|Jude|
Two figures strode confidently towards me, their footsteps echoing off the nearby buildings. The taller of the two stood at a towering 7 feet and was adorned in tight-fitting black armor underneath a regal purple cape, with two serrated horns curling under his ears. The other, a smaller and weaker retainer, seemed to pale in comparison.
The Vritra's deep-set eyes rested beneath heavy lids, lending a charming quality to his stern face. His neatly-cropped ash black hair framed his chiseled features, giving him the look of a character from a romantic novel - if not for the horns.
Olfred broke the silence with a bow, "Scythe Cadell, Retainer Cylrit."
"Cadell," I muttered under my breath, sizing up my opponents. A lance, a retainer, and a scythe - this should be interesting.
"Come out if you wish to fight," I declared, ignoring Cylrit and Olfred's presence.
I noticed Cadell blocking Cylrit from attacking me as we made our way outside. They followed me persistently, but I led them to a secluded area at the foot of the Grand Mountains, kilometers away from any human presence.
It was time.
|Third POV|
Jude braced himself, coiling up like a spring before launching himself at Cadell. His mana-charged fist was intercepted by Cadell, but the force still pushed him back a few steps. Olfred conjured a dozen magma golems, meticulously refining and strengthening them before sending them off to engage Jude.
Cylrit drew his black blade, catching Jude's second punch, which was aimed at Cadell. The mana around Jude's fist was completely absorbed by the blade. Jude raised an eyebrow as Cadell's soulfire fist surged towards his face, and Olfred took the opportunity to conjure magma arrows, shooting them at him.
Suddenly, everything stopped, frozen in time except for Jude. 'Damn, I still haven't fully mastered this,' Jude cursed in his mind as he struggled under the burden of Arthur's aevum technique. He used the frozen time to dodge the attacks and moved behind Cylrit, unpausing time just before his [Black Dragon Cross Strike] hit the retainer's back. The impact unleashed a surge of mana that sent Cylrit flying away.
Cadell responded quickly, swinging his left fist at Jude's face while conjuring a stream of soulfire under Jude's feet. Olfred sent half of the golems to support Cadell, but Jude infused aether with his ice, giving it a black hue that neutralized the soulfire from the ground. He dodged Cadell's punch without difficulty and struck out at his liver with his Destruction rune, the violet flames surrounding his fist catching Cadell off guard. The attack would have landed if not for one of Olfred's golems sacrificing itself to slow down the attack, and the others forcing Jude to move by striking him.
Taking a deep breath, Jude conjured just a mouthful of water, then collected wind and gravity mana to act on the water molecules, adding tremendous force before releasing them. Cadell summoned a wall of soulfire that stopped most of the bullets heading for him, but a few hit him hard, piercing through his armor and causing golden blood to drip from his body. The bullets were also protected by aether, preventing Olfred's magma golems from evaporating them and causing most of them to be destroyed, with Olfred himself sustaining grievous injuries. A few bullets headed straight for Cadell's head and would have killed him if not for Cylrit saving his life with his black blade.
Jude focused his mana and aether on top of the four, his enemies unaware of the developing situation. Cadell released a large amount of soulfire straight at him, while Olfred used a more potent version of the spell he had used to kill Sebastian. Cylrit released his black smog to hinder Jude's eyesight, but it didn't matter. An inferno of violet flames enveloped Jude, protecting him from Cadell's soulfire. He quickly conjured ice to freeze Olfred's attack and used All-seeing Eyes to ignore Cylrit's black smog.
'Almost done,' Jude thought, conjuring blades of fire and ice. The blades were deflected by Cylrit without difficulty, and Cadell summoned obsidian swords made of soulfire before closing the distance. Jude covered his sword with soulfire, violet flames, and frostfire before engaging Cadell. Olfred conjured up a dozen golems focused purely on attack, while Cylrit also closed the gap.
However, Jude couldn't be defeated in close-quarters combat. Cheonmujiche, the incarnation of martial arts from the heavens, granted him ultimate body reaction time and responsiveness. His body moved precisely as he wanted, without any noticeable delay, as he weaved through the barrage of attacks from the three. He not only used his sword to cut them down but also used his left hand whenever possible to get a hit on them.
Olfred could hardly believe what he was seeing. How could such a monstrous being exist? Jude's wind-augmented hands were sheathed in a casing of ice mana, and his sword dripped with three different flames. With a mighty swing, he shattered all of the golems, sending Cylrit tumbling backward and forcing Cadell to retreat by breaking his conjured swords.
Cadell pulled Cylrit back as he retreated, firing off soulfire at Jude to no avail as it merely froze before it reached him. Jude was almost completely unscathed, save for a few slashes Cadell got on him and a single strike from Olfred's axe-wielding golem that landed on his clavicle.
"It's over," Jude declared, his face twisting into a victorious smile. He raised his hand and then let it fall, signaling the release of a spell.
In an instant, a blinding light illuminated the entire area, causing the three enemies to scream in agony as their bodies were burned and cut by the intense light.
The spell continued for what felt like an eternity, but eventually, it came to an explosive end. Jude walked over to the writhing bodies of Olfred and Cylrit, both still alive but barely.
|Jude|
As I surveyed the aftermath of the battle, my heart sank as I realized that the Scythe was gone. I had intentionally toned down my spell to avoid killing Cylrit and Olfred, especially the latter. He had been one of the few retainers who had been genuinely loyal to the kingdom.
It was obvious that the explosion that had followed was Cadell's doing. He must have used it as a diversion to make his escape. His mana signature had disappeared so quickly that it was impossible to track him.
Frustrated, I demanded, "Show yourself!" but instead of Cadell, a woman appeared behind me. Her striking appearance immediately drew my attention. Her hair was as radiant as amethyst, and her skin was smooth and alabaster. But it was her black spiralled horns that were most captivating.
What was most unusual, however, was the lack of aura around her. It was contained, like a volatile bomb waiting to explode. It was the same kind of aura that Cadell had, and it left no doubt in my mind that she was a Scythe.
"I don't want to fight you. I only want peace," she said, raising her hands in surrender.
I gestured for her to continue.
"I know what the Vritras have done to the people of Alacarya, and I want to help you bring peace between Alacarya and Dicathen. But for that to happen, Agrona needs to be removed," she said nervously, looking away.
"What is your name?" I asked curiously.
"My name is Seris Vritra. Please forgive me, I must leave before anyone sees us talking," she said, and then vanished in a similar manner as Cadell.
I turned my attention to Olfred and Cylrit, encasing them both in ice to prevent them from escaping or causing any more trouble. I then flew to where Olfred had killed Sebastian and found myself amidst thousands of Alacaryan soldiers.
Without any hesitation, I unleashed pressurized bullets of water that tore through their skulls, killing them instantly. As I ascended, I knew that it would cause confusion and chaos, but I didn't care. They had brought it upon themselves by serving under the Vritras.
After reaching a secluded area, I contemplated my next move. With Rahdeas' arrest and Olfred's and the retainer's interrogation, it was going to be a hectic situation when we returned to the castle.
As I lay down on the grass, my thoughts drifted. My body had been strengthened by Aether, allowing me to rely on minimal sleep. But I still slept every day out of habit.
Using my blue mana core, I made Olfred and Cylrit fly with me to the castle, ready for their interrogation.
I debriefed Virion on the events of the previous day before escorting the two prisoners to their holding cells. After fulfilling my duties, I decided to spend some time with Kathyln.
My mind was racing with thoughts and my head was swimming with exhaustion as I finally lay my head on the pillow. I drifted off into a deep slumber, only waking up the next morning feeling somewhat refreshed.
I wasted no time and headed straight to the bath. I adjusted the temperature to the coldest setting and relished the icy water. As I stepped out of the shower, Kathyln stirred from her sleep. I gently shook her awake and she smiled as she saw me.
We had recently gotten engaged and were now living together in my larger room, which had been modified to accommodate both of us. As we embraced each other, we heard footsteps outside my door. Before the person could even knock, I called out, "Who is it?"
An unfamiliar woman's voice responded, "Commander Jude and General Kathyln. I have been instructed to assist you in getting ready and escorting you to the meeting hall."
"We will be there shortly," I replied, breaking away from Kathyln and quickly donning a pair of trousers and a tunic with a high collar. Kathyln followed suit and we headed out with our escort.