Mercy

Reinhard's line of sight went dark. He didn't know where he was but he felt a sharp pain on his back.

As the trauma from the fall began to fade, he began to hear the muffled cries of the people around him and the rumble of rocks and footsteps. 

"Reinhard!" A familiar voice called out to him.

Reinhard then managed to open his eyes. The voice was his friend Jord who was shoving him awake. 

Reinhard slowly looked around to see where he was, he was surrounded by piles of rubble, mainly parts of the wall. He saw the crushed remains of many of the soldiers that were caught in the energy beam that swept through the Southern section and devastated the wall therein.

"Reinhard! The gate has been destroyed, we need to form a defense now!" Jord pleaded.

Reinhard, although dazed and hurting, forced his body up. He staggered to his feet with help from Jord. They unsheathed their swords and headed to the main site of destruction, the now ruined gate. 

The peasants were scrambling for their lives, the cries of children filled the air as either their parents laid dead on the floor, buried beneath the rubble of their homes or have lost some of their limbs. 

Mothers wept as they carried the motionless bodies of their children while fathers tried to grab whatever weapon they had. 

The remaining garrison troops were utterly terrified. They shuddered at the intense aura that was approaching them as they stood in it's way.

"Men!" A voice cried out, snapping them out of their fearful trance. 

It was the voice of their commander, Reinhard. They all looked at him but instead of feeling a glimmer of hope shine within their hearts, they were devastated to see Reinhard already bloodied with the fight not had even started.

But still, they had no choice but to stand their ground and Reinhard was the only person they could count on.

The total number of Knights that were left in the Southern walls numbered around four thousand and they formed a shield wall with magic enchantments within it around the ruined gate with Reinhard taking charge of the left flank and Jord taking charge of the right flank.

In the distance in front of them stood the figure that single handedly obliterated the wall and most of the knights. 

"Where are the mages?" Reinhard shouted to Jord.

"Most of them were over the towers!" Jord shouted back.

Reinhard then glanced at the towers where they once stood. Their top half were completely blown off.

"The other mages?"

"They are still at the north, east, and west side of the walls, they are still too far from our location!"

"Tsk, we don't have any mages to back us up!" Reinhard said.

"Wait!" A voice came from behind him. 

Reinhard turned around and behind him was a young man with jet black hair, wearing both red and blue mage uniform that seem a bit tight, and his age might be in his young 20s.

"What magic do you specialize in?" Reinhard asked.

"Ice magic, I have total of 7 and few 3rd tier spells, sir," The young man said.

"Your rank?" Reinhard asked.

"<C–> rank, sir" The young man said.

"Your name?" Reinhard asked.

"Toby, Toby Maquire," Toby said.

"Alright, Toby, I know this will be too sudden but I order you to take the frontline along with these knights," Reinhard said.

"Y-Yes! I'm prepared!" Toby said. 

He walked in the middle of the knights and stood there, directly in front of the approaching man. 

All of them sweated buckets as the sky around them darkened. There was another storm coming, literally and figuratively. 

A few tense minutes passed the rain began to trickle down from the heavens above. The lone man in black walked through the ruined gate, passing by the rubble and crushed bodies of those under it.

The knights all held their enchanted shields and enchanted swords tight. Reinhard and Jord looked at each other before reverting their attention back to the man in black who now stood a few meters in front of him.

Upon closer look, he was a tall man with pale skin that had red lines and he had red eyes that glowed. The man's black hair ran down his face, his eyes seemingly frowning at them for eternity.

The suit the man was wearing was weird for them to say the least, a black suit unlike anything they had ever seen before. 

"Is that a dark mage?" One of the knights murmured. 

The knights heard him, glanced at him, and then glanced back at the man in black.

"You!" Reinhard cried out while pointing his sword at the man in black.

"State your name and purpose!" Reinhard shouted. 

Reinhard's bravery seemed to be had the intended effect of boosting the knight's morale. He showed no fear despite the presence of someone powerful enough to blow even an A-rank like Reinhard away. 

But Reinhard was not all that fearful, in fact, he was about to shit his pants. Even he is capable of facing against a large army without fear, the atmosphere around the mysterious man in front of him was enough to wet Reinhard if taken by surprise or lacked enough discipline. 

The reason Reinhard knew this man is at the level around Demigod is because he is enough to wet someone like Reinhard who is at level of A-rank.

So his conclusion on the man is completely right.

A mysterious Demigod in front of him with a mysterious and dark aura around him.

A black aura that oozed death.

Yet.

"I sense no magic from the man," Toby told William.

"W-What?! No magic!? Impossible," Reinhard refused to believe it. 

"Sir, even if a magician were to dampen his magic power, I would still sense the slightest traces but this man... there isn't a single trace!" Toby confirmed.

Reinhard had to believe the mage. He himself did not know much about magic and so, needed a mage to explain thing related to magic to him.

"I'm only going to visit your lord," The man spoke suddenly, spooking the knights and prompting them to raise their shields further in unison and walk back a few steps.

"Yet, you attacked me," The man said.

The man then looked at Reinhard directly in the eye. Reinhard then saw what appeared to be visions of mass death at hands of creatures that resembled humans but were made of metal.

It was a warning.

It was his fault for letting his subordinates act first and attack the man.

Reinhard was overrun with immense guilt. 

Seeing no other choice to make. He threw his sword away and walked out of the shield wall.

"Commander! Come back!" The knights pleaded.

"Reinhard!" Jord shouted. 

Reinhard only raised his hands at them, it was a sign for them to keep quiet. 

The man, seeing Reinhard's bravery, raised his chin and walked towards him as well.

The two were standing at each other's throats. 

"What do you want?" The man in black asked.

Reinhard then knelt on the ground and begged with a serious look in his face.

"Please, have mercy on my men, take my head and leave the rest, please,"