Prologue - Chapter 1: Battle of Gods I P1

From the dark sky, an eagle descended through the clouds. Maneuvering and gliding, it flew past the rocks inside of the fog. Despite the arrival of spring, The ground was still covered by the snow and the weather was freezing cold.

On that cold night, the eagle flew towards its destination after many days of flying.

As the eagle fluttered its wings, it noticed something strange. It should have been under the clouds by now, but for some reason, it was still in the middle of them without a way out.

But were they even clouds?

The smell was off. It wasn't the smell of the air or water, but something heavier and more disturbing. The eagle knew the smell very well. Everywhere humans were, that smell would follow them.

Coming out of those clouds of smoke and ash, it began to see the horrors on the ground.

An army marched forward, leaving behind burning villages in its wake. Hearing flickering sounds, it looked in front and immediately changed its course.

The night sky turned red as if the sun was descending onto the ground lighting the horizon. With fearsome sounds, arrows rain down from the sky on the army, piercing their milky-colored armor and killing them along with their horses.

Men roared and charged down the hill, heading towards the army. Orbs of fire exploded in the middle of the army, crumbling their lines. Shouts and cries were raised among those caught up in the blast. Another barrage of arrows fell from the sky, killing many more men.

A man alone in light blue full-plate armor walked forward. He took out his sword from his light blue scabbard. Light blue handle with a rose-shaped carving and a white shining blade.

Seeing that man, A great bloodlust was released by the charging army. They roared and ran faster. From behind them thousands of red fireorbs flew in the air lighting the night sky as it was dawn again.

[Child's play.] He murmured.

Gripping his sword, he horizontally slashed the air in front of him.

The mountains on both sides cracked, and the ground was completely destroyed. Blood splattered and swords and shields fell. Following them, bodies fell to the ground, their insides all gushed out. All of those orbs were vanished as well.

Darkness filled the sky.

The eagle turning around the battlefield saw the massacre of a few hundred men, all getting cut in half and dying instantly.

The remaining soldiers didn't retreat. They didn't waver. They didn't even think about moving a step back. They moved forward. With eyes filled with mixed of terror and anger, they advanced and roared: "For the Queen!"

The man in light blue armor pointed towards them with his sword. Soldiers standing behind him all charged shouting: "For the Gods!"

And so, the fierce clash between the armies started.

The charging army was wearing ashen full plate armor and some had only dark red cotton clothes with ashen chest and back plate armor with black lines painted on both sides and dark brown leather boots.

Despite having less armor and numbers, they were putting up a good fight and making it harder for the soldiers of the larger army in full-plate milky armor. However, their numbers were decreasing one by one.

Watching the battle as it took place, flying bodies took his eyes. Men in the milky armor were getting thrown in the air with their blood scattering everywhere.

[Hmm…]

A man in black full plate armor was charging forward towards him and in his way, he was killing everyone in milky armor.

It didn't take him long to reach the man. After slashing the last soldier's throat standing on his way now, they both were staring at each other.

Without wasting time, he grasped his sword tighter, leaned forward, bent his knee, and in an instant dashed forward zeroing the distance between them while holding his sword beside his body pointing out.

With a loud clang, their swords hit each other. Soldiers behind the man in milky armor were blown back by the force while some became unconscious and even some fell from their spooked horses.

The sound reflected in the rocky passage for a few seconds.

[Didn't think I'd be greeted by a general.] He said as he pushed back the knight in black armor.

Without saying anything, the man in black armor dashed forward and slashed with his sword hitting nothing but air as his opponent dodged his attack.

After a few attacks, their swords clashed with one another making them face each other eye to eye.

[Let me guess.] The man in light blue armor said as he started pushing both swords towards his opponent. [Your objective is to delay us until your so beloved queen flees with her tail between her legs leaving you and your men to die here in vain.] 

The man in black armor didn't say anything.

[But don't worry. This time, I'll slay her with MY OWN HANDS.]

[…]

[Still silent, huh…]

Feeling the mana gathering beneath him, he tried jumping away but was stuck in place.

[Is that so…]

[…]

A circle red in color was shaped on the ground with writings circling clockwise around it.

Fire gathered on its edges and reached the middle covering both their feet then, it engulfed and raised to the air spreading blazing heat around.

Soldiers standing behind the man clad in light blue all burnt to a crisp with those running around him.

From the air, the eagle could see that fire penetrating through the sky and it saw as the fire which looked like a beacon in the mountain vanished darkening the sky yet again.

Standing in that same spot both of them were standing straight without motion. Suddenly, the man in black fell onto the ground. Blood ran down from his cut-off neck onto the torched rock.

Holding the helmet with the amputated head inside it, the man in light blue armor looked at the eagle. Maybe he smiled or maybe he was disappointed. Either way, it was the last thing the eagle saw before everything turned into darkness.

...

[Ahh!] A girl screamed. 

Holding her head, she tried to stand but lost her balance. As she was falling from the stair she was sitting on seconds ago, an old man dashed from behind and grabbed her in his arms.

The old man wasn't very obese but had a large bone structure. He had short white hair and a long trimmed white beard. He was wearing a gray short-sleeved shirt with red and thin white lines going vertically and horizontally, black cotton pants, and a black leather belt with gray shoes.

With his silver-colored eyes, he looked at the girl. She was around eighteen years old wearing a jet-black cloak and cotton clothes with high-heeled black leather boots. From over her clothes, he could feel the chainmail under her clothes.

[Are you alright?]

[My… head…]

As the mage steadied herself, the old man released his grip on her.

[He… killed my familiar… that's why…]

Blood dripped from her nose.

[I see. Rest a bit.]

[But… sir…]

[Take it easy for now.]

[Y-yes… Sir.]

Slowly, he helped her sit on the stairs again.

[Thank you, sir.]

The old man nodded and then looked at the room.

They were in a huge dark room lightened by hundreds of mana lamps hanging from the many ten-meter thick pillars. Even with that many lamps, the room was dark with many blind spots. People –Around four thousand- were sitting around with their luggage in the whole room beneath the stairs. 

Behind the old man, at the top of the staircase was another big flat area with few soldiers standing there, and behind them, attached to the wall, was a huge stone circle facing the room. It was connected to many little cubes, about two by two by three meters, standing alongside the wall.

{How many more hours until the batteries are charged?} The old man thought. {Even in a week, I wasn't able to gather enough mana for the teleportation device. It needs a lot more tuning and research. If only I had invented a way to freely teleport in mass… If only I was able to…}

[Sir.] The mage called out to him

[Yes?]

[I think… I saw Sir Albert's clone getting killed.]

[…]

[Sir?]

[Don't worry. We can't simply throw out our best to die. We just have to delay them until the machine is charged for mass teleportation.] 

{I say that but we can't send our youngers to die for nothing either.} 

[So that's why sir himself wasn't on the frontline.]

[Weren't you going to rest?]

[Sorry, sir. I just can't rest when others are fighting with their lives on the line while I'm sitting here doing nothing.]

[I'd say you've done enough.]

[But…]

A powerful explosion shook the ground making dust to fall from the ceiling.

People started panicking and some screamed while the children cried. The heavy air in the room turned heavier. Soldiers in dark red cotton clothes started calming down the crowd but they weren't enough in both quantity and efficiency.

The old man clenched his fist.

[Let's hope she comes faster.] He murmured.

...

Standing on a black wall, a man in full black armor was looking at the distance to where the huge and wide bridge in front of the gate reached the rocky ground after the deep split in the mountain.

Soldiers were running around behind him, making the last preparations before the battle. Spearmen were already deployed on the bridge to obstruct enemies' paths with the support of mages in black cloaks, like that girl, behind them.

Archers were getting ready on the walls with recruits bringing their ammunition at their stations and behind the wall inside of the castle soldiers were sharpening their swords getting ready to kill and be killed for their Queen.

The same thing was happening on the wall behind them. The wall that divided the first and second districts of the castle from each other.

The first district namely the castle area and the second district namely the commoners' area.

Six soldiers in full black plate armor walked toward the man. Their armor was the same but theirs had three red horizontal lines on the left side of their chest armor while the man's armor was completely black.

[Commander, we are ready.]

Still looking at the distance, the man nodded.

[Then we shall wait until they come.]

[Yes.] All of them said and put their right hands on their chests.

...