Chapter 153: 153
If audio player doesn't work, press Stop then Play button again
"It is our win," the Resistance leader announced loud enough for all to hear as he stood one of the halves of the mithril wall. He held the giant glass-like crystal up for all to see. The Resistance members cheered as the knights's faces paled and cast their gazes to the ground. The apprentices cursed and threw their weapons down.
"How could this happen?" One of the apprentices asked, biting his lip. "General Alexander was the greatest knight in the kingdom. How could he have lost to someone like that?" Other apprentices lowered their heads as well, tears pouring from their eyes.
Out of everyone in the room, only Doevm was calm. 'Something,' he thought as he looked at the Resistance leader. 'Is wrong about that statement. It is as if he doesn't believe in his own words at all. It's as if he's…bored. I can't see his entire face, but I can just tell by the way he moves.' As Doevm repeated the Resistance leader's words in his head, a feeling in his stomach increased, pure disgust.
If Doevm made a move, however, the rest of the Resistance would target him. He kept his head down and acted defeated like the rest. He also got ready to run at a moment's notice and inched his way toward the exit. 'I haven't recovered much of my mana yet but have just enough to get out of here.' As the Resistance leader stepped more into the light, his mask pulled away from his mouth. The corners of his mouth weren't curved even a little upwards as he spoke of his own victory.
"But." The single word rang over the Resistance members' many cheers. They shut their mouths and lowered their heads. "I wonder," he said as he gazed into the crystal. He jumped down from the wall. With another jump, he landed in front of the dragon's corpse and put a hand on the nearest knight's shoulder. The Knight fell to a knee and the ground cracked a little beneath him. The Knights around them took a step back. "Would you die for me?"
"Go to hell." The green-eyed knight hissed.
"Wait a minute," the Resistance leader said. "I know you. You're that knight that almost caught me as I took your daughter. You both have the same look in your eyes, or you used to before I broke her."
"You son of a bitch!" The knight yelled as he pushed away the Resistance leader's hand and attempted to stand. The Resistance leader simply rammed the knight's own sword through his leg.
The knight screamed before spitting in the Resistance leader's face, who reeled back before wiping the spit off his face and leaning closer. If it was quiet before, now the silence was deafening. The resistance members stepped towards the offending Knight but the Resistance leader shook his head.
"If I was in your position, I would have at least hidden my anger." He jerked his fingers upwards, forcing the Knight to smile. "I would have acted happy, joined the Resistance, then slit my throat the first chance I got. Looks like you really didn't care about your child after all. Don't worry, I'm sure she doesn't hate you for that. I know I didn't hate my parents after I burned their house down. I never hate," He grabbed the knight's tongue and slowly pulled. "I never love, I never get annoyed, I never get jealous, I never get prideful, I never feel." He let the knight go. "But I can always see it in others, their emotions."
The Knight, while he didn't suffer from any external damage, took a knee and puked. Doevm felt a wave of soulmana rush over him as the Knight's flesh crawled up around him, expanding and contracting.
"What I do want to see though," The Resistance leader continued, walking past the Knight writhing on the ground. "Is for someone to hold anything other than hate towards me. How about you?" The Resistance leader asked as he grabbed Doevm by the shoulder in a tight grip. "I've defeated you, haven't I? Will you follow me, who has attained power by working hard for it? Will you embody my ideals? Will you accept me for who I am?"
Doevm was pulled so close that he could see just past the mask and into his eyes, which held not a hint of warmth. As the Resistance leader's grip tightened, he felt something change inside of him, an energy wanting to burst free. His mouth opened and closed uncontrollably as he struggled to remain conscious. He yanked "Lich's Malice" from the shelf and felt his last shreds of strength return. He forced his face to be neutral. "You may have deceived them, but not me. You haven't defeated anyone. Not me, not the capital, and not general Alexander."
Rage washed over him in a hot burst, strengthening him even more. He pointed behind the Resistance leader towards the mithril wall. "Look, there he is." As the Resistance leader turned his head, Doevm pulled his spear out of his spatial ring and aimed for the heart. Life essence swirled around his arms and aching muscles. 'Just one more,' Doevm said as he reeled back. 'Please body, just hold up for one more strike.' He thrust the spear forward. It went through the shirt, through the armor, through the skin, then halted.
The Resistance leader turned back to Doevm with his hand fastened around the spear's golden tip, which shattered. "Nice try," he said as the soulmana inside of Doevm flared.
Doevm remained still, finding that his soulmana was surging. If his soul was a cup and his soulmana the water, then the water was trying to break the sides of the cup. With no other choice, he continuously repaired his vessel with his raging soulmana. His forehead lit up. At the same time, a glow came from under the Resistance leader's mask.
"You're an inheritor?" The Resistance leader asked, his mouth's expression still unchanging. "Interesting. It's like you're a mirror image of me." His mouth moved but his dark eyes drew Doevm in.
'So that's why you're familiar,' Doevm thought. He had around him, the stench of an Undead. Not the rotten flesh or tainted blood, but the smell of someone who hated humanity and all it stood for.
"Maker said there would be others, but I didn't expect to actually meet one after this much time." He set the crystal down to his right, pulled a book from his pocket, and flipped a couple of pages. "No crest huh?" The Resistance leader poked at Doevm's chest.
"I can feel your anger like a raging fire. You see, I've gotten good at that sort of thing after watching people for so long. I can't help it. It's just something to take the boredom away, but that didn't make it interesting. But you, you're perfect, something I can look forward to. You're another champion. You have the potential to be a rival." He leaned so close that Doevm could smell the deceit in his breath. "You have one year." He threw Doevm to the ground. "And when that-"
"Sir Dransel!" The taller of the two mages said as he ran up to the Resistance leader. "We should just go. We have what we want. With the crystal, we can reform this country into a better one, where everyone is free. Isn't that what we all wanted?"
"Correct," the Resistance leader said.
"Then allow me," the mage reached for the crystal, his forehead glowing with the same light which shown on Doevm's forehead but stopped. His head slid straight off of his shoulders.
"Brother." The shorter mage suppressed his cries and bit his lip.
The Resistance leader's mouth didn't even so much as twitch. Doevm didn't even the flash of a sword. "But none of you understand. This isn't how the story is supposed to go." The Resistance members all went wide-eyed, but none of them voiced their complaints.
"I'm supposed to gain power through hard work." Behind him, the Knight that had been writhing on the floor finally stopped and stood to his feet. For a second, nothing changed. Then he let out another scream as he expanded, his claws and hair lengthening.
"Then my defeated opponents should follow me without question or interruptions." He glanced at the decapitated mage. When the Knights transformation into a Creature was complete, it kneeled before the Resistance leader.
"Then there is this," the Resistance leader said as he held up the enormous crystal. "Since my defeated opponents didn't follow me, that means they didn't see my hard work, which means this," The leader raised his sword. "Was a defeat,"
"No!" the Resistance soldiers cried out as the crystal shattered under the Resistance Leader's sword. "What have you done?" The shorter mage stepped forward.
"What was necessary," the Resistance leader said. "I had forgotten that I need to not only overcome the kingdom, but also a person. I can't win like this, fighting in the shadows. I need to humiliate. I need to conquer. I need to demonstrate my power." He swept his sword horizontally, pointing at each of his men. "You all think that I can't conquer this country without the crystal. You don't believe in my leadership."
"We've followed you to the death and even further than that," the shorter mage screeched, his hands clenching and unclenching as he got closer to the Resistance leader. "And then you just turned on us like that! I can't take it anymore. I'm-" he stopped and grabbed his chest. He pulled out a necklace from under his black robe, which was glowing. His eyes widened before he bowed. "I'm sorry. Please forgive my outbur-" His head snapped to the right, to where the Resistance leader had emerged. He wasn't alone. Every other person in the room felt it.
It washed over them like a wave of pure dread as a pair of footsteps clanked against the floor from behind the mithril wall, each one louder than the previous. Shivers ran down the Creatures' spines, for their awakened instincts were the first to grasp the sensation and experience it to its fullest.
The rhythmic footsteps halted as they got to the half of the mithril wall that was still standing. The Resistance leader swallowed his saliva and took a step back. The wall burst open, flinging into the other side of the room. What caught Doevm's eye was the glint of a golden sword.
It is said that in the Acrin Kingdom, death had materialized into the greatest Knight, Alexander Finlish. His enemies called him the devil and his allies called him a hero. No matter what he was called, he killed, and killed, and killed until he went from a commoner to general, until he lost count, until he had single-handedly defeated armies.
Above all titles, he was defined by one thing: battle. His eyes were locked onto his target, the Resistance leader. "You may have lost me down there," Alexander roared. "But up here, you have nowhere to run." Golden life essence flared around him. The Resistance leader took another step back.
"Everyone into the teleportation artifact!" the Resistance leader yelled as he held out his sword. Doevm only saw a golden flash, and then the Resistance leader flew back with a metal clang. A sharp crack rang out, the Resistance leader's sword breaking. Alexander raised his sword again, following behind like golden lightning.
A burst of steam left Alexander's mouth as he took another step, the floor cracking yet again. He wore his bloodlust like a coat, which flooded through the room. Everyone near him passed out under the sheer pressure. Resistance members who could still stand picked up those who had fallen unconscious and ran for the teleportation artifact. Alexander paid them no mind, and the knights were too busy trying to keep breath to notice.
The Resistance leader broke straight through the vertebrae at the back of the room. Before he could even cough, Alexander appeared in front of him, his sword raised. The Resistance leader crossed his arms, his sleeves fluttering as his life essence surged underneath it.
Alexander's sword descended like a comet, breaking the entire back wall into rubble. The Resistance leader shot deeper inside the earth before bouncing back like he had turned himself into a ball.
The creatures stayed behind and covered the retreat, taking down as many Knights as they could. The apprentices dove for their weapons and fought them back.
"I know I can't win," the Resistance leader said as he dodged through Alexander's flurry of blows. Deep, bloody wounds formed all over his body, cutting through his armor and cloth. "But I can run!" He and Alexander turned into a blur and shock waves rang out.
Doevm couldn't even follow them anymore. He did, however, know where the Resistance leader was heading, into the teleportation artifact with the last of his men.
Doevm pulled out the dragon's fire-breathing organ, which was still tied to the explosive arrow. He used his dagger to reignite the fuse. "I know I can't win either, but I can at least take out your army."
Because the teleportation artifact was opening and closing so much, he could see a mass of people with red life essence floating out of them on the other side. 'That portal should link to your base, where you have been keeping all of those missing people. You might be able to defend against this, but they can't.' He tossed the bomb into the teleportation artifact as the rest of the Resistance and their leader all vanished. The burning fuse touched the bag's contents, and a blue flame came to life with a roaring shout. The teleportation artifact combusted and the portal shut. All the Knights and apprentices felt was a warm gust.
Alexander dispatched the rest of the Creatures. As the warm gust faded, Doevm's strength froze like the rest of his body, which fell to the ground with a sharp smack. His world went black.
Please report us if you find any errors so we can fix it asap!
"It is our win," the Resistance leader announced loud enough for all to hear as he stood one of the halves of the mithril wall. He held the giant glass-like crystal up for all to see. The Resistance members cheered as the knights's faces paled and cast their gazes to the ground. The apprentices cursed and threw their weapons down.
"How could this happen?" One of the apprentices asked, biting his lip. "General Alexander was the greatest knight in the kingdom. How could he have lost to someone like that?" Other apprentices lowered their heads as well, tears pouring from their eyes.
Out of everyone in the room, only Doevm was calm. 'Something,' he thought as he looked at the Resistance leader. 'Is wrong about that statement. It is as if he doesn't believe in his own words at all. It's as if he's…bored. I can't see his entire face, but I can just tell by the way he moves.' As Doevm repeated the Resistance leader's words in his head, a feeling in his stomach increased, pure disgust.
If Doevm made a move, however, the rest of the Resistance would target him. He kept his head down and acted defeated like the rest. He also got ready to run at a moment's notice and inched his way toward the exit. 'I haven't recovered much of my mana yet but have just enough to get out of here.' As the Resistance leader stepped more into the light, his mask pulled away from his mouth. The corners of his mouth weren't curved even a little upwards as he spoke of his own victory.
"But." The single word rang over the Resistance members' many cheers. They shut their mouths and lowered their heads. "I wonder," he said as he gazed into the crystal. He jumped down from the wall. With another jump, he landed in front of the dragon's corpse and put a hand on the nearest knight's shoulder. The Knight fell to a knee and the ground cracked a little beneath him. The Knights around them took a step back. "Would you die for me?"
"Go to hell." The green-eyed knight hissed.
"Wait a minute," the Resistance leader said. "I know you. You're that knight that almost caught me as I took your daughter. You both have the same look in your eyes, or you used to before I broke her."
"You son of a bitch!" The knight yelled as he pushed away the Resistance leader's hand and attempted to stand. The Resistance leader simply rammed the knight's own sword through his leg.
The knight screamed before spitting in the Resistance leader's face, who reeled back before wiping the spit off his face and leaning closer. If it was quiet before, now the silence was deafening. The resistance members stepped towards the offending Knight but the Resistance leader shook his head.
"If I was in your position, I would have at least hidden my anger." He jerked his fingers upwards, forcing the Knight to smile. "I would have acted happy, joined the Resistance, then slit my throat the first chance I got. Looks like you really didn't care about your child after all. Don't worry, I'm sure she doesn't hate you for that. I know I didn't hate my parents after I burned their house down. I never hate," He grabbed the knight's tongue and slowly pulled. "I never love, I never get annoyed, I never get jealous, I never get prideful, I never feel." He let the knight go. "But I can always see it in others, their emotions."
The Knight, while he didn't suffer from any external damage, took a knee and puked. Doevm felt a wave of soulmana rush over him as the Knight's flesh crawled up around him, expanding and contracting.
"What I do want to see though," The Resistance leader continued, walking past the Knight writhing on the ground. "Is for someone to hold anything other than hate towards me. How about you?" The Resistance leader asked as he grabbed Doevm by the shoulder in a tight grip. "I've defeated you, haven't I? Will you follow me, who has attained power by working hard for it? Will you embody my ideals? Will you accept me for who I am?"
Doevm was pulled so close that he could see just past the mask and into his eyes, which held not a hint of warmth. As the Resistance leader's grip tightened, he felt something change inside of him, an energy wanting to burst free. His mouth opened and closed uncontrollably as he struggled to remain conscious. He yanked "Lich's Malice" from the shelf and felt his last shreds of strength return. He forced his face to be neutral. "You may have deceived them, but not me. You haven't defeated anyone. Not me, not the capital, and not general Alexander."
Rage washed over him in a hot burst, strengthening him even more. He pointed behind the Resistance leader towards the mithril wall. "Look, there he is." As the Resistance leader turned his head, Doevm pulled his spear out of his spatial ring and aimed for the heart. Life essence swirled around his arms and aching muscles. 'Just one more,' Doevm said as he reeled back. 'Please body, just hold up for one more strike.' He thrust the spear forward. It went through the shirt, through the armor, through the skin, then halted.
The Resistance leader turned back to Doevm with his hand fastened around the spear's golden tip, which shattered. "Nice try," he said as the soulmana inside of Doevm flared.
Doevm remained still, finding that his soulmana was surging. If his soul was a cup and his soulmana the water, then the water was trying to break the sides of the cup. With no other choice, he continuously repaired his vessel with his raging soulmana. His forehead lit up. At the same time, a glow came from under the Resistance leader's mask.
"You're an inheritor?" The Resistance leader asked, his mouth's expression still unchanging. "Interesting. It's like you're a mirror image of me." His mouth moved but his dark eyes drew Doevm in.
'So that's why you're familiar,' Doevm thought. He had around him, the stench of an Undead. Not the rotten flesh or tainted blood, but the smell of someone who hated humanity and all it stood for.
"Maker said there would be others, but I didn't expect to actually meet one after this much time." He set the crystal down to his right, pulled a book from his pocket, and flipped a couple of pages. "No crest huh?" The Resistance leader poked at Doevm's chest.
"I can feel your anger like a raging fire. You see, I've gotten good at that sort of thing after watching people for so long. I can't help it. It's just something to take the boredom away, but that didn't make it interesting. But you, you're perfect, something I can look forward to. You're another champion. You have the potential to be a rival." He leaned so close that Doevm could smell the deceit in his breath. "You have one year." He threw Doevm to the ground. "And when that-"
"Sir Dransel!" The taller of the two mages said as he ran up to the Resistance leader. "We should just go. We have what we want. With the crystal, we can reform this country into a better one, where everyone is free. Isn't that what we all wanted?"
"Correct," the Resistance leader said.
"Then allow me," the mage reached for the crystal, his forehead glowing with the same light which shown on Doevm's forehead but stopped. His head slid straight off of his shoulders.
"Brother." The shorter mage suppressed his cries and bit his lip.
The Resistance leader's mouth didn't even so much as twitch. Doevm didn't even the flash of a sword. "But none of you understand. This isn't how the story is supposed to go." The Resistance members all went wide-eyed, but none of them voiced their complaints.
"I'm supposed to gain power through hard work." Behind him, the Knight that had been writhing on the floor finally stopped and stood to his feet. For a second, nothing changed. Then he let out another scream as he expanded, his claws and hair lengthening.
"Then my defeated opponents should follow me without question or interruptions." He glanced at the decapitated mage. When the Knights transformation into a Creature was complete, it kneeled before the Resistance leader.
"Then there is this," the Resistance leader said as he held up the enormous crystal. "Since my defeated opponents didn't follow me, that means they didn't see my hard work, which means this," The leader raised his sword. "Was a defeat,"
"No!" the Resistance soldiers cried out as the crystal shattered under the Resistance Leader's sword. "What have you done?" The shorter mage stepped forward.
"What was necessary," the Resistance leader said. "I had forgotten that I need to not only overcome the kingdom, but also a person. I can't win like this, fighting in the shadows. I need to humiliate. I need to conquer. I need to demonstrate my power." He swept his sword horizontally, pointing at each of his men. "You all think that I can't conquer this country without the crystal. You don't believe in my leadership."
"We've followed you to the death and even further than that," the shorter mage screeched, his hands clenching and unclenching as he got closer to the Resistance leader. "And then you just turned on us like that! I can't take it anymore. I'm-" he stopped and grabbed his chest. He pulled out a necklace from under his black robe, which was glowing. His eyes widened before he bowed. "I'm sorry. Please forgive my outbur-" His head snapped to the right, to where the Resistance leader had emerged. He wasn't alone. Every other person in the room felt it.
It washed over them like a wave of pure dread as a pair of footsteps clanked against the floor from behind the mithril wall, each one louder than the previous. Shivers ran down the Creatures' spines, for their awakened instincts were the first to grasp the sensation and experience it to its fullest.
The rhythmic footsteps halted as they got to the half of the mithril wall that was still standing. The Resistance leader swallowed his saliva and took a step back. The wall burst open, flinging into the other side of the room. What caught Doevm's eye was the glint of a golden sword.
It is said that in the Acrin Kingdom, death had materialized into the greatest Knight, Alexander Finlish. His enemies called him the devil and his allies called him a hero. No matter what he was called, he killed, and killed, and killed until he went from a commoner to general, until he lost count, until he had single-handedly defeated armies.
Above all titles, he was defined by one thing: battle. His eyes were locked onto his target, the Resistance leader. "You may have lost me down there," Alexander roared. "But up here, you have nowhere to run." Golden life essence flared around him. The Resistance leader took another step back.
"Everyone into the teleportation artifact!" the Resistance leader yelled as he held out his sword. Doevm only saw a golden flash, and then the Resistance leader flew back with a metal clang. A sharp crack rang out, the Resistance leader's sword breaking. Alexander raised his sword again, following behind like golden lightning.
A burst of steam left Alexander's mouth as he took another step, the floor cracking yet again. He wore his bloodlust like a coat, which flooded through the room. Everyone near him passed out under the sheer pressure. Resistance members who could still stand picked up those who had fallen unconscious and ran for the teleportation artifact. Alexander paid them no mind, and the knights were too busy trying to keep breath to notice.
The Resistance leader broke straight through the vertebrae at the back of the room. Before he could even cough, Alexander appeared in front of him, his sword raised. The Resistance leader crossed his arms, his sleeves fluttering as his life essence surged underneath it.
Alexander's sword descended like a comet, breaking the entire back wall into rubble. The Resistance leader shot deeper inside the earth before bouncing back like he had turned himself into a ball.
The creatures stayed behind and covered the retreat, taking down as many Knights as they could. The apprentices dove for their weapons and fought them back.
"I know I can't win," the Resistance leader said as he dodged through Alexander's flurry of blows. Deep, bloody wounds formed all over his body, cutting through his armor and cloth. "But I can run!" He and Alexander turned into a blur and shock waves rang out.
Doevm couldn't even follow them anymore. He did, however, know where the Resistance leader was heading, into the teleportation artifact with the last of his men.
Doevm pulled out the dragon's fire-breathing organ, which was still tied to the explosive arrow. He used his dagger to reignite the fuse. "I know I can't win either, but I can at least take out your army."
Because the teleportation artifact was opening and closing so much, he could see a mass of people with red life essence floating out of them on the other side. 'That portal should link to your base, where you have been keeping all of those missing people. You might be able to defend against this, but they can't.' He tossed the bomb into the teleportation artifact as the rest of the Resistance and their leader all vanished. The burning fuse touched the bag's contents, and a blue flame came to life with a roaring shout. The teleportation artifact combusted and the portal shut. All the Knights and apprentices felt was a warm gust.
Alexander dispatched the rest of the Creatures. As the warm gust faded, Doevm's strength froze like the rest of his body, which fell to the ground with a sharp smack. His world went black.
"It is our win," the Resistance leader announced loud enough for all to hear as he stood one of the halves of the mithril wall. He held the giant glass-like crystal up for all to see. The Resistance members cheered as the knights's faces paled and cast their gazes to the ground. The apprentices cursed and threw their weapons down."How could this happen?" One of the apprentices asked, biting his lip. "General Alexander was the greatest knight in the kingdom. How could he have lost to someone like that?" Other apprentices lowered their heads as well, tears pouring from their eyes.Out of everyone in the room, only Doevm was calm. 'Something,' he thought as he looked at the Resistance leader. 'Is wrong about that statement. It is as if he doesn't believe in his own words at all. It's as if he'sbored. I can't see his entire face, but I can just tell by the way he moves.' As Doevm repeated the Resistance leader's words in his head, a feeling in his stomach increased, pure disgust.If Doevm made a move, however, the rest of the Resistance would target him. He kept his head down and acted defeated like the rest. He also got ready to run at a moment's notice and inched his way toward the exit. 'I haven't recovered much of my mana yet but have just enough to get out of here.' As the Resistance leader stepped more into the light, his mask pulled away from his mouth. The corners of his mouth weren't curved even a little upwards as he spoke of his own victory."But." The single word rang over the Resistance members' many cheers. They shut their mouths and lowered their heads. "I wonder," he said as he gazed into the crystal. He jumped down from the wall. With another jump, he landed in front of the dragon's corpse and put a hand on the nearest knight's shoulder. The Knight fell to a knee and the ground cracked a little beneath him. The Knights around them took a step back. "Would you die for me?""Go to hell." The green-eyed knight hissed."Wait a minute," the Resistance leader said. "I know you. You're that knight that almost caught me as I took your daughter. You both have the same look in your eyes, or you used to before I broke her.""You son of a bitch!" The knight yelled as he pushed away the Resistance leader's hand and attempted to stand. The Resistance leader simply rammed the knight's own sword through his leg.The knight screamed before spitting in the Resistance leader's face, who reeled back before wiping the spit off his face and leaning closer. If it was quiet before, now the silence was deafening. The resistance members stepped towards the offending Knight but the Resistance leader shook his head."If I was in your position, I would have at least hidden my anger." He jerked his fingers upwards, forcing the Knight to smile. "I would have acted happy, joined the Resistance, then slit my throat the first chance I got. Looks like you really didn't care about your child after all. Don't worry, I'm sure she doesn't hate you for that. I know I didn't hate my parents after I burned their house down. I never hate," He grabbed the knight's tongue and slowly pulled. "I never love, I never get annoyed, I never get jealous, I never get prideful, I never feel." He let the knight go. "But I can always see it in others, their emotions."The Knight, while he didn't suffer from any external damage, took a knee and puked. Doevm felt a wave of soulmana rush over him as the Knight's flesh crawled up around him, expanding and contracting."What I do want to see though," The Resistance leader continued, walking past the Knight writhing on the ground. "Is for someone to hold anything other than hate towards me. How about you?" The Resistance leader asked as he grabbed Doevm by the shoulder in a tight grip. "I've defeated you, haven't I? Will you follow me, who has attained power by working hard for it? Will you embody my ideals? Will you accept me for who I am?"Doevm was pulled so close that he could see just past the mask and into his eyes, which held not a hint of warmth. As the Resistance leader's grip tightened, he felt something change inside of him, an energy wanting to burst free. His mouth opened and closed uncontrollably as he struggled to remain conscious. He yanked "Lich's Malice" from the shelf and felt his last shreds of strength return. He forced his face to be neutral."You may have deceived them, but not me. You haven't defeated anyone. Not me, not the capital, and not general Alexander."Rage washed over him in a hot burst, strengthening him even more. He pointed behind the Resistance leader towards the mithril wall. "Look, there he is." As the Resistance leader turned his head, Doevm pulled his spear out of his spatial ring and aimed for the heart. Life essence swirled around his arms and aching muscles. 'Just one more,' Doevm said as he reeled back. 'Please body, just hold up for one more strike.' He thrust the spear forward. It went through the shirt, through the armor, through the skin, then halted.The Resistance leader turned back to Doevm with his hand fastened around the spear's golden tip, which shattered. "Nice try," he said as the soulmana inside of Doevm flared.Doevm remained still, finding that his soulmana was surging. If his soul was a cup and his soulmana the water, then the water was trying to break the sides of the cup. With no other choice, he continuously repaired his vessel with his raging soulmana. His forehead lit up. At the same time, a glow came from under the Resistance leader's mask."You're an inheritor?" The Resistance leader asked, his mouth's expression still unchanging. "Interesting. It's like you're a mirror image of me." His mouth moved but his dark eyes drew Doevm in.'So that's why you're familiar,' Doevm thought. He had around him, the stench of an Undead. Not the rotten flesh or tainted blood, but the smell of someone who hated humanity and all it stood for."Maker said there would be others, but I didn't expect to actually meet one after this much time." He set the crystal down to his right, pulled a book from his pocket, and flipped a couple of pages. "No crest huh?" The Resistance leader poked at Doevm's chest."I can feel your anger like a raging fire. You see, I've gotten good at that sort of thing after watching people for so long. I can't help it. It's just something to take the boredom away, but that didn't make it interesting. But you, you're perfect, something I can look forward to. You're another champion. You have the potential to be a rival." He leaned so close that Doevm could smell the deceit in his breath. "You have one year." He threw Doevm to the ground. "And when that-""Sir Dransel!" The taller of the two mages said as he ran up to the Resistance leader. "We should just go. We have what we want. With the crystal, we can reform this country into a better one, where everyone is free. Isn't that what we all wanted?""Correct," the Resistance leader said."Then allow me," the mage reached for the crystal, his forehead glowing with the same light which shown on Doevm's forehead but stopped. His head slid straight off of his shoulders."Brother." The shorter mage suppressed his cries and bit his lip.The Resistance leader's mouth didn't even so much as twitch. Doevm didn't even the flash of a sword. "But none of you understand. This isn't how the story is supposed to go." The Resistance members all went wide-eyed, but none of them voiced their complaints."I'm supposed to gain power through hard work." Behind him, the Knight that had been writhing on the floor finally stopped and stood to his feet. For a second, nothing changed. Then he let out another scream as he expanded, his claws and hair lengthening."Then my defeated opponents should follow me without question or interruptions." He glanced at the decapitated mage. When the Knights transformation into a Creature was complete, it kneeled before the Resistance leader."Then there is this," the Resistance leader said as he held up the enormous crystal. "Since my defeated opponents didn't follow me, that means they didn't see my hard work, which means this," The leader raised his sword. "Was a defeat,""No!" the Resistance soldiers cried out as the crystal shattered under the Resistance Leader's sword. "What have you done?" The shorter mage stepped forward."What was necessary," the Resistance leader said. "I had forgotten that I need to not only overcome the kingdom, but also a person. I can't win like this, fighting in the shadows. I need to humiliate. I need to conquer. I need to demonstrate my power." He swept his sword horizontally, pointing at each of his men. "You all think that I can't conquer this country without the crystal. You don't believe in my leadership.""We've followed you to the death and even further than that," the shorter mage screeched, his hands clenching and unclenching as he got closer to the Resistance leader. "And then you just turned on us like that! I can't take it anymore. I'm-" he stopped and grabbed his chest. He pulled out a necklace from under his black robe, which was glowing. His eyes widened before he bowed. "I'm sorry. Please forgive my outbur-" His head snapped to the right, to where the Resistance leader had emerged. He wasn't alone. Every other person in the room felt it.It washed over them like a wave of pure dread as a pair of footsteps clanked against the floor from behind the mithril wall, each one louder than the previous. Shivers ran down the Creatures' spines, for their awakened instincts were the first to grasp the sensation and experience it to its fullest.The rhythmic footsteps halted as they got to the half of the mithril wall that was still standing. The Resistance leader swallowed his saliva and took a step back. The wall burst open, flinging into the other side of the room. What caught Doevm's eye was the glint of a golden sword.It is said that in the Acrin Kingdom, death had materialized into the greatest Knight, Alexander Finlish. His enemies called him the devil and his allies called him a hero. No matter what he was called, he killed, and killed, and killed until he went from a commoner to general, until he lost count, until he had single-handedly defeated armies.Above all titles, he was defined by one thing: battle. His eyes were locked onto his target, the Resistance leader. "You may have lost me down there," Alexander roared. "But up here, you have nowhere to run." Golden life essence flared around him. The Resistance leader took another step back."Everyone into the teleportation artifact!" the Resistance leader yelled as he held out his sword. Doevm only saw a golden flash, and then the Resistance leader flew back with a metal clang. A sharp crack rang out, the Resistance leader's sword breaking. Alexander raised his sword again, following behind like golden lightning.A burst of steam left Alexander's mouth as he took another step, the floor cracking yet again. He wore his bloodlust like a coat, which flooded through the room. Everyone near him passed out under the sheer pressure. Resistance members who could still stand picked up those who had fallen unconscious and ran for the teleportation artifact. Alexander paid them no mind, and the knights were too busy trying to keep breath to notice.The Resistance leader broke straight through the vertebrae at the back of the room. Before he could even cough, Alexander appeared in front of him, his sword raised. The Resistance leader crossed his arms, his sleeves fluttering as his life essence surged underneath it.Alexander's sword descended like a comet, breaking the entire back wall into rubble. The Resistance leader shot deeper inside the earth before bouncing back like he had turned himself into a ball.The creatures stayed behind and covered the retreat, taking down as many Knights as they could. The apprentices dove for their weapons and fought them back."I know I can't win," the Resistance leader said as he dodged through Alexander's flurry of blows. Deep, bloody wounds formed all over his body, cutting through his armor and cloth. "But I can run!" He and Alexander turned into a blur and shock waves rang out.Doevm couldn't even follow them anymore. He did, however, know where the Resistance leader was heading, into the teleportation artifact with the last of his men.Doevm pulled out the dragon's fire-breathing organ, which was still tied to the explosive arrow. He used his dagger to reignite the fuse. "I know I can't win either, but I can at least take out your army."Because the teleportation artifact was opening and closing so much, he could see a mass of people with red life essence floating out of them on the other side. 'That portal should link to your base, where you have been keeping all of those missing people. You might be able to defend against this, but they can't.' He tossed the bomb into the teleportation artifact as the rest of the Resistance and their leader all vanished. The burning fuse touched the bag's contents, and a blue flame came to life with a roaring shout. The teleportation artifact combusted and the portal shut. All the Knights and apprentices felt was a warm gust.Alexander dispatched the rest of the Creatures. As the warm gust faded, Doevm's strength froze like the rest of his body, which fell to the ground with a sharp smack. His world went black.
