First Arc (King of Euphorion) – 8. Overthrow The King
The sun began to set, Angel rushed towards the city with Cley and Claire in his arms. Some Blood-Eyed Rabbits appeared on the side of the road and jumped towards them. He kept running as his dark aura reached all the monsters and lifted them. In a second, their bodies blew up in the mid-air, leaving only their blood splashing to the ground.
He was breathing hard when he arrived at the city gate and put down the kids before sweeping his gaze around but he didn't find anyone there.
Only a few seconds later some people in black military uniforms approached with their weapon pointed at him.
"Hey, you! Why are you still here?! Go to the city square now!"
Mayor Bernard quickly hugged Cley and Claire, trying to protect them.
His dark aura started to leak out as he ready to beat them but he held himself. Rather than searching for Chay and Avira all over the city, he decided to follow that soldier's order to find their location faster.
"Are you deaf?! I said go to the city square now!" snapped one of the troops as he pushed Angel roughly.
He walked to the city square with Mayor Bernard who kept hugging the kids beside him.
Once they arrived at the city square, many people had gathered, kneeling.
"Hey, you! Come here and kneel!" said one of the troops who was guarding the crowd.
They joined the crowd and down to their knees. He took a glance at Cley and Claire who looked scared in Mayor Bernard's arms.
"Uncle Bernard... What will happen to us?" Cley said in fear.
Mayor Bernard looked at them worriedly.
"Cley, Claire... Listen to me... Whatever happens next you must not scream nor call your father and mother. Understand?"
They looked confused with Mayor Bernard's words but they still nodded in reply.
Meanwhile, Angel could already guess what would happen next. The troops would execute Chay and Avira in public so that the people wouldn't dare to go against the king's orders again. Swiftly, he swept his gaze around, paying attention to the situation, especially the troops' position. He planned to finish them off after they brought Chay and Avira.
A few seconds later, as he expected, some soldiers brought Chay and Avira. But unfortunately, they were dead... His eyes widened in shock, as did Cley, Claire and Major Bernard's. From the wounds, Angel could imagine Chay and Avira were fighting to their last breath. Apart from that he also noticed several wounds on the soldier's bodies. That's why the soldiers killed them directly.
They threw the corpses on the ground. Mayor Bernard quickly covered the kids' eyes and ears as he tightened his hug. While the others curled in fear at the terrifying sight.
"This pair of idiots have gone against the king's orders and this is what happened to them," said a soldier who had the lieutenant badge on his collar as he pointed his sword to the corpses.
"I hope this will serve you as a reminder so that this doesn't happen to all of you!" Then he sheathed his sword.
"Hang their corpses! Make them as wild birds' food!" he ordered.
"Da---" Cley was about to scream but Major Bernard's hand immediately covered his mouth. Cley and Claire's faces filled with tears, their bodies trembling in fear and sorrow. Their hands hugged Mayor Bernard's body tightly.
Angel tried to get up and almost pulled out his sword since he couldn't contain his anger any longer. His adrenaline rushed through his veins. His eyes were still on the troops who were dragging the corpses towards the gallows. He knew it was too late, the troops not only killed Chay and Avira, but they also did not let anyone bury their corpses properly. Now he understood why Lucian asked for his help. But Mayor Bernard who knelt beside Angel caught his hand, preventing him from getting up.
"If you attack them, the king will send more troops to destroy this place, " he said sadly.
Mayor Bernard was right, if he acted now he only gave the king more reasons to destroy the city or worse... Slaughter all the people who lived here. But even with what Mayor Bernard said, his anger didn't subside. He released Mayor Bernard's hand from him.
"Then it's easy. I just need to kill them all, so no one can report it to the king."
"Hey! What do you want to do? Get back on your knees!" said one of the guards as Angel stood up.
He smirked evilly and flowed his dark aura into his legs to accelerate his speed. His hand pulled out his sword.
"What if I don't want to?" he challenged.
The lieutenant gritted his teeth in anger.
"Kill him," he ordered in a cold voice. His subordinates were just about to take out their swords, but suddenly the lieutenant startled as his blood flowed from his mouth. Slowly, the lieutenant turned his gaze downwards and saw a black sword already stuck into his left chest. He turned his gaze to Angel and saw that the black sword in his hand was gone. His movement was too fast, even the lieutenant's eyes couldn't catch it. No, not only the lieutenant's but also everyone's.
The lieutenant's body collapsed to the ground. While others immediately took out their swords. Their eyes stared at Angel in caution.
Calmly, Angel extended his hand and faced his palm upwards. The black sword in the lieutenant's body turned into a dark aura and reshaped it in his hand. His eyes swept around, his brain calculated which soldiers he had to kill first so they couldn't take the civilians as their hostage. Meanwhile, the soldiers and the people realized that Angel was using dark magic power. In other words, he was a dark magic user!
"Attack him!" One of the soldiers broke the tense silence. As if on cue, Angel quickly moved, swung his sword at the closest soldier and killed him. With his movement speed as the Holy Knight's descendant and his dark aura. He could take his fighting abilities to another level. Even though the soldiers were well trained, he could cut and pierce their bodies with ease. As for the soldiers who were trying to take hostages and attack him from a distance, he used his dark aura to bind their bodies, lifted them and crushed them just like how he killed those Blood-Eyed Rabbits.
The soldiers' blood soaked the ground, creating a large red bloodstain beneath him. The rest of the soldiers tried to run away. But mercilessly, he threw his sword to one of them, killing him in an instant. While his other hand emitted a dark aura that raised the other two.
"P-Please spare our lives, sir. We are only carrying out the king's orders," they said in horror.
Of course, he knew they were only carrying out the orders, but if he let them live, it would be risking the civilians' lives. Angel clenched his hand slowly. Cracking sounds came from the soldiers' bodies.
-Kkraakk --- Kkraakk --- Kkraakk
Blood flowed from their mouths as every bone in their body broke and their organs crushed. Then he swung his hand aside, throwing the dead bodies before him, without mercy.
He sheathed his sword and stepped toward Chay and Avira's lifeless bodies. One of his knees dropped, his eyes fixed on the couple's corpse and his hand brushed their faces to close their eyes.
"Forgive me. I couldn't save you ..." His regret was clear in his voice. Then he put their hands on their chests.
"But, I promise, I won't be late to save Euphorion ..." After those words left his mouth, he stood up and turned to the crowd who looked at him in fear.
"Burn the soldiers' corpses and clean the bloodstains. The king won't find out about this if there is no evidence that his troops have ever come here," he said in a firm tone.
Despite his words, the people did not move from their positions and were silent in fear.
"You better do it right away or do you want the king to find out about it and destroy this city?"
After hearing his words, the people immediately got up and started working to clean up the corpse.
Meanwhile, although fear was still evident on their faces, the kids ran over to their parents' lifeless bodies and hugged them.
"Daddd!!! Mommm!!! " they screamed in sobbing voices.
Angel stood behind them as he stared at them. His regret enveloped his heart, he just promised to Lucian to take care of his kingdom, his people. But he failed right away. As Major Bernard approached them, he spoke again.
"Mayor, can I leave them with you for a while? After I'm done, I'll take them with me."
Mayor Bernard who was terrified by his power looked at him in confusion.
"Where are you going?"
His eyes turned piercing cold.
"To the capital... I will kick that stupid king from his throne." Then without further ado, he turned around and left.