"First of all, I need you to listen to me and obey. We must avoid confronting them for now, as they've likely grown stronger and could possibly outmatch our ace, Schordinger," Deviola explained.
"If that's your concern, then they must be quite formidable. I'm glad we fled and didn't face them earlier," Anna replied.
"You have a sharp mind, Anna. But to be clear, we are not afraid of them. If a confrontation becomes inevitable, then we fight," Deviola continued, raising her finger and pointing upwards. "The signal is above us. When she starts her performance, we will move to assist her. And it's perfectly fine to proceed cautiously. I know of a secret path, invisible to anyone but me."
.
.
.
The captain and Deviola have met eye to eye. As expected from the captain, he shows no fear against the immense pressure that Deviola emanates. Or perhaps, it's because he doesn't yet know who the young lady in front of him actually is.
The captain drew his sword and pointed it at them, his voice firm and threatening. "Surrender now, Malakar. You're surrounded, and there's nowhere left to run. Just so you know, we've trained relentlessly for this day, and we will defeat you once and for all!"
The captain's speech ignites the spirits of his army, especially in front of the enemies they crave to defeat. But to Schordinger himself, the words are meaningless. He doesn't know who they are talking about or whom the speech is directed at. Schordinger couldn't care less about the threat and simply averts his eyes to the beautiful scenery around them. Eventually, he locks eyes with a sniper watching them from a distance.
"One, two, three... Eleven. Twelve snipers targeting us, but I can't locate the last one. Probably positioned further east, beyond the kingdom's reach," Schordinger analyzed.
"Alright, so our escape route is secured, right, Anna?" Deviola asked for confirmation.
"Heading south is the most convenient, but we'll need to deal with them first," Anna responded.
Deviola smirked and addressed the enemies, "Now, boys, you heard her. Could you be good lads and let us through? We really don't have time to deal with you right now."
Feeling underestimated, a bullet suddenly raced toward the young lady's head at high speed. But Deviola saw it coming; she glanced at the bullet that was about to pierce her head in a split second. Instead of catching it herself, Deviola merely averted her eyes back to the captain and let Schordinger catch the bullet for her.
With unmatched reflexes, Schordinger caught the bullet just before it got close to his lord. He caught it as if he were catching a fly, using just two fingers. With a slight scrape, the bullet turned to dust in no time.
The captain bit his tongue and curled his index finger back into his palm.
"Nice try, Captain. But my warlords haven't degraded in the slightest, even after their long slumber," Deviola smiled.
"Your warlords...? So, that's how it is. I understand the situation now." The captain touched his right ear, briefly averting his gaze. "Yumi, you heard that, right? Yes, proceed immediately." He released his ear and refocused on the young lady. "Well then, we can't let you pass without surrendering Malakar to us. Or rather, to be precise, we'll be taking him with us—one way or another."
Surprised, Deviola hadn't expected that the Kingdom of Arcaeloria's target would be directly aimed at Schordinger, her strongest unit. Calling them underestimated might have been a mistake, as they were clearly prepared to confront him on this battlefield. But that's why Deviola has nothing to worry about; she doesn't intend to give up her best unit and is looking forward to seeing the humans try.
"Sorry to disappoint you, but the one you call Malakar no longer exists in this world," said Schordinger.
"That won't be a problem," the captain responded coldly. "The one we called Belladonna no longer exists in this world either, but her body still lingers here. Am I right, Belladonna Thornshade?"
"Oh my... Are you a fan of mine? Want for some flowers? I can make you a dozen with my signature if you'd like," Anna replied playfully.
"Enough with the games. Hand over Malakar—or whatever he goes by now—and we'll spare your lives," the captain threatened, drawing his weapon.
Still trying to bargain, the captain sought to avoid unnecessary combat to minimize casualties. But Deviola didn't yield; she rejected the captain's offers, knowing that the probability of Schordinger being captured was very low. Not only that, but Deviola was also stalling for time to ensure the show of one of her warlords would begin at the fated moment.
And it's soon will be started...
"Don't you think you overestimate yourself? Capturing my strongest warlord? Have you not woken from your dream?" Deviola mocked, a sly grin playing on her lips.
"You're right," the captain admitted. "We've never faced legendary evils like you. After all, we were just born yesterday, after you all vanished. But we won't yield—we will defeat you all." He raised his sword high, commanding his troops to prepare for battle.
"Oh? I wouldn't do that if I were you," Deviola warned, her voice cold and ominous.
"CHARGE!!!" the captain bellowed, giving the final command.
The captain extended his sword forward and gave the command for a total assault. The horses moved, and every soldier raised his weapon, preparing to fight with their arms, horses, and magic. They screamed their war cry as if they were on the battlefield against a thousand-strong army.
The captain charged, followed by the Five Aces, who used various mounts to keep up with him. Their spirits ignited instantly, and they screamed at the top of their lungs, initiating combat against The Evil King's warlords. But that burning spirit was suddenly extinguished.
A surge of strong winds suddenly blew from an unexpected direction. A great echo spread from the entrance to the Kingdom of Valhalla at ground level, causing the soldiers and their mounts to fall. The captain was no exception; he was thrown from his steel horse and slammed into the ground.
Deviola smiled widely and ominously. She raised her five fingers in the air and began the countdown.
"Five... Four... Three..." her voice echoed with a chilling certainty.
The captain immediately stood up and watched the young lady's countdown closely. There was nothing he could do to stop her, so he focused on recording every movement of the young lady, Anna, and Schordinger with his snapper.
"Two... One... Zero..."
Suddenly, the sky turned red, starting from the center of the Kingdom of Valhalla. The red sky spread, and a burning sensation in the atmosphere raised the world's heat levels across the ground. The scene of the world's end was repeated once again after a very long time.
The captain was confused; the world turned red in an instant, as if someone had unleashed a world-scale spell. Dark creatures began to emerge from the shade of the worlds, including goblins, orcs, and harpies. Their strength also increased due to the red sky phenomenon.
Voices rang in the captain's ears as officials from the headquarters of the Arcaeloria Defense Army Department reported a massive phenomenon occurring around the kingdom. Thousands of reports flooded in as the world suddenly plunged into darkness.
But the captain heard no more.
The laughter of Deviola, who initiated the red sky phenomenon, was the only sound the captain could hear now. His focus was entirely on Deviola, who was orchestrating the end-of-the-world scenario. The captain gripped his blade tightly and began to raise his sword again.
"Captain, hold the fire, the kingdom needs you." said the voices 1 on his ears.
"Captain retreat." said the voices 2 on his ears.
"Captain fall back, the King's order." said the voices 3 on his ears.
"Captain..."
"Captain Hijikata..."
"Captain..."
"Captain..."
But the captain didn't listen; all he wanted was to eliminate the young lady standing before him. Ken Hijikata screamed, unleashing his war cry, and his army followed his command. There was nothing greater in his mind than defeating Malakar and his subordinates immediately to resolve the crisis.
"Everyone, HOLD your ground!!! For the glory of the kingdom, CHARGE!!!" the captain roared, his voice echoing through the battlefield.
Hundreds of human soldiers snapped back to their senses, quickly mounting their steel horses and charging toward Schordinger and the others. The Five Aces also took their stances, moving swiftly in every direction toward their enemies, following their leader's command. The captain, leading the charge, was the first to run toward his target, spearheading the army's assault.
Once again, Deviola's visions proved true as their obstacle would soon be no more. She snapped her fingers, and Anna immediately unleashed her power over the earth. The ground shook as a giant tree suddenly emerged, creating a magnificent and sprawling banyan tree.
One sweep of Anna's magic repelled hundreds of soldiers. The banyan tree grew five times taller than it originally was, and an anesthetic pollen spread from the tree, making it even harder for the fallen soldiers to get up, even if they were not injured.
The banyan tree stood high and mighty, blocking the view of the sniper who had been targeting Schordinger and the others. The tree also obscured the fallen soldiers from sight as it emerged. Its vast canopy covered the entire Great Flower Plain area, leaving no flowers visible on the ground.
The A.D.A.D officials lost contact with the captain and the leader of the Five Aces, leaving no one to maintain the connection with the kingdom's defense headquarters.
"Captain, please respond... Captain!" the official called out in despair.
In a kingdom not far from the Great Flower Plain area, Elion Thalorion witnessed the sudden rise of the great banyan tree. As he sipped his tea calmly, he observed the effective containment of the dark creature outbreak crisis. He turned a blind eye to the phenomenon and the despair of the human army in the Great Flower Plain area.
"That's why I chose to sit this one out rather than fight them. The Evil King is back, and now we just wait for them to make their move. If they have no intention to do so, then so be it," said Elion.
"I understand, Your Highness," answered Caelum Silversong.
The captain of the Faeloria Military Organization bowed to his king and left the throne room to rejoin the battle against the dark creatures. Meanwhile, his successor, his son Raelion Thalorion, stood beside the king, his father, witnessing the same scene. He was amazed by the rapid growth of the banyan tree.
"Isn't that great, father? The tree just grew like that," said Raelion.
"Yes, it is, my son. However, it won't last long—it's only a mirage created by magic."
"And just like you too..." Raelion murmured.
Raelion stabbed his father from behind, causing Elion, the King of Faeloria, to fall to his knees and lose consciousness. The knife used by Raelion was poisoned, with the blade stained by the venom. The poison spread quickly, rendering the victim unable to open his eyes.
On the other side, Caelum Silversong found Raelion fighting alongside the other knights against the dark creatures. He was shocked to see Raelion, who had been with his father not long ago. Without delay, Caelum dragged Raelion with him to meet the king once more.
"Raelion, come with me!"
"Caelum captain! What's the-- whoaaaa..."
They both ran as fast as they could to the throne room. The hall of the king's palace was unsettlingly quiet, with no one around since all the knights and staff were engaged in fighting the dark army. As they approached the throne room, Raelion began to have a foreboding feeling.
Caelum and Raelion were too late; the king had fallen and was unconscious. They rushed to the king and immediately examined his condition. They found a poisoned knife wound on his back, but it was not severe.
Suddenly, the knights rushed toward the throne room. They found Raelion and Caelum holding the wounded king. In an instant, the king's advisors accused Raelion and Caelum of being the killers of the King of Faeloria.