Country in War

The air was heavy with the sound of screams, cries and roars. The clanging of swords could be heard everywhere. Thousands of arrows and spells covered the sky like one huge tattered umbrella. Warriors were dying like bugs. Those who could levitate were also there up in the sky, fighting. They were dying and dropping like flies. The entire place looked like hell. However, this scenery was not from the netherworld. It was a battlefield. The kingdom of Arakzan had been attacked by its sworn rival, the kingdom of Larakt. The Laraktian king had declared war on Arakzan. He also had called forth his allies, and two of them had accepted the call and joined the onslaught, the king of Nirosia and the empress of Karrai. The Araks were being attacked from three sides and their only hope fell upon the royal families, more specifically, the saints. Arakzan was home to two royal families and a total of five saints. All five of them were on the forefront of the battlefield. However, Larakt, Nirosia and Karrai also brought all of their saints to this assault. Larakt had three and Nirosia and Karrai had two saints each. Seven versus five. The Araks were already losing when both sides lost one saint of their own. They now had four saints fending off against six of the opposition!

The strongest and most talented saint of Arakzan was also the youngest; being only nineteen years old. His name was Kraos. His infinite core was exceptionally strong. And his talent led him to be the strongest saint in Arakzan. He was fighting against two saints of Larakt in the eastern part of the battlefield; in the sky right over the ocean. It was one vs two and Kraos was supposed to be losing but in reality, he had the upper hand with his overwhelming strength and domineering command over his bracelet.

"Master, you can't win like this. You are already pushing your limit fighting against these two. And another saint is approaching your way right now."

"I know, Ven. I sensed it as well. But there's nothing to do. I have to keep pushing myself. I CAN'T LOSE!!!" Kraos blocked the incoming attack and retaliated in quick succession while communicating with his bracelet.

"Master, you know that there's a way you can turn the battle in the favor of Arakzan."

"No, Ven. The cost is too great. Father won't accept it. We have this bracelet for generations." Kraos flicked both of his hands swiftly and two tornadoes were sent towards his opponents with great control.

"But that's not what you feel. You know how stupid this is!"

"I have to pass the bracelet down to the next generation, Ven. That will be the best for the future of Arakzan."

"Only if there remains an Arakzan by then!" Ven scoffed. "Look at the battlefield, Kraos. Arakzan can't win this battle as it is."

Ven's words made Kraos flinch but only for a very short moment which didn't hamper his focus. Kraos understood that Ven was serious. He only called Kraos by his name when he was super serious about something. And Ven was right as well. Kraos never cared for this 'family-heirloom' bullshit. He always wanted to see the full extent of the bracelet's power which only ever unlocked if the host was a sage. Kraos dreamed of becoming a sage from an early age. He had always wondered why his father, the former owner of this bracelet, never became one. When Kraos had come to know that his father, Darius, never became a sage because he had to keep the bracelet in the family, that the bracelet had been a family heirloom for generations, he felt that it was utterly stupid. How could the bracelets that were created by the deities be family heirlooms? Kraos had always thought that he'd become a sage if he got to own a bracelet someday. But his father, Darius, was a charismatic man. He had found a way to convince his son. He told Kraos that it was to secure the future of the family and the country. He said it in such a way that Kraos couldn't refute. But the situation was different now. It was a battlefield and they were on the losing side!

Kraos kept fighting his two opponents when the third flew in. The battle suddenly got way more difficult than before. It took a huge amount of effort to just defend against the three of them, Kraos couldn't even fight back. Attacks came from all directions and Kraos had to keep up the energy barrier all the time now. He was looking for openings but even if one enemy had an opening, the other two were there to close it. Kraos was accumulating a lot of damage. He had to give his absolute best to hang on. He had to give his hundred percent focus on this fight. The outcome of this fight would literally be the decider for the entire war!

"Lord Kraos. I am here to help!" A man in his thirties called while rushing in and joining Kraos in the battle.

Kraos took a fast glance at the man. "Brother Arion!" Kraos wasn't surprised. Arion was the brother of the saint who had died, Araksha. Araksha must have passed his bracelet down to Arion. If Kraos was right, then the battle was a five against six. He saw a slight ray of hope in the midst of hell.

"Brother gave his bracelet to me. I knew it the moment this appeared in my hand, that brother knew that he could not win. I rushed towards my brother. I tried to help him. I killed the other saint he was fighting. But then this Nirosian KILLED MY BROTHER RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME! I must avenge him!!!" Arion said with tearful eyes while targeting his energy attack towards the saint who killed his brother.

"Brother Arion. Don't be reckless!" Kraos warned Arion while saving him from a fireball thrown by one of the Laraktian saints.

"Don't worry, Lord Kraos. I had seen it coming." Arion wasn't being reckless. He might have become a saint just now, but even without the bracelet, he was skillful enough to win against a saint.

"Then didn't the enemy pass the bracelet down as well?" Kraos was a little worried. He wanted to make sure that they still had a chance.

"He didn't. I can vouch for that. I killed him before he could do anything. He never saw it coming." Arion's eyes glowed with vengeance.

The tide of the battle turned once more. With the help of Arion, the situation became much better for Kraos. Kraos fought with his all. He had to give whatever he could. However, he was already feeling worn out. It won't be long before he was completely out of stamina. Kraos knew that this was the last chance. There wouldn't be another chance like this. If they had to win, this was the moment!

"Brother Arion, can you restrain them for some time using that barrier technique of yours?"

"Won't that be reckless? I was thinking of going at it a bit more wisely. My barrier is strong but my defence drops completely when I do that. If I fail, I'm not sure if even you can protect me. And there's also the fact that there are three of them. If I miss even one, this will go totally wrong. It will be suicide."

"We will die either way. We have to do this. In my current state, I don't know if I can keep this up another ten… no, even five minutes will be difficult for me. This is the only chance of defeating them. There's no other way!"

Arion looked at Kraos and understood the situation well. "I have yet to learn what the bracelet has to teach me. I'll just use my infinite core's strength with my spiritual energy. I hope that will be okay."

"Knowing you, I know it will."

"What's your plan?"

"Keep them together in a barrier with me and restrain their movements. I'll do the rest."

"Heh. You are asking a lot from me, young man."

Kraos smiled. "Brother, let's do it!" He took his stance.

"Even though I wanted to avenge my big brother with my own hands, I hope this will have to do for now. I gotta give my all to this. Alright!" Arion breathed in a lot of air and exhaled. The three enemy saints had surrounded them from all sides. "YAAAAAH!!!" Arion waved his hands upwards as if raising some heavy object and four spherical barriers surrounded the three saints and Kraos. The saints already started trying to break through the barrier. It took a huge amount of control to maintain the barriers like this. Arion spread his hands wide apart and pressed them together with great strength and merged the four barriers together.

"I can't restrain them!" Arion shouted. "It seems that I've reached my limit with this. You don't have much time, young man!"

"How much do I have?" Kraos asked while flickering his hands and whirling the air inside the barrier crazily. The specialty of this aerial whirlpool was that there were compressed air blades inside which were sharper than any normal blade. The saints had created their own barriers inside Arion's barrier to protect themselves from the assault of Kraos.

"A minute… Maybe less!" Arion spoke with great difficulty while maintaining the barrier. Kraos' assault was affecting the barrier too!

"Not enough!" Kraos thought. The time was not enough to finish his opponents off! He needed more strength! More speed! He had to finish this fast! The whirlpool was getting faster and faster. The wind blades kept slashing at the barriers nonstop. The three saints were struggling to keep their barriers on. Arion was also having a hard time hanging on. His hands were being pushed back. His barrier was being pushed and destroyed from the inside. He had to repair the barrier all the time!

Kraos created two swords using the air blades and rushed forward. He was hacking and slashing at the barriers that the saints had created. Those saints might be weaker than Kraos individually but they were still saints. Their barriers won't break like this! Kraos started to panic a little. If he failed here, Arakzan's fall was inevitable! Kraos thought of his wife and their yet to be born child. What'd happen to them if Arakzan fell! He clenched his teeth and went crazy inside. Arion was at his limit too. His spiritual energy was being consumed at an astonishing rate; he couldn't hold on! He noticed the situation inside the barrier. It was not good at all! He squeezed out the last bit of his spiritual energy and pressed his hands tighter to shrink his barrier.

"Young man, do it NOW!" Arion screamed while maintaining the barrier.

Shrinking the barrier worked! The air inside became heavier which helped to destroy the barriers that the three saints had raised. Kraos released every attack he had up his sleeve. The barrier was dyed blood red from the inside. The three saints fell. And Kraos also collapsed from exhaustion.

"Rest in peace… Big brother…" Arion prayed for a peaceful afterlife for his brother, Araksha and approached the unconscious Kraos. Arion took him on his shoulder. "Rest well, young man. Since this might be the last time that you will." He said with a sorrowful expression.