Chapter 8- Spawns

Michaelo POV.

We marched silently in the forbidden forest while being cautious of our surroundings. 

It was an obvious strategy but I had to take extra precautions since I could not feel the presence of any thing.

The green scenery and majestic trunks that stood out from the Long and tall trees of the forbidden forest where it's distinguishing features. It was a habitat that seemed full of life yet it could not nurture animals. The trees tend to feast on wild animals, or so I've heard. 

"Hey, Michaelo.....do you think the kids are alright…" 

'This woman…'

"They'll be fine…there is no uncertainty with my plans".  

"I know that but…." She muttered..

I sighed, turning to my left to face the leader of the army troop sent by the imperial king. 

"Did the highness give you details of the demons we'll be facing?" 

His name was Alex Burner, an 8th star master swordsman. 

"....the villagers had been going missing whenever they came in contact with the forest…it's only right the King suspects the presence of demons…he sent you to inspect it..didn't He?" 

'.....hmmmm…..' 

I let out a small sigh and continued facing forward. 

The imperial family was never satisfied with the Jun family even before my generation. They've been unable to control us as much as they want since we've always proven our way as Knights. 

It's right to believe that the other houses might be in cahoots with the imperial family. 

'But…that is nothing but a mere thought' .

We continued marching forward when I felt the sudden change of influx in mana in our surroundings. It wasn't a feeling I wasn't used to, blood lust.

"Halt !" I raised my arm in the air and they halted.

"...you feel it too…" my wife said while coming down her horse. 

Silence followed after when a sudden scream echoed from.behind our troops. 

I turned around almost immediately to find one of my men being dragged like livestock by a black thin moldy creature.

"A spawn of hell". My wife muttered as she held up her hand. 

"Listen to my plea! Lightsaber". In response to her call, a golden light struck down from the sky and onto the palm of her hand forming a golden greatsword.

She pushed herself forward and sliced off the creature into two in one single swoop. 

I smiled at her quick reflexes when the man next  to me decided to interrupt. 

"MORE ARE COMING !" 

I quickly turned to my front to find a horde of them rushing towards us. Some crawled on the ground while some swung down from the trees. 

The number was numerous, almost overwhelming. 

'But this much…is nothing…' 

My lips curled into a smile as I pushed my trusty steed forward. 

"Obey the sound of my voice! Mystic blade". 

I felt my blood swell at the palm of my right hand as a reddish blue long sword appeared on my grasp. 

I swung it across emitting my aura and a sharp crescent moon formed, slicing off the spawns before me

"Men !! CHAAaarge !!!!". 

My men roared to my order as they charged with me, slicing and killing any that came our way. 

I felt a sudden thrust of wind above and on looking up, my eyes made out a falling silhouette crushing down on the demons in front of me. She turned back at me with a daring smile. 

"You're too slow hun…I see you've been slacking off". 

She jumped up again to another side, slamming down her great sword causing a loud thunder sound each time. 

"As expected of my wife". 

I chuckled as I waved my blade from the bottom up. 

"Chapter 1 of the 13 Jun Swordsman !". 

Many baffled before our unique Swordsmanship. Especially the clan's way of fighting. The dominating presence we give in wars was our pride. 

"Endless Surge" 

A stream of auras formed in the air and struck them at multiple angles.

Each time we struck them they let out a dying scream and fell limply on the ground before turning into magic stones. 

"Hun !" I heard my wife's voice besides me and on turning to my right. I found her riding her horse beside me once again. 

"Your speed never ceases to amaze me".

"Can't compare it with you freaks of a Jun family though" she giggled. "There's a leader….a strong one too". 

I nodded my head. I had felt it as well. The deeper we went into the battlefield, the stronger the blood lust coming from a single being became".

The spawns of hell are usually the small fries, what commands them is the problem since any of the officials from Hades can control them. 

"It better be a death knight," my wife said with a smile as she pushed her horse forward. 

I chuckled. 'She's getting back her old habits'.

Rachael was once known as the golden blink of the battlefield since it always felt like you couldn't catch up with her body when she's killing multiple opponents. It's usually her golden aura you get to see. 

We marched forward, killing them as quickly as we could when we stopped after finding the culprit. I chuckled at its essence. 

"It just happened to be a death knight". 

Death knight's were undead beings that had the ability to control the dead. If faced without them, they bring out living-like creatures known as spawns. 

He stood as if waiting for someone, with his sword stabbed to the ground. 

"I'm taking this one !". 

My wife jumped off her horse and pulled her sword behind her as she slammed it down at the death knight while landing at the same time. 

'Sometimes….I wonder if she thinks when she's on the Battlefield' 

"Alex !" I turned around to find him and he quickly heeded to my call, rushing up to me on his horse. 

"Take charge…and ensure I lose no one". 

He nodded his head and rushed back to kill the rest.

NORMAL POV   

'What an idiot…..' Alex thought as his lips curled into a mischievous smile. 

"Malicious intent…" Michelo muttered as he watched him walk away on his horse. 

He sighed as he jumped off his horse and watched the fight that occurred between the death knight and his wife. 

"Oh…is this what you've got?" Rachael chuckled as she swung her sword again and slammed it on its sword almost in a second. 

She took a deep breath as the pace and sharpness of each strike increased. 

'The power…I need to increase it' . She swung down again and the death knight swung his sword weakly causing his blade to be sliced into two. 

Its eyes glowed red as it swung its hand, punching Rachael in the face causing her to halt in her actions. 

Noticing the sudden change in mood, the knight attempted to punch her again when it's hand was sent flying away. 

"....you…You dare to hit a lady ?". 

She had this murderous look on her face which caused it to shudder. 

It took a step back when Rachael moves forward in an instance and sliced it off into two  

"How dare you….". 

She muttered as it fell limply on the ground. 

'....seems…like it should be done-' 

"RACHAEL !". 

She turned around frantically when her eyes dilated in shock.

'I can't dodge this'. She thought, seeing the sword's blade already aimed at her neck. 

She forcefully took a step back when time suddenly slowed down. 

"...no…." She looked up ahead to find her husband rushing towards her. "Idiot ! Stop using this trait!". 

Michelo Jun, the patriarch of the Jun family possessed 4 traits. You obtain a single or multiple trait at the 5th circle or star and you grow and obtain more when your destiny changes and a similarity is seen with an ancestor trait. Of these traits there was one of his most unique. THE LORD OVER TIME. 

Michelo appeared just in front of her and sliced off the death knight that had attempted to kill her. Time resumed once again and blood dribbled down his lips as he panted heavily.

"Why did you ?" His wife muttered when he signaled for her to look around. 

She did and her expression slowly turned into shock. 

"..when ?". 

"They've been here all along…" 

They were presently surrounded by four more death knight's. 

"It's nothing we can't handle together". 

Michelo held out his blade at them. Rachael sighed as she held the hilt of her blade firmly. 

"It's been a while since we did a combo huh…." Her lips curled into a smile. "Let's do this !" 

She rushed towards one when the other three attempted to come at her. 

"6'o clock: slow time". 

A symbol of a clock appeared within his eyes as time slowed down around only the death knight's. 

It was part of his unique trait. The ability to affect time for a particular or group of things that could be living or non-living but like the saying goes, every power comes with great risks. 

He is unable to use another trait while using THE KING OF TIME trait and the amount of mana it consumed was great. 

The death knights movements were highly reduced as Rachael quickly swung her blade up surrounding it with aura. 

"Chapter 2 of the Jun Swordsmanship ! Clean surge". 

She swung it down, causing the wind to propel and aggressively pushed it back against countless numbers of trees. 

She spun her sword around and slammed another one to the ground, turning again and slamming another one away into the air. 

She surrounded her blade with aura and clenched her teeth as her eyes glowed. "Chapter 6! Unparallel Surge". 

The ground felt like it trembled to her mana and it did. The force pushed the knight into the ground again and again. Pushing it deeper and deeper. 

Its armor cracked and shattered to the force, twisting and turning in directions normally impossible for the human's body. 

She struck her blade into its armor like it was a sheet of paper and it crumbled into dust to the force. 

Time resumed and she panted heavily, falling to the ground. 

"You've mastered the 6th already?".  Michealo said as he walked up to her panting. 

"Yeah…though it seems like it's still taking a toll on my body". She chuckled. 

Michaelo smiled at her reaction. 

"So stubborn". 

"Sir Michaelo ! All the spawns have been taken care of". 

"Is that so….". Michaelo turned towards Alex as he walked towards him. "How many losses ?" 

".....we lost 4 of your men…due to their nature and numbers". He bowed. 

"...that's okay ... .it shouldn't be your fault....just gather the dead bodies and keep them safe…we'll have to return them to their families at the village they reside". 

"...Of…Of course". 

'Such benevolence is always the source of a great man's weakness….'. He turned around to observe the death knight's that laid limply on the ground unable to move 

'They defeated them so easily ... .and quickly too ... .these death knight's that killed a lot of the king's masters ... .guess they didn't amount to much'.

"Should we start going back ?" He asked.

"Going back ? You realized we haven't solved the main issue right?" 

"....the main issue?" He muttered with a baffled expression. 

'Guess they know about it already' 

"The fruit of depravity" Rachael sighed. "They usually have a guardian…much stronger than the death knight's….". She turned towards her husband. "You don't plan on using any other do you ?" 

He stared at her, understanding her question while Alex watched confused. 

"All of them ?" He asked. 

"....it's nothing…and no…just one". 

Rachael stared at him worriedly. "Don't overdo it…and use them if necessary". 

She stood up slowly. "Let's go…it should be further inside…it won't be that hard to find it"