AUTHOR POV
The new soldiers received their military uniform and other equipments, including armor, a special suit, and a bracelet that serves as a pocket storage device. Given an order to dress up in their military uniform for an official announcement made by the king of Akkadia, making them a part of the seiken army.
The formal black military uniform for seikens has a sleek and commanding presence, designed to project authority and unity of their forces. The jacket is tailored with sharp lines and made from a high-quality black fabric with a subtle sheen, emphasizing discipline and precision. features a high collar with silver piping along the edges, and the cuffs are adorned with thin silver stripes, symbolizing their ranks.
On the right arm, just below the shoulder, sits the Orionis division badge, representing their elite status. The badge was made from a cracked skull, with a sword piercing it from one side and coming out from the other. The pants are fitted and made of the same material as the jacket, and the polished black boots.
A vast and majestic hall, with towering marble columns lined with intricate gold filigree and a long crimson carpet leading to the grand, elevated throne where the king sits in regal splendor, flanked by glowing mana crystals. They stand in formation, lined up one next to another in lines.
In front of the throne, a light ignited bright golden yellow.
He stood like a living colossus, muscles bulging beneath his gleaming golden armor, which was embossed with ancient symbols of power. His dark hair and thick beard flowed around a crown shaped like a warrior's helm, framing fierce, ancient eyes that burned with intensity. Clad in simple white trousers below, his legs flexed with raw, untamed power. An overwhelming magical aura crackled around him, making the air hum as though even nature bent to his will. Every step he took echoed with the weight of a force feared, a moment all the newbies' blood froze in their veins.
This is Sargon the Great, they stood beneath him, a powerful aura far greater than any human being in this land of chaos. He drew the aura slowly, a showoff move from him.
The tense atmosphere calmed as he sat on his chair, a man next to him old and fragile. There was no other way to describe a slave more than this guy.
"All hail the king, Sargon." interrupted by the king with a hand wave, a moment of silence
"You stand here not by chance but by the weight of your deeds and the steel of your resolve. The path ahead will demand more than strength, wisdom, honor, and loyalty will be your true weapons. Akkadia's heart beats with each of you, and in your hands rests the future of our great realm. Serve with courage, and you will carve your names into the very stone of our history."
He paused, letting his words settle like a binding oath in their hearts.
He waved to a commander standing at the end of the line of high-ranking officers, and in an instant that commander bent down to her knees face to face with the king. A few words exchanged, and they started walking away, fading behind the throne. That commander's aura was nonexistent; not a shred of her aura was let.
Yacha glancing at Ursamg, they both concluded that the commander was either too skilled or a jinn; it was a fifty-fifty chance, a powerful being or a different being.
YACHA POV.
Walking out from the palace to Seiken's headquarters, they sent for us the Orionis to get our missions.
Commander Ardran spoke to us, "That woman the king called for is the slayer of Nergal, Shino."
Confused, we let a screaming "whaaat??".
"But she didn't show any sign of aura," Speira said.
"I thought I was going crazy, like an aftereffect of the king's presence," Eline replied.
"The king didn't show his full extent; that was only a portion of his aura," Ardran said.
"Ex-excuse me ??" Speira said nervously.
"It was clear guys, the king's gesture gave it he was relaxed, and that aura was an aftereffect of teleportation magic, not a showoff as we all thought," Ursang calmly explained to them,
I already knew that.
I interpreted their conversation. "That's what you guys are worried about? You haven't realized yet, but that girl Shino had absolute control over her presence; we couldn't tell if she was there even though she was standing in front of our eyes," .
"That was the slayer we hear about the strongest seikens have seen? You couldn't tell she moved that fast, not leaving a trace or wind behind..." I added
Interrupted by Ursang again "Calm down! I saw it that wasn't teleportation; that was wind attribute. I can say that much. "
Ardran nodded in agreement with what Ursang said with a challenging look. "That's what you should be capable of to get the king's acknowledgment."
At the headquarters, a woman waiting for us with papers in her hand, keeping it short, gave us our mission, no words, said no salutes, and walked away. The paper contained details about the mission assigned to us at the cedar forest. Effective immediately.
Back to the dorm again, we wore our armor. The Orionis armor is dark blue, different from the others, but more slick, allowing fluid movement. Riding horses for the two-day journey and discussing our plans, the mission in hand was capturing spies who entered the border of Akkadia and hid on the edge of the cedar forest, an ancient forest forbidden to civilians for how dangerous it is. Time flew fast as we reached the forest, tall, thick trees.
You would feel like you were entering a different dimension. Slowly and steadily we proceeded forward and took a few hours within the forest to glimpse a campfire. Though it was morning, the forest was dark as night. Speira leads the way as she's a specialist in sneaking maneuvers; she gives a sign to us to come close, weird! I thought to myself as we made our way through the bushes.
"They are unconscious," she said.
Looking at them and pointing at the needle-like pierce in the neck—not a big hole yet not small. I noticed the unusual silence mixed with a sensation; something wasn't right; a faint aura coming from the trees themselves; the sudden realization hit everyone; suddenly the corner of my eyes caught the eyes within the trees glancing at us; behind me, a creature of the dark emerged from a tree, attacking me like a bow he strikes; I barely dodged, while Ursang took his sword out of his bracelet pocket, cutting the wooden creature in half.
The tree branches took the two pieces, dragging them into themselves. We just stared, expecting surprise attacks from every direction. Ursang launched an armor he made using earth attributes and surrounded us for two seconds, a chance to withdraw our weapons from the bracelet pocket. Ursang-shaped balls with his attributes that I sat on fire launched at those creatures; however, chaos erupted. We stood shoulder to shoulder as the ancient trees stirred, launching their wooden creatures at us soldiers; those wooden golems won't stop spawning.
My heart raced as I unleashed a torrent of fire from my spear, but the creatures advanced in relentless waves, absorbing the flames and pressing forward despite the scorching heat. They evolved to our attacks. The weight of my magic drained me; I struggled to maintain my footing as a creature lunged at me, its wooden limbs striking with surprising speed. With a desperate thrust, I deflected the attack, but the effort left me winded, and I could feel the strain of maintaining the fire surging through me.
Ursang swung his double-edged thick sword with all his might, calling upon the earth to help him. He summoned rocky spikes from the ground to impale the wooden creatures, yet the sheer number of foes was overwhelming. The spikes struck true, but the creatures were relentless, clawing at his armor. As he blocked one attack, another struck from the side, forcing him to shift his focus. His breath came in heavy gasps, and the exhaustion began to set in, making each swing feel heavier than the last.
Eline fought valiantly with her sword, channeling water magic to create protective whirlpools. Yet, as she turned to strike, she found herself surrounded by the creatures closing in from all sides. Her spells were effective but not enough to deter the relentless onslaught. She could feel her energy waning as she parried blow after blow, each clash reverberating through her bones. A wooden creature managed to catch her off guard, slamming into her side and sending her sprawling to the ground.
Speira, normally agile and swift, found herself outmatched as the winds she conjured struggled against the sheer force of the tree creatures. She slashed with her twin short swords, but for every foe she felled, two more took its place. The oppressive weight of the forest pressed down on her, and she could feel the exhaustion creeping into her limbs as she attempted to dodge and weave through the attack. A creature lunged at her, and she barely managed to evade it, the wooden limbs grazing her shoulder and leaving her vulnerable.
Together, we fought valiantly, yet the living forest proved to be an unyielding adversary, its enchanted defenses seemingly endless. Each of us felt the weight of our struggle, our magic and strength tested against the relentless tide of wooden foes, as the cedar forest trees stood ominously tall, observing our desperate fight with golems.
As we caught our breath amidst the chaos of the forest, a sudden shift in the atmosphere signaled the emergence of something even more formidable. The trees, recognizing the valiant struggle of the young soldiers, began to reveal their true nature, merging into a colossal wooden guardian, its bark-like skin pulsing with a deep, verdant energy. This ancient sentinel, awakened by the fierce battle, stood as a protector of the forest, intent on killing them
Realizing the gravity of our situation, the four of us exchanged determined glances, recognizing that this was not merely a fight for survival or carrying on a mission but an opportunity to prove our worth to the Seiken Army. We would have to combine our strengths, working as a cohesive unit to face this threat.
I would lead the charge, using my spear to distract the guardian while unleashing powerful blasts of fire mixed with thunder. I remember the thunder advantage of the temporary paralysis effect; I'd draw the creature's attention away from my comrades, keeping it off balance as we devised a strategy.
Ursang, tapping into the very earth beneath him, would create barriers of stone to protect us from the guardian's powerful attacks while simultaneously launching earth-based strikes to weaken its defenses.
Eline focuses on channeling her water magic to create slippery terrain, aiming to destabilize the guardian and create openings for us to strike. Her agile movements would keep her out of harm's way as she darted around the battlefield.
Speira would harness the winds to enhance our movements, allowing us to strike swiftly and evade the guardians's attacks. Her dual blades would dance through the air, targeting the weaker points of the massive creature, while she also maintained a protective barrier around us.
we are prepared for this challenge, the forest itself seemed to respond to our resolve; the air thickened with magical energy. We would have to draw on everything we had learned in our training, forging deeper skills and pushing our limits as we faced the guardian golem.
Once we defeated the guardian, we would earn our spot in the army.