The plain field, now occupied by three factions, was filled with tension and strife.
The military soldiers, numbering two hundred and fifty, the members of the Trade Underworld, numbering one hundred and twenty and the apostle's knight group who were thirteen in total.
They all stared at one another, and for a tiny moment, there was a still silence.
The apostle huffed, she couldn't take it anymore.
"It seems you heathens are prepared to die" She said with a glare.
Phobio suddenly stepped forward and smirked at Lauria.
"That's a treasonable thing to say to a royal, the son of the king himself" He said to her.
She gazed at him emotionlessly, completely unmoved by his talk.
"That doesn't matter to me in the slightest. If you step in my way you will be cut down" She said to him with resolve.
Phobio was taken aback by her statement and appeared flustered. He immediately pulled himself together and clenched his fist.
"H-How dare you say that? Have you forgotten about the alliance you have with the royal amily? I-If you do this, then..." Phobio said nervously.
"I am well aware of the pact between the apostles and this kingdom. That is why, despite my disposition, I am giving you an opportunity to live. Should you step down now, I will spare your lives." She said back.
Phobio knew those weren't empty threats. As an apostle, she could make that happen. Apostles were incredibly powerful, and that was why the royal family thought it wiser to become allies to them, rather than becoming enemies or neutral party. If the apostles wished, they could most likely even seize the throne. As an unchecked mass of unbelievable power, backed by the gods, there was really nothing anyone can do to stop them.
"Y-You. How dare you talk to me like that. And you knights! Have you forgotten to whom you swore loyalty to? This kingdom! You would dare side with that, that bitch who threatens your prince?!" Phobio barked, turning to the imperial knights who were behind her.
The knights felt conflicted on what to do. Naturally, they were to side with Phobio and the royal faction. However, they were well aware where the tip of the scales were tilted to in this battle. And what would happen if they chose to leave the winning side.
"Lady apostle, the young man has a point. It's treasonable to do something like this. Especially since we weren't here first. Why don't we just-" Gerund said in a hushed tone to Lauria.
She immediately glared at him, causing him to cease his speech.
"No" Lauria stated.
She turned toward the imperial knights who were behind her and addressed them.
"Should any of you desire to take the side of the royal military, I will allow it."
The imperial knights were surprised to hear the words she spoke.
"I will let you move over to their side within two minutes. If any of you wish to change sides, do it now." She said.
"T-Then..." Gerund said hesitantly.
"But, know that once you have crossed over you become my enemies, and I will not hesitate to cut you down along with the rest" She said.
The imperial knights froze. None of them moved an inch. Why? None of them wanted to die.
"Looks like you heathens would rather be traitors to your own kingdom than lose your life. How utterly disgraceful. You're all worse than trash" She said to them with a smile.
None of them could reply her or look her in the eye. They knew she was right, but what was most precious to them was their life, not the life of a snobbish royal kid. For that reason, they swallowed their pride as honorable knights and remained subservient.
"Well, I suppose trash has its uses. And I'll make sure to put you all to good use. Consider yourselves honored and blessed among men, to be able to be of service to the servant of the gods" She said.
"Y-Yes apostle" They all responded.
"Tch, useless imbeciles" Phobio grunted.
In numbers, Phobio's side was superior. But, even with sheer quantity, it would be impossible to face quality, especially if the quality referred to imperial knights. Imperial knights were bestowed upon with relics or the hex art, sometimes both, giving them a massive advantage in battle against regular swords and armor.
Phobio felt cornered.
"General, what are our chances?" He asked a man beside him.
The man wore a highly decorated armor which stood out among the soldiers. He looked to be in his mid forties and had a very tall and buff build. He had a scar on his forehead, indicating a great level of combat experience.
"I would advise you not to engage." He said to Phobio.
"What? How can you say that even after she insulted me, even the royal family?" Phobio growled.
"I understand your anger. I am also highly infuriated by her audacity and her words against his Majesty and this kingdom." He replied.
"Then..." Phobio retorted.
"But young lord, there is a reason why the royal family has tolerated them for this long. It is because they are simply too great a force to be reckoned with. The apostle aside, even the imperial knights are a problem. I suppose I am able to slay one or two of them, but the other soldiers won't even stand a chance. It will be in your best interest, as well as the best interest of the soldiers to standby young lord" He said.
Phobio gritted his teeth in frustration as he glared at Lauria who smirked at him.
"Then there is the black market trash. They also possess a large number, though not as large as that of our soldiers. The major problem with them is the mystery surrounding them. They have more experience than most of our forces, especially when it comes to killing. It will be difficult to face them without help from the imperial knights." The general said.
"So what do you propose?" Phobio asked.
"We wait. We let the apostle's forces deal with the other enemies and wait for the reinforcements who were sent to the grandmaster's house to return to us. Afterward, we can begin our own counterattack." The general said with a confident smile.
"Oh. That sounds nice" Phobio smiled too, regaining his confidence.
"We'll just watch the fight until the deputy general brings the second unit here. Then I'll make that bitch pay for insulting me" Phobio smiled evily.
The general sighed. He knew the truth of the situation.
"Even if our other forces join with us, it'll be very difficult to win against them" He said within himself.
However, he couldn't tell that to Phobio, especially with his seething anger.
"Hopefully, Lord Phobio will change his mind after witnessing their power" He huffed.
"Looks like the soldiers won't be attacking us. What a bunch of spineless losers. All you heathens are the same. You will always consider your life above anything else. How disgusting" She sneered.
The forces of the trade underworld couldn't take it anymore.
"Oi, bitch. Seems like you need to learn your place here," one of the minions of the rulers said defiantly.
He looked like the right hand man of Borgos and he had a ruffian look. He drew his sword out and pointed it at her.
"Before you start dishing out threats why don't you look at your numbers? We've got the advantage in both quality and quantity." He sneered.
She glared at him and her eyes shone white.
"You would dare point your blade at the gods' chosen?" She said.
Suddenly, the blade he pointed toward her vanished, fading away from sight.
His eyes bulged with surprise when he saw this.
"What the-?!" He let out.
Sweat dropped from his forehead as he began to feel fear.
Suddenly, the sword that vanished appeared from behind him and pierced his head, passing through his skull and appearing between his eyes. His face was filled with inexplicable pain and shock as blood flowed from the area of impact, down to his jaws.
"Gurgh" He let out, coughing blood and falling down immediately.
The thick red liquid oozed from his corpse and it covered the area of his body.
"Wha-What just happened?" Borgos asked in shock.
Lauria closed her eyes, returning her eyes to their original color.
She sighed, resuming her glare.
"Your period of grace is over. Imperial Knights, kill them all" She commanded.
"Yes ma'am" They immediately responded.
The imperial knights charged forward, each with his own relic, ready to slay their opponents.