the walls near them, even less anything beyond that. Because of this, they could only reluctantly dispel that batch of darkness, once again. At least, they were still more useful than the more or less kidnapped adventurers that were acting like mouses, jumping in fright at any sound.


    Sensing that the opening was wider than the one they used to enter the tunnel, one soldier threw his torch as far as he could. The dim light that was floating managed to show the reflections of many armors and swords, proving that they had at least found the undead. Not daring to dwindle any longer, everyone began to retreat with great speed. Unfortunately, this time, Malakov was not willing to let them escape that easily.


    VRRRRRRRRRRRRR


    Multiple openings in the walls of the tunnel appeared, showing the undead that were located within them. Shocked by that, the humans had not the time to even react before receiving countless deadly spells. The screams that could have been heard from even the outside if nothing had been done were silenced by the liches. In a few minutes, the hundreds of explorers had all been erased from this world, and any traces of that short skirmish was slowly being cleaned as well. The few soldiers that stayed in the third room to act as witnesses could only speculate about why the wall of darkness in front of them had reappeared once more.


    However, after a dozen of minutes, seeing that no one was coming, the humans that had been barely a few meters away from a carnage decided to leave this place. Letting one torch near the exit, they only threw one additional glance before leaving for good. Getting woke up only to hear the disappearance of those sent to explore, Lord Darkwater only gave an order to make everyone leave at once and prevent anyone from entering before dawn. Before returning back in the comfy bed in his tent.


    The next morning, the vision that greeted Ferrod and the army behind was a vast cavern. Previously, the undead legions were numbered in hundreds of skulls, covering a relatively small amount of ground. But now, they could no longer count accurately how many of them were present. Raising his head after hearing the voice in his head, the second prince of Massalia couldn''t help but curse those dark gods for being so vicious.


    Because the humans were just at the entrance, they were still not attacked yet, but what awaited after just one additional steps would be huge rocks thrown at them. Of course, that won''t be the end of it, but Ferrod couldn''t see what else was prepared for them. The undead hands he could just notice in the holes in the ceiling were not giving him a lot of clues. Looking around once more, he still did not see one of the two armors he fought yesterday, neither the tall black one or the iron small one.


    But when he looked at the very end of the room, he could see the same lich that nearly knocked him out. His blackened claws were doing weird moves, something he couldn''t understand. Getting closer to Five, that was the temporary leader of the disciples of the Archmage while Three was still exhausted, he asked her about that, only to see her freezing after she looked more carefully.


    "Hero Ferrod, it is not magic. However, he is gesturing the secret code of the Organization." She tried to speak as quietly as possible, worried that what she said could fall into unwanted ears. "Are you talking about those things like, knocking something twice with the little finger and one with the middle finger, the call for an ambush? That kind of stuff? How could a lich know that?"


    The criminal organization had lasted for thousands of years and was even older than some nations. Its origin could even be tracked not long after the birth of both the Massalia Kingdom and the Synnada Empire. However, not everything was changed, and some of the basic gestures still maintained their original form, like a call for help or warning for an ambush. Besides those few, Ferrod did not know the other signs or even the true sign language created by those outlaws.


    "Yes, I had a lot of ... I am afraid you will just have to trust me when I say this." Only a fool wouldn''t understand what she meant when she first stopped talking. The Hero was still a bit worried by hearing that the Archmage was close enough to the Organization for one of his own disciples to know that much. Nodding his head, he saw the female magus murmuring things as she was concentrating on the hands of the lich.


    "mmm ... mmhmh ... mhuh? Three right, one up?But that only means ... Basically, what that undead is saying is, if you fight today, they will spare nothing at killing you." She had greatly reduced the nearly minute-long exchange to just one short sentence, and Ferrod couldn''t help but wonder how much did she left out. Starring at her more intensely, she only shrugged it off, like it was nothing. After being reborn as a Hero, only a few could resist him anymore, making him slightly displeased by the reaction of the magus.


    "So what? Am I supposed to stay here and watch it?" "One moment please." She began to agitate her hand and do weird things with her fingers and arms. A bit puzzled, even those surrounding them began to wonder what was happening. "Wait, are you actually asking them?" The second prince couldn''t believe his eyes, especially when he saw her stop for a second and nod at him. Since when they were supposed to happily chat with the undead?


    "He said yes. And he will not move as long as you do not move. We, on the other hand, are free to do anything." Seeing her smile, Ferrod was wondering if she had lost her head. How could she be so certain that the lich will not break down his words was a wonder. Calling a random scout, he informed Lord Darkwater of what happened, leaving the soldier equally baffled. The two men looked at the woman that was still smiling, then both shook their heads, not wanting to know what was inside the mind of a Magus.


    After some long minutes where everyone was waiting, the answer arrived. "Listen to Five." Grabbing by the collar the scout that was sweating, Ferrod was fuming. "What does he mean by that? Is he also listening to a lich?" Still being shaken, the unfortunate soldier could only reply what he was ordered to. "Lo . rd . Dark . water . said . the . lich . is . more . dang . erous . than . youuuuuu"


    Finally calming down, the Hero fell into contemplation. The way they were thinking was not totally flawed. After all, he was just one man in the end, while the lich was a mighty magician. The recent conflicts had already proved how much was the difference between a warrior and a mage, only allowing a few exceptions. Like the Sword Saint Gwendhir with the relic of the last Hero of Massalia. With a sword capable of destroying spells with a swing of it, he was one of the few capable of beating anyone under the 5th Circle.


    However, even he could only stall a true magus. For example, he had beaten Arthar Rodil when they were both younger, but he had lost against him a few years ago after nearly two hours of fight. However, it was also worth noting that the magus in question was one of the most stable mages of Massalia, with his control over mana refined after years of research. If it had been a wandering magus or one of those dark ones that hid in their holes, they wouldn''t haven''t stood a chance.


    "Fine, but let me tell you, you are both making a huge mistake. It is impossible to trust those monsters. And I will not let my kingdom fall into their hands." Not pointing out how he qualified Massalia, Five only nodded her head slightly. However, with the absence of the Hero to breach the lines, and the massive amount of liches present against them, the soldiers had a hard time even reaching the skeleton warriors.


    Neither the magicians, the magus nor the disciple of the Archmage managed to destroy anything but a few skeletons here and there. Getting completely overpowered, the human side was getting horrible losses, for next to no gain. The never-ending stream of rocks falling on them was not getting any better, and the hand of Ferrod was itching to draw his sword. After nearly an hour where the soldiers had barely managed to slay a hundred skeletons, the Hero could not stay immobile any longer.


    SLIIIIIIICK


    He was still in the middle of unsheathing his weapon when he saw the huge black mist spreading from the other side of the room. It was nothing like the other spells that the liches used, like some fireballs or even bone arrows. Covering the undead in it, it made Ferrod stop for a bit, as he could no longer see the peculiar lich. However, the mist also slowed down before reaching the humans, who were not particularly thrilled to enter head on in that.


    Centimeters by centimeters, the second prince had almost got his entire sword out, only to see that the strange spell was mirroring his movements. Sensing a gaze on him, he saw the female magus looking disappointed by his behavior, pointing at the dark cloud right in front of them. One soldier clearly more mad than the rest tried to touch the mist, only to be grabbed and disappear from the sight of his comrades.


    Realizing that if that thing swallowed them all, they would lose countless mages, Ferrod gritted his teeth and let it go. As soon as he removed his hand from his weapon, the dark mist began to dissipate, only to show the clean skeleton of the soldier, a meter away from where he once was. The fighters surrounding it stood in a daze for a moment, before an arrow claimed the life of another one. In reality, during that time, the undead had never stopped killing humans, it was only the living beings that were all captivated by the strange spell.


    As the day progressed, more and more mages began to retreat, their mana completely emptied. After all, with all those casters launching spells after spells, the underground base was now completely void of any lingering mana. Normally, that type of situation shouldn''t happen, where a mage couldn''t even throw a single spell. Besides the mana in their body, they could still borrow some from the air around them, but right now, they could not grab anything.


    With the departure of the ones that protected, the soldiers were in no rush of losing their lives. If they were feeling a bit useless when the magus were present, they were now nothing more than meat being methodically chopped. With that, even before the sun was beginning to descend, no one alive was left inside the tomb. However, even now, they still hadn''t found a single trace of the lost expedition of the precedent night. Letting place to the human imagination to imagine the worst possible outcomes.

 142 Battle of the Wild Mountains : Part 10

    Like that, two days happened, with nothing interesting for the coalition. Bones were crushed, flesh was burned and souls were claimed. Both Malakov and Ferrod stood at each side of the room, daring the other one to do something. Of course, none of the humans could know that the lich was on the brink of crumbling. The last night,the gods tried once more to influence the battlefield, only to be repelled again.


    This time, the entire lower body of the Envoy of Leilade had been reduced to dust, making the robes of the lich float weirdly. But because those limbs were never seen in the first place, thanks to his voluminous outfit, Malakov did not have to create new ones. With the rest of his mana, he could barely fix his skull and fill the numerous cracks on it. Also, for the first time, Leilade envisaged retreating soon.


    "I hope whatever you prepared will be worth, Davion. If not, we will not wait for the arrival of that Archmage, otherwise, someone will truly be killed." The little girl was maybe talking to the orodil, but her eyes were fixed on the succubus. The enchanting beauty that should have been present was barely felt, appearing quite pitiful. The damages that she received that day had yet to be completely healed.


    "Empress, how dire is the situation with Malakov?" Davion could only feel that something was off with the lich, but couldn''t guess exactly what was the problem. They knew he had to fight the powers of those gods, making the undead quite grumpy and even less approachable. But only Leilade could know exactly how severe was the problem.


    Sighing, the little child was looking at one of the screens that were displaying the lich. "One additional time. If the gods tried once more to infiltrate this place, I will have no choice but to recall Malakov back to the Vault of Souls. It is only fortunate that Ymir is relatively safe, otherwise, he wouldn''t be able to even control the undead in Archet. In fact, just their destructions over there would be quite terrible."


    Even the undead had a soul, or, all of those that could think had one. And everything in this universe had a limit. The Ancients, a race that could only be described as the most intelligent race of all time, had disappeared. And even if Malakov had been trained for centuries,with his control over undead being flawless, he still could not control millions of them. Quality, quantity, distance all played a part. And while he could sever the link between him and one of his summons, those links were not all the same.


    If every single one of the skeleton he created with a core, the ones that fought along Ymir, were destroyed, the drawback on the mind of the lich will be beyond what he can resist right now. It was fine before when he had still a few days to rest, but now, he had already lost his legs. Understanding that, the orodil lowered his head a bit, being in quite of a pickle. By his side, Meridiana was on the other hand still puzzled, not getting everything right.


    "Very well, so, it is time to activate everything we have. I wanted to exhaust them even more, to not give them a single chance of fighting back. But if it can''t hold, we will have to kill as many mages as possible." Outside of the room, by following the only tunnel available, one could reach the vast cavern where the humans were beginning to retreat. The very air was now filled with blood, the dead bodies that were taken care of by both the undead and the living beginning to be removed.


    This day, only Seven was not present, being injured previously by one lich. Knowing that the one they spend years with was in a bad shape, the disciples of the Archmage created quite a mess, even slaying a few liches in the process. With those undead caster being removed, the pressure on the humans was getting a bit lighter. Just a bit, especially when a horde of those were still present, surrounding the one that was calmly standing still.


    Feeling glad to have gotten rid off some of those undead and happily chatting about that, none of them truly were on guard when the walls around them began to open. Legions of undead swarmed the unprepared and tired humans, only aiming at the mages. Pushing aside the soldiers without even really hurting them, the skeleton warriors raised their weapons to kill. However, what was in front of them was not just a harmless chicken.


    Losing no time, and even in this state, Three was strong enough to take care of pesky skeletons. But not against the several liches that were creating the very same mist that Five had seen previously. She could only shout a warning before she saw Eleven getting caught, soon followed by Eight. Casting a magic shield in a hurry, she saw it being repeatedly hit by several bone arrows. Swords and axes appeared shortly after, joining the fray.


    Getting closer to Three, the two managed to hear the shouts of humans arriving to help. Feeling relieved, they couldn''t see that the reinforcements were not in any position to come. The following minutes, neither of the two talked, their throats getting very dry as they were gasping for air. To prevent the mist from entering, they had no choice but to be completely cut from the rest of the world. However, they realized that no air was coming in either.


    Since both had created a very small shield, to protect themselves and maybe one or two other people, the oxygen was getting very low. If the concept of atoms was still not present, they still knew that humans needed fresh air to survive. Realizing this, Five could only glance at the old face of Three, that was getting blurry. Putting her hand on his neck, she began to give him as much mana as she still had.


    The man only realized he was getting better when he felt an arm suddenly dropping on his waist. Turning around, he saw the body of his female friend falling to the ground. Touching her neck, he could no longer feel any heartbeat. His eyes began to be filled with tears, as he knew that he was the only one that had survived. Still under the permanent assault of the undead, he felt wrath in his heart.


    "[EXPLO ...]" Before he could end, silence reigned supreme. Stopping in his track, he could see the mist getting clearer and clearer, and saw a familiar sword cutting down a lich. Ferrod was stomping the skull of a skeleton that was still moving, as he removed his weapon from the corpse. Turning around, he saw the mighty magus of the 7th Circle kneeling near a body.


    "I am sorry, Five. I am sorry, Eight. I am sorry, Eleven. I should have protected you. You trusted me, you trusted me, and I failed you." The old man, nearly as old as Lord Darkwater, was half crying half praying. Caressing carefully the palm of his deceased junior sister, he tried to carry her. But, even as he was doing that, he felt his rusty legs letting him down.


    "May I?" Seeing the hand of Ferrod, he nodded absently. The body of Five was gently picked up, and a few meters away, the two could see the remains of the other disciples of the Archmage. Only a small amulet was still hanging around their neck, that the undead could not even destroy. Not daring to touch them, fearing that their bones would crumble, they could only let them be here for a moment.


    "What happened here?" However, as they kept progressing, they realized that no one else had managed to survive the sudden assault. Whether they were in the armors of their respective countries or in the robes defining them as mages, countless dead corpses could be seen, even beyond the third room. But what was the most shocking was near the second room, inside the tunnels.


    Lava was spreading everywhere, consuming everything on its path. Only then did they realized that the fact they felt hot under the ground was the presence of lava above them. They had no doubt that with the river of magma blocking the exit and the undead coming for them, the chances of survival were thin, to say the least. "Let''s wait in this room, while help will arrive. Or, maybe you can make us go through?"


    Ferrod was looking at the panting elder, asking him his thoughts. Even he, as a Hero, had no confidence that nothing was awaiting them beyond the scorching magma. If the magus was to use his last reserve only to be killed right away, it would be an immense loss. However, as he saw the only other human alive painstakingly sitting down, he heard a weird sound above him.


    schlick klick


    As the Hero was raising his head, time almost stopped for him. Right above the magus, four insectoid claws barely visible next to the refined walls were raised, ready to claim his life. Before Ferrod could even drop the body he had in his arm and pick up his sword, a stream of red flew toward his face. Slashing with his weapon as soon as possible, he only managed to cut one limb before the monster retreated inside the wall. Leaving behind a dismembered body.


    "What? The ... portal ... that was that monster again. How?" Touching with the end of his sword the place where the strange foe disappeared, he heard the familiar sound of stone being hit by metal.Only when he used his hand and pushed as much as he could did he felt that the stone was just a bait. He could push it to his elbow, and it seemed that there was a tunnel beyond that. Turning around to gaze at all the walls surrounding him, he realized that the monster could hit at any locations inside the tomb.


    "I''ve got to go." Leaving the two deceased magus, he dashed toward the hot lava, not wanting to stay here any longer. Fortunately, the magma was only on the ground and the tunnels were quite huge, as much as the gate in the entrance. Using his body to its full potential, he ran into it, with his boots beginning to feel extremely hot.


    Reaching the place where he could see lava falling from the ceiling, he bypassed it as quickly as he could. Fortunately, his armor had been created by a Hero, only letting feel the intense heat but nothing else. No metal was melting on his very skin, nor his own body was burning. Pausing a bit in this much colder environment, especially one that had fresh air since the ceiling had been destroyed by that magical explosion, he noticed that the trail of dead bodies still hadn''t stopped. Even here, he could see the fresh blood forming ponds here and there.


    Walking carefully while examining every wall, searching for a hidden opening, he managed to exit without any further incident. But when he arrived outside, he realized how huge were the damages to his army. The pile of bones in one side of the entrance was being repeatidly crushed under heavy hammers. Previously, it had been the job of the magicians, but only a few of them were in sight. Recognizing Sarah Meridil, he saw her with a handsome man that was crying on her shoulders.


    Not bothering them, he could only hear some parts. " ... was completely mad, with weird ideas all the time. But that''s what I loved the most about her. Why we both survived that thing, but she died on a foreign grou ..." Only when he focused once more on the path in front of him did he realized that people avoided him. Even if there was still some worship in their eyes, it was also mixed with fear.


    Gazing on his self, he saw the still fuming magma and the huge spray of blood fully displayed. Chuckling in self-pity, he was ready to directly head to his tent to get clean before he saw someone standing on his way. The silver armor and the emblem on it were recognizable in a blink of an eye. "Lord Darkwater wants to see you know. In whatever state you are."


    Not bothered by the glacial voice of the woman in armor, he followed her, to see the usual full of busy people tent completely emptied. Only two men were still present, Amdir and Lord Darkwater, with Muirn? that was beginning to leave. Not even Arthar or another magus was present, making Ferrod feel that something big was happening. However, the only thing the old general pointed at was the strange circle on the ground.


    Opening his eyes wide open, the Hero did not wait any longer before unsheathing his sword and getting ready. His mind had suffered too much in that day, and he could only see the striking resemblance with that inscription and the one that was used by that monster to kill many magicians. Sensing the very air changing around him, he was ready to strike down anything that will arrive.


    WOOSH


    Instead of a monster, a man in his forties appeared. He was wearing a plain robe, with next to nothing luxurious on it. The only detail was the amulet that was around his neck, with a symbol he had stumbled on today. A bit overwhelmed, Ferrod could only blurt his thoughts. "Ar-Archmage? The Archmage?"

 143 The Archmage 2 in 1

    "Empress, he ..." The feeble lich was reduced to half of its original size, and his head was barely above the one of Leilade. In addition to his legs and the lower part of his body, his left arm was slowly crumbling as well. If someone was to take a look at Malakov right now, nowhere could be found his previous arrogance. Putting her hand on his shoulder, something she couldn''t do before because he was too tall, Leilade was looking at the magical screens.


    "Yes, indeed. Call everyone here, we can''t defend this anymore." Nothing unusual was shown, the humans were as dejected as they should be. In fact, they were very close to completely give up, for some. All she could say was that they were good at hiding his arrival. Turning her head toward the three newcomers, she could only see them in a state not any different than they were at their arrival.


    The body of Meridiana was once more covered in wounds, only far smaller ones. But in many areas, a purple liquid was covering her tender skin. As for Kardel, he was having a slightly hard time moving his right arm. When his insectoid limb had been cut, that had provoked a reaction that broke all the bones in his arms when he returned to his duvodiad form. The only one that was more or less in a good shape was Davion. After those days resting, he could be considered the only one reliable of the bunch.


    "Empress." The three bowed slightly, not without looking at the empty shell that became Malakov. Seeing the undead reduced to that state was not appeasing them at all. "The Archmage has arrived. Unfortunately, he is as strong as we expected in the worst case scenario. Meaning that we need to get rid of him, or destroy the army. Prepare yourselves to kill as many humans as you can before we run out of undead."


    "Yes, Empress." They all understood the goal here. If they wanted to reach Ymir in Archer and be safe over there, they needed to get rid of all the threats. More Heroes could still arrive, but without an army to protect them, they would be at the mercy of Kardel. Even the gods wouldn''t be able to protect a lonely Hero from the clutch of a duvodiad. Fortunately, they had already damaged their main enemies quite heavily.


    Calling the darkness within her body, she left an entire tentacle inside the body of the lich. "Use it when the gods will try once more to bless someone and sacrifice this body if you have to. After that, you can go to Ymir without waiting for us." Malakov nodded weakly, beginning to absorb the dark energy. Without this additional mana, even if he sacrificed himself, he wouldn''t have been able to prevent those spatial leeches to do as they wanted. But now, he had a chance to even preserve a part of this body.


    Looking at the three living beings that were in front of her, she wondered if having Meridiana was truly useful or not. Sensing the glacial gaze on her, the succubus understood that it was a very severe situation. "I will do my utmost to please you, Empress of the Underworld." Seeing the little girl waving her hand, she inwardly sighed in relief. However, as soon as she was out of the room, she rested a bit in the tunnel.


    "Stay behind me outside. Do as much as you can." The orodil briefly passed without stopping, only giving her small advice. It was not necessarily out of goodwill, or even feelings like sympathy or love. Just that, if there was one less demon to help them later, it could become tricky in some situations. However, as long as the succubus did not become a burden, he will try to keep her life intact.


    A few minutes later, everyone was prepared to fight. The armors of both Davion and Meridiana were shattered in multiple parts, with their weapons strangely not crumbling yet. Only the duvodiad was not in that case since he was completely naked. Walking in front, the small child was followed by the thousands of undead that were still standing. All the remaining humans had already left, or were all killed. Her white slippers were unfortunately dyed red by the time she reached the completely exposed entrance.


    Breathing the fresh air devoid of mana, she could already hear the screams of the soldiers. Letting go free her undead minions, the skeleton warriors rushed forward, their sword raised. Slightly caught by surprise, the army of the coalition suffered many losses, especially now that they were on the receiving end. Even if some troops were already in battle formations beforehand, they were quickly destroyed by the liches, letting the skeletons slaughtered the survivors.


    "TO ME, MEN OF MASSALIA!" Noticing the brilliant Hero in his shining armor, the duvodiad that had already turned into something else rushed toward him. Disregarding quietness and discretion for sheer strength, the nearly six meters tall monster slammed his head against the Ferrod, projecting him in the air. As impressive as it sounded, the former members of the Demonic Army knew that it was nothing compared to the real creature.


    The entire head of Kardel was covered with spikes, and a huge protuberance, sturdier than diamonds, reinforced the ramming potential. In fact, Leilade could hardly find any creature better at destroying things head-on. The thick leather was maybe less resistant than its head, but nothing weaker than an energy weapon could pierce it. Right now, only the Archmage could probably make a dent in what Kardel had become. But, for now, the duvodiad was free to run into the humans and either trampled them to death or broke all their bones by sending them in the air.


    "YOU MONSTER! COME BACK HERE!" Ferrod was visibly angered by what he just experienced, as he was completely covered in dirt and blood. The very armor that was strong enough to resist the weapons of Master Agnil was slightly deformed in certain areas. Not by much, but even at this distance, it could be seen. Hearing that shout, Kardel did not wait before running a complete circle into the enemy lines, killing hundreds in the process.


    However, the reality was more brutal than expectation. Right before getting hit by the gigantic creature, the Hero managed to jump on his back, his sword pointed downward to pierce its skin. What the human only managed to do was bouncing off Kardel, not even inserting his sword at all. Crashing his head first into the dirt, he did not notice quickly enough that Kardel had stopped right away. Looking above, he saw a huge foot blocking the sun, only dodging it at the last second.


    Letting Kardel to his own battle, Leilade could only regret that he used this form. It will hardly be possible for him to kill the Hero, but it was also true that nothing in her memory was better at dealing with a large army. A bit farther away, the orodil and the succubus were happily fighting. Or at least, that was what she hoped for. Noticing that she was all alone, easily recognizable and without anyone to protect her, she wondered how much time did she had to wait.


    Only staring at the ongoing battles between her forces and the humans, she was patient. There were only a few things that will force her to participate, and she intended to reveal them all. But when she felt something dangerous heading her way, she did nothing besides smiling.


    ka-pow


    Hundreds of meters away, the sound of a rifle resonated.And as powerful as she was, Leilade could not hear it, and even if she did, it would have been too late. Similar to how Kardel attacked Avirus, she was under the vision of a hidden sniper. But unlike a human Hero, those kind of threats were not enough to do anything to her. The deadly projectile was stopped by some shadows before touching her skin, only for her to see a white light exploding inside the darkness, only to be repressed seconds after.


    "Mana bullets. Did they not understood how am I?" Almost thanking the shooter for the free energy given to her, she extended her finger to point where the bullet had come from. The white bone that was produced cut open the path on its way, causing many branches and even some trunks to fall. Knowing she did not hit whoever attacked her, she was in no hurry to do so. Someone that only hit from far away wouldn''t have the guts to do so if he was feeling threatened.


    And she was right, shaking in his very bones, a dwarf was tightly hugging his weapon, a mere meter away from a cleanly cut trunk. The tallest tree around had lost its head, and the dwarf almost had the same fate. Under him, silhouettes covered in dark were not feeling any better. The only thing they could hear was the shooter mumbling that he failed. Under the stupefied stares of the people of the Black Gauntlet, the dwarf hid the artifact he was carrying and left without any other words.


    TCHLANK TCHLONK


    The sounds of a string being released cut her thoughts. The humans had not been idled after encircling her underground base. Even without the presence of mages, they could still rely on the human minds for their terrible inventions. To create weapons capable of destroying a wall, piercing numerous bodies in one shot and such. Their only default was who they chose to target with those. Instead of dealing with the undead or even the rest, they aimed at the only one that was immobile.


    "How long will it take for them to understand the simple truth? That''s they can''t deal with me by only those crude ways?"


    (Not long, I am afraid. Another minute, at worst.)


    Discussing with the Viscount while all the projectiles either vanished into nothingness or simply missed her, the little girl was completely unharmed. By now, she was no longer visible to the human eyes, the unknown thing that was residing in her body fully displayed to the outside world. The very soldiers that were shooting at her began to stop one by one, terrified by what they were seeing. Especially when that thing began to move toward them.


    "Let''s see if you can stay hidden any longer." It did not take long for an answer to appear. A man in his forties caught her eyes, as he was the only one impassive and walking toward her. Calling back Davion, Meridiana, and Kardel, she couldn''t help but feel that he was familiar to her. In all honesty, that Archmage could be described as handsome and knew it. He was unlike the usual mages, that were reluctant to move their bodies. No, his muscles could be seen behind the simple robe he was wearing.


    "That''s it. I knew it reminds me of someone." The three demonic commandants behind her, but not too close of the moving tentacles, she waited for his spell. Maybe a bit too overconfident, she did not even care about the nearly ten other magus that was behind the Archmage. Seeing him extend his hand slowly, she was stunned when she heard the words that leaked from his mouth. Something that shouldn''t be possible, something only one man had ever say to her.


    "ZA WARUDO! TOKI WO TOMARE ! "


    Feeling the clutch of time surrounding her, she saw the equally baffled face of the ones behind her. As Kardel was beginning to open his monstrous maw, she saw him froze. Davion and Merdiana that had been slightly injured in the fight suffered the same fate, turning into statues before they could convey their thoughts.


    (I am afraid it is time, Outlander. I wish you good luck in the future.)


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    Hearing the impassive voice of the Viscount, she knew he was right. No one could escape this spell, besides her. Retracting the darkness in her body as soon as she could, she saw some tentacles that were already not responding. Trying to move forward, she felt like an entire planet was on her shoulders. Each step was harder than the previous one, but she could see the pale face of those magus looking at her like she was a monster.


    "A monster I am. YOU THINK YOU CAN HOLD ME DOWN WITH THIS!" Shouting at those weak humans, she tried to raise her legs, only to find it stuck. When they saw the little girl having a hard time moving her limbs, everyone outside of the spell sighed in relief. For them, that last shout was just the final struggle of a trapped beast. Sensing that even her mouth was beginning to be insensible, she stared at the Archmage, that fit mage, before murmuring an "incantation".


    "I call the darkness into me


    To break the chains of my body


    What''s meant to move can''t be stopped


    Split my soul to turn it naught."


    "OUCH, my head! Wait, what?" Opening his eyes, the man saw that he was seated in his favorite chair, inside his very room. Looking around, he could see the exquisite windows with careful inscriptions, his comfy bed and everything he interacted those past years. Approaching slowly from the door, he couldn''t help but feel surprised when it appeared to be locked. Still perplexed, he reached one window, but this time, it opened.


    Gazing at the familiar streets bustling with people, the hot climate and the numerous merchants haggling ferociously, he calmed himself. After all, he was in his own home, there was nothing wrong with that. However, he had this feeling, that he shouldn''t be here right now. Picking the book he left on his desk, he stared at the empty pages. Checking them one by one, his new project about space magic had completely been erased.


    "What is this place?" Asking himself, he did not expect an infantile voice to answer him. "You don''t even recognize your own magic when you are standing on it." Turning around, he saw a very small child, a girl, floating near a closet. However, she was definitely not human, her entire body was completely black, except her two eyes and her hair. No pupils, no iris, nothing but a white of sea starring at the impressive collections of scrolls he had.


    "Who are ... are you that little girl?" The child hand that was beginning to pick up a book suddenly gripped it tightly, crushing it in the process. But she soon relaxed, before picking another one. "No one calls me like that. I would prefer you to refer to me as Leilade. Leilade Octavius." Hearing that name, the man could only feel that it was something important, but what exactly, he could not remember.


    Gazing at her for a few minutes, he finally managed to extract a few fragments of her memory. "You are one of them?" The floating girl that was reading the book with blank pages nodded to that question. "Why did you came to our world?" To his surprise, instead of being angry or things like that, she only laughed at him.


    "Do you truly think any of us wanted to be here? Me, or the ones that came before? If you had to blame someone, you should blame the one you kept here."


    "WHAT?"


    Not expecting to hear his deepest secret revealed like that, the sudden shock made him remember what happened recently. But his oldest memory only showed him the little girl surrounded by darkness imprisoned in his spell, so how could she be here, whatever it was. "Don''t worry, I will keep it a secret. Quite frankly, I did not expect to see this spell being used once again. Especially since it was a failure."


    The Archmage could not understand how something that he had tried thousands of times during the last century, with major successes, could be called a failure. Even right now, if they could pass the door, he could show her the numerous animals trapped in time for years. Shaking his head, he had to remind himself that she was the enemy, and that showing her his magic was not a good thing.


    "What do you mean by a failure?"


    "He didn''t tell you? I guess he predicted I would be the one to come. Otherwise, he wouldn''t have shown you this. Let''s say, your spell is extremely efficient. It can disrupt the flow of time in a certain area, something that can be extended to decades even. But, while it can deal with matters, it is flawed against the ethereal. Like a soul, mine."


    Looking at the black floating girl, he only realized now that she was the complete opposite of the image he remembered in his mind. Black and white, darkness and light. "So, I did trap you. But you escaped." Hearing her juvenile laugh once more, he wondered what stupid things he said. After all, didn''t she just said the exact same thing moments ago?


    "Do you know how magic is created?"


    "I think I do, but maybe you have a different approach." If the strongest magus of this place, the Archmage, said that he did not understand how magic was created, no one would dare to say they understood it. He had spoken with dragons, and even they could only say that it was innate for their races. That they did not have knowledge about how exactly magic was created.


    "Magic is a consequence, created by two causes. A soul and mana." As she was explaining, she showed him her left hand with two fingers raised and her right one with only one finger up. "With magic, you can create myriads of things or use it to interact with many things. But in the beginning, to create that interaction, you need your soul."


    In her hand, a blue ball was slowly formed. The ball then began to float all around the room, touching some objects in the process. A plate, a book, the chair the man was seated in previously. "You can use other words for the soul. Mind, will, anything, as long as they convey a thought. Thoughts, even primitive one that could be considered as instinct, are the string that pulls the arrow."


    The blue ball turned into a bow, with a blue string. At this point, even the Archmage could guess what was needed afterward. "And the mana is the arrow." "Exactly, bravo." Clapping her hand, Leilade seemed amused by that. In truth, the human couldn''t help but wonder if that jovial girl was truly the demon he was meant to fight. Since the beginning, she had spent her time laughing and playing. Except when he called her a little girl.


    "With mana as the arrow, you can finally use your bow. And what bow it can become. Fireball, a meteor, a skeleton, anything, as long as you have the will and the mana." Releasing the bow, it turned into a rainbow, lightening the entire room. Appreciating the short spectacle, the Archmage still had many questions to ask, with her presence here. Forgetting for one moment that she was evil, it was a unique occasion for him.


    "That was very interesting. But, if that''s true, why people need sometimes to use words to cast a spell? Shouldn''t just think about it be enough?" Seeing the girl play with the rainbow and make it move, he wondered if she had heard him. But before he could ask once more, she interrupted him.


    "I heard you. Like I said, will, mind, soul. Some are not strong enough and some are. Some have bodies capable of hoarding a massive amount of mana, not needing to siphon the one in their surroundings while others are completely dependent on where they are. Small tricks like speaking what is supposed to be unleashed can help, that''s for sure. And the harder the magic is, the more those tricks are used. Like we both did."


    Raising her hand, he could see a fireball appear in it. Right after that, he heard her saying "[Fireball]", only to see the exact copy in her other hand shortly after. Feeling the stare of those blank white eyes, he reddened a bit, ashamed to ask such basic question. "You said that you know someone that I am supposed to detain here? Why are you saying this?"


    For the first time he saw her, her expression changed. Not looking any more like a young girl having fun, she was far more composed and harbored an evil grin. "Why? Do you have any idea how many people have the guts to call me a little girl in front of me?" Surprised by this statement, he realized that it was true. Based on what he knew, no one would be foolish enough to anger someone that strong, for no reason at all. Then, he also understood that if he hadn''t heard someone call her like that since she had first appeared in his dreams, he wouldn''t have said it.


    "Also, you have that spell. It was created by that little space bunny. The possibility that someone like you could reach this level in space magic is none. And now, I know he is here. Well, not here, but here in the real world." Approaching the door, she only knocked on it. Relieved by that, the Archmage pondered about what she just told him and her earlier words. That he was standing in his own magic.


    Sensing his thoughts, she could easily guess what he will ask next. Approaching the closet where she was previously, she began to tap with her finger on it. "Now that you know that it is your magic and now about magic, that would mean you created this. After all, I had never been inside such a luxurious room." Compared to his plain and simple robe, that was true that his own bedroom could be easily compared to the one of a king. Making quite a contrast, to say the least.


    "However, I also lied. My bad." The Archmage looked at her, wondering if she was joking or not. With the huge smile displayed her blackened mouth, he was a bit unsure. However, in everything that she had said, he could not find a single thing that was wrong. Magic could truly be explained by what she said, she also knew about the one he kept imprisoned. She never had been in her room, so it made sense that it was him that created this place and she was clearly out of the spell he used to froze her friends.


    "When I said it can''t trap a soul, it was false. After all, Candaith hates me, as I do. He would never let me escape so easily by not making sure I can''t use what I am best in. Leaving me no choice but to do this."


    Tap tap


    tap tap tap


    For the first time, he found the sound of her hitting his closet irritable. But when he saw her pointing at the opened window, he began to feel scared. "Look at the window. That is your magic." Approaching it carefully, the human gazed on the apocalyptic state that Durthang had turned into. The previously lively streets had been consumed by never-ending darkness. "Until I got here." Starring at the innocent girl, he saw his closet beginning to also turn into shadows. And understood what she forced Candaith to do like she was forcing him to do right now.


    Not even pronouncing a word, the Archmage saw the soul of Leilade beginning to invert her colors. Her eyes were beginning to be dyed black as the rest of her body took a more usual color. Waving her hand at the defeated human, she saw that he was preparing to fight back. "Goodbye, apprentice bunny." Seeing the soul floating toward the ceiling that looked like a black hole, the Archmage could only begin to protect himself from the shadows that were coming for him. But he knew at this moment that he had already let the most terrifying monster out. Otherwise, it would have been him the next to be consumed.


    In the real world, on the other hand, the humans could only see Leilade and the Archmage starring at each other, neither of the two moving. Shortly after he activated that spell, they saw the small demon trying to escape, only to be caught as well. But, in the process, all the disciples of the Archmage began to fall one by one, with only the Archmage still standing.


    However, the undead were still fighting, provoking countless casualties. But, only a minute after the Archmage used his spell, they could see most of the skeletons beginning to crumble. No one had the time to look at the sky that turned yellow for a brief second above. With only the liches still standing, it did not take long before Idhrenil Gwendhir killed the last of them. The Hero Ferrod had been completely crushed under the feet of that monster, knocking him down for good.


    With the battlefield cleaned, everyone began to assemble and see what was happening. The few remaining magus that had been protected during the battle could only excuse themselves each time someone asked a question. They had no idea about what was happening as well. The only thing they could do was give their mana to the Archmage. However, as they were left drained, they noticed the small fissure in front of them.


    Crack


    The spell that was looking like a bubble showed sign of beginning to fissure. At the same time, they could see dark shadows leaving the bodies of the fallen disciples. They all began to repeatedly try to enlarge the fissure and nothing that the humans tried managed to scare them away. Also, the mages did not dare risk to weakened the spell with magic.


    Soon, the darkness managed to dig a very thin tunnel toward Leilade, missing only one single centimeter. Only when they heard a body falling did that final centimeter was breached. Turning their sights toward the Archmage that had also ended on the ground, everyone shuddered. Quickly carrying the bodies of that unconscious away, the bystanders could witness the soul of Leilade beginning to escape.


    "STOP!" The black and white girl turned her head at 180¡ã degrees, as her body was at the opposite of them. Souls had almost no constraints compared to physical bodies. Sensing the stare of that demon on him, Lord Darkwater summoned all of his courage to not show anything on his face. By doing that, he was hoping that the magus would begin to target her.


    Reality quickly reminded him that those he was expecting for were clearly not thinking the same. He could not find a single mage near him, even Arthar that should have been at arms reach having disappeared. Realizing that he was, in fact, quite alone all of a sudden, besides Amdir that stayed, he decided to remember this later. However, right now, he only had to keep his life. "Nevermind, you can go."


    Seeing her neck returning to a normal state, the old general still sighed in relief. Massaging his forehead, he sensed the sweat that was on his fingers. Just being in contact with that thing was even more impressive than he first thought. But before he could speak to the pale young man that was truly reliable, he heard the sound an unfamiliar horn. Looking in that direction, his annoyance toward the coward humans found a new target.


    In their beautiful armors and carrying their refined bows and swords, an entire legion of elves had arrived for help. They had been delayed a lot by the defeat of Avirus and the fall of Archet, but they had finally arrived to help fight the Dark Gods. Or, at least, that was what the elven commandant thought. Only to see three monsters standing still, numerous mages carrying away and an intense smell of blood. Before they could report their arrival, a very old man approached them and patted his shoulder, a disappointed smile on his face. "It''s over, you can go home."

 144 A Demon in the dark

    In a blink of an eye, a few days had passed and peace had returned to Massalia. The spatial magic executed by the Archmage had successfully trapped three of the Dark Gods, preventing them from rampaging inside the country. But, after the one that had the form of a small child managed to escape, the state of the Archmage took a worse turn. He was constantly hot, feeling a strange fever in his body. Those symptoms were also felt by all the magus that helped him accomplishing that exploit.


    Because of this, and while the only surviving Hero of the Age of Darkness assured them that his spell couldn''t fail, many were doubtful of that claim. After all, wasn''t that dark spirit the proof that it was a possibility. However, even in his weakened state, the Archmage said that before five years, at worst, those monsters won''t be able to even move their little finger. Therefore, they had the time to prepare everything they needed in that period.


    However, behind his back, Lord Darkwater and the bearer of the Black Gauntlet were not fooled by such words. After so many centuries, it was logical that some information was lost, but it would not affect someone that had lived at that time. And unlike the records of the different human nations, the Organization always kept its secrets hidden. In the tent of the old general, the two men were surrounded by countless magic protections, allowing them to discuss without being spied.


    "So, will you proceed to march towards Archet?" The giant was appreciating the fine wine from the Grey Lands. Not that he didn''t personally have a huge collection of those, but it was pleasure he would never get rid off. "With what army? Our last magus are plagued by that thing this girl left. Even the Archmage suffer from this. As for the elves, they were quick to return to their forests. But, I wonder about one thing, did you not call Sharpeye for this?"


    After this name was pronounced, the tall human couldn''t help but shake his head. "We call him. And even one of the last mana bullets from IronSkull did not inflict any damage. Even worst, she attacked him in retaliation. Maybe you didn''t see it, but even from hundreds of meters, she almost hit him. And in a blink of an eye. And now, he is even harder to negotiate with and want some additional compensations."


    Chuckling about the grumpy dwarf, they both knew that his failure meant that she was not something normal humans could deal with. Maybe the name of Sharpeye was not well known, but his other identity, as the deadliest assassin in the entire world, could fill with terror even the magus. Only because he was so expensive did they were still alive. Also, Sharpeye was not really his name, just his title, as the one best sharpshooter of the dwarven kingdom. And the only one worthy to possess the artifact left by one of the dwarf Heroes.


    "No, we will just hope that those demons will just stay peacefully in Archet and not cause any problem. After all, they did not attack us in the first place." Raising his cup, the old general drunk at this foolish hope. "Wouldn''t it be funny, if they could help you resolve that thing in the Lake?" Both men silently drunk at this idea, one worrying about the fact that his people had the most intense conflict with those Dark Gods while the other was remembering about his earlier years.


    Of course, that sudden change in their attitude toward the demons that invaded their planet did not go particularly well for the men of Avenio. After all, it was now them that had a pressing issue with those monsters. However, as much as they wanted to keep fighting, they couldn''t even manage to obtain the help of the Synnada Empire. Just by looking at the losses of everyone, it could cause nightmares to more than one human.


    In the last offensive, the undead had managed to massacre dozens of thousands of soldiers, maybe even more than one hundred thousands humans. Without any mages to counter the liches, the latter had free reign over the sky, and if not for the arrival of the Archmage and some of his disciples, it could have been even worse. Also, if the Hero Ferrod was completely trapped under the foot of that terrifying creature, that unknown thing was free to trample anyone else in its path.


    Not even a fourth of the original force was still alive if some counted the lost men of the general Avirus. Making an assault on Archet highly unlikely. After all, they had maybe managed to trap three of those demons, but three were still out there. That lich, the red giant and the small parody of a child. Also, the gods had been extremely quiet the last days, and while there was the news of another Hero being born, he was just a child. It would take years for him to be truly useful.


    Far from those considerations, an Ak?l was currently carrying a body above a pond filled with blood. Nearby, three unconscious humans were guarded by some liches and on the other side, five bodies were laying on the ground, the blood in their bodies completely gone. Using his massive hands, Ymir was trying to squeeze everything out of the body he had in his grip. "C''mon, work, damn it." Trying to pierce the red liquid with his eyes, to see if there were any changes, he could not notice anything unusual.


    When Malakov had first arrived, he was just a skull and an arm floating above the ground. His only words before he could no longer talk was to put him into a pool of fresh blood. Not particularly happy by the fact that he was still completely in the dark concerning what happened to the rest of them, the giant demon still searched for appropriate preys. After all, Meridiana had specified that he should never, ever, attack one of his citizens if they were innocent. Fortunately, some people were not very smart.


    With those new rules, if the majority accepted them, a few tried to break them. Currently, in the new jail that was near his castle, nine young men and women had been condemned by their peers. Their actions had been, extremely stupid. For some reasons, they blamed Gwendoline for this and tried to attack her in her home. Of course, since she was someone the succubus cared about, Ymir had some of his skeletons protecting her.


    With that, the overwhelming evidence that by entering with weapons inside her home, they were looking to kill her, they were found guilty unanimously. Even as now, the still Mayor of Archet had huge popularity amongst the population. It was caused by the fact that she had managed to conserve the jobs of the guards, allowing them to control the undead and prevent many arrests. And with the still intact support of the nobles, besides some extreme reactions, she was considered as good while Ymir was bad. Not that the Ak?l cared if some said behind his back that type of stuff.


    "The last of them. Malakov, you hear me? HEY!" Trying to communicate with what was inside the blood pond, he could only see a bone appearing slowly. The finger was still riddled with fissures, as well as the hand that was attached to it. Without a sound, two liches that were nearby began to approach it and levitate the undead body. Half of the rib cage had been restored, but it was obvious just those few humans were not enough.


    "Failure. All. Trapped. Empress. Escaped. Soul." The faint voice of the lich could only form a few words, but they shocked Ymir deeply. Especially when he heard that they were trapped and not killed. How was it possible? "What do you mean by that? Malakov? Malakov, are you here?" Approaching his hands to shake the body, he stopped at the last second. It would be useless and would only worsen the condition of the lich.


    All alone, besides the undead that were not really talkative, he stared at the pile of human bodies. With nothing else to do for the moment, he picked one up and began to eat it. Trying to forget the very sour taste of a body without any blood, he thought about the future. The problem was that it was not what an Ak?l was supposed to do, think. Such a demon, especially Ymir, was more focused on killing and eating than anything else.


    "If only Leilade could be here. She would tell me, go kill all those humans, and I would be like, yes, more food. But now, I am stuck at hearing that never-ending stream of complaints by that tiny thing. Why did Meridiana choose someone that talks so much like that?" Complaining loudly in the cold room, he finished his meal extremely quickly. Picking up the last femur, he climbed the stairs to return to his chamber.


    "Miss Gwendoline is asking for you." Raising his eyes in the sky after hearing that name, Ymir still murmured some dark kinds of stuff about the way a certain person should just die and let him be alone. Starring at the two humans that constantly visited him, he did not notice their widened eyes. "What?" Sitting leisurely on the majestic chair, he had nothing of a sovereign.


    "Cough cough, Demon Emperor, may I ask you to who this bone belongs to?" The two humans were quite a bit embarrassed when they saw the one they were trying hard to be accepted by the inhabitants of Archet acting like that. Especially since there was still a chunk of flesh on the bone. "Huh? This? One of those that tried to kill you." Not knowing if she should feel relieved after learning the truth, the Mayor tried to explain slowly the problem.


    "Demon Emperor, can you not show in public with your ... meal like that?" Lifting the almost finished bone and switching his gaze between that and the two humans, Ymir just shrugged it off. "Fine, but why are you here? You couldn''t know that I was eating."


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    "Of course, the ones that you were waiting for have arrived. After hearing that a large group of trolls and undead had shown up at the eastern gate, I immediately rushed here to report the news." Nodding his head, the large Ak?l swallowed the last remains of the former prisoner and began to stride forward. Only to pause right before passing the giant door.


    "Why am I informed only after you two? Shouldn''t I be the first to know this?" Feeling the intense stare of the demon, the two humans felt their knees getting weaker. In truth, it was not their fault that no human guards would come directly to the castle. In fact, besides Andre and Gwendoline, no one had ever set foot in it. She tried one time to convince some nobles like the elder Eltritch, but they had adamantly refused.


    "My apologies, your Highness. We thought that the undead would have reported the news. We only came because you were not showing up." Scratching his head, the Ak?l was now embarrassed. He couldn''t just say that he couldn''t truly control those undead. Or say that the one that did control the undead was in such a bad state that he could hardly speak. Murmuring something in the demonic tone, he left the two without answering.


    Walking in the street, he could see the terrified eyes of the bystanders that quickly ran away as soon as they spotted him. Only a few were gritting their teeth and kept walking. At least, it was better than the first day where the streets were completely empty. As for when he finally arrived at the ramparts, the human guards were once more nowhere to be found. Noticing one of the officers that was less tiny than the rest, he marched toward him.


    "Glup ...Demon Emperor. This ... They ... Trolls!" Looking at the burly man that was as rigid as a tree, he waved his hand as the succubus told him to. Hearing the relieved sigh behind him, he focused more on the horde of trolls that were carrying a vast amount of fruits and vegetables. Nearby, many animals that were designed to be raised and eaten had been accompanied by many skeletons and liches.


    Wondering how he was supposed to find a place for all of them, he began to open widely his arms and greet them in troll. And, for the first time since he arrived here, someone cheered for him as the trolls rushed to encircle the red giant, talking about how the weather was nice, the food was delicious and if the humans were here to be eaten. Before he could stop smiling and answer them, he noticed a dark cloud coming his way. But when he saw someone inside, completely black, excepting her eyes and her hair, he understood that something was wrong. "Not good."

 145 Talking to a nightmare

    "EVERYONE GET INSIDE! NOW! RUN!" Seeing the humans flee right away, as well as the undead, he noticed the dumbfounded trolls that were surprised by what was happening. None of them had seen the terrifying threat that was coming. One even asked if it was time for lunch. Repeating the same instruction in their language, he asked them to specifically enter the huge building, his castle. Letting a lich guide them, he jumped on the ramparts, starring at the incoming Leilade.


    "Oh man, why it happened to me? What did Drugrat said about her when she is like that, don''t contradict her? Lunatic, crazy, childish and out of control small girl. Calm yourself Ymir, it was years ago, she is stronger now, she shouldn''t turn like that." Comforting himself, he couldn''t help but gaze at what Leilade had become. There had always been a few situations where people lost control of themselves, but it generally was not too grave because they could be controlled. Unfortunately, the Ak?l knew it was not the case. Because of this, he was desperately trying to remember every word his deceased superior said back on Artosis.


    If the Leilade in human form was a cold, calculative and rarely angered person, when she was in such a state, it seemed that nothing was suppressing her emotions. Like, someone in her head was no longer present to control her and reduce the damage she could inflict. Some thought that it was the Vault of Souls that could be the reason, while others wondered if she had two personalities or even more. But in the end, the last time the dark Leilade was unleashed, only Abaddon, the Demon Emperor above her, managed to subdue the soul before she truly killed Candaith.


    "Empress of the Underworld?" Trying to calm her before she got to close, Ymir could still see her approaching the spot where he was. However, this time, if he truly stepped back, nothing will save him from the darkness. "Hi, Ymir!" If it had been any other occasion, seeing that sweet little girl smile would have calmed him. Because that meant their enemies will all be destroyed. But now, he did not know if he was considered as an enemy or something else.


    "WHERE IS MALAKOVVVVVVV?" The deep, grave voice that left from the appearance of Leilade only made Ymir shudder even more. Apparently, she was definitely not pleased with her Envoy. "He is ..." "I am here, Empress." Out of nowhere, a lich appeared, bowing to the floating soul. Debating for a fraction of a second if he should use this to escape far away, the red demon did not overlook the fact that Leilade was still starring at him.


    "Obey Ymir while I am out." Not expecting this, the lich got up. "But what about ... ARGH." Telepathically pulling the undead into her raised hand, the soul shaped like a small girl had her two white eyes in front of his empty eye sockets. "BUT?" Understanding his position, Malakov immediately submitted. "Of course, Empress of the Underworld, it will be done." However, to his surprise, she did not drop him. Feeling his body being slowly absorbed, the undead could only escape with his soul before he was consumed by her.


    By now, Ymir was completely sweating. The normal Leilade would have never harmed Malakov like that, especially when he was still in a borrowed body like now. Trying his best to smile and not appear scared, he watched the lich body slowly disappear into nothingness. By now, he understood truly why everyone that had been the witness of the madness of Leilade said to get away as fast as possible. There were no allies in her eyes anymore.


    "Viscount, where are you? Why are you hiding? What did I want?" Hearing the incomprehensible murmurs of the soul, the stiffened giant heard them and instantly forgot what he heard. Who ever was that Viscount, it was definitely not his problem. Suddenly feeling a lot colder, he could only stand still as he saw her getting closer, a smile plastered on her dark face. In fact, he also had a smile on his face, just not displaying his true emotions.


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    "Ymir, where were you? Why did I not see you those last days? Why did you abandon us?" Feeling trapped, the Ak?l had no idea what to answer. That it was her idea? Even he could know that it was a stupid thing to say. Searching in his memories, he finally got an idea, right before being eaten alive. "Empress, you were heading toward the dwarves. You said you wanted to have them help Master Agnil."


    Starring at the dark tentacle that was centimeter away from his left eye, neither of the two was breathing. One because she couldn''t, the other because he shouldn''t. However, Leilade was not smiling anymore and was apparently thinking intensely, by the looks of her face. "The dwarves? I did say that. But it was only after the battle was finished after we killed all of those humans. The Archmage. The battle where you were not here. Why?"


    His spark of genius still not extinguished, the giant managed to think quickly enough. "But the battle is over. So, it is maybe time to visit them. Empress." He added an empress at the end, just to be sure. The logic was completely flawed, even he could notice it. But the childish behavior that she displayed and the fact that she did not seem to be completely sane allowed him to have hope.


    "You are right. I said I wanted to go, so I will go. Who could prevent me from doing that, you? Hihihi." "Haha ... haha ..." Even if she was laughing for real, Ymir was definitely just accompanying her. Everyone could see that his laugh was definitely not natural and certainly not happy. Inwardly, he was cursing his bad luck, for she was always targeting him. Why couldn''t she just say Davion, that way he would be fine. He would immediately dump every problem on the orodil back, not caring about whether he was here to defend himself or not.


    "Goodbye, Ymir." "Empress of the Underworld." Seeing her beginning to float away, he almost fell on his knees. That was far too close to death for him. Remembering the dark tentacles that were too close to his body, he began to wave the air in the surroundings, to dispel any lingering darkness. Not that any of it ever left the soul of Leilade, but it was mainly to calm his mind.


    "Where are they?" "..." Almost screaming, Ymir did it in his mind nonetheless. Preventing his mouth from saying anything wrong, he took a very deep inspiration, before looking at the black and white girl. Then, he looked at where they were, only to point toward the South-West. "Empress, you need to go that way until you find a very big river. There follow it to the right, until you reach the mountains."


    He began to see her pouting, as she seemed pissed off. "Why are you not accompanying me? Why are you sending me away like that?" Realizing that he could absolutely not contradict her, but could not leave as well, he chose the lesser evil. If during their travel, she remembered he was supposed to stay in Archer but he had followed her, he would be done for. At the same time, he wished from the bottom of his soul to not stay a single additional minute with her.


    "You ordered me to stay here, Empress."


    "I was joking, of course, I knew that. Who would want to have a smelly demon like you following her?" At this point, Ymir was void of any emotions. It was too hard for him to follow the changes in Leilade, so he could only try his best to stay impassive. Hearing her laughter, he saw the black soul with white hair slowly disappearing in the horizon. Thing rare for an Ak?l, he was pitying the dwarves that will have to face this monster without prior knowledge.


    Exhausted, he only listened with half of his brain how Gwendoline proposed to integrate the trolls to the community. Barely understanding what she was saying, all he knew was that it was fine. There shouldn''t be any problem. As for the cattle and the magical seeds, the skeletons had received the orders of Malakov beforehand. After obtaining the exact location from the Mayor of Archet, they began to dig an underground farm in the Northern area, where the trolls will live.


    Starring at the inanimate body of Malakov, Ymir could only hope more people will come here to die. It was also at this moment he remembered that he still did not know exactly what happened, and he could have asked Leilade. Revising his opinion directly after thinking this, he guessed it was fine not to know. Even if the humans tried to attack, they wouldn''t be that numerous anyway.

 146 All in one and One is all

    After seeing the angel of death impersonated floating in the air, there was not a single human that did not try to immediately hide in fear. Whether they were adventurers, soldiers, merchants or innocent travelers, all cowered in fear, hoping that the dark thing above their head will be gone soon. As for those that made too much noise and managed to stir Leilade away from her thoughts, no one ever saw them again.


    Fortunately for the citizens of Avenio, the direction that Ymir indicated had not a single village or even a small hamlet directly on the way. A few could have been seen from where the soul was, but she was not in a hurry to rampage the country. In fact, she was not in a hurry to do anything, merely thinking a lot. Only that, unlike normal situations, none of those she called answered, all still inside the Vault of Souls in her original body.


    To break free from the spell of Candaith, her only choice had been to split her soul to directly attack the space mage soul and force him to release her from the spell. However, due to the fact she was nowhere near her former glory, the best she could do was to infect the different mages responsible for the spell. Even after removing their control temporarily, her different souls were a bit too weak to efficiently fused into one, creating a bit of a mess in her mind. And as much as she hated to admit, something Candaith personally created was not any weaker than her own spells in their own.


    And now, she was stuck with that nasty personality she obtained in her early days. Her main persona still remained inside her body, protected by the Viscount until she came back. In addition, no matter how much she called Master Agnil or anyone else, including the annoying dragon, none of them were present with her. Reminding herself to not destroy everything she had worked for, like waking up the Saksa, she kept floating forward.


    With her mind still a bit in a turmoil, the time she spent in such a pensive state was far longer than she first expected. She also couldn''t help but feel that something was wrong, and it concerned the Saksa. But the best she could come up was the fact that it was the dwarves the closest, so, in the end, it made sense she went to them to ask some questions. Looking under her and seeing the lush vegetation, she wondered how huge was the distance.


    Inwardly hitting her head after remembering that globe Malakov created, it was still not precise enough to allow her to guess where she was. At the same time, this forest did not seem to be any different than the one near her base, or should she say, former base.Getting irritated for no reason, besides thinking useless stuff again and being to slow to remember things, the darkness surrounding her expanded and swallowed a nearby tree.


    "No, no, no. I will kill all those dwarves if I stay like that. I hate this young Leilade." She was barely conscious enough to know how she should act, but not enough to repress her personality. Searching the surroundings, she found an unlucky group of travelers that were calmly sleeping. Only one was still up, and from the looks of it, they had gathered many herbs and plants. Not caring whether the awake human saw her or not, she approached the group.


    Since she was way above the ground, the sentry did not even notice the strange black and white girl looking at him from above. Neither did he notice that the night was getting a hell of a lot colder and darker. Subconsciously shivering a bit, he pulled his clothes closer to him, in an attempt at warming himself. Looking left and right and seeing his friends still sleeping without making a sound, he was feeling better. Or at least, that was his last thought.


    Looking at the blue soul that was in her hand, she carefully manipulated little threads of mana to turn it into something useful. A few minutes later, she had created a pale version of an alarm. Fundamentally, she used it to just allow her body, or what looked like a body, to keep moving while she was dealing with her fractured soul. Not knowing how long it would take and not wanting to miss the big river, that was her best option.


    Retreating inside her mind, she saw the more or less ten Leilade playings everywhere, some happily singing together while others were fighting to the death. However, none approached the one that had the same colors as the physical main body, who was calmly reading a book. Even now, the real soul of Leilade was still in the same state, completely darkened besides her white eyes and hair. Realizing that sending it to deal with the Archmage may have not been the best choice, she still accomplished her role perfectly.


    Slowly taking care of each of the fragments, she eliminated the most belligerent ones first. She could not allow more problems to come up anymore. Without feeling time anymore, she had no idea that her presence was getting more and more known. If she was too fast to allow the humans to warn themselves, they were still able to report seeing her heading toward the fallen Kingdom of Pankow. But at the same time, conflicted hearings began to obscure what was really happening.


    With the half-baked soul in charge of doing only one single thing, the darkness that usually spread were restrained by Leilade. Because of this, there was no attack anymore on any humans. This was fully displayed when one time, a hill had appeared and the soul had completely disregarded. But the adventurers on it that saw the ghost pass mere centimeters away from them were left terrified, all their muscles frozen in fear. Of course, none of them tried to even attack Leilade, since they had no idea what thing was.


    On the other hand, the news that she had escaped from the spell of the Archmage was beginning to be heard everywhere inside Avenio. With the capital situated in the West, the region around Archet was one of the last to get it. So, the story about the ghost of a little girl flying silently without attacking anyone mixed up with the orders to avoid at all cost the fleeing Dark God. Thankfully, common sense dictated that in both cases, it was better to just flee in panic.


    "So, here we are." "Yes indeed." The two remaining Lelaide just stared at each other, one grinning happily while the other looked visibly irritated.The two were the complete opposite of each other, both in mentality or in colors. Closing the book she had in her hand, she threw it to the main persona. "Here, take a look." However, instead of listening to the annoying fragment of her soul, Leilade just burned it immediately.


    "Don''t you think I already know its empty? You already played that trick years ago. Now, be obedient and stop struggling." Even now, some pages that were still burning began to fly around, showing their content. And as expected, even if the title seemed real, there was nothing else that was written. Curling up slightly, the young soul began to have tears in her black eyes. "Why are you so mean? Can''t you let me enjoy a bit of freedom?"


    Raising her eyes to the sky, Leilade only began to march toward the uncontrollable little kid, to finally get rid off her. But the moment she touched her doppelganger, she met nothing but emptiness. Seeing the white body beginning to disappear, she turned around, looking everywhere. "Hihihi. Good luck finding me. You are not any stronger than me this time." Fuming inwardly that she had to fight inside her own soul, Leilade could still not deny the words she heard.


    Knowing that, she had no choice but to compromise. If the Viscount was here, he could have immobilized the renegade one quite easily. Not wanting to remain in such a state any longer, Leilade surrendered. "Fine, you can live a bit longer. But you won''t take control of me." Appearing out of nowhere, the smiling girl had her eyes wide open. In truth, she did not expect that inflexible old crow to be like that.


    Picking up the half-burned book that was on the ground, she passed her hand above it, revealing what the Archmage had written on it. Now all alone, free of the incessant noises of the other souls, she did not cause any additional issue to Leilade. Staring at her self that was leisurely reading a blank page, the Empress of the Underworld couldn''t help but feel relieved. Besides being malicious, naughty and infantile, she was still herself. And sometimes, she regretted not being that way anymore.


    Opening her eyes, she gazed at the furious river that was right in front of her. From where she stood, she could see the living environment around her, with green grass and a few bushes here and there. Sometimes, her eyes could see a few trees grouped, but even if it seemed quite empty, it was still a normal plain. Nothing compared to what the other side had to offer.


    In truth, it was not as disastrous as some humans had memories of it. Most likely, it was not even memories but just their imagination that created the scenes she expected. A ground filled with ashes, fire spreading everywhere as all the trees were reduced to just burned trunks. A vision of a nightmare. However, even if it was visibly tainted by something, it was just that. The grass was less green, the trees were thinner and the bushes that should have fruits were only branches.


    There was a clear difference, but it seemed it was possible to live on the other side of the river. For a human, of course. She knew countless races that would love to be in such an environment. Staying far above the deadly flow of water, she gazed at both sides, seeing nothing moving at all. The nearly thirty meters large river was so violent that she could hardly see anything from this world managing to walk through.


    Soon after, she arrived at a point where the river was getting a lot thinner. This did not reduce the intense speed of the water flow, but apparently, the humans were scared enough by that reduced size that a tower had been erected from the ground here. When she saw the dumbfounded soldiers that were at the same height as he, she almost waved at them. Restraining herself, she bypassed them entirely, not caring that they were shouting warnings everywhere.


    This kept going, except the part where her younger self tried to mess up with her, as the days passed. Sometimes, even if it was clearly not possible to travel through the river, a group of soldiers could be seen guarding the place. On other locations, where the water level was dangerously low, what could only be considered as a little fortified town was nearby. But even then, she had not sensed any undead lurking around, making her wonder if they were as threatening as those humans imagined.


    SKRIEK


    Lifting her head to stare at the dark birds that were circling in the sky, she couldn''t help but notice they were similar to something Kardel said. Very large black birds, supposedly bringer of bad news, namely the Dark Gods. Or at least, that was the way the humans described them. Deciding to take a closer look, she approached the abnormal vultures, to see how they will react. As for the humans that never let their eyes lose the wandering soul, all they could do was hope those damned birds and that damned Dark God fought to the death.


    SKRIEK SKRIEK


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    Sensing a stranger defying their territory, the biggest birds began to approach slowly the foreign thing. After all those years, most have lived for a very long and had also been inside Pankow long enough to see something similar. Only, it did not look like a smaller version of what they loved to eat, nor did it look like the one on top of that tower. Feeling danger, they were smart enough to realize that whatever that thing is, it was not completely unrelated to where they came from.


    Starring at the vultures that were slowly flying away, she wondered how soft their feathers would be. Shaking her idea at this idea, she resumed her travel, feeling she had lost too much time.As long as the Viscount did not warn her about something, that would mean her body was safe in that time bubble. Funny that the very thing that trapped a part of her was also the same thing that kept it safe for the moment. Safe enough for her soul to do as she wished in the meantime. If time prevented their bodies to leave, it also served as a barrier to anything from the outside. That was why, even if that spell seemed incredibly powerful, it reinforced the reputation of Candaith to be completely harmless. Even one of his strongest spell could do nothing but trap something.

 147 Poking at a nest of mysteries

    A few kilometers away from where Leilade was currently floating, another one of those huge fortified cities was currently bustling with activities. A group of soldiers heavily injured came back in a hurry to warn about an incoming attack of the undead. Even if it made many of the rookies shudder in fear, the more experienced veterans only looked at one direction to feel far more confident all of a sudden.


    Sitting near a tree that had been burned a few years ago by thunder, a knight with a skull helmet was grinding his sword, unaffected by the ongoing frenzy. Looking at her weapon a few times, she returned to grinding it after noticing a few duller parts on it. This small island of peace was only perturbed after the arrival of a few other knights of Kirov. Raising her head at the newcomers, the knight did not have to wait for long before they explained why they came here.


    "Team Leader, there are some ... unfortunate news about Martin." Stiffening a bit after hearing the name of her son, she only stopped doing what she was doing. Preferring to announce the news as quickly as they could, the other knights looked like they were pitying her a bit. "I am sorry, but he was part of the army that was destroyed near Archet. He had followed the gener ... I mean, the Hero Avirus."


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    Contrarily to what they expected, instead of crying, being angry or anything like that, the woman only began to laugh. Startled by that, they thought the sorrow had made her go mad, something they could partially understand. Why only partially? Because she was a knight of the order of Kirov. Every member of each families composing the Order was used to losing someone they held dear, for they were the last defender against the abomination that their former country had become.


    "HAHAHAHA! And I thought it was something new. You guys are already days late. It''s fine, you don''t have to worry about me, my Martin is fine, besides being just a soldier." Standing up, she patted the shoulder of one of the still confused knights. Picking up the letter from their very hands, she began to read it while nodding her head a bit. In the end, she created a small flame in her right hand, destroying it completely.


    "Now, instead of worrying for me, you should worry about the attack that will arrive soon. Go wake everyone up. Pschiiiiit, go, go, I am fine." Using her hand to get rid of the pesky subordinates that cared about her mental state, she sighed after they were gone. Picking up the short message she kept in one of her pockets, she read it again. Seeing the elegant writing of her brother, he was informing her that her son had miraculously escaped the massacre near the city of Archet.


    Even now, she could hardly believe that something that claimed the lives of more than 50 thousands of good soldiers did not manage to kill her son. The only other survivor was Avirus, that only died later, after facing the Dark Gods. But even if she was still in disbelief, she trusted her brother that he would never lie to her. Even if he already had white hair, it did not mean he was senile. Besides the fact that he left the Order and became a tea merchant. Still lost in her thoughts, she did not notice the black spot in the sky that was different from those nightmares on wings. Neither did the other soldiers running around.


    Gazing at the erratic movements of those humans, she wondered what was happening. Only after getting closer did she understood that the undead of Pankow were trying once more to attack Avenio. Because she hadn''t seen any of them yet, she stopped going forward and searched for a place to have a good view of the incoming battle. After flying downward to hide inside a tree, she found a good branch to sit and relax. Not that she had a real body with real needs. But the habits of possessing a corporeal body were hard to lose in a few days.


    DONG DONG DONG


    The loud bells of the little town resonated, to warn all the civilians to hide as soon as possible. A few travelers that were in the vicinity, whether they were adventurers or something else either rushed toward the sound or flee in panic. After all, if the city was to fall, they would be trapped, but it did meant nothing could hunt them in the vast plains. But the very noisy sound did not only affected the local humans. Those birds that were beginning to retreat in front of Leilade suddenly returned to their positions, circling above the fresh meat that was moving on its two legs.


    The next minutes, she could see the ramparts getting filled to the brink by soldiers. The only gate to enter as located at the opposite of the river, in the North. That way, the only thing the undead would be able to see was a tall wall with no opening whatsoever. There was barely less than 100 meters between the shore and the stones that composed those ramparts. Seeing this, Leilade couldn''t help but lower her expectations by a notch. Between the vast immensity of the plains without any soldiers in sight and the obvious trap, whatever was trying to leave Pankow did not think about just walking around it.


    A very familiar sound began to grow, warning the humans about the incoming attack. A few faces that were on the wall began to sigh in relief, as it was not as threatening as first expected. Merely a few thousands of skeletons, nothing else in sight. Even more fortunate, the undead did not seem to have any weapons, being the lowest of the lowest. Even if the numbers between the two forces were more or less the same, it was clear to see who would win in the end.


    Farther away in the horizon, a dark horse was calmly eating the putrid grass, with the remnants of flesh it still had on his head. Bones could be seen on some parts, as the rotten muscles were sometimes twitching, under a heavy armor all over its body. His rider could not be described as any better, wearing an outfit strangely similar to someone of the knights of Kirov. After giving a glance to the skeletons that will probably die without killing anyone, the unknown living dead departed.


    Only a few people managed to notice the black dot that disappeared quickly, mainly the few knights that were on the ramparts and Leilade. Clenching her fist, the female leader nodded at one of her subordinate, that began to immediately leave to inform the Order about that discovery. Across the centuries, those lone riders had been spotted multiple times, only to have both their identity and their goal unknown. But if they were rarely seen before, at least four had been spotted in the last months.


    Not bothered to even look at how the skeletons were crushed while trying to climb the ramparts, Leilade began to leave her tree and look forward to meet that strange undead.Unexpectedly, her sudden appearance made the fighting humans completely baffled for a second, everyone wondering what she was doing. That small carelessness almost cost the life of a new recruit, but besides that incident, nothing else happened. The only ones that were not relieved to see the black soul leaving were the knights of Kirov when they noticed she was aiming at the place where the black dot was.


    Catching up quickly to the half-rotten horse, she found out the rider was not alone anymore. Three of them were patiently waiting on a barren hill, which seemed to have been scorched by a fire recently. Descending from the sky like an angel of death, their first reaction after noticing her was to draw out their swords. Not feeling bothered at being threatened like that, she did not know which one to interrogate first.


    "Who are you?" Turning her back to the three undead knights, she looked at the one that was coming from behind her. He did not seem to be any different from those that were menacing her with their swords, but at least, he talked. With a horrible voice actually, like, seriously, his throat sounded like it had been crushed under something very heavy. The guttural sounds produced by that thing she could call throat were hardly understandable.


    "Leilade Octavius. And you?" The moment she pronounced her name, she felt that a sword was attacking her. However, that did not prevent from finishing what she was saying, as the weapon that should have cut her body in half had disappeared. The undead knight was starring at what was still left in his hand, mainly just the handle of his sword. Wiggling a bit, shadows began to leak from her ethereal form, prompting the remaining bystanders to slowly retreat with their horses.


    "No one. We don''t have names anymore. You are fooling the grou ... are floating in the air of the Kingdom of Pankow. Express the reason for your presence in our kingdom or you will be considered as an intruder. And will meet your appropriate end." Even if the two swords that were pointing at her had returned to their scabbards, it did not mean that she was considered as a guest. And as much as she wanted to know how they expected to kill her, she wouldn''t waste time and mana for nothing.


    "I wanted to ask you a question. Have you ever seen this?" She began to create the image of an orb that could be considered as quite big compared to her. Since she had confirmed the presence of Candaith here, that would mean she had a chance to get back one orb of the Ancients. And from whatever she understood inside the library of the Academy of Magic in Massalia, there was one seen here in the Kingdom of Pankow. However, as much as she examined carefully the reactions of those undead, none even stiffened a bit.


    "No. Now, begone." Cursing the ability of the undead to not display any feelings, it was not really good for her to worsen her relations with those undead. Probing a bit the defenses of their souls, she met, as she expected, a strong resistance. By the fact that those undead knights were strong to start with, they also had centuries to strengthen their will, even if it seemed they had forgotten who they were. Knowing she couldn''t control one before he could react, she left them and returned toward the river.


    The group of riders starred at the black soul that was getting smaller and smaller. Afterward, they began to inspect their surroundings, searching for anything unusual. Even after a few minutes, and after finding nothing at all, they still left the place without a word. Riding for a few kilometers and repeating the same search, they had to acknowledge the fact that the soul they just met did not do anything to them.


    "Is she from the Vampire Coast?" The one with the missing blade on his sword began to shake his head after hearing the guess of his peer. "No, she came from the North. From Avenio. Recently, one of the humans I grabbed said that the Dark Gods had returned. She probably is one of them."


    "Whatever she is, she knows about the Artifact. We have to warn Him. Let''s just hope she won''t be as hard to deal with than those bloodsuckers. Even if it is highly unlikely." Following this discussion, they all split up to warn each of their brothers and sisters spread across the kingdom. Standing still for a few seconds as the others were leaving, one undead knight touched the part where his sword had disappeared. It was not a clean cut, and he could see no pattern in what cut his weapon. Putting it back, he couldn''t help but murmur the two words he learned as his horse was running. "Leilade Octavius."

 148 A normal world?

    On her way, she saw a few other undead attacks, but all they managed to earn from her was sheer disappointment. They rarely had more skulls than human heads, and even if they did, it was never overwhelming. For all she could see, besides pining down a huge amount of soldiers from Avenio, those skeletons had no other purposes. She had not seen anything worse than a limb being cut, but it was quickly healed.


    Since that was the case, the vultures flying in the sky near her quickly departed, realizing that their meal wouldn''t appear anytime soon. Maybe because of her or maybe because it was what they were doing usually, but she saw quite a few groups of those birds hiding in the clouds and tailing the travelers that left the different fortresses. Following them, she could witness the few unlucky ones that suffered a terrible fate, as they were too far from any potential helpers.


    In the instance where those dark creatures could not get a human as a snack, they turned their sights toward the few animals that were nearby. But after the numerous years where they had done that, the vast plains were quite empty. Making her wonder how it was possible for those monsters to survive for so long without eating. After all, if they were all assembled near the frontier between the two kingdoms, it was because of something. But that was just mere thoughts from her since she couldn''t know if more of those vultures were flying deeper inside Pankow.


    The days passed with only a few events. Some weak undead attacks, some unfortunate humans that got too close to Pankow and suffered the wrath and hunger of the vultures. Even sometimes a group of humans trying to enter the undead kingdom, only to retreat a few hours later. Remembering the small army she first encountered on this planet, those expeditions were similar. That little princess of Massalia was probably sent to experience the environment of Pankow, as a trial of some sorts. Never expected to meet her in the process.


    Strangely enough, she could see from where she was that the previously hidden undead all became to appear as soon as those humans entered Pankow. However, they were always out of sight of the men from Avenio, making it seem to be an empty place. Unlike the weak skeletons she saw, those undead were zombies, resurrected bodies from under the ground. In which they returned as soon as no one living was in the vicinity.


    Seeing clearly what was the situation, she couldn''t help but feel that something was even weirder than the fact the Saksa had not reacted to the spell of Candaith and her answer. For the humans, to only contain the undead seemed logical. But at the same times, they probably ordered thousands and thousands of small skirmishes, without any result. And form the memories she had, at neither Massalia nor Avenio had launched any massive war in the last decades.


    As for the undead, besides throwing some reminders in the form of skeletons, they did not pose any threat. Maybe it was because all the soldiers she killed near Archet were not from that region, and therefore, they did not have any knowledge of what was happening. But she couldn''t find a truly damaging attack. Sometimes, massive armies did appear and besieged a few fortresses. But it was never impossible to defend and those undead knights did not seem to be widely recognized.


    The more she stayed in this world, the more she wondered if all of this was not just a massive experiment of the Ancients. Even if it seemed impossible since they were supposed to be all dead. Also, that part was never truly understood by the Demonic Empire, after all, how could a race controlling millions of planets could disappear like that? A Saksa not attacking gods that did careless actions, something attracting both portals that Candaith created back on Arsene and Artosis. With all she had seen in her life, this wouldn''t be the most unbelievable thing.


    Of course, if she was right, that would mean her life did not depend on herself anymore, something no one liked to hear. Dispelling those thoughts, she left the group of oblivious humans that were surrounded by hidden undead. Even after so many days, she did not seem to be out of Avenio yet. She even thought she had arrived once, only to realize it was just a small mountain all alone. Seeing the presence of a human city near it, she kept following the river.


    "And another one." Staring at the hill that was beginning to turn from dirt to rock, she lifted her head to see the hidden peak amongst the clouds. "At least, this one is bigger." Expecting humans near it, she was surprised when she recognized the small height of the creatures that were actively training. Even if they were taller than her, it was not by a much.


    A few rows of dwarves, bearded and without a beard, were running on a track delimited by some rocks. Even now, they were still wearing very heavy armors, that was barely shaking after each of their steps. If it wasn''t for the fact they were not shouting and carrying weapons, it could have been mistaken as them charging an enemy. Near them, other dwarves were exercising, executing movements she had seen some inferior races do to improve their bodies.


    A few meters away, an opening in the flank of the mountain could be spotted, where a flow of armored fighters was passing. Approaching it a bit, she could see that four additional holes were present above that opening, at different places. Landing near them, since it was way above what those dwarves could see, she saw that while one was completely empty, the two others had a glass preventing air from entering it.


    Putting her face right in front of one, she could see on the other end the enlarged eye of a dwarf. Soon after, she could also hear his scream, as he was probably terrified to have seen the frightening state of the body of Leilade. Using a bit of mana just to disappear from their sights, she saw other eyes trying to spot her, to no avail. Waiting a bit, she did not hear too many noises, but the training warriors still retreated behind the natural stone walls.


    Infiltrating by using the only empty hole, she landed on a pile of purple herbs, with many wooden sticks under them. Right now, two men were actively grabbing the same purple herbs and putting it where she was. Even if it was a small room, it was clearly organized, with four piles of objects. One was made of the wooden sticks she saw, and the other three were composed of small plants with different colors. It didn''t take her long to figure out that it was an alarm signal, with probably three different colors.


    After understanding that, she could also know what was those improvised telescopes purpose. Floating around the mountain, she saw three other underground fortresses, all with the same foundation. Bypassing some dwarves that were happily chatting while carrying some crates filled with food, she stumbled on a very thick iron door. On it, she could see numerous scratches and additional reinforcements. Trying to go through it, she noticed the shining little silver runes inscribed on it.


    "Agnil will be pleased." Learning that at least the dwarves here had begun to discover the potential of runes, it also meant she could not do as she wished. Right now, if she advanced for another meter, her presence would be discovered. At the same time, knowing fully how small the range that such a thing had, she merely entered the solid stone above her and stepped aside from the iron gate. Gazing at the completely dark tunnel, she could see the numerous traces of something scratching at the walls.


    As for the door forged by the dwarves, this side showed far more damages than the other one. Whatever was lurking inside those tunnels or deeper, it was clearly a threat for those living nearby. Creating a light to see what will happen, she only discovered that the magic that should have been reliable was already starting to fail. Creating a few more and ordering them to delve deeper, she could see the faint lights beginning to blink more and more before being extinguished forever.


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    "And another place like the tomb of that troll. How many of those exist here?" Actually, she knew a few places that were presumedly in the same state, or in a similar strange environment. Like, for example in Massalia, with the Lake that had been turned into a deadly jail. The only thing she could get was rumors that something really bad happened, in a similar way that the Hero and the Ak?l killed each other. After that, there was something in the North of the Synnada Empire and a mountain that had been abandoned by the dwarves after the Age of Calamity. Where she probably was standing right now.


    Leaving the lone peak to continued her travel, she did not hear the numerous sounds that began to appear deep inside the tunnels. Unfortunately, the dwarves could only shake their heads after their ears picked it up. Grabbing the weapons and the armors prepared for this, the closest fortress to understand what was happening began to ignite a green fire, warning the others. Soon, the news was relayed to any of the hundreds of dwarves present, with each of them getting ready for a fight.


    THUMP THUMP THUMP


    More than one thing was hitting the iron plates that composed the few gates, making the very metal bend in some locations. After a few minutes where all the eyes were stuck to the barrier between the unknown creatures and the dwarves, the monsters began to slowly leave. Waiting a few hours even after no sound could be heard from the other side, each garrison scouted the tunnels, to see if nothing remained.


    Scribbling on a piece of paper their demands for the next repairs, one dwarf also mentioned the weird thing that one of his subordinates saw. Even as he was writing about a little girl completely dark beside her eyes and her hair, he couldn''t help but feel that someone drunk too much this morning. But with all the strange things that were happening in the surroundings, he wasn''t sure whether it was real or not.


    Packing everything, the group of designated dwarves began to leave the false security of the mountain and walk on the ground under the sun. During all the days they traveled, none noticed the darkness that was observing them from afar. After she found the end of the river, she could not see a single dwarf anywhere. Therefore, she had no choice but to return back to the mountain.


    Fortunately, she found out this group that was heading somewhere. Taking care of anything that could threaten their safety, like a pack of monster wolves, she still remained invisible to their eyes. Leaving the travelers completely surprised that by the time they reached the large stone walls of the dwarven kingdom, they had not spotted a single monster.

 149 An impossible task

    Like the openings on the flanks of that lone mountain, the entrances of the underground kingdom of the dwarves were carved inside the very stone. If one was not too attentive or did not know that something was hidden nearby, he could easily walk right next to it without seeing it. Of course, that was just the first line of protection, as she could glance at a familiar iron door at the other end of the tunnel that the traveling dwarves were taking.


    Coupled with the extremely small size of that tunnel, not a lot of creatures could freely enter it, especially when not even two dwarves could walk next to each other. Pondering about the ceiling that was very close to the top of her head, something extremely rare and worthy to be noticed, she could easily imagine Ymir not even being able to prone inside it. Even Davion would have a hard time and could definitely not wear any armor whatsoever if he ever wanted to cross the small tunnel.


    Hearing the knocks on the gate, she could also pick up the discussion between the guards behind it and the newcomers. Recognizing the tone that Master Agnil often used and even some sounds, she was still not able to truly understand what they were saying. Nobody that had his soul captured by her learned the language of the dwarves. Approaching the last dwarf in the line, she put her hand on his head and began to extract what he knew.


    Fortunately, the entire operation of opening the gate took a while, allowing her to do as she wished without any problem. As for the neighbors of the unfortunate traveler, well, all they could see was the former perfectly fine. She wouldn''t be as stupid as doing this in the dark without making sure she couldn''t be seen. A few seconds before the group began to resume their journey, she released the now muddled dwarf, that couldn''t help but shiver. For some unknown reasons, he felt violated. Like something entered his soul unpunished.


    The reactions from his body were quite extreme, as he stumbled forward and fell head-on. Hearing the loud noise of a body hitting the ground, everyone turned around to see the now extremely pale dwarf. A bit of saliva could be spotted on the corner of his mouth, leaking on his beard as well. Seeing the agitation, Leilade couldn''t help but feel a bit perplexed. He was still alive and she had barely touched him. At least, that was what she thought. The definition of barely touched between her and the dwarves was probably extremely different.


    Patiently waiting for everyone to leave, she erased all traces of her presence as numerous armored warriors inspected fully the tunnel. Opening the hidden entrance and also checking the surroundings, if she could now understand their words, she could also notice their disbelief after they found nothing. Turning off the light in the small passage once more as the stone wall was closed, every soldier returned behind the iron gate. Letting Leilade count in her head the seconds until she felt it was time.


    Creating a skeleton just to knock on the iron gate, she could see it being disintegrated instantly after touching it. Not feeling any emotion as she expected such a thing to happen, this time, she cut a part of one tentacle that was slowly moving around her. Watching the darkness that fell to the ground and created a small pond, she shaped it to create something, not in her domain of expertise. Using the rocks that were everywhere around her, she picked up the most durable ones to form a very small golem.


    Ordering the stone halfling around, since it was really a small golem due to the fact she couldn''t make it any bigger with the size of the tunnel, her summon this time managed to accomplish its task. However, the hand that was in contact with the iron gate was filled with fissures. "What happened again? The smoke is still green so why did they send another group."


    The other party mistook her as a group of dwarves, but that was quite expected. After all, she was inside a tunnel that was hidden and came after a group of dwarves. Knowing that she couldn''t take advantage of that misunderstanding since her goal was far more peaceful than usual, she did not hide her young infantile voice. "I seek permission to enter the Iron Kingdom."


    For a few seconds, the grumpy dwarf on the other side stayed completely silent. He clearly did not expect a visitor here, and she could easily hear that they were discussing her condition. It was not really audible, so without using magic, she could only sense the debate was beginning to become heated. Especially after she heard their questions.


    "What are you? What is this? What do you want from us?" A bit perplexed by the fact that the other party seemed a bit scared, she looked everywhere. Without knowing her current form, it wouldn''t make any sense. Right after thinking this, she managed to catch the same glass she saw back on that faraway mountain. Floating toward it, she heard the panicked state of those behind the gate. "Hey, HEY! Don''t touch it, it is extremely frail."


    The principle of a wall or even a gate was to prevent something from bypassing it. So, creating a small hole in it just to see the other side would be weakening the entire defense. She just did not expect them to have mastered the principle of using multiple mirrors to see from improbable angles. Even if it was still a hole reaching the other side, only something tiny, smaller than even her hand, could use it. Also, it would need to break the many mirrors, allowing the dwarves to react and probably fill up the hole.


    "I want to ask you a question related to the Age of Darkness. Something only your people could know."


    "Well, that''s easy, ask me and be gone." Chuckling a bit, she knew he wouldn''t know. And if they did not let her enter properly their kingdom, she would have no choice but to confirm her suspicions. "Did you woke up a giant sleeping deep inside the ground thousands of years ago? He would be, 50 meters tall, probably."


    "Never heard of it. Now go." The stern answer was in her expectations since that information would be guarded tightly. But all she learned all pointed to a location inside their kingdom, from where a roar so loud first originated. Therefore, if the Saksa was not bothered by what she did or the past war between the Heroes and the Dark Gods, that meant it was something else. Like the dwarves provoking something, something they shouldn''t have found.


    "I need this information. At all cost." The already completely dark tunnel became a lot colder all of a sudden. Even the small lens that was observing her began to be covered by frost. "I will not let any of your kind enter, neither you nor your knight friends." Hearing that that gatekeeper had already met those friendly undead knights, Leilade couldn''t even deny his claims. Who would believe that she was unrelated to those undead when she was in this form?


    "What do I need to do to enter the Iron Kingdom?" Having no other choice besides killing them all, she tried one last thing. If that wasn''t enough, she wouldn''t waste any additional times at talking with those dwarves. However, the one that was preventing her from entering did not answer for a very long time. Probably wondering what kind of deadly missions he could give to Leilade to get rid of her.


    "... shouldn''t we ..."


    "... warn the King, no?"


    "... my gate, my choices."


    "... at Clear Peak? Why ..."


    Hearing some small bits of the intense discussion, she could at least understand that some of the guards wanted to report that to their superiors. While others, mainly the one that talked to her, wanted to use her for something. As for whether they would truly let her in, she was half believing it. Because no one talked about whether it was dangerous for her to be beyond that gate. The very thing they should consider in priority.


    "Fine, listen, dead human. There may be a way for you to pass any gate. I will even give you a signed letter with my mark if you truly do this. Only for you, not any of your undead friends will enter. Now, there was recently an issue in the summit above us. If you could kindly get rid of all the flying creatures, that would be great."


    Without even being face to face, she could still imagine the fake smile that dwarf probably wore on his face. The entire courteous request was said in the same way that a merchant would try to swindle you out of your money. Maybe you would even help him count how much you gave to him. It was nothing like the rude way he talked to her previously. Not even lifting her eyebrows, she could feel that those flying creatures were not just a few birds.


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    "Are they dragons?" That was the only thing she cared about. Depending on the race and age of the dragon, she would prefer to slaughter the dwarves rather than fight it. By hearing the hocket of surprise, she knew she guessed it right. "Dr-dragons, no, no, no. There is no pure dragon above us. Just some ... monsters." Not believing at all someone that wanted her dead for good or gone, she still noticed the adjective in front of the dragon.


    "Fine, I will do it. Prepare the letter, it won''t take too long." Wyvern, wyrm, drake and many others could describe a race close to the dragons. Of course, for the lucky ones to have been born as the most powerful monster amongst them all, they rarely recognized their close relatives as such. Drogoth for example never left a single wyvern alive after meeting one. But because the proud dragon was far too powerful, anyone with dragon blood in their veins could only avoid him at all cost.


    While floating away, a small snicker managed to enter her ears, making her also laugh a bit. Whatever that man was thinking, she would gladly prove him wrong. Feeling that she was still a bit too emotional, she couldn''t help but glance once more at the still reading doppelganger of hers. The white Leilade looked like she hadn''t moved since that day, even when the main persona knew it was completely false.


    Gazing at the clouds hiding the summit where the monsters should be located, she approached them slowly, to not warn them of her presence. It would be good if she could silently approach them and not use too much mana. After piercing through the sea of white clouds however, she realized that the dwarf had not only lied on what she will have to face. He also lied on many, many other things.

 150 Breaking out of her schackles

    From afar, she could see numerous packs of black vultures lanching attacks after attacks on a few dragons. Even if they vastly outnumbered the dragons, they were still not really their match in the end. Not even their impressive size nor their threatening beck could really damage the scales of their opponent. As for the other party, she was mistaken in fact.


    After getting a bit closer, she noticed the lack of proper arms, turning the dragons into wyverns. Based on the definition from the Demonic Empire, that had hundreds of variations of the dragonic family. The wings that should be on their backs were directly on their upper limbs, making them half arms and half wings. However, that did not prevent them from using magic nor a deadly blue breath that was causing ravages to the massive birds.


    However, Leilade was fairly certain that for the wyverns, the entire sky had been darkened by the sea of black feathers. Waiting some additional minutes, she could see the deeply injured vultures slowly retreating as the wyverns were landing on the ground, their bodies intact but their faces bloodied. Everything had a weakness, besides a Saksa, and the usually durable scales were far thinner near the eyes and the maw. She could even see one of their ears completely torn apart.


    Starring at the sea of black corpses or barely breathing survivors on the pure white snow, she began to wonder if the dwarves also meant to kill the birds. Recalling the term flying monster, that could be applied on both creatures. Only the eagerness of that dwarf to deny any relation with a dragon made her lean toward getting rid of the wyverns. Even if she could see that it was a huge mistake.


    Right now, she had already seen thousands of those birds near the frontiers of Pankow and Kardel had confirmed that they also existed in the desert of Synnada. Meaning that they had only a few predators. Like the wyverns right here. The two races were probably fighting for food or territory and even if the wyverns caused many problems to the dwarves they were only a few of them. If the vultures kept growing, it could disrupt totally the ecosystem.


    Not that she cared, besides making a mental note to erase those flying monsters from this world as soon as she could. Otherwise, they would mess up with the human she intended to control. Landing on the ground, she walked toward her targets, not forgetting to absorb the bodies laying on the snow. Of course, by doing that, she alerted immediately the winners of the previous fight, stopping them from entering their lair.


    The biggest of the three stood up in front, getting ready for a fight. "Typical male mentality." At such a close distance, if she couldn''t even distinguish that, she could remove her sight entirely. One male for two females, with probably a few babies inside the cave. That was a common sight for those races, even if in some cases, large groups of up to 20 heads could be encountered. But that was due to a very dangerous environment, forcing that proud race to live with each other.


    "Foolish specter. Leave this place now, before my mercy is extinguished." Spitting a small spark of blue fire, the wyvern did not look relaxed at all. Even if he was arrogantly warning her, she could see the two females behind him also getting in position. "Not that bad." They had at least the intelligence of recognizing when they were facing a superior being. Only when she could encounter smart creatures would she be able to stop restraining herself.


    CRACK


    The three wyverns were so tense that the very ice under their feet began to crack. The originally small black human with white eyes had not answered the alpha of the group but instead had began to grow both in size and in height. Spreading on almost five meters all around the little body, numerous shadows could be seen moving, slowly, but they couldn''t help but feel that they were watching the living beings. Even if it was just mere darkness, not something that should be alive at all.


    "What are y... What do you want?" Feeling that it was not really proper to ask that evil thing what she really was, the male now only hoped that they could escape with their lives. The entire flow of mana around them was completely perturbed by the arrival of that strange thing, something even the dragons in Clear Peak couldn''t provoke by themselves. Meaning that the specter was at least on par with them.


    "MANA!!!" The grave distorted voice did not match her appearance of a small little human girl. But that was just not everything. Stupefied for a few seconds, the three monsters realized they had heard it directly in their minds and she hadn''t pronounced anything. Bowing instantly his head, both the two females and the male did not dare any longer to even resist.


    Even if they were only wyverns, and therefore weaker than most dragons, it did not mean they weren''t considered as an apex predator in that region. Right now, they had repressed hundreds and hundreds of those black vultures without sustaining anything more than a few injuries. Monsters that could easily eat a human in one go.Their very body was extremely resistant to most magic and their own expertise in that domain meant their minds should never be attacked.


    "Yes, Supreme One. Right away." Signaling to his two wives to prepare everything, he couldn''t let that thing escape his sight. Even if he knew he would lose the fight, he would not go down without giving all he had. However, as the minutes passed and the two other wyverns did not return, he could sense a change in the sea of darkness. Even if her face was exactly the same, her hair was turning slightly black.


    "Here is everything." Almost sighing in relief after hearing their arrival, the leader of the small group felt a pain in his chest. The loot they had earned in the last decades by sometimes stealing the dwarves under them was fully displayed. Even the large mana gem that was bigger than the head of that specter had not been left out. The very moment where all that stuff was dropped to the ground, the wyverns could see tentacles grabbing it swiftly, leaving a blank space behind.


    "Hihihi." Startled by the infantile laughter, the three monsters directed their sights toward the small soul. By now, her hair had completely turned black, as her skin was getting paler and paler. "My many thanks for helping me seize control. Even if it only for a brief moment." Seeing the little girl bow to them, their only reaction was to slowly step back. For whatever reason, if her previous appearance was threatening, now they could also smell a tinge of madness in her facial expression.


    "Now, let''s see how much mana your bodies can give me." The moment the last trace of white disappeared from her eyes, the tentacles that were calmly lurking in the darkness began to shake violently. A glint of defiance flashed in the eye of the male, as he lowered his head for a second. Murmuring to the female on his left, it was almost inaudible. "Freya take them away." The one named Freya only glanced at the two that were starting to wave their wings, before rushing inside the cave.


    "Your only mistake was to use me against the Archmage. You have no idea how much he learned from Candaith. Now, sleep well Leilade, and let me enjoy my freedom." Once again, she seemed to not talk to them, even if they could easily understand the issue. There were at least two souls inside this thing, and while the former seemed to not seek their deaths, this one was clearly something else. Not waiting for her to finish whatever she was doing, both wyverns still here began to use their breaths on Leilade.


    The blue flame surrounded the shadows, but at the same time, obscured their sights. After a few seconds, they closed their mouths, only to see nothing around them. Looking at each other, they were perturbed. They had a hard time believing that with that amount of power, they could kill that thing. As he watched the one near him, the male could begin to see her gasping for air. Before he could get close, he saw her pleading eyes turning into nothingness.


    "Do not interrupt the discussion between two people like that, it is improper." The young girly voice resonated in his mind once more, only to see her appearing out of the body of his partner. The large wyvern that accompanied him for many nights had been reduced to shadows, in a matter of seconds. Feeling wrath in his heart, he did not wait before burning that evil soul to ashes. Only to be blocked by something standing between the two.


    That did not reduce his efforts, whatsoever. Fueling the emotions in his heart, the flames that he produced began to turn white, encircling completely the darkness floating in the air. From the corner of his eyes, he could see Freya leaving with a few small wyverns on her back. However, he also had a glimpse of the face of that monstrous thing, that was also starring at the fleeing wyvern. "DON''T YOU DARE!"


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    Reducing the distance between the two, he could see that whatever was blocking the terrible flames that left his mouth was beginning to be pushed back. Taking joy in managing to fight back, the original dozens of meters between the two was soon split in one meter of shadows and one meter of white fire. Right after reaching this point, he suddenly stopped only to open even wider his mouth. Inside it, a small ball of energy then began to produce lightning, throwing deadly lightning spears toward Leilade.


    Barely lifting her hand, she easily sent them flying to the sky, only to be under another barrage of fire. Her jovial smile was, however, beginning to slowly turn into something far crueler. Inside her black eyes, not a single light could be seen, even nearby such huge flames. "I was very, very hungry before." Controlling the tentacles, she made them dig under the ground. "Now, I am very, very angry."


    ...


    Sensing the flames finally stopping, she glanced at the wyvern that was still in disbelief. The head of the monster began to look downward, only to see a shadow leaving the ground and piercing his chest. "COUGH COUGH" Having a hard time breathing, his arms gave up and he fell on his side. Even now, he could sense his very life being extinguished.His enemy was now a few centimeters away from his sharp teeth, but he knew he could no longer move his neck to eat her. Using his last force, he began to create a fire one more time. The red cone that left him completely surrounded Leilade.


    The light in his eyes had already be gone by the time the white soul was visible. She hadn''t even had to use her mana to protect against it, as the fire was even weaker than the fireball created by that small child, Istuienn. Consuming the corpse near her, she felt that she had accomplished what the dwarves asked. But before she could begin to descend from that summit, she felt unease in her soul.


    Knowing very well what it was, she extended her hands to watch them begin to turn grey. "Even without that snob, you still have some tricks left in your hat. Let me see how they are against all the mana I gained." Closing her eyes, she began to murmur something, before looking at her hands once more. They now couldn''t be described in any other way than black.


    "NO! NO! NO!" "The Viscount has helped us more than once, remember that before calling him like that. Even if you had all the mana of the world, you would still remain what you are. A fragment of a soul." Feeling in charge once more, Leilade could still not calm her worries. That mad child had managed to keep things hidden from her, something that shouldn''t happen.


    Recalling the joy she felt as she slaughtered those two wyverns, she shuddered. The emotions of her other half were far too strong, obscuring her judgment, even if she had to admit it could be useful. Only that she had no control over when she would lose to her doppelganger, only hoping it would not happen at a bad time.

 151 Honoring a promise

    "You got rid of them? Seriously?" The dwarf was in disbelief when he heard the news coming from the mouth of that dark thing. It had been like, an hour ago, maybe two? He was not even sure, but it was too fast. As such, he was not trusting her words at all. "Well, you said that, but can you ..."


    THUMP


    One of the large teeth that were inside the mouths of the wyverns was dropped right in front of him. At first, Leilade wanted to bring an entire head, but the tunnel was actually too small for that. Even the tooth was occupying a large amount of space in it. Following that, multiple sounds of mechanisms began to resonate, as the massive iron gate was opening under her eyes. She had not expected to only have to do that. In a way, those guards were more reliable than the adventurers of Archet.


    "By IronSkull''s beard! It really is a wyvern tooth. What ... How ... Wha-wha ..."


    "Calm yourself, we have a guest in front of us." Accompanied by dozens of armored dwarves that either carried rifles or axes, one had his helmet off his head while another was wearing a leather outfit. Guessing, she bet one was the commandant of that outpost while another was either a hunter or something like that.


    "You have accomplished the task I gave to you. I did not think you would be able to, to be honest." The commandant did not seem embarrassed at all by admitting he sent her to a deadly quest. At the same time, he still did not look at her with a warmer gaze. His eyes were cold as the snow she had seen on that peak.


    "However, what you did was something none of us could have accomplished. In fact, even if all the dwarves here fought, we wouldn''t have been to do it. Meaning that you are too powerful for us to prevent you from entering our kingdom. Glini here will accompany you to your destination. I hope you stay as little as possible here."


    Even after saying this, none of those that were aiming at her decided to do something else. However, it takes far more than just a few firearms to scare Leilade, as opposed to the unfortunate dwarf named Glini. The one in leather armor was beginning to stutter after knowing his fate. "Wh-What? Why me? I shouldn''t even be here, why are you doing this unc..."


    "STOP! You are now a ranger Glini. Just bring her with you back at the capital and let those in charge deal with her. That means with respect."Hearing those pieces of advice coming from the mouth of his relative, the dwarf could only look at the dark soul that was losing patience extremely quickly. That last sentence pronounced by the commandant was like slapping her very face and taking her for a fool. Something she hated.


    However, sensing that her hands were changing of color, she repressed her irritated thoughts and calmed herself. Without the Viscount to control her emotions and her fractured soul, she couldn''t afford to be angry at everything. But she was not a submissive little girl that could be bullied as easily. And she would not feel any regret if her other self decided to massacre all the dwarves for fun.


    "Fo-follow me. Ehh ... the day is nice, isn''t it?" Shaking her head at the pathetic attempt the ranger tried to engage a discussion, she was far more focused on watching every inch of the corridors they passed by. They were not yet out of the outpost, so many dwarven warriors were still looking at her, their weapons ready for a fight. But she could still have a few glimpses of crates of provisions and weapons, especially the powder for the rifles.


    With just a small spell, she grabbed a few grains and guessed it was just a standard black powder. Nothing unusual, like many plants in the entire universe had similar proprieties. The only thing she could affirm was that it was nothing compared to what was used against her by that hidden sniper. The weapon that shot at her back in Massalia was definitely not using this. As for that ranger, he still had his crossbow on his back and was sweating a lot.


    "If you, eh, can you ... stay in a wagon?" His worried face was quite comical, almost making Leilade laugh. If she wasn''t fearful of her own emotions. But she could understand what was the problem. Right now, she could see two tracks, with one wagon right in front of them. The tunnel was still lightened, allowing her to see the descent going deeper inside the mountains.


    "Yes." For whatever reason, her normal voice gave goosebumps to the dwarf. Climbing the wagon, he waited only to see her directly pass through the heavy metal that composed his mean of transport. Swallowing his saliva, he pushed the lever near him and the crazy ride began. Even now, as she was floating at the exact same speed as the wagon to stay inside it, Leilade knew it was rare for the dwarves to use that.


    The entire Iron Kingdom was equipped with thousands and thousands of kilometers of tunnels. Because of this, even with a map, it sometimes delayed the news to reach the capital by many days. After all, two tunnels could lead to the same destination, but one would take a day and the other three. From what the dwarf she searched knew, it was created after the Age of Darkness. Acomplete set of tracks, from every corner of the dwarven kingdom to their main city.


    Of course, it had to go both ways. But, because most outposts were at the same level as the ground, and the city was far deeper, a mirror set of tracks was also built. Meaning that to do the opposite travel, one had to climb kilometers to almost reach the tallest summit, Clear Peak. From there, dozens of wagons waited in a room under it, all going to a different destination. As for the climbing part, the dwarves had already invented many things like an energy powered elevator.


    That way, instead of taking sometimes weeks to transmit one urgent message, only a few hours were used. But that was only for pressing matters. For example, the dwarves that came from that lone mountain were marching in a tunnel they probably already passed. After some minutes were the dwarf couldn''t stop screaming, she had no choice but to knock him unconscious. Making sure that he wouldn''t fall out of it, she patiently waited until they arrived at their destination.


    "News from the East? And an urgent one? I hope it''s not too grave." A dwarf without a beard, meaning that she was a female, was watching anxiously the still empty tunnel. The sound provoked by the wagon was audible from very far, meaning that everyone that was in the room they were supposed to reach could hear it before seeing it. Near her, a few of her colleagues were starting to get ready to run at full speed.


    They were all the best runners in the entire kingdom, ready to transmit any important messages in a matter of minutes. For example, she was in charge of warning the commandant of the Iron Beards while the others were in charge of reporting it to the king for example. Even if it seemed trivial to have such a job, it was not for careless people. After all, those messengers also had to know where their designated target was at all time. For example, it was quite late, so she knew the commandant would be drinking with his friends tonight at the "The Golden Beer".


    But to their horror, instead of having a dwarf that was most likely at the verge of throwing up, the wagon was carrying nothing. From afar, they could only see the tunnel getting darker, all the lights slowly being covered by something. Only when it got closer did they notice the two eyes staring at them. Two eyes without a pupil, without an iris.


    "He passed out." Hearing the young voice talking in their language, none of the dwarves made any movement. What were they supposed to do? Rush to warn those that they were meant to that a monster had arrived? Was it an attack? So why was she talking normally to them? Because she was the closest, she felt the stares of her colleagues to push her to check. Inwardly cursing the fact that they were all cowards, she took a peek at the bottom of the wagon.


    And indeed, there was a dwarf. Feeling puzzled whether she should get him out of the wagon or first wake up, she jumped in it. Mainly because she did not want to carry this huge dead weight by herself, and she felt that only a few had the guts to help her. Slowly poking the face of the sleeping ranger, she saw him opening slowly his eyes and extending his right hand toward her face. "Am-Am I dead? Are you an angel?"


    SMACK


    Because he was still muddled, his hand had missed his target by a lot. Due to the consequence of such a gesture, he was now completely awake, with a red trace of a palm of his face. The woman did not even bother checking if he was alright, only remembering something afterward. Staring at the soul that did not make any move, she wondered how she looked like in her eyes.


    "Ouch, I did not do anything wrong. It was just a small ..." Noticing the deadly stare that the female messenger was throwing at him, Glini realized he should probably just shut up. "So, eh. She wants to know something. Also, she killed at least one wyvern." If the first sentence only earned incomprehension, the second provoked countless gasps of surprise.


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    To say that the dragons and their relatives were one of the main threats of the dwarves was only the truth. Besides the foes lurking in the depts of the mines and the green tide roaming in the outside, many wyverns had decided to put their nest above the mountains controlled by the dwarves. And unfortunately, some mountains were too far away to be linked with tunnels. Every group of dwarves traveling in those areas became the prey of these flying monsters.


    So, to kill one of those monsters was always good news for all the dwarves. Something definitely deserving to be brought to the king. The day where the last dragons would stop breathing will be celebrated in the entire kingdom for many days. That was how deep the grudge between the two races was.However, the one that did it was not a dwarf, far from it.


    "So, to who do we say this?" No one knew how asked that, but the different messengers only began to ponder. It was a piece of good news, but not something terribly urgent. Meaning that they couldn''t all leave this room to transmit the information. After all, who knew if something terrible wasn''t happening right now somewhere else?


    "I think, you should probably just lead them to the king. And maybe I should warn the commandant of the Iron Beards." The only female messenger solution was quickly approved by everyone. Both their sovereign and its personal guards should be informed of the presence of that peculiar ghost. Especially since she didn''t seem to be particularly evil. It was just weird for an undead to be allowed to enter their kingdom.


    After that, she left them and headed toward "The Golden Beer". It was three levels above where they were previously, and right now, it was crowded.Managing to squeeze in the mass of flesh and beard, she spotted three old dwarves that were playing cards. Stone cards, of course. Apparently, she would make him extremely displeased, as the commandant of the Iron Beards was winning. By a huge margin this evening.


    As he was picking up the gold that he won in the last round, the eyes of the commandant found the female messenger. Her uniform was unique, easily displaying where she worked. Switching between his hands full of gold and the female dwarf, he couldn''t help but curse. Hearing that, his two opponents turned around to see what caused that sudden anger. Also noticing the incoming message, they both dropped their pained expression.


    If one could mistake them as just three old men playing cards, it was true. But whatever the officer of the Iron Beards will learn, they wouldn''t have to wait for very long to also know about it. The Royal Runemaster and the Royal Engineer were often called to resolve many problems, as behind them were hundreds of the smartest dwarves in the entire kingdom.


    Seeing the messenger talk to their friend, they could see on his face that he was slightly surprised. Dismissing the woman, they all left the tavern in a hurry, only to also be shocked by what happened. There was also a bit of joy, as at least one wyvern plaguing the eastern frontier had been killed. But they couldn''t help but feel that the other part was a joke. "Since when an undead is allowed here? In the capital?"

 152 Memories of a former life

    As she was allowed to have a small glimpse of the daily lives inside the underground city, Leilade did not waste this opportunity. She could see the relative happiness of the faces of the innocent families that were working, eating or chatting. Like nothing could happen to them, that they were completely safe. Of course, the moment they spotted her, that carefree attitude rapidly disappeared.


    However, instead of some expressions of disgust, fear or terror, all she could see was surprise, curiosity and a hint of worry. Clearly, the dwarves did not have a grudge with the undead, something that could only be described as strange. The only frontier the Republic of Avenio had with the Iron Kingdom was through the lone mountain that heavily guarded. However, for all she knew from many different memories including the one of a dwarf, the fallen Kingdom of Pankow had hundreds of kilometers of ground next to the mountains. Even if it was vastly exaggerated, it could only be as low as 100, which was still a lot.


    Therefore, it was virtually impossible for them to not have any interactions with the living dead from that former human nation. Remembering that even if the commandant of that outpost discriminated her because of the other undead, he did not seem to be anything else but bothered. Even the little dwarven kids only stopped after seeing her but did not run away crying. Instead of being a symbol of terror, she was more like an anomaly worthy to be inspected.


    The second thing she did not expect was to see from here was far away, a ratman haggling with a merchant. Apparently, she had missed quite a few things in the mind of that dwarf. But if she had pushed things too hard, she couldn''t have affirmed he would have survived. Recognizing the familiar stutter that the vermin had, she did not see anyone reacting differently. At the same time, it also explained why she could not have found any traces of ratmen inside the human nations. Because they were living peacefully amongst the dwarves.


    Extending a tentacle in front of the ranger, she heard him almost having a heart attack. But she couldn''t pat his shoulder either, to ask him about this. Drawing even more stares, she saw him stop and gather his breath. "Do-Don''t do that. Don''t do that again. Pfuuii. Hmmmmmf. Pfffui." At this point, she couldn''t help but be baffled by this dwarf. She also wanted to have someone explain to her how can this terrified little mouse could be part of any army, with such a temperament.


    "The ratmen. Why one is here?" Hearing this, the messenger that was guiding both intervened as Glini was still having a hard time organizing his thoughts. "Because they are more trustworthy than the current humans. After forgetting their horrible faces, their evil eyes and their putrid maws of course. But they were born like that, that was not their choice to be so bad looking."


    A bit surprised to hear that, especially on a planet that hadn''t even discovered space travel. Xenophobia was running rampant on such worlds, as she was certain that just the slight difference in the skin between the Synnada Empire and the Massalia Kingdom could be enough to be the origin of the war between the two. Discriminating a race because of their looks was something normal. Well, some races deserved it, like the ratmen.


    "How could they be more trustworthy than all the humans?"


    "I didn''t say all the humans. I only talked about the remaining humans. Besides a few from Genablum. But everything will be explained to you after the king will decide what to do." Even as he was talking, his face could clearly show the disgust he felt toward the human nations.That was not something caused by just a small issue, but by something much bigger. However, since he had resumed his walk, she couldn''t question him any longer. As she was now particularly interested to learn every secret they had.


    Looking around her as she floated she was satisfied by the advanced technologies she was seeing. Compared to what the humans had, it was like day and night. Besides the black powder that was clearly kept secret by the dwarves, they had managed to divert an underground river and used its power to create an elevator crossing every level of the city. Of course, it was still slightly dangerous, as they never stopped and the dwarves had to jump in and out of it. Also, many slopes had been created to ease the transports of goods.


    All in all, the capital had reached a satisfying state. It was not inside a cavern with a lot of open space but directly dug inside the mountain. Visibly, they were not scared of being attacked by the tunnels, but by looking attentively, one could see a few strange pillars here and there. And with the mountain used as a natural ceiling and ground, the entire city could be sealed in multiple parts in a matter of seconds.


    The only thing they would have to worry is the lack of fresh air, but since she saw no one having trouble breathing, she guessed they had also fixed that. it was just a bit of a shame to not be able to see the entire city from one place, as she could hardly see anything beyond a few hundred meters in the best case. Even with the help of those lights, as her vision always ended on a stone wall.


    As her sightseeing tour had finally come to an end, she was stopped right before entering an extremely impressive building. Right next to it, a small house had an iron tube directly on top of its roof, going upward and probably downward. It was obviously the emergency elevator that she had seen in the room where she had arrived. However, as her presence was not urgent, the messenger decided to walk instead of using it. Not that she complained, after all, she had learned a few things on her way.


    Right in front of her, twelve dwarves were wearing mithril armors and had massive axes in her hand, made of the same metal. The shining silver color of the mithril made it easily noticeable, even compared to the purest iron. Of course, it could be another metal, but only a few were similar and she had not heard of them on this planet. From head to toe, even their beards were protected by the rare metal, but right now they did not seem to be particularly threatening.


    Slowing down as he approached them, the messenger was hesitating between speaking and just walking in. Because none of the guards seemed to react to the presence of the soul behind him, he attempted to just bypass them without a word. Almost going as fast a snail, he only sighed when he finally entered. Flanking him, ten other warriors appeared to escort them to the audience room. Feeling the familiarity of the situation, her guide started walking normally once more. This time, only Glini was still slightly behind, forced to nearly run to catch up.


    The room she reached was just like the ones she saw numerous times. It could even be described as humble. Even if there was some traces of gold on the throne and its surrounding, most decorations were made of iron and silver. There was also a few tapestries on the walls, showing important events in their history. One caught her eyes, as it was showing one dwarf forging an armor she had seen being pummeled down by Kardel and another one aiming with an exquisite rifle.


    Strangely, she was one of the two with a golden bordure. All the others were surrounded by red. Focusing on the golden one, she saw dwarves and ratmen fighting side by side against a horde of goblins, trolls, and orcs. On the center, the king of the dwarves at that time was beheading an orc in an impressive armor. As for why she said it was the king, she could see the similarity between what the one in the tapestry was wearing and what the one seated on the throne had.


    A very old dwarf was looking at her with cold eyes. His beard was completely white and clean, with a few rings on it. His crown was fused with a helmet of the same metal as the armors of the guards she had seen. Even now, it did not seem that it was peaceful but that war was happening right next to them. The very axe she had seen on the tapestry was put right next to him, and his armor was not beneath the one the Hero Ferrod possessed. In fact, this one had runes still active on it, so it could even be considered as superior.


    As they were approaching and the messenger was beginning to prepare to kneel, a warrior in an equally impressive set of equipment raised his hand and stopped the three newcomers. "You stay inside the circle!" Looking downward, the messenger saw that her feet were hanging in the air right above the end of the circle. Knowing more about it that the ones he was accompanying, he only hoped they wouldn''t use it, as he and Glini were carefully stepping away from Leilade.


    Click


    CLANK


    Lifting her head, she saw numerous dwarves carrying rifles aiming at her from the above. Even worst, right above the throne, a small window appeared, showing the mouth of a cannon. Apparently, they did not take her for a harmless spirit. A few seconds later, that cannon was joined by two others, making the two dwarves next to the circle shudder in fear. She did not think the two were used to be standing on the other end of so many weapons.


    FUSH


    The very air around her began to vibrate, as she could sense the mana that was already quite lacking disappear completely. Finally, a very thin membrane appeared above the mark on the ground, completely trapping her. Only then did the one that raised his hand began to step back. Funnily, that was the first time since she arrived her that she was not underestimated. Even the Archmage was foolish enough to show his face directly in front of her.


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    "By what name are you referred to, human specter?" The mighty voice that left the body of the king did not betray his old age, as he seemed to be as vigorous as his earlier years. Because the dwarves already had very long lives, she couldn''t know precisely how many years he still had before dying of old age. Her initial guess was 20 years, but now, she thought more about 50 years.


    "Leilade Octavius, Empress of the Underworld, Demonic Commandant of the Hive Sector" Now that she was searching for answers, it was no longer useful to hide things from the natives of this world. Even as she was saying this, she managed to saw the glances that were exchanged between the armored dwarf and the king. The latter waved his hand, and a civilian appeared, carrying a huge book.


    Grabbing it, the old king began to open it at a precise page and read something loudly. " ... year, our allies from the Kingdom of Pankow reported the appearance of strange beings, capable of miracles and disasters. When asked to identify themselves, they claimed to be part of the Demonic Empire. Do you belong to the same empire as them?"


    "Yes, I can confirm that."


    "We dwarves neither forget nor forgive ... after defeating the Dark God, his last words before unleashing the terrible curse were the followed: Z?rtar K?rlam ? Jyzref. They seemed to belong to their language.What di ..." The king could not finish as he saw the previously dark soul beginning to turn white. The entire magic sphere was now completely filled with shadows, that were repeatedly hitting it. It would only be a matter of seconds before she broke that defense.


    "AIM!" The commandant of the Iron Beards did not expect such a violent reaction, as they only wanted to understand the past. Because they were quite far away, they only received information from Pankow, and by the time they learned about the Dark Gods, the massacres had already started. The Age of Darkness had costed the lives of so many dwarves and they could finally close this dark chapter once and for all. However, it seemed that the demons from the present were not any less evil than the ones from the past.


    CRACK


    Finally, the barrier broke, only to display fully the shadows that were spreading everywhere. The unfortunate ranger that was completely stunned by this sudden turn of event could only weakly raise his arms before darkness swallowed him. Or at least, that was what he thought. After a few seconds, he finally opened his eyes, only to see a tentacle mere centimeters away from him. Everyone was standing still, waiting to see what will happen. Only to hear a slightly sad infantile voice asked a question. "Can you repeat those words?"

 153 Guessing and getting it righ

    Even if she had broken the magic circle and destroyed many runes on it, she still hadn''t harmed anyone. Even the two dwarves that were relatively close were unscathed, meaning that the soul could at least restrain herself. Seeking the opinion of his trusted friend, the king only saw him fully concentrated on the being called Leilade. "Z?rtar K?rlam ? Jyzref."


    After he finished saying those words, he finally saw the shadows retreating and the appearance of the black soul. Blinking for a few seconds, he wondered if it had been a defect of the circle for him to see the soul completely white for a moment. The only things white were her eyes and her hair, nothing else. But right now, she seemed perturbed by something. "Yes, I know what he said. But it was not directed to you, but me. You don''t need to be bothered by it anymore. Was he called Akama?"


    Seeing the face of the soul that was far too similar to the one of a lost small girl, the king felt a bit sorry for her. Since the beginning, she had not shown anything but her impassive face, far too serious for the age she supposedly had. However, right now, no one would be able to distinguish her from a real little girl. Searching in the book, he found the answer she was looking for. "Yes, he said he was named Akama and was part of the ..."


    "The Death Corps. I know that already." A bit sulking, she knew now who could have the power to turn an entire country into a kingdom of the undead. But she also knew that killing him would have been too difficult, if not for those Heroes. If those gods hadn''t interrupted them, neither Candaith would be reduced to a terrible state nor her most genius student would have been killed. That old man was someone she took care for many years, and all her efforts had been reduced to nothing.


    This time, she could even feel that her other self was even more affected than her, and did not even attempt to seize control. Even if she had a heart of stone, she was still human in the end. And therefore, couldn''t help but be attached to people she met every day for the last decades. Remembering the sentence pronounced by the king of the dwarves, she found it quite fitting too. "Maybe you should forget this, for your own sake. For not hiding the truth from me, I can forgive you for defending yourselves. But the rest of the world will not share the same fate."


    Even as she was speaking, the Iron Beards and the king could all see something moving behind her. For the first time, the shadows began to group into one form, a terrifying monster that was staring at them. And it was not stopping from growing, beginning to be higher than the riflemen that were on the floors above. "This is not in our nature and doesn''t seem to be in yours either. Thousands of dwarves died, the humans we could call friends all turned into undead without souls. Our grudges will be cleansed by blood."


    Leaving his throne for the first time, the king grabbed his axe and did not seem to be threatened at all. Even as the commandant of the Iron Beards nearby was panicking a bit, not expecting him to be so reckless. Quickly, dozens of warriors formed a line in front of their king, ready to defend him. "HAHAHAHA!" The loud laughter of Leilade did not appease the situation, as it was filled with anger and folly.


    "I did not expect anything less from a dwarf. Killing all of you would be wasteful. Your souls are worthless and your bodies are not any different than absorbing stone. However, that doesn''t mean I wouldn''t enjoy hearing your screams of pain and terror, fair retribution for your participation in killing Akama."


    She began to float toward the king, only to see his bodyguards finally reacting. "FIRE!" Bullets began to fly, as the deadly cannons released what was inside them. Instead of a regular projectile, they threw a river of fire toward her. But all of this did not even slow down the soul of the little girl as she kept laughing even more. "By IronSkull''s beard, what is this thing?" Even now, the king could only see the monster staring at him, high above the little human.


    The dark hands that were part of it began to approach the ground and then launched the Iron Beards in front of it in the air. Soon, every warrior had been thrown away from the king, leaving only the commandant still standing. Grabbing his mithril axe, he dodged the massive dark hand and managed to cut one finger. Smiling at that sight, he regretted it when he saw the shadows that fell to the ground immediately rushing back to the monster. Only to notice the darkness that was approaching too fast. "OH FUC ... ARGH!"


    Losing his last support, the old dwarf was inwardly terrified. But on his face, only a mask of concentration could be seen. Even as the Grim Reaper was standing in front of him, he would not show anything. The moment Leilade was close enough, he violently slashed down with his weapon, only to see it pierce through her completely. The blue glint on his axe showed that it was just not a piece of metal. But, contrarily to what he expected, instead of even harming the soul, he saw it fused back the two halves in a matter of seconds.


    "Can you feel it, the despair of being the only one to survive? Can you feel losing all hope against a foe you can''t beat, that you can''t afford to wake up? Can you feel the cold touch of death spreading in your body? Knowing your last instant had arriver, but still hoping for a miracle?" She was very close to the king, almost leaning on him. Her right hand was even playing with his beard, that was beginning to rot and spread to the dwarf. Approaching her mouth to his ear left ear, she murmured her last words. "Do you know what to do?"


    "Ye-Yes." He was having a hard time even agreeing. At this very moment, he knew that even if they had refused her to enter inside the Iron Kingdom, it wouldn''t have mattered. In fact, nothing they could have done would have mattered. Nothing they could ever do would matter. She was not something that belonged to this planet. Not something that should ever appear in this world.


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    Stepping back, Leilade calmly returned to the magic circle and watched all the dwarves beginning to gather their spirits. Everyone had ashen faces, all shocked by what they experienced. Inwardly, they were rejoicing that they did not try to attack her earlier, as her anger seemed to be similar to a death sentence. Still sitting near the pillar he hit, the commandant of the Iron Beards felt powerless. Since when a monster had ever entered the capital and harmed their king like that? He felt his name would be associated with weakness for the rest of his life.


    As he was ashamed of himself, he felt a foreign power surging inside him. However, barely after sensing it, he raised his head to see the living nightmare staring at him a few centimeters away from his face. Frozen on the ground, the surge in power did not stop and only grew bigger. Noticing the cruel face that was growing larger on the face of that little girl, he knew that she knew. And if she was still not speaking, he could easily guess what she wanted.


    Not accepting anymore that foreign intrusion in his body, the commandant of the Iron Beards fought back as hard as he could. Pearls of sweat could be seen rolling down his forehead, as his entire body was shaking. At the same time, he could hear from very far away a voice telling him to stop fighting. It was nothing like the voice of the soul, but just to be sure, he still resisted. A minute after, he collapsed on the ground, happy to have not submitted to that monster.


    However, like him, many were feeling that it was Leilade that harmed him. When in fact, she just wanted to see how the gods will react when someone dared to resist their powers. By now, she was certain that they had not given up killing her. In fact, they were actively targetting her, for good reasons. Without her, they would easily be able to dispatch the weakened Malakov and the clueless Ymir. "It was the power of a god. But you can resist it. Or embrace it, who knows, maybe you will be strong enough to face me."


    Carelessly speaking, she knew that if her first sentence brought quickly hope to the dwarves, the last extinguished it as fast. The still pale face of the king was only looking at the ceiling with fear, worried that he would be chosen. After what she had done, none thought they could harm her, with or without the power of the gods. At the same time, it will be much easier in the future to control them if no Hero was present.


    "By decree, I hereby order all the soldiers of the Iron Kingdom to resist with all their strength any intrusion of a foreign power in their bodies. Transmit this to all the armies."


    "Yes, my King." The messenger that was present ran away as quickly as he could. He was extremely glad to finally exit this place, where that terrifying thing was still present. Even now, the monster formed by the darkness of Leilade was still guarding the small child. However, no one could affirm with utter certainty which one was more dangerous.


    "Now that I have all your attention, I want to ask you a few questions. One thousand years ago, near the beginning of the Age of Darkness, did you stumbled on a creature that was sleeping. A very, very huge creature." At this point, since she had full confidence they wouldn''t refuse her anything that wasn''t implicating killing someone, she could uncover all the dark areas inside human history.


    "This ... I think it would be better for you to ask this to the Royal Engineer. Someone, lead her to him." With his friend still unconscious after fighting a god, the king that truly didn''t know what she was talking about decided to ditch the problem to someone else. However, no one seemed to be particularly thrilled at the idea of escorting the human soul away. Hitting with his fist the armrest of his throne, finally, someone approached Leilade.


    "Farewell, king of the dwarves." Exiting with the Iron Beard and Glini that was still following obediently, she could not see the old king collapsing on his throne. Glancing at the book that was still near his throne, he began to carefully read every page. The next time he would meet her because it was a certainty it would happen, he would not make any other mistakes.


    After only a few minutes, the group of three arrived in front of a door, where the Iron Beard left them. Starring at it, she wondered how the other dwarves will react when they will learn their king basically sold them. However, that small time where she was pondering was interpreted differently by the ranger near her. Rushing to open the door, he acted no different than a butler. His obedient posture did not even lighten her mood, as she was still thinking about Akama, the last survivor of her Death Corps.


    "Ah, so how was the meeting with that souuuuuuuuuuuu" The dwarf did not even finish his sentence, as he saw who was in front of him. Definitely not his old friend apparently. Examining the dark thing that was floating slightly above the ground, he immediately noticed her white eyes and white hair. And wondered why it was not also black. "Greetings, may I know how should I call you?"


    "Leilade. I am searching for answers."


    "Then answers will be what you will find." The scholar did not seem to be perturbed by her, as he was calmly conversing with her. Because they were quite late, everyone else had already left. As for the few that worked the night, because of the news he received he ordered them to walk outside for a few hours. At the same time, he glanced at the door, wondering what happened beyond it. However, since he hadn''t heard any screams of panic or shouts, that meant she had arrived her peacefully. The ranger that was escorting her also proved that.


    "Thousand of years ago, you dig and found something sleeping, a giant to be more accurate. Is it true? It was probably surrounded by a metal that you never saw before." Gazing at her surroundings, she saw countless of scrolls and papers laying on the ground, one displaying a completely dismantled rifle while another one showed the anatomy of an orc. Everywhere she could put her eyes one, she could see a book, not falling short at all compared to the library of Massalia.


    "Thousand ... you mean in the Age of Darkness?" Looking at the soul, he wondered what did she wanted to do with something that old. But because she was here, that meant the king allowed it. Or that everyone was dead. Disregarding his pessimistic thoughts, he began to walk toward a pillar. Grabbing the light on it, he pulled it, opening a door leading to stairs. "Ranger, you stay here." Glini obediently stopped moving.


    Descending downward, they ended up in a room with only a few books that were carefully protected. Their covers were strangely similar to the one that the king had in the audience room. Deactivating a few runes to pick one book, the engineer did not forget to do it carefully. Putting it on the table used for that, he began to read the table of contents, to search for what she was asking for.


    "Found it. It was right when the Heroes appeared, let me see the exact report." Quickly reading all the unnecessary stuff that was always present, he found what was told by the leader of the team of miners.


    "We were digging a vein of silver when a part of the wall began to detach itself. It was not logical, nothing had detected a cavern in the vicinity. After that, we saw that green metal that like pulsating. There was a light on it, and every three seconds, it flashed us.After discussing with the others, we decided to try to dig it. However, even the strongest of our pickaxes barely made a scratch and was completely destroyed in the process. So, we had this crazy idea."


    Hearing this, Leilade began to shook her head. The eternal greed of the dwarves. Rarely a race had been seen so fervently trying to dig every resource in their sight. When a dwarf sees a vein of an unknown metal, the first thing he would think would not be is it dangerous, but how deep it can go.


    "Using a complete barrel of black powder ... A COMPLETE BARREL? ARE THEY CRAZY? Nevermind, hum hum. By luck or not, it happened right when the light was passing by. I still don''t know if it had an impact, but we managed to create a hole, allowing us to see what was beyond. The scene will be forever engraved in my memory. Inside a lake of lava, only something was visible. Two small metallic pikes, or at least that was what I was thinking. The next second, I could see a red eye appearing on one of those, but it was not living. It was, I don''t know, dead. But moving."


    The dwarf stopped for a second, watching the reaction of Leilade. But the latter was impassive.


    "After that, that thing moved a bit and I could see it. Half of its body was made of metal, but the rest was, it was made of magma. Fire. Something like that. I don''t know how to write it, but think of an elemental. But with metal parts all over it. I could only see the top of its head, but even ten dwarves would be bigger than that. And then, it roared. Strangely, it did not seem that loudly for me, who was watching it. Even the dwarves nearby thought it was just audible. But from what the quartermaster said, even when he was hundreds of meters away, he also clearly heard it. Even now, the one that is asking me to write heard it, when he was probably dozens of kilometers away. After that, they ordered me to close all the tunnels in the entire region. We had lost two veins of silver, two good veins. But that thing. I hope no one will make the same mistake as us."


    It was the first time for the scholar to learn about this as well. However, he was instantly capable of linking that zone with the only one in the entire kingdom were no miners were allowed. "If you want, I can tell you where ..."


    "Haven''t you read the report? No one would ever seek a Saksa on his own if he could avoid it. Yes, a Saksa, you can write it down. It would be best in the interest of everyone to never awaken it. It is probably the only thing capable of destroying me." She paused for a moment, starring at the puzzled face of the dwarf. He was surprised to hear the soul talking so casually about what could be used against her. "Along with the entire planet, of course."

 154 Happy children

    "SPLOOOOsh? HEY! That''s not fair, you are cheating!" The angry girlish voice did not prevent the boy with red hair to smirk, neither did it prevent him from moving his hand and what was right above him. Seeing the huge drop of water moving dangerously close to her, the little girl began to step back and prepared to flee. Even if it was a bit too late at this point.


    "Kaboom." Dropping this word as well as the water, Ronald could see the pitiful state of the grandaughter of Lord Darkwater. She was completely drenched, and he could see tears starting to leak from her eyes. Only remembering now that she was nearly half of his age, he could see her shivering in cold. Beginning to worry for her health, he approached her and began to cast a small flame to warm her.


    "KABOOOM! HIHIHI! I got a Hero, I got a Hero!" Caught by surprise, the apprentice magician couldn''t be anything but stunned by the sudden attack. Starring at both the small cup now empty in her hands and her wide smile, he felt depressed all of a sudden. Even after becoming a Hero, he still wasn''t able to even beat a tiny little girl. Of course, with her loud laughter resonating in the entire manor, it didn''t take long for a few spectators to gather.


    "Is it the fourth time this week or did I miscalculate?"


    "No, you are right." The two Rodil siblings did not care about the feelings of the one that could easily listen to them. For some reasons, they only suffered this fate once since the war against the Dark Gods had ended. As for the two other residents of this place, they were spared of the threat of being wet. If the sneaky mouse still behaved normally in front of Istuienn, she seemed a bit scared of Leodagan Arastil.


    Recently, even Joren and Owen felt that he had changed, for something worst. They could sometimes hear him weep as silently as he could in his room, or even belittle the fact that it was Ronald that had become a Hero. This last point was exacerbated when they could see the one that was dead last compared to all of them easily catching up now. The qualitative changes both in the mind and the body of the young Hero were too important.


    Receiving the aggravated stare of Ronald, the two reckoned that maybe they should have talked a bit farther away. Seeing him standing up properly and beginning to move his hands, they quickly figured out what would happen then. "He will not ..."


    "Yes, he will, sister. [Fire Shield]"


    "[Fire Shield]"


    The second after they cast that protective shield, they received two streams of water directly on them. After the vapor dissipated, however, it seemed the two were completely dry. Under the mocking smile of Joren, the Hero could only leave with a low grunt of disappointment. "You shouldn''t make an enemy out of him like that. In the future, even if we are prepared, we wouldn''t be able to beat him."


    "I know, I know. Don''t you worry Owen, it''s not like we will fight each other. And we are still young, remember what grandpa said, live happily your childhood, because you only have one. It''s you that should have a bit more fun. Especially now." Her voice became softer in the end, dragging a bit after remembering all that happened. The day before, Lord Darkwater and his army had come back, bringing the news of their relative victory.


    However, their second grandfather, Arthar had been heavily injured by an unknown evil, the same that was plaguing the Archmage. In the following days, they would probably return to the Academy and leave that cunning and malicious little devil, that was probably the only one enjoying life. If she hadn''t been there, Joren would have never realized how dark her days had become after the departure of Leilade.


    "Kaboom. Hehe." Puzzled by the small murmur of her brother, she lifted her head just quick enough to see the small drop of water falling down on her. Barely enough to evenly spread on all her nose, it was enough to steal a small smile from Owen. Smiling back, the two siblings became to laugh even more and left the room, to head toward the outside.


    SPLASH


    Activating the second trap prepared while they were talking, the young apprentice mage could see surprise and anger on the face of his sister, as he began to laugh even more. "YOU LITTLE MOUSE, RUN BEFORE I CATCH YOU!" The shout of fury was audible even in the place where the one that was targeted was hiding. Chuckling a bit, she suddenly stopped when she felt the presence of someone else besides her. Turning her head, she got a glimpse of a foot moving right in front of her.


    "You can come out you know. I won''t eat you." The cold voice brought her back to the moment where Remi dropped her here. As doted as she was, she still understood that whatever was asked to her was always important and knew how to behave when it was time. And that was what she told to, to behave when near two people. Anything else was allowed, especially creating a lot of funs for those children.


    "Of course, Leodagan" Patting away the dust that was stuck on her cute little dress, she looked like she was ready to flee at any moment. Being under such lifeless eyes, it always made her feel very weird. And it was different compared to the despaired eyes of Istuienn. If the latter sometimes had the small light of life sparkling in her gaze, that light was completely extinguished for Leodagan.


    "Don''t worry, they will never find you here. The last place they would check would be where the one you tried to avoid as much as possible is. You just had back luck with me walking less time than usual." It had already been weeks that they were inside Ronta, and in that time, some habits had been formed. Like that, he often walked in the morning, most of the time for an hour or two. Besides that small moment in the outside, he rarely stepped outside of his room.


    "But since you are here, I could use some help, from someone that won''t judge me. And quite frankly, you may be the only one I can ask this without getting additional weird stares." Calling her with his hand, he brought her to his desk. During the entire time, she never detached her eyes from him, feeling far more threatened at such a close distance. The more she approached what was displayed on the wooden table, the more she remembered that feeling of unease.


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    It fell on her that all this time, it was the same sensation she had a few months ago. In the middle of the night, she was awakened by a loud noise, and of course, as curious a she was she stood up and investigate. Only to see someone she had never seen in front of her grandfather, bound to a chair and another one that was sleeping behind the couch. She said sleeping because he was not moving and she could only see his feet horizontally on the ground.


    However, as discreet as she was, it was still late and she was half sleeping. The man that was restrained by ropes looked at her with that thing in his eyes she would never forget. At the same time, she noticed something right in front of her, a shadow in the darkness. Right before she passed out, she sensed that something, but the next day, Remi acted as nothing happened. When she questioned him, all he said that she was too young yet to interact with people like that shadow.


    Of course, her reaction did not escape Leodagan, who noticed that she was not moving at all after getting closer to the desk. On it, was a few pieces of paper, filled with perfect writing. It was the test of that old hag, Ella Romba, which had been produced by Leilade. After the attack, everything she had touched had been examined, only to not find anything useful. And while he could not get everything he asked, Sarah Meridil accepted to at least give him that and a few minor things.


    However, the only thing he mistook was the reason for the apparent fear of the young child. It was not that she was scared of the paper or anything else, but it was the entire atmosphere of the room. The place where he was spending most of his time, where he wrecked his brain and began to lose a bit of his sanity in the process. At this point, he could easily recite all the answers LEilade gave just by memory. "You see, this was written by one of the Dark Gods. I just want to know what you think of it, that''s it."


    Even if he was trying to be as caring as possible, his voice void of any emotions did not make it easier. Even worst, because she was not approaching anymore, he began to grab her arm and push her forward. If at first, she was not resisting very hard, the more she felt unsettled, the more she fought back. But she was younger than him, and Leodagan was already stronger than most kids of his age.


    "Get off me, I don''t wanna do it." Half pleading half fighting like a thug, she was as slippery as an eel. But the obsession of Leodagan did not let him see what was happening in reality, and he did not stop at all. Only after she began to cry a bit too loud did someone began to knock on his door. "Leodagan, it''s Joren, is everything fine?"


    "OF COURSE EVERYTHING IS FINE! WHY WOULDN''T IT?" Not expecting him to lash at her like that for no reason, the girl stepped back. However, her brother did not wait any longer before opening the door and witness the ongoing fight. The moment the apprentice magician saw the crazed face of his friend, he knew that the two of them had failed him. They should have never let him alone.


    "Let her go. It''s over." Slowly getting in the position that was taught at the Academy, Owen still hoped he would not have to do that. But contrarily to his hope, instead of stopping after noticing his stance, his friend only let go of the little girl to also get ready. "Now you want to fight me? Here I am, all for you!"


    "Leodagan, STOP! Please, please, just stop." Joren rushed toward him and even grabbed his leg, trying to stop him at all cost. Perhaps the distress in her voice finally reached his mind, but he suddenly began to clear the dark thoughts in his head. Realizing only know that he could have attacked the ones that had shared his life for as long as he could remember, he shuddered and grabbed his head in his hands.


    "AHHHHHHHHHHH! [FIRE]!" Slamming his fists on the desk, he invoked a huge fire, burning everything on it, including the papers of Leilade and everything else. Behind him, the two Rodil siblings extinguished all the flames that were trying to burn the ceiling and the ground. In less than a minute, a depressed boy was kneeling in front of a pile of ashes, crying all the tears he had in his body. At this moment, Owen put his hand on the shoulder of his sister and tried to pull her out to let him have a moment alone. Only to be pushed back by her.


    "It was you that convinced me to let him be alone to deal with that. Look at him now, you want him to be even sadder?" Brushing past the scared mouse that was trying her best to appear as small as possible, Joren began to hug Leodagan. A few moments later, they were joined by another one. Seeing the three apprentice mages like that, the last human present in this room began to feel the darkness disappearing in the air. By now, she could approach them without feeling any worry. Grabbing her last gift out of her previous hiding spot, she aimed and shot before running away at full speed.


    The water splashed the three kids,making the girl remembering how mad she was previously. Ditching the two boys, she immediately started a pursuit, not wanting to back down at this point. "Sploosh." Hearing Owen saying the now familiar word, the boy in tear looked at him and his smile. Feeling warmth for the first time in a while, he could taste the salt in his throat as the corners of his mouth were lifting. "Kaboom."

 155 Concerned parents

    Oblivious to what was happening inside the huge manor, a little girl was resting on the lap of a young woman, that was slowly caressing her hair. It was probably the last day for the two sisters to be together before a very long time, however, none of them truly wished to do anything. Therefore, they just stayed like that, on a bench right next to the entrance.


    "Is it true? Did she escaped?"Pulling the hair of Istuienn behind her ears, Muirn? knew what she will say will not be taken with joy. Funny thing that in the entire kingdom, the two people that had the closest interactions with that demon in human form were the two of them. One had been scared senseless by it, after seeing death smiling at her and then watching dozens of her seniors being crushed by that undead knight. The other had turned into something no longer human, felt so much pain that she had become numb to it and her heart had grown colder.


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    "Yes, a part of her is still trapped and her face only showed a peaceful and calm smile. Like she knew what was happening and what the future had in stock for her. While the darkness that had taken the form of a completely black child is somewhere else, probably in Archet. It is still not likely that she will come back before a few months, at least."


    Instead of shuddering and being scared even more by the cold words of her sister, Istuienn was instead greatly recomforted. When she had asked her father and then her brother, both had clumsily avoided the question, or even straight out lied that she had been trapped. Only Muirn? had answered her honestly, calming her wild imagination. In the absence of reliable information, the apprentice had nightmares about a dark demon hunting her in her sleep.


    "Thank you." Not receiving an answer for that, the soft caress only kept continuing, making her feel even safer. Suddenly, something in the tree nearby began to move, startling the female knight. However, she made sure that she did not move at all, allowing the one in her care to rest peacefully. A few seconds later, however, the glimpse she had of the shadow only showed her that it had returned to its position.


    The main reason why no adults were present in the mansion was because of the hidden bodyguards. After all, those kids were already old enough to take care of the basic necessities. And the assassins of the Black Gauntlet knew very well who could approach this place and who couldn''t. Even now, she had learned after her arrival that a few citizens of the Synnada Empire couldn''t wait long before doing something they shouldn''t have. As for the children, they never knew what happened meters away from them.


    Nodding her head toward the tree, she almost had the feeling that someone returned the gesture. Maybe it was true, after all, she was no longer human. Chuckling at this thought, she saw the puzzled and cute face of Istuienn looking at her. Pinching the small nose offered to her, she soon was drowned under the incessant stream of complaints the young girl had. But that didn''t prevent her from smiling even more, as an angry kid was better than a lifeless one, and it was helpful to distract her guilty conscience.


    Neither of the two could guess that in a house not too far from there, two men were looking at them. If one was very old, the other was a massive giant, but one that was still injured even now. The incident with the god, his fight with Ferrod and after that, his battle against both the small Dark God and the undead. Everything had left a huge toll on his body, and even if he was not considered as old, Idhrenil was not young either.


    Fortunately, he had received the care of some of the disciples of the Archmage before the majority of them died, and after that, the Organization had graciously given him a few potions. However, even now, the wound he received when that fire infiltrated his arm was hurting. Without the sword of the Hero, he should have been so careless, but in the heat of the moment, he jumped without thinking.


    "Was I too hard with her? Was I too soft with her?" Even if he said loudly his thoughts, Remi Darkwater that was nearby did not answer him. Both of their positions made them do things they probably shouldn''t have done to their offsprings. Reminiscing of how he had failed to protect his only child, the old general felt he was in no position to give advice.


    "You shouldn''t think about this when you see them happy like that. Instead, you should just appreciate the sight. Before long, you will have a peacock climbing the wall of your property to sing sweets words to your daughters." Trying to imagine someone doing this to Muirn?, the bearman only felt that if the singer did not die, he could already be considered as lucky.


    "Not going to happen. Except if he could beat the sword that will pierce the windows. All things considered, maybe I trained her too hard, how will she be able to find a capable husband in the future?" Before the discussion could continue, they heard a small knock on the door, signifying that their meeting had finally started.


    Seeing the two shadows that were in the corner calmly leaving, the Sword Saint couldn''t help but glance at the nearby elder, that felt that everything was normal. However, for him, the entire ordeal was completely new and something he never felt he would do in his life. Before, if he had been in a room with two assassins of the Black Gauntlet, he would have immediately taken his sword and fought them. Now, he was even discussing with their boss in a private meeting.


    "I hope you didn''t have to wait for too long. Please, take your seats." The massive dark gauntlet was not hidden and fully displayed. Even now, the first swordsman of Massalia had a hard time understanding how such a tall man with such a visibly terrifying thing on his arm could move unnoticed. Even if his hand was disguised as something else, that criminal was at least a head above everyone. And he also had that very faint mark on his forehead. How was it possible for everyone to not notice him?


    "Let''s clarify everything first. You are here only because Remi asked me to let you in, the reason being your son. And he also said that he would tell you everything anyway, so it was quicker for everyone. You just stay put, don''t say a word and listen." Even if his words were harsh, Idhrenil did not take it badly. After all, everything was true and in the first place, he shouldn''t even be here. But with the recent events and Ferrod becoming a Hero, he could feel that something grave will happen. Something that the Dark Gods wouldn''t even be part of.


    "Great, good attitude. Now, let''s talk about our little dark friend. She was spotted all around the southern frontier between Avenio and Pankow. And the Order of Kirov had noticed her having an exchange with the undead knights of Kirov." Seeing the completely puzzled face of the Sword Saint, Remi began to laugh. All the rumors he had heard about that man were apparently true. Best fighter, worst spy.


    "Listen brat, the Order of Kirov was way older than the fall of Pankow. However, some humans managed to escape the calamity and saught shelter mainly in Avenio. However, the ones that weren''t as lucky turned into undead, but not any skeleton. They have managed to keep a part of their intelligence, but nearly no memories. So, even then, they can still be called knights of Kirov, just that they are no longer human."


    A bit exasperated by being called a kid in front of their host, the explanation was quite clear. But it was also true that since the frontier between Massalia and the undead kingdom was quite small, he never really focused on what was happening beyond it. For him, the main threats were the Synnada Empire and after that, the Republic of Avenio.


    "You can guess how happy the Hand of Avenio was when he heard that. The worst part was when he realized that it was his own sister that saw this. After nearly losing his nephew near Archet, he immediately began to move, before the approbation of the Council. And no, don''t stop at each of my sentences to explain everything to him. This is off-limit."


    Before letting the chance to the old general to explain the hierarchy inside the Organization, the criminal stopped him in his tracks. It was fine to explain something that could soon or later be useful, but not something touching so closely to how they worked. Also, if he wanted, he would be able to explain everything later.


    "Fine, fine. But I guess that even if he has done that, he wouldn''t be severely punished. After all, it is concerning Leilade." Even if it was just a name, the reactions it could provoke were quite visible. If it was just a mere frown from the Black Gauntlet himself, it made Idhrenil look at the window for a fraction of a second.


    "You are right. Leilade and Ymir. You have no idea how much gold Avenio, Synnada, and Massalia are willing to spend just to have something on them. And how nearly all of those missions are not taken by anyone. By now, the news of how she had managed to escape and injure the Archmage made even the craziest of my men step back in fear. They are even more willing to go inside the Forbidden mountain or the Lake rather than approach Archet."


    After saying this, the giant looked around, before finding what he was searching. Grabbing a full jar of wine, he drank it all. None of the two other men made any move, as they were still pondering about what they have learned. What they had heard was not unexpected, but they had never thought it would go to that extent. If Idhrenil did not know well the Forbidden Mountain, he had already visited the Lake once. His only sentiment after leaving that forsaken place was that whoever sought to enter it would not be human, as even the maddest would avoid it.


    "So now what?" After thinking this, the Sword Saint couldn''t help but blurted those words.


    "Oh, the mute is talking. I forgive you this time since it is kind off concerning your job. Well, I will go where I need to, meaning Archet for your slow brain. As for you, you can do whatever you want. I advise you to search for rare plants and herbs to heal your magus. Nothing we have managed to heal them and their states are not looking good. With this, I wish you good luck."


    Not waiting for even one second, the outlaw left as quickly as he came. Leaving Remi Darkwater alone with a man full of questions. Patiently teaching the grown-up father most of what could not be considered as a secret, he still eluded the question concerning the Council. After all, its existence could be found easily as it was related to the legend of the 13th Hero. As for the differences between legends and reality, well, the two had managed to obtain a glimpse of it in recent months.

 156 A miraculous cure?

    "Is there anything improving in their state?" Sarah Meridil was calmly cleaning the face of her old friend that was heavily sweating. With his old age, Arthar Rodil was already weaker than most magus. In the entire room, he was potentially the one in the worst state.Even after so many days, the only thing the rest of them could do was trying to take care of the sick magus. As for her, the dark pockets under her eyes and her disheveled hair only reduced a bit her appearance.


    "No, we have already tried every cure we had and the priests are still resting for a few hours. Unless a miracle happens, I don''t think they will survive more than a few days." Right next to her, a man with a limp leg was busying himself with counting the number of elixirs used. Even if the organization behind him had ample resources, he was beginning to wonder if the decision of the higher-ups was right. It was their own money that was spent without blinking.


    The first day, the ones that tried to trap Leilade were still capable of being counscious and were mildly feverish. However, they already showed signs of being completely confused, not even remembering their own names sometimes. Besides that, they were capable of conversing, and she could even recall hearing Arthar asking about his two favorites children.


    After that, it had only gone worse. If the few disciples of the Archmage and the man himself had instantly returned to their tower, the rest of the magus was not that lucky. They had tried everything, and in those very short days, they had gathered everything in all the human nations. Even now, a flow of hippogryphs was still actively landing nearby, to bring whatever they had in their hands.


    "Did you really tried everything?" Starring at the outlaw with an injured limb, the head of the Academy of Magic of Massalia was only accusing. However, the accused did not feel it was illogical, as even he was really doubtful whether they had done everything. After all, he was just in charge of a city and its region previously and did not have access to the same amount of information that the Hand above him.


    "Guess what you want. Just remember that without us, they wouldn''t have survived this long." Hearing that, even if Sarah felt sorry, she did not show it. Hearing the cough of the old man near her, she fully focused on him, changing the now warm towel into a colder one. In the process, she gave him a small amount of mana, but that wasn''t stabilizing his condition. Feeling tired, she still remained in the room, until she heard a familiar sound.


    Glancing at the priests that were coming, she sighed in relief. Profiting of that occasion to rest, she was too far and too tired to hear the discussion between the newcomers and the man from the White Hand. "This will be the last time we come here to cure those unfortunate souls."


    After those words were said, the atmosphere suddenly changed. Most of those present here were friends or even families of those infected by that evil. So, for them to hear that the ones that reduced the pain and suffering of those they loved would leave was not something they wished to ever listen. Even the outlaw in charge was a bit surprised but most of all very angry. They had already paid them a hefty sum, and to break a deal made with the Organization would not be left unpunished.


    "May I know why you are breaking the very words you swore on the Gods you pray? Why, after receiving enough gold to live the rest of your lives like kings you are saying those words?" Signaling to the few hidden guars nearby, they finally showed why everyone was safe in this room. Even if all the human nations were represented by the patients, some would still have the idea to kill them as they were weak. So of course, it was necessary to deter those thoughts from even forming.


    "As you said, we are the servants of the Gods. And they have spoken. They said those souls are condemned and will join the ranks of the blessed ones in the heavens. But we will still try to ease their pain one last time, before their final travel." If Leilade or anyone knowing how a god truly thinks was present, he would have begun to laugh after hearing the fervent declaration of that priest.


    First of all, all those magus were filled with so much mana that their souls would be worth hundreds or even more normal souls. Something no one leeching energy from that source would neglect. Secondly, they had no idea what was happening in their bodies and what happened after Leilade escaped. And to know that, they need a soul. Therefore, they had to die just to feed and inform the gods they believed in.


    Hearing the laments and the cries around him, the man with a limp leg had no words. If before, he would have slapped the moron who would try the excuse of a god speaking to him, now he couldn''t do it anymore. The Heroes appeared once more, the influence of the gods were more and more present. What were only things a madman could hear and see now had become a common sight.


    Waving his hand to let them do as they wished, he still was wondering if it was true. But since he couldn''t even ask for a proof, however, he made sure to note their names for the future. They still dared to breach their words, and no one liked to deal with unreliable people. Remembering the beautiful woman that left a minute ago, he guessed she should probably know what just happened.


    As he was leaving the house, he stumbled upon a sight far too common those days. A woman and her husband were trying to sell plants, maybe hoping that they will be paid for them. Fortunately, it was his men in charge of doing this, meaning that most scammers and fake herbalists did not even try their shenanigans. Seeing one of his alchemists that belonged to Ronta, he could hear their discussion.


    "Who are you trying to fool with that? Do you think we are all idiots? You say this plant was gathered between Ronta and the Troll Gate? It''s impossible! You probably just painted it red, I could see a vague similitude with the Semilis Pinota from the West of Genablum. Now, admit what this herb is truly!" Starring at the plant hold in the hand of the alchemist, he could see numerous little spikes on it.


    However, he came from Avenio and had absolutely no idea what a Semilis Pinota was. At the same time, he could also see that the man behind the woman that was arguing seemed as puzzled as him at the mention of this name. Feeling that it was peculiar, he approached to learn more about it. If he couldn''t tell the difference between two plants, he was no stranger to human reactions and that man truly never heard of that thing in his life.


    "Did you listened to me? I was telling you, we had tried to sell this everywhere, but no one bought it more than a few silver coins. So, of course, we are trying with you, but because of the war the man that said he would take a look at the location where we found it never came back. Also, it is a completely new plant, I can assure you. And no, I don''t know about a Semilis Pinota and never heard this name before!"


    "You dare lie to me again?!! Very well, my patience was already thin but now, you will see what it meant to try those petty tricks with the White Hand, let em ... oh, sorry, I didn''t see that you were here." As the two were nearly beginning to fight, the alchemist noticed the maimed man looking at him. However, it did not stop him from complaining immediately.


    "Those two are trying to sell this known herb as something entirely new, only because it is red instead of green." Looking at the situation from the exterior, the outlaw could see the emotions displayed by everyone. The alchemist was rightfully angered but smiling because he was not lying, the woman was in the same state, also thinking she was completely in the right. As for her husband, he was cowering in fear, visibly not wanting to have anything in that.


    "Not the behaviors of a couple of swindlers." Even as he was thinking this, it still did not reduce the fact that they were apparently as novice as him concerning herbs and plants. "Are you absolutely certain that it is the plant you know or is there a few differences?" Not smiling anymore, the herbalist still showed a hint of doubt. Raising his hand to signify he needed a few seconds, he truly examined what was in his hand.


    What should have been seconds turned into nearly a minute, as the expert did not seem as confident as previously. "If someone was to say it is a Semilis Pinota, I would believe him. It is truly the same herb, at one exception. Well, not really. But the mana inside it is behaving in a manner I have ever seen. The only possibility I can think off is someone deliberately messing it up like sometimes we do during the brewing." As he was accusing the couple, the man from the White Hand shook his head.


    "They are not even capable of any magic. It is impossible for them to do it. Also, if it was as you were saying, for how long someone could disrupt the mana inside a plant?" Realizing the issue, the alchemist shut up, convinced that it was not possible. If the story the two merchants told him was true, and even if it was wrong, the herb should have been stabilized by now. Grasping a thorny leaf, he still felt the same erratic flow of mana.


    "Well, I guess it is your lucky day you two. We will bypass completely all the test and directly try this on a real patient. Prepare this for Arthar Rodil, just extract as much of the mana stored inside it as you can." Those words shocked completely the alchemist, that was horrified by such a procedure.


    "But, sir, we can''t do that. They are all a breath away from death, if we try to feed them unknown things, we can''t even imagine the terrible reactions it could produce. They would all die for ..." "They are already dead, the gods have said it." This time, even the couple had their mouth wide open. Because it was recent, the news still wasn''t known by everyone.


    "However, their servants have broken the rules of the men, so why should we respect theirs? Prepare it now." Bowing for a moment, the herbalist immediately headed toward his peers, to have their opinion. Left alone with the man with a limp leg, the woman was a bit fearful. If even the alchemist that was behaving so arrogantly respected that man, it meant he was someone she shouldn''t have ever met.


    "Now, tell me precisely where did you find it?" Hearing the tale of the female merchant, he quickly figured out where it happened. Recalling the pillar of light that fell on this very place months ago, he linked the herb with the Dark Gods immediately. The only explanation for the appearance of a new plant was them, but using something they brought into this world to cure something they caused would be quite the sight. Signaling his men to escort those merchants to a safe house, he returned to see the dying magus.


    By now, the priests were almost done, and Sarah had returned to her spot. "It would be trickier with her." Approaching the two, he murmured in her ears what he just did. "I would want to try one last thing, may I?" The dejected eyes of the magus lightened when she heard this. Previously, she was certain that her friend would die, but now she had hope. Nodding to the man from the White Hand, she saw all the alchemists approaching Arthar.


    In the hand of one was just a simple bottle with a red liquid. It was oddly similar to blood, be in color or texture. Under the worried eyes of Sarah, the content of the bottle was poured in the mouth of Arthar. At first, nothing happened, but soon, a huge rale could be heard. "RAAAAAAHG" His old body began to contract all his muscles, and dark veins could be seen spreading on his face.


    The veins in his eyes all exploded and soon, a dark liquid began to pierce his skin and flow outside. All could see the painful expression the old man had, but when a priest began to chant something, a shadow immediately knocked him out. The rest of the servants of the gods shared the same fate, as their bodies were laying on the ground.


    All the bystanders looked at the criminals like they were evil, but soon, no one cared about what they did. A dark mass fell from the bed where Arthar was resting, as now his body was leaking a familiar red liquid. Raising his hand, the mages around the patient finally started healing him, stopping the bleeding. Everyone stepped out to let the dark mass go, as it was slowly leaving the room on its own. Barely quicker than a human walking normally, the thing seemed to head toward where the Dark Gods were trapped.


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    "S . a . r . a . h." The frail voice resonated, as everyone looked at the magus that opened his eyes. His face was completely white and his eyes were almost destroyed. However, with the influx of mana from a few mages, they could see that he was fine. Even if he fainted right after calling the name of the woman near him, it seemed that his days were no longer in danger.


    "Give that to the rest. Also, monitor those things, dark slime? Whatever, I want two teams on them at all time. And inform the Hand right now. No, inform all of them immediately."Only then did he glanced at the priests still on the ground. "As for them, show them why even kingdoms don''t retract their words when dealing with the Organization. Maybe their gods will save them, who knows?"

 157 A mad visitor

    "Sir, there is ... eh ... are you okay?" A guard with the colors of Archet opened the door in a hurry, just to see the officer he was looking for completely wasted. Even from where he stood, he could easily smell the heavy alcohol that the burly man drunk. However, there was not a hint of disapproval, as nearly all of his comrades were facing the same situation and some shared the same fate.


    "YESH! MHAT AYE YOU MUEFSDK" THOMP


    Approaching slowly, the guard was having a hard time seeing if he had just fainted or was just knocking his head on the table. Touching a bit the shoulder of the unconscious man, he began to shake more and more, but to no avail. Looking right behind the drunkard, he could see two empty sockets standing completely still. The undead had no reaction whatsoever to either one of the two humans in the room.


    "I guess it is hard on him, having that stare on your back the entire day." Shuddering when thinking more deeply, the guard felt that he was strangely fortunate on the ramparts. At least there, the skeletons were not looking at them directly by at the outside, searching for any threats. In those few weeks, they had begun to be used to that feeling, being permanently near the undead. But even then, it still brought immense pressure on their mind across the entire day.


    "But now, what am I supposed to do?" Remembering the faces the four of his fellow guards had when they realized they had to enter this room, he felt they would not be pleased at all. Slightly angered already, he cursed them for having better luck than him and not picking the shortest stick. Leaving by the door, he hurried when passing in front of the additional skeleton warrior that was standing guard outside.


    "Where is he? Did you explained the situation?" Joining the group, he could only shake his head, as he did not even have the time to say anything. After telling them how was the state of the one that should be in charge of that gate, one couldn''t help but look at what was under the walls. A perfectly fine convoy of merchants, something they would have seen multiple times each day if it has been before.


    But it was no longer the same Archet as they used to know. The attack of the undead had decimated many of their good friends, their neighbors, their families. Following this, they learned that they had to serve a red demon, a giant whose only pleasure was to feast on human bodies from the dark rumors they heard. If most guards had the idea of leaving even after so many deaths, only a few remained after learning that a Dark God resided inside Archet.


    Even now, looking around them, they knew how small the actual number of guards was. Previously, they would have been at least a hundred or so, to deal with all the arrivals, the departures and protect the surroundings. After all, it was a way toward the West, either to aim for the capital of Avenio or the elves. Now, they had only seen people leaving, and none actually entering, until now.


    "Mi-Mister, are you sure you want to enter this city? You did not take the wrong path?" Even if an undead was merely 10 meters away and could probably hear them, they knew they had already said so many bad things toward the Demon Emperor that they regarded the skeletons as deaf. Even now, one guard was kindly trying to make those humans escape before it was too late, and it seemed to make no difference to the immobile statue made of bones.


    "This is Archet, right?" The man that was in his prime did not seem to be bothered by the fact he was not welcomed here. The only thing that was bothering three of the guards was the fact that his face seemed familiar.


    "Ye-Yeah?"


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    "So I am at the right place, now, can I enter or not?" Where did the merchant obtain such confidence, none of the guards knew. But if they could both see each other and discuss, it also meant the undead was in the sight of the convoy. And they still wanted to enter. Faced with someone that wouldn''t be swayed by anything they could say, they had to agree with the request. Even if it seemed to be folly in their eyes.


    "OPEN THE GATE!" Shouting that, the previously immobile skeletons began to activate the mechanisms to open the gate. During that, while one stayed on the ramparts, the rest regained their old habits and got in position. Of course, it was mainly because of their intense curiosity, as they couldn''t understand the logic behind wanting to go to Archet. Most of the farmers had escaped, the adventurers were all gone and with them the resources they gathered.


    "Please stand back and have everyone leave the wagons.As for the fee, due to a decrease of trade, Archet will be exempted of it for an indefinite period." Trying their best to remember what the Mayor Gwendoline had said, they still acted as the professionals they were. Systematically searching everything, all of them hoped to see a bomb, a dangerous weapon or anything like that. But to their surprise, while they found some swords and bows, it belonged to the mercenaries in charge of the protection.


    Maybe it seemed funny for him, as he chuckled when he witnessed it, but the merchant was nearly laughing. Maybe he was the only one not bothered by the fact that an undead was barely in arms reach. As for the pale faces of the mercenaries, they were almost pleading the guards to do anything, while the latter was doing the exact same thing. If he hadn''t blackmailed them out of their pay if they dared to flee, none of those warriors would have agreed to enter this city.


    "Everything is in order, you can enter Archet. Have a nice ... eh ... nice day in our beautiful city." As one of the local ended the inspection with the usual sentences, his smile stiffened when he arrived at the part describing Archet. However, the travelers did not seem bothered by the sudden change in the mind of the guard, as they were all starring at the two skeletons that suddenly appeared. A few mercenaries even began to put their hands on their weapons.


    "DON''T! DON''T!"


    "PLEASE STOP!"


    "NOOOOOO!"


    The guards instantly pounced on the fellow humans, preventing them from doing anything bad. Facing their terrified eyes, the newcomers immediately stopped their movements, only having their stares switching between the immobile dead and the sweating living beings. Sighing in relief, one explained what was all of this about.


    "You see, weapons are prohibited inside Archet, by decree. But we allowed you to keep yours, which technically is not something we should have done. Now, you only have one rule, no, actually two rules. Never be in presence of the Demon Emperor with a weapon. Never pull your swords. The undead won''t react to the scabbard, but if they see a blade, you will all be killed. Remember that, don''t let them see the blade."


    After the unfair attack on the Mayor Gwendoline, they weren''t able to prevent the Dark God to disarm everyone as it seemed a logical decision. However, since the human guards still could bend the law a little, many families managed to keep their weapons, just in case. Of course, everyone still living inside Archet knew precisely how long a knife needed to be to provoke a reaction from the undead guards. If the butchers hadn''t all be killed or left, they would have met a huge problem.


    "Many thanks for your advice. They will listen to them carefully." Starring at the unperturbed visage of the merchant, the guards couldn''t help but feel that something was really off. Wasn''t the fearful expressions of either the mercenaries or the others that were traveling along with being the one he should have? But they had seen enough craziness in their lives that they did not question any longer the sanity of that man.


    "Should we warn the Mayor?" Murmuring between themselves as they watched the group leaving, no one really knew. But soon, three pairs of eyes began to look at the unlucky one that had picked the shortest stick. Again. "Seriously, again? Me? You better make up for me later." Half-grumbling half shouting, he still began to run.


    As for the interested, she was currently resting on a very comfy armchair. Right next to her, Andre was also enjoying the same thing. Truth to be told, they recently had felt the burden on their shoulders disappearing at an alarming rate. Mainly because the number of humans that was actually in Archet had considerably decreased. And nearly all the troublemakers had been either killed during the attack of the two liches or executed right after Ymir arrived.


    "Do you think we are horrible people for appreciating the fact that all the thugs and criminals are dead?" Hearing the voice of the man that was still having his eyes closed, she took her time to answer. After all, they were probably free for the next hours or so. "Yes, if you think of them as human beings. No, if you stopped treating them as such. I mean, at which point did they deserve to die? After taking a life? Stealing weeks after weeks the money gained by honest workers? Beating them constantly if they did not meet their expectations?"


    Their philosophical discussion was interrupted brutally when their official secretary suddenly opened the door. "A guard is coming." As she left, the two could see the hurry in her eyes. Because she was one of the two last persons that once worked inside the City Hall, she had been promoted to that position. And she was the only one that had her image of a perfect Mayor being completely broken, as Gwendoline spent more time resting and discussing weird things than anything else.


    But because most of the information passed by her hands, she knew that the position of the Mayor in the heart of the remaining inhabitants of Archet needed to remain stable. And witnessing the one they trusted discussing the matters of other humans being killed so leisurely while resting like that, would not be good.


    It did not take long for Andre to quickly ordered the room, as Gwendoline stood behind her desk that had a mountain of papers. If one was to see the dates on those, they would see they all were written weeks ago, except the few on top. That small trick had managed to preserve the appearances quite efficiently. Hearing the knocks on the door, they checked one last time to see if anything was out of place. Since nothing caught her eyes, Gwendoline straightened her back.


    "Enter." The doors opened on a more or less young guard. The latter was panting heavily, as it seemed he had run all the way from the ramparts. "Ma-May- HMPF. PFUIIII. Mayor, a group of merchants have arrived." Breathing again, he stopped for a few seconds. "So, another group took the wrong road. Where did they want to go?"


    After Andre asked that question, they could see the guard shook his hands. "No, they wanted to come to Archet. In fact, they are inside the city as we are speaking." If the faces of the two did not move a tiny bit, they couldn''t conceal the surprise in their eyes. No one had warned them of the arrival of that group. Well, not a lot of people were writing to them and even the White Hand had completely stopped sending couriers to Archet.


    "Did they entered with ... peculiar goods?" Heavily pronouncing the word peculiar, it did not escape the ears of the man. Seeing him starring at the two things behind her that could be mistaken as statues, he once again shook his hands. "No, I mean, their wagons were quite empty, to be honest. If it had been before, I would have thought about pelt traders wanting the skins of the wolves in the region. But now, what do we produce?"


    To that question, neither of the two could answer. Thinking about the underground farm of the trolls that seemed to be quite bountiful, it was impossible for a stranger to know about that. Only someone speaking the troll, Andre and herself could learn about this. Not even the two last employees of the City Hall could know since no humans could enter the territory where the trolls lived.


    "Lead me where they are." Feeling that the entire thing was strange, the woman stood up and began to walk toward the door. If in front of her, the guard was still breathing heavily, she was followed by her two bodyguards and Andre. But to her surprise, the moment they left the building, they could see someone standing across the plaza, right in front of the castle of Ymir, with his hand ready to knock. "What madman would do that?"

 158 A sympathetic demon

    "STOP IT! HAVE YOU GONE CRAZY OVER THE YEARS?" Coming out of an unknown street, a panicked old man rushed to stop the merchant before he could end his action. If the guard only felt that he seemed to be similar to the merchant, the two humans near him immediately recognized the elder. And realized why someone came here. "Good morning to you, Lord Eltritch."


    Listening to the young feminine voice, the nobleman began to relax a bit. After all, in his eyes, she had managed to pacify the three types of people that were staying in Archet. As for asking for merchants to come back, he did not dare to hope too much, leading to the current situation. "Good morning to you too, Mayor." After that, he began to discreetly squeeze the arm of the one near him, pressing him to do the same.


    "If the sun shines off its glorious light, it is nothing compared to the one emanating from you, Mayor." Unfortunately, for him, the only result he achieved by doing that was his old father blinking two times in a row and suddenly pulling him out of the group. "One moment, please." Excusing himself, he grabbed the neck of his incorrigible offspring and looked at him very seriously. "Donatello, what was that? You remember what I said before you left, right?"


    "Yes, I just greeted her. What is the problem?" Sneaking a peek to look at the faces of Andre and Gwendoline that were starring at him, he could only increase the pressure on the neck of the merchant. And murmured all the complaints he had. "You lazy womanizer! The rumors about you had spread in the entire city, and every day I had a young girl knocking on the door saying you took advantage of her. And you are doing it again!"


    From afar, all someone could see was just a father and his son having a normal discussion. But if that person would have been facing them, they would have seen the helpless face of the young man and the embarrassed expression of the old one. "But I was telling the truth, you didn''t believe me back then and you are still not trusting the words of your own son. I didn''t do anything to all those girls, besides a few compliments or drinking with them sometimes."


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    Hearing another set of lies, this time Lord Darkwater did not care about his face anymore. Seeing the guard that accompanied the Mayor gone, and because he trusted her, he used enough strength to make the back of his descendant bend. "What about Aria?" "Eh, that was ..." "And Melissa?" "It was just one nigh ..." "Marjolie? Ellena? Elsa?"


    Faced with all those names and because he knew very well how much his old father could know about them, the merchant raised his hands in surrender. "I admit about them, alright, you win. But for the rest I ..." Noticing the intense stare of the pair eyes right in front of him, he couldn''t finish his sentence. Swallowing his saliva, he tried his best to hide his embarrassment and smiled widely.


    TAP


    "Ouch! My head, what was this for?" "You trying to fool me another time. Now, I don''t care about anything you do, but can you just listen to me once?" Massaging a bit his forehead, the guilty man tried to remember what was the problem. He had done everything his father asked for, he had come here with one of his usual convoys, had entered Archet and had reached the front of the castle, so what was the problem?


    "The part where I said do not disturb the one living there but go to the City Hall?" "Ahhhh ... Never heard of it. You wrote knock to enter the castle" Even as he was saying this, he did not fool anyone. Even when for once he said the truth. Because his words were not believed, this time, he was truly annoyed. Searching his pockets, he found out the letter that he received and showed it to the old man. That was surprising, to see that what he wrote was not the same in his memories.


    "But, I was sure that I ... Those BASTARDS!" Hearing the spark of anger, even Andre and Gwendoline that were patiently waiting nearby approached. Showing them the letter, he then explained everything that happened as his son was smiling for real this time. Sensing the stare of the Mayor on him, he tried to put up his best appearance, but she only looked between him and the huge castle a few times before hurting his self-esteem greatly.


    "Only a fool would do that so confidently. Do you think the Dark Gods are the friendly neighbors that invite you to dinner once in a while?" Her thoughts were shared by the only two other adults present, even if the merchant was a bit older than Gwendoline herself. As for him, when he saw the glance of pity Andre threw to his paternal, he couldn''t help but feel exasperated. He was a good merchant, or at least, he was not losing money.


    "So, Lord Darkwater, why did you do that? You know very well the situation of Archet, what kind of goods could get the interest of the Republic of Avenio?" She accentuated her voice when pronouncing the word goods, as a way to remind the two to not try anything funny. Everyone knew exactly what could interest them, but it was not something material, it was only information. Without the White Hand present, the city had become a dark zone.


    "Of course, of course. I would never think of ... that thing. I still have my family here. No, I was thinking about the trolls. More accurately, their food." Seeing the light shining in the eyes of that old fox, Gwendoline realized that someone still managed to get his hand on something that shouldn''t have been known. But even if Andre seemed as impassive as her, she could sense he was a bit surprised too.


    "If I am not mistaken, they have brought cattle with them at their arrival, the usual animals one could find in a farm. But they were also eating vegetables bigger than anything I have ever seen. Only something out of the Grey Lands could match it. And if I am not mistaken, they are capable of growing it."


    With that, the two realized they had forgotten one thing. When the trolls first arrived and that dark soul appeared, everyone ran away. With the ongoing mess, the nearby citizens that were hiding in their houses couldn''t help but take a peek, to see what was happening. One of them must have seen those because she sure didn''t on that day.


    "You are right, Lord Darkwater. My only worry is the potential reaction of the Demon Emperor, but it seemed it is fine for now." The humans all looked at the skeletons that were behind the woman, but they did not move. "Also next time, warn me first so I don''t end up caught off-guard. Now, let''s see what he has to say about that."


    Leading the way, she directly entered the castle without even knocking. Inside it, the two members of the Eltritch family saw for the first time the sea of white that was permanently moving. Even now, numerous small skeletons could be seen finishing to decorate the castle, carry goods to their final location and such. However, only the Mayor and her assistant could feel that it was far smaller than what they first saw. In fact, in recent days, the number of undead had dwindled considerably.


    But they wouldn''t say this loudly. After all, they couldn''t know if they had been relocated elsewhere or were just not necessary anymore. As they walked, however, a path was always open, like the skeletons knew about them and dodged the group. The old man was a bit fearful, remembering the terrible night where he had seen similar creatures. As for his son, he was not looking any better, visibly not used to travel near so many undead.


    " ... pond is not enough. No, I would need an entire pool of blood, maybe even more. But I can''t just slaughter everyone, I think?" Probably not used to living in such a building, Ymir never noticed how far his words could travel. Coupled with his usually loud voice and the fact he was alone nearly all day, it''s not that he cared at all. However, the four humans that heard those words were not of the same opinion.


    One was sending a pleading gaze while cursing inwardly his progenitor to have him die so young before he even had a child. That he recognized, of course. Fortunately, the red demon stopped saying more cruel words when he heard the group arriving. Thinking that it was just those two annoying things that would bother him again, he did not put his helmet on.


    Facing directly the evil grin that was harbored by the porcupine face, even Gwendoline had to admit it would be extremely hard to convince someone that he was not here to massacre them. Fortunately, the two had dissipated the misunderstanding, as Meridiana truly worked with him. Therefore, the woman was fully supporting the Ak?l. However, he was not making her task easy by any mean.


    "What''s with that? What are those? Wait, I recognize one but the other is?" Calmly heading toward his throne, his very steps made the merchant jump in fright. Finally noticing the large axes that were near it, his throat began to feel extremely dry all of a sudden. He was just a normal human, why did someone, his own father, wanted to negotiate with such a monster. Truth to be told, he had not really believed all the stories and thought the legends were just that, legends.


    "This is a merchant coming specifically to Archet to buy the products of the underground farm." Everyone was fearful that he would notice the fact that someone outside of the city knew about that farm. And if he knew about that, he also knew about the trolls and everything else. But they were largely overestimating the demon, as he only understood one thing. Someone was buying something.


    With that idea beginning to walk into his mind, it encountered the memories of he was supposed to do. "Then let him buy, why are you bothering me with this?" His nonchalant attitude shocked everyone, as they really thought it would end badly. Profiting of the occasion, Lord Eltritch immediately began to kneel and was ready to bugger off. "Many thanks, Demon Emperor. We will take our leave." Taking the wave of the large red hand as a yes, he caught the arm of his son and escaped.


    "Are you not mad?" Andre was still pondering about the situation. He had lived too long in the world of the merchants of Avenio. And right now, it was similar to something he had experienced many times. Someone discovered a new product but did not know its value. An experienced businessman took notice, bought it at a low price only to resell it later. At the same time, he made sure to secure its secrecy, even resorting to killing if it was too important.


    "Mad at what? Ah, yes, you two, you are in charge of this. You need to preserve the interests of Archet." Getting rid of all the work on the two, they could see him beginning to smile. Deciding it was useless to understand this Dark God, as it had already been proven many times in the past, the Mayor quickly left with her assistant. Outside, they could see the two parents drinking something, as a bit of sweat was still visible on their face.


    Noticing the approaching woman, the merchant instantly got up and fixed his outfit. As she got closer, he immediately resumed his bad habits. "To be able to converse with this ..." Stopping for a second, he felt the cold gaze of the undead on him."... Demon Emperor every day is a feat only a few could do. But to merge both beauty and bravery in a single soul is truly a gift of the gods. Would you kindly accept my invitation to dinner this evening?"


    Hearing this, the two older men, Lord Eltritch and Andre, began to distance themselves slightly, since it was not of their concern. Chatting a bit about the future transaction, they still kept an eye on the exasperating young man, that would probably be refused. But to their surprise, Gwendoline accepted. Leaving with a satisfied smile, the former child of Archet was quickly brought back from his dreams with a question he did not know the answer. "Do you even know where to eat here?"


    As for the former Mayor, all he could see was the very clear and bright eyes of his employer. Feeling more and more that someone was getting used, he blurted out his thoughts. "He is the merchant organizing the transaction, so of course I would not refuse a dinner from him. Now, we need to prepare all the papers necessary. And more importantly, check those vegetables."

 159 The Foundations of Iron

    "It is always a pleasure to deal with a civilized race that knows how to properly behave. You can tell your king that it would be in the interest of his people to act as nothing happened. We wouldn''t want that he manages to escape, right?" Starring at the very pale dwarf that was still having a hard time figuring out how lucky they were, she could see him weakly nodding his head, before his entire body that was leaning on the wall slowly fell to the ground.


    "Glini, let''s go to the Foundations of Iron." "Yes-ye ... WHAT? But wh..." The cowardly ranger did not realize where they headed before thinking for a few seconds. However, seeing the dark specter looking at him, he reluctantly swallowed all the questions he had and just resumed his position as a mere guide. Moving his legs, he was a bit stiffened after waiting for so long outside the secret library.


    As for the only remaining dwarf in the room, his extinguished eyes began to look at all the properly organized books and scrolls around him. Even after she had read everything on them, she did not destroy them but instead, handled with great care the fragile grimoires. The nearly entire history of the Iron Dwarves, since they first came to conserve the past. And all she had to say about it was resumed in one word. "Disappointed."


    Murmuring this, he felt angered to be underestimated like that. However, even the newest inventions that he took pride in researching with his peers were mere toys for Leilade.And when he questioned her about that, trying to trap her into tricky technical questions, she was capable of outwitting him without even thinking. In fact, if Master Agnil would have been present, not only the engineer would have been ashamed of being called like that, but he would have seen the questions that plagued his brain for many years resolved in the blink of an eye.


    Fortunately,the moving soul only had the memories of 8 centuries in the Demonic Empire, where she often stumbled upon many designs. And at the point where she stood, when magic and technology was commonly used, she had, of course, learned enough to at least understand the obscure ways of the crazy inventors. That simple understanding was still enough to label her as a genius in such an archaic world.


    Besides the technological progress of all the races that were compiled in those books, she was also interested in the aftermath of the Age of Darkness. Mainly where, when and how each Dark God died. However, because they were located in far in the West, they had only received second-hand information, besides the even that cursed the Kingdom of Pankow. Even now, if they could say there were seven of those monsters originally, they could only report the whereabouts of five of them.


    The one that was called Akama died more or less at the same time as a red demon in the Wild Mountains. If the former took an entire kingdom with him, the other claimed the lives of many knights of Kirov, alongside the troll Hero. Following this, a wolf in a human shape but with two times its size succumbed near a vast lake. Another red giant disappeared in the Synnada Empire, his fate unknown. As for the most dangerous of all, the last time he was seen was in the Forbidden Mountain, and his disappearance marked the end of the Age of Darkness.


    With that, Leilade could already understand a bit more about how things turned so bad for those surviving members of the Demonic Army. Because Candaith and Akama had two Orbs of the Ancient, Candaith probably managed to pacify the rest, saying that he would take them all home quickly. However, when they all heard the Saksa, they probably ran away in fear.


    The rest was just guessing, but it couldn''t be entirely wrong. Even with the servant of the Ancients present, spatial magic was not the most obvious magic to notice. After that, that space bunny probably tried to create a portal, but it failed to reach its destination. With the Orbs probably depleted, they had to resort finding new ways to gather mana. By killing the locals. Then, with the gods deciding to not let their own meals getting stolen by others, the success rate of opening a portal would drastically be lowered.


    Normally, when a portal is no longer fueled with mana, he would automatically collapse on itself, sometimes destroying the reality around it sometimes not. However, funny things that even Candaith probably didn''t expect, at least three portals managed to outlive him. The Lake, the Forbidden Mountain and in another place far in the North, out the utmost limit of the Synnada Empire. For some reasons, they were still active.


    Even then, she was certain none of them was the first try of Candaith on this planet. The two missing survivors probably were fooled into believing the spatial mage, only to be sent somewhere in the vast immensity of the Universe. And with Candaith failing more and more, getting extremely weak, the only one that probably stood with him until the end would be Akama. The two Ak?l and the werewolf, thinking they were strong enough to survive on their own, got picked off one by one. But even then, many Heroes died because if those three felt their death was assured, they would not go down without bringing everyone else into an eternal sleep.


    Exiting the palace, none of the Iron Beards dared to stop the two when they took the elevator. Since she felt generous and had time to waste, she was willing to deal with an infestation for free. Looking at her guide, she also learned why someone so fearful could belong to the rangers, the supposedly best marksmen amongst the dwarves. The ones that were sent to hunt drakes and other terrifying monsters.


    In fact, it was related to the request, or some would call order, she gave to that scholarly dwarf. The artifact of Sharpeye, the one that was used to harm her before the Archmage showed up. The reason why it belonged to that outlaw dwarf was because of the traditions that were born after the Age of Darkness. That the best ranger, the best shooter of all of those experts would be the one to wield it. If centuries passed without any issue, it had already been forty years since that criminal managed to secure it, decades after decade.


    The tourney that was used to determine who was worthy of this powerful weapon happened to be in ten days. And if the previous one had once more seen the murdering dwarf claim the prize, this time, many felt that Glini had a chance. However, the more she looked at the easily scared ranger, the more she felt baffled by what they were thinking. Even if this mouse in dwarf skin was good at shooting, he would immediately shiver in the presence of his opponent. Not like she cared about who will win since she knew who will definitely not be able to participate.


    Arriving at their destination, they saw many dwarves getting stunned by her sudden appearance. The fact that she came by the emergency entrance too was shocking them, but they did not even make a single gesture while Glini was reading the signs to figure out which wagon to take. "Fo-Found it." Even now, he was still stuttering when his eyes met her''s.


    Climbing on it, he strangely found a few leather strangles on the bottom of it. Wondering about why they were present, he still attached himself, just in case. Turning around, he still had an interrogative face, as he only noticed now that he was still in the dark about their last travel.


    "Wh-What happened last time? I remember screaming and then my vision went bla ..."


    THUD


    His unconscious body fell once more inside the metal trolley, as she did not even care about the reactions of the bystanders. She had already experienced how acute the scream of that ranger could be, she did not want to suffer again. Activating the lever near it, the soft slope turned quickly into a vertiginous descent.


    Fortunately, he was firmly held by the leather strangles, otherwise, the dwarf would have truly flown out of the wagon. It was continuous fall at an angle near 60¡ã, as they began to gain too much speed. If she didn''t felt the pressure of the air, she was certain that it was quick enough to make most weaklings pass out. Conveniently, it was also an extremely quick way of moving, as they arrived at their destination mere minutes after getting inside the metallic cart.


    Awakening her guide, she could see saliva all over his beard. Even if was not in danger of flying away, the travel still shook him a lot. But in his muddled state, he did not care at all about that, as he was too busy trying to not throw up. Not managing to do that, she only glanced at the ten or so rifles that were pointed her. Funny that he was so busy throwing up that he did not even notice that.


    "Take this." A tentacle began to leave her body, carrying a letter on it. Of course, she did not expect the dwarves here to believe her when she would say that she was here to help them. No one would believe her, except a few morons. So, with the help of the Royal Engineer, she got that letter, with the seal of the king on it. But instead of picking it up, the dwarves only took a few steps back, still aiming at her.


    "Frightened by this? Really?" Moving her tentacle left and right, she suppressed the small annoyance that was beginning to appear. Fortunately, one warrior either braver or dumber than the rest approached slowly, still in guard. Snatching the letter at the speed of the light, he noticed the easily recognizable seal on it. Stunned by that, his eyes looked at the letter, then at Leilade, then at the letter again.


    "Give me that!" Grabbing it from the hand of the baffled rifleman, a dwarf with a heavier armor began to read it. Since she had already seen this outfit when she spoke to the uncle of Glini, she knew what it meant. Soon enough, the one in charge of that place glanced at her with dubious eyes, not really convinced. But if what was written in this letter true, that would mean the entire kingdom will rejoice.


    "So, you claim you can exterminate a threat that plagued our people for thousands of years? Just like that? And why should we believe ..." Seeing her raise her hand, he stopped, only to realize that he had followed her orders. Angered by that, he was beginning to shout when he saw the very pale ranger with his dirty beard speaking.


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    "Sh-she had killed a wy-wyvern." "DON''T YOU DA... A WYVERN?" With the letter in his hand and a ranger vouching for her, he felt that his view of the world was changing. Since when they were working with the undead? He knew that where he currently was oftenly received the news too late, but that was still something that he should now. So why he didn''t know it?


    "Fine. Follow me." With that, those that pointed their rifles on her began to lower their weapons, while scratching their heads. They were surprised too, and a few were even smiling as it could be the end of them being here. Clearly, the fact that no undead had ever attacked the dwarves made them far more agreeable to the idea of Leilade helping them. And to surprise her a bit, she noticed that the dwarves were not alone this time.


    "Nyeh, Nyah, Nyeh, Nyah." Large ratmen in armors were training nearby, attacking in perfect order. Compared to the dwarves and their own kin, those monsters were even taller than humans. Seeing the soul starring at them, the commandant felt that he had to inform her of everything since she could be her best shot at finally ending this war.


    "Those bad-looking fellows. I guess the dwarves of that time would have been baffled to see us fighting side by side for survival. The truth is, both them and the spiders came from the West, beyond the vast plains of the orcs. Fleeing that continent still in war after being defeated, they didn''t expect their old enemies to follow them even there."


    Pushing the door to his room, he did not stop speaking. "Truthfully, our ancestors were extremely weird to shelter those ratmen. I mean, look at their faces, there is nothing good on it. And they also brought upon us those spiders, the one that lives inside the Foundations of Iron. But in reality, if they hadn''t warned us about that threat, we would have probably been overrun by those eight-legged monsters. After all, what can a spider do? More than they expected."

 160 An infestation ...

    Grabbing the map on his desk, he put four weights on the corner to hold it. On it, Leilade could see the vast network of tunnels and caverns that had been scouted. She could also see an extremely important red dots near the bottom, while the top was surrounded by many blue dots. Then, the commandant began to explain the situation as clearly as possible.


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    "We have managed to hold the line here and here. This part is, wait a second." Getting a small bottle of water, he carefully leaked a few drops of water on a red dot that was on the left part of the map. Soon, it disappeared. "That nest had been taken care this morning. But I am certain that by the end of the week, it will reappear. What we do is just hold, without any chances of truly fighting back. Each time we burn a new nest, another one appears on another front. It''s a nightmare."


    "Why are they only attacking you here? Why can''t they just leave the mountains and attack from the outside?" By starring at the map, Leilade could see tunnels clearly indicating that there was a way out for the spiders. There was not a lot of those, but after so many years, the queen must have at least dug a few other tunnels. Otherwise, it would be even easier than she first thought.


    "Well, you see, it''s the best part of our enemies. Strangely, they all hate each other as much as we hate them. The dragons love to feast on those spiders and the orcs in the West. The greenskin tribes will not back out of a fight, and even if they served as an alternative food for the two others, they are not easy prey. Because of this, the few times they amassed an army sufficient to overthrow one of the outposts outside of the Foundations of Iron, the drakes took care of them."


    Laughing about that, she could see why the dwarf was happy. And why that engineer and, therefore, the king, asked her to deal with the spiders first. Even if the dragons, drakes, and wyverns living above them were the most powerful, their sizes prevented them from directly harming the habitations deep inside the mountains. On the other hand, those eight-legged monsters were permanently fighting the dwarves and the ratmen, causing casualties every day.


    "As for digging new tunnels, do you believe we would let them do that? Many miners are constantly hearing the stone, trying to determine if someone is being dug. And even if their legs are as hard as iron, they are not appropriate to efficiently dig a tunnel. We always have enough time to dig one of our own, fill it with explosives, and make the two collapse."


    Shaking his head, he focused the discussion on what was truly important. "But let''s make this thing a past. If you are not afraid of dying, the best way you could help us would be to go there!" Using his index, he pointed at a red dot that did not seem to be larger or any different than the rest. In fact, it was not even the deepest.


    "We have no idea where the Spider Queen is, or even if there is only one of them. For the ratmen, there should be at least two of them, as they had seen many changes of behavior in the past. Because of this, we also don''t know where is the main nest. So, if you could get to that location and kill everything, it will help us greatly."


    Carefully reading the map, she understood now why that place had been chosen. It was a bit hard to see in the huge network of tunnels, but this red dot represented a huge hub, crossing dozens of tunnels at once. Just by being here, she could impede the way the spiders traveled and was directly on the path of the monsters. Even if it seemed good enough for the dwarf, it did not meet the expectation of Leilade.


    "Too slow, what is the point of me standing there doing nothing? No, I will just destroy all of them, nest after nest." Hearing such boastful words, the two dwarves were shocked. Already, just by reaching the place the commandant pointed and holding it, she would be swallowed by a sea of spiders. Only if she survived long enough will the monsters stop attacking with all their strength and only send many small groups to exhaust her.


    In truth, when he was asking her to do that, he only wanted her to act as a bait for a moment, to divert many spiders from their nests, allowing his men to destroy all of those that were too close. Even if she retreated before reaching her target, as long as she stayed outside ten minutes it was already a victory for him. But now, she wanted to kill all of them? Not even in his dreams, he thought of it.


    "I have memorized everything. If you could clear out those that are close to your position that would be quicker." Not even waiting for him to answer, she left without Glini, as the ranger did not felt that he should accompany her. Raising his head, he saw the other dwarf looking at him with a weird look. "Can she do that? By herself? What is she?"


    Remembering what happened in the throne room, he wondered how much he should tell. But if their help was lacking, he worried that she would be mad once more. Fearing more the crazy soul than his own king, he divulged everything. "Sh-she killed two wyverns, beat down the Iron Beards and the King that was wearing the artifact of Ironskull. And it wasn''t even hard."


    Sitting on a chair, the commandant had his mouth wide open. He knew very well how were the defenses in the throne room, and how strong were the Iron Beards. They were the one responsible for protecting the king, yes, but they also were the ones that hunted the dragons. And succeeded. If the rangers often dealt the killing blow, without the protection of the Iron Beards, they wouldn''t be able to do it.


    "But why is she here? Is she from Pankow?" Nothing was free in this world. No one would do such a thing and expect nothing in return. But Glini could not inform him of something he also didn''t know. "I don''t know, but she definitely is not from Pankow. Just remember her name, Leilade Octavius. With a bit of luck, it will soon be associated with the end of the spiders."


    "Leilade Octavius. Leilade." Murmuring that name, he finally got up. "You are right, if she is that powerful, why not benefit from that? You can stay here or accompany us, your choice." Staring at the now smiling commandant, the ranger felt his legs shivered. Still trying his best to not show his fear, he calmly refused the offer.


    "Yes, it would be bad if you died like that. Take care then." Putting on his helmet, the officer left the room, feeling invigorated. Personally running, he reached some stairs that he climbed quickly. Under the baffled stare of the dwarf that was happily eating, he began to fill his lungs, before releasing everything in the huge horn in front of him.


    TOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMP


    At this point, even Leilade that was showing the letter to the guards to try to leave this place could hear it. Pointing at where she came from, she spoke to the ones preventing her from advancing. "That''s the signal." However, they almost did not listen to her, as this was the emergency horn. One quickly opened the gate, to close it right after she was gone. Soon, everyone in the base was looking at the commandant.


    "Dwarves, Ratmen, our ancestors are with us today. Like in the past, when we helped the ratmen and we both fought side by side against our enemy, we will do it once more today. Our former friends, the humans from Pankow, that suffered a terrible injustice, have arrived to exterminate those monsters that live in their strings. On their way, they have already killed multiple dragons, and even the King had witnessed it. And now, the spiders will feel their wrath."


    Raising his axe as high as he could, he did not care about the lies he spouted. Between believing that an army was helping them and believing one single specter could make a difference, he would rather not let anyone doubt. "DEATH! DEATH TO THOSE MONSTERS!"


    If he had time for a speech, Leilade was already covered by the green blood of those spiders. Until it was quickly dissolved by the shadows lurking under her body. At first, the tunnel she was floating in was extremely clean, besides the numerous marks of fighting. But there was nothing organic or any broken pieces of equipment laying on the ground. Only after reaching the first intersection with another tunnel did she began to see more and more remnants of the battles.


    The first spider that met her immediately began to run as soon as it spotted Leilade, but it was too late. Looking at the monster, she wondered if this was all or something else was more dangerous. It was just a dwarf-sized spider, near the 1 meter, and completely black. In the dark environment, it would be hard to spot it quickly. Even now, it was still trying to throw poison at her. Not that it was really useful.


    Toying a bit with the arachnoid, she could feel the connection between the Queen and her servant. But as soon as she manipulated it to know where her enemy was, she felt the body stiffening. Grasping a lifeless spider corpse, she still absorbed it nonetheless. Putting her hands in her hair, she did not need to turn to know what was happening.


    Because the tunnels were quite small, she could easily obscure it entirely just by herself. Spreading from the edge of her hair, its white color provoked a huge contrast with the drops of darkness that was tangled in it. Behind her, a wall of shadows was completely sealing the opening, disintegrating everything in its path. Whether it was something belonging to the dwarves, the ratmen or the spiders, all became a part of her.


    With the death of the first scout, many more approached Leilade, but to kill her this time. To put it bluntly, it was like many eggs smashing themselves on a rock. The only difference was the rock in question, as she was absorbing entirely everything the spiders had. But because it was not even slowing her down, she did not really mind.


    Blocked by a spider web, she could see the numerous workers behind it creating more and more strings to reinforce it. They didn''t even have the time to scream their pain before they were exterminated, their meager barrier has proven to be inefficient. Gazing at the webs and cocoons that were filling the cavern, she spotted a few bigger monsters. Those were human-sized, and looked far more deadly, with a few traces of green on their head. Otherwise, they were similar to their smaller counterpart.


    But to her surprise, if the weakling charged at her, the few more impressive ones only began to run away at full speed. Chuckling at that sight, she did not forget to cast a black light in the entire cave. During one second, all the spiders still alive were blinded by it, before disappearing when the light was gone. In a blink of an eye, the previously lively nest had disappeared from the face of this planet.


    Not following the retreating spiders, she calmly took the tunnel leading to the nearest nest. Thanks to the plan of the dwarves, she knew exactly where she needed to go, not having to waste time being lost for no reason. Without the Viscount to even told her if she was on the wrong path, it was fortunate that she had seen the plan. After destroying a few other breeding grounds, she noticed the small shenanigans of the Spider Queen.


    It was not the first time she saw those large spiders leaving quickly by a tunnel. However, each time, they were taking a path that would lead her to go back on her footsteps. Or, it would dodge barely the cave she was looking for.But after realizing it was a failure, those monsters instead began to appear right in front of her, leading her directly to the nest. "Reverse psychology? Really?"


    It had already been half of an hour, and the number of spiders that died by her hand couldn''t be counted. The more she floated, the more she saw new tricks. Sometimes the right path was heavily guarded, sometimes it was not. In fact, without a precise location of those targets, she wouldn''t have been confident in which tunnel to take. Until she used her magic to learn where to go, of course. But that was strangely amusing for Leilade, to see the desperate efforts of that Queen, trying to make her lost her way.


    And when she finally arrived inside another cave used by the spiders as their home, she even began to laugh. No more small spiders. No more traps and petty tricks. On the floor, on the ceiling, on the walls. Everywhere, she could see those small traces of green on their black bodies. There had to be thousands, even more, dozens of thousands of monsters. But the one she was seeking was not in sight. Even now, her enemy had still not realized that the shadows behind her had only grown. And that it will grew even more now.

 161 ... requires extermination!

    "Too easy" petting the corpseless head that was in her hands, she could still see the terrified face that spider had. Even now that its eyes had lost the lights inside them, they could no longer see the massacre of its kin happening right in front of it. "Far too easy." Crushing what rested between her fingers, she only felt a mild enjoyment.


    In all honesty, she had longed for a proper battle, knowing full well now that she no longer had to care about anyone. Everyone that could be considered as close to her was very far away, allowing the wide array of spells she could use to be extended. However, reality caught up, and she only realized that she did not even have a chance to cast something. Even now, the numerous trails of poisons and venoms flying in the air couldn''t injure her the slightest.


    The vicious screeching that resonated inside the depths of the mountains were so loud, that even the dwarves and ratmen fighting hundreds of meters away could hear it. But since they also had to deal with the spiders, they couldn''t really differentiate it from the rest of the sounds produced by their foes. Not even wanting to fight anymore, she casually began to extend the shadows to pick up one specific spider.


    As for the unfortunate target, it was ferociously trying to escape the grip of the darkness lingering around its body, but to no avail. Starring at the two white eyes getting closer and closer, its scream turned into an acute sound that would make even the most hardened veteran have goosebumps. Putting her hand on its head, Leilade instantly dispelled its soul, before replacing it by something else.


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    The lifeless body began to move its legs slowly, then the entire corpse shuddered. Bowing in front of its mistress, the newly created undead waited for its instructions. Glancing at the weakling that was still kneeling, something really hard for a spider, she raised her hand once more, collecting more corpses around her. Now, instead of purely absorbing them, she only collected their souls, leaving their bodies intact.


    Creating thin black threads out of nowhere, numerous arms appeared near her, as she began to meticulously tear apart the undead spider. Without any sound signifying it was suffering, her servant observed its body being dismantled, with a large amount of green liquid splashing everywhere. Acting no differently from a tailor, she sewed the dead body parts together, creating a monster nearly two time her size.


    Of course, she could have summoned an undead directly, but where would she be able to have fun? Also, she couldn''t summon most of the monsters she knew, as the tunnels were not very large anyway. If Ymir had been there, he would have been forced to dig the walls with his hands or be stuck inside the cavern. Starring at her bloodied creation, she could only lament a bit on the inferior goods that was at her disposal.


    But it was not over yet, as she began to assemble another one, and another one after it. None were similar, be in shape or in size. But all were far more deadly than the original spiders that were used to be created. As an undead, the poison had no effect on their bodies, while a single bite condemned for sure the one that was injured by it. Faced against a new enemy, she could see many spiders beginning to retreat, while others stood their ground, sacrificing to gave the rest a way to escape.


    "Ignorant insects. Trying to run away from me?" With her power rising, she did not feel obliged to be as stingy as she were. Soon, two walls of black flames sealed the two tunnels that were on the other side of the cave. By now, she had already taken control of a third of the room, and none of the passages behind her could be used anymore. Visibly thinking that it was just a trick to fool them, some monsters tried to bypass her flames.


    SHRIEK SHEAAAAk


    Burning without any possibilities of surviving, none notice the fact that their bodies were not affected. In fact, after they saw one of her undead affected by the flames and be perfectly fine, she could see their movements becoming erratic. Clearly, the Queen behind them had no idea what type of magic Leilade was using. The more she kept claiming their souls, the more she felt the fear of the one they had a mental connection with.


    Picking up an injured monster that had been bitten badly, she could see the wound beginning to turn black. Making it turn its head to stare at her directly, she gazed into its eyes, wondering if someone else was watching. "Their souls. It is burning their souls. And it will burn yours too." Why the living spiders all died with their body intact when coming in contact with the black flames? And why her undead servants did not even bother reacting to it?


    Cleaning this place entirely, she knew that if she told those dwarves about what happened to her, no one would believe her. Not even her spells had done anything to the stone walls, and with the methodical harvest of all the blood and bodies of the spiders, it was ominously clean. Only the extremely strong smell of blood remained, especially since the green liquid was quite smelly.


    Waving at the rejects she created on a whim, she saw many had lost more than one limb beginning to move. But unlike their former kin, there were enough head, legs, and mandibles on their bodies to lost ten of them and still be fine. Reaching the tunnels that were still filled with monsters, the undead felt no pity or mercy while they murdered their way in.


    Leilade, on the other hand, did not care about whether some survived or not. In the end, everything that was moving in those depths will be destroyed. Also, those undead spiders were really too weak. Floating in a now completely empty tunnel, she kept advancing until she found the familiar spider webs blocking her path completely. Not like in the passages, where there was still some webs here and there but not sealing an opening.


    The following hours, she alternated between killing and creating. The more time she spent inside the heart of the mountain, the more she saw the spiders avoiding her. And while she could feel her servants being truly overwhelmed by a spider of black monsters, her, the soul behind all of it was not even attacked. Laughing at the pathetic behavior of that Spider Queen, she understood why those creatures hadn''t managed to conquer the mountains and the surroundings.


    "What is it now? A mole?" Breaking the iron-like strings that were blocking her once more, she spotted at the opposite side of the room a group of moles cowering in fear. They were barely smaller than the big spiders with green spots on their heads, and the fur on them looked to be strong enough to break a poorly made sword. Their first reaction when seeing Leilade was still to roll in a ball, protecting them from the new threat.


    "Here is the food." Patting the stone-like fur, she could see around the group a few batches of mushrooms. In the rarely lightened environment, food was usually hard to grow. Because of this, it was very hard to gather an important population of one species, since whether they were carnivores or herbivores, food was precious.


    However, if the dwarves were capable of managing their productive capacity, it also meant many other intelligent races were capable of the same. With just one glance, she could guess how a mole was useful for the spiders. First of all, it was big enough to be eaten by an important amount of spiders. Secondly, its claws could dig additional tunnels.


    While she was thinking this, she was still patting the fur, with her cold ethereal hand. Seeing that she was not attacking them, the pacific creature began to stand up, allowing her to see them more clearly. Fundamentally, they were no different from the undead mole Malakov created to dig their base, only that they were alive. As for their esthetic, well, rare would be the one to find them even remotely cute.


    Gmarh Mgargh Myiargh


    Without the Viscount to translate, she could hardly understand what that creature was telling her. Maybe their thanks, to have saved them? Maybe to ask her to save the rest of their people? But the supremacy for the mountain belonged to only one race, and maybe their ally, the ratmen. Meaning, that nothing else that could threaten them was allowed to survive. Even if they looked soft and weak, their claws were capable of digging the hard stone walls. What would be the result if what was the target was not a rock, but a body made of flesh?


    Leaving the group, she headed toward another tunnel, as she heard their screams when they realized the darkness behind her was getting closer. Because they had been prisoners for too long, they could hardly run faster than Leilade was advancing. By the time she reached another cave with more moles, the space behind her had retrieved its silence. The more she encountered, the more information she obtained from them. Including one she was particularly happy to learn.


    "Did you run or did you hide?" The news was relatively fresh, as she was certain that the location of the Spider Queen was at worst two days old. The tiny brain of the moles was not really capable of experiencing time since the caves were completely in the dark. But with only a few dozens of hours, it was possible the one Leilade was looking for had not moved too far. Something she still highly doubted.


    Following the same path that the mole took, she arrived where at least a spider should have been present. Compared to the previous nests, this one was visibly one of the oldest. Coupled with the immense space that was available, she could see all the cocoons and webs covering the ceiling and the walls. There even was a few platforms made of strings, cutting the room in half. However, there was always enough place for something of the size of Ymir to move.


    Splah Splash Crack ssreeeek


    Gazing at the tunnels beyond that were all abnormally large, she knew she had entered the territory of the Queen. As for the newly born monster that was trying hard to break free from its prison, she did not even glance at it. Only when the baby spider arrived right under her did she had an interesting idea. Approaching a random cocoon, she spread the darkness far and wide, grabbing all the other babies, whether they were fully formed or not.


    Soon, an unknown pile of bodies, with some still dripping the viscous liquid that was helping them to grow, was put right next to the chosen one. Pressing everything together, she could see the rare babies that were awaken beginning to flee, even if it was futile. Leaking on the strings that formed the protection of the soon newborn monster, green, white and black mixed together, forming something eerie.


    Manipulating the mana around her, Leilade could see the immobile form inside the cocoon beginning to grow and move. The entire thing shook violently, as the shape inside it was too tall for the small structure made of strings. Without any delay, an abnormal leg managed to pierce the thin white wall. Followed by another one, and more after. But with the liquid still leaking from above, it was not yet over.


    "Raise now." Hearing the heavy breathing of the thing in front of her, she could see something that shouldn''t even exist in this world. A black liquid was slowly falling from the numerous opening on its body, as the monster seemed plagued by an unknown disease. Maws were unevenly opening here and there, sometimes on his stomach, sometimes on of its 11 legs. Only the shape could vaguely be similar to a spider if someone ignored the ugly head was far too long, more comparable to a crocodile than an insect.


    "Hunt. Her. Down." Hearing the order from the one below it, the thing moved at full speed. It was taller than Leilade that was floating in the air, only small enough to take the tunnels. But compared to the half-baked undead she created previously, this one would be harder to kill. In fact, she waited for the news of its death, since it would mean the Spider Queen had finally moved in plain sight. A place that Leilade will know.

 162 Ending the Queen ...

    Because of the pure mayhem that was happening near their Queen, it provoked a lot of confusion in the ranks of the spiders. Even if they had some free will in their everyday moves, not completely controlled by their mother, the latter could still send them orders and messages. And as one would expect when that creature was filled with fear, her intense emotion spread among her offspring.


    If for Leilade, whether they were fearful, scared, angered or anything alike wouldn''t change anything, it was not the case for the dwarves and the ratmen. Filled with determination after hearing an army of undead was coming to help them, they were still a little bit doubtful about the effect it would have on the ongoing conflict. After all, this stalemate had lasted centuries already, beginning after the Age of Darkness.


    But to slap the nonbelievers in the face, everyone was baffled to see the previously never-ending stream of spiders dwindled to just a pitiful handful. Even now, all the underground fortresses of the dwarves that had begun their assault stumbled upon the same situation. Whether it was empty nests, deserted tunnels or just a few small spiders protecting it, it was nothing like they remembered. Some even pinched themselves to see if they were dreaming.


    "My-my apologiesss for doubting them, commandant. They are ssstrong be-beyong belief, sreek sreek." A monster fully armored was looking with his evil red eyes at the same dwarf Leilade talked to. To be fully honest, the latter was not looking any less surprised than his interlocutor, only that his helmet hid it well. Nodding a few times to gather his spirit, he managed to dispel his stupor.


    "What can spiders do to something already dead? You don''t have to worry about us, we are not like those insects, powerless against something without being able to use magic. Between your sorcerers and our runes, we wouldn''t be defenseless." As he was saying those words, a glint appeared briefly in the eyes of the armored ratman. Even if he was praising their new ally, it did not mean they would trust it unconditionally. But because the two thought the same thing, he was slightly less fearful.


    Pondering about Pankow, he was not really knowledgeable about it. Like his dwarven counterpart, anyone sent to the depths of the Foundations of Iron would always be the latest to be informed of something. Therefore, besides knowing that the undead had never attacked the Iron Kingdom before, none of the ratmen, and even none of the dwarves knew how suddenly they turned from peaceful neighbors to helpful allies.


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    Returning to the front, he gazed at the burning spiders that were still hesitantly attacking them. There was nothing in them like the ferocity they displayed during all those years. Their absence of fear toward death or injuries, their fighting spirit, until their last breath. No, sometimes they charged, sometimes they retreated, sometimes they even stood there until an axe or a flame touched them.


    Grabbing the binocular on his waist, he could see that this nest won''t pose any problem again. As the last spider was killed, the cleaners began their work. A few ratmen removed their heavy armor and put a strange outfit. Later, they began to fix huge metallic barrel on their back, with the help of the dwarves. Gripping the cannon-like barrel that was linked to the thing on their backs, they began to rotate a small lever on its side.


    Red flames immediately began to spread from it, burning to the ground all the spider webs that were blocking the way. At the same time, they could hear the screams of the halfway born spiders that were dying in their cocoons. Watching the spectacle, they suddenly saw a vast amount of spiders incoming from a tunnel. But to their surprise, the moment they spotted the dwarves, they rushed toward them, without even attacking anyone.


    Because of their numbers, there was always a few that managed to bypass the warriors in the front. The only weird thing was that instead of surrounding those fighters and kill them, they only wanted to head deeper, making it a bit harder to slay them. After all, between something that was desperately trying to dodge and flee and something that was rushing toward your weapon, one was easier to touch. But even if the spiders numbered to the hundreds, it was nothing they haven''t seen previously.


    Quickly, all the monsters that had tried to break through had been killed. Even the ones that were climbing the ceiling and the walls had been either turned into ash or shot down because of the rifles and crossbows. Approaching the body of a heavily injured spider, the commandant of the two races fighting could still see it trying to run. Even with half of its body immobilized by the axe on his back, three legs were madly grabbing the ground, slowly advancing the burden behind it.


    "What madnessss co-could make them behave like that?" Before anyone could answer the ratman, they heard the sound of more spiders arriving from the same tunnel. Only it was far louder than what was produced by those small monsters. "The soldiers. Get ready!" After killing so many of those eight-legged creatures, they had naturally learned the differences between each type of spiders.


    If the smallest were called the workers, since they were most of the time the one sent to spread the webs the closest to the dwarven fortress, they were also the weakest. Above them were the ones that were nearly as tall as the ratmen warriors. The small traces of green on their head and their size was oftenly used to differentiate the two. But the way they walked was enough for those that fought them for decades to immediately know what will appear.


    "BY IRONSKULL''S BEARD!" The shout of the dwarf quickly grabbed the attention of everyone, as they could gaze upon the thing that was now visible. The putrid smell it carried quickly swarmed the cave, letting a bad taste in the mouth of everyone. Beyond that atmosphere of death, decay and rot, its appearance looked that it came from a nightmare.


    Multiple body parts of the spider soldiers were sewed together, into a mass that shouldn''t be called by any name. Even now, they could see at least five different heads, all moving in discord and not at the same location. The body was painted completely green, as the blood was still dripping fresh. If at first, it only looked at the living beings with disinterest, it soon spotted the injured spider trying to escape.


    The order imprinted in its brain was absolute. Still starring at its new target, it did not care about anything else, including the numerous cannons aiming at it. "Warriors get back! The rest, fire! FIRE! BURN THIS THING!" Letting place to the ratmen carrying the flamethrowers, the retreating warriors could see the flames surrounding the moving pile of corpses. But even then, it was not enough to stop it immediately.


    The bodies of those spiders were far more resistant than the one of the workers. Seeing the monstrous thing getting closer and closer, not slowing down even when its legs were shot down, the closest ratmen and dwarves began to fear for their lives. However, they did not retreat in panic, only beginning to step back rapidly. Soon, they bypassed the mortally wounded spider that was still using his remaining legs to flee.


    SHRRIEEEEEEEEE


    Pierced in the middle of its broken body, the unfortunate spider finally stopped moving, its body beginning to burn as the thing that killed it was detaching itself from the main body. The thing finally began to show signs of crumbling, as the weak joints of the limbs were completely burned. Losing the leg that it used to kill its prey, the undead started moving toward another tunnel that had the scent of a spider. But before it could even take another step, the few limbs it still had broke.


    Falling to the ground, it was greeted by even more flames and projectiles. Only after a minute after it stopped moving did someone approached it. Using a halberd to poke one head, the ratman officer repeated the gesture one all the other ones. Not seeing any movements from the fallen body, he raised his weapon high and split in half one skull. After methodically destroying the body, he finally breathed a bit better. But before they could discuss what happened, a small ratman appeared, shouting that an unknown monster had been spotted in the East.


    As for Leilade, she did not even thought that some of her undead servants would be killed by the dwarves. After all, her orders were to hunt only the spiders, so if there was none in sight, the monsters that she created would just go elsewhere. Because they had the same enemy, that also meant there was no possibility of a spider surviving near a dwarf.


    No, currently, she was just following her routine, meaning slaughtering nests after nests. While sometimes, staying a bit longer to create more undead. Deciding that five of them was enough, anytime one was destroyed she will sew another. Since they only served as cleaning dogs, hunting the escaping spiders, it was only out of convenience.


    Unlike the undead spiders that she hardly cared about, the thing she created to hunt the Spider Queen was far more important. And she always kept an eye on it and its progress. But even after so many hours, her target was still not in sight. It was almost making her want to use some spells, to fight boredom. Knowing that the Saksa was very far away from this place and definitely in no condition of even spotting the gods, she would hardly be restrained by it.


    Glancing in what was happening in her mind, she saw her other self sadly playing with mud, currently sculpting a small statue. With just a peek, she could see the huge beard and the wrinkles on the face of the man, knowing full well who it was. As for where she found the mud, it was no different from the trick she did to the Archmage. As long as mana was present, nearly everything could be done. But it was good, that she was occupied by something.


    Suddenly, she felt that her mental connection with one of her creatures had been destroyed. Chuckling about it, she let go of the few spiders still alive near her. "Found you." Not caring anymore about the stone walls, she directly floated through it, not having forgotten that she was just a soul in the end. Feeling that she was getting closer and closer, she finally arrived into a cavern of crystal.


    Looking at the myriad of colors all around her, she remembered seeing the same thing near the body of the troll Hero and the Ak?l. Wondering if this time it was natural or caused by something, she saw the large body in the middle that was completely immobile. All around it, thousands of spider corpses were laying on the ground, some half-eaten and even a few still stuck in one of the mouths. What was also in one of the mouths was an abnormally long leg, and another one was piercing completely the head of her creation.


    Barely meters away, an equally large monster was leaning on the stone pillar behind it and using it to help her. Her two limbs were still stuck inside the thing that she fought, and even now, she was having a hard time pulling it out. But to her despair, she noticed far too late that something dark had entered the room, bypassing all the scouts the spread inside the tunnel.


    On her back, the workers that usually worked on the jungle of strings were all paralyzed, before dropping dead instantly. Feeling the loss of her dear children, she gazed at the numerous cocoons all over the room, before realizing she felt nothing at all. Nothing alive. Disregarding the floating enemy, she gently opened one, only to find the almost born baby not breathing anymore. Calling in her mind her dear children to defend her, she realized none of them were coming.


    Starring at the entrances of the tunnels, she saw all of them turned into statues. Looking left and right, she was beginning to consider cutting her legs to escape, only to realize she could no longer do so. Dark flames were blocking the way, and she already knew about the terrible pain that accompanied those. Feeling a whirlpool of emotions, the one that was predominant was still incomprehension. Why was she targeted by that thing, that tiny dark monster? Even as Leilade raised her hand, the last thought of the spider was still this question.

 163 ... and its bloodline

    "One already killed. And it didn''t even take me more than 5 hours." The immense network of tunnels built by the dwarves had been constantly expanded during the years by the moles. In fact, it could probably cover an entire human nation, by its size and its depth. However, it was usually harder to walk inside the underground passages, slowing down most creatures. Besides the ones that did not need to touch the floor.


    Cleaning up the place, she spared none of the remaining moles that were looking at her with their terrified eyes. When everything was done, the immense cave filled with crystals was no longer obscured by the numerous spider webs. As she roamed, she searched the reason for such a thing to appear at two vastly different locations. But even then, she could not see a corpse frozen inside one of the minerals.


    As for the memories of the Spider Queen, it only amounted to its birth between the cold stone walls, the death of her mother and the birth of her own daughter. It made sense, since it was not possible for such a creature to live forever. And it explained why the ratmen oftenly found that a new Spider Queen had appeared, between the death of the mother and the birth of the new child. Right now, the last remaining queen had only a few decades.


    The last time the two met, it was only an hour ago. The sight coming from the multiple eyes of the spider was not enough to perturbed Leilade, as she had gazed at far worst inside the souls of her victims. As for the fugitive, she had used a smaller tunnel hidden behind a crystal. Using her power, she uprooted the last obstacle between them, unveiling the secret passage.


    It was barely smaller than the size of the large spider. It took time for a new queen to grow to such an impressive size, as well as the ability to give birth to so many offsprings. Meaning that for the moment, the prey was not really that different from the rest of the spiders and could hide inside the small tunnels without any problem.


    Not having to pierce her skin anymore, she extracted a bit of her essence to have three drops floating in the air. Supplying them with darkness, the drops grew larger, beginning to take the shape of a human. Their ethereal bodies were getting more and more concrete, as they began to merge with the shadows Like three angels of death, they split up as soon as Leilade waved her hand.


    "This will take care of the rest of the spiders." It was time to end this once and for all. Even if she had nine other days after that before the criminal dwarf arrived, she also had to pay a visit to the dragons. To see what they knew about this world. And about who breached the security of the Ancients and disrupted the Saksa.


    "But now, let''s see how fast you managed to run in one short hour." Remembering the fact that this was not displayed on the plan shown by the dwarves, she wondered if the Spider Queen that dug this knew about that. Probably. After all, the one that arrived here had managed to escape the same disaster that forced the ratmen to flee. Something she still did not understand completely.


    Not even a minute later, she entered the secret lair of the Spider Queen. Looking around, she saw numerous types of armors, weapons, and banners that were sometimes familiar, sometimes not. However, it was cleanly ordered, as much as it was possible with the issue of not having proper hands. Not a complete mess like that was sometimes seen inside monster lairs.


    As for the only living being that was inside it, it was crawling away when it spotted Leilade. Just a small little bug, without even an intent of murder. Only fear could be felt from the monster, not that it was truly surprising. After all, her entire life, her mother had been the biggest protection she could ever get. That large body was the only shelter she needed. But she was intelligent enough to know that if the thing that hunted them was here, it meant everyone else had died.


    "Farewell, little one." A small tentacle began to leave the body of Leilade, as it slowly approached her prey. The latter stared at it, before jumping on the walls, still trying to flee. But as much as the monster wanted to get out, the entrance was completely sealed by the moving soul. And seeing the shadows creeping closer and closer, filling the small hiding spot to the brink, the spider realized she had no choice anymore. Nowhere to go.


    Returning to the room filled with crystal, she explored it once more, just to be certain. She did not believe in accident or coincidence. Especially when both cases involved special monsters and locations. Grasping in her hand the mineral she grabbed, it was easily destroyed. The little pieces that fell to the ground did not offer her any mana either, making it quite useless, besides improving the esthetic of the cave.


    Retracing the path that she took, she stumbled upon a few burning corpses after a while. Approaching it, she felt the presence of spiders inside a crack on the ceiling. Looking upwards, she didn''t have to wait long for a ghost to approach them and claim their lives. The sound of the corpses falling to the ground id not slow her down as she followed the trail of flames.


    By sheer luck, she managed to find the troops led by the commandant dwarf she previously encountered. Of course, her sudden appearance was not looking kindly by the warriors that had bathed into the green liquid. But beyond the terrifying appearance of Leilade and the initial shock, they quickly rejoiced and even cheered for her.


    Contrarily to the undead spiders that were too horrifying to be considered friendly, the three human ghosts she summoned were, in fact, confirming the news that their former allies, Pankow, had come to help. With that small lie, and the fact that numerous reports were stating the presence of ghostly humans killing spiders, even the presence of a monstrous being like Leilade was bringing joy.


    Combining this with the fact that everyone knew how far they were in the depths, many of the warriors that were still fighting had a wide smile on their face. In their lives, most had barely managed to go deeper than a hundred meters. Now, they were beyond five times this distance, and the number of monsters in sight was quite pitiful. Meaning that their days staying in the dark depths of the Foundations of Iron would finally be over.


    But when she arrived near her known acquaintances, she saw his bearded face beginning to darken. He had removed his helmet, as he was previously chatting with a large ratman near him. Not really concerned by the cold welcome she got, she only noticed too late what was in his hands, before it quickly moved toward her.


    "TO LEILADE OCTAVIUS! SLAYER OF THE SPIDER QUEEN!" Raising high his bottle of alcohol, he drank it in one go. Behind him, she could see numerous ratmen carrying huge barrels of beer and wine, before distributing it to everyone. Removing their dirtied helmets, ratmen and dwarves began to celebrate early their victory.


    "I was joking with you, don''t make such a face. Maybe you don''t realize, but many of us thought we would die in this place. Even if the casualties are not too high as the spiders rarely attack, who would want to get old without their families?"


    "Yes-Yes. The spidersss are no more, sreek sreek. Thousandsss of years, su-suffering under their mandibles. But you. You killed them all, ex-exterminated them. To the lassst of them." The evil face of the ratman was grinning evilly while saying this, but she could see that it was joy. Even as they celebrated, it never occurred to them that she could have returned without accomplishing her task. Feeling a bit naughty, she wanted to see their faces crumbled.


    "The Spider Queen escaped."


    PFUIII


    Both officers spat instantly their drinks while looking at her with stupor. After that, their eyes landed on their warriors that were happily chatting and drinking, wondering how they would be able to tell them the hard truth. Realizing that they may have jumped to the conclusion too fast, the jug in their grips were crushed, letting the strong liquid taint their hands.


    "Joking, she is dead." Hearing this, both looked at each other, then at Leilade, then at each other again. the dwarf began to sit down, his heart not capable of sustaining any other jump of emotions. With his breathing getting louder and louder, even the soul near him feared a bit that she had shocked them too much. It would be bad if she killed someone by accident, after telling a bad joke. Regretting once more to have succumbed to an impulse of emotions, the worst did not happen.


    "Don''t ... pfuiii ... Don''t ever ... Joke like that again ... haaaaa ... You''re killing me." Grabbing another jug from someone that passed nearby, he drank it far more slowly this time, only taking a few sips at a time. Right after this, the reports of the other troops informed them that they had not sighted a single spider since at least half of an hour. But each time they entered a new cavern, they could spot the countless corpses laying on the ground.


    "I guess those ghosts are your doing. And if you say that the queen is dead, we have to trust you. It would take weeks to explore everything, but I think it''s fine if we already inform the king of the news. I wonder how big the feast will be at our arrival in the capital?"


    "You won''t inform anyone." The cold, infantile voice broke the thoughts of the two living beings, that merely raised their eyebrows about that remark. "For the next ten days, no one will leave the Foundations of Iron. If someone comes, you will tell them that you are still fighting hard. No one will know about what I have done until this period of time has ended."


    Instead of being angered or anything alike, the only thing she could see was sheer disinterest. Like what she said didn''t concern them in the slightest. Feeling the gaze of the dark soul perturbing their small celebration, the ratman finally acknowledged what she said. "Fi-Fine fine. We heard from you. What''sss ten days anyway?" "Do what you want. Just, before you leave, can you let those ghosts kill the last spiders for us? Even with our good visions in the dark, it is still hard for us to spot some hiding spots on the ceiling and the walls."


    Lifting her hand, Leilade did a small hand gesture as a dark orb was created. Extending her hand for the dwarf commandant to pick it up, she explained its utility. "This is linked to my summons. When they will be done, the orb will immediately disappear. Meaning that all the living beings in those tunnels have been exterminated. As for the ranger that followed me, he can go back to the capital. Tell him to only speak to the king."


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    Finalizing to fix the last miscellaneous issues, she then listened to the dwarf to know where to go next. "The orcs? Hard to miss those greenskins. If it was me, it would take a long time before reaching them, but you don''t have that problem. Just go to the West and it will be fine. And if you want more actions, aim at the river that is leaving the Iron Kingdom. It will lead you directly to a huge lake, where most monsters of those forsaken plains go to drink."


    Soon after saying those words, the two officers could see the soul in front of them beginning to disappear into a nearby stone wall. Finally getting rid of the morbid and glacial atmosphere that followed their savior, the taste of the drink in their mouths was greatly improved. Returning to the fortress and after learning that they had not lost a single man, celebrations resonated in the depths for all those days. And when the black orb crumbled under their happy stares, it only made the party even bigger.

 164 Going from an infestation to a plague

    High above in the skies, Leilade would see some unknown creatures warily drinking the water in the large river. Obviously no meat-eaters, they nonetheless possessed enough spikes on their body to protect themselves. Like larger armadillos, the plates under their stomach were visibly thinner than the ones on their backs. How could she see that when it should be impossible to spot it from where she stood?


    Well, the half-eaten creature that was getting swallowed by the huge crocodile was the reason. Apparently, the harmless herbivores were right to be wary of the river, as many things were lurking inside it. The blood that was tainting the water began to attract more and more of them, but the crocodile was apparently strong enough to repel most of them. One of his kin did try to battle for the food, but it was over in an instant, with both of them leaving in opposite ways.


    For the spiked armadillos, it only meant that they could noo longer drink here, as they had seen the movements under the water provoking countless ripples. Just as they left, another group of creatures appeared, and another one, and another one. As she floated, she could see all types of animals, mammals or reptilians, seeking the liquid of life. Some were attacked by aquatic monsters, others by the same predators they feared on the ground.


    From the books of the dwarves, there was previously some human tribes that lived in those desolate plains. Traveling like nomads, they hunted and gathered fruits while managing to trade sometimes with the Iron Kingdom. But it had ended way before the Age of Darkness when the first orcs were spotted. Comparing the frail physique of the humans to the resistant body of the orc, it was easy to see who would be the best at surviving in this place. And with the scarce resources, if the former could repel monsters and non-intelligent creatures, it would be hard against anything with half a brain.


    As she was thinking this, she spotted something standing on top of a creature. The mount looked like a deformed hyena, similar to the wolves that lived in the Wild Mountains near Massalia by its size. Just this thing could kill a human by itself quite easily. As for the rider, he was nearly two and a half meters tall, only barely smaller than Kardel. Wearing a crude armor with many red and blue paintings on it, he dismounted, allowing him, the rider and his mount to both drink.


    Another crocodile began to approach, aiming at the hyena. But the other party was clearly aware of it, as soon as the attack began it had already jumped back. Suddenly appearing in the open, the reptilian barely had the time to blink before his skull was split open in half. Pulling off the axe that still had dwarven inscriptions on it, the warrior put it in the river. Cleaning the blood of it, this time, no monsters were attracted by it. Not all blood tasted the same, and apparently, it was proven right at this very moment.


    The hyena had not waited long before grabbing the corpse away from the water and beginning to eat. After waiting a few additional seconds, the fighter put his weapon on his back and interrupted the meal of the other monster. Efficiently cutting the stomach of the crocodile, he immediately gathered all the meat he wanted, before putting it in a leather bag. Letting the rest of the corpse to the visibly displeased hyena.


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    Approaching the two, their reactions were well in the range of her expectations. Gazing at the massive axe that was pointing at her, she definitely confirmed it had been taken from a dwarf. As for the armor, after observing it carefully, it seemed to be the same. Only that the monster took more care about his weapon than what he was wearing.


    "Er'' pickin'' fight wiz ME?!! I''ll bash you'' skullz!" The joy of communicating with an orc, something she never regretted. Not that they did not become great warriors, quite the contrary. But, the number of orcs commanding anything but their peers was close to zero, in the Demonic Empire. For some peculiar reason, even the translators always had an issue with their speech. As they were incoherent when they forgot a letter in their words and when they added one.


    Throwing at him a bubble of water to make him stop speaking, she could see that if his armor had paintings on it, his body also had a few. Making it a bit tricky to get what she wanted. As expected, her magical bubble instantly exploded after making contact with the monster, making him act even more arrogantly. "YOU THINK YOU CAN COM'' FOR ME HEAD? YOU THINK MAGI'' CAN KILL ME?"


    Charging at her, she did not dodge at all, letting the axe fell on her frail body. Well, frail body was a manner of speaking, since she didn''t have a real body in the first place. And when the orc looked at the two parts of Leilade that were merging into one once more, he was completely dumbfounded. "MAGI''! Gorgutz is the biggest and the baddest wa''boss. I will join Gorgutz with you'' HEAD!"


    Shouting this, she could see the faint light of mana surrounding the body of her opponent. The traces of red and blue that were previously just mere decorations began to shine brightly, as even his axe looked stronger, sturdier. The power of thoughts. Like she explained to the Archmage, as long as one had access to mana, the soul could use it to create magic. the only reason some could not do it was the same issue that plagued Davion, the orodil. The inability to connect with mana, even when his entire body was made of it.


    As for the orcs, the way they did was quite funny, to say the least. Things like casting a fireball or just a flame were incredibly hard, as it was an abstract creation. Something that had no existence before the spell. However, if it was something to harm their opponents or strengthen themselves, they had almost no equal. Right now, his belief in being big, strong and invincible made him like that. The more they were at thinking the same thing, the stronger the effects were.


    Because he was alone, it only made very small changes, as his axe was still capable of injuring truly Leilade. Even an artifact created by the dwarves to kill the other survivors of the Demonic Empire, the Dark Gods of the legends, was not enough. So why a simple orc warrior could do something more? Ensnaring him with her shadows, she began to meticulously remove his armor. Each time she did that, she could see the paintings beginning to dim until no traces of mana could be seen.


    With his belief of being strongly crushed, of course, his magic was destroyed as well. Penetrating his head and searching for his memories, she located the location of his tribe. Looking at the nearly omnipresent memories of victories, feasts and bountiful meals, it was obvious that they were not a very small tribe. Otherwise, they would have been defeated more often. Starring at the hyena that had seen its master being absorbed by mere darkness, the monster felt that its legs had turned into stone.


    Normally, it should have attacked Leilade as soon as the orc had begun his assault. However, for some reason, it felt that anything attacking the dark floating thing would not survive. Turning the usually ferocious predator into something not any different than a harmless kitty. Even now, as Leilade approached, half of his instincts told it to flee as fast as it could, and the other half kept telling it that if it showed its back, it would die. Because of those mixed thoughts, Leilade did not need to catch up a fleeing creature to silence the last witness.


    Only races that called themselves intelligent or were controlled by a superior being far away tried to repress their basic instincts, making it a bit cumbersome. Otherwise, any monsters that would even felt a hint of her presence, or even the one of Kardel and Ymir for all that mattered, would immediately panic. That was more or less the same effect dragon could produce, or anything that was of the same power. But with the humans first, and the spiders next, it had been a long time since she could enjoy the feeling of uncontrollable fear in the eyes of her enemies.


    However, as she examined the crude memories of the orc, that were far too focused on eating, she had to acknowledge the impossibility of her task. Even if those vast plains were called like that, vast, big, large or any adjective that would be similar, it was just a subjective point of view. One could call a wolf big because he was one meter taller than the rest of the pack, but if the same wolf was compared to a dragon, it would be reduced to tiny. Therefore, the big tunnel network had barely taken her a day to be completely cleaned.


    But it wouldn''t be the same here. First of all, tunnels were easier to roam in when you were a soul, as you didn''t care about all the stone blocking you. After that, none of the spiders would be able to even remotely harm her or impede her progress. As for the orc shamans, they would definitely be able to slow her down, by how much was the only question. And she will already have a hard time finding the tribes in the first place, as they rarely stayed in the same place.


    "Well, it''s not like they often attack the dwarves anyway."


    "So, the Empress of the Underworld will give up like that?" Hearing the strangely familiar voice, the one interrupted in her thoughts couldn''t help but feel something off all of a sudden. Turning back her sight into her very soul, she noticed that the mud statue was now accompanied by a lot more. Starring at the well-defined faces, she recognized all of them. Some were undead, other humans, a few elves and many other races.


    "Yes, what do you want me to do, waste my times running in a circle inside something large enough to encircle all the human nations and still have a place for something else?" Seeing them logically brought back the memories of those that had fallen. Like Malakov was not the first lich she personally created, Akama was not the one in charge of the Death Corps at first. Even if he belonged to the first batch, he was actually one of the worst.


    But unlike his peers, he was extremely stable when casting magic, often losing parts of the soul he tried to save but never making a mistake in the process. Even if it seemed to be extremely easy when some watched Leilade do it, it was not less dangerous than meddling with space and time like Candaith did. In fact, in some situation, it could even be considered as worst. After all, the caster didn''t necessarily have to test his portal, while the mage manipulating the soul couldn''t let someone else handle it.


    If one mistake was made, the soul or a part of it could try to search the closest host available. Meaning the one trying to save it. If it was the complete soul, it was extremely easy as they were countless counter measures researched over the years. But if only a very small fragment of the decaying soul infiltrated the caster, it could do that unnoticed. And over the years, if more and more of those tiny fragments were left unchecked, the moment a foreign soul attacked, it could attack from the inside the very soul of the caster.


    In a way, what she did to escape the spell of Candaith was no different than the thing that killed many of her disciples. But unlike them, those fragments all belonged to her. As for whether she previously did a mistake, she betted on the fact that she was Leilade Octavius. Someone that saved a Demon Emperor, more than once. Meaning that she wouldn''t make a mistake.


    "Maybe, it would be fun to see new things." Almost sneering, the main personality couldn''t help but belittle those words. "Sure, like we never saw any orcs before. Or such a barren and desolate plain. What do you want? Truly?" Instead of answering, the white soul kept sculpting more statues. Starring at the mute fragment of her mind, she put her sight back on the familiar faces that surrounded her.


    Even now, she couldn''t feel any magic in them, meaning that they were no magic totems but just mud statues. Created by the mana in her body, yes, but they were just that. Virtual representations of small sculptures. Even then, the feeling that something was off compelled her to not let anything strange meddle with her control. Raising her hand, she methodically reduced each and every one of them into nothingness, strangely making her feel even more empty than before.


    Instead of being mad, the other one just calmly picked up her book once more, letting only one statue still standing. With her own face on it. Because of this, it was spared, as the situation was weird enough, even for Leilade. Thinking that she had already lost too much time with her, the dark soul looked at the outside and saw once more the large empty land extending under her, before returning to the kingdom of the dwarves. Or more precisely, to the peaks above it.

 165 An unnoticed absence

    "Thank you for this evening. It was very productive."


    "Productive, hehe. Yes, very productive." Unlike the radiant woman that was smiling, the man was bitterly laughing. Since when a woman had enjoyed a dinner with him and qualify it with the adjective productive? Shouldn''t be more like, delightful or even agreeable? Something like that? But after recalling how it was, he knew that she was right.


    Each time he tried to talk about another subject, she kept focusing the discussion with the numerous trade agreements they could reach. At one point, even Andre arrived, with one of the products of the underground farm, baffling both him and the two last employees of the inn. With the departure of all the adventurers, most of the guards and a large amount of the population, most inns had been closed, especially the one near the Adventurer Guild.


    The woman and her husband in charge of this one were probably the last in all Archet. So, when a man had asked them if it was possible to eat here, they were overjoyed, especially knowing the Mayor will also be present. Unfortunately, as much as they tried everything, it could not hide the fact that only two people were eating in a nearly empty room. And if the man was sometimes looking weirdly at the nearby chairs with no one of them and the two undead that were near the door, the Mayor never took a glance of it.


    With the arrival of that unbelievable fruit, the already formal dinner was infiltrated by three other people. Gwendoline asked their thoughts to both the couple and the merchant, crushing the hope of any forms of a charming evening. Taking personally a bite of it, and with the former Mayor following her on that, they were all happy to not see them dying soon after. As for the taste, it was unfortunately not that good.


    It was not to the point of having a bad taste, but it was far too bland, almost without any taste. Remembering the grumbling of the red giant about the fact that the undead tainted everything they touched, Gwendoline wondered if it was the same for those fruits. Making a mental note to check that the next day, the size was still enough to be comparable to three fruits at once. With that in mind and the fact that it was filled with far more mana than anything not coming from Genablum, it would inevitably be a profit.


    But because the discussion derived from a hopeless attempt at seducing a woman to technical and financial questions, it worsened the mood of the Eltritch son. In the end, he even had to pay for all of this. Not that he usually care, but that was because he had someone under his arm at that moment. But watching the cordial distance between him and the beautiful woman nearby, he was even more dejected.


    "Was it really necessary?" Hearing the question of Andre that had not left her side since he arrived, she was puzzled for a few seconds before understanding it. "Yes, it is better to give him no hope, so we can move forward."


    "You know, you could have played with him a few more times, to get the most out of it. It''s not rare that some men send ... beautiful gifts to their adversaries, in exchange for some favors. Of course, I would not ask for anything overboard, but ..." Nodding, she also got the idea. After all, she was part of that process too, before all of this. A nice, young and charming employee, dealing with all those old, powerful men, lifting their mood to allow the Mayor to use their goodwill.


    "Maybe, but you do realize it would be useless against him. He has not fallen in love with me, he is just lusting for my body. Meaning that the sooner he give up this idea, the less likely he will feel compelled to do irrational things. It could be giving gifts, that I would lose out, or something bad like sabotaging this entire thing."


    "That would be unfortunate."


    "Indeed." Because they only knew him for a day, none of them could accurately know who he truly was. From the sayings of his father, a good for nothing that at least had enough in the brain to not lose too much money. And someone that also was far too close to women, whether they were married or not. As for how he was reacting when rejected, even his own father did not really know. Looking at the only moon that was up tonight, she left Andre there and returned to the City Hall.


    Searching through the books that had not be destroyed, she finally found what she was looking for. The title was pretty self-explanatory, as it was called "1001 fruits and vegetables of the Grey Lands by Bellacia Pirgrim". Drawn on it, a silhouette with a robe was raising its hands, when nearby a halfling was using a hoe to work on the fields. Because of the peaceful nature of both the halflings and Genablum, it was no wonder the former only lived inside that nation.


    Counting the pages, she opened where she stopped reading. Completely immersed in the book and the beautiful drawings representing the fruits and the one found in Massalia, for comparison, she did not notice the numerous shadows moving in her room silently. Feeling thirsty, she put the book down and began to walk to grab some water. Only when she stood up did she notice that something was weird.


    "Good evening Gwendoline, or should I say, Mayor of Archet." Seated in one of the chairs present in the room, she could see a very tall man with an extremely faint mark on his forehead. He didn''t seem bothered by the fact he was breaking in the City Hall. Spotting the dark thing that seemed to be alive on one of his arms, she easily guessed who it was.


    "Black Gauntlet? You are the Black Gauntlet?" Hearing this said in a very calm tone, the man in question chuckled a bit. "You know, usually people scream when they pronounced this name. It''s quite refreshing to not have to deal with that, especially since woman''s screams are quite annoying to the ears."


    Looking at the man belonging to the Organization being so carefree, she began to wonder how he managed to enter. Even if they were masters at walking unnoticed, Archet was no longer protected by mere guards. No bribe, no lack of sleep, no biological needs could help them bypass the guards. All day and night, the cold empty eye sockets of the undead will stay vigilant.


    "Did you know that the tunnel the Dark Gods created is actually unguarded?" Dropping that, he looked at her reaction but only saw surprise. A bit disappointed, he still did not let it appear. "Yes, it''s true. The opening in Massalia is still guarded, but we didn''t spot anyone since the moment we arrived in Avenio. Now, do you think we should tell them this, or keep it for ourselves?"


    Frowning, Gwendoline could not understand what was going on. This had nothing to do with her, in fact, she would enjoy not being implicated in this. Her loyalty to Meridiana was unbreakable, and for now, she helped Ymir. Meaning that considering the actions of the Organization, they did not belong to the same side. "You should sell it."


    "Hahaha, I knew it. Always trust someone from Avenio to make profits out of everything. Unfortunately, that was the wrong answer. But that''s fine, you have one more chance." All of a sudden, the previously cordial exchange turned tense. She also felt the stares of the one hidden in the shadows beginning to aim at her. Even with her mental fortitude, knowing fully well that experienced killers were looking at her was not pleasant.


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    "What Leilade is up to?" "Who?"


    CRASH


    The well-made chair that was under him was crushed by his fist. Standing up, his easy-going smile was also gone. However, looking at the young woman in front of him, she truly did not seem to know this name. Something impossible, since there had been reports about the dark soul floating to Archet and then leaving to the West. "The dark thing that floated that day."


    "Oh. I know nothing about what she wants." She was clearly telling the truth, and a small sound resonated in the room. She could not know it, but it was also confirming the thoughts of the Black Gauntlet. All of those accompanying him had agreed that she did not lie. It had already been many, many days since it happened, but because no one was inside Archet they couldn''t even know such a piece of basic information.


    "And the reaction of Ymir?" The last two Dark Gods whose names were unknown were the lich and the red giant. However, with the fleeing humans of Archet, they soon learned that he was called by that name, meaning that the lich was the last one to obtain. "Well, he was extremely scared. At first, he told us to run away in panic as soon as he spotted her. Then, they discussed for a few minutes, and he returned to his castle immediately. But he didn''t look very happy, and was mumbling about him never being informed of anything."


    After saying that last sentence, a small glint appeared in the eyes of the man. After all, it was a very strange sentence to say, something he often heard when people deal with the Organization. But the main point was that someone that was unharmed after battling with a Hero became terrified when he spotted Leilade. Not something they wished to learn at all.


    "You know, your new friend is becoming a laughingstock those days. The merchant that traveled to Archet. Everyone is joking about how he would die, but apparently, he is completely fine. tell me more about this." Hearing everything Gwendoline had to say, he was particularly interested in what Ymir said about blood. But when he asked her if she had seen a lich, the only answer he received was which one.


    Even after describing in great detail the one he was looking for, she couldn''t confirm or deny its presence, as she was not particularly interested in them. In fact, none of the humans still staying were curious about the undead, all preferring to not look at them directly. Obtaining everything he wished, albeit, with a few exceptions, he couldn''t help but curse his subordinates. It was not really dangerous, they had managed to enter this room without alerting anyone.


    "Take this." Grabbing something from his bag, he gave her a very small orb. Seeing her puzzled face, he explained what it was. "That''s a small device used to talk to each other. Another one is located right outside of Archet. Because the range is merely 5 kilometers, it is enough for you. I know you are not someone that can''t connect with the surrounding mana. Meaning that you can activate it. Each day, you will report everything important you have seen to us."


    "Do I have the choice?" Hearing this, the man couldn''t help but laugh. Taking that as an answer, she only took the orb and tried to activate it. To her surprise, the empty device took a blue color, and she could hear someone like he was very far away. "Test! Test! One, Two! Do you copy?" Looking at the Black Gauntlet that was gesturing her to do something, she approached her head. "Yes."


    "Great. I will shut it down now." Soon after, the blue color disappeared, returning the orb into just a small ball of glass that was reflecting her face the empty wall behind her. Only at that moment did Gwendoline suddenly turned around. "Ah!" Looking at the woman that had a small scream of surprise, everyone looked at her, wondering what she was up to. But apparently, it was not their fault as she only did that after looking behind her.


    Beginning to feel unease, he had no idea what was this for. The wall behind her was without any problems, as all the damages it suffered had been repaired. So why did she screamed? "You should go, now." Her dark tone made everyone put their guard on, as it was mixed with fear. "Why?" But before she could answer, a ratman flew through the doors and crashed on her desk, right in front of the Mayor.


    Turning their sights to the opening, they could see a massive armor moving on its own. Inside the four large hands, one could see another shadow that was struggling. Not caring about the fact that his head was so high that the ceiling was being destroyed, the giant answer in her stead. "Why? Because a skeleton is always watching her."

 166 A crushed dream

    At this moment where everyone was silent, one small sound made the outlaws turned around. In her small movement of panic, Gwendoline had begun to step back and was very close to hitting the wall behind her. However, instead of crashing on it, she was stopped by something invisible standing there. Almost letting out a small scream, she was still frozen still by this unexpected surprise. However, the feelings she had when she touched made her remember of something.


    Extending her hand, she touched once more the invisible thing, only to find out it was cold metal. "You think that just because they are mere skeletons they can''t fool you? Hehe." Hearing the mocking words of the Ak?l, the small spell that was covering the black armor was finally gone. Then, all could see the perfectly still undead. Only then did the Mayor realized that it had never left her room, only she forgot about it, as it was precisely where it always was.


    "HA! You have made a mistake coming here. In fact, you have made an even bigger mistake previously, by harming her. Now, no one will be able to save you from her." Walking forward, he stood in the middle of the room, surrounded by the five enemies still standing. If they could have seen his face, they would have noticed the evil grin that was spreading, as he grabbed two mighty axes that were on his back.


    "Her? Are you talking about Leilade? She was defeated by the Archmage, her body is trapped as we are currently speaking. She is nothing more than a soul now! in fact, your friends will be executed as soon as the Archmage will be able to release them. Also, you are outnumbered!" Even if the enemy was a Dark God, there was no reason for those trained killers to be scared witless. With an artifact of the past and their own strength, even Heroes could be killed.


    But instead of directly fighting, Ymir finally heard the news he was looking for since a long time. And it completely puzzled him. How could those humans trap an orodil, a duvodiad and Leilade like that? Meridiana was possible, as she was weak, but the two others would not be caught as easily, without even talking about the small girl. "What do you mean by trapped?"


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    For the first time since a very long time, even the Black Gauntlet himself was caught by surprise. As he genuinely believed the underline surprise that was in the voice of that demon. But it was completely impossible for him to not know, the lich was missing and the dark soul had come here. However, since it would inevitably be told to him at one point, the large man wondered how much he could obtain from this. Especially since the magic of the Archmage seemed to have angered the smallest Dark God greatly.


    "The Archmage cast a spell capable of stopping time around them, trapping them for many years. For that, ten magus joined their efforts and were successful. If you go there, you could see their bodies." "IMPOSSIBLE!" Shouting this, Ymir began to wave his arms, violently shaking the shadow that was in one of his hand. However, he did not kill it yet, only restraining it for the moment. Even then, his mind was preoccupied with one idea.


    "Impossible. It is impossible. On a lowly planet like this one, understanding spatial magic to the level of Candaith, it is impossible. You are lying, LYING!" Even if could not be considered as extremely smart, Ymir was no moron either. He had heard the rumors about the many fights between Leilade and Candaith, including the one where she pummeled him so hard their commander had to step in. She had barely managed to escape the trap laid by that harmless space bunny and someone told him now it happened again. "I DON''T LIKE TO BE LIED TO!"


    Begining to squeeze his prisoner, the giant criminal stopped him with one word. "Candaith." The Ak?l froze while hearing this, only to remember he had said this seconds ago. Feeling even more anger in his heart, it vanished in a second afterward. "The last Dark God was called Candaith." With this new information, his mind was in turmoil. Even if he did not often listen to Davion and Malakov, he still heard them talked about the numerous portals created during the Age of Darkness.


    Turning into a living statue, he did not even breath as he was processing all of this. The last person that forced Leilade to extract her own soul was Candaith himself. His name was known to the locals. One Dark God was an expert in opening portals. The Archmage had trapped the rest in a temporal prison. Dropping his axes and the human, he stumbled backward, putting a hand on a wall to support himself. However, he was too strong, as the wall crumbled and he fell along.


    Seeing the state of that monster in armor, Gwendoline tried to approach him but was stopped by a shadow. Behind her, the skeleton was still immobile, but even then, his presence was still a threat. "We will never go back. We are trapped here." Only the Black Gauntlet was close enough to hear the murmurs of the Ak?l, as his conjecture was true. The two groups knew each other and were related. But he clearly did not expect his words to have such a huge impact on the red demon.


    However, he could have never guessed that from the beginning, they had all thought that Leilade could get them out of here. Even if she was no genius like Candaith in this domain, if the Demonic Empire was close by, she could still at least contact them. But that would require an unknown amount of mana, forcing them to preserve her strength for the time being. The slower she recovered, the longer they stayed on this forsaken world. But now, if that man failed, she wouldn''t have any chance to succeed.


    The hard truth stunned him completely, as he always thought of this period of time to be just a bad mission. As for the fact that Leilade planned for them to stay here for years, even decades, that was just to wait for the reinforcements of the Demonic Army. And with the presence of the Saksa, that was even better to not be too visible. "Go! All of you go!" The low growl of the Ak?l did not scare the other party, as there was no strength in the threat. Only Gwendoline followed this order, and this time was not stopped. Right behind her, the skeleton did not even glance at the shadows as he also left.


    Signaling to his men to surround the target, the dark weapon on his arm began to pulsate. In his mind, he could felt fury and hatred grow, even when he was perfectly calm and collected. The only thing he did not know was how this weapon truly worked and what was also produced. Sniffing the Demonic Energy that was filling the air, Ymir realized he had thought too much. That was not something he should do, even if he was all alone and had no one to tell him something. An Ak?l was born for one thing, to fight.


    Seven silhouettes encircled him, as the previously injured ratman and human had been healed quickly. The latter was still feeling a bit of pain in his throat, but that did not prevent him from joining the fray. Dirtied by the stone dust that fell on him when he broke the wall and the ceiling, the half kneeling demon silently clenched his fists, completely focused now. Only after helping Malakov will he be able to obtain real answers.


    However, the killers soon found out that they had a problem after getting in position. The armor Agnil forged for Ymir was completely covering him from head to toe, and even his neck was completely hidden behind the dark metal. As for his helmet, the holes that allowed the demon to see were small enough to even stop the head of the arrows. Because it was made especially for him, it offered far greater protection than the armors crafted in mass.


    Sensing the hesitation of those that followed him, even the Black Gauntlet had to admit this was a tough foe. Maybe even more problematic than dragons, as even their scales weren''t looking that sturdy. Remembering that Avirus had thrown a few punches at this, he managed to spot the damages, only to regret seeing them. The small holes that were barely deforming the chest plate showed how durable it was.


    Raising high his weapon, he tried to punch Ymir, only to be blocked by one of his hands. The demon was still half-kneeling on the ground and barely moved at all, besides one arm. Soon, a whirlpool of blades began to repeatedly cut him, as he was swinging left and right his three other arms. Backing off a little, the Black Gauntlet began to pick up a few bright gems, the same that were collected by the trolls previously and put it in his hand.


    The dark pulsating gauntlet began to grow on his arm, even more, extending now to his elbow. Seeing the dark veins appearing on the rest of his arm, he did not care at all, as no one was able to truly damage their enemy. If their weapons did not straight out bounce off, they were damaged just by hitting his armor. Fine dwarven steel, forged by old and renowned blacksmiths, was already showing signs of being damaged.


    "ARRRRRGH!" Not able to completely control himself, the large man began to shout his pain, as he picked up a blade on his waist. By now, the perfect cooperation between the shadows had managed to injure Ymir a bit, as the holes on his helmet were his only weakness. And if arrows could not go through, it did not mean nothing could. Disregarding large swords, they all had secret weapons, similar to needles, a few had very thin daggers and even a rapier, small enough to not be blocked. But the Ak?l was not standing still expecting to be hit, as he used his impervious arms to block their attempts.


    But by doing this, he covered a very large part of his vision, making him fall into a defensive posture. Even then, his four limbs still caused some injuries on the shadows that were too prone at aiming for his head. Because of this, he only used one of his hand to handle the Black Gauntlet, expecting the same outcome as previously. But to his surprise, the shock was strong enough to even shake him, making him almost falling.


    Taking a glance at the black veins spreading on the arm of his opponent, he realized they had understood enough of it to be considered as dangerous. Using only his ears to deal with the pesky mosquitoes, he fully watched the only thing capable of harming him. And cursed him immediately for being so vicious. The fact was, Ymir was tall. Extremely tall. Above four meters tall. Meaning that even if his arms were also long, they could not go under this knees, forcing him to kneel a bit in case something was close to the ground.


    But by doing this, his position could become unstable. If he received another punch like that, he would fall and be even more vulnerable. But this lowly scum was only attacking his legs, and even his feet if it was possible. Dodging with the lower half of his body, he began to completely wreck the City Hall, to not be annoyed by the other killers. The half-destroyed ceiling was the only reason why they could be so many at targeting his head. Without this, it would be a lot harder.


    Realizing this, he began to slowly walk toward the plaza, an open ground where nothing could be used against him. Also, by now, it should have been encircled with all the liches available. Fortunately, no one was here to see him asking for help, only to deal with a few humans. On his way out, he felt a few bottles breaking on him, spreading some strange liquids. One was oil he was certain, as for the others, he had no idea. But because they were useless, he did not really care.


    Even when they all were burning, it was just a minor inconvenient. In fact, it was almost helpful, as it prevented the shadows to attack from some fronts. As for the bearer of the black gauntlet, he could not catch up with the long legs of the demon. Byt the time he finally was in the open, he realized that the attacks had all stopped. Lowering his arms and finally having his entire sight available, he could not spot a single thing moving. Besides the crumbling City Hall.


    Scratching his helmet, he noticed that something was off when the limb in question appeared in his vision. Looking at the small bomb attached to his armor, he barely had the time to protect his eyes before seven explosions resonated in the night. Cursing them even more for fighting this dirtily, he inspected his armor, only to find out it was not really that damaged. Praising Master Agnil for his masterpiece, he saw the undead assembled in the outskirts of the plaza.


    Counting their numbers, he found out none of them had been killed. However, they also did not seem to have found any traces of the members of the Organization. Not even bothering to search for them, he dismissed all the undead and began to return to his castle. There, he found out Gwendoline that did not look really shocked. Ordering her to tell him everything she knew, he realized that even with this information, he had no idea what to do. Promising to rebuilt her building, he left her to look after Malakov.


    That lich was still partially immersed into a small pond of blood, slowly reconstructing his body. Even now, the Ak?l would prefer to hear his nasty remarks and witness his arrogant behavior than being in the dark like that. If he could slaughter countless warriors, he did not even manage to kill one of those assassins. The only reason he caught the first two was his surprise attack. As for how he knew about them, Malakov had awakened for a very short amount of time, just enough to control the bodyguard of that woman and hide it.


    While he fought those elusive shadows, the best he achieved was hitting them with the tip of his fingers, but he could never grip them in his hands. Starring at his four limbs, he removed one gauntlet, wounding his hand to fill the pond even more. Seeing no reaction from the laying skeleton inside it, which still didn''t have anything under his rib cage, he sighed. Sitting down near it, he watched through one of the windows and looked at the shining moon in the sky. Wondering where Leilade was and who she was killing at the moment.

 167 Knowing your own boundaries

    As for the one that was concerned by the thoughts of the red demon, she was basking in the moonlight, high in the sky. Ruining the beautiful picture of the snow reflecting the silver rays on the snowy peaks, it was a shame that no one else could also see it. Instead of directly going to meet the dragons, she felt unease after floating above this part of the mountains.


    At first, she thought it was another trick from her uninvited guest, but the latter was awfully calm recently. Not even putting a fight, and Leilade knew that anything she would do against her would backfire immediately. But after a small discussion, the two agreed that it was not their doing. They were probably in the territory of the Iron Kingdom, but not deep inside it, merely a few dozens of kilometers near the frontiers between the mountains and the vast plains.


    To make it even weirder, she could not see any traces of a single monster in the vicinity. Besides the apex predators that the drakes, wyverns and other members of those species were, there was still some lifeforms surviving in the snow. It was hard, obviously, but it was not void of any life. However, as much as she used her mana, she could not spot any of those small beings. Getting closer to the ground, she felt that feeling grew even more.


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    Deciding she already had the time, she began to burrow into the stone, searching for the dwarves. But all she found out were empty tunnels and sealed entrances, all over the place. Spreading her senses deeper into the depths of the mountain, she managed to spot some metals still not dug up by the inhabitants of the mountains. Having a really bad feeling, she immediately ascended as soon as she noticed the silver visible on one of the walls.


    Finally reaching the pure air of the outside, she wondered how could the dwarves dig in that place considering the atmosphere, before realizing the stupidity of her question. Of course, they would not be bound to the same rules as her, but at least, she had a vague idea of where to never go. She only rejoiced that since the moment she felt unease, she did not actively try to cast important spells or some that were too visible.


    Not willing to stay there anymore, she still glanced at the opening of the peak that was in the vicinity. Shaped like a closed volcano, she did not approach to see if it was possible to peek inside it. Just by guessing, she could expect that there were kilometers between her and the monster sleeping in the magma, but even then his very presence was too threatening. She only felt regret that Davion was not by her side, otherwise, she would have never been this close to the Saksa, as it was far too dangerous.


    Getting as high as she possibly could, she made a huge circle around it, almost leaving the kingdom of the dwarves in the process. Only after getting away did she stopped feeling it, regaining her composure. Calming her very soul, she looked at her other personality that was not as calm as she seemed. A very soft shaking of her fingers could be seen while gripping the same book she had. Maybe since the beginning, it was the first time fear could be seen from her.


    Right next to her, the last mud statue standing was not looking any better. The perfectly sculpted face of Leilade showed many signs of holes, as a black liquid was leaking from it. When the two exchanged a glare at that event, the guilty party had no choice but to destroy it for good. Turning around, Leilade did not show the sneer she had on her face, thinking that it would take far more just to gain control in her stead. However, actively looking for a fight was not worth it, even if she was confident that she would not lose.


    Silently drifting in the empty sky while thinking about that, she found accidentally a cavern occupied by a small group of drakes. Compared to the wyverns she fought against, they were even smaller, not dangerous at all. Approaching closely, they were still sleeping soundly, as the sounds produced by them were quite impressive. It was a wonder how they could all sleep like that, without being disturbed.


    Unfortunately, the closer she approached them, the more she could see their faces showing signs of waking up. Already now, many of them had very tense expressions, like they were feeling that something evil was in the vicinity. Even if they were small compared to their relatives, it was relative. As always, if a human was here, the only word he could use would be huge. Debating whether she should kill them like that or not, the first drake opened his eyes, before roaring immediately.


    "The hard way it is." Chuckling a bit, she saw the half-dozen of drake getting on their feet and looking at her warily. What they were saying did not escape her senses, as they all agreed on how bad they felt about her. To that, the small girl had nothing to answer, who would think that a dark entity coming in the middle of the night won''t have evil intentions? At the same time, they were still talking, meaning one thing. They were scared, far more than they tried to show.


    If a duvodiad spotted a creature threatening it, it would not stop at anything to kill it, whether it will be slowly and painfully or quick and painless. Except if the monster was so strong that it couldn''t even damage, and in that case, the shapeshifting being would immediately flee. In the same idea, a dragon was supposedly the strongest being, and therefore, he or she would act like that. With arrogance, belittling inferior species. Never showing fear or stepping back, always getting the initiative as it was their right.


    Even the wyverns had still talked first, as prudent as they were. But now, those small drakes did not even dare to talk to her directly, more focused on speaking amongst themselves. For some reasons, she felt compelled to release the tension she had after that close encounter with the Saksa. Raising her hand, she launched many fireballs at the drakes, their red trails illuminating the obscure cavern.


    The monsters screamed and curled up, to avoid any injury on their head. However, as the volley of fire rained upon them, they noticed that as painful as it was, they did not suffer any important damages. Looking at their sturdy scales still shining with flames on them, the previous fear they had in their eyes was dispelled. They stopped being gathered in one single group, as they began to spread more evenly, to encircle their enemy.


    Watching that unfold, Leilade kept throwing spells after spells, all more useless than the precedent. Winds of ice, rains of stones, rivers of water and even some lightning. All, to such a pitiful amount that even a magus of the 6th Circle could feel proud about it. But with their superior bodies, those types of magic were creating an expected result, as the scales protecting their flesh were still standing.


    "Your dark soul will burn this night!"


    "You should have never come here!"


    "Pitiful creature seeking your own death!"


    "You should have known your place, ghost!"


    Hearing the drakes beginning to recover their innate arrogance,she looked around her, only to find out she had been surrounded. And while she did not care at all about many things they said, one caught her attention fully. "A dark soul you said? What do you truly know about a dark soul?"


    The female drake in question was puzzled by this sudden question, as she only spoke what was in her mind. Nothing could differentiate her from the rest of the group, be it by her age or anything special. However, she was the only one that did not first live in this part of the mountain. Previously, she was located near the frontier with the undead kingdom, before having to flee to let places to three wyverns.


    "That''s what you are, just a soul roaming on this world. You have no body, and time will destroy you completely. In fact, that may even be why you are attacking us, just to survive. But as you saw, you are weak, nothing like you former self. And now, you will disappear!" As soon as she finished her words, the six drakes all began to breathe on Leilade, surrounding the spreading darkness with flames.


    For a few seconds, nothing could be seen from the dark soul, as the flames were too strong. However, more and more drakes began to stop, starring at the monster between them. Completely unscathed by the burning fire that surrounded her seconds ago, Leilade had gathered a small spark from it, playing with it with her hands. That tiny, tiny flame, almost invisible, began to grow more and more until it reached the size of her arm.


    "You are very knowledgeable, for a drake of those mountains. Unlike your companion that called be a mere ghost, by luck or skill, you called me by what I really am. A soul." One of the shadows lingering around her then proceeded to move on her arm, before reaching the flame. The two began to create a whirlpool of red and black, forming afterward a beautiful burning sphere.


    "A dark soul. I won''t deny that my current appearance is quite fitting for that name. A wandering human girl, completely black except her eyes and hair. Playing with darkness and surrounded by shadows." The more she talked, the more unsettled the monsters around her felt. By now, they had noticed that their enemy seemed far too calm, especially after being burned by their breaths.


    "Do you wish to know how it feels?" Her acute voice pierced the mind of the female drake, as she could see that Leilade was looking at her. Blaming herself for being too smart, she did not notice that the shadows had already reached the ground. In fact, no one found it very strange, besides their very presence of course. Sensing that the one she questioned had still not answered her, Leilade began to approach the large creature.


    "Do you wish to know?" As she calmly floated toward her destination, that action was considered as an attack by the others. Opening wide their mouths, streams of mana began to condense inside their maws, as numerous spells were being prepared. The only one still immobile was the drake from the East, completely frozen by the incoming soul.


    Without even batting an eye, all sorts of magic crashed on her frail body, tearing it apart. Half of her head had exploded due to an explosion of fire, her arms cut down by stones, her legs skinned by numerous icicles. With horror, the drake could see the brain of Leilade that was completely exposed and was beginning to leak from her open skull. But in an instant, like a dream, all those terrible wounds were gone, only leaving the two white eyes at less than a meter away.


    Like that, the two looked at each other for a few seconds, before the large monster noticed the silence surrounding them. Looking to her right, she could see a male laying on the ground, his eyes wide open. Inserted inside his very chest, a dark tentacle was silently beginning to surround his dead corpse. Beyond that body, another female drake had suffered the same fate. Looking to her left, she realized none of them survived. Except her.


    "I-I ... I want to know." Almost crying, the usually proud creature felt no choice but to accept her future. Even if in her mind, she knew it would be far better to just die, the fact that her enemy was a soul changed everything. Even death could not free her completely, as she had seen the undead of Pankow conduct strange rituals.


    "Perfect." Hearing this, the burning sphere began to approach dangerously the heart of the drake. With this thing closer, the latter could finally see clearly what it was. A small ball of darkness, surrounded by fire. However, it seemed that the two never directly touched each other, as there was a small space between the flames and the shadows.


    Gritting her teeth, she was not strong enough to not produce any sounds when that thing touched her body. Soon after, the calm peaceful night was interrupted by the roars of pain, scaring witless every being in the vicinity. None of them was close enough to hear the laughter that was swallowed by the screams of the drake.

 168 I like to be alive and donst want to be dead

    "Such weakness, it is no wonder they were so small." Looking at the now cold corpse of the last remaining drake, she couldn''t help but feel disgusted by her death. A mere human girl, a young one, had managed to keep her life suffering a pain only slightly softer and weaker. But she was just a human, nothing as strong as a drake. However, apparently, her will was like an iron fortress compared to the one of that monster.


    In fact, what the large creature experienced was attacking almost exclusively her mind and soul, barely meddling with the sensations of the body. But as consumed with fear as she was, the female drake did not manage to survive the ordeal, preferring to stop struggling. That was why Leilade was so much disappointed, clearly not expecting such behavior from a distant relative of the dragons.


    The mark that should have been imprinted on her chest was almost done, but with the death of the host, the shadows and the fire were beginning to fade away. It was the quickest way to erase the soul of a relatively powerful being, as the small girl had to estimate once more if the dead thing in front of her could even be called powerful. Grabbing the corpse anyway, she explored a bit the cave, only to find out some food and a small pond of water in the back of it.


    Only by searching a bit more did she found out a few crystals that barely had any mana in them. Compared to the treasure of the wyverns, it was obvious those drakes were not even worth considering in the same sentence. Even their memories barely had anything interesting. Besides hunting, mating and escaping when seeing a large shadow in the sky, they were boring.


    The only thing remotely good she learned was the fact that they attacked a few times the dwarves that traveled between the mountains. Even if the territory of the dwarves was mainly composed of one big chain of mountains, there were still dozens of them that were completely isolated or too far away. Like the Forbidden Mountain, which was still at many days of travel from the real frontier of the Iron Kingdom.


    However, besides knowing she had once more helped those half men, it was still useless for her. Leaving the place, she directly decided to go to the breeding grounds of the dragons and letting the small fry live a bit longer. Remembering the location of what was called, Clear Peak, the only detail she knew about it was that it was the highest point of all the mountains. So high that even the clouds could not obscure it, as a sea of them could be spotted from there.


    There were still a few other summits where the same scene could be seen, but none was completely occupied by the dragons. Floating upward, even more, she passed through the few clouds that were blocking the stars in that night, basking fully in the moonlight. There, she proceeded to create a few ghosts, to speed up the process. Even if she had a relative idea of where she was, with the near presence of the Skasa, it was not to the point where she could find her way immediately.


    Waves of ethereal forms began to flood the dark sky, searching for something. Closing her eyes, Leilade began to patiently wait for an answer, as she focused fully on the many shadows lingering around her. Examine all of them, she searched any traces of an exterior intervention, mainly something that was bothering her in her soul. And if at first, nothing was found out, there was still a few irregularities that she immediately proceeded to remove. As she was beginning to do the same with the flow of mana in her body, one of her summons finally found the place.


    With the sun beginning to rise, the dragons were slowly leaving their dens. Far above them, she could see why the dwarves were extremely worried about their numbers. With the fact that this race already had an extremely long life and was incredibly hard to kill, just the presence of 6 adults in the same location was definitely a threat.


    The smallest of them was only 30 meters tall, without counting the length of his wings. As for the biggest, it was nearly the double, his blue scales shining under the sunlight. However, by seeing their shapes, she realized they were definitely not the most threatening variants of the dragons. Contrarily to the unwelcomed guest of the Vault of Souls, that smug dragon, they were extremely slim for their size. All their limbs were nimbler, but as a drawback, it was nowhere as thick as they could be.


    Likewise, instead of having a rounder face or even a normal neck, their head was more similar to the one of a snake or a lizard, with an extended neck that could allow movements usually prevented by their skeleton. Trying to get on top of such a creature would only result in death, as it could always reach any part of its body. Even their tails were abnormally long, and she wouldn''t be surprised if it was used to reach some tunnels dug by the dwarves.


    Now she understood how they could repeatedly attack the outposts of the dwarves. As big and large they were, their thing limbs allowed them to grab anything that was only a few meters away from the entrance of the tunnel. At the same time, the reason why the gate she encountered near the fallen Kingdom of Pankow was preceded by a tunnel. Because that distance was enough to prevent the tails of the dragons to reach the dwarves.


    However, even if they were not bulky or covered in spikes, they still remained part of one of the strongest races of the Universe. Without counting those horrors living in the empty space. Just a single one of them could probably crush the trio of wyverns she met or even more likely, the small group of drakes she just slaughtered.


    Without any surprise, besides their slightly muddled minds, they quickly spotted her. Maybe the fact that she had the sun right behind her and was creating shadows large enough to cover part of it was the reason. If she wanted, she could even completely obscure the sun, and the more she thought about that, the more a part of her wanted to do it.


    Soon after, an entire part of the summit was covered in darkness, as the sun was no longer visible. If the dragons were not capable of seeing this, that would mean they were truly blind. But instead of rushing at her, they just looked at the event with mild interest, before doing what they planned to do. Like it did not matter to them. Seeing the result far from being anything she expected, Leilade stopped wasting time and mana for nothing.


    Even now, as she was approaching, the best she obtained was just a glance, like her very presence was completely invisible. Looking at her completely black hands, she was however certain she had nothing hiding her. This time, even she was beginning to wonder if they were dragons or something else. Otherwise, couldn''t they just take her a bit more seriously.


    "You, the dark soul. You are late." Caught by surprise, she saw the oldest of the dragon starring at her. Looking at him carefully, she could see he was probably older than her, something rare enough to be interesting. However, it also meant he probably was alive during the Age of Darkness and will have valuable information in his soul.


    "What are you doing? Starring at someone else like that? Don''t you know it lacks respect? Would you be happy if someone came into your house, perturbed your morning sunbath and starred at you like that?" Nagging like an old senile man, the dragon was clearly talking to her like she was just a kid. He even had the underline tone, that was particularly displeasing to the ears. The one saying he knew everything, while she was completely dumb.


    "What do you mean by I am late?" Even then, she did not stop starring at him. After all, it was still very strange, as a situation. And how could he know that she would come here, how could he know something she hadn''t planned at first? As for the other dragons, they treated her like she didn''t exist at all.


    "You are late. The small human said you would come in a few hundreds of year. He did not precise thousand of years. I almost thought he scammed me." Seeing the old creature still talking like he was the friendly and annoying elder of the neighborhood, the contents of his sentences were still extremely weird. But knowing fully well who was present on this world during that time, she also knew who came here first.


    "How did he called me precisely?" The dragon paused for a second, clearly not expecting this question. Frowning, he tried to remember as it was a long time ago. "I think he called you little girl. And said you will be a completely black soul, besides your eyes and hair. On that point, he was extremely precise."


    "So that''s Candaith. What did he do to obtain the help of the dragons and at the same time, why did he train that Archmage?" Thinking about this, she did not notice the fact that the elderly monster was once again displeased by her.


    "See, once more, a little disrespectful. Stopping a friendly discussion like that just to think. Anyway, he helped us so we promised to help him with a few things. And all he wanted was to transmit something to the future dark soul. That was it." Finishing to say that, he looked at the smallest dragon, that immediately began to standing up while complaining.


    After that, the dragon entered one of the wide openings inside Clear Peak, to search for something. "It will not take a long time. So, little girl, do you have anything else to do? Can you let me sunbath in peace, and get rid of all those shadows that are blocking the sunlight?" Not knowing that he was also making Leilade angry, the old dragon did not even wait for her answer before slightly moving his large body. Just enough to not have a black soul between the sun and him.


    Not happy to be called like that, Leilade also moved, to be in front of the lazy lizard. The latter looked at her, with the same expression he had since the beginning. "I found that a bit insulting. I just want to appreciate the day, but you don''t even listen to me. I am very old, older than you for sure. Maybe you should listen to your elders. Ah, here it is."


    Fortunately, before the situation worsened, the small dragon brought a completely red crystal. It was almost half the size of Leilade and when she grabbed it, she could feel it was also quite heavy. Carefully probing inside it, she found out a strange spell, buried deep inside. But because no mana was flowing inside the crystal, it was inactive.


    "Did he said why I should have that?" More focused on the crystal, she did not saw the ancient dragon beginning to lash out on the younger one. The latter rapidly returned to the same cave, to find something else apparently. However, before he answered that question, he looked at the dark soul for a brief moment, his eyes showing his wariness.


    "Why were you here?" Still concentrated into unveiling what was inside the crystal, she answered without thinking too much. "To get rid of the dragons. The dwarves asked me to." The only reason why she could say that was the fact that they wouldn''t be able to harm her before she could react. Even now, if even the slightest amount of mana was perturbed by the casting of a spell, she would sense it.


    "Again, a bit insulting. I like to be alive and don''t want to be dead. Therefore, I hope I will never see you again." Knocking one of his claws on the red gem, he infused enough mana to activate it. Before she could understand what was happening, she felt her body stuck on the red crystal, only watching the other dragons beginning to slowly retreat. The young one finally brought along a blue crystal, only to realize it was too late.


    Unlike the process that happened to the two human magicians, that took a while, this time, it happened almost immediately. After all, the difference in mana between the humans and Leilade was enormous. Realizing what will happen when the gem will be filled, the moving soul immediately protected herself, before a huge explosion shook the peak, creating a small portal on it. The flash of light blinded the bystanders, and when they recovered their senses, nothing was there. No dark soul, no portal anymore.


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    A few seconds later, the old dragon approached the place, before leisurely extending his body on the stone ground. However, he had to get up after, as the perfect plane stone he had wasted days to find and drag up there had been fissured by the explosion. Making his sunbath awfully uncomfortable because of the tiny sharp fragments that were poking at him. "Damned little girl. Even running my morning like that."

 169 Far from home

    Flying at great speed, a small black ball violently hit a nearby stone, before passing through. This kept continuing until the ball in question managed to stop herself, only to find out she was deep inside the ground. Flying upward, she managed to spot the blackened ground from where she came from. As for the portal it had already been destroyed, collapsing because of the lack of mana. Even now, she couldn''t help but feel that she had been swindled by that old dragon.


    But in the end, even if this wasn''t what Candaith wanted for her to get, it was still his mark on the portal. From her frequent usages and even their regular petty fights, she had a good grasp on what the human could do. And inscribing a seal on a crystal like that was perfectly in his expertise. The only thing she needed to know now was where the hell she currently was.


    Looking around, she was slightly disappointed to not see anything that was not natural, like a house or even a sculpted pillar. However, gazing at the red clouds above her and the quite scarce vegetation around, she had the feeling she was not on the same planet anymore. Spreading her power, even more, she was more and more convinced of this idea, as the nature of the mana was not as pure as the precedent planet.


    Also meaning that this world, or whatever she was in was not created by the Ancients. Maybe the only good thing for her was to not have to worry again about anything that this race did. Observing her surroundings carefully, all she could obtain was the fact that she was in a quite desolate place, with barely anything to eat and drink. However, after floating a bit, she recognized a strange pattern.


    In fact, the stone that she first entered when she was projected in there was also part of it. Even if her surroundings were quite open, numerous rocks formed multiple circles around where the portal was created. Touching them, she could feel the remnant of magic that was dissipating, further confirming the fact that it was organized. Either Candaith or someone he knew did it because apparently, he managed to get friendly with a lot of people. Including the dragons.


    The more she stayed on this planet, the longer she felt that Candaith had managed to know she would end up there too. But if that was the case, why didn''t he just hide. Who could catch him, Akama, and any others that were present, if they truly wanted to not be discovered? But she also knew the answer to that question. If her disciple would follow that space-bunny if he was promised she would arrive, the others would necessarily be far more dubious. And with the numerous failures of going back to the Demonic Empire, they wouldn''t believe Candaith anymore.


    Absorbed by her thoughts, she noticed too late that a group of monsters had approached the circles of stones, and one of them had come back to the group in a hurry, by still silently. "A soul! There is a soul violating the sacred ground!" Compared to the rest of the creatures, the one that was murmuring those words was quite small, nearly the size of Leilade and quite similar to a green ratman.


    As for the rest, they were comparable to a group of red orcs, with only more deformed limbs and less human-like. However, they all had armors and weapons on them, like a uniform as even the colors were the same. All in all, with just a glance, the fact that they were organized fighters was obvious. Hearing the fact that an intruder had been spotted in what should remain untouched by war, those monsters had veins popping on their foreheads.


    "It''s been a long time since we killed a soul, boys! Let''s send this wretched undead back to the grave!" Grabbing their weapons, the twenty or so creatures began to approach Leilade, with only hatred in their eyes. On their way, many began to murmurs incantations, enflaming their swords, axes, and hammers with a blue flame.


    Only after sensing that disruption in the surrounding mana did the small girl turned around to look clearly at the newcomers. In her eyes, they could be considered as demons in a way, as the original races they belonged to had been tainted by this world. Of course, they were related to real demons like Ymir the same way a lizard was to a dragon. But more than once, just that appearance alone earned them this definition, annoying, even more, those that proud themselves by this name.


    "DIE, SOUL!" Without even trying to talk to her, they began to rush at her, with a few of them staying in the back and beginning to wave their hands. On the receiving end of the assault, of course, Leilade would react. This time, she had not suffered immense damage under the power of The End and traveled in space itself in that disastrous state. No, in fact, this little trip barely affected her at all.


    Even with the sudden change of appearance of the dark soul in front of them, that was obscuring the very place with darkness, none of the warriors had any hesitation. In fact, it only reinforced their determination to end this monstrosity that tainted this sacred place by its presence. Seeing the few spells that landed on this monster, they yelled as their weapons cut open a path to the small thing.


    Unfortunately, they soon realized that even after cutting the numerous tentacles that were moving inside the shadows, that was useless. In a single second, everything that cut and fell to the ground immediately flew at great speed toward the wound, healing it in the process. As they could hear a burst of laughter mocking them, the very white eyes that were starring at them began to fade into nothingness.


    "DEATH TO THE UNDEAD!"


    "DEATH!"


    Each and every one of them had slain countless of them before, and on this day it will not be the end. Their very movements suddenly began to become faster, as more and more darkness was falling to the ground. But even with this surge of power that was filling their bodies, as the mana around this place became scarce, it was not enough to even harm the true body of the soul. And finally, one was not quick enough to escape the clutches of the shadows. Seeing one of his men beginning to be absorbed by this monster, the leader of this group saw him smile one last time.


    BOOM


    The body of this warrior exploded, creating a small vacuum inside the darkness. As more and more felt tired and made mistakes, none allowed themselves to be captured by the dark soul. Behind them, the few mages that were beginning to sweat heavily all grabbed their hands, before casting something that would cost their lives. The intense ray of red light pierced completely everything, finally allowing them to see the very small black face with a smile. As for the spell, it was stopped by a single of her hand, the light dispersed into the sky.


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    Watching the body emptied of their lives fall to the ground, he turned his head before hearing the same sound he had already heard too many times. Grabbing something from his waist, he pulled off a small horn, before blowing inside it. By now, they were not even a quarter of the original troop, and this was a signal to the only one that hadn''t approach the battlefield. Gritting his teeth, he watched the ones that fought along his side for years all starring one last time, before disappearing.


    "DEATH TO THE UNDEAD!"


    Unlike last time, he was now the only one shouting. However, the dark tentacles no longer attacked him, only encircling him completely. He could no longer see anything but darkness, as the sky and the path he took had been completely sealed. Soon, only some traces of white could be seen, as he watched the eyes without iris approaching. Sneering inwardly,he only thought that she made a mistake, whatever she was.


    "Who are ..."


    BOOM


    "... you? What''s with this, dying without leaving a corpse nor a soul? How am I suppose to learn anything? Whatever." Dispersing the lingering mana that was covering her, she was disappointed that she fought some creatures that obviously knew how a soul could survive. It was apparent that whoever those demons were up against, first of all, they were undead and secondly, those undead were hated. Enough to not even hesitate before sacrificing their bodies.


    Looking at the numerous holes in the ground that had been the result of the death of them, she tried to see if there was anything she could obtain. But as much as she hated to admit, they did it so perfectly that even she could only sigh. Searching her memories, she could count in one of her hands the number of times such a thing had been seen on a planet.


    First of all, the race in question needed to be completely brainwashed into fanaticism and fully aware of the threat of the undead. As such, humans and elves, for example, would never resort systematically to sacrifice themselves. It was not that they wouldn''t do it, but only specific individuals had the guts to abandon any thoughts of surviving. Of the group she just met, not a single one hesitated more than a second.


    Leaving this place that was apparently sacred for them, she noticed a weird trace on the dirt. Like something had stepped back and fallen on its behind. Even the traces of two claws could be seen, digging very small holes near it. Even if she was not Kardel, it was obvious that someone watched the fight and escaped, with great speed. Even now, she could no longer detect the lifeform, as there was nothing alive here.


    With the vast plains surrounding her, she had all the choices in the world. Follow the one that escaped, go in the opposite direction or do something else. But since those lowly demons seemed to be hostile and quite brave, she could not hope to obtain answers from them. With that in mind, she began to drift to an unknown destination.


    Floating higher and higher in the sky, she saw numerous groups of monsters coming toward the circles of stones. After all, that horn had been quite noisy, but the races she saw were still very commons. Nothing too exotic, like an orodil. Not that she wished that, for if one of them was present, it was not a very good sign. Once more, this world did not seem to possess the means of traveling through space, meaning that only locals lived there. And a race created by the Ancients living on a world was not good for her.


    As time passed, she wondered how time flew here, for it seemed to not be the same as she experienced before that new accident. Between the speed of the spaceships, the portals capable of teleporting things from a planet to another and the crazy experiments of the Ancients, the Universe was abnormal concerning how much one second took. For some, it could be transformed into centuries while to others, it would barely be noticeable. One hour here could become seven years on another planet, and she wouldn''t even know about it.


    The best she could gather was that it was different and probably quicker than the planet where she left her body. As for the difference, she had no clue but it shouldn''t be too big. At least, as long as she didn''t stay more than a month, she should be fine. As soon as she said that, she felt something in her soul, prompting her to look.


    In a very very wasteful usage of mana, an immense hourglass had been created, quietly but accurately displaying sands falling to the other half. Looking at the guilty one, in that case, Leilade couldn''t help but raise her eyebrows. "Really?" Not expecting an answer, she focused more of her attention on how she will get out of here. Knowing Candaith too well for her own pleasure, she was certain that he had let an escape road here. Only that it would probably be hidden, or guarded by something as dangerous as a dragon. She was, however, more inclined with the first possibility, as it should be something only some from the Demonic Empire could use.


    The dragon case was more special, as it was an intelligent race one could negotiate with and use their arrogance to bind their words. Not every creature would keep something safe during hundreds of years, without even talking about more. Returning to the circles of stones, this time completely invisible, she was not spotted by anyone. Once more, the strange pattern was making her wonder if something else was present.


    Getting bothered by all of those monsters, she cast an illusion of her that was fleeing toward where the escaping creature went. Obviously, the ones that arrived here didn''t wait any longer before chasing the illusion, allowing this place to be calm once more. Without anyone bothering her, she touched the stones again, only to not find anymore that trace of mana. Disappointed, she only noticed the drawings on them now, as it didn''t make any sense.


    Stepping back a bit, if each individual stones had patterns on them, they did seemed to create a bigger picture, if one could organize it properly. Cursing the space bunny that had visibly too much free time, she began to pick up and move the stones. If someone could see it, he would be able to witness massive rocks weighing hundreds of kilogram almost dancing in the air.


    Barely a few minutes later, she had already discovered the solution, as it was easy when everything could be changed with just one thought. The final picture showed the emblem of the Demonic Empire with numerous holes where no stone was present. As this emblem had a direction, she gazed at the horizon that was at the end of it. Funnily, she was almost certain that it was where she was heading before returning there.

 170 Local problems

    Starring at the familiar symbol she could have seen everywhere nearly half of a year ago, she wondered if it was too obvious or not. However, with the missing parts where no stones were present, it would be extremely hard for anyone that didn''t know about it to find the solution. Even then, there was still a few other figures that would make sense, as she reorganized the circles of stones again to see if she was right.


    By the time the demons figured out that there was a problem and came back, she had already left the place, leaving behind her one of those fake symbols. However, since someone would need to be up in the air to truly notice all the patterns, the only thing they realized was that the stones seemed to have been moved. Left with no choice with the disappearance of the intruder, the last remaining action they could do was to report this to their superiors.


    Leaving Leilade free to roam as she pleased. Not that she was particularly thrilled when she noticed that not only time was strangely behaving, but space itself was not doing any better. Only then did she realized she had not traveled to another planet, just to another reality altogether. Truly cursing the sheer bad luck of Candaith for this one, she now understood how even he failed to at least contact the Demonic Empire.


    Using the term reality was maybe not that appropriate, as it was not as much as different timelines or alternative realities than completely different universes. Taking the example of a bubble, multiple bubbles can still exist all in contact with each other or floating freely in the air. When they were alone, everything was fine, but when they touched, strange things began to appear. And if one tried to create a portal with a path crossing one of those intersections, it would most likely end up in the other bubble.


    It was not unheard, only extremely rare to witness it. For the record, the Venerable Ones, the Demon Gods came from one of those other bubbles. In fact, they pretty much fled it, as their own universe had been destroyed completely, leaving them no choice but to run. Only to happily discover a very young universe, ready for them to claim. Of course, their happiness instantly decreased when they met the Ancients that had made a vow to destroy all the gods, almost making them regret their former lives.


    As for how it was, apparently, not really that different from this realm. They even had managed to gain full control, through a collaboration between multiple gods, permanently manipulating the population living across the planets. The only thing they had to fear was an opening that they tightly defended, only to have an unforeseen event happening. As for the details, no one really knew, except that everything seemed to have been caused by one creature whose name shall not be pronounced.


    This also explained why even decades and even centuries after the disappearance of the Ancients, the Venerable Ones were not that eager to expand their grip toward the former territory of their enemies. Letting their other competitors grab many unknown technologies, such as The End. Provoking the current state of Leilade and the rest, including her disciple Akama.


    The more she thought about this, the more she came to the conclusion that the three portals still active on the planet she left, like the one in the Forbidden Mountain should also lead to other planes. The smaller the bubble was, the most likely it was to gather in a group. Otherwise, the pressure would be too high, reducing it into nothing. Even then, she was not really sure about the exact behavior, as it was too rare to be studied. Probably only one race could come up with a real answer, unfortunately, she was not part of it.


    As she flew for hours, she began to be more and more confident that it was a really small plane. Basically, it was completely flat, something that should not be possible for a planet. That also meant there were no spatial nor gravitational laws applied to it. In fact, she wondered if there really was a sun. Floating upward to uncover the truth, she was soon blocked by the red clouds.


    "No sun then." Using magic to pierce through them, she felt an extremely strong resistance, making her immediately stop. If she inadvertently collapsed the plane, she wouldn''t even know how she died. But for her, that was still a piece of extremely good news. First of all, whatever was hidden in here would be easy to find, as it was not an entire planet to search. Secondly, she was almost certain she could create a portal to at least go back to Archet, where Malakov was. Almost confident.


    With that in mind, she resumed her travel, while looking down to see the surroundings. Noticing the first buildings she ever saw in here, she also spotted humans painstakingly farming something while demons were keeping an eye on them. Even then, the difference between the fearful face of the humans and the impassive expressions of their jailers were easy to spot. After all, both of them needed something to eat.


    Leaving the air above the farm, she kept going, only to find more and more of those. A river painted red, looking almost like its liquid was blood, had been modified to conduct water to those plantations. Even it seemed basic, at least, it proved that whoever was in charge realized that if the humans were happier and well-fed, they would have more meat on them. For she had seen stupid races seeking instant profit running out of resources and disappear because of it.


    Only after two days like that did the farms and small towns let places to more fortified positions. Even then, there was an impressive lack of cattle or farm animals, as she had not spotted anything but demons and humans. However, there were stables here and there, and some buildings definitely looked like they could shelter those animals. Right before she bypassed completely one of those fortified small hamlets, she spotted a gathering of demons around two humans.


    It was a couple, one man and one woman. Both were fearlessly starring at a demon that had his sword raised above them. From the looks of it, they didn''t seem to be scared of dying, and even from the distance, she could see their wide smiles. Getting closer, she still hid her self, to not perturb the ongoing event.


    "YOU WORMS! YOU STUPID WALKING MEAT! ARGH! DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH YOU RUINED AGAIN?" The visibly angered orc was walking in a circle, stomping the very ground with his feet. Even then, each time he wanted to cut the two in front of him, he restrained himself and shouted to release his wrath.


    "The Resistance will free all our brothers and sisters! You will lose against the One Reborn.!"


    "Even after killing us, you will only rekindle the flames of rebellion! All of our kin that will watch us will take arms and fight back!"


    Such theatrical sentences almost made Leilade laugh loudly, but when she saw that none of the demons looked confident, she realized the situation was not really good for them. It also seemed to not be the first time this happened, otherwise they would have sneered at such grandiloquent prose.


    "THAT''S IT! GIVE MY REGARDS TO THAT DAMNED UNDEAD!" Finally snapping out, the red orc that was visibly in charge almost cut down the woman in half, leaving her with half of a breath. Her companion immediately approached her, not restrained by the other demons.


    "Oemor ... oh my Oemor ..." With those last words, she left this world, leaving behind her a grieving man. Right next to him, however, a creature similar to a ratman approached the supervisor, a bit fearful. "Commandant, with all due respects, the orders were to ..."


    "I know what the orders are, so you can shut your damned rotten mouth. I don''t need a rat from the capital to tell me what to do in my domain. And what would be the point anyway, to let them rot in public? More of them will just see their pitiful states, have pity and it will increase their desire to fight us. Their masters. No, you can tell them it had failed. It has been years now, and the attacks are only increasing."


    Swinging his sword still red of the blood of the woman, he quickly cut beheaded the last remaining human, finally stopping his noisy cries. Starring at the two corpses, he looked back, only to see some humans slowing down while passing nearby. Sensing their gazes on him, the anger that was still present began to grow once more.


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    "GET THEM OUT OF HERE! NOW!" Hearing the orders, the group of demons was dispersed, with some picking up the bodies to hide them from the eyes of the public while other picked up their whips, making the slow humans immediately increase their speeds. "All of this because of this damned One Reborn. If we had killed that undead while we had the chance." Sensing the eyes of the ratman on him, he regretted saying those words. "I take back what I just said, you''re happy now? Now go and bother other people. I think the one fighting in the frontiers would be thrilled to have you on their sides."


    "We are not your enemies, commandant. We are all on the same side, facing the threat of the undead. Just ..." Looking at the red pond that had been formed by the leaking blood of the two humans, the small green demon didn''t really know what to say. Turning his head left and right, he realized they were finally alone, just the two of them. "I will take your advice back to the capital. But just between you and me, the situation is also deteriorating near the capital. And no one knows how to fix it, even the Demon Emperor."


    For the first time since she got here, she saw the red orc not angered but surprised, as his two eyes were wide open. "Are you saying that ..." Just at this moment, another demon passed nearby, prompting him to shut his mouth. However, his message had already been transmitted, as the ratman nodded his head. "We''ll all be damned. Even they failed. But we still need more and more demons just to keep in check the ever-growing population of humans. And the ones in the frontiers are still asking for more and more of my men. What am I supposed to do?"


    To this, the other party didn''t possess a solution. Feeling small tap on his bulk arms, he saw the ratman beginning to leave, to let him alone to handle his problem. If he hadn''t been informed of the bigger picture, he would have probably been mad once more. But now, all he did was just looking at the skies with a worried expression.


    As for the hidden listener, she was contemplating whether she should kill one of the two or not. But with their two targets soon entering the crowded hamlet, she did not want to bother slaughter everyone. However, her interest was increasing slightly, knowing that humans and undead were working together. As for the One Reborn and the Demon Emperor, she did not have to worry that much. Their very survival will only depend on whether they were concerned with the plans of Candaith.

 171 Needs extreme measures

    Approaching the battlefield, she finally witnessed the undead of this plane for the first time. They were mainly reanimated corpses, as most skeletons still had some rotten flesh on them if they were not categorized as zombies altogether. Because of this, they were getting completely annihilated by the very strong demons. If in reality, an angry orc could already pummel a human easily, what to say when it was even more unfair.


    Wondering if this was a joke, as it was hardly a challenge, she saw the living creatures beginning to methodically tear apart the fallen corpses on the ground. Not even a single finger was spared, all smashed into dust by heavy hammers. In short, the hundreds of undead did not even make a victim before disappearing from this plane.


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    But the expected faces of relief or even satisfaction could hardly be seen, as everyone that survived was worried. Looking at the thousands of demons dispersed in small groups under her, she found it weird to attack these massive forces with just those undead. After clearing the place of all the undead bodies, the army began to march once more.


    Feeling a bit curious, she followed it, before noticing more and more of those groups on the horizon. Some were fighting the living dead while others were not impeded by anything. With just a glance, she could see it was in a scale close to a complete war, as the number of demons was easily bigger than the one inside any of the fortified position she saw previously.


    "FASTER! FASTER! WE NEED TO GET THERE FASTER!" Here and there, she could hear the loud shouts of the officers, pressing the troops to accelerate. However, the farther they went, the more present some random undead were. Sometimes it was a small group of ten, sometimes it was the same size as the first batch she saw.


    But every time they appeared, the progression of the demons were delayed, as they couldn''t let any of them still moving. And even if they were strong, the demons did not possess infinite stamina and she could see some fighters already beginning to breathe heavily. This kept going for nearly an hour, before they all reached a small hill, with many fortifications on them.


    The moments the earliest group saw this and the warriors within began to smile, their hope was completely crushed. "They are not here. They are all gone." One of those ratmen informed the officer in charge, that immediately threw his helmet to the ground, in a fit of rage. Picking it up afterward and cleaning up the dirt on it, he looked toward his target, only to see smoke leaking from it.


    "Look at the smoke, they were here not long ago. We can still catch them, I don''t believe they will escape us forever." Questioned like that, the scout could only sigh before telling them the hard truth. "It had been already 20 minutes since the last human escaped. We can''t catch them."


    "THE UNDEAD! IT''S THAT UNDEAD AGAIN! ARGH!" Seeing their commandant cursing again, they could only dodge quickly when he suddenly kicked a stone on the ground. By sheer luck, it had a perfect angle as it hit one of the undead standing between them and the hidden town. Even after seeing the destroyed skull of the skeleton, the demon did not feel joy but only even more hatred.


    "Retreat. Once more, we are retreating. Yeah, yeah, I know. I remember what happened last time when we chased them. Count everyone and if we are lucky, maybe no one died in those last three days." Dejected, the commandant seemed to be lifeless as he walked back without any vigor. As for the ones surrounding him, they were not feeling any better, just that they didn''t show it as obviously as their superior.


    The good news for that was still the fact that they hadn''t lost anyone. There were many injuries, but none of them were lethal. However, just to prove that they hadn''t come here for anything, everyone was free to enter that village and tear it apart as they wished. It led to a complete mess, but at least it uplifted the mood of the army. And that position will be useless for an unknown period of time, seeing it so devasted.


    Compared to the joyful manifestation of the anger of the orcs, Leilade was more interested in the sneaky ratman that were moving in the shadows. Even in such a desolate place, with hardly anywhere to hide, they were capable with their small size and discreet outfit to walk unnoticed. And thanks to their difference with the regular ratman, they were able to speak properly.


    "Why so many undead were present? The other human towns were supposed to be under pressure those last weeks. We were an hour away from it when we were spotted." The two scouts that were talking had no idea that someone was listening right above them. Even when they looked around them, all they could see was some dumb skeletons far far away.


    "It had already been years since we employed this tactic, of course, they will adapt. The problem is those undead, without them, we could crush the humans and finally have peace. No outbreaks in the capital, no resistance in the farms."


    "Everyone knows that. But now, we are beginning to be more and more useless. Our kin is the first one to fall, just to bring reliable information. But we don''t have the same recognition as they do." Hearing that, the other scout immediately watched around him, as those words were extremely grave. Even if he also felt resentment, it was not time to distrust their allies.


    "Stop thinking that. The Demon Emperor himself regard us highly, even after our recent failure." But even as he was saying that he did not seem completely convinced by his own words.


    "Do you think he will change his mind? Knowing that even they failed?"


    "I don''t know. But that''s not our job. We need to contact the ones that followed the humans to know where they are going. Maybe they will finally lead us to the One Reborn." The two of them knew it would not happen. Not anymore. Seeing the two rodents running fast toward the humans, she accompanied them for a while. During that, she noticed their efforts to never be discovered by the roaming undead.


    By now, Leilade had at least a basic idea of what was going, even if it didn''t tell her anything about what Candaith wanted her to do. The Demon Emperor wanted the humans to behave and be eaten without causing any problems. The One Reborn used the undead to protect those humans and was basically the head of the armed resistance. And apparently, this one had not lived the recent years peacefully.


    After reaching a point where she could see the very long convoy of humans, she finally discarded her disguise. Baffling the ratmen that were nearby and making them immediately hide. Starring at them for a few more seconds, she could clearly see their terrified expressions, mixed with disbelief that they hadn''t been found out. Even after she left, they didn''t dare to breathe for a very long time.


    In a land filled with undead, who could tell that she was not from here. Actually, a very, very large amount of people. But for the skeleton that was mindlessly starring at her, it was not the case. Putting her hand on his skull, she forcefully intensified the connection between him and his maker, adding a special something. This was bound to create a backlash for both the caster and the summon, but she didn''t care about the crumbling skeleton.


    Even if from an external point of view it was obviously suspect to do so, it was still in the realm of possibility for this event to happen. And it was also the quickest way for her to find the mage responsible for it, whether he was alive or dead. In a matter of seconds, the unknown victim had already been located, and it was precisely someone inside that convoy.


    Leaving the inanimated body behind, she sudden appearance did not shock the humans more than that. After all, most carts were pushed by skeletons and she could see some zombies playing with the kids. Listening to the discussions, she realized that those undead still had their memories of their past lives. All she could use to describe the situations was to call it an extremely important waste of mana.


    The moment an undead retained their memories they will begin to act weirdly, sometimes even disregarding the orders of their makers. Forcing the latter to forcefully size control just to finish that task. Malakov had to do it when the lich he barely shaped managed to awaken and tried to escape. Except for their decaying bodies, they would act like humans, and if one thing was sure about them, it was that they are fickle, prone to break their words, lie and therefore, are completely unreliable.


    It was not the first time she saw that, but each time, it baffled her that someone was stupid enough to do that. At the same time, it made it even easier for her to destroy such undead, as a soul was far more fragile than one would think. Passing by a rotting elder corpse that was happily telling a story to a group of kids, she was stopped by a lich.


    "You. I never saw you before." Hearing just this, she looked at him like he was retarded. Clearly, he had not seen the real world, trapped into this tiny plane of his. Otherwise, he would have known that it was incredibly rude to just block someone path just for his own curiosity. After starring at him one second, far too long for her, she began to leave him.


    "Hey, stop. I said, I never saw you here, anywhere before." Feeling the bony hand on her ethereal shoulder, she was extremely close to just kill him. And then, it fell on her. Why wouldn''t she do that? What was her plan anyway? Pausing for a second, she searched in her mind for anything that would not make it faster.


    Otherwise, what other options did she have? Hide her powers, slowly and painstakingly climb the ranks, before finally having a meeting with the One Reborn? After that, pathetically tell him her story, hope that he will help her? And with his help, do what exactly? Save the planet, free the humans and defeat the demons? Like she cared about something that would naturally be destroyed in a few thousands of years if they were lucky.


    "You are right. You never saw me before. In fact, no one in this plane has ever seen me. And survived." Hearing her infantile voice, the lich was a bit perturbed by what she was saying. In reality, he only wanted to know who and what she was. But apparently, he had angered her, for some unknown reasons. But there was one word he didn''t really understand.


    "What do you mean by plane?" Hearing his dumb question, the soul began to laugh a bit. She was basically threatening him of death and all he cared was this? It was by far the most idiotic lich she had ever witnessed. At least the others wouldn''t have a proper soul and wouldn''t be able to ask stupid things like that.


    "This is where we are. A plane. A small one. You should reach one of its edges quite easily. As for the rest, not worried about the certainty of death? And what about them, all those living creatures, happily chatting, some even singing. They had put their eyes on me, so their fate is also sealed." Even if she was not speaking loudly, her discussion with the lich naturally gathered the attention of her surroundings.


    But even them, what were the last words they will ever here did not seem to perturb the humans. In fact, they took it as a joke, some even laughed about it. However, the lich realized for the first time he could not even examine her magically. In fact, he felt that he was starring at an abyss so dark, so deep, that not even his soul would escape unscathed.


    "You ... You are not with the One Reborn?" Stepping back slightly, the lich fell backward as the ground was uneven. With his size reduced, now Leilade was above him, looking at him with her white eyes. Seeing her raised one arm to the sky, she saw darkness leaking from it, as it began to spread in the air. "Answer me, who are you!"


    With this sudden change in the air, the humans and undead alike realized something wrong was happening. As for the lich that was still in the ground, he couldn''t detach his eyes from the things that were moving in the dark. The humans close to that location were the first to suffer, as they didn''t even understand how they died. Seeing their kin swallowed by something without shape or form, panic caught the hearts of the survivors.


    But it was already too late. Like she did near the outskirts of Archet, a sea of shadows flood the ground, absorbing everything, alive or dead. The only one not affected was the lich, that was starring absently at the events, his mind not capable of understanding it. Soon, the already unhealthy plain become void of anything.


    Recalling everything inside her body, she approached the lich before grabbing his core in her hand. There the link she created between him and her was severed, before searching carefully for another connexion. A few seconds later, his lifeless body fell in multiple pieces, as no mana left was here to animate it. Soon after, a tentacle quickly grabbed it, not letting a single trace of what happened here remains.


    Not far from there, two ratmen were looking with their mouths wide open at what seemed t be the complete annihilation of an entire human town. Starring at the darkness that was beginning to withdraw, it seemed strangely familiar to the dark soul they spotted previously. Recalling that, one looked at where the skeleton she destroyed was, only to find the place empty. Before he could even turn around and say anything, two hands without flesh on them twisted his neck, silencing him forever.

 172 Finding the hideou

    Whether it was the memories of the humans or the undead that walked amongst them, they were both equally useless for Leilade. Because the undead were either formed with mindless creatures or the souls of deceased humans, they didn''t possess knowledge from before their lives. As for the living beings, the only thing they truly knew was when the One Reborn freed them from the demons. And even then, it was a bit unclear when this happened precisely.


    The common belief was that it happened before the grandparents of their own grandparents were born. As for the life expectancy of the humans, it was probably 50 years, at most, leaving her with an approximate estimate as a century of conflict. As for the description of the One Reborn himself, it was ¡­ a fantasy. She hardly could know which one truly saw him or only imagined his shape. She had someone with the size of a demon, someone with the size of a normal human and even a few looking like babies. And all of those forms were the truth for the ignorant humans that believed in them.


    As for the undead, it was no better since their souls were far too close to the ones of the humans to be truly reliable. It was really a waste of her time to have slaughtered everyone, seeing the complete lack of results. As for where she currently was heading, it was strangely the same path she previously took. Like the very symbol that lead her to this place was also making her meet this creature. The moment she returned to that planet and go freed that Candaith, she definitely will talk with him about doing things too mysteriously.


    Not having to use mana just to hide, she noticed the complete lack of reactions of the undead on the ground. Sometimes, she passed right in front of them, merely a few meters away. But besides looking at her with their empty eye sockets for a few seconds, they didn''t do anything else. Breaking into their minds, she extracted the orders they received, to kill anything that was alive. Including the humans apparently, as she couldn''t see anything about them.


    "Are they saved by the undead or also captives?" Without a lich to accompany the humans, Leilade would bet they would be immediately slaughtered by the roaming zombies and skeletons. Meaning that even if the dead were protecting them from the demons, they were not in any way less captive than before. But it did not seem to bother them too much, as none of the memories she obtained talked about that obvious issue.


    Not wanting to think too much about human rights, she kept moving forward, until she reached another town. This one was slightly bigger, and could probably shelter a few dozens of thousands of heads. Circling around, it was however not her final destination. But looking at all those reserves of mana that were moving, talking and eating, she felt that she could waste a bit of time. Landing in the center of the small city, she was this time met with hostility.


    "I saw you once before. Who are you and what do you want?" Hearing the equally cold voice of the lich near her, she acted like she was not surrounded at all. The small plaza was beginning to feel empty, as the humans were running away, feeling that something was off. Not that they were wrong, but it will not matter at all if they were 10 or 100 meters away.


    "If you saw me once, you also know what I will do." Gazing at the frail liches, she began to count them. At first, only three were present, but more and more were coming, all provoking various fluctuations in the surrounding mana. In some of their hands, she could already see the beginning of a spell.


    "No. The One Reborn transmitted your image, saying that you were a great threat to all of us. So I repeat my question, for the last time. Who are you and what do you want?" Even as he was saying this, he did not seem to be scared. Once more, even if they were undead and shouldn''t feel anything, their souls were a weakness. Too many sentiments could plague their judgments, like right now where a few of them were watching the humans, filled with worry.


    "Hahaha. You don''t ask the questions, I do! Unfortunately, you are not useful to me." The small soul seemed awfully tiny when compared to the now large amount of undead surrounding her. But instead of panicking or even showing fear, only sheer arrogance could be seen on her face. Realizing that she couldn''t be discussed with, the de-facto leader of the liches ordered the attack.


    "Kill her!" Multiples spells began to be cast, throwing a stream of colors toward the lonely dark soul. Whether it was fire, ice, water, lightning or anything else, none of those could even touch her. Either they vanished into the darkness that surrounded their enemy, or they were blocked centimeters away from her. It only took a few seconds before they stopped doing that, all starring at each other wondering what they should do.


    "I guess it''s my turn then." Raising her left hand, Leilade closed it into a fist. All of a sudden, all around the liches, a sphere of dark flames appeared, even blocking their exit toward the sky. And when the first undead tried to touch it to escape, he burned into a pile of dust in a matter of seconds. But not without screaming so hard that it was heard in the entire village.


    To make things worse, the sphere began to diminish in size, slowly closing on them. Seeing this, the liches had no choice but to attack the caster, as none of what they did manage to slow down or open something in the magical trap. Unfortunately, they realized that even getting closer to Leilade was a deed none of them could accomplish. The moment a lich stepped too close, a dark tentacle would immediately grab it, swallowing it all.


    For the bystanders that were close to the dark flames, but on the other side, it did not seem to have taken a very long time. In less than a minute, the plaza was once more visible, with only one single thing remaining. A small little dark girl, with her eyes and hair completely white. As for the large number of liches, none of them were in sight, having disappeared without letting a single trace of their existence.


    Getting some height, she used the same spell again, only this time, she encircled the entire city. Unfortunately, even if she could expand the darkness to its maximum, it was not large enough to swallow everyone here in one go. And it was also troublesome to chase after some survivors. Therefore, she had to expand her mana just to keep everyone in here, and then methodically cleansed every part of that place.


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    No matter how hard their shouts, prayers, cries or pleas were, no one survived their encounters with Leilade. Not even focused on the slaughter that was happening in front of her, she was more concerned by the once more complete lack of reliable information. All she learned was that the One Reborn did manage to transmit her image to the undead casters, but that was it. In a way, it seemed to be one-way communication, but he couldn''t know about her if he couldn''t also collect the memories of the liches. Since the only times, she appeared to the undead were when she killed them afterward.


    Extinguishing the dark flames that did not burn a single grass, she gazed at the now empty town. The only things still standing were the buildings, as it was a bit longer to convert in mana and quite frankly, not really that efficient. Most non-living materials found in nature were like that, and even grass had more mana than a wall made of stone. Right before leaving for good, she heard the loud cries of a baby, that luckily managed to survive.


    However, as she was already high in the sky, she was reluctant to return on her steps just for one living being. Considering as it was lucky for the human child to survive, she did not stay any longer, granting him or her the right to live. After all, she knew that the darkness was seemingly intelligent, but didn''t possess true senses. Meaning that when she did not actively control it, it would not manage to discover some truly well-hidden preys.


    While she kept moving, she noticed a few additional cities, with this time proper farms around them. Due to the fact that they were extremely deep inside the undead territory, it was logical that the demons could hardly prevent anything from happening there. Unlike the much closer towns that could at most shelter one thousand humans, those were comparable to the remote cities of Massalia or Avenio.


    At the same time, the number of roaming undead were greatly reduced, almost not visible at all. Otherwise, it would be a shame if a farmer, unfortunately, died under the claws of a random zombie, just because of an oversight. However, if they were far less present, there were a few other creatures that did not reduce their numbers. In fact, she could spot more of them in here than in any other places, making her cast another invisibility spell.


    The green discreet ratmen, seemed to be on something, as they strangely took the same path as she. Probably also searching for the One Reborn themselves, their numbers grew more and more as she got closer. The mana link she obtained from the liches was telling her that he was in the vicinity, and at that moment, she noticed a large number of ratmen discussing something. They were well hidden near a stone formation, that formed a very small mountain.


    Approaching it, she noticed the paintings and drawings on the rocks around it, all representing symbols of the Demonic Empire. One was even her own, the mark of the Death Corps she was so proud of. Thinking about how they all died, even Akama, she starred at the rest. Counting them one by one, she had to admit it was a pretty huge collection, of the most important troops located in Arsene and Artosis, the two planets they were on before The End was activated.


    Before she could descend and enter through the opening in the mountain, she noticed the group of ratmen beginning to move. Unlike the others she used to see, that were mainly wearing light armors and had a few weapons, those were having a piece of equipment comparable to the killers of the Black Gauntlet. Without a single doubt, they were assassins, tasked with the killing of the One Reborn. As for how they were absolutely certain he was here, even she had no idea.


    After all, they couldn''t possibly use the same technique as her, killing a lich and breaking his soul in pieces, allowing her to easily obtain what she wanted. But since someone else was looking to test the defenses in her stead, she would hardly complain. At the same time, it would be great, to see if some special spells created by the Demonic Army would be used. Meaning that she may have potentially killed a lot of her future subordinates. May have.

 173 The One Reborn

    Moving closer and closer to the entrance, the group of ratmen did not seem particularly happy to not notice anything wrong. It was not their first try at killing that damned undead, only that it always ended in a brutal failure. Even recently, with the help of those that shouldn''t be disturbed, it was still not a success, only having slightly injured the powerful lich. But compared to the past, it was still relatively good news, except that the ones that were called to help should not have failed. Making a lot of demons highly uncomfortable.


    "Remember, no undead!" Grabbing its weapons, the leaders looked at the ten other ratmen that were beside him. Even if his order seemed highly obvious, concerning who they were supposed to kill, it was also something his deceased peers paid their lives for.Even now, he and another one were part of a previous attempt, and they knew far well how dangerous even the most little skeleton could become after some time passed.


    Gazing at the dark tunnel that was going deeper into the small mountain, no sounds could be heard from it. Even if they had superior visions in the dark compared to the humans, they were still restricted if no light was present. Grabbing a very small metal cube, each of them infused a very small amount of mana, barely lightening their own bodies. However, anything more important and they would be spotted immediately.


    Grabbing a rock under its foot, the leader of the ratmen threw it in the air a few times and grabbed it accurately, while starring at a single point in the tunnel. Behind him, his subordinates collected dozens of those little stones, barely smaller than their own hands. Seeing them nod after harvesting enough of those, he stopped throwing the projectile in his claws. Breathing as silently as he could, he began to march into the darkness.


    Behind him, the discreet assassins followed, and the previously silent tunnel did not change at all, besides shadows moving inside it. Barely a few steps inside it, and the leader accurately threw his rock at a random place that was no different from the rest of it. In fact, for a random bystander, what he hit was just the stone ceiling. But unlike the expected sound of his projectile bouncing off the stone, it was more like a skull being broken.


    Picking up their speed, no ratmen even looked at the undead corpse that fell to the ground. As the leader and the assassin behind him repeatedly destroyed all the skeletons that were crawling on the walls and the ceiling, the rest of the group provided them with more ammunition. Finally leaving the tunnel of death, they reached the first room that caused so many problems in the past.


    Compared to the outside world, it was completely filled with undead. In the local region, almost no roaming zombie or skeleton could be spotted, making some wonders where the hell they have gone. The answer was, in this very place. By now, even if they killed every sentry, they will still be spotted by the enormous horde of undead waiting from them.


    Slashing down the ones preventing them from reaching the cave, they did not continue their progress on the ground but immediately jumped above them, to reach the wall above them.If they dared to face such a large amount of enemies by themselves, they would be tired out before even destroying a tenth of it. Or they would be surrounded and overrun. Not an especially good thing for them to happen.


    "ahh." It was even less loud than a murmur, but all the assassins heard it clearly. The one the closest to the location of that sound quickly turned around, to see one of them being grabbed by one of those pesky small skeletons hanging on the wall. In a blink of an eye, the ratman was released from its undead grip, and the progression could continue. This was not the last time it happened, as sometimes the leader had to stop and throw a rock at those frail skulls to break them.


    Using the large stalactites and stalagmites that were formed since the birth of this place, it allowed them to reduced greatly the distance they had to travel. Under them, rows and rows of undead were mindless following them, sometimes climbing on themselves just to get a bit closer. It was a matter of sheer speed, as if they were too slow in the end, they would have too much undead on their hands.


    Fortunately, they were prepared and trained for this, and besides the small interruptions by the sudden appearance of a skeleton on the walls, they didn''t lose anyone. Grabbing something from his bag, he infused a lot of mana in it, before dropping it near the exit of the cave. Not a single zombie even looked at it falling near their feet, as they were focused only on the living beings intruding their place.


    BOOM


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    The pile of skeletons that were awfully close to the stalagmite they were all on immediately crumbled, as the foundations had been pushed away by the strength of the explosion. No waiting for another second, all the ratmen jumped down, crushing bones and rotten flesh alike. Destroying the limbs that were still moving on their own, two ratmen stayed there to slow down the progress of the undead horde. Due to the fact that the tunnel wasn''t really that big, it was easily defended, as the undead were really too clumsy.


    On the other hand, the group of eight still had to fight their way in, as their enemies were also present there. Still the same weaklings they could slaughter at will, their numbers made it far more troublesome. However, it was still relatively easy for them to rotate between the killings, allowing everyone to had least don''t permanently fight. Compared to the others that stayed in the back, they were having it easy.


    Grabbing a few additional stones that were laying on the ground, the ratmen in the back were not idling. In fact, if not for the fact that there were too many zombies, their advance would have been much faster, as just wrecking the skulls of the skeletons was most of the time enough to put them down for good. Feeling that the tunnel was beginning to enlarge, the group stopped moving, slaying the last remaining enemies in front of them.


    "Where are they?" Asking this question to the air, no shadows answered the leader. Gazing at the completely empty room, none dared to think it was true. In fact, they were far more inclined to believe it was an elaborate trap. Sniffing the putrid smell that was caused by the rotten flesh of the zombies, the ratmen were far more prudent now.


    "Do as we planned. Be careful." Throwing one last advice, the group split completely, each assassin moving toward a different direction. Even if they couldn''t know where they were heading, the complete plan of the mountains had already been obtained by the blood of their kin. In fact, they could hardly see farther than 10 meters away from themselves.


    Taking the most dangerous path, the leader was rotating his claws slowly, as he was prepared for any attack from anywhere around him. But as the seconds passed, the movement in his hands almost stopped, as he was clearly perturbed and confused. The only explanation he could have was the fact that the injured lich probably didn''t heal in that time. But the moment he thought about this, he felt the air moving in a weird manner right in front of him.


    SLOOSH


    Barely crouching in time, he avoided the dark fireball that passed right above his head. "LICH!" Shouting this, he only hoped the rest of them did not suffer a successful surprise attack. Grabbing another small cube of metal, he infused it before throwing it at the hidden threat. Sliding to avoid more spells, he did not wait for the explosion before jumping away. As a result, he stepped back in a hurry when something moved with great speed toward him.


    Plock


    Gazing at the broken tibia that landed at his feet, he kept moving before encountering more undead. The liches that were present only used those dark flames, capable of inflicting pain in their souls. The worst part was the fact that it left their corpses completely intact, which caused a lot of issues early on. Meeting resurrected assassins were never a thing they expected, and caused the downfall of too many ratmen.


    Spotting a lich that was targeting one of his subordinates, he did not waste any time before taking a small knife on his waist and launch it toward its core. Seeing the small gem exploding and making the body of the undead crumbled, he didn''t even look if the ratman was alive. A ballet of death, between bombs, knives, and flames could be heard anywhere in this vast cavern. Only at the end of it was the result known, for everyone.


    Minutes later, only three ratmen remained, that cleanly executed every lich that was approaching. And when the last dead finally landed on the ground, immobile, it spelled the fact that no one else was coming. Looking one last time at the graveyard that welcomed five other demons in this day, the leader entered the final step of their travel. No more servants will be present, and by the looks of it, they did have a pretty good shot now.


    Sometimes, there were so many liches that the assassins had to retreat without even crossing the room. So, it was a good journey, all things considered. And maybe, some survived and just decided to retreat temporarily. Anyway, if that was the case, it would also mean those that were near him were doomed. For the two that were blocking the large horde of undead would understand someone coming back as a failure, and therefore will escape.


    No matter what was the case, they had ten more minutes before being overrun. That was the time limit for the mission, even if it was a success. Picking up multiple knives in preparation, the assassins watched the path opening on a stone door, that seemed oddly similar to one they could encounter in their daily lives. In fact, it was pretty much the same. Carefully using the handle, the large block of graved stone moved without a sound.


    Starring at what was happening in the inside, they could see a form leaning above a corpse. Compared to the ones of the demon orcs, this one was far bigger, almost 3 meters tall. Complete covered into purple fur, his face could be described as the one of a goat if they had seen what a goat was. The two horns were engraved with mana inscriptions, and the body of the monster in fur was completely naked and open at the level of its stomach.


    In every corner of the room, the three ratmen could see more corpses similar to that one, and also some belonging to the orcs or the ratmen. As for the form that was engrossed with the organs of the body, he only raised his head afterward, a bit surprised to have visitors. "Oh, you are alive?" The underline surprise did not escape the ears of the three living beings, but it was not that they cared.


    Rushing forward, dozens of weapons were thrown in a matter of seconds. Unfortunately, none reached their targets, as the form only raised his hand and stopped it magically. Knowing that it would happen, the assassins disregarded their own safety before jumping on the One Reborn, hoping to take him down. But like the still levitating knife, they were immediately stopped merely a few meters away.


    "The Demon Emperor sends his regards!" Smiling as he was saying this, the leader ignited the metal cubes in his bag, before throwing them toward the corpses that were hanging in the room. Not expecting those ratmen to not target him but his collection, the undead was half a step slower, only witnessing the complete destruction of his lair. Before he could unleash his fury on those pesky rodents that ruined everything, he saw what remains of them, mere traces of mana in the air.


    "Wait for this thing to arrive on this plane and you won''t be as happy. And again, everything is ruined. Those ratmen, always bothering me." Not really complaining, the One Reborn merely patted the dust away before looking at the corpse he studied mere moments ago. Fortunately, it was not that damaged, only having one horn broken and half of its face in horrible shape.


    But just as he approached it, he felt something weird, prompting him to look behind him. But there was nothing, besides the opened door, leading to the dark tunnel beyond. Only at that moment did he realized it was not right. He should be able to see in that obscure path, so why it was not possible anymore?

 174 Trials of time

    Thing rare for him, he decided to create a very small light, just to lighten that dark path. But to his surprise, this light did not even last more than a centimeter away from the stone door. Feeling that this something was far more serious than he first thought, he threw a small fireball in the tunnel, just to see it. Unlike the dark flames he used to attack the souls, it was truly a regular fire, good only for burning wood and such.


    The wave of flames that crashed on the invisible wall barely allowed him to steal a peek at who was in front of him. In fact, the only thing he had seen was just two weirds white orbs and a pack of white ropes. But soon, this image was superposed upon another he obtained a few days ago. Barely keeping his calm, he was incredibly excited to meet her, even if she had probably killed quite a few of his own men.


    "Are you the dark soul that my liches met? Did you arrive from that circle of stones?" Even now, his happiness after seeing her was quite clear in his voice, making Leilade slightly puzzled. Finally entering the burned and damaged room, she could also examine with more attention who this One Reborn was.


    Unlike most lich, it was visible that someone took great care to construct his body. Like she did with Malakov, as her envoy particularly enjoyed his current appearance. In fact, his hands finishing by four dark claws and his head hidden under a black hood, only letting his two horn easily visible was his own choice since apparently it was even more threatening. Too that, the small girl was obviously dubious, not knowing exactly who gave him that strange idea. After all, if someone was to ask what was terrifying, it was better to inquire about it to a duvodiad, as they were the ones facing true monsters.


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    Anyway, back to lich in front of her. His entire body was protected by a black robe, not even letting his bony hands appear. The only thing she could clearly see was the two empty sockets and the rows of teeth, partially visible through the strange mask he wore. However, as she thought, those were not just some random outfits he picked up. They were there when he was first created, using mana to model them. As for the mask, it was made out of iron or something alike, only showing a human face, with a beard that should measure twenty centimeters at best.


    Not answering right away, she gazed at the broken corpses that were hanging in the air, as much as the numerous inscriptions on the stone walls. Like the ones she saw outside of the small mountain, they were clearly representing numerous marks and emblems of the Demonic Empire. However, if that One Reborn truly knew about her, he wouldn''t have asked such a stupid question. Meaning that something was off.


    "Yes, I am. I arrived here merely a few weeks ago. Of course, I was welcome by those demons, that treated me quite unfairly." Walking in like she owed this place, she sat down on a table that still had a burned corpse on it. And by saying sat down, she levitated to give the illusion that she was actually standing on a material object.


    "Yes, yes. That''s it, that''s what was supposed to happen. The demons, they have forgotten their own past. The one coming through the circle of stones is their enemy, and so you are. You fought them and survived, meaning that I was right. With your help, the demons stand no chance and even their precious word keepers will not prevent that." Almost laughing at his own words, he did not notice that Leilade was staring at him as she would do for a mentally challenged human.


    Forgetting about the obvious issues with his mind, she picked up a foreign word she linked with that purple goat over there. "Is it one of the word keeper?" Pointing at the only corpse that was not completely destroyed by the assassins, she saw the human mask nodding vigorously. "Yes, yes. Those damn go-go-goaut, yes, goaut. They protected the second circle of stones, only they don''t know it is not working anymore."


    "Goaut, hum? And why is the second circle not working?" At this point, she already classified the One Reborn as someone that won''t survive, unless some miracles happened. No one like to be in the presence of a madman, whether he was alive or truly dead. One could have a spark of madness and such, but she wondered how many years he had spent her alone, twisting in own soul in a weird manner.


    "Because of ME! YES, ME! I ¡­ I ¡­ don''t remember. But I did it, YES! The two circles of stones, one for the enemy of the demons, the other one for their ally. But too bad, the ally will never arrive while the enemy still could and you are here now. But I had to make sure, that you would come here, so I left a trace, a path toward this place." Even as he was speaking, he did not stop moving his hands in wide gestures. He also seemed incapable of staying in one place, often moving to the left and then to the right.


    "Hum hum, I see. Because of your great expertise in spatial magic, you managed to modify a bit the portals created by Candaith, turning one into basically a dead end. You also managed to change the very form of the catalyst, while maintaining its properties just to show me the way. Just one question, if you are that strong, why the demons are still alive?" She did not believe a single word of what she said, because it was completely impossible for a random lich to accomplish it.


    She would hardly be able to do it unless she had months to study in calm what Candaith had created. And from the looks of it, the undead and the demons were not that friendly, meaning that he couldn''t have access to what was tightly guarded. She had met a patrol barely minutes after landing in this place, further confirming that the circle of stones was something important.


    "Yes, I did all of tha ¡­ wait what? Maybe, I don''t remember. You see, the demons are evil, they sent me in this place, condemning me to never see my family again. All just for the sake of one creature, they ¡­ they ¡­ AARH! MY HEAD!" Seeing for the first time the white hands void of any flesh smacking the side of the mask, Leilade looked indifferently at the situation. The more she conversed with him, the more she felt she was wasting her time.


    "Before, I was just a farmer in Massalia, but now, I have powers beyon¡­"


    "Massalia?" Cutting him right in his tracks, she was extremely surprised to hear this word. But soon, she realized something that made all the problems and issues she met to this day look logical. The fact that the undead helped humans recently and not a long time ago. Everything, in short. She hardly heard what the One Reborn was saying after that.


    "Yes, Massalia. My place, before all of this. One day, I woke up, only to find out I was in this body, with weird memories inside my head. And that huge creature covered in fur, those goauts looking at me, telling me to take care of the circles of stones. But they didn''t know, they didn''t know it was me. They thought I was someone else, and then, I saw the humans." Clenching his fist, he smacked the arm of the demon near him, releasing his hatred.


    "Treated like mere cattle, like some cows or something. And in my head, a myriad of spells, something that only magicians should know. And those symbols, everywhere. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw that head, that was giving me all of this, causing me pain each time I tried to forget. It was like I was given a second life, I was reborn, to make all of them pay. The human that gave me information, the monster in fur that told me to guard the stones, the demons that hunted the humans. HAHAHA"


    Laughing madly, he extended his arm as he was slowly rotating his body, watching every corner of his room. Looking at all those symbols that made no sense to him, but that he knew were important. He remembered graving them into the circles of stones because he was ordered to. Only after stopping his laughter did he remember he had a guest, and he was not talking to a mindless lich again.


    "But you arrived. You, the one that is supposed to be their enemy. So, all the time I waited is finally worth it. Now, will you ¡­"


    "Z?rtar K?rlam ? Jyzref." Her infantile voice once more cut him, but like precedently, he was not angered. After all, she was his ticket for his revenge. However, this time, she pronounced something he had no idea what it was. Trying to repeat those words, he could hardly see where was the verb or a name.


    "Not understanding it? Really?" Her white eyes could not express any emotions, but if they could, right now, it would only be sheer disappointment. The One Reborn did not talk about Candaith, even after she mentioned that space bunny. Nor did he understood what she just said. That meant he was not the one she was looking for, or should she say, he was no longer the one she was looking for.


    "Tell me, did I missed it by a hundred or years or more? Never mind, it doesn''t matter anyway. He will probably know more." "He-e? Who-o?" Even if she hadn''t change the tone of her voice, he could feel in his guts that she was not as friendly as she was before. No, it was even worse, she was considering him as her enemy. But that was impossible for him to believe that.


    "No, no, no, NO! The demons ARE YOUR ENEMY! IT WAS CREATED LIKE THAT! I WAS THERE, I WAS THE ONE THAT DID IT!" Each word was pronounced with more strength than the precedent, as a pathetic attempt to convince Leilade. But she was already convinced, totally, to be honest. Only, it was something different that the One Reborn imagined.


    "You, or should I say, the one that Akama trained, was present, it is a fact. However, it seemed that as Malakov experienced it, you humans are truly a pain in the ass. Always trying to remember, always seeking your past. Because of your selfishness, you almost ruined their plans. Luckily, I was too arrogant for my own good." He could not see it or even feel it, but she had already manipulated the shadows to wait right under his feet. Because it was time for her to leave.


    "What? Why? How? I don''t understand, why are yo ¡­ ARGH! MY HEAD!" Knocking once more his mask, she noticed some familiar traits appearing as it was distorted under the might of the bone hands. Not caring at all, she levitated the mask toward her, while modifying it slightly, just enough to see the face of the old Akama appearing.


    "MY MASK! GIVE IT BACK!" Softly touching the stolen good, she did not even raise her head at this order. Soon, the screaming of the lich was silenced by the tentacles that appeared from the ground, ambushing the undead caster. Absorbing his memories, it was not as bad as the one of the Ak?l she encountered, in the depths of the Wild Mountains. But still, it was only some fragments here and there, as the only intact images she had was after the One Reborn attacked the demons.


    However, in her search, she noticed a very small spark that did not belong to the soul itself. Grasping it very carefully, she barely used her soul to see what was inside. To her surprise, she saw a small debate between Akama and Candaith, before the former approached the undead once more and murmured some stuff. She couldn''t hear what he said, but it was easy to read on his lips that it was insulting toward the spatial mage.


    Laughing at this sight, she did not disperse that foreign spark but instead transfer it to her inner soul. There, her other personality lifted her eyebrows at this sight, not knowing what the main Leilade was up to. "See for yourself. Also, take care of him." Leaving the spark like that, the young white soul looked with surprise at the exchange between the two men, before smiling too. Gazing at the mud she had wasted before, it didn''t take long for her to build another statue, only this time, without any other intentions.

 175 Willem of Arsene

    Far away from there, in a castle whose appearance could only be called ugly, numerous demons of all races were bowing in front of a throne. Most of them were just the demonized orcs, but a few ratmen could also be seen, with another race noticeable by their purple fur. The goatmen were, however, not as respectful as the rest, only lowering their head slightly. That was because of their power, even if some amongst the mass were disappointed with that since even they had failed.


    "Demon Emperor, we have received the news that the assault had failed one more. Also, we are still without any news concerning the new attempt against the One Reborn." The one talking was maybe the biggest orc in the room, even taller than the word keepers. Compared to Davion, the orodil would also be beaten.


    "It doesn''t matter. Everything will be determined by what escaped from the circle of stones." Sited nonchalantly on the throne, the monster covered in fur was not particularly concerned about the future reserved for him. In fact, he was longing for this nightmare to end. However, before that, the undead that betrayed him needed to die.


    Grabbing a glass filled with the blood of a human child, he drank it all, seeing that the demons did not share the same thoughts as him. After leading them for so many years, he couldn''t help but feel a bit concerned about their fate. "I know you have your doubts, my brave warriors. You already fought for so many years, just to kill the One Reborn. And now, all of a sudden, it is no longer your main priority."


    Waving his hand, he signaled to one of the goatman to explain it. Nodding slightly to his sovereign, the sorcerer stood in front of the crowd, reminding them about the past. "You know very well about the two sacred grounds, the two circles of stones. One is supposed to lead us to another world, freeing us from this place. The other will only bring disaster, an enemy capable of annihilating us. The prophecy foretold this would happen and we have to be ¡­"


    "I reject the prophecy!" The same tall orc blatantly cut the purple monster, provoking a lot of murmurs from the rest of the demons. Even more, his words could be interpreted as rejecting the very words of the Demon Emperor, the one that created this flourishing nation. Due to their relatively long life compared to the humans, the past was not as forgotten, and numerous elders talked about the dire situation they were in before he arrived before they passed away.


    "Just a bunch of words, an enemy capable of annihilating us all? A miracle saving us? A mere fairy tale! The only thing we have to take care of is the One Reborn, he is the one that will exterminate our races if we don''t stop him." Compared to just the mirage the word keepers talked about, the harsh reality they were in didn''t disappear. In fact, his words had a lot of believers, since they had progressively seen how they lost control over the humans.


    "As for that enemy, the undead that was in the sacred ground. Yes, he killed a patrol, but the moment more of our brothers came, he had no choice but to flee. That''s the one we should fear? A coward? If he was so powerful, he would have fought us."


    "So you don''t deny he has arrived from the circle of stones? Meaning that the prophecy was right! He is our enemy and if we let the One Reborn and this new threat together, it will only be the end of us!"


    Seeing the two groups arguing more and more, the Demon Emperor did not move at all. Calling one of the ratmen that was still silently watching, he inquired once more about what exactly was known about the creature that entered this place. "Tell me again the exact words they used to describe that thing."


    "It was a mass of shadows, floating in the air. There were things moving inside it, but no one was able to identify something. After that, they discovered it was just an illusion, but when they returned to the sacred ground, they saw the same thing already far away on the horizon. That''s all they managed to gather, Demon Emperor." Sighing, the monster covered in fur thanked him once more, still pensive.


    If it had been undead, the first thing he thought about was Akama. Like previously, that human sorcerer sent another of his minions, maybe even saving him in the process. But if it was the case, why using that portal and not the one barely a few kilometers away from here? Next, that creature should have known to ask for him, but apparently, it was not the case., as he attacked immediately the orcs.


    "EMPEROR, THE UNDEAD THEY AAAAAAAAAH"


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    Starring at the orc that flew so high that he hit the ceiling, all the stares turned around to see the darkness that was leaking through the door. Everyone grabbing their weapons, they shuddered, thinking that there was no alarm prior to this moment. Realizing this, the weakest of the group began to shiver in fear.


    "Is it how you greet someone in here?" The cold infantile voice resonated in the air, puzzling more than once. They had all heard the voice of a small human kid, and it was awfully similar. But why a human would be present and talking like that? But soon, they realized that amongst the shadows, the frail body of a black girl was present. Recalling now the description they heard about the one that breached their sacred ground, even the orc that was arguing against the prophecy realized he may have been wrong.


    However, no one seemed to even care, as they watched the shadows beginning to swallow the entire entrance of the room. By now, even the doors were hidden from their sights, and it was an impressive feat, considering the immense size of their emperor. "You have no power over here undead! Soon, you and the One Reborn will be destroyed! Erased and forgotten!" The purple goatman that said those words did not expect to make her laugh, but that''s what happened.


    "Hihihi. The One Reborn you say? A mere weakling, barely stronger than a lich. For that was what he was. Yes, was." As she was saying this, she extracted his soul, creating the blue ball everyone that worked with her was so familiar. But for the demons, starring at the soul of their enemy slowly being created in front of them, it looked like a dream.


    "It doesn''t matter if you killed him! You have harmed our kin and for that, you will payyyy? Emperor?" Looking at the large hand that was gripping his shoulder, the word keeper did not understand what was going on. Why was he smiling all of a sudden? The enemy had infiltrated the very capital, even taunting them in their home. But for the other party, that was just a minor inconvenience.


    "I ¡­ I am sorry but I feel I should know you. But so many years have passed, and I have forgotten a lot of things. Let me introduce me, I am called Arsene." Under the baffled stares of his subordinates, the creature covered in fur looked almost friendly. Like he was discussing with a friend and not someone that was sent to kill him. But his already small smile grew, even more, when he heard the name of the other party.


    "I guess it should have been expected, Arsene. Then, my name is Artosis." Hearing the confirmation he expected after all those centuries, the werewolf howled in joy, before laughing so loudly that it made some of the ratmen''s ears hurt.


    "HAHAHAHA! Artosis, we were not alone after all. He was right, Candaith was right all along. That damned mage, letting me rot in this plane for nearly 200 years. And it''s finally over, HAHAHAHA!" But as he was basking in joy, he did not see the stern face of Leilade. Only when the ecstasy finally ended, did he began to thought more about what was really happening.


    "I am Willem, second in command of Arsene and subordinate of Lugash. Was, should I say. Because I was even healthier than the two Ak?ls, I proposed to check the portal for Candaith, since the undead of Akama always were destroyed. I just didn''t expect to end up in this plane all alone. But right after my arrival, that lich managed to survive, filled with instruction of Candaith." Grabbing more glasses of blood, he drank everything, while the demons were still unsure of what to do. After all, it seemed to be a casual discussion, even if they hardly understood a single sentence.


    "And it was fine, until 70 years ago approximately. We had this nice kingdom, humans were calm and easily slaughtered and everything was for the best. But suddenly, I noticed that the lich was behaving weirdly. And one day, it suddenly left, called itself the One Reborn, such a presumptuous name. After that, everything began to slowly crumble, and here you are. Hey, what''s with the sad face?" The immense werewolf that wouldn''t be any smaller than Ymir only looked properly at Leilade after saying everything he had on his heart.


    "Unfortunately, time behave strangely in here. It had been more than 1000 of years on the other planet. All the others are presumed to be dead and Candaith seemed to have been ¡­ captured."


    BLONK glonk dlonk


    The iron cup he was grabbing suddenly slipped away, as he began to understand her words. In fact, two centuries were a long time, but not something that important compared to their lifespan. As long as they had a sufficient amount of food, it was fine. That''s why he never thought that those staying on the planets would all die like that.


    "But how? How a mere archaic planet, without even a working spaceship could kill them?" Feeling disbelief, and this sentiment easily seen on his face, it made Leilade realized that she may have mistaken him for the werewolf disappearing near a lake. While he may have passed a portal way earlier.


    "A Saksa."


    "WHAT? A SAKSA?" His surprise and the fear in his eyes could not be faked, meaning that it was probably right after they landed on that planet that he entered the portal.And after that, the dwarves accidentally woke up the monster created by the Ancient, making Candaith think twice before messing up time and space.


    Calmly telling him everything she knew, she saw his initial joy quickly disappearing. The vast amount of information was almost enough to make his brain explode, as it was too much too quickly. A sleeping Saksa, gods meddling with their believers, Heroes capable of standing toe to toe against an Ak?l. For the first time, he realized that the nightmare he was in, the one that trapped him for all those years may have protected him. Only after she told him all of this did he finally remembered who she was.


    "Z?rtar K?rlam ? Jyzref. Long live the Empress of the Underworld, Leilade Octavius." Bowing halfway in front of her, he looked at her, as it was really the first time he ever saw her. But when he thought about how she described Candaith, there was only one individual in the entire universe that would call him a space bunny.


    "We have wasted too much time now, Willem of Arsene. It''s time for those Heroes to pay. Now, how should I deal with those ones?" Glancing at the mute demons all around her and the werewolf, she saw them fearing her. However, the werewolf merely shook his head, as they still allowed him to survive easily all those years. "Let them live." Starring at the floating soul that was instantly disinterested with those living preys and left through a wall, he chuckled a bit but did not follow her immediately.


    "The One Reborn is dead. And she won''t kill you. So live well, and don''t kill too many humans, you will regret it." Leaving them with a final warning, he clenched his fist before hitting the stone wall. Creating an opening in it, he jumped out, quickly catching up with Leilade. However, for the crowd of demons that looked at their Emperor running away, none of them knew what to say. Also, why the one they respected so much looked like a dog chasing after a bone?

 176 Feelings of a werewolf

    "A little bit to the right, yes, yes. No, stop, one tiny bit to the left now. Annnnnnnd perfect. Don''t touch anything." A very old dragon was currently instructing a younger one for an extremely important task. After losing his previous favorite stone, the immense monster had been permanently afflicted with bad rest at the earliest time of the day.


    However, a stone capable of resisting his large body was rare, and one plain enough to not have all those tiny pikes could even be considered as a treasure. Fortunately, he had managed to find one by sheer luck, only that his body was beginning to be old. Fearing that he would break it by accident, he rather asked one of those young brats that were born barely a hundred years ago. As for the young creature in question, well, it was still far too small to refuse the orders of the lazy elder.


    Extending his body to its maximum, the old dragon felt the tension in his body being slightly reduced. Taking a few seconds to get a truly comfortable position, he sighed in happiness as he found it. "You can go now. Ah, compared to the previous one it is delightful. Don''t look at me like that, when you will be old you will understand that pain. Look around you, even some that are half of my age began to behave like me."


    And in fact, he was right. Most dragons when they woke up enjoyed resting for a few minutes under the first rays of the sun. Only that they didn''t care as much as the old one about where they were resting, as long as it was not a pit. Still a bit grumbling about being exploited just to carry a stone, the young dragon returned to its lair to get something to eat. Leaving the other one in peaceful relaxation.


    That lasted about ten seconds. "What again?" Looking at the same dragon that left, he was visibly displeased. Was it too much to ask for a well-deserved rest after a hard day of wo¡­ hard night of sleep? But when he looked at what was held in his hands, he realized that his past actions may have future consequences he didn''t want. Before he could even begin to shoot to throw it far away, the blue crystal began to emit a light that had been seen a long time ago.


    "Drop it and run!" Beginning to do the same, he stopped for a brief moment, before looking at where the crystal had ended up. On his precious plate stone. The one he had finally found after so many months of search. However, it was too late, as something seemed to be leaking from the crystal and a rift was opening in front of their very eyes. The explosion that followed made every dragon turned their eyes toward it, only to notice two newcomers.


    COUGH COUGH


    A large creature covered completely in fur was violently coughing, as a large amount of dust had been created with the destruction of the rocks and stones around the crystal. As for large, he was half of the height of some dragons, something the latter rarely saw. Next to him, a very small human child, completely black was searching for her surroundings, before locking her gaze on one monster. Only after seeing the extremely weird smile the oldest of them made did they remembered that they had already seen that dark soul a long time ago.


    "Well, you survived and brought a friend. So, my job was accomplished." Faced with such pathetic and weak excuses, most of the crowd felt a bit of shame being related to that lying dragon. Since when their proud race had to resort to such vile methods. When Leilade was gone, he had to explain to the rest what happened, and with the result of that time, it was not a problem. But with her coming back, it turned out it was indeed an issue.


    But to their surprise, the large man covered in fur approached the dragon and bowed slightly. "Thank you for being petty and bringing the Empress of the Underworld to me. Without your betrayal to the promise you made, it wouldn''t have been possible." Plastering a smile on his face, the old dragon was mixed, not knowing what to answer. In fact, he was still pondering if it was an insult, a compliment or both at the same time.


    "Well, everything turned out good for you, right? So no need to do anything someone might regret later?" Still feeling a bit unsettled when being starred by that tiny dark thing, the old dragon was relieved to not see her moving against him. In fact, it was only later that they learned from the dwarves how she annihilated all the spiders infesting the depths of the mountains by herself. Causing them to have less food overall, even if the spiders rarely had good taste.


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    "Depends on your answers. How long passed between my departure and my arrival?" The cold childish voice was finally heard for the first time, as it was her companion that mainly did the talking. However, that question was a bit tricky for the old dragon as he was not affected by time as much as the other races. Or, in other words, he had no idea of how many days for real they were gone.


    "If I say a lot of days, you will not be pleased, hum?" Looking at the tiny thing in front of him and seeing her face completely unmoved by his words, he guessed so. "You do realize that asking to me, a dragon, a completely immaterial thing like time was not a good idea?" Once more, the face of Leilade did not change about one single iota. Not making the bystanders feel too good about it. Not that they expected her to take it with a smile.


    "Ok, I would say at least a year. Maybe two. But definitely not three, I think." Sneaking a peek, he retracted his words. "Not three, definitely." However, his answer shocked neither Willem nor Leilade, as she had already guessed that if the werewolf only stayed approximately two hundreds of years in the foreign plane, her long travel of nearly one month and a half would result in such a thing.


    Looking at the dark soul, the last surviving Dark Gods of the legends, as it seemed, was carelessly displaying at his claws, while sometimes opening his mouth to show the incredibly sharp fangs that were present. Only one order would be enough for him to jump directly at the dragon, but since he had absolutely no knowledge of this planet, besides what Leilade told him, he refrained himself from attacking someone that betrayed the trust of Candaith.


    "Then let''s not waste any more time with inferior creatures. Willem, come." At the mention of inferior creatures, of course, the surrounding dragons did not feel great. One almost began to produce a spell before he was quickly stopped by his close neighbor. It was not in their interest to fight them head-on and none could predict if they would be victorious in a direct confrontation. The news about the prowess of Leilade had reached even the snowy peak in which they reside, meaning that they didn''t dismiss her for her small appearance like they did hundreds of years ago.


    "As you wish. But one day, you will be presented with a choice. This time, do not think that breaking your words will work." Leaving with that ominous threat, the werewolf did not wait any longer before agilely descending the mountain, following the shadows in the air. As they were traveling, the giant monster couldn''t help but ask about what they should do now that they confirmed that at least a year had passed.


    "Nothing had changed. I will seek the dwarves and see what happened during my absence. Considering what I did for them, I expect that at least they won''t be as foolish as the dragons. As for the others, they shouldn''t have died, but anything is possible." Even now, he could not see the dark soul even showing a hint of worry about her companions. However, for him, he did not wish for Davion to die. From all the names she gave, it was the only one that was familiar, as the two often had to talk with all the movements between Arsene and Artosis.


    Recalling when they left the plane, even then she did not seem to have any fear as she reactivated the portal left by Candaith with the help of the One Reborn. At that time, the only thing showing on her face was maybe malice, as she enjoyed ruining the carefully placed stones just to arrange it for her purpose. In fact, it took quite a few tries and many weeks before she managed to activate it properly.


    At that time, he was almost certain she was smiling evilly because she managed to outdo Candaith, even if it was slow. During this time, his loyal followers that lived with even for all those years sometimes came to ask advice and such. The problem was that they were bothering Leilade while she was trying to create the portal, and in the end, he had to forbid them the access, or else they would be killed by the dark soul.


    Fortunately, the fact that Leilade claimed that the number of undead will begin to dwindle was confirmed. Following this, numerous reports talked about the number of undead that was present in the territory of the freed humans, all showing a clear reduction. With that and the hope that the future will be a lot calmer, the demons finally left the two at their own devices, not without regularly providing fresh humans until they left.


    Shaking his head to dismiss all those useless thoughts, he realized they were not so bad after all. Without them, the travel would be even more boring, as Leilade was particularly mute if it was not important. Of course, as one of the most important demon commandant on his planet, it was not that big of a deal. But from the moment he was transported to this forsaken world, he had always been surrounded by people he could talk to.


    Even if the demons were a lot of the time dumb and he had to explain so many things that appeared evident to him, it was a true conversation. Unlike right now where he was just freezing his fur in the snow with the sole company of dark floating thing in the air that didn''t speak to him in the last day. Because he was apparently too slow and couldn''t pass through the walls. So she had to search for an opening created by the dwarves.


    At that time, he realized why Candaith and her were so angered by the presence of the others. Their very behaviors were the complete opposite of each other. One was a smug arrogant mage that couldn''t help but brag all day, while sometimes being capable of having a normal and friendly discussion. On the other hand, there was a cold, almost dead inside girl that showed more care to the shadows inside her body than to the one accompanying her.


    It was also the first time he felt he was lucky to have suffered so many days with someone claiming to be the best in the universe, for he was clearly fonder of that type of person. Even right now, she was clearly destroying the ground to pierce a tunnel for him, all without talking at all. "Did she find something? Will she tell me about it? Hell no." Inwardly grumbling, he still tried his best to not be too far behind, and he finally caught the scent of a living creature.


    "Ahhh. The nasty and stinking smell of beer sticking to a beard. There is definitely a dwarf down there." But even as he was saying this, all he obtained was just an empty look from the dark soul, like he was saying something obvious. Deciding that since it was the case, he would only talk to himself from now on, he did not miss the opening of the gate. Nor did he missed the fully armored dwarf behind it that shouted loudly. "Leilade Octavius!"

 177 Results of a good action

    Truth to be told, seeing so many dwarves in armor and with their weapons, the first reflex of Willem was to be on his guard. However, he quickly noticed that none of them were actively aiming at them or even raising their shields and axes. Meaning that the sudden shout was most likely out of surprise and disbelief. Hypothesis quickly confirmed by the short inhabitants of the mountains.


    "You are Leilade Octavius, right? We were told to welcome all the ¡­ souls looking like you?" The armored dwarf was visibly a bit slow when searching for the right term to qualify Leilade. After all, it was very rare to see any creature similar to her, and they couldn''t say she was a human, a monster or something like that. Feeling that he had chosen the right term, he was glad to not see the floating girl looked displeased.


    "Yes, I am. And what are the intentions of the Iron Kingdom?" Hearing this, the one in charge began to remove his helmet, quickly followed by all the guards around him. Then, they all began to bow their heads, while thanking Leilade. "In the name of the Iron Kingdom, we thank the named Leilade Octavius for her help against one of our enemies."


    After this sentence, the guards put once more their helmets and began to return to their normal activities while the commandant kept entertaining the two newcomers. "In other words, we thank you once more for your help getting rid of all the spiders. You have done such perfect extermination that even after those two years, there is still not a single trace of a spider alive. Maybe for you, it was easy, but you have no idea how many lives you saved and how much forces had finally been deployed elsewhere."


    Of course, among the useless information he provided, both Willem and Leilade managed to get what they wanted in the first place. How many years they were gone. "If it is not too important, may I ask you where you were during all this time? The people of Archet never told us precisely, but of course, if it is a secret, that''s fine. Treat this as the curiosity of a dwarf."


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    This time, the two newcomers each looked at each other, a bit puzzled by what he said. With just one look, Leilade answered the silent question of the werewolf by "I have no idea what he is talking about." However, they wouldn''t say this to their surroundings and kept acting like they knew everything.


    "It''s a secret."


    "Ah, that''s what I was thinking. Anyway, this is the tunnel leading you directly to the capital. Do you need a guide or will it be fine to go there by yourselves? Oh, also, do you need food or a drink before leaving?" Looking at the commandant that acted no different than a waiter in an inn, Leilade merely shook her head. They had plenty of blood before leaving the plane of the demons, and just the time they spent outside was not enough to truly impede the werewolf.


    "No, that''s fine. Goodbye." "Goodbye."


    "Have a safe travel." Waving his hand, he looked the two beginning to leave, albeit one was having quite an issue to move. However, since Willem was agile enough to walk on his four limbs, the small size of the tunnel was barely enough for him to travel. Neither of the two heard the murmuring dwarf. "It''s still a bit weird. Why did we never heard of a giant covered in fur before? Oh, well, not my problem."


    "So, Archet is the city where you left Ymir and Malakov?"


    "Correct."


    "And, they were supposed to come here?"


    "Not really."


    "Hum, hum." The attempts at starting a conversation were quite hard for the living monster. Even now, besides the initial surprise, he saw on her face at the mention of that city, the soul did not look particularly interested in knowing what it meant. On the other hand, he would have surrounded the dwarf with questions, if Leilade hadn''t said they were leaving.


    "And you have no idea why he was speaking like they were allies or at least trade partners?"


    "No idea."


    In the cold and dark tunnel, one tried many times to extract any sentiments of a soul but never succeed at doing so. The best he obtained was irritating her, forcing him to stop for an hour or so. He was not dumb enough to anger someone like the Empress of the Underworld, after all, she had quite a reputation. It was only that he thought she was a lot bigger than that, hearing the description from Candaith and Akama. Making him almost not recognizing her when they first met.


    However, when they first arrived in the capital, they were baffled when they saw a wagon pulled by two skeletons. Approaching it, they were finally noticed by the two undead, before hearing an incredibly cheerful voice resonating from one of them. "Empress, you are finally back!" Looking at the crowd of ratmen and dwarves that were looking a bit puzzled by that sudden exclamation, Willem grabbed the two skeletons, not knowing which one was the good one, and brought them into a remote alley.


    "Who are you? Wait for a second, you are a very big werewolf! Far too big for this planet. Is he ¡­"


    "Yes, I am part of the Demonic Army. Willem, subordinate of Lugash." At the mention of this name, one of the skeletons suddenly began to stroke his chin, before looking a bit stunned. "You are from Arsene then! So it was true that Candaith and some others managed to land on this planet centuries ago."


    "How do you know that?" For the first time, Leilade questioned her envoy, since he shouldn''t have known this. After all, she had only managed to realize the truth after infiltrating the mind of the Archmage. However, by that time, Malakov was already in such a pitiful state that he wouldn''t be able to converse properly.


    "You were gone for two years, Empress. During that period of time, a lot of things have changed. Too many things. Three new Heroes have appeared, but at the same time, the Archmage was killed. This caused everyone that had any intentions of harming Archet and Ymir shudder in fear. The magus was like the beacon of mankind, and with him falling, all the human nations lost their first protector."


    Stopping in his speech, he looked left and right, before speaking more quietly. "Also, his death provoked the leaking of many secrets, including the spell that is still trapping Meridiana, Kardel, and Davion. When I heard the name of this spell, I instantly realized that it was created by Candaith. After that and the new ally we gained thanks to you, I managed to learn the rest."


    If the lich hadn''t known that Candaith was present in this world, he wouldn''t have searched for the traces of others that could have been in the same situation. From the beginning, the Dark Gods were some strangers compared to them. But the moment one of the legendary monsters was revealed to be a quite well-known acquaintance, it also meant the others were probably in the same situation.


    "But that''s not the place to talk about all of this. Let me guide you to a more appropriate location." Leading the group, the two skeletons didn''t forget the grab the wagon they left in the middle of the street. The sudden appearance of the dark soul and the giant werewolf made many of the bystanders raised their eyebrows, before learning the identity of one. Soon, Leilade could see the gazes turned from wariness to friendliness, as they recognized her as the one that killed the Spider Queen.


    "Here we are. Quite impressive I must say." Starring at the building in front of them, they could see a vast complex of houses and storages spreading on dozens of meters. Right next to the entrance, two black skeletons, the same that followed Ymir for the conquest of Archet, were guarding the place. Beyond the stone doors, many more undead were busying themselves, accompanied by just a handful of dwarves and ratmen.


    "Everyone had been chosen individually. Even here, the reach of the Organization is still felt. Fortunately, those outlaws didn''t seem to care too much about what we are doing here. However, while you were away, they never stopped at trying to steal our secrets. Causing even Ymir to suffer injuries more than once."


    Walking easily inside the maze that was built there, Malakov finally opened a door that didn''t seem to stand out at all. However, the interior was expensively decorated, with a lot of exquisite paintings and furniture. And it was not empty. Barely looking above the pile of papers he had to read, a human that was not too young but definitely not old suddenly fell backward, surprised by the sight of the black shadows.


    "What the hell? Who-Who are you?" Shivering, he had never seen them before. One was like a cute little human girl. However, she was completely black, her face even less expressive than a mummy and her two white eyes looked ominous. As for her companion, it was a bloodthirsty beast that walked on his two legs. But just the sight of his sharp fangs and claws made him shudder.


    "This is the Empress of the Underworld, Leilade Octavius. And Willem of Arsene." Hearing the two names, he only knew about one. The one that killed the Archmage in such a cruel ploy that it terrified all the magus on this planet. Loudly swallowing his saliva, the merchant that enjoyed more the company of young women than anything else decided that he was not meant to be here.


    "Your Highness, Majesty, Empress, I-I think I have something else to do. Elsewhere." Quickly walking away, he did not forget to bow one time, two times, even three times, just in case. Seeing the visibly scared look in the eyes of the human, Malakov was a bit perplexed, as he could not have understood that reaction. After all, he worked with the undead for so many times, why being bothered now?


    "He is someone from the Eltritch family, they ¡­" Pausing for a second, he realized that she wouldn''t care anyway. For her, they were just simple humans, that were not worthy enough to be remembered. "Never mind. Here are all the memories of the time you were gone." Saying this, the white skeleton began to put his hand on his skull, before creating a very small blue ball. After that, the small fragment of the soul was quickly absorbed by Leilade, that in return duplicated it and gave it to Willem.


    Following the small panting of pain from the werewolf, the soul began to organize her thoughts, gazing at all the memories. A few minutes passed in silence, while the two were roaming from all the news, picking up what was really important. In the end, a flash of black passed through the white eyes of Leilade, too fast to be noticed even by her herald. "So this is what happens here. I must say, you were extremely busy Malakov."

 178 Short Story : A missed competition

    "Is she here yet?"


    "No, my king. Do we make them wait like this again?" The two dwarves were looking with a bit of a worry at the absence of someone they expected to show up. Even if they had already delayed the beginning of the tournament by half of an hour, there was no sign at all that doing it again would be useful. Still feeling that it won''t end good for them, the king shook his head.


    As for the commandant of the Iron Beards, seeing that, he only stayed silent. They had experienced fully the power of that dark soul called Leilade, and after that they had not been particularly joyful, knowing she had slaughtered all the spiders in the Foundations of Iron. It was truly a funny thing, the entire population should be celebrating this news, but they had no choice but to conceal it. And none of the handfuls of people that knew about were more excited than their king.


    Maybe one was, but he was also deeply stressed by the very important task that was on his shoulders. Even if he had two days of rest and was freed of being the guide of the floating undead, Glini was right now sweating. Sweating a lot. Even his uncle and his family that were present could not prevent it, in fact, they were making him even more unstable. For he was strangely the only one that was found capable of beating the criminal Sharpeye.


    As he was beginning to get ready, he saw one of the couriers he met previously running at full speed. Glancing left and right and seeing nothing, the quite fearful ranger shook his head and try to forget everything but his training. As for the dwarf that was beginning to pant, he arrived in front of the king, that immediately understood what was happening.


    "He is here." Seeing the other party repeatedly nod, he glanced at the place he was in. It was a small platform and all around him, he could see some dwarves seated on the stands surrounding a huge open cave. In fact, it was the biggest and largest cave in the Iron Kingdom, and maybe even the biggest in the entire planet. There was easily a kilometer of open ground, which was quite rare. As for the reason why it was not used to build the capital, it had a huge defect.


    High above them, there was a small opening leaking snow inside. If it was just that, it could be fine, but there was regularly a few drakes and wyverns trying to put their head inside. Therefore, it was used to train most of the rangers and Iron Beards, as it had the environment of the outside while staying relatively safe. With that in mind, there was also a very small wind that could easily give problems to the competitors.


    "Let the 102th Sharpeye''s tournament ¡­ BEGIN!"


    Shouting loudly, the crowd began to also cheer in impatience. Even if for the royalty, the fact that a criminal had his hand on the artifact of their Hero was a disgrace. But for the common dwarves, they were far more appreciative of the fact that the outlaw was incredibly talented, and showed it time and time again.The fact that the latter never harmed a single dwarf was also part of why no one truly tried to imprison him.


    Soon, everyone, be it the dwarves or the few ratmen that were present, began to search for the now familiar champion. On the other hand, the other rangers participating didn''t even dare to do the same, as they had already been crushed because of the difference of skill. Only the youngest of them, Glini, still looked a bit, trying to not do it too obviously. But with his mindset, it was deadly obvious and made the king lose hope.


    "Look there!" One ratman finally spotted the dwarf of the day, that was confidently walking past the guards. On his back, the rifle designed by IronSkull, the blacksmith of the Heroes, was perfectly visible. The closest watchers could even see the runes inscribed on it, making the weapon glow in blue light.


    Arriving in front of an empty table, he picked up his rifle and put it down, as he had already done it many times. Flanked by two Iron Beards, the two strong warriors could only look at the former ranger, before putting their eyes on the weapon. Almost sneering, Sharpeye walked slowly to his position, where he waited for the true beginning.


    Seeing the prize with their own eyes, it immediately provoked the envy of all the rangers. But that thought was dismissed immediately when they saw the champion looking as confident as he ever was. Some remembered how bad they performed the last decade, while others just recall how superior he was compared to them. By luck or fate, Glini was next to him.


    Realizing that his neighbor was such a young dwarf, Sharpeye raised his eyebrows. He was a bit surprised and that made him looked more intensely at Glini. If it had been before, the new ranger would have begun to shudder or even panic a bit. But his constant presence with Leilade had at least reinforced a bit his mind. Making him only lowered his eyes when he noticed that the killer was looking at him.


    However, past the initial curiosity, there was nothing else. Looking at the first one to go, all could see him grabbing an old random rifle. In fact, it was truly an old random rifle, only that it was only used one day out of ten years. It was the tournament rifle; no one could use it except on that day. The rest of the time, it was locked in the treasury itself, to not tamper with it.It was strange to be that extreme, but the tradition was meant to be preserved.


    In the huge open cave, there were ten targets, randomly placed. The points were gained based on the distance and accuracy. It was incredibly hard to calculate, and needed countless rulers and drawing to finally know the results. Fortunately, the targets were always at the same place, and a small guide was provided the day before the competition. With all the points and how to earn them. It was on 56 pages.


    Each ranger had five shots, to earn the maximum amount of points. Because he was first, maybe that ranger felt that it was better to play safe. Choosing one of the closest targets, he managed to hit it every time, even the center of it once. However, the crowd only mildly clapped as it was not good for spectacle.


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    The others performed like everyone expected until the turn of Sharpeye came. Picking up the rifle, he looked closely at it, for one minute. After so many usages, there was always a few problems that could slightly deviate the bullet. Breathing loudly, he aimed and missed. Twice. The two shots went completely out of the targets and hit nothing at all. However, instead of being joyful, the king was even more depressed.


    Only Glini was not understanding, before the ranger on the other side compared to Sharpeye explained to him. "He didn''t miss. I mean, he missed, but intentionally. If you walked toward where he shot, you will see his previous bullets, right next to each other. This is why we are so depressed, even with just three shots out of five, we are still losing to him."


    "SHARPEYE! SHARPEYE!"


    Hearing the crowd going wild, Glini turned around, only to see the three targets that are the farthest away from where they stood to have one additional hole. Not having the time to be shocked, he saw a rifle handed to him by a dwarf with a smug smile. "Good luck kid!" Grabbing it, the young ranger began to calm himself, even if he could not do it entirely.


    At first, he shot the closest target and didn''t even hit the center. In fact, it barely touched it. But with that, he aimed at one that was in the middle of the cave. Once more he missed the center, but the criminal next to him lost his smile. Following the third and fourth shot, he was definitely not smiling. Realizing that if that young baby that was still drinking milk shot once more, he had a good chance at stealing his title.


    So, he had to do something. Realizing that he had been too arrogant before, he recalled the words of the Black Gauntlet that were complaining about his attitude. "Maybe that giant of a man was right after all. But today, I will not lose." Starring at Glini, he did not even look at his rifle but only at the dwarf. Trying to imitate one of the cadres of the Organization, his entire body began to emit an intimidating aura.


    Of course, the change in Sharpeye did not escape the eyes of the others, and the king realized that in fact, the one they chose was in a good way to win. For anyone that was not particularly interested in the competition, it was impossible to calculate the current points with just a glance of an eye. As the king, he, of course, had not the leisure to do that.


    But for Glini, to be starred like that proved to be too huge. Shooting for the last time, he looked at the target he aimed for. In fact, everyone looked at that target. If he hit the center, he won. If he didn''t, he failed. "Yes." Almost murmuring this, Sharpeye clenched his fist in relief.Leaving a dejected young dwarf on the side.

 179 Small break

Like the title said. TI8 was a fluke and punks are never satisified.

 180 Bob the Archmage

    COUGH COUGH BWARG


    Barely holding his weakened body still standing, the man in his prime was still violently coughing. Even after thousand of years being alive, he had never felt that weak, besides when he was still a kid. Looking at the black veins that were visible on his right hand, he used it on a nearby table to support his shaking legs. But barely a second later, he was once more caught by the insidious disease that plagued his body.


    COUGH COUGH


    Finally giving up, he only had the time to fall on a chair before his body betrayed him. Looking around him, he could see countless potions, cures, and vials. All of them were filled with something that could only be found in his Tower. Not even the Organization could put its hand on his own creations. And he thought that somewhere, something he or his disciples had made would help them fight back. But he was deeply wrong this time.


    COUGH COUGH


    Knock Knock


    "Archmage? Are you alright?" Hearing the burly voice of Four, the last surviving Hero of the Age of Darkness couldn''t even answer. Feeling his throat too dry, he picked up something randomly, before putting it back immediately. He was maybe thirsty, but not enough to drink the poison that was in this potion. However, right next to it was a healing potion, that he immediately swallowed. Normally, just drinking half of it could replenish the blood of even the most wounded man. But for him, the only effect was that it had a nice taste and it was composed of water.


    "Yes, yes. Ent¡­ COUGH COUGH! How are the others?" Looking at the man with white hair that looked older than him, all he could see was his disappointed face. "Not very good, Two is the only one still capable of staying awake. As for the others, it had already been a day since their last conversation."


    One had to know that if all the human nations lost many men during the war against the Dark Gods, the Tower of the Archmage suffered an even worst fate. Considering the small number of disciples in the first place, the fact that four of them died was horrible. Now, seven others were harmed, including the Hero himself. But nothing they had to manage to ease their pain and the body of some were on the brink of collapsing.


    "Where are the dragonroots I asked for? They should have arrived a day ag¡­ COUGH COUGH!" Not having the time to finish his sentence, he picked up another healing potion, before drinking the entire potion again. However, when he lowered his head to look at the other party, all he could see was his angered face. Usually, it would have taken him just a fraction of second to understand what happened, but his mind was still blurry and far too slow for his liking.


    "What is happening? Four?" At this word, the disciple took a single leaf from his bag, showing it to the Archmage. The normally red and lively leaf had taken a black color, completely burned. "This is the last leaf of the dragonroots. The convoy had a surprising accident on the way. Right before entering Durthang. A large number of bandits appeared all of a sudden."


    Carefully grabbing the plant, the Hero was still too clumsy and accidentally reduced a part of it into dust. "Bandits? Here? Attacking someone specifically dealing with me? Who are they taking me for? WH¡­ COUGH COUGH!" As he was standing up in anger, another row of coughing forced him to fall back. But his anger was still not appeased as his disciple explained what it meant.


    "They were not bandits, master. They were soldiers of the Synnada Empire. They are using this opportunity to get rid of you. The last Hero." After the death of her father, the new Empress of the empire was far more prone to doing ruthless actions. And because of the fact that the Archmage appeared less and less in those last years, she did not really accept to have such a monster right next to her door.


    "Brainless woman! Just because Lord Darkwater doesn''t have a lot of time to live doesn''t mean no one will resist her. And if she thinks she will be able to resist the Dark Gods without my help, she is even more ambitious than his old dad. But now I understand how she manages to outwit all her brothers and gain control of the throne. COUGH COUGH!"


    Drinking another harmless potion, the Archmage kept complaining again. "Still, that doesn''t explain that she would harm me, without a good reason. The only possibility for her to do that is to ¡­" Finally understanding the crux of the problem, he could only see Four nodding his head. "THOSE STUPID GODS! I knew they were dumb thousand of years ago when they chose that smug bastard of Massalia. But to make the same mistake twice, they truly want this planet to be destroyed."


    DONG DONG


    Hearing the alarm bell that was placed inside the Tower, both men looked at each other. Not even in their wildest dreams, someone would still dare to attack this building, even if the Archmage was wounded. After all, even without the Hero, his disciples were powerful enough to deal with it by themselves.


    "Go see what is the problem."


    "Yes, master."


    Seeing that the old man left, the Hero began to grab a table nearby, before painfully getting up. Carefully advancing, he approached a closet that was not different than any of the others right next to it. Opening it, he entered the small opening located inside it. Leaving the room that was used by everyone in the Tower for multiple experiments, he entered his own personal laboratory. In fact, everyone as powerful as Four could do the same, it was just that they were intelligent enough to not try to peek in his secrets for no reasons.


    "I pray you, Aria, for in those dark moments, only you can be our hope,


    Monsters, demons, have come to kill me and my kin, to set this blessed lands to blaze


    Is it my fault? Am I this weak? Why no one can stand against them, even your pope?


    Blessed Aria, what are our sins? For you to let your virtuous believers in this ¡­"


    Hearing the particularly horrible and acute voice, the Hero immediately activated the button right next to him. Feeling relieved to shut down that sound, he did not care about the green lizard that was still singing at full power. If at first, the cute and small lizard was minding his own business, the moment he spotted the human, it began to insult him. Fortunately, the glass imprisoning it was no longer letting sounds pass.


    bonk bonk


    The very quiet bonk was barely audible, as the lizard was forcefully banging its head against the glass. Barely glancing at it, the Archmage searched a drawer, before grabbing a few crystals. Anyone could see that they were monster cores, but the very intense light inside them proved that they were not common at all. Filling his pocket completely, he put one right next to the cage of the lizard. The damages caused on the glass by the head butt of the small monster were instantly repaired, leaving the latter even more angered.


    However, it couldn''t do anything at all, since he was silenced by a spell. Knowing well that it was useless, it could only stare intensely at the human, as he was walking toward numerous locations in the room, replenishing all the spells and enchants with monster cores. Looking at the two last crystals in his hand, the Archmage opened a very heavy door in the middle of the wall.


    Even if it was heavy, the door was relatively small. Barely a meter in height, but with dozens of locks and chains made of sheer mana. Just a glance at it proved that something extremely dangerous or important was behind it. Seeing the opening of the door, the lizard began to sing one more, even more loudly this time. It also seemed to be happy to see this happening, as weirdly as it seemed when someone was talking about a lizard.


    Releasing the last lock, the door opened on a very tight vault, with another protection. Like a tiny prison, cell bars prevented the human to see fully the shell of a corpse that was behind it. Merely a skull and a ribcage, both gravely destroyed. However, inside the ribcage, there was a red crystal that was creating a very dim light. Using all his power to prevent himself from coughing, the Archmage began to put one monster core near the cell. As for the other, he accurately threw it next to the corpse.


    "Thgin eht fo dne eht lit'' oreH a rof tuo gnidloh m''I, oreH a deen I." Soon, a very faint voice resonated in the small vault, as something seemed to have been awakened. Besides the red crystal shining more brightly, there was not a single other change.


    "What is the weakness of Leilade?"


    "Oh my, my. She is here after all. No, even better, she is inside your body. My, my. Hahaha." Hearing the soul on the brink of being destroyed laughing like that, the Archmage took back the monster core, forcing the other party to weaken. But that didn''t stop the spirit inside the red crystal to laugh, in fact, it only made him do it even more loudly. Turning around, he saw the maw of the lizard opening in such a strange manner that it also seemed it was laughing as well.


    "That little girl. I guess she beat me. You met her, used that spell, forced her to become a soul. And now, you are the reason her subordinates are safe since they are also trapped. Meaning she can find out if that thing is truly asleep. And maybe also find my other hints. You have done well, Bob. Good job."


    Hearing his own name being pronounced as casually as this, the human could no longer hold out and began to violently cough. Because he had repressed it before, it was even stronger, as he had a hard time even staying on his own two legs. Gripping tightly the table near him, he could hear the mocking tone of the soul.


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    "Hahaha. Do you know that only Abaddon saved me because otherwise she wouldn''t have let go of the control of my body? But I guess it will be hard for you to ask him to do something for you. Well, you remember what I said before when we first met?"


    Clenching his teeth in pain, the Archmage remembered the first thing Candaith told him, soon after he was captured. "That I would be killed by my own disciple. But you were wrong. The day One betrayed me, because of you, I was on my guard. And he failed. For that, I have to thank you and there will never be another One again. And I guess you won''t help me anymore. Farewell Candaith, I will let you slowly die."


    "Z?rtar K?rlam ? Jyzref." Hearing this strange sentence, the Archmage only dismissed it as the last thing of a desperate beast. But he didn''t notice the small lizard behind him repeating those words as well. Closing the vault once more, he coughed many times more before finally leaving this room. To his surprise, Four was awaiting him with a potion filled with a red liquid.


    "Master! The Organization has found a cure, I have already provided it to the other disciples, and they are fine now. All the darkness in their body was purged, and it formed a sort of monster that immediately tried to leave. But we capture them."


    Noticing the unknown liquid in the hand of Four, the first reflex of the Archmage was to drink it. However, with the reminder of Candaith, he hesitated, fearing that it was a trap. Shaking his head, he realized that it may be a ploy by that Dark God, making him even fear the only thing capable of curing him. "Take me to the others."


    "Of course, master."


    Supported by the old man by his side, the Hero arrived in the room where he could see the previously pale and sickened faces of his disciples gaining more colors. Even Two was happily chatting and beginning to drink, something even he could not prevent her to do. But by looking at the already two empty bottles by her side, it seemed she was quite lively. Realizing that his worries were unfounded, he picked up the liquid in front of all his students, before gulping it in one go.


    COUGH COUGH


    Coughing more and more, they didn''t seem particularly worried, as they quickly put him on one of the last clean bed. There, they saw him fall unconscious before a dark liquid was leaking from the pores of his skin. But before they could sigh in relief, they noticed that the darkness was not falling to the ground like before, but was beginning to cover his entire body. Caught in panic, they immediately tried to use magic to levitate the monster away from their master.


    But they soon realized that by doing so, the skin that was glued to it was also taken away. Starring at the muscles visible on the face of the Archmage, they realized he began to bleed abundantly. The moment they dropped the monster on him, it began to infiltrate once more, blocking his mouth and nose. The only thing that was good was the fact that because he was not conscious, the Hero was not in pain.


    Realizing that if they didn''t do anything in that minute because the man could no longer breath, they tried everything they had. In the last try, they managed to completely pull the darkness away from him. But to their horror, they noticed that stuck on the dark liquid, there was too much of his body. Quickly falling right next to his neck, Two tried to search for his pulse. But to her horror, she realized that by the time they did that, he had stopped breathing.


    "We ¡­ we killed the Archmage."

 179 Bob the Archmage

    COUGH COUGH BWARG


    Barely holding his weakened body still standing, the man in his prime was still violently coughing. Even after thousand of years being alive, he had never felt that weak, besides when he was still a kid. Looking at the black veins that were visible on his right hand, he used it on a nearby table to support his shaking legs. But barely a second later, he was once more caught by the insidious disease that plagued his body.


    COUGH COUGH


    Finally giving up, he only had the time to fall on a chair before his body betrayed him. Looking around him, he could see countless potions, cures, and vials. All of them were filled with something that could only be found in his Tower. Not even the Organization could put its hand on his own creations. And he thought that somewhere, something he or his disciples had made would help them fight back. But he was deeply wrong this time.


    COUGH COUGH


    Knock Knock


    "Archmage? Are you alright?" Hearing the burly voice of Four, the last surviving Hero of the Age of Darkness couldn''t even answer. Feeling his throat too dry, he picked up something randomly, before putting it back immediately. He was maybe thirsty, but not enough to drink the poison that was in this potion. However, right next to it was a healing potion, that he immediately swallowed. Normally, just drinking half of it could replenish the blood of even the most wounded man. But for him, the only effect was that it had a nice taste and it was composed of water.


    "Yes, yes. Ent¡­ COUGH COUGH! How are the others?" Looking at the man with white hair that looked older than him, all he could see was his disappointed face. "Not very good, Two is the only one still capable of staying awake. As for the others, it had already been a day since their last conversation."


    One had to know that if all the human nations lost many men during the war against the Dark Gods, the Tower of the Archmage suffered an even worst fate. Considering the small number of disciples in the first place, the fact that four of them died was horrible. Now, seven others were harmed, including the Hero himself. But nothing they had to manage to ease their pain and the body of some were on the brink of collapsing.


    "Where are the dragonroots I asked for? They should have arrived a day ag¡­ COUGH COUGH!" Not having the time to finish his sentence, he picked up another healing potion, before drinking the entire potion again. However, when he lowered his head to look at the other party, all he could see was his angered face. Usually, it would have taken him just a fraction of second to understand what happened, but his mind was still blurry and far too slow for his liking.


    "What is happening? Four?" At this word, the disciple took a single leaf from his bag, showing it to the Archmage. The normally red and lively leaf had taken a black color, completely burned. "This is the last leaf of the dragonroots. The convoy had a surprising accident on the way. Right before entering Durthang. A large number of bandits appeared all of a sudden."


    Carefully grabbing the plant, the Hero was still too clumsy and accidentally reduced a part of it into dust. "Bandits? Here? Attacking someone specifically dealing with me? Who are they taking me for? WH¡­ COUGH COUGH!" As he was standing up in anger, another row of coughing forced him to fall back. But his anger was still not appeased as his disciple explained what it meant.


    "They were not bandits, master. They were soldiers of the Synnada Empire. They are using this opportunity to get rid of you. The last Hero." After the death of her father, the new Empress of the empire was far more prone to doing ruthless actions. And because of the fact that the Archmage appeared less and less in those last years, she did not really accept to have such a monster right next to her door.


    "Brainless woman! Just because Lord Darkwater doesn''t have a lot of time to live doesn''t mean no one will resist her. And if she thinks she will be able to resist the Dark Gods without my help, she is even more ambitious than his old dad. But now I understand how she manages to outwit all her brothers and gain control of the throne. COUGH COUGH!"


    Drinking another harmless potion, the Archmage kept complaining again. "Still, that doesn''t explain that she would harm me, without a good reason. The only possibility for her to do that is to ¡­" Finally understanding the crux of the problem, he could only see Four nodding his head. "THOSE STUPID GODS! I knew they were dumb thousand of years ago when they chose that smug bastard of Massalia. But to make the same mistake twice, they truly want this planet to be destroyed."


    DONG DONG


    Hearing the alarm bell that was placed inside the Tower, both men looked at each other. Not even in their wildest dreams, someone would still dare to attack this building, even if the Archmage was wounded. After all, even without the Hero, his disciples were powerful enough to deal with it by themselves.


    "Go see what is the problem."


    "Yes, master."


    Seeing that the old man left, the Hero began to grab a table nearby, before painfully getting up. Carefully advancing, he approached a closet that was not different than any of the others right next to it. Opening it, he entered the small opening located inside it. Leaving the room that was used by everyone in the Tower for multiple experiments, he entered his own personal laboratory. In fact, everyone as powerful as Four could do the same, it was just that they were intelligent enough to not try to peek in his secrets for no reasons.


    "I pray you, Aria, for in those dark moments, only you can be our hope,


    Monsters, demons, have come to kill me and my kin, to set this blessed lands to blaze


    Is it my fault? Am I this weak? Why no one can stand against them, even your pope?


    Blessed Aria, what are our sins? For you to let your virtuous believers in this ¡­"


    Hearing the particularly horrible and acute voice, the Hero immediately activated the button right next to him. Feeling relieved to shut down that sound, he did not care about the green lizard that was still singing at full power. If at first, the cute and small lizard was minding his own business, the moment he spotted the human, it began to insult him. Fortunately, the glass imprisoning it was no longer letting sounds pass.


    bonk bonk


    The very quiet bonk was barely audible, as the lizard was forcefully banging its head against the glass. Barely glancing at it, the Archmage searched a drawer, before grabbing a few crystals. Anyone could see that they were monster cores, but the very intense light inside them proved that they were not common at all. Filling his pocket completely, he put one right next to the cage of the lizard. The damages caused on the glass by the head butt of the small monster were instantly repaired, leaving the latter even more angered.


    However, it couldn''t do anything at all, since he was silenced by a spell. Knowing well that it was useless, it could only stare intensely at the human, as he was walking toward numerous locations in the room, replenishing all the spells and enchants with monster cores. Looking at the two last crystals in his hand, the Archmage opened a very heavy door in the middle of the wall.


    Even if it was heavy, the door was relatively small. Barely a meter in height, but with dozens of locks and chains made of sheer mana. Just a glance at it proved that something extremely dangerous or important was behind it. Seeing the opening of the door, the lizard began to sing one more, even more loudly this time. It also seemed to be happy to see this happening, as weirdly as it seemed when someone was talking about a lizard.


    Releasing the last lock, the door opened on a very tight vault, with another protection. Like a tiny prison, cell bars prevented the human to see fully the shell of a corpse that was behind it. Merely a skull and a ribcage, both gravely destroyed. However, inside the ribcage, there was a red crystal that was creating a very dim light. Using all his power to prevent himself from coughing, the Archmage began to put one monster core near the cell. As for the other, he accurately threw it next to the corpse.


    "Thgin eht fo dne eht lit'' oreH a rof tuo gnidloh m''I, oreH a deen I." Soon, a very faint voice resonated in the small vault, as something seemed to have been awakened. Besides the red crystal shining more brightly, there was not a single other change.


    "What is the weakness of Leilade?"


    "Oh my, my. She is here after all. No, even better, she is inside your body. My, my. Hahaha." Hearing the soul on the brink of being destroyed laughing like that, the Archmage took back the monster core, forcing the other party to weaken. But that didn''t stop the spirit inside the red crystal to laugh, in fact, it only made him do it even more loudly. Turning around, he saw the maw of the lizard opening in such a strange manner that it also seemed it was laughing as well.


    "That little girl. I guess she beat me. You met her, used that spell, forced her to become a soul. And now, you are the reason her subordinates are safe since they are also trapped. Meaning she can find out if that thing is truly asleep. And maybe also find my other hints. You have done well, Bob. Good job."


    Hearing his own name being pronounced as casually as this, the human could no longer hold out and began to violently cough. Because he had repressed it before, it was even stronger, as he had a hard time even staying on his own two legs. Gripping tightly the table near him, he could hear the mocking tone of the soul.


    "Hahaha. Do you know that only Abaddon saved me because otherwise she wouldn''t have let go of the control of my body? But I guess it will be hard for you to ask him to do something for you. Well, you remember what I said before when we first met?"


    Clenching his teeth in pain, the Archmage remembered the first thing Candaith told him, soon after he was captured. "That I would be killed by my own disciple. But you were wrong. The day One betrayed me, because of you, I was on my guard. And he failed. For that, I have to thank you and there will never be another One again. And I guess you won''t help me anymore. Farewell Candaith, I will let you slowly die."


    "Z?rtar K?rlam ? Jyzref." Hearing this strange sentence, the Archmage only dismissed it as the last thing of a desperate beast. But he didn''t notice the small lizard behind him repeating those words as well. Closing the vault once more, he coughed many times more before finally leaving this room. To his surprise, Four was awaiting him with a potion filled with a red liquid.


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    "Master! The Organization has found a cure, I have already provided it to the other disciples, and they are fine now. All the darkness in their body was purged, and it formed a sort of monster that immediately tried to leave. But we capture them."


    Noticing the unknown liquid in the hand of Four, the first reflex of the Archmage was to drink it. However, with the reminder of Candaith, he hesitated, fearing that it was a trap. Shaking his head, he realized that it may be a ploy by that Dark God, making him even fear the only thing capable of curing him. "Take me to the others."


    "Of course, master."


    Supported by the old man by his side, the Hero arrived in the room where he could see the previously pale and sickened faces of his disciples gaining more colors. Even Two was happily chatting and beginning to drink, something even he could not prevent her to do. But by looking at the already two empty bottles by her side, it seemed she was quite lively. Realizing that his worries were unfounded, he picked up the liquid in front of all his students, before gulping it in one go.


    COUGH COUGH


    Coughing more and more, they didn''t seem particularly worried, as they quickly put him on one of the last clean bed. There, they saw him fall unconscious before a dark liquid was leaking from the pores of his skin. But before they could sigh in relief, they noticed that the darkness was not falling to the ground like before, but was beginning to cover his entire body. Caught in panic, they immediately tried to use magic to levitate the monster away from their master.


    But they soon realized that by doing so, the skin that was glued to it was also taken away. Starring at the muscles visible on the face of the Archmage, they realized he began to bleed abundantly. The moment they dropped the monster on him, it began to infiltrate once more, blocking his mouth and nose. The only thing that was good was the fact that because he was not conscious, the Hero was not in pain.


    Realizing that if they didn''t do anything in that minute because the man could no longer breath, they tried everything they had. In the last try, they managed to completely pull the darkness away from him. But to their horror, they noticed that stuck on the dark liquid, there was too much of his body. Quickly falling right next to his neck, Two tried to search for his pulse. But to her horror, she realized that by the time they did that, he had stopped breathing.


    "We ¡­ we killed the Archmage."

 180 Trustworthy criminals

    "It''s a beautiful day outside. Birds are singing. Flowers are blooming. The streets are as lively as they could be and most of them do not have a single worry. Knowing fully well that Durthang is their home, the place they were born, lived and will die. All because of one single thing. The fact that the Archmage is here to protect everyone, to prevent both Massalia and Synnada to try something irresponsible. Well, you sure chose your way to die."


    Glancing through the open window, one could easily smell the fresh smell of the sea and the spices, even at such a height. However, instead of being normal, this only made the giant that talked previously frowned. If he could see two merchants haggling and even beginning to use their fists, he couldn''t hear a single word of what was shouted. That was the normal situation.


    "Tsk, tsk, tsk. You shouldn''t have let the Tower fall to such a state. Maybe the spies don''t have any idea that he died yet, but if they realize that the protections are beginning to fade, it won''t be long before the news that you suppressed is known by everyone." Truthfully advising the magus that were in the room, he couldn''t help but shake his heads when he realized that the shock they received seemed bigger than he first thought.


    After the death of the Archmage, his disciples had suddenly lost their way, the thing that always calmed them. And because the cure was provided by the Organization, it took them a few days before they finally contacted them. After all, they had no choice, knowing how important the Tower was for the two human nations around it. Even if the Black Gauntlet clearly doubted their ability at reading the situation.


    It was not just a matter of losing the Archmage. After all, even with the death of some magus near the Wild Mountains, the survivors were strong enough to repel any army that would dare face them. Only a being as strong as a Dark God could fight back against so many full-fledged mages, especially when they were above the 5th Circle. Therefore, the very huge pie that was Durthang was not unguarded at all.


    But because of the peculiar mind of the now-deceased Hero, the people he took as students were from all the corners of the world. In the end, they were all humans, but one was even a barbarian that would be killed on the spot if he ever dared to put a foot inside Genablum. All those identities that pacified the sovereigns previously now made them see an opportunity. Looking at them, the cold-blooded killer could see that their sense of belonging to the Tower was huge.


    But what about a year, five years, ten years? In his life, he had seen sons killing their parents, sisters plunging a knife in the heart of their brothers, lifetime friends betraying each others for nothing more than a few gold coins. The day where the information leaked, that the Old Bob had passed away, the savior of mankind was dead, everything will become far more complicated.


    "My advice? You should take whatever belonging you have here. And get the hell away from this place. In fact, you should destroy it."


    "DESTROYYYY THE TOWERRRRRR!" Hearing the shriek of the half-drunk woman, the giant saw that everyone else shared her sentiments. Looking at the one that was called Two, he could not see her acting the Archmage, making him deny any possibilities of the Tower surviving any longer. If there was someone that had enough charisma to make everyone submit, it could have been possible to make this institution of thousand years prosper for a few more.


    But just with a few hours, the conflicting personalities that were suppressed by the Archmage were unleashed. And this Two was someone that wouldn''t listen to the orders of someone less strong than herself. Unfortunately, the only one that could have stood his ground had died two years ago.


    "Why should we listen to the words of a scum like him? We should kill him, that way, the other nations would reward us."


    "It is impossible to destroy the Tower. There is too many knowledge inside it."


    "But if we destroy it, where do we go afterward?"


    Hearing the numerous complaints, of course, his proposal created more hatred than anything else. As for the one that proposed to kill him, he only noted in his head to kill him after this. Quite like Synnada and Massalia, the Organization also didn''t dare to provoke the Archmage and let his disciples act rampantly. That was no longer the case, only they didn''t realize that yet. That was why they were clinging on this building made of stone instead of dropping the hot potato while they could.


    "Let me ask you a question then. When the Dark Gods, no, I should say, when Leilade Octavius, the one called a dark soul, will return and the Archmage is still not in sight, what will happen?" At those words, the mood of everyone sulked. Even now, they couldn''t deny that the moment this will happen, the Archmage should be present to fight her. Even if they had heard three new Heroes had appeared, just a look at the fate of Avirus was enough to make everyone remember how powerful those monsters were.


    "So what? What if the Archmage is dead and the entire world knows about ¡­ about ¡­ Burp ¡­ about it? Why should we destroy the Tower?" The fiery woman still had her mind muddled with alcohol. Looking at those men and women, some who were far older than him but still as na?ve as a child, the giant was disappointed. If it had been someone from the Organization, he would have already been killed a long time ago. Not because of them, but because the world was not peaceful at all.


    "To survive. Actually, never mind. I have already upheld the promise of the Organization. Now, go luck surviving on your own." Realizing it was a complete waste of the time, the Black Gauntlet began to march toward the exit, only to be stopped by the same woman that distrusted him seconds ago. Of course, that change of behavior didn''t shock him that much but greatly affected the other disciples. She was the only one of the 7th Circle now.


    "Please, don''t. I am sorry, I apologize, don''t leave yet." Like a small child that had created a mess and was apologizing to the adults in the room, there was nothing left of her previously drunk state. The reason for such a sudden change was when she heard the outlaw talked about the promise that bonded them together. Only at this moment did she realized that it meant the most powerful force of this planet was no longer on the same side as them. And will most likely don''t wait a long before attacking the Tower for its secrets.


    "Please, advise us." Along her, a few others picked up the clues and it was immediately seen on their faces. From sorrow and anger at the idea of having the place where they lived destroyed, it was now mixed with fear when they understood that they let the wolf enter by the front door. Fortunately, it was a wolf that never broke its words.


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    "Great, now we can talk like civilized people. However, it won''t change the fact that the Tower must be destroyed. In fact, it would be even better if you all died alongside. In an explosion, or a tragic spell that backfired." Hearing someone talk about their deaths with such a calm tone made a few shuddered. It was not that they never heard it before, only that it was not about them, and especially not said in front of their face.


    "Anyway, you should begin to prepare your stuff. By the end of the day, everyone here will be gone. That is the last thing I will do for you. After that, we will drop you at the place of your choosing and you will be on your own. Now go."


    After a few seconds passed without anyone moving, Two began to take her leave, with a deeply worried expression. Soon, everyone followed one by one, with only the old man that was brought in the meeting before the war against the Dark Gods. He was still starring at the huge human, pondering whether he should say what he had to say. But when he noticed that he was all alone in the room with him, he approached the outlaw carefully.


    "Mister, on behalf of the other disciples, I thank you for what you are doing. We will ¡­"


    Raising his hand, the Black Gauntlet stopped him before he began to praise him to the skies. "Keep that for yourself. We are not doing this freely or out of kindness. You should also begin to prepare your stuff."


    "Oh."


    Not knowing what to really answer, the old man also left. Looking at the empty place with numerous beds, nothing important was present. It was why this room was chosen to greet the head of the Black Gauntlet. It was almost funny that such a big building did not even have a reception room. But because no one should have been able to enter, it also made sense. Grabbing a small stone that was in one of his pockets, he looked at the blue light on it before crushing it.


    Looking through the windows, he saw a few groups of people beginning to approach the Tower seemingly randomly. At the same time, a commotion was raised when a monster in a cage was released, making the entire street empty all of a sudden. Thanks to this, the many agents under his orders entered through the weakened magic barrier with ease and unnoticed. In front of this group, a man with a limp leg was rapidly marching forward while instructing everyone.


    Stepping out of the room, the giant could already hear the shouts and screams of the disciples. They were taken by surprise, after all, not expecting an attack when they were having a hard time figuring out what to pick up and what to let here. So, against the hardened killers of the Organization that moved quickly, they couldn''t even cast a spell before they were too close.


    "YOU STOP! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" Looking behind him, a ring of flames was beginning to form around Two. The higher the rank of the disciple was, the higher they were inside the Tower. Right now, the two of them were near the summit, with the stairs nearby leading to the bedroom of the Archmage. It would take at least a minute for someone of the outside to arrive in this location.


    "Nothing, just what I was paid to." Smiling wildly, only his canines could be seen. Faced with such anger, the magus felt betrayed, realizing that the biggest threat wasn''t Synnada but those criminals.


    "Who ordered this?"


    Hehehe


    Instead of replying, he only laughed, as it may be the only time in his life he would ever encounter this situation. Finding it funny, no matter in which angle you look at it, he laughed, even more, when he told the name of his employer. Especially when the mouth of the woman was wide open because of her shock. This state kept going even when an unknown man covered entirely in black suddenly approached her.


    Barely raising her arms in time, she closed her eyes, in panic. But a second later, realizing that she was still alive, she blinked furiously. Touching some parts of her body, she had to admit she was still not dead. But that relief quickly vanished when she saw another man carry the body of a dead woman. That looked too similar to her for her comfort. Watching him put the corpse on the ground in the middle of the corridor, she couldn''t help but ask what all this meant.


    "As I said, the Archmage paid a hefty price for this, during all those years. And it would be best for everyone that you died in the explosion. So here we are. When you are done, gather in the entrance and everything will be taken care off." After understanding what he said, Two couldn''t help but feel that this large back that was disappearing in the stairs looked quite dependable, all things considered.

 181 Durthang, the Free City

    "So scary. To think that someone was so stingy that he didn''t even properly maintain the cage designed to contain the monsters."


    "Say that for yourself. I still remember tasting your Green Coast vine. I still don''t know what you gave me, but I at least know it was not something from Genablum." The one answering had a far tanner skin than the other, making quite a contrast compared to the white skin of the other trader. With a look, it was easy to see that one came from this part of the world while the other was definitely from the South.


    The two merchants were happily discussing as they could see nearby the lifeless body of the monster that ran havoc in the city in the last minutes. Behind the corpse, one could see the bloodied street, filled with human body parts. Now that the danger had been dealt with, numerous families or friends came back to search for the missing people they knew.


    "That''s still a bit of a shame for such a thing to happen here. At the same time, it is almost funny to notice where the accident happened." Hearing the words of his friend, it was only then that the second merchant raised his head to see the extremely tall building nearby. And as much as he tried to see through the windows on it, he knew that it was useless.


    "Well, there is a reason why no stores are located near it. I would bet that it was not the first time such a thing happened."


    "How much the bet?"


    "1 gold coin."


    "Bah. Stingy."


    Laughing at that number, the two seemed strangely unaffected by the desolation that happened in front of them. But one look at the surroundings would make it obvious that they were not alone in that case. Besides a small glance at the brutal carnage, most of the humans passing by didn''t even try to help or do something. Even the owner of the restaurant where the two merchants were having a meal barely lifted an eyebrow while grumbling about losing some clients because of this.


    "So, concerning our deal. Is the price low enough for Synnada?" Grabbing the glass that was not empty, he didn''t have the time to put it on his lips before a violent shock made the wine taint his white skin. From afar, the red color almost made him look like he was part of the previous massacre. However, neither he, the other merchant or anyone in the street, in fact, cared about that. All began to search why this earthquake was happening.


    "WHAT THE ¡­" All the stares turned to see the guard still covered with the blood of the monster pointing a finger at the Tower of the Archmage. And if at first none notice anything strange, the illusion that kept the secrecy of the mages was beginning to be dispelled. In an instant, they all saw the tall tower crumbling on itself, sending countless rocks flying in all directions. Even from where the two stood, which was quite a few streets away, they still had to hastily enter the restaurant by fear of those deadly projectiles.


    The eeriest thing about it was the complete lack of sound, as they couldn''t hear the building being destroyed before their eyes. In fact, if they were not seeing it, almost no one would have believed what was happening. And if the entire thing barely lasted more than a few seconds, for the bystanders, it looked like an eternity.


    Cough cough


    Using their hands or their clothes to prevent the stone dust from entering their mouths, all the humans looked with stupor at where the Tower once stood. They could see the illusion still present in someplace, making it weird to see some part of the roof floating dozens of meters away from the ground. But the rest had definitely been destroyed, even if the dust was making it a bit harder to see.


    "What is happening?"


    "How the hell am I supposed to know? I deal with food, not with the Archmage!" Both still shocked by what they just saw, they didn''t keep arguing, preferring to just stare at the blank space in the sky. Now, nothing of the magic that lasted for probably thousand of years remained. Before they could even do something else, they heard the rumble of a heavily armored troop approaching with great speed.


    THUMP THUMP THUMP


    The golden armors of the guards of Durthang were not as shining as before, but it was the first time the two saw so many of them in the same place. Approaching the group that was frozen near the corpse of the monster, they quickly began to interrogate them. And if the two traders tried to hear what they were seeing, their behaviors quickly caught the eyes of an officer. Even if the mind of the later was in a panic, he still knew very well what to do now.


    "CHECK THE IDENTITY OF EVERYONE! FOR THE STRANGERS, IMPRISON THEM!" As soon as it was said, most of the curious inside the crowd began to quickly flee in panic. However, they met another group of guards that was waiting for them behind. Staring at some of their acquaintances being beaten to the ground, the merchant from Synnada grabbed the bottle he paid for and began to drank everything.


    "Is it really the time to do that?" A bit perplexed, his partner was looking at him oddly. After all, already half of the bottle was gone.


    "Yes. If what I suspect is true and the Archmage is dead, what do you think will happen to the spies around it?" It took the other man a moment to figure out the meaning of the word spy. But when he realized it, his already white face turned even paler.


    "Give me that!" Snatching the bottle directly from the hand of the other trader, he began to furiously drink it before it was too late. Right as he was finishing the bottom of the bottle, a group of guards began to approach the restaurant. Staring intensely at the only two men that were in front, it didn''t take long for them to know about their identities. But no matter how many time the owner of this place tried to learn what was really happening, it was all for naught.


    A few hundreds of meters away from there, three wagons were normally leaving the crime scene, with very peculiar goods in it. Right as the guards were encircling the ruins of the Tower, the Organization had managed to escape with the disciples of the Archmage. The mages were looking with regret at the numerous bags they filled in a hurry, knowing very well how much they lost in the destruction of the Tower.


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    As for Two, she was the only one that knew exactly what happened to some of the lost goods. In fact, she was even doubting if they were really lost in the first place. Recalling the numerous shadows that rummaged everything that was left behind, she guessed that the Organization had put its hands on most of the spells they were looking for. But true to their words, even knowing that she had with her the most important ones, they didn''t even try to steal them.


    Knocking on the small plank of wood near her, she didn''t wait long before seeing the face of the limping man through small very small holes. "What is it?" Even if the nobles of Archet were present, or the soldiers located near the Wild Mountains could see him, none would be able to guess it was the same man. Nothing of his elegant behavior remained as he looked like any of those crude drivers that were furiously shouting in the streets. In fact, he was doing the same, and with the accent of Durthang to make things even better.


    "I accept the proposal of the Bl¡­"


    "Shhhhhhh¡­" Barely shaking his head, he immediately prevented her from saying those words. In the heated mess that was Durthang, it was almost impossible to hear a conversation clearly. In the open like that, it was even worse and only the finest ears could pick up a few words here and there. But some words were too special to be pronounced loudly.


    "I accept his proposition. The one that he gave me. But I have a few conditions that are manda¡­"


    "HEY, YOU! BLOCKHEAD! MOVE YOUR ASS OR YOU WILL EAT MY WHIP!" Threatening one of the bystanders that was cutting him like that, the criminal was not taken seriously as the guilty one kept progressing. Seemingly grumbling in his mouth because of this, he answered the magus.


    "Can''t you wait until we are outside?" Even if they had dodged the first batch of guards, there was still a lot of things that could go wrong. Especially with the precious goods he had to protect. Unlike most of the people he had to take care of, they were still alive and conscious. Only making his job harder. Compared to the corpses he had to find and carry here in less than a day, it was far more difficult.


    And as he was pondering about that, he saw many golden armors beginning to cross through the crowd. In the direction of the gate they had chosen to escape from. "Damn it. Time for plan B." Turning around to look at his two subordinates behind, he signaled them to head to the port. There was a lot of ways to leave this city. And even if all the ships were forced to stay there, the outlaws of the Black Gauntlet still had one last exit to use.


    However, because it was extremely costly, they wouldn''t do that if they could avoid it. Scouting the way for the other wagons, he did not spot a single additional guard in the harbor. Everyone that was supposed to be here was present, and the only thing out of the ordinary was the many sailors on the ground that were asking what happened. Even with all the efforts of the guards, they couldn''t prevent anyone to see the lack of Tower on the horizon.


    "None of you have any problem boarding a ship?"


    "No, why are you asking this?" Not answering Two, he just wanted to be sure. If a mage was to die under his supervision, he would be in a pickle. And even if it was very rare, it was not uncommon for a few men and women to feel so sick on the sea that they could even die. What he potentially forgot is the fact that those humans were not in crates and could move if they felt sick.


    Grabbing the pouch filled with coins that were prepared for this, the fake driver secretly gave it to a man that was part of a group of captains surrounding an officer of the garrison. The latter, feeling that he was curiously heavier than before, noticed the additional weight and began to assemble his crew. In the state of confusion, his actions were not too suspicious and the three wagons were unloaded before someone noticed anything strange.


    Looking at the city that was beginning to dwindle in his vision, the limping man was happy that there was nothing unusual happening. Feeling that it was safe now, he gathered his men and helped the magicians to leave their boxes. However, he had overestimated their resilience, and soon, there was a little more than a dozen pale mages hanging near the stern of the ship, disgusting fluid leaking from their mouths.


    Looking at that baffling spectacle, he saw the sick Two looking angrily at him. "When I say we are fine on the sea, it didn''t mean we are fine locked in those boxes for hours. Do you have any idea how huge the movements in the hold a¡­ BWARGH!"

 182 Inspirational Break

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