Looking at the strong Shadow Guards surrounding them, the guards around Luis couldn't help but swallow nervously. The presence of these powerful warriors was overwhelming, and the tension in the air was thick.
Luis stepped forward, his expression calm but commanding. He looked directly at the Shadow Guards, his voice steady.
"What is the meaning of this?" Luis questioned, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"Since I have survived and returned, do you wish to challenge me? Is that why you are showing such murderous intent?"
The Shadow Guards, who had been silently watching, glanced at each other before slowly lowering themselves to their knees. Their collective movement was precise, almost eerie in its uniformity.
"Welcome, Your Highness," they repeated in unison, their voices low but filled with respect.
Seeing this, Luis felt a wave of satisfaction. These were truly the Shadow Guards of the Azov royal family, loyal and disciplined, without a trace of betrayal in their hearts.
"Alpha, step forward," Luis commanded, his tone sharp as he looked over the group, trying to identify the leader among them. With their bodies completely covered, it was impossible to distinguish one from another.
At his order, one of the Shadow Guards stepped forward.
"Yes, Your Highness," the figure responded, bowing slightly.
Luis scrutinized the figure before him. "Are you truly Alpha? Tell me the last thing I said before leaving."
There was a brief pause before the Shadow Guard answered, "Azov is dead."
Luis nodded, now convinced that this was indeed Alpha. Only the true leader of the Shadow Guards would know such a detail.
"Good," Luis said, his voice filled with authority.
"Now, Alpha, tell me about the forces currently controlling the Azov capital. What is their strength?"
Alpha's response was immediate and emotionless, as expected from someone trained to suppress all feelings.
"There are 1,000 warriors from the Kano Kingdom, Your Highness," Alpha reported.
"Two of them are Gold rank, fifty are Silver rank, and the rest are Bronze rank."
Hearing this, Luis felt a sense of relief wash over him. The Kano army stationed in the Azov capital was not as strong as he had feared. They were formidable, but not unbeatable.
"Alpha, let me tell you how I survived the pursuit by the Kano Kingdom's army," Luis began, his voice growing more intense.
"I was chased by General Austin and his 50,000 troops. With no other choice, I entered Godfall..."
Luis continued to recount his harrowing experience, describing how he had narrowly escaped death and eventually gained the support of a god. As he spoke, the usually emotionless Shadow Guards showed signs of shock. It was subtle, but their stiff postures and the way they shifted slightly on their feet betrayed their astonishment.
'If anyone else had told them this story, they would never have believed it,' Luis thought, a small smile playing on his lips.
But he could see that his words were having the intended effect. The revelation that their kingdom was now under the protection of a god and that the Kano Kingdom had already been destroyed was almost too much to comprehend.
"Now, Alpha," Luis said, his voice sharp as he shifted back to the present,
"tell me, if I want to kill all the people of the Kano Kingdom here in the capital, how long would it take?"
Alpha didn't hesitate. "Your Highness, if you give the order, they will not see the sun of tomorrow,"
Luis nodded, satisfaction evident in his expression.
"Very well. I order you to destroy them all. I don't want a single one left alive. And be especially careful—no one should escape," Luis added, his voice hardening with hatred. The memories of his people suffering under Kano's rule fueled his anger.
The guards behind Luis nodded in agreement. They were exhausted, but the thought of finally avenging their fallen comrades gave them strength.
"Yes, Your Highness. No one will be left alive," Alpha responded, and with that, the Shadow Guards melted back into the darkness, their forms disappearing as swiftly as they had appeared.
One of the Shadow Guards remained behind, tasked with arranging accommodations for Luis and his guards.
---
It was a dark, oppressive night in the capital. Since the destruction of the Azov Kingdom, the citizens had lived under the harsh rule of the Kano Kingdom, suffering daily humiliations and abuses.
But tonight, something was different. In various parts of the capital, the Shadow Army was gathering, their intent clear: to utterly destroy the Kano warriors.
---
Inside the royal castle, two Gold-ranked warriors were stationed as guards. Ever since arriving in the capital, they had indulged in the luxuries afforded to them, their vigilance gradually giving way to indulgence. They faced no apparent danger and had grown careless.
One of the Gold warriors, named Mike, was particularly indulgent. He was lying among several women, his large belly rising and falling as he slept, exhausted from his earlier activities.
As the night deepened, one of the women beside him slowly opened her eyes. She lay still for a moment, listening to the silence around her.
Satisfied that no one was watching, she carefully reached for a small fruit knife hidden among her belongings. The blade was coated with a potent poison she carried on her body.
Her expression was cold as she turned her gaze toward Mike's sleeping form. Without hesitation, she moved closer and, with a swift motion, plunged the knife into his side.
The sound of the blade piercing flesh was quiet, but it was enough to wake Mike. He bolted upright, pain shooting through his body as he located the source of the attack.
"Ahhh, you woman! You dare seek your death?" he roared, his voice thick with rage as he released his aura, filling the room with his overwhelming power.
Despite the aura release by mike, the woman held her ground. She, too, released her aura, revealing herself to be a Silver-ranked warrior. Mike's eyes widened in surprise, but his shock quickly turned to fury as he lunged at her.
The woman dodged his first attack, but Mike was fast, even with his bulky frame.
He chased her around the room, his momentum growing with each step. But then, he began to notice something strange—his strength was fading. His vision blurred, and his limbs felt heavy. He glanced down at the wound on his side and realized the knife had been coated with a powerful poison.
"Damn it! I'll kill you!" he bellowed, trying to suppress the growing weakness as he charged at the woman again.
But before he could reach her, two women jumped from the bed and lunged toward him, both Silver-ranked warriors, and a Shadow Guard slipped in through the window. The Shadow Guard moved with the fluid grace of a Golden-ranked warrior, his presence immediately filling the room with tension.
Mike's heart pounded in his chest as fear gripped him. He was outnumbered, poisoned, and his strength was dwindling rapidly.
"You fools!" he shouted, desperation creeping into his voice.
"Do you know the consequences of killing me? If I die, the Kano Kingdom will not let you live!"
He hoped his words would scare them off, but the room remained deathly silent. The Shadow Guard and the three women advanced on him, their attacks precise, aiming for his vital points with ruthless efficiency.
Mike fought back with everything he had, but the poison was too strong, and his enemies too determined. After a few more desperate moments, one of the Silver warriors plunged her blade into his back, piercing his heart.
As his life ebbed away, Mike could only whisper,
"You... you will pay for this... Kano will avenge me..." And with that, his world went dark.
---
But it wasn't just in that room that the slaughter was taking place. All across the capital, wherever there were Kano warriors, the Shadow Army was executing their orders with cold, calculated precision.
The night was filled with the sounds of battle, of lives being snuffed out in the darkness.