Chapter 2 Raise Acroniya Army

Neil swiftly scanned the damage inflicted by the Neothaliyan army. He muttered to himself, "Razorfang entered Acroniya. This is bad. They will all regret their decision." He retrieved a brown gem from his pouch, replacing it with a red one positioned just before the blade. He cast his spell, "Earth magic, Spirit of Azur!" While casting, he thrust his sword into the ground.

As he finished his spell, the earth began to shake, the sky darkened, followed by an immense pressure falling upon everyone. Neil swiftly concentrated all the pressure on himself. Suddenly, the ground began to glow, and an ancient creature emerged. Its lower body was formed from energy, and its upper body was made of hard rock. Crossing its arms, it spoke in a strange language, "|-<o >-||—|o||-<o >--||—<o >."

Neil knelt before it and pleaded, "Lord of the earth, lend me your power, show me their location." The spirit remained silent for a moment. Suddenly, power surged through him, his hair moving in response to the mystic force. As the pressure on Neil intensified tenfold, a crown began to form on his forehead. After a while, the crown of "Azur" materialized.

He closed his eyes, and a vision materialized: a grassland teeming with plants, animals, and the rich biodiversity of Acroniya. Towering mountains stood resolute for ages, and mystical water flowed throughout, undoing all the unjust actions of man and transforming it back into a haven. However, a sudden turn of events occurred when their feet touched the ground. Nature's forces began to corrode under the influence of evil forces. The once proud, never-ending forests of Acroniya, the towering mountains that stood for ages, began to crumble, and the mystical waterfall, the source of life, transformed into a harbinger of death.

These memories filled Neil with rage, but he controlled his emotions and continued searching for the source of this chaos and destruction. He opened his eyes, moved towards a nearby rock, sheathed his sword, and sat on the rock, and began formulating a plan.

After forming his plan, Neil rose to his feet, took a deep breath, and declared, "Acroniya army, it is time we show them the consequences of their actions! Show them the power of Acroniya!"

"Yes, commander! We will be victorious!" the Acroniya army roared in unison, adding, "Long live our commander, long live Acroniya!" The battlefield reverberated with their voices, and all sorrow seemed to vanish in his presence.

Neil called upon Zellto, "Zellto, I need your help to protect Acroniya. While we are facing enemies head-on, I want you to protect Acroniya from those beasts and soldiers who have entered. Once your objective is accomplished, establish defenses at the entrance." Zellto nodded in agreement and gathered a select group of soldiers best suited for the task. He addressed them, "We have been given the opportunity to protect our land. Let us take pride in this, a chance offered only once to our ancestors. Raise your weapons, and if you face a situation where death is the only option, you must die and become part of this blessed land. Kazo warriors, move out!"

The Acroniya army formed a path for the chosen group, known as the Kazo, and lowered their weapons as a sign of respect as they moved to fulfill their duties. As the Kazo army marched off, Neil said, "While one group sets out to accomplish a part of our goals, it's our turn to do the same." He began discussing the plan with the Acroniya army. After everyone understood, he unsheathed his sword, raised it towards the sky, and shouted, "Acroniya army, march towards Dentor Valley!"

After an hour, the Acroniya army reached the vicinity of Dentor Valley. "Everyone, rest for a while. A long battle awaits us," Neil instructed. The Acroniya army swiftly set up camp. To avoid detection by the enemy, they refrained from cooking food, opting for raw vegetables and golden deer paneer instead. They rested in shifts, deciding to attack the next day. Fortunately, the Neothaliyan army, believing their victory was certain, did not maintain a strong night watch.

The next day, Neil noticed one of his soldiers holding an unfamiliar object. He gestured for him to explain. The soldier quickly blew into the object, producing a loud yet melodious sound. The Neothaliyan army immediately began forming their battle formation.

One of them quickly ran towards their commander, whose place was filled with blood and wine. A normal person couldn't stay there for very long. So, the soldier quickly said, "My lord, we are under attack!"

"They don't know," the commander said, starting to walk towards him and laugh. "Only dragons like Red Fang Dragon can defeat me. I am Zacktor Neckran." He raised his head in an arrogant tone. "You are covered in sweat. What's the point?"

"Make everyone ready!" he roared, walking towards the corner of his room. He moved his hand over a pitch-black cloth lying there. Something was beneath it. He grabbed the cloth and threw it aside. "My baby, I missed you a lot," he said, holding a pitch-black sword. "There's something missing, yes, I get it now. Blood."

He stabbed the sword into the soldier's heart. "Now it's perfect," he said, and started laughing like a devil.Just then, another soldier entered the room, his face grim. He quickly took the fallen soldier's body away and began preparing the army for battle.

Armies were getting ready to face each other. While people still ran for their lives, many were saved by Acroniya's army. However, casualties increased with each passing second. Acroniya's army's Zellto wing had been divided into groups to cover as wide an area as possible. Their efforts had improved the situation slightly, with the number of civilian deaths starting to fall.

Zellto, heading towards the outskirts followed by fifty soldiers, ordered, "Kazo, divide and protect our people. Gather all who can fight and provide them with weapons. Remember, our first and only concern is to protect the citizens of our kingdom."

Each Kazo headed towards their respective location and started killing enemy beasts. Zellto, moving towards his location, said to himself, "Luckily, only beasts were able to enter. I hope the commander is doing well."

Zellto was performing his duties. Now, it was Neil's turn to do the same.

Neil looked towards his soldiers and said, "The time has finally come when our weapons will express our feelings. Today, let's show them the true meaning of fear! For our people, for our congress, and for our land, let's win this battle!"

Neil's speech motivated all the soldiers. Power surged through their veins, and they all shouted, "We will win! For Acroniya, for Acroniya!"

Neil turned and saw that there wasn't enough time. "Raise the Acroniya army!" he commanded. "Raise them and show them what an Acronian is capable of doing!"

Acroniya's army, commanded by Neil, was taking their positions. Meanwhile, Zellto and his hand-picked Kazos were moving to protect the citizens of Acroniya.