The Zodiacs

Lord Regulus proclaimed that the land of Zo-An is graced by the light emanating from the Fragment of Stars.

This very light guided our ancestors out of obscurity.

However, the visions revealed in this light birthed a temptation, constantly drawing us towards the shadow of the fragment.

It was from this moment that our journey commenced.

---- Year of Realm 940

While Arthur gazed at the blazing fire of their bonfire, illuminating their dark camp, his companions, resembling trained assassins, surrounded him. Each of them wore black armor, wielded long swords, and bore marks on their faces.

They were strategizing quietly while encamped in Nozei Desi, silently waiting for dawn to commence their planned action.

A scout from their group arrived, announcing that dawn was near and the camp they had been observing was also starting to become active.

"It'll be light soon. Both camps have begun to stir," the scout reported.

Their leader spoke before they began to move,

"You all know the target. A Nerium, an Aquarius Zodiac, blessed by the Stars."

One member of the group joked that capturing the target wouldn't be difficult, then asked whether the Nerium they were to capture was evil or not.

However, their leader didn't answer the question, stating that they don't entertain queries within their group.

They simply follow orders from those higher in rank.

"We do not question orders, we follow them. Try to keep that on mind"

One by one, they stood up from their positions, ready to depart for their mission. The man who had questioned their leader approached the bonfire, holding a small, shimmering fragment of stone. He pointed the stone towards the fire, and ice emanated from it, extinguishing the flames. This sudden change snapped Arthur out of his deep reverie, as he noticed the fire he had been intently watching was now gone.

Arthur also stood up from his spot, and they all left their dark camp, soon witnessing the first rays of sunrise.

"Focus, Arthur! You are key to this mission's success," their leader said, noticing Arthur deep in thought.

"Yes, Sergeant," Arthur replied, as they quickened their pace towards their mission.

Shortly after, they heard loud shouts, as if a fierce war was underway, prompting them to run faster to expedite their action.

After several minutes of running, they reached the top of a rocky area they had passed through. From this vantage point, they clearly saw two groups engaged in combat, already deep into their war.

The battlefield was teeming with soldiers, with neither side showing any intention of yielding in their respective causes.

Meanwhile, Arthur's group merely observed from their position.

The Republican Army's group, primarily composed of mages, was raining down attack spells on their adversaries, the warriors from the Stronghold Clan.

Initially, the mages had the advantage due to their ability to cast spells from a distance.

However, as the Stronghold warriors closed the gap, the battle turned into what seemed like a massacre due to the disparity in their strength.

One by one, the mages of the Republican Army were being overpowered and defeated. The Stronghold Clan was beginning to dominate the war, not only because of their superior strength but also due to their numerical advantage in soldiers.

"Those Stronghold warriors are more beast than man," remarked Arthur's leader, observing from their position how the Stronghold warriors were massacring the opposing mages.

The leader added that if the situation continued like this, the Stronghold Clan wouldn't even need the Zodiac they were hiding—their target.

They had no choice but to wait and watch the war unfolding before them, biding their time until their target appeared.

Several minutes passed with no significant developments, prompting their leader to contemplate a change of plan rather than waiting indefinitely, especially since they already had an idea of who would win the war.

Observing that the Stronghold forces were fully engaged in the war, with most of their soldiers on the front lines, the leader decided to shift their strategy.

They planned to proceed with their mission by ambushing the remaining soldiers at the Stronghold base.

The leader was aware that, despite the circumstances, the Stronghold would likely still have their Zodiac with them in case of an unexpected event.

The ongoing chaos provided them with a cover, so they began to move towards their new objective.

Despite the apparent weight of the large swords slung across their backs, Arthur and his companions moved swiftly and quietly.

They were skilled in moving without making much noise, maintaining a high level of awareness of their surroundings as they progressed with their plan.

As they continued their swift advance, Arthur suddenly halted and warned his companions.

"Wait, something's not right," he said, sensing an impending unusual event. Suddenly, the ground beneath them shook violently, forcing them all to step back in unison.

They were shocked when a gigantic hand slammed down in front of them, followed by an ear-piercing and terrifying roar.

"raaAAAhhhHH!!!!"

Upon tracing the origin of the colossal hand, they were confronted by an immense titan. Its body appeared to be made of stone, with piercing red eyes, sharp teeth, and every roar it emitted was chilling.

The titan rampaged, striding forward and destroying everything in its path.

"A Megalium, the Capricorn, huh. So, the Nozei republicans finally grew tired of being slaughtered," remarked their leader.

The Megalium was actually a Zodiac Capricorn, a secret weapon of the Nozei republicans. Facing a losing battle in the war against the Stronghold warriors, they had decided to unleash their hidden trump card in a desperate bid to turn the tide.

Within a minute of the Megalium's emergence, another spectacle caught the attention of Arthur and his companions. Moisture began to gather in the air, leading to a remark from one of them,

"Hah! Look who's here to greet the fellow Zodiac!"

As light rain started to fall, the gathering water revealed the presence of another Zodiac. It was the Nerium, the very target Arthur's group had been assigned to capture, hidden by the Stronghold forces. The appearance of these two powerful Zodiacs indicated a dramatic escalation in the battle.