Chapter 92: Crossroads (VII)

 

The annihilating beam lit the battlefield red wherever it went, it was a straight line of pure destruction that vaporized everything that it touched. It was not as fast as lightning, its speed of travel was more akin to a fired arrow, but unlike a projectile that flew through the skies it was a driving beam, that’s mighty force and momentum was fueled by Zan’s red orb. 

 

And unlike an arrow, it did not stop after it hit a target. 

 

It pierced through rain and cloud, spells of fire, water and steam, and then, it bore a hole through the heart of a different draconic descendant who was unluckily in its way, before it finally reached the target it was meant for. 

 

The heiress’s sword had only been a second away from piercing the heart of her own target, before a terrible feeling welled up in her gut. The sneer that was on her face quickly turned into an expression of extreme urgency as her beautifully deceptive visage was lit up red by the unnatural light. 

 

Panickingly she swerved the trajectory of her own heart piercing strike into a swing. 

 

Desperately placing the sword between herself and that red premonition of death, she briefly saw as a red annihilating beam forcefully smashed into her gleaming crimson blade. 

 

Luckily the crystalized blood sword was a durable artifact, and the destructive beam was indeed stopped from vaporizing her heart. However, the fierce and savage force did not dissipate, and she was pushed back so vehemently that she shot through the skies like a fired bullet, careening through the battlefield and suffering numerous injuries from the stray attacks. 

 

It left her beaten, ragged, and worn. Her luxurious cloths and garments were either torn or burnt to shreds, and the same fate had befallen her meticulously maintained hair. It left her both furious and exhausted as she let out a long stifled scream, but the woman could do nothing as she was beaming farther and farther away from the battlefield. 

 

Vaguely, those with good ears could hear an unknown woman’s scream getting softer and softer. 

 

In the skies where war was being waged, the rain started to fall once more, and the sound of someone’s heart began once again to beat. Lloyd had snapped out of his unconsciously gloomy and dazed state.  

 

Mysteriously, the fragments of his shattered sword still hovered around him, before all of them flew into what was left of his broken blade. Like puzzle pieces that rearranged themselves, the thousand fragments fixed themselves together to perfectly recreate Lloyd’s long katana. 

 

Yet of course, it was not perfect. They were all just pieces, and if Lloyd swung the blade with any strength it would fall apart in the next second. 

 

Forcefully putting back what was lost would not yield the same thing. 

 

But Lloyd was not focused on the sword or the fragments. Instead his eyes were locked upwards, and a deep sigh of relief was breathed out as he saw his sister was safe. 

 

The last remaining draconic heir who was near her, swung his head to meet the two figure’s gazes, before he threw caution to the wind and quickly fled the scene. Although Lloyd did not strike, the energetic fluctuations that were previously in the air was enough to send his hairs standing, while Zan who did strike, had directly killed his half brother that had been right next to him, and almost killed his sister too if not for her sword. 

 

On the dissipating clouds, a young man was once again spent, and was just about to collapse to the ground in exhaustion. The red flowing lines faded from his body, like a machine that was powering off. At the last second however, Lloyd grabbed his body, supporting him before he fell.  

 

The weight upon him was incomparably heavy, but the swordsman looked at him with extreme amounts of gratitude. But very quickly his eyes went wide in urgency as he realized that Zan was in the same ravenous state he was in previously. 

 

Not wanting to be eaten, he was just about to shout towards the ship above him, when a rain cloud formed beneath his feet. 

 

Lara looked at the two from up above her own rain cloud. An abstract and incomprehensible set of emotions was swimming within her heart. The rollercoaster of feelings she had to deal with today obviously wasn't easy for her. If she were to vent her emotions on paper, or in her journal, it would last pages upon pages. 

 

But currently this was not the situation for such things. After the last assailant fled, Lloyd’s personal vessel was given a moment of rest, and she was able to hover them aboard. 

 

Lloyd's feet touched the wooden floor of the ship, and his great influence and renown immediately demonstrated itself. All of the remaining forces looked to him for instruction, and even the retreating forces from the other ships had their morale raised when they saw him.  

 

All of their eyes, their swords and staffs were at the ready for his first command, but his first order ended up being as so: "Immediately! Quickly take this man…to the cafeteria!" 

 

"..." 

 

The commander's voice came, and the words he said did indeed formulate a coherent sentence, but most of the fleet were left confused and bewildered. 

 

A few brave people however immediately bolted into action, even working together to hastily carry Zan through the crowd. 

 

He was quite heavy but they moved with urgency and drive. Some of the Rain Priests and Priestesses could not help but praise their steadfast and disciplined character. 

 

But if someone observed them more closely, they would see that in their eyes hid a not so small amount of fear. 

 

During the intense battle where one mistake could lead to death, these surviving warriors irresponsibly glanced down and witnessed a few interesting events… 

 

"All remaining battalions and personnel board and squeeze in! Elite platoons will serve to defend in a crescent moon formation! Energize the railgun to act as a boost for our flight! Head magnetic north and do not stop until I say!" 

 

Immediately everyone worked as a well oiled machine, but this did not deter the remaining draconic heirs from continuing their assault. Instead, they all banded together and assailed the retreating forces even more vehemently. They were like bloodhounds that would not let go of the flesh that they had already bitten. 

 

Simply put, this was a great opportunity to erase a massive threat to them. If they could eliminate all the fleets and even kill the "Sword of the Rain" in the process, a heavy weight would not only be lifted from their shoulders, but they could even use the rewards on Lloyd’s head for resources.

 

This was one of the ways that the heirs were encouraged to gain power.

 

The Empire of Agni had many enemies, and likewise many bounties that were placed on those enemies. Encouraging them to hunt these large bounties would serve as a sharpening stone for them. It would spur them to increase their strength, sharpen their wits, and reinforce their determination. 

 

This was exactly what the draconic lineage wanted. 

 

Actually, some of the heirs that were not in the area were doing exactly that. 

 

Yet unfortunately for this particular group, their plans were bound to fail. 

 

Many of the warrior-casters and essential personnel swarmed aboard the ship and into the lower decks, while Lloyd stepped to the very back of the vessel, where his elite platoons were defending the rear in a crescent wave formation. 

 

His great experience and intelligent command was on full display. Sifting the elite from the ordinary and less skilled surprisingly allowed them more movement and flexibility in the skies, and their concentrated skill and expertise in the crescent wave formation allowed them to more efficiently defend. 

 

And indeed, although there were less warriors, the heirs and heiresses found it much more difficult to break through within a short amount of time. 

 

It was similar to unwinding a knot within a hose, it allowed the water to flow more efficiently. This was much better than putting more pressure, or in this case more effort, into the situation. 

 

But this was not the commander’s final card. 

 

Lloyd took a risk, doing something he did not want to do, but had to. Once more the swordsman tapped into the pain and grief, as he raised his sword to the skies. 

 

All the heirs and heiresses saw this, and momentarily, their constant and hellish assault was broken. Charred bodies had stopped falling from the skies, and the flames and glowing lights on their bodies briefly flickered and flashed in hesitance.  

 

In the next moment, the sword that Lloyd raised in the sky exploded, leaving many— whether friend or foe— to be stunned. 

 

The fleet’s morale dropped into an all time low, while many of the heirs and heiresses had a condescending and mocking sneer on their faces.  

 

Yet both would not last long, for the thousands of fragments of his shattered sword started to swirl in a storm of metal and dread. The suffocating feeling, the fluctuations of power, and the heaviness in the air once again returned, and now no one was smiling. 

 

“He’s bluffing.” 

 

“Oh? Why don’t you test it out for us then.”

 

“He’s clearly spent too much energy. If we persist in attacking we will win.”

 

“I’ll follow you if you go.”

 

“I agree. I will also charge in if at least half of us do so.” 

 

Numerous voices echoed through the skies, discussing their next course of action. It was more than likely that Lloyd was bluffing, and he did not have enough power and energy to hold them all down. 

 

But even if he was not, that single strike of his would likely take three or four of them into the grave with him. 

 

And if he was not bluffing…maybe more than half of them would die here. 

 

Although they leaned into the prospect of charging in, most of them had intentions of backing out at the last moment, hoping to see some of their sweet brothers and sisters sacrifice themselves for the greater good. 

 

The greater good in this context however, was of course their own selfish desire and greed. 

 

It would be great if some of these competitors were killed in the process, while they reaped the majority of the rewards. 

 

Lara and the Everrain fleet heard this, and were also incomparably nervous. They truly did not know if Lloyd was just bluffing, or if he really had the strength to defend them. 

 

Tensions rose. The thousand shattered sword fragments became only more and more forceful and violent, while the empowering array below the draconic descendants was already half destroyed. 

 

Thoughts passed in their mind such as, ‘Maybe he really wasn’t bluffing!’ and ‘It’s now or never…’ 

 

Yet at the very last moment before any one moved, a red light lit up a part of the skies, and everyone looked to see red flowing lines activating on the body of the man named “Zan.” A savage and bestial aura spread from him. Overwhelming bloodlust and the corresponding desire to devour also filled the skies. 

 

His eyes were blank, but no one saw the whites of his eyes, it was only pure, abyssal black. 

 

Immediately…the less brave heirs and heiresses fled.