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*beeeeeeeeep*

"Recording log..."

"Week 2"
"Tuesday"
"2203 hrs."
"Throne Room"
"King's Castle"
"Pridel, Alemeda Kingdom Capital"

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...

As the operators from the DELTAS and FOXTROTS Group entered, all eyes are on them with utter surprise and shock. The Talenteds and Key Casters in front of Marquess Vertal form up into a combat formation, shielding the Marquess. 

"WH-WH-WHO ARE YOU, PEOPLE?! ANSWER ME!" the Marquess shouted at them, but the operators just stared at them with their red and blue glowing "eyes" and their suppressed rifles pointed at them. They can already feel that they are being overpowered just by the auras the operators emanating. 

King Galian meanwhile, continues to pretend that it is his first time seeing them as well. He stands up to his throne chair and hides behind his elf maid, pretending to trip while doing so. Immediately recognizing the King's intent, the elf maid secures the King behind the throne chair.

On the ground, some operators watch their surroundings behind their covers of pillars and furniture, while the front is prepared to engage the Marquess and his forces.

"Bastards. ARE YOU ALSO HERE FOR THE HOLY BOOKS AS WELL, HUH?!" the Marquess continued to shout at the operators. But, this slip of the words quickly piqued the interest of King Galian behind the throne chair.

"What? Holy Books? For what purpose will they use them? There are no surviving Holy Books since the downfall of the Cathedral City many years ago." the King whispered to himself. The elf maid heard him and asks him a question.

"R-Really, your majesty?"

"Yes. In fact, the Angel Rafael helped me to look for holy books inside the Cathedral City. But sadly, all that was left was burned and evaporated scriptures and books. The ones that the current churches are using right now aren't the original ones and were merely copies and came from their vivid memories to help them fight Unholy-Magic."

"I-I see. Though, it is not effective just like we thought."

"Indeed. The churches are easily corrupted by the snakes. So, better watch out for them as well." Understood?" 

"Understood, your majesty."

Back in the room, Marquess Vertal still hasn't received any responses yet from the operators, and his patience finally runs out. He orders his forces to engage.

"Still can't answer me? ATTA - " the Marquess ordered but was cut when suddenly, the operators began firing first. Hail of lead wheeze to the Talenteds and the Key Casters. For their normal defensive attributes, all of the Talenteds and Key Casters are cast with Anti-Physical Attack Shields and High Levels of Magic Barriers. However, the concept of Anti-Magic is not known to them, as the only creature to ever had the such capability, is none other than the Angel Razhiel herself or now known as Fruchiel. Due to this, it takes no longer than five seconds for the Talenteds and Key Casters to realize that their Magic Barriers are slowly breaking down due to the bullets cast with Anti-Magic spells from the operators.

"HO-HOW CAN THIS BE?!" a Talented gasped while preparing to engage the operators.

"MY SHIELD IS BREAKING AWAY! FUCK!" a Key Caster also gasped just as he also starts attacking the operators, but then halts to reinforce his Magic Barrier first.

The same events also happen to the rest of Marquess Vertal's forces. They immediately prioritize first their Magic Barrier in panic and surprise.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! ATTACK THEM! NOT TO DEFEND YOURSELVES!" the Marquess screamed.

Underneath their ComTacs, the operators are carefully reporting their positions and engagement prior to avoid friendly fire, notify if one of them needs cover when reloading, and so on as they slowly surround the enemies.

"GOT YOUR FOUR O'CLOCK, DELTA FIVE!" FOXTROT 03 said to DELTA 05 in front of him. As soon as DELTA 05 emptied his magazine, he quickly notifies FOXTROT 03.

"DRY!" DELTA 05 shouted and carefully walk behind FOXTROT 03. Replacing DELTA 05, FOXTROT 03 quickly fires his weapon to cover DELTA 05 behind him. These can be seen throughout the operators engaging and slowly making their way toward the trapped Talenteds and Key Casters.

"ARRGGH! STOP ENFORCING YOUR SHIELDS AND GO ON THE OFFENSIVE!" the Marquess insistently ordered his forces. Some of them are pressured into it and are forced to leave their  Magic Barriers and Shields vulnerable.

"U-UNDERSTOOD! ARGH TAKE THES- " a Key Caster started casting a magic spell, however, his Magic and Physical Shields break and he eats a whole two dozen of lead. Two more fall victim to this, then comes three, then five, until three remain to Marquess' forces. Marquess Vertal looks at his fallen forces with deep shock and surprise. He clenches his teeth and fists with great anger and rage as well. The three forces remaining to his forces, one Talented, and two Key Casters, are now panting heavily, nearly spending their entire mana out. The operators stopped firing and surrounded the Marquess and the three remaining of the Marquess's forces still with their rifles drawn to them.

"KUHHH~! How...HOW! THE ENTIRE FIRST-CLASS ELITES OF KEY CASTERS AND TALENTEDS ARE WIPED OUT?! YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!"

Hearing his shout of rage, King Galian now decides to stop his farce play and speaks to the Marquess.

"Holy Books. What do you need of them, Marquess Vertal?" the King said in a deep and hostile tone. He and his elf maid behind him slowly make their way toward the Marquess. Realizing that the King is just pretending to be a coward and frail person while some of the operators are also positioning themselves to provide cover for the King, Marquess Vertal laughs hysterically.

"Haha. HAHAHAHAHA! SO THAT'S HOW IT IS?! HEH? AM I RIGHT, KING GALIAN?"

The King stops on his track while his elf maid positions herself in front of the King to provide cover for him as well.

"Hahaha. Yes. You are right, Your Majesty! Oh, how I yearn upon those Holy Books!" the Marquess grinned.

"In what purpose?" the King asked again.

"Hahaha. Enough with the pretending acts, your majesty. I'm sure you already know the answer. Well, to be honest, I also hate the fuckers from way back then at the Cathedral City. They didn't even bother to intensively study the whole Lesser Key of Sollom. They are just very selfish to themselves and very self-centered. That's why we are now having a very hard time finding even one fully surviving original holy book. Fuckers might've wiped all of them out!" Marquess Vertal complained.

"Way back then? What do you mean?" the King continued to ask the Marquess. 

"Hah? Do you really not know, your majesty? Hehe. HAHAHA! I MIGHT AS WELL THEN SHOW YOU!"

In an instant, after the Marquess finished his sentence, he starts to emit thick and dark vicious auras of green and black. The elf-maid shields King Galian immediately with a magic barrier and the operators then go to engage. However, as soon as the operators pull their trigger, their rifles strangely stopped working.

"What?!" a FOXTROT gasped in surprise.

"My Safety is disengaged though!" a DELTA also gasped. Because of this, the operators quickly go back behind their respective covers, while the remaining Talented and Key Casters under Marquess Vertal fall victim to the ominous dark aura gushing across the entire room and got killed.

"Quick! Call your Valefars! " FOXTROT 02 ordered the DELTAS through the comms. However, the demons are still busy capturing the House of Treasures.

"I can't! They are still busy out there!" DELTA 03 replied on the comms.

"HAHAHAHA! BEHOLD! THE DEMON OF ENVY! - LEVIATHAN!"

A big and wide demonic serpent fills the large throne room and shrieks behind the Marquess's back. Its shriek is so loud, it causes a small earthquake across the entire room, and that all of the windows of the castle are shattered with many chandeliers swaying and falling down to the ground.

"WHOA! WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT THING?!" the operators shouted.

"The Envious Serpent! Tch! So you've finally awakened your Lesser Key." King Galian clenched his teeth with anger as he stares at the roaring serpent.

"Haha. No. Not really. This is just the fruit of my perseverance!" Marquess Vertal laughed.

"Perseverance?" the King asked in response.

"You see, your majesty, in the past, there are people - more evil and vicious than I am. As I went and decided to join them, well, let's just say that they don't have places for weak and pathetic drop-out like me." said the Marquess. He then walks back and forth with his hands behind his back.

"SO! While I'm looking for a way to destroy them for their humiliation of me, my Lesser Key suddenly whispered at me saying - " he stopped and looks back at the King with a grin. Then, the serpent behind the Marquess speaks with a very deep and low tone saying:

"I SENSED YOUR GREAT ENVY OF THEM..."

Just after the serpent speaks, the operators, the elf-maid, and King Galian kneeled down to the floor as they felt suddenly and extremely tired as if their energy is being sucked away by the serpent, through the serpents' cursed aura taking away all their energy and mana.

"Argh. Wha- what's happening?" the elf-maid struggled to stand up.

"HAHAHA! That's right! THE DEMON OF ENVY ARRIVED TO HELP ME FINISH THOSE BASTARDS, AND SOON, WITH YOU ALL! EVEN IF HE IS STILL THIS SMALL, THE MOMENT WHEN I GET THOSE HOLY BOOKS TO AWAKEN MY LESSER KEY, THE WORLD SHALL KNOW MY NAME~! HAHAHAHAHA!" the Marquess shouted. When suddenly, King Galian also laughs.

"Hahahaha. Hahahaha." 

All eyes are on the King as they wonder why is he laughing.

"Huh? What's wrong your majesty? Did finally lose your mind?" said the Marquess. The King stands up casually.

"Hm?" the Marquess started to wonder as well, curious as to why he casually stands back up again.

"Hahaha. I see. The Demon of Envy - Leviathan, is only powerful, by not using any strong offensive magic and such. But by only Magic Nullification - because - "

The King stopped and looks at the Marquess with a casual smile.

" - he only picks the most powerful than him for as he is envious of that prowess. If he can't get what he wants, then he will just destroy it. Kind of similar to you, Marquess Vertal. "

"TSK! HOW DARE YOU MOCK ME AND MY LEVIATHAN! FINISH THE KING!" the Marquess ordered the serpent. Immediately, the serpent flies towards the King with its wide snake-like mouth opened wide.

"YOUR MAJESTY! RUN!" the tired elf-maid shouted to warn the King. But, the King smiles gently at her.

"Don't worry. It's too late - for him."

King Galian then raises his left hand, revealing a glowing silver bracelet that is hiding underneath his sleeve. As soon as he points his hand towards the approaching serpent, the serpent shrieks in agony and falls to the floor, curling and twisting its hideous scaled body.

"LEVIATHAN!  Y-YOU! WHAT DID YOU DO, GALIAN?!" the Marquess shouted in surprise. 

The serpent continues to shriek when after a couple of seconds later, the serpent is chained by glowing yellow chains that appeared out of nowhere.

"WHA-!" gasped the Marquess.

"You green-eyed monster. DAEMONIBUS CAPIO! " the King chanted a holy spell, making the serpent absorbed into the silver bracelet by the King.

...

Silence then envelops the entire throne room as the operators and the elf-maid gradually regain their energy and strength back to return to their positions.

"HO-HO-HOW DO YOU - " the Marquess stuttered in extreme shock.

"Did you know the Cathedral's Accident way back then? I was there when Angel Razhiel was also got captured by the Archcardinal. It is also a bracelet that captured her with the help of the Lesser Key. This time, however, this bracelet was baptized with the help of the opposite book, by her holiness Angel Raphael. I'm sure you already know what that "opposite book" is." said the King.

"Opposite book? What do you mean?" the Marquess pondered for a while. A couple of seconds later, he quickly realizes what that book the King is referring to is.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! THERE'S NO WAY YOU COULD HAVE THAT BOOK! THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!"

"Oh. You're wrong. I don't have that book. Angel Raphael just brought the bracelet to have it baptized in the heavens and brought back at me afterward." King Galian said with a gentle smile.

"I-IMPOSSIBLE! YOU STILL HAVE CONNECTIONS WITH THE ANGELS?!"

Then, noises of metallic clunks and horses resonate behind Marquess Vertal. 

"THAT'S IT! YOU ARE UNDER ARREST, FIRST KEY CASTER DIVISION COMMANDER - MARQUESS VERTAL!"

It is the knights from the Eclipse Corps that have been called by Desmond and the rest of the King's Followers to help with the situation ongoing inside the throne room. The knights of the Eclipse Corps are resembling the Polish WInged Hussars from Harvey's world. The difference is that they know magic and can perform strong defensive magic chants and spells. Four knights approach the Marquess in an instant capturing him with their long chains.

"KUHHGGG!! YOU FUCKERS AGAIN?! I THOUGHT THAT YOU WILL HANDLE THE MARSHAL LIBRARY?! HOW DARE YOU ALL GO AGAINST ME!" shouted the Marquess on the ground.

One knight approaches the Marquess in his horse brandishing a golden spear and pointing it at him.

"Playtime's over, Marquess Vertal. We already knew that you were up to something bad, even the Joint Chiefs knew. But, to go as far as harming our majesty? You've crossed the line this time. Take him away!" the lead knight ordered his group of knights. 

Two knights on horseback made their spears embedded with electricity to sting them to the Marquess.

"ARGHHHABABABABA-" the Marquess violently seizure as strong electricity shocks him, rendering him unconscious. The knights on foot bring the unconscious Marquess to the jail, while the lead knight together with his remaining forces approaches the King and unmounts their horses, and then kneels with respect towards the King.

"We are very sorry for our late arrival, Your Majesty. If isn't for the Followers of Razhiel, we would have not known what had transpired here." the knights kneeled. Desmond and the other four Followers also kneel down on the right side of the knights.

"Hm. I see. Worry be not for I am now fine." the King smiled.

"So, I assumed Farka informed you all, Commander of the First Corps - Knight Commander Lazlo?" the King followed the knights.

"Yes, Your Majesty. Although this is the first time we've ever heard of the Followers of Razhiel, we've also already foreseen and suspected that you have a secret organization at your disposal, Your Majesty. We have no objections in that regard and are willing to cooperate with them." Knight Commander Lazlo replied as he removes his helmet, revealing a human man probably in his fifties, with crew-cut black hair and thick eyebrows.

"I see. Well, Farka is also already a member of the Eclipse Corps. The lingering problem is what happened to the Key Casters?" the King pondered. Then suddenly, Troy and Wilma stand up with attention.

"Your Majesty, as we may?" Troy and Wilma bowed to the King.

"Go ahead."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." the two raised their head back. Troy then proceeds to say what's on his mind.

"Being members of the Key Casters, me and Wilma agreed to volunteer to investigate what is happening inside our department. Our guilt for being members in it won't fade away as long as we didn't do anything about it."

"Are you two sure about this? It is not your fault."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Wilma replied.

King Galian then looks around him, noticing that the operators were now gone.

"Hu-Huh? W-Where are the "guests"?" he asked in a whisper to the elf-maid to his left.

"I saw them slowly exiting out of the throne while you captured the Demon Leviathan , Your Majesty."

"I see. Go and find them. If you find them, tell them to wait in the basement."

"Understood, Your Majesty." the elf-maid bowed and walks out of the throne room. The King then goes back to Troy and Wilma.

"Alright. I'm having Troy as a replacement for the Marquess Vertal being the First Key Caster Division Commander, while Wilma will be his assistant. Knight Commander Lazlo will also help Troy with the Investigation. Are we all clear?" 

"YES, YOUR MAJESTY!" all of them kneeled in agreement.

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Meanwhile, back at the Cathedral...

After conducting CQB drills and practice affirming the effectiveness of their new gear and equipment in the environment, Brigadier General Hopkins joined up with Harvey inside the temporary office tent near the airstrip. In the middle is a table, and on top of it, are numerous pictures of various otherworldly creatures like ogres, goblins, etc. that were taken by Isabella and his hunting group from the units of Able Company. The Brigadier General grabs a picture of a six-legged bear gnawing on a green deer.

"If I'm not mistaken, sir, we should now add some specially designated patrol groups, rather than the units from the two companies. Things are really pretty weird out there."

Harvey then takes another picture, but of two wolves with three eyes fighting at each other.

"Hm. I know right? Any recommendations, Brigadier General?"

"Let's see. Any ideas on special jungle warfare units?"

"Uh. I..think there are almost..all of them." Harvey put down the picture on the table.

"Oh. Alright."

Then suddenly, Harvey remembers something.

"Wait. There was this one time when two SOFs units went and came by to our base for some joint practice exercise training with the PJ's and SEALs. If I'm not mistaken, the two units are from SEA. They are really two of the most capable SOFs on jungle recon and warfare."

"SEA, sir?" the Brigadier General put down the picture on the table as well.

"Yes. I mean, South-East Asia."

Harvey opens up his hud and checks his Souls. It was now at 103 Souls.

"A hundred and three, huh? Say, Brigadier General. Ready to take up two new groups under your command?"

"Hmph. Ready, sir." the Brigadier General smirked. The two then exit the tent. Feeling the cold wind breeze outside, Harvey puts on his hood on his hoodie, hiding his helmet with the NODs still attached to it.

"Brrrr. Cold-fold! Alright. Let's spawn some more new units for Special Recons."

As Harvey goes to his hud to use his spawn function, he selects his choices.

*beeep**beeep**beeep**beeep*

 "Spawn Function Detected!"
"Confirm "40 Special Forces for: 40 Souls?"..."

As Harvey confirms the spawning, forty SF units emerge from a big magic circle. By the time the magic circle vanishes, all of the newly spawned SF units salute Harvey and the Brigadier General.

"At ease." said the Brigadier General.

"Neat. Time to designate these boys. Greater Key, Designate them into: "

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"NOVEMBERS One to Twenty, Break: "

 

 

"OSCARS One to Twenty as well."

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Soul Energy :

[ Level 2 ]

+ Lesser Key Of Sollom

 

Soul Count :

[ 63 ]

- 40 SFs

 

Spawn Count:

[ 210 ]

= 1 Brigadier General

= 100 Infantry Units

= 109 Special Forces (+40)

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UPCOMING NEXT CHAPTER:

Chapter 21 - Gratitude Equals Honor