"How sure are you that you actually killed her?" Professor entered the captain's chamber.
"Not at all. She barely even tried. I'm afraid I may have made the wrong decision here." He responded.
"Wrong decision? How so?"
"Who exactly is the enemy here?" The captain asked implying that the answer he has reached is different.
...
"Grumania is falling at a rapid speed. What should we do? Our borderlands have been completely captured and they have been moving towards capital at a rapid pace." Alice Huffman, member of the head hunters said. She was sitting in a room with other members of head hunters, James and his team, NIGHTFALL and the general of royal knights.
"What is their average stats?" Sunri asked.
"According to reports their level range between 10 and 15. They're well trained... almost as if planning for a day they'd attack the human realm. As expected, they're too well-prepared compared to our army. I'm not to sure if we can even protect ourselves and on top of that, they have that poser siding with them. It's a lost cause. Most we can do is run and hide and try to save as many people as possible. With our king gone, we don't have a powerful leadership either." Leisha sighed.
"Right... We have also asked the adventurer's guild and medical guild for help too. They're trying to get together as many healers and adventurers to assist us in the war and yet, it seems pointless now." Alice said.
"And now with Kristine gone, we have lost a strong warrior too. But we can't surely lose morale right?!" Jennie slammed her hands onto the table as she felt frustrated and utterly helpless.
"It is about time, we pay for our sins." Dylan Evans, a commander in chief of the left wing said. "We colonized their lands and now they want it back after so many centuries.
"Don't be ridiculous. Our four gods gifted this land to us. We are now the rightful owners of it. They lost fair and square and hence, lost the right to call this their land." Rosaline growled.
"She is right... They did lose the land in a fight. That's the law of war... Maybe... just maybe the four gods will help us again like how they helped humans all those years ago against those filthy beasts. We will be victorious again." Barbara clasped her hands together as if praying to the gods.
...
As the discussion turned to insignificant stats and strategies, a warrior barged into the room declaring that the enemy army has left the land. Everyone occupying the room looked at the solider in utter disbelief.
But their happiness was short lived because an entity they weren't expecting entered the room too.
"K-Kenji...?" James stood up with his hand on the handle of his sword.
"Here to tell you, this was just a warning. Neither sides want bloodshed... well... most of demi-humans don't. It's best to cut your losses and hand over the right to Grumania to us. King is no more so all of you have the highest authority in this kingdom." He spoke.
"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND!?" Rosaline lunged at him with her sword but Kenji just created a shield instead of attacking her back.
"Technically in span of one week, you have lost roughly 32 percent of all Grumania. If the beastfolks continue their assault, you'll lose regardless. Now you have an option. Either hand over the crown to me or die fighting. It's not like you can survive otherwise."
"Aren't you getting too rowdy with all of us in this room?" Alice stood up too holding onto her magic staff.
"All of you? Why are you talking as if any of you is a threat to me?" He asked with a confused tone. He has defeated the outlanders, so, he had assumed they understood the threat he posed.
"You're forgetting me." Lizette walked out of a dark corner of the room. She was probably using some kind of magic to hide her presence. Kenji was actually stronger than Lizette too but barely. Under certain circumstances, Lizette has won practice matches too.
"Taking help from the ascendants...? I shouldn't be surprised." He sighed. He knew Lizette with blood on her mind would definitely use everything she has at her disposal to get rid of him. For all she knows, Kenji is dead and someone is using his body and given her sisterly love for Kenji, she simply can't let this slide whatsoever is what Kenji had assumed. In reality, the ascendants had reached a conclusion that Kenji was still alive. Usually the curse would make them forget it but in case of Lizette, it was different. Similar to the captain, Lizette was not a pure human and hence the curse could be weakened by her.
Lizette dashed towards him but stopped right before him. She stared up at him as if trying to intimidate him but in reality, she was analyzing him. It seemed like something had changed. She was slowly starting to understand why their king wasn't able to track Kenji. Even she can't exactly see his magic. As if he doesn't exist in this world anymore from a more technical perspective. It was still a mystery to her as to why he was standing in front of her in flesh but he also didn't exist at the same time. Her mind failed to register his existence. A part of her was telling her that Kenji was dead and this was a fake but she also knew that was a lie.
"Even if it doesn't make any sense..." She whispered softly enough for only Kenji to hear her. She quickly launched a punch at him which he barely manage to stop. Lizette was an equal to him so this was going to be a tough fight. She swiftly moved forward to trip Kenji before spinning across him to land a kick from above him. This kick was strong enough to drill him slightly into the ground. The shockwave from this kick alone showed everyone in the room the sheer difference in the ascendants and those who are not. None of them occupants of the room had seen such brute force.
"Not bad." Lizette smirked before landing another kick using her other foot which Kenji also blocked. He quickly pushed her back and flew up in the air. He launched some fireballs at her but she moved swiftly again and managed to land a kick right into his guts which launched him further into the air breaking the ceiling of the castle. Lizette and rest rushed out into the balcony. Kenji had created a fireball almost as big as the castle in those couple seconds it took for them to move from the room to the balcony.
"A force to be reckoned with." Kenji spoke before he dropped a nuke at the castle. Lizette used her thunder magic and before the fireball could drop onto them, it was split in half by her saving just about every single occupant of the castle. She jumped up into the air using her brute force and pulled her sword out of the sheath. Kenji also created the sword of offering and charged at her.
The moment the two clashed, their blades shattered but instead of stopping, the two used their environment to launch themselves at each other again causing a dust cloud to form in the fighting area.
The anticipation was eating everyone alive but the moment the dust settled, the one standing was Lizette while the one on their knees was Kenji. Everyone cheered as they thought he had lost to Lizette but it didn't last long. Lizette herself was bleeding from her stomach. She too then collapsed onto the ground. Unlike Kenji, Lizette was completely knocked out and so, the winner was Kenji.
The moment Lizette fell, a smokescreen covered the battleground. Kenji had fled the scene while healers rushed towards Lizette.
Now the humanity was left with yet another dilemma, either prepare for a world war or let beastfolks take back their lands with less bloodshed.