The door to the throne room released an eerie creaking sound as it opened due to the blood seeping into its hinges.
Kellen couldn't believe that the revealed room in front of him was once the throne room of this previously thriving kingdom.
"What happened here?" He asked seemingly to no one in particular.
"I think it's pretty obvious... Nothing short of an absolute massacre." Replied Strom as they entered the gruesome bloody hell that was supposedly the throne room.
If all the halls they had to traverse to arrive here were described as a bloody mess then this room would be the core.
Blood smeared the entire throne room with little untouched or unstained. If not for the few torn scraps of royal garments hanging about, it would have been impossible to determine the identities of the mangled bodies scattered around them.
"Looks like a couple more victims have appeared for us."
A sickeningly sweet voice sounded out from the throne room.
"Who are you bastards?" Responded Strom in an agitated voice.
"Oh? I didn't expect to see you here handsome."
An exotic looking woman walked out from behind one of the columns dripping with blood that lined the room.
The clothes of the barely clad woman reminded Kellen of people that lived near the deserts he had seen on TV in his previous world. It almost looked like she was a dancer of sorts because of the loose fine silks. However, the main difference in styles that set her apart from that imagery would be the blood stains all over her and how it was even soaked into her clothes. That and the multiple curved knives that surrounded her waist hanging from a red sash.
"No! You... You're dead... Why..."
Strom clutched his head as if a rush of emotions was turning into a searing headache.
"It's been awhile... Although, it looks like you'll finally get to meet that little brother of yours again!"
The dangerous woman seductively taunted the captain as she licked one of the knives' blades in her hand.
"Aaron... Why... No don't leave me!" Strom began wildly muttering to himself.
The conflicted man lost the strength in his legs.
"Strom! Strom! Get a hold of yourself!"
Kellen had noticed the darkened demeanor of his comrade and attempted to shake him out of his stupor.
Suddenly, two arrows whizzed by the two followed by the clanking noise of blades coming into contact with each other.
"You disgusting bitch! Do you know how long it takes to remove blood stains? It would take me a week to clean this scene up, not to mention all the fucking entrails everywhere! Vinegar! I need some fucking vinegar!"
Kellen looked back to see a beet red faced Ceric, continuing to notch arrow after arrow onto his bowstring. It looked like with every arrow fired he seemed to be enraged even further.
The sultry women casually deflected the speeding projectiles and slowly walked towards the group.
"I guess manners still don't exist in the empire, do they Strom? Actually, I remember a only certain brat that seemed to barely have them. He was something else... Too bad he met me in the end." Said the woman.
"I... I... I have to... Save... Stop... Amira don't!" Strom continued his hysteria.
Amira laughed as she caught the last incoming arrow between her free fingers before hurling one of the curved knives in its owner's direction.
"Geeeuukkkk!"
Kellen could hear the grunt from the irritated archer behind them.
"God damned mongrel! It's you who exists without grace or manners!"
Ceric shouted as he angrily dislodged the curved knife that was buried in his shoulder.
"Captain! What are we waiting for? This woman needs to be disposed of, like preferably right now!"
Yelled Ceric as he stared back and forth between his captain and enemy.
Kellen looked into his disturbed captain's eyes.
'Shit... It's like no one is even home in there.'
He wrapped his hands in the lost man's uniform before shaking him again.
"Strom! Get it together! Don't you remember why we're here? What would your brother have wanted? For you to just give up and die right here in a daze!"
Kellen shook his head after seeing no reaction.
He then turned to face the approaching demon like woman.
The dark blades in her hands spun as she flicked them in anticipation.
'I'd be careful around that one kid.' Osiris chimed in from out of nowhere.
'What? What have you been doing all this time?' Asked Kellen in annoyance.
'Oh give your damn master a break will ya! Listen, at this point she is way out of your scope to handle.'
'How do you know that? I haven't even fought with her yet!'
'Did you forget all our training and my blessing already? What? Just cause you were playing around with some mortals and sticks?' Snorted Osiris.
'Well I can't always just rely on your strength...' Mumbled Kellen.
'Yes, but right now is not the time. At least study up on your enemies first! I can't believe you survived this long... I guess if not for me being he-'
'Okay, okay, I get it.' Said Kellen as he cut off his annoying teacher.
Kellen briefly closed his eyes and quickly began summoning demonic energy to the temple of his head.
When he opened them a dim dark and golden light illuminated his eyes.
'Holy shit...'
Compared to when he first used soul sensing, this time was a lot more vivid. Not only did he feel the pulses and life energy of those surrounding him but when he concentrated solely on his opponent he noticed something else as well.
A dark sinister purplish energy was emanating from within Amira. It was like a raging purple fire that was erupting from around her chest.
'Old man! What am I seeing right now?'
'Well it's called soul sense for a reason. Right now you are finally seeing the strength of the person's soul. Those silly techniques and skills like "divinity" your pal over there was talking about all are powered by this. I guess it would be more accurate to describe it as energy... Hm, yes, soul energy.'
'So what about me?'
'Eh... Your case is a bit more complicated, but yes, I suppose you basically have this as well.'
Kellen swiftly looked down towards his chest to confirm whether this was true.
However, unlike Amira, who had different shades and concentrations of purple energy erupting from her soul, Kellen identified multiple sources of energy.
In the center of his soul fire was a small golden reddish flame that mixed between the two colors and would be almost considered orange if not for its irregular movement. A dark jet black colored flame and bright white colored one seemed to be burning off the edges of this small fire that was also intertwined.
To Kellen, it looked like some wild light show or different kinds of fireworks were lighting off inside him.
'What the hell! Old man! What's wrong with my soul?' He anxiously asked.
'There's nothing wrong! Well, as far as I'm aware... Like I said your a special case, but don't worry about that. Right now you need to focus on surviving!' The deity reminded him.
Kellen focused back to the impending battle at hand. After discovering his opponent's strength he scanned the area further.
"Ceric! Get ready! We got more company!" He yelled after sensing the pulse of four more people hiding in the vicinity.
"Oh! Well aren't you observant! Although, that won't save any of your pathetic lives anyways..."
After saying this with a sickeningly charming smile, Amira snapped one of her fingers.
Immediately, the four others revealed themselves from behind the shadows of the other columns.
Kellen gritted his teeth and clenched the hilt of the longsword strapped around his waist.
'They don't look like regular people either... I don't know if only Ceric and I can handle all of them. We need to stall for some time. We need Strom right now!'
Glancing around at their current situation, Kellen knew they were in a pretty unfavorable position. He would have his hands completely full just trying to deal with this powerhouse, but Ceric was already wounded and Strom was currently having his own issues.
'I'll just have to hope Ceric and I can handle them for now...'
Closing his eyes again, Kellen tried to calm the demonic energy now surging in his head.
Except this process was interrupted.
Suddenly, the longsword that was once resting in its scabbard brandished itself in front of Kellen's body instinctively.
The screeching sound of metal blades grinding against each other echoed off the walls in the hellish throne room.
The negative demonic energy that Kellen had suppressed exploded in his mind.
His longsword also began emanating small dark colored flames off its bladed edges.
"Wow! This might be a lot less boring than I thought it would be!" Excitedly chuckled the owner of the knives which were currently colliding with Kellen's longsword.
"At least more entertaining than- Wait, what was his name again? Oh! I remember now! I think it was Aaron, right? That was what that weakling was screaming back then. He was also sooooo weak." Said Amira as she sweetly smiled towards Strom, who was now kneeling on the floor, staring at something nonexistent in front of him.
Arrows and blades rang throughout the surroundings, but Kellen no longer heard any of it.
'Weakling!'
'Soooo Weak!'
'What's wrong zero?'
'You're fucking trash!'
'Why aren't you dead?'
'Such an eyesore!'
'You are too weak!'
All the haunting voices he thought he had finally buried burst forth.
When Amira looked back at her opponent she was slightly taken aback.
"Wha- What are you?"