Before Arlan's arrival at Eisanyr's keep, the battle below between the joint armies was starting to tip in favor of the Reeve-Stonemar joint banner. Nicolas looked around and tried to figure out what had happened. General Nealin had just gotten back up from being knocked into his own soldiers.
Nicolas felt that his strength had reverted to a fourth-tier red-core. The Stonemar Duke wrote it off as a lucky fluke blessed to him by the gods. Gripping his warhammer tightly, he prepared himself for General Nealin and his Hawkwell Elites to begin another charge.
But to Nicolas' surprise, General Nealin did not advance any further. Instead, he rallied his men to him to form a defensive phalanx. "What is happening?" asked Nicolas to himself.
And to answer that question, a warrior in mithril armor and a red cape strolled by on Nicolas' left. Confident words emerged from the warrior, "Good to see you're alive."
The voice was far too familiar to Nicolas and he cried out, "Arlan! How are you-"
"I'll explain later," Arlan interrupted Nicolas, "Let me handle this, lead your men to the left."
Nicolas hesitated before quickly nodding in agreement. He motioned for his unit to follow him. Before leaving Nicolas asked Arlan, "When I felt that surge of power just now. That was your Warlord's Regalia, right?"
Arlan grinned under his helmet, "It was me but it wasn't the Warlord's Regalia."
"What do you mean?"
"My core has evolved into the Monarch's Regalia. Alongside my previous abilities, I can now temporarily transfer any amount of my core's capacity to a single person."
Nicolas smiled and set off with his unit toward the enemy's left. Arlan now stood alone before General Nealin and his personal unit of a hundred Hawkwell Elites.
"Now what am I dealing with?" said Arlan under his breath while trying to activate [Battle Trance]. Strangely, he no longer had the ability. Instead, time began to decelerate to a thirtieth of its normal flow while Arlan's consciousness remained unaffected.
A sophisticated woman's voice blossomed from within the Immortal General's mind, "All hail the God King! The Ashra!"
Arlan tried to move but it wasn't keeping up with his mind, so he couldn't muster any words.
"Forgive me, my liege!" said the voice, "Use your inner thoughts."
As advised, Arlan used his thoughts and responded, "Who are you?"
"I am Lady Sophia, the Seneschal of the Monarch's Regalia," answered the voice, "I shall explain later but first let us dispose of this filth before us."
Before Arlan could protest, a streak of emerald energy radiated out nearly a thousand meters from him. This scanned every person within that range and it revealed to Arlan a plethora of information beyond what [Battle Trance] could ever show.
Only from a quick glance, Arlan could see a person's core level, intent of hostility, heart rate, highlighted weak points, and a detailed description of what abilities or spells the person possessed. There was even information about groups at all sizes: a pair, a squad, a platoon, a company and even the joint-banners. All of this reminded Arlan of a strategy game's user interface.
The King's Blade measured himself and was in disbelief at how he's grown. His core had become an eighth-tier gold-core. The new color was still something unfamiliar to Arlan but he felt his core nearly twice as strong as a white-core of that caliber.
"Sophia, is this your doing?" asked Arlan in his mind.
"Yes, your grace," answered the Seneschal, "This is your [Heraldic Vision] that reveals everything you need for a swift victory. As for your opponent, here is their current state..."
Time resumed back to its normal pace and the King's Blade charged forth at a demonic speed toward General Nealin and his phalanx. "Who the hell is this?!" cursed Nealin under his breath.
Before anyone could react, Arlan had already reached the enemy shield wall. The King's Blade unleashed an amplified shoulder slam into the first four Hawkwell Elites and sent them flying twenty meters into the air with shattered bones.
Arlan's gambit was followed by a horizontal swing of his blacksteel claymore. The massive weapon easily cleaved through eight Hawkwell soldiers caught in the arc of the attack. Parts of halved equipment and bodies rained back down around the King's Blade.
The surrounding Hawkwell soldiers surged forward with their weapons, ready to strike. However each one of their blows were blocked midair before they could reach Arlan. Their determined faces masked with desperation as they tried relentlessly to breach the essence barrier that enveloped the Immortal General.
Another horizontal swing reaped all enemy soldiers within five meters of the King's Blade. The other worldly blow added more to the bloody shower.
A murderous aura enveloped the air with the Immortal General at its epicenter. After Arlan's second swing, he allowed his killing intent to flourish. A paralyzing fear took the minds of the Hawkwell soldiers who were considered among the best from House Hawkwell.
Inside Arlan's mind, Sophia's voice erupted again, "My liege, General Nealin will attack you from your left."
Within sixty milliseconds, Arlan instinctively shifted to face his attacker. The King's Blade watched as General Nealin used [Thousand Needles] but the Mar-Tech was useless against the impenetrable essence barrier.
Sophia announced after, "Essence barrier at ninety-eight percent. It will take General Nealin four hours of continuous striking to break through."
After several more attacks, the Hawkwell General paused to catch his breath and stated, "Red cape and blacksteel claymore... You must be Arlan Reeve."
"And you're that uncle she talked about," replied Arlan as he readied his sword.
"Iris spoke highly of you," admitted Nealin, "I do not harbor any hate toward you like my brother. You honored her with a warrior's death and for that, I thank you."
Arlan stated coldly, "She shouldn't have died and you don't have to either, please surrender."
Time slowed down once more as Sophia's voice butted in, "My liege, attempts at getting General Nealin to surrender are futile. His core is under a demon's contract and there is an irregular affliction within his heart. If he surrenders, he will transform into a beast."
"Is there anything we can do?" asked Arlan in his thoughts.
"There is a way to break his contract but he will mutate into an abomination the moment it's gone. We cannot heal the affliction within his heart," answered Sophia as time resumed back to normal.
General Nealin pointed his long spear at Arlan while answering the request, "I cannot surrender and I'm sure you know why... Honor me and my men with a proper death."
"As you wish," answered the King's Blade, "I will be the one to deliver you to the High Heavens."
Arlan continued the fight and swung his sword at General Nealin. Using the blade of his mithril spear, Nealin barely managed to block the gargantuan claymore. The two colliding weapons erupted enough kinetic force to form a small crater beneath the pair.
At that moment, General Nealin thought he could win. But that shimmer of hope was quickly destroyed by a single thrust. The Hawkwell General looked down in disbelief as his mithril armor had been so easily pierced by a blacksteel weapon.
After accepting his own fate, Nealin locked right onto his opponent's brown eyes and let out his final words, "That was beautiful. Thank you."
Arlan nodded and pulled his blade out, sending Nealin on his back lifeless. The Hawkwell soldiers around them begin to cry over the death of their leader. Only fifteen seconds had passed when they came to their senses and remembered their orders were to fight to the last man.
Sophia highlighted every threat with [Heraldic Vision] which allowed Arlan to maximize his efficiency and cut down entire Hawkwell squads in seconds. After two minutes, Arlan had killed over two-hundred Hawkwell soldiers by himself.
Nicolas and his banner had just wiped out the enemy's formations just beyond Arlan's position.
While he stood amongst the corpses of his enemies, a unit of Midland cavaliers approached him. Their leader rode forth then saluted, "General Arlan, I knew you'd wake up!"
"Edgar, it is good to see you too," agreed Arlan as he whistled for Kage, "Where is the rest of the Banner of the Claw?"
"Last I saw, everyone else made their way to the keep," answered Edgar, "We stayed down here to assist the joint army while Nightingale and the Umbras have rejoined the Vanguard."
"I see it in your eyes, Edgar... Tell me who has been killed," demanded Arlan.
"Along with their banners, Duke Cole... Count Daxton... and Count Emile were inside that blast," answered Edgar with regret.
Arlan collapsed to his knees. He leaned against his claymore which did nothing for the crushing weight of sorrow that struck his heart. His vision blurred by tears he knew that nothing could undo what had happened, yet the pain burned within him like a white-hot flame.
"I'm sorry, General," Edgar apologized as he looked on.
Within Arlan's mind, Sophia added, "My liege, allow me to numb that emotion-"
"No! You'll do no such thing," thought Arlan, "For their sake, Sophia, I must carry the weight of their deaths with all of my strength."
As the Immortal General rose to his feet, he then asked Edgar, "And the Banner of the Claw?"
"Mahari was killed by Luther yesterday and we've taken massive casualties across every unit up till now. And lastly... The Hatchets... have all been killed, including Roderic. This is all I know," answered Edgar.
"Thank you Edgar..." answered Arlan as he mounted Kage.
"Your orders, General?"
"After I reunite with my father, we're going to end this."
Half a kilometer south, the battle in the center between Duke Louis and Duke Elias continued on. Both men gave no quarter while on top of their mounts.
Their men emulated the same ferocity as the leaders they revered. Both dukes were beginning to fatigue and had minor injuries inflicted on them by the other.
After another exchange of cold metal, Duke Elias remarked, "You'll die here today, Louis. And after today, I'm going to kill every single Reeve down to the last and erase all of you from history."
"You seem so sure of that," rebutted Louis as he riposted another attack, "But I've been waiting for you to strike me down."
Before Duke Elias could respond, the sound of cheering and armies shuffling echoed from the north.
"Looks like the little Stonemar boy was slain," stated Elias with a smug tone, "And you'll be joining him soon enough when Nealin gets here."
Duke Louis felt the shift in the battle and his instincts told him otherwise, "I'm quite sure it's the opposite, Elias."
"Impossible!" barked Elias as he continued to swing into Louis, "That little Stonemar boy couldn't have bested Nealin."
Then from the north, sounds of the Hawkwell formations being torn through reverberated across the battlefield. Both Elias and Louis looked to see Hawkwell men getting thrown into the air shattered or in pieces.
A nearby Hawkwell soldier yelled out, "Duke Elias! Two-hundred enemy mounted soldiers are moving toward us and tearing through all of our formations in the way. There are reports that General Nealin has been slain!"
Duke Elias was silent at the revelation and could finally feel the flow of battle shifting as well. He knew the report held no lie or no uncertainty.
"It is as you say, Louis. My brother is dead. So is my wife, my son, and my daughter. All taken from me," stated Elias with no emotion left in his voice.
Louis had no response as he kept his gaze on Elias. There was a bit of pity for the man who had lost his entire family over the course of the war.
"House Hawkwell will end with me. There are no remaining Hawkwells left," continued Elias, "My daughter had once asked me about marrying your son..."
"You should've... Why didn't you?" asked Louis.
Elias glared at his longsword, emblazoned with the Hawkwell crest. "In another life, we would've been grandfathers to the same grandchildren... But I had sworn an oath to House Kaiser through the bond of fealty that Iris would be given to Luther in exchange for these demon cores. My heart was bent on retribution—to rain down death and destruction on the Hanbi for what they did to my beloved wife! I knew that only House Kaiser would provide the opportunity to satisfy my rage."
Louis' mind raced with emotion as he thought back to his beloved late wife and the miscarriage that had claimed her life. With a loud voice he answered, "I understand your pain but... you'd let your own children sacrifice their life for a selfish lust for vengeance!"
"Who do you think you are to question me?!" Elias barked before lunging out primal rage. Duke Louis read his opponent's movements and saw Elias had sluggish movements. It was due to the emotions running rampant within the man.
Capitalizing on the mistake, Louis countered the attack with [Perfect Pressure]. An explosion of kinetic force knocked Elias back but before he could regain his footing, a sharp pain tore into his chest. Louis had thrust his mithril longsword through Elias Hawkwell.
After coughing blood, Elias locked eyes with Louis and spoke his final words, "You... You may have killed me Louis but you won't win, you will die here. I've made sure of that even in my death..."
Louis pulled out his mithril longsword as Elias grinned. In one quick motion, Louis severed Elias' head. House Hawkwell was no more and their line had ended on that day.
But just like the Hawkwell Duke had foretold, the remaining twenty-four thousand Hawkwell Elites before them began to transform into beasts. Which resulted in a cold fear brandishing across the Reeve-Stonemar Banner. They were informed of the dangers of the foe they were about to face.
"Kill them all now!" barked Louis, "Do not allow them to-"
A bone scythe struck at Louis before he could finish. The weight and power behind the attack was immense but was blocked last second. Lord Commander Jermaine leapt from behind the attacker and brought his blacksteel halberd down, crushing the monster.
"Jermaine!" yelled Louis.
"My liege, what're your orders?" asked Jermaine, "The Hawkwell Elites were already strong enough but these monstrosities are even tougher! With only eighteen thousand standing, our chances of victory have slipped away."
"It may be our time, Lord Commander... We will not be able to outrun them and our fighting strength has collapsed. This was Elias' final gambit, even after I killed him."
Jermaine already knew about their fate but he still needed to hear it from Duke Louis. Powered by his loyalty, he gripped his blacksteel halberd tightly.
"Aye, Louis," replied Jermaine, "Please allow me to protect you until my dying breath."
As the two exchanged words, Duke Louis' personal unit of Heracul Knights formed behind him. Only four hundred remained of the thousand that Duke Louis had brought. Other smaller northern lords and their loyal banners of infantry formed up, they all swore an oath to House Reeve. They weren't going to sully that oath in the final hours.
Before them were numerous Hawkwell Elites who had morphed into grotesque beasts like how Godbert and his men had. Some were already clashing with Commander Ragnar to the south. While most had just finished their transformations and had begun their ferocious charge across the large city square.
Duke Louis was prepared to join his brothers in the High Heavens but something was odd to him. "Jermaine, the left-wing won against General Nealin, right?"
"Aye, they did," answered Jermaine, "The Stonemar boy somehow slew General Nealin. And they should be reaching the enemy's left shortly."
"Did he rally the Storm Riders?"
"The last report I received was that Stonemar banners pushed forth and are circling around while the Storm Riders are making their way here now."
"There's no way the Storm Riders could break an enemy formation of two-thousand by themselves with only two hundred riders."
"It was strange to me too but I dare not question any small victories we could take," answered Jermaine.
They had only another thirty seconds before the beasts would reach the center. But the beasts began to halt and turn their attention to their northern flank. There, the Hawkwell beasts were being sent flying and obliterated with ease.
"Is it the Storm Riders? Signal them to retreat! They'll die!" yelled Duke Louis with concern.
But as a retreat horn was sounded, the Midland Unit didn't stop. Finally, the Storm Riders emerged after obliterating over a thousand enemy monsters and made their way toward the center. Duke Louis' heart elated at who he saw leading them.
"My lord! It's Baron Arlan! He has awakened and is leading the Storm Riders!" yelled Jermaine.
"Yes it is! My son has awakened!" cried Duke Louis with tears streaming down.
The Storm Riders were being chased by the Hawkwell beasts with Arlan at the front as he yelled out toward the Reeve-Stonemar banner, "Everyone! I will renew your strengths and come forth with me!"
As Arlan's words rang out loudly, his voice amplified with wind magic to carry itself across the battlefield. Without any hesitation, Duke Louis was the first to charge across, his men following behind shortly.
A fire was once again lit within their hearts but this time, their stamina was renewed and they felt even stronger. The King's Blade had his Monarch's Regalia extend to the entirety of the joint army.
"Sophia, did it work?" asked Arlan as he motioned his Storm Riders to turn back east toward the Hawkwell monsters.
"Your Grace, [Blessings of the Crown] has been activated but to reach this many, half of our mana capacity was used. The entire joint army has had their major injuries healed and their stamina has been restored. Even the four thousand, three hundred and twenty that were mortally injured have been saved from death."
"And the Aura of the Monarch's Regalia?"
"Normally, the aura would empower them a whole tier but with this many recipients, we could only empower them up to a core rank," answered Sophia, "In time, the Monarch's Regalia will regain this power and you'll be unrivaled, even to gods. As for the Storm Riders, they have the lingering essence of your Warlord's Regalia within, granting them a full tier increase."
"Understood," acknowledged the Immortal General as he neared the Hawkwell beasts.
Arlan was at the front of the charge with the joint army and his Storm Riders following, now renewed and strengthened. Before them, the horde of Hawkwell beasts were frozen in fear. The murderous aura that Arlan had was ten times more powerful than ever.
At the point of impact, Arlan and his Storm Riders drove through the beasts like hot butter on a knife. While stampeding through on their mounts, they swung their weapons at blinding speeds. Kage's eyes repeated the same murderous intent as his rider, crushing any monsters under its hooves.
Sophia's voice echoed inside Arlan's mind as time dilated, "My King, you and the Storm Riders have slew four-hundred and rising. Your father and the joint army have just clashed with the beasts behind you. The Hawkwell beasts are in a state of complete disarray from your power. The enemy will be wiped out in forty minutes."
"I don't have forty minutes. I need to get to that keep," thought Arlan in his mind, "Will the joint army win here decisively now that I've restored their stamina?"
"Yes, with minimal casualties," answered Sophia, "With our initial barrage, over five thousand beasts will be slain in the next twenty seconds."
Satisfied with Sophia's analysis, Arlan signaled back to his Storm Riders to slow down. Duke Louis and his Heracul Knights caught up to to their right while demolishing into the Hawkwell monsters as well. Arlan pointed his blacksteel claymore at the Eisanyr keep as a signal to his father.
Duke Louis motioned for a hundred Heracul Knights to detach from their main unit with him and ride with Arlan. Lord Commander Jermaine took over command of the joint army and the rest of the Heracul Knights. To their north, Nicolas Stonemar was also fighting tooth and nail against the beasts that threatened their position. But they held their ground with no problems.
As the Reeve father and son reunited, Duke Louis asked, "Arlan! What is your plan?"
"Father, I want you to ride toward the keep with me."
Now with a hundred Heracul Knights and two hundred Storm Riders, Arlan and his father had just arrived at the keep's gate. They all dismounted and ran towards the tower that led up to the battlements. Hundreds of footsteps echoed down as another group was already in front of them.
Arlan already knew who was on the stairs above him with his [Heraldic Vision]. Edgar's voice echoed out behind as he followed Arlan, "General! It has to be an enemy unit in front of us!"
"Four-hundred Kaiser Elites," answered Arlan, "It's Luther's personal unit."
Edgar and Duke Louis were confused as to how Arlan knew but had no reason to doubt him.
"Shall we find another way?" asked Duke Louis.
Arlan's voice rang out from under his helmet, "No, just follow me. We don't have the time to find another way!"
Before Edgar could answer, black markings appeared around the Immortal General's mithril armor and his eyes glowed crimson red. Arlan had activated [True King], a new form that doubled the effect of any physical enhancements and gave him unlimited stamina.
The true lanes from his [Undying Zeal] had now become a passive effect of the Monarch's Regalia. The time limit on his form was three times as long now. This meant that for three hours a day, Arlan was an unstoppable demi-god of war.
Rushing up the stairs at inhuman speeds, Arlan easily caught up to the back of the Kaiser Shock Troopers.
They had no clue Arlan was behind them. Right before the Immortal General started his massacre, Sophia projected a visual image that mapped the most efficient way to kill the enemies before them.
The rearmost Kaiser soldier then turned and asked, "Who's there? Who's behind-"
A blacksteel claymore severed the Kaiser soldier vertically in half a second before he could finish. Confused, the other Kaiser soldiers turned and were being systematically cut down. Like a swordsman who honed his craft for centuries, Arlan moved through the Kaiser shock troopers with ease, leaving a wake of corpses.
His large blacksteel claymore swung with power and precision in the enclosed space. Utilizing every inch, the tip of his blade at times making small cuts in the stone walls. Never pausing, never losing a beat, he had already left a wake of a hundred bodies in a minute.
Edgar and Duke Louis arrived at the first of many corpses Arlan left in his wake. "H-How...?" asked Duke Louis.
"He told me his core has evolved," answered Edgar as they continued, "It is now the Monarch's Regalia. I couldn't believe how strong he is now when I first saw it."
Even the Heracul Knights and Storm Riders were a little frightened by the gruesome scene before them. The only reassuring factor was that he was on their side.
Arlan made his way up and continued his slaughter, Sophia's voice counted every kill made, "Three hundred twenty... Three hundred twenty four... Three hundred thirty six... Three hundred fifty eight..."
Even a few Kaiser soldiers who were battle hardened veterans nearly blocked a few attacks but their blades were cut just as easily as their flesh by the large moving slab of sharpened blacksteel. There was only one thing on the Immortal General's mind, kill all the enemies in his path.
Arlan reached the final two and dove his weapon into one while slamming his gauntlet through the other's heart. He ripped out the innards and let go. With no remorse, Arlan had wiped out Luther's personal unit of four-hundred soldiers.
The last two bodies leaned against the large door that led to the battlements. Sounds of battle echoed from the other side.
Arlan knew who was on the other side and the struggles they faced. So he kicked the door open which sent the two dead Kaiser soldiers forth, landing in front of Erin and a platoon of Vanguard soldiers.
Arlan walked forth slowly while Edgar and Duke Louis would be arriving behind him in thirty seconds. Arlan's [Heraldic Vision] had already revealed everything he needed to know. Sophia was able to help him deduce what was going on within a matter of seconds. Finally stopping as the dust subsided around him, Arlan said, "Hey."
Erin and Lem could barely make a few words as tears slid down their faces and emotions ran through.
"Lem, Erin, you both held on well," answered Arlan as he extended his Aura of the Monarch's Regalia out to every one of his allies.
Luther and Osmund were completely shocked and confused, they thought Arlan was cursed to an eternal slumber. Fear grasped their hearts.
JD wiped his tears with his palm and smiled, "I knew you'd wake up! What took you so long?"
"I thought you could handle it without me," joked Arlan back to his friend.
Luther's voice emerged from above, "You... You killed my men didn't you?"
Arlan ignored Luther and continued walking toward Erin and Lem. Luther furiously sent forth a [Gravity Well] right at Arlan's feet. The purple glyphs formed and conjured the deathly gravity spell.
"Arlan!" yelled Yanie and Fiala from behind the Vanguard shieldwall.
The Immortal General simply continued, ignoring the spell. A cold sweat dripped down Luther's neck as Arlan sent a deathly glance at the Kaiser Baron.
"I killed your men," answered Arlan as he continued, "All four hundred of them."
"If I can't harm you then... I shall kill them!" answered Luther as he sent another [Gravity Well] this time it was directed at Erin, Lem and the platoon of Vanguard soldiers.
The glyphs formed around them but before the spell could even finish, Arlan extended his essence barrier to protect them from the spell. It had no effect.
After witnessing his gravity magic had no effect again, Luther dove toward Arlan like he had once done at the Tetrasan Tournament. It was the same dive bomb attack that was three times as powerful as it was then.
A loud thud rang out as a mithril longsword dropped to the ground, it was Luther's. Arlan had grabbed Luther by the neck with his left arm and the attack had been canceled out completely by Arlan's impenetrable essence barrier.
"I'm going to crush your windpipe," stated Arlan with conviction.
"What-Wait don't!" cried Luther as Arlan's hand closed around the throat, destroying Luther's ability to speak.
The Immortal General released the Kaiser Baron who landed on the ground grasping for his neck with both arms. Tears and pain emanated from Luther's eyes.
Duke Osmund finally pulled himself together after witnessing his son mangled and yelled, "What are you fools doing!? Kill them! Summon the rest of the Kaiser banners now! Marie, I order you to kill Arlan!"
The fighting resumed around them but this time, the Banner of the Claw was empowered a whole tier and everyone was fighting with renewed vigor. Marie flew next to Osmund and hovered there.
"I ordered you to kill him!" yelled Osmund.
"No," answered Marie, "I don't have to."
The Embercaller scooped the unconscious Coldheart and flew towards Arlan. Sophia had already removed the contract that was binding Marie's core. With tears streaming down her face, Marie laid the Coldheart down with Fiala and coldly said to Arlan, "Kill them... Kill them all."
The Immortal General nodded as he used [Blessings of the Crown] on Chrysta. At the same time, Edgar, Duke Louis, and the rest of their troops arrived through the door at the battlements. Arlan's spell was only able to heal Chrysta's physical injuries but Sophia revealed heavy damage to her core and it would take some time to heal.
Yuna joined Marie as they both knelt over Chrysta and cried. The Argold mage then asked, "Will she be okay?"
"She won't die. But she'll need time to heal," answered Arlan, "Fiala, see to it that you monitor her. Everyone else, come with me."
Arlan walked forth and stood next to JD, he was joined by Erin, Lem, Yanie, Edgar, Marie, Yuna, and Duke Louis. The Storm Riders, Vanguard, Silvan Rangers, and Heracul Knights behind them. Before them, Duke Osmund stood with Qorinth and another five-hundred Kaiser soldiers.
"Osmund, it's over. Surrender and I'll promise a quick death," demanded Arlan loudly.
"Don't act so high and mighty with me boy, even with that new power you hold," answered Duke Osmund.
Before Arlan could respond, Nightingale appeared from behind the bunker holding Rohas' head. Her three Panthers appeared as well since they had dispatched their opponents as soon as Arlan had empowered them. The last Rakari's head was thrown forth.
"I will still be victorious! Kill them!" yelled Duke Osmund as his soldiers charged forth along with Qorinth.
Arlan and his allies responded in the same manner.
The Immortal General's voice beckoned, "Yuna, use your buffs and go left! JD, Edgar and father, with me!"
Yuna provided enhancement magic to further bolster her allies while moving quickly along the left. Arlan and JD were at the front, both holders of their own powerful Regalias, dispatched the first ten Kaiser Brutes together, dancing around each other like they were synced up as one mind. Edgar and Duke Louis joined Arlan and JD from behind and added to the carnage by unleashing powerful Mar-Tech upon the Kaiser soldiers who were trying to encircle the four.
The Immortal General's orders continued through, "Marie cover us and take out Qorinth! Yanie, create an opening on the right for Lem and Erin now!"
Marie flew above them with her green inferno wings while letting out multiple [Wrath of Ignis] spells to counter the barrage of [Arcane Blast] being sent by Qorinth and his unit of mages. Yanie unleashed [Hawkshot] at the enemy's right side, exploding into kinetic energy on impact, stunning a squad of Kaiser Brutes.
As ordered, Lem and Erin capitalized on Yanie's attack and shoved themselves into the melee, effortlessly killing a score of enemy soldiers. Both Erin and Lem thought of their late friends as ghostly images of Trent and Dimitri appeared in their minds behind them.
"Everyone! Get ready to turn toward the center!" ordered Arlan once more as they had already killed over two hundred Kaiser soldiers from Osmund's personal unit. As they carved just a few more meters forth, the Immortal General's voice echoed out, "Now!"
The Banner of the Claw's entire momentum then turned toward the center focal point where Arlan, JD, Duke Louis, and Edgar were. This created a spiraling drill formation that drove with precision through the Kaiser ranks.
Before a minute had even crossed, they arrived at Duke Osmund and Qorinth's position where the Interitas Cannon's control panel was.
Arlan, Edgar, JD, and Duke Louis were the first to arrive. Marie landed next to them, behind them were the one sided slaughter of the Kaiser soldiers. The Banner of the Claw was at a massive advantage. JD was about to make his move when Arlan's arm shot up and stopped him.
"Arlan? What is it?" asked the Tempest Knight in confusion.
"Wait... Something isn't right," answered Arlan.
As Arlan's predictions came true, a large square barrier was erected, sealing them in with Duke Osmund and Qorinth. Behind them, everyone else was sealed out.
"I have a contingent plan in place if you show up," revealed Duke Osmond as he readied his adamantine great axe.
The barrier was all too familiar to Arlan, it was the same one that was at the Siege of Rinhaven…
Time dilated to a slow pace and Arlan thought, "Sophia! Deploy my barrier to a max! To everyone in here!"
"Already done!" answered Sophia, "I felt a strange mana spike when this enclosed area was deployed!"
As time resumed, a huge wave of mana burst from where Duke Osmund and Qorinth were standing. After the smoke had resided, four more figures had joined Duke Osmund and Qorinth.
"I should've guessed as much," admitted Arlan as he looked upon his enemies with disgust, "The Malum Incarnate."
"Correct, we meet again, Ashra," stated Moradon, a demon with purple scaly skin and a great scythe. "I've brought with me familiar friends."
Moradon pointed toward a hulking man with green eyes and a large two handed purple sword. Everyone in the Banner of the Claw knew who it was, General Sakrates. But his skin was dark gray and his eyes were no longer human.
"General Sakrates is now a demon," stated Moradon with pride, "He is now with the Malum Incarnate."
A deep otherworldly voice emerged from the former Sworan General, "I rejoice as this is all I ever wanted! You should consider joining me, Ashra!"
Behind them Moradon and Sakrates were two large winged demons with flails. They had hooves for feet and resembled large minotaurs with bat wings, they towered at nine feet.
"And Duke Osmund, Belial has brought these two gifts for you. You'll be able to kill the Ashra here with them and General Sakrates. They're his new Hell Knights," stated Moradon happily.
"I knew the Malum Incarnate wouldn't let me down," replied Duke Osmund, "And what of my son?"
"Here he is," answered Moradon as he opened another blue portal with Luther coming out. "We wouldn't let one of our best clients down now would we?"
Luther's eyes were now green but his skin was still normal. He gripped his mithril longsword and smiled deviously.
"What is it you want?!" asked Arlan.
"We want to bring back Adaneus," answered Moradon, "He will lead us to a new age of calamity. Something you once promised."
"Then I'm going to kill you and the rest of the Malum Incarnate," promised Arlan with a cold determination.
Moradon let out a laugh as if he found what Arlan said to be the funniest joke he had ever heard.
"You'll die here Ashra," stated Moradon as he disappeared through his blue portal.
General Sakrates grinned deviously while holding his two-handed purple claymore that had once silenced Arlan from utilizing mana based spells. He was joined by a corrupted Luther, Duke Osmund, Qorinth and two Hell Knights.
"Everyone! Prepare yourselves!" yelled Arlan, "Here and now, we will end this forsaken war!"
Time dilated once again, "Sophia, tell me everything about them."
"Your grace, Osmund Kaiser and Luther Kaiser are both eighth-tier red-cores who're specialized in gravity magic. General Sakrates is a seventh-tier white-core and is being amplified with some kind of demonic core. Qorinth is an Archmage with a seventh-tier red-core with demonic applications. As for the two Hell Knights, they're also seventh-tier red-cores. With the Aura of the Monarch's Regalia, JD is at a seventh-tier red-core with his Hurricane Regalia. Marie is an eighth-tier red-core but has the same demonic core amplification as Sakrates. Edgar is a fifth-tier red-core. Duke Louis is a sixth-tier white-core. This battle will be difficult but there is multiple optimal routes to win."
"Show me," demanded Arlan as time resumed. Only a few seconds had passed when Arlan grinned and looked up.
Luther noticed Arlan's expression and answered, "I'm going to wipe that smug look off your face, Arlan."
"Like hell you will," barked back Marie with an attitude.
"Oh it's that little lady I almost killed back in Rinhaven," added Sakrates, "I look forward to actually killing you."
"Not if you got my blades to contend with," added JD as he flourished his two mithril longswords.
Arlan made eye contact and whispered a few orders to his companions. He then charged toward Luther and crossed blades as Duke Louis did the same with Duke Osmund.
JD locked blades with Sakrates. While armed with his spear, Edgar took on the two Hell Knights. Over them, a mage duel between Qorinth and Marie was underway. A massive essence barrier was extended by Arlan to his other five companions within the bubble.
Luther wasn't that much more powerful and was easily out-matched by Arlan but everytime Arlan was about to strike a killing blow, Duke Osmund made sure to zone Arlan out. Meanwhile, Duke Louis kept Duke Osmund on the defensive until he would move to zone Arlan.
JD's Hurricane Regalia had made him a force to be reckoned with. His initial attacks surprised Sakrates enough to give him an upper edge in exchanging blows against the newly converted demon. Meanwhile nearby, Edgar was struggling to keep the Hell Knights at bay.
Arlan and his party knew that the fate of many rested on their shoulders here. In their hearts and minds, failing was unacceptable.
