The Elven Crusade (Part 1)

"Hey, Ashley?" I called out to her.

"Hey, you're out already? Where are you?" Ashley said as she is floating over the trees, looking around.

"No, I'm still in Virdana and inside the castle." I said.

"Oh, how did it go?" Ashley asked.

"It's going smoothly and they will send an army of pegasus and griffin riders on the way, they will also have to release the signals." I said.

When it comes to theocratic kingdoms like Virdana, they have signals that indicate other kingdoms like Noltia, Felexin, Ergex, and many more. Smokes indicates kingdoms, lights indicate churches and flames indicate their alignment of said kingdom.

For lights, it's exclusive for churches only.

For the flames, purple means that they are a part of them by extension, blue means friendly and gives active, mutual support, green means friendly, white means neutral, red means enemy to them only.

*Pop!*

*Fween!*

*Fwoom!*

Those three sounds came from above and I went outside to witness it. I see the yellow smoke that indicates the Felexin Kingdom, the light meaning the church specifically and as I see the flame last, it is unlike the flames I ever mentioned.

Black flames. This means that the church must be destroyed without exception as they could threaten between multiple kingdoms to the entire world. Seeing that they're trying to summon Ignyesa, they're no different than Hellkins.

"Holy shit, that church is done." I said, chuckling. "You seeing this, Ashley?"

"Yep, Felexin Church of Arukatha is screwed." Ashley replied.

"You should get out of the forest near Virdana, they'll start flying soon." I said, walking to my bed and laying down.

"All right, I'll be in the mountains and suppress my aura." Ashley said.

*Vzzp*

[End of transmission.]

*Knock!* *Knock!* *Knock!*

"Sir Lucius, I have brought you tea." one of the maids said.

"Come in." I called. The opened and it was the same maid that escorted me to this room. The maid brought a white tea set with an empty cup. She poured the tea in the cup and I began smelling a sweet citrus smell.

"Such a sweet smell. It's lemon and lime, correct?" I said. The maid nodded. She finishes pouring the tea and I began to sniff it some more.

I take a sip and I smiled. "This is good."

"Is there anything else you need?" the maid asked.

"May I know your name?" I said.

"My name is Elayne." Elayne smiled.

"Thanks, Elayne, I'm good now." I said.

The maid bowed and left the room. I continued to look outside, watching the elven citizens look up and cheer for the flying soldiers above them.

I smiled from the fact that Gravius's flying army is moving quickly and heading to Felexin with haste. It's all according to plan. By the rate they're going, they should reach Felexin before nightfall.

"Oh, Islero?" I said.

"Yeah?" He responded, but did not appear before me, because he'll alert the elves in the kingdom.

"Arkaon will be escaping soon by going through a secret passage. He'll also have some of the Hellkins trying to secure it." I said.

"What about Miura, Espada, or Saeva?" Islero asked.

"No need, just you is enough." I said.

"Alright." Islero accepted and ended the transmission.

{Meanwhile...}

Inside the church, Priest Arkaon and his fellow devotees began scrambling around, trying to find something, something important than their very lives, their very church, something that should never be held in the wrong hands.

"Where is it?! Where are the documents!?" Arkaon exclaimed. "It was the day of inspection and we change the location thereafter to deter anyone looking to discover!"

"We looked every secret passage that we went through and we couldn't find it!" one of the devotees said. "What if..."

"No!" Arkaon interrupts him, knowing what he'll say. "It must not be exposed no matter what!"

"I even summoned multiple Hellkins to assist us, but still nothing besides the sweet smell as they said." Arkaon thought as he looked at a Hellhound, a floating eyeball called a Gazer, and a snake called Redback. "I was there in Nolten Village, but nothing happened."

Soon, he hears panicking voices outside his office.

"Priest Arkaon! We have a big problem!" one of the female nuns ran inside, yelling.

"What is it now!?" Arkaon yelled in frustration.

"The scouts has found that the elven kingdom of Virdana has branded us heretics!" she said with horror in her eyes.

"No...no, no, no, it can't be..." Arkaon staggered back to his desk, he knows that being reprimanded by any kingdom can hurt his reputation, but recoverable. However, he has never been condemned by a single kingdom because he know the consequences are too great for him to handle.

Still, he assumes the worst and orders his hellkins to secure a secret passage, he then asked the nun about Virdana's signals.

"What are the flames from Virdana? Red?" Arkaon asked.

"No...it's black." The nun said.

Blood drains from head hearing the nun's response. For a black flame to a different kingdom must mean that they are deemed an enemy to all living beings alike and must be destroyed down to the last man along with the information they had to prevent any other information being spread.

As such, he'll have to spend the rest of his life running and he'll have to find places to recover where they haven't heard of him.

As long as he has the secret passage, he can escape safely.

"We must escape! I need paladins and mages with me, non-combatants follow me!" Arkaon ordered. "The rest of you must buy us time!"

Arkaon rushed out of his office to go downstairs to the basement door where his creatures await after securing the location. He meets them, but they tremble in fear.

"What's wrong? Why are you trembling?" Arkaon said.

*Doom!*

After asking them, Arkaon and his paladins and mages was assaulted by the sense of bone-chilling dread. A dread coming from a strong, baleful existence that can kill them without getting a chance to resist.

Footsteps was heard from the basement and getting clearer with every step, the creatures wanted to run, but will they be able to escape?

"What ominous feeling...! This must be the reason my creatures are acting like this!" Arkaon thought.

He recollects himself and commands his group.

"Paladins, formation!" Arkaon said. The paladins rush in front of him and they deploy their shields and points their swords at whoever its about to emerge.

A deep sigh was let out from the basement and into the open space. Footsteps become louder until a gray skinned hand comes out. Then, a figure comes out to light.

But that figure is very different than the three smaller ones and the very source of dread.

"Seeing a Gazer, Hellhound, and a Redback unaffected must mean that this church isn't really a church." a Hellkin said, rolling his neck.

He looked at the group of paladins, trembling slightly from seeing him. Then he sees the mages preparing magic spells. He looked closely and saw that he only saw yellow lights instead of white or gold.

"I sensed magic, but it changes nothing." the gray skinned Hellkin shrugged, glaring with them with his silver eyes.

"S-silver eyes? It can't be...you're an Archdemon!" Arkaon yelled.

"Yep...and a strong one at that." he said.

Arkaon knew that Hellkins do not cross realms unless they are summoned, but summoning an Archdemon of any rank would require large amounts of sacrifices which he does not have nor the time.

However, now that the Archdemon is standing before him, he sees an opportunity.

An opportunity to turn the situation in his favor.