Chapter 4: Battle of Gods IV P1

In the air, there are threads hidden from the naked eye. Those threads move like disrupted waves in every direction and are unaffected by any physical phenomenon in the world. The treads are of various lengths and their thickness which is equal to the amount of power they carry is also different from one to another.

Those golden threads are called "Mana Winds". They cannot be seen by the naked eye. Even demons can't see them unless a very huge amount of them gather in one specific place which is not an everyday occurrence.

Some tools can determine the Mana Winds' movement and direction. Even some beings are born with the gift of seeing these golden threads of life with naked eyes. Like Aurora.

As Aurora was scouting the area beyond the bridge, she saw a wagon being carried by soldiers towards the castle. On the wooden carriage was a thick cloth covering a huge object beneath it. She didn't think anything of it, and it was the greatest mistake she ever made.

The moment she found out, the huge red crystal on that wagon was already activated and mana winds had already changed course towards that huge crystal.

Aurora's ear-piercing scream spread and echoed inside the hall.

Albert who just entered, Sasha and Fred who were standing on top of the staircase, and all the people inside the hall were in shock.

Frightened children cried and adults who weren't comforting children were staring at her.

Fred dashed down the stairs towards Aurora who seemed to have lost consciousness after she screamed. She was going to fall down the stairs.

[[Albert!]] Sasha exclaimed. [[Did something happen!?]]

[[No, milady.]]

[[Then…]]

[[I wish to know too…]]

[[Come up here, fast!]]

[[Yes, lady.]]

Kolton walked out from the crowd and joined Albert in the middle of the way.

[What do you think?] Kolton said casually.

[Her familiar must have died.] Albert replied casually too.

[By something painful?]

Albert nodded.

[Didn't you feel that dense mana?] Albert

[Yes, I felt that.]

[Something must have happened.]

[Hmm…]

[I can sense his mana force. Sir Nishky is casting magic.]

[Then it mustn't be serious if he survived.]

[Maybe.]

[By the way, should we be down here?]

[That's the queen's order. We shouldn't interfere.]

[Our priority is to run then?]

[Yes.]

[But we can fight and even win. So why is it that we are waiting here to run?]

[I think you know half of the reason, don't you, Kolton?]

[The successor.]

[Yes. Lady Annabella cannot fight while she's under fertility treatment. She is weak in this state and her mana is as depleted as it is. On top of that the treatment prevents her from regenerating mana.]

[Yes, I know. Infertility because of mana regeneration. The regeneration causes the attack on the fetus, so Fred somehow stopped mana regeneration blah, blah, blah... I need the other half.]

[The other half, huh... To sell it?] Albert stopped and stared Kolton in the eye.

[I think as you never said that, Albert. There is a line even for you to not cross.] Staring back at Albert, Kolton said with a colder tone.

Bloody-red eyes were reflecting on each other. Both their eyes were the same. Kolton was one of the three demons Annabella gave life to even before the first generation of the pure-breed demons.

[I'll make sure not to cross that line you speak of. But make sure you know your priorities.] Albert replied.

[I keep that in my mind, Albert.]

They both nodded.

[Now the reason?]

Albert sighed and started walking again.

[While their army is here, Liam is raiding the south.]

[Queen's guards are on the move then… Wait…] Kolton thought for a brief moment [The place where Rose Empire is engaged with the Uniteds?] he asked

** Update Changed The "Empire" name to "United Kingdoms" **

[Yes.]

[We sided with them?]

[No.]

[…]

[When they head back to the capital, they have lost all the lands they've seized from the United Kingdoms and a great amount of the Royal Army's manpower.]

[Then…]

[No, Sir Nishky fighting is not part of the plan.]

[Hmm... I see…]

Kolton wasn't really satisfied, yet. It seemed the only one who knew of Annabella's plan was Albert.

Kolton started to think. Not that he cared about not being informed but he was just curious about the plan.

[You know, Kolton, the curiosity killed the cat.]

Kolton laughed.

[But I'm still alive, Albert my friend!]

Albert smiled.

[They can trace Sir Nishky's mana wavelength and that's how they found this place. Lady Annabella knew about it and used this opportunity to make a move at the south front.]

[I can't believe she used her own castle as the bait!]

[She's as bold as ever.]

[Indeed.] With a small laughter, Kolton said.

[But I don't think it was a good idea.] Albert continued. [The number of territories we have now is reduced to two.]

Kolton didn't say anything as he was in thought.

{Does she even love him…? I wonder...} Kolton thought as they walked up the stairs.

.....

Two huge explosions threw soldiers clad in milky armor into the sky. Black spots were burned onto their white-milky armor and some parts of their armor were melted by the heat.

From the black dust cloud, two soldiers dashed out.

Swinging his sword, the soldier aimed for the head of his target. The swing was way open and immature.

Easily, his attack was deflected leaving him wide open. His enemy in ashen full plate armor cut through his chest with a horizontal slash.

Another soldier wearing the same ashen full plate armor ran beside his comrade towards the second church's soldier. The church's soldier lunged but his target easily and effortlessly dodged without stopping. He ran, stabbed, and cut through the soldier's milky armor. The tip of his sword pierced and exited from the back.

[Augh…!]

After twisting the sword inside his body, the demon pulled out his sword while using his shoulder to push the church soldier's body. Blood splashed out from the soldier's helmet after he fell onto the ground.

Nishky who was standing in the middle of the battle, close to the walls, looked around. Everywhere around him only the church's soldiers were getting killed. The way they were fighting was like children waving swords around.

It was clear as the day that they weren't trained even for a month.

Even while Nishky was standing there with his sword in his hand, no one came to fight him. He was like a ghost in the middle of the battle just looking around.

{I can't believe thirty minutes before... there was a city here...}

The first district was completely wiped. Nothing had remained of it except some parts of the road which now were cracked and mostly destroyed.

As for the casualties, Nishky didn't have the chance to count. That blinding white flash completely devoured everything in the first district in an instant then, the church's soldiers rushed in.

Nishky quickly got out of the shock and started ordering the remaining soldiers around. And now, they are in the middle of the battle where the town was.

A group of spearmen charged desperately but soon got shot down by the archers on the wall.

The demons killed the church's swordsmen with only a few blade trading. The rear line of the church's army was in utmost disorder and the units' commanders were all in panic.

Nishky had given one of the knights the command of units on the wall. By his order, a barrage of fireballs was shot towards the church's rear line. The explosions killed most of the officers and commanders causing even more chaos and disorder in their ranks.

[Yo!]

Mixed with the explosions, Nishky heard a familiar voice.

He looked above. There was a man he knew well.

[Yato!]

[Ain't it cool?] Yato said with a childish smile.

Behind him were the clouds of dust from explosions before. He was hovering in the air arms folded with that scene behind him.

Slowly, he started to descend.

As soon as he reached the ground, Nishky pointed his sword at him.

[Relax! I want to talk first.]

[First, huh…] Nishky murmured. 

[About what?] Nishky raised his voice.

[Why don't you join us again?]

[…]