[Minnerva]
I can remember the time when I was bullying the kids from the village. I too was a kid back then. After roughing them up, they cower in fear.
"Minnerva, we surrender!" They say while crying. "Please don't hit us."
I stand over them laughing. "Hahaha, you call yourselves boys, when you can't even land a scratch on me."
"Damn you, I hope you cry!" One got annoyed. He leaps towards me with an intent to punch me but I kick his face, causing him to fall backward.
"Alright, since I feel like it, I'll give you a another rough beating. Hahaha!"
Melina comes between us, as though trying to defend the boys. "Big sis, please stop bullying them!"
The kids are about to cry from relief after seeing Melina. "Melina, you're an angel. Unlike that bulldog."
I clench my fists from rage. I thought I won't forgive them for saying that crap against me. "Then I have decided, I'll rough you up til evening."
The kids whimper back.
But since Melina was adamant on defending those kids, I end up giving in and leaving them alone. Melina has always been the kind and gentle one, while I was the opposite, often causing trouble in the village, making our father angry.
I hope Melina was just mislead. It's the fault of the Apostles not her.
Right now, I look at her, hoping she will explain the situation. "Melina, tell me what's going on? Please tell me it's just a misunderstanding."
Melina struggles to look at me, perhaps from guilt. She takes a deep breath then speak. "Please forgive me sister, I was scared, I think this is the only way for us to live. He promised me he would spare you if I help him."
"Melina, because of that decision. Our comrades died. Besides, there's no guarantee he will keep his end of the bargain. You can't trust these people."
Melina gasps upon the realization. She falls down on the ground crying. "No way--our comrades died?"
I can't believe my sister got fooled. If only I kept my eye on her. Despite her being kind, she was naive. When did those fools even got into contact with her.
The apostle left her alone to cry. He continues walking to me. "Well, forgive me Melina for killing those fools. What could we have done? Those guys attacked us when we showed up in your camp." He says with a hint of sarcasm.
"You lied to me!" Melina raised her voice.
The apostle just simply laugh it off. "If we let them attack us, the warriors from the Silver Fang would have been the one who died. So obviously it would be better to just finish off the rebels." He looks around his men, gaining for affirmation. "Am I right guys?"
The cult members simple snickers as though it is a joke. "Haha, you are definitely right.."
As for the people in my clan, they grit their teeth with some reluctance to answer. "Please forgive us Melina, we had no choice."
"We had to defend ourselves from the rebels."
"Yeah we are truly sorry, I--
Melina cuts them off. "Those guys aren't rebels! We are brothers and sisters! There is no reason for us to fight!"
The Silver Fang warriors are speechless. They lower their heads from shame.
The apostle come close to Melina. For being loud and sarcastic, he seems dangerously silent. "Is that so? Could you be siding again with the rebels Melina? Are you referring that we are the enemy? You know, you should keep an eye with your mouth. A word that has a hint of heresy to the Eastern Overlord will warant death." The apostle spins and faces us. "Well, whatever, just watch while we slaughter your 'brothers and sisters'."
Right now, the apostle and the warriors from the Silver Clan are unto us. They raise their katanas towards me and my team.
"Please, give it up, Minnerva. Just make this easier for us. You are surrounded."
I take a deep breath and straighten myself. I give a firm command, "take them down, but do your best not to kill them."
The seven Daruma warriors answer with confidence. "No problem." They draw their weapons elegantly.
Facing against fifteen warriors from the Silver Warrior Clan, fear wasn't present in them. One warrior throw various kunai knives at their hands causing them to let go of their weapons, with precision.
The six leap towards them, with their amazing speed, knocking them unconscious effortlessly. It was a one-sided battle and it ended quick.
I smile from amazement.
As for the cult members, they get taken aback. They got intimidated from the warrior's actions from earlier. The Apostle speaks with authority, "don't falter. There are only 9 of them. There are 60 of you here. We outnumber them."
"That's right Lord Agravil, we cultists have achieved the child of darkness title and we are stronger than the average court mage. We don't need to be afraid of some mountainers."
The seven daruma warriors are preparing themselves.
Some of them are casting a spell, "burn ball!"
Some of them shoots out a ball of flames, but the daruma warriors know what to do even without my command. They dodge them easily, one daruma, Zhing the black snake daruma smiles as he put his hand in a jutsu postion. "Python Capture jutsu." Three snakes pops up from the ground, entangles them and bites their heads, causing them to scream.
"Hehe. These idiots are nothing! Bull Crush jutsu." Lato the grey bull daruma, leaps up and spins immensely in mid-air turning into a dangerous ball. It slams down upon the cult members killing 5 of them at once.
Kana the pink ram daruma, puts her hands in a jutsu gestures. "Fluffy Capture jutsu!" She blows her mouth and spits out a pink foam that instantly solidified petrifying the cult members. "You cultists are just all talk."
Halto the white tiger holds two swords. He dashes across the cult members very quickly. "Tiger Dance jutsu!" Taking out several enemy at once with his dancing sword skill.
Vez, the green mantis daruma with his arms that are strong as steel, he hacks them up as though his arms are blade. The cultists couldn't even fight back since they get hacked easily.
Sela, the blue raven, uses a fan as her weapon. She swings her fan creating a wind slash to the direction of the cultists. "Wing blade jutsu!"
Finally, Tayzen the red ape is a muscular and large man. He simply crushes the cultists with his fists, he laughs as he does. "Is that all? Hahaha, do your worst!"
As expected of the most skilled warriors of the village. I'm glad they defected with me when I left the clan. It's because of them why our camp survived this long.
As for the apostle, he is standing behind the cultists. For some reason, he is calm. Does he think he stand a chance against the Daruma warriors?
It's obvious that we have the upperhand in this battle. It's only a matter of time before the cultists gets wiped out and it will be his turn.
I draw my blade and point it at him. "Give it up!"
However, he doesn't even seem to take us seriously. He points at the blue-haired girl, sleeping on the flower bed. "Anyway, who is that person? What is she doing here?"
The Daruma warriors also look at her. "It bothered me as well Chief. Who is that human?"
"I can't believe she is sleeping while these things are going."
I redirect his attention to me. "Hey, hey, instead of looking at other things, shouldn't you feel concerned about yourself?"
After a few seconds of silence, he bursts out laughing. "Hahaha! That's quite a funny joke you got there, for a mere Munren dweller."
Munren dweller?
It bothered us for a long time. Who are these people? We never saw their faces due to their hoods being hidden by a shadow magic.
"This is perfect since you just knocked out the Silver clan warriors, I might as well reveal myself. And it won't matter since I'll kill each one of you. Well, this is exciting." The apostle removes his hood and shows his face. He has a human face but his skin is greyish and he has horns on his head.
Don't tell me. This description! I've read from the documents written by Sagus. These people are demons, the Eastern Overlord's sworn enemy for sealing him inside the dungeon.
The apostle grins, "that's right. We are demons, and we have been controlling you morons these past 3 years."
Damn it!
They are the most powerful race we know in this world. They are not even from Munren since they are beyond the Northern Death Pass. Their abilities can even get close to that of an Overlord.
In other words we are finished.
The seven Daruma warriors can't keep their cool. "Damn you! So it was you demons who deceived us? This is unforgivable!" Says the Tayzen, the red ape daruma.
It hurts our pride immensely as a werewolf for letting the demons control us.
"How dare you, demons?! We'll slay you and your comrades." Says Halto, the white tiger daruma.
They launch an attack towards the demon from rage. One with his blade poses to strike, aiming at the demon. The demon is exhilarated seeing they are turning against him.
The demon motions his finger sideways at the Daruma warrior named Halto, causing his body to get sliced into two as well with his sword, blood splurts out afterward.
"Halto!" I say his name with my voice trailing off from shock.
I can't believe he died just like that.
The demon laughs hysterically. "Hahaha, you guys should know you can't defeat me! I'm the third apostle for godsake."
The others gasps as well and stops for a moment. They continue their attack towards the demon. One by one, the demon with just a motion of his finger cause them to get mutilated. Kana got decapitated, Vez's arm got sliced. Zhing, Sela and Tayzen were like a piece meat that were butchered helplessly.
It happened so fast, that I don't even know how to react. Sela? Vez?
No way!
Is that them on the ground?
Around the demon, their body parts are spread out along with their entrails. Their blood are pooling on the ground, and even flowing to me, reaching my feet.
When the realization finally occured to me, it feels like a sharp dagger to the chest.
Eh?
Melina takes a deep breath, she yells on the top of her lungs with tears flowing on her cheeks. "Halto!!! Zhingg!! Vezzz!!"
Seeing the Daruma warriors were massacred helplessly, I fall on my knees as though there was a big void in my heart.
It seems, it's over, huh? It kinda annoys me why Melina is crying when this is her fault.
Wait, no, everything was my fault. I can't keep blaming everyone since it has all been my fault from day one.
Hahaha, I think I'm going crazy. Well, whatever, I accept my fate.
The difference between our levels is beyond my imagination. There is no way we can fight a demon. I think what I heard was right, that they are on the level of gods.
The demon slowly walks to me. "If you were a bit smarter, you should have followed us like fools and nothing would have happened. Then you and your sister would have been living in peace."
I say with a frail voice. "At least, don't kill my sister. I beg you."
The demon points his finger to me. "Sorry, no can't do. She knows our secret. She will have to die." The demon shows the eye of someone ruthless.
Looks like this is it, huh?
I take a look at Melina for one last time. She cries as she tries to reach out to me. "Big sis!"
"Melina, I'm sorry..." I muster up the courage I have left to say those words.
Just when the demon was about to kill me with his finger, to my surprise, a breeze passes by, then demon's arm smears out blood and it gets severed. His arm falls in front of me with his blood drips down. "Ahhhhh!" He yells from the pain.
Eh?
What just happened?
Looking to my other side, I can see Vermil with her dagger drawn, aimed at the demon. She smiles reassuringly, "It seems I was awaken when someone yelled. And it looks like you are in a bit of trouble. I think I'll help you for a bit."