Chapter 172- Those who Follow

Ploritan, along with Lance and his group began to march away from the chaos in the shallow waters and towards the soldiers surrounding Kota on the beach.

As of right now, out of the 3000 mercenaries who had attacked the shore, only around 500 remained alive.

As for the fishmen, out of the 700 who were originally gathered, 200 had been killed. Of the remaining 500, 300 were surrounding Kota, and 200 were fighting with the remaining mercenaries, spread out across the shore.

With the mercenaries behind him, Ploritan passed by a number of fighting fishmen. One of them, who had just finished off a group of mercenaries, yelled over to Ploritan.

"Ploritan!! Behind you!! There are four mercenaries standing behind you!! And why are you heading backwards?? Where are you going!!??"

"These are not enemies.", Ploritan boomed. "Look over there. I only see one enemy.", he stated while pointing over to Kota.

"What are you talking about, Ploritan!?!"

Ploritan walked in front of the 300 men surrounding Kota, with the mercenaries behind him and the other 200 scattered around the area, individually fighting.

At this point, every single woman and child had been driven from their homes, only to be slain. Dead bodies littered the area in front of the cave, where the Legion had taken up a position.

"FISHMEN!!! Look here!!! The humans have blocked off the entrance to our village with thousands of troops, and they have slain every person who did not evacuate from the upper village due to Kota's orders!!! Even if we are currently winning this battle, we cannot take back our village and save those inside with the remaining troops!!!"

Kota stood up from his seat in the back, and glared at Ploritan.

"Ploritan!! You fiend!! How did you escape the tunnel after your lungs were removed!!??"

"That doesn't matter!! What matters is that you have allowed the humans to take over a critical position!!! If you had not been arrogant and marched these troops out here to fight in an open field, this would not have happened!!! And you've allowed so many to die, as a result of your arrogance!! Look at all the people!!! You claimed that things would be fine, that there would be nothing wrong so long as the fishmen were fighting their enemies head on, but look at things now!!! These people believed in you, Kota!!! And now, they've lost their lives due to that faith!!!"

"Speaking back to your chief like that is an offense punishable by death, Ploritan!! And I too, am disheartened by their deaths!! That is exactly why we must continue this fight like warriors, and take back our village from those fiends!!!"

Kota was furious, but Ploritan continued his rant.

"I know that there are many of you here who do not agree with Kota's rule!! His methods are brutish, and he has led us into this situation!! Is there anyone here who will join me, and take the head of this foolish ruler before he leads us all to our deaths!?!"

Many of the fishmen who heard this were stunned.

A large amount were displeased, and began shouting at Ploritan.

"You imbecile! You've become arrogant after serving for a year as the chief, and as soon as you are ejected you wish to corrupt the sacred traditions and kill off the new chief?!"

"Hypocritical, Ploritan!! When you were chief, Kota didn't do anything like this against you!!"

Many of the fishmen voiced their displeasure towards Ploritan's rebellious words.

Kota smiled at seeing that the majority sided with him, for the sole reason of being the current chief.

"Look at this, Ploritan!! These men beside me are warriors of justice, who are willing to give their lives for a greater cause!! For the sake of those who have died!! Men, attack Ploritan!!"

Hundreds of fishmen soldiers ran forward to surround Ploritan and the mercenaries.

However, some fishmen stood by his side, and separated themselves from the others.

Around 75 fishmen lined up on the side of Ploritan, and the remaining ones sided with Kota.

"Ploritan, we agree with you!! Kota is not wise enough to be the leader of the fishmen!!"

"His actions have led to this situation!! If he had listened to the Determined, we wouldn't be here right now!!!"

"My wife and child are dead because of him! He told them not to evacuate, and now they've been run down by the soldiers invading!"

Many mercenaries were still off in the distance fighting, and they looked at the scenario from afar, wondering what was going on.

'Are they fighting among themselves?'

'What idiots. Monsters will be monsters, to the very end.'

"Men, eliminate these cowards who only wish to spare their own lives, not brave enough to face the real enemy head on, and are willing to team up with the very people who attacked us!!! They are the very incarnation of injustice!!!!", Kota shouted, as the group of roughly 400 fishmen charged the formation of 75 from all directions.

The men in the center formed a circular formation, with Ploritan and the four mercenaries in the very middle.

'This has become something crazy...', Lance thought. 'But I will fight! For my own purpose! For the antiheroes, and their goals!!!'

'I have to be brave, and even if I must kill, I am not doing it without reason!!', Charlotte thought.

Melody smiled, as she saw her two little comrades grow in front of her very eyes.

She had endured a lot to protect them, and now finally they were able to protect themselves.

The fishmen in the center began fighting furiously with the ones surrounding them.

Ploritan, in the midst of preparing himself to fight, looked over to where Kota was standing, outside the fighting.

Standing beside Kota with a blank stare, was a familiar face to Ploritan.

It was Brot.

"Brot!!! Do you remember our time fighting together!?! Will you trust me on this!?", Ploritan shouted out.

Brot had no idea what to do.

"Brot confused. Chief, what Brot do?"

"Go fight with the rest, you idiot!!!"

"Brot... go fight?"

"Yes!!! Right now!!! Chop someone's head off!!!"

"Ok, Chief!!"

Brot raised his trident up, and looked around.

'Chop... someones head off.... who's head? Ah! Closest head!!!'

Brot raised his trident, and stuck it into the throat of Kota.

Blood spurted, and Kota fell from where he was standing with the trident in his throat.

"Brot do good! Brot cut head off!"

"You!!! I-idiot!!! Blergh!!!"

Kota began furiously puking blood, as he struggled.

"BROT NOT IDIOT!!! BROT IS SMART!!!"

Brot removed his trident from the throat of Kota, and felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Indeed, Brot is very smart."

"Well done, Brot. Very well done."

"Hehehe.... I couldn't have done it better myself..."

"Ah, it's so pitiful to see these inferior beings struggling among themselves. Let's finish this off, shall we?"

----

An eruption of flames occurred, creating a wall that completely surrounded the huddled circle which Ploritan and the warriors assisting him formed.

The fishmen, who were attacking him from all sides, were burned to a crisp in an instant, so that not even the ashes remained. It was as if they simply ceased to exist, and there were no remains to prove that they ever had.

The flames were fearsome. From where Ploritan stood, it appeared as if the flames themselves formed a large number of faces, screaming and writhing in pain, however they were silent.

The amount of magical power contained within the flames was suffocating. Ploritan found himself becoming dizzy just being anywhere near them, and yet while every single one of the people attacking him were burned to ashes, not a single one supporting him was harmed.

It was so precise that it boggled the mind, at how so much power could be used in such a way.

No, even more surprising was the fact that this much power existed in the first place- or could be used by a single person.

The flames died down, and the faces which seemed to be composed of flames seemed to become blackened, and hovered over to the side as if they were spirits. Ploritan watched as the smoky figures floated over to where Kota was, and on looking all around him, he saw a scene which he never could have imagined.

Mercenaries from all areas were retreating back to their ships, in an attempt to flee, and Kota lay on the ground with a trident in his own throat.

Brot was at the other end of this trident, and next to him were the antiheroes.

One of them- the spirit girl, had her hand raised, as if she had just finished performing a spell, and she let her hands down once more. The smoky figures seemed to disappear into her hand as they came closer to her, as if they were mere illusions.

She was laughing.

Why was she laughing?

Her laughter was hysterical, as if she had done something thoroughly enjoyable just now.

No, she wasn't the only one who was laughing.

Brot had now taken his trident out of Kota's throat, and the blue demon had walked over to Kota.

Now they were all laughing.

Why?

What were they laughing about?

'It doesn't matter. Kota is gone... now, only me and the few who were brave enough to go against him are left.'

Ploritan looked around, to see the corpses of the fishmen no longer in existence. It truly was as if they had never been there in the first place.

"In just a second... no, not even that long..."

The mercenaries who stood behind him were stunned as well.

Not a single fishman in this entire unit had any idea what had just happened.

Yet Kota seemed to be reeling back, trying to choke out some words.

----

Kota would have been able to dodge that trident easily under normal circumstances.

Kota's scales would have been hard enough to deflect that trident easily, under normal circumstances.

Kota would not have allowed Brot's idiotic yet traitorous actions to go unnoticed, under normal circumstances.

These were not normal circumstances.

Kota didn't understand why, but after he made that statement to Brot to attack someone, his mind became cloudy.

He couldn't control his body.

He couldn't move.

A moment later, the trident was in his neck.

Why couldn't he move?

It was because someone powerful was nearby.

Someone with a presence so intoxicating that his very body was being controlled by it. He felt like he was being held in place, helplessly- and there was nothing he could do about it. Even moving was far beyond his capabilities.

By the time his vision became clear again, Brot was standing with a trident in his hand, and that trident was stuck in Kota's throat.

Standing behind Brot were the four beings who he had rejected just earlier that day- the subordinates he tried to capture.

'Why?'

'Why?'

'I believed in myself... I showed courage, and came out to the front lines... I was supposed to be the greatest, most heroic leader of the fishmen.... everyone was able to overcome their fears and brave impossible tasks when I ordered them to... many gave their lives for me.... and this is what it has amounted to? How?? How come not a single one has plunged in front of me, to take this trident in my place? Was I not the hero of the fishmen? Was I not the one who everyone looked up to, the one who- so long as he lived- would bring justice to the world?'

'Why can't I breathe? Why can't I speak? Why can't I move? Why can't I do anything!?!?'

Suddenly, he felt the pressure be released, and he spoke.

"You!!! I-idiot!!! Blergh!!!"

Kota couldn't hear himself as he shouted. He had lost his hearing.

Brot said something, and seemed to be angry, and the elf put his hand on Brot's shoulder.

The spirit girl seemed to be preoccupied with something else. He hands were raised, facing the group of fishmen who were currently fighting among themselves.

'Where did I go wrong?!!? Was I not the very incarnation of justice!?!? Justice is always supposed to win, right?!?!!?!?'

Suddenly, the blue demon approached him, and placed her hand on him.

His hearing was restored.

He heard the sounds of flames, and screams of his brethren, before they quickly died down.

----

"Whether you are the incarnation of justice or not.... Hahaha... hahahah!!!! AHAHAHAAAAHAHAAA!!!! Ally, Theo, Gary, get a load of this guy!!!! He thinks that he is the incarnation of justice!!!!"

Garett and Ashley fell to the ground in laughter, and Trevor chuckled lightly to himself, holding his hand to his mouth and trying to contain the laughter.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!"

"JUSTICEE!!!!!!! AHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!"

After wiping tears off his face, Trevor approached Kota.

Ashley and Garett were on the ground, pounding it and completely lost in their own worlds, while Samantha ceased her laughter and arrogantly grinned at Kota.

"I will never claim that we are just... anything from that.... we are perhaps the very opposite of just.... however... for someone like you.... for a piece of shit who only views his own life and position as important, who forces his idiotic views of self righteousness on others, for them to blindly follow to their deaths.... to call himself an incarnation of justice.... that is what I would consider to be an incarnation of evil."

Trevor looked over to Ashley, who was still laughing hysterically.

"Ally, what should we do with him?"

She got up, wiping her tears as well. Her eyes were baggy beyond belief, and her hair was now filled with sand, and flaring in all directions.

"Alright alright. Get over here, you piece of shit."

Ashley grabbed the neck of Kota.

Kota felt as if his very being was removed from his body.

It was a terrible feeling, which made him want to throw up a thousand times, however soon he could not feel anything anymore.

Ashley had tore his very soul from his body.

"Ah, look at this.... this one is even more filthy than those two brats... it's like tar. I don't want to have to touch this...", Ashley said as she ripped the last bit of his soul from his body, and threw it into her inventory with a disgusted look.

"Let's not allow the body to go to waste.", Garett said, as he grabbed it and threw it into Ashley's inventory.

"Hehehe.... me and Bella are gonna have a lot of fun later tonight. Too bad I didn't recover the bodies of the other 425 fishmen.", Ashley whispered. "Well, I got their souls.... maybe they have some use..."

"I'll join in on that.", Garett crackled, with a demonic smile on his face.

Trevor motioned for the others to follow him.

"We've interfered too much in our entertainment. Let us return to our positions."

Samantha waved her hand, and once more the group became invisible through the [Illusion] spell. They headed back into the sky, flying with Ashley's help, and retook their seats.

In the far distance, many mercenaries had returned to their ships, and the soldiers of the Legion were unsure as to what had happened, but they seemed to be celebrating.

"Luck is on our side!! The enemies keep dying to natural disasters!!!"

"Was that a wildfire caused by lightning or something?!? I don't even know!!"

"We can win this fight!!!"

"Hurrah!!!"

Garett grabbed his temples as he grinned maliciously.

'Oh, how foolish, humans. To think that something as flippant as luck was on your side.'

----

Ploritan stood in the center of the formation after having watched the antiheroes hysterically berate Kota, and do something to him which Ploritan simply couldn't comprehend.

They had taken something out of Kota.

It was something black and shadowy, and then, they threw it into what seemed like another dimension before it disappeared.

They had thrown the body as well into this other dimension.

What was Ploritan to do now?

[We have lent you enough help for now. Show us what you can do, and figure the rest out on your own.]

He heard the beautiful voice of the demonic woman ringing in his head once more.

She was right.

Ploritan hadn't done anything, and now Kota was dead, along with all those fishmen who sided with Kota. All that remained were the ones who had joined with Ploritan against Kota.

But now, the forces of the fishmen were very significantly weakened.

There was no chance now of trying to burst through the legion of 10,000 men who guarded the underwater cave.

They were a lost cause, unless Ploritan managed to get help from another group.

Another group.

'Ah! If the antiheroes are unwilling to help us further.... what if I were to seek aid from the lizardmen to the southwest of here?'

An idea formed in Ploritan's head.

'Yes, we will ask for the aid of the lizardmen! If they spare their warriors, we might be able to drive back even the entire legion, who currently guard the underwater cave! It is beneficial for them as well, as having humans so close by in such a large force would only threaten them!'

Ploritan decided on his course of action.

"Men! I thank you all for assisting me in taking Kota down!! However, do you know who it was that destroyed our enemies just now?!"

Many of the fishmen whispered among themselves.

"What was that huge spray of fire?"

"I almost got burned by it..."

"That was terrifying... just who could do something like that?"

"IT WAS NONE OTHER THAN THE ANTIHEROES, WHO HAVE LENT US THEIR POWER!!!!", Ploritan shouted at the top of his lungs.

"The antiheroes?!?"

"The ones who visited Kota earlier today, but were sent away!?!"

"Kota didn't believe them earlier! He must have angered them!!"

"Ah... good thing we stood up against him, or we would have been fried as well..."

"However", Ploritan went on. "They will not endlessly lend us their power! We must continue this fight on our own, even in this state."

"No way..."

"We barely have any fighting power left..."

"How will we take on that entire legion..."

Ploritan stood forward, and went around giving an encouraging face to his comrades.

"Worry not, my brothers!! Our wives and children may be trapped in the city, but the humans cannot enter so easily!! There should be quite some time before they make their way in! We will retreat for now, and ask the lizardmen to assist us!!"

"Retreat?"

"That is something Kota would never have considered."

"If Kota was still chief, he would have died before bowing to the lizardmen or running away..."

"I agree with Ploritan!!"

"Me as well!!!"

"Let us implore the help of the lizardmen!!!"

Many of the fishmen were motivated.

Brot too had come over from the throne.

"Ah, it's Brot, the one who took Kota down!!!"

"Brot, well done!!"

Brot posed and flexed.

"Brot is very smart!! Brot listened to orders!!"

Many fishmen went over to Brot and patted him on the back, praising him for his contributions.

Ploritan looked at the four mercenaries.

"Thank you for teaming up with me. Even if we didn't have to do any fighting together... we are surely united under the antiheroes. Will you all return to your encampment, or perhaps you will head back with the antiheroes?"

Lance seemed to be thinking, and he turned to his compatriots.

"I think we should come with you all."

Charlotte nodded.

"Everyone here is united under the antiheroes, but we don't know about the people of the Empire... to them, we might very well be listed as traitors."

Pierre sighed.

"We might have just become outcasts to our own country.... but, I think it was worth it. I saw something crazy today. And I think I've learned something."

Pierre stepped forward, and bowed his head.

"I apologize for considering your kind to be ruthless monsters, and killing them without restraint. I now understand better, that you all are not the real monsters."

Ploritan put his hand on Pierre's shoulder, and reassured him.

"The real monsters are those people like Kota, who send others to die for nothing, and pretend to be on the side of justice, when in reality they are only trying to gain support."

Melody smiled.

"We don't even know where the antiheroes have gone. I think we should stick with our comrades underneath them for now."

"Is that so? Thank you all sincerely... let us move then."

The fishmen departed from the shores, and headed through the outer village, making their way southwest.

The entire legion was stationed at the entrance to the underwater cavern, so there were no interruptions. The troop of around 80 exited the village without any issues, and began marching towards the lizardmen village.

----

Trevor sat in one of the seats beside his comrades, invisible and in the sky while sipping from a cup of tea.

"I suppose a movie isn't very interesting when you already know how it ends. Even so, what did you all think of their decision to beg for assistance from the lizardmen?"

"I think it was a well planned move. If they can convince Rocko to mobilize his entire military, they might be able to defeat the legion of 10,000, even with only 1,000 lizardmen.", Garett commented.

"Yeah... if they can convince them... but they don't realize that we terrorized their leader, so it should be fun to see how this plays out... hehehe....", Ashley giggled.

"Well, I had a lot of fun. Watching the lower beings struggle below us was certainly an interesting passtime. Thank you for going through all this effort to set this up, Theo.", Samantha said while sipping from a glass of wine and snacking on popcorn.

"You're very welcome. I'm glad that this event which I took so much time to set up was to your liking. But this is only the beginning. There is much more to come. Heh heh..."