Chapter 387: All The Strong People Are Here [Part 2]
The battlefield entered a state of momentary pause. The new entries each stood in their own place, surveying their surroundings and, most importantly, observing the man on the balcony.
A tumultuous damage had been dealt to the battlefield due to the fire pillar that Annette had summoned. What were left of the soldiers were scrubs, scrambling to get up and barely matching half the aura of might that these new arrivals exuded.
Annette's breath was unsteady as she tried to get up. She looked at the new people who had just entered the battlefield and muttered to herself.
"Took you guys long enough..."
She rested on her knee for a while, then looked to the other side to see more of them again.
Some she had expected to be here, and some surprised her.
Ryan, Arlem, Vida, Ayu, and Myu stood on one side, although apart from each other. Gilbert and Helena landed further to the front, manning the vanguard.
Annette was very confused about what the occasion was, how they had managed to be here at this time.
What was Helena, who was supposed to be in Slorand, doing with Gilbert?
Not to mention Ayu and Myu. Of course, they had chosen to go with Gilbert's faction, which opted out of all this civil war nonsense and focused on clearing all the rifts to close them down.
While Annette also focused on clearing the rift, what separated her from Gilbert's faction was their stubbornness to stay on Lotheliwan and have their vengeance at all costs.
Fed by stealing resources from Sloria, and eventually proceed to flee this desolation when the time was ripe.
Although Annette never pictured that she would be here today unleashing the full extent of her power.
So far so good, even though the tides were not ridden by her, she had no regrets.
'I just wish he would show up right in a moment like this...'
Zephyr's cold voice tore into the silence.
"And what do you hope to achieve with this... you think this is all we have to us as Slorians."
Gilbert raised his head, his voice thickly ringing,
"Take a good look at yourself pretty boy. Most of your armies have been decimated. Right now, your leader is facing a cruel brawl with Raven."
The wall on Zephyr's face trembled, but he composed himself and frowned.
"Laughable. I can't be worried about Afkon, he's the strongest of us all. And you have little time. The Empire is sending reinforcements."
Gilbert nodded, "Yes, definitely, but you'll be dead before they get here. Moreover, I am very sure the Empire wouldn't waste elite soldiers on the likes of you. So, it's nothing we can't handle."
Zephyr leaned away from the balcony and looked at them intensely. He sent a glance to his female comrade who stood guarded opposite them.
His eyes drifted to shade who also maintained an alerting position that reflected how battle- crazed he was.
Braham was backing away, expression full of wariness and anxiety. He probably wished he could sink into the ground.
Zephyr's eyes glided across the land. The burnt bodies of people, those felled by blades, scattered across in a boorish manner and slumped with their own blood.
It was a sickening sight.
His eyes finally came back to Gilbert.
"What are you suggesting?"
Gilbert spoke casually, slightly shaking his head as he did.
"Give up this instance. We still can fight together. We can challenge the rifts together and go back home together."
Zephyr slammed his hand on the balcony and shouted,
"There is no home, Gilbert!" He reined his head back, glaring at them with a sullen expression on his face. His eyes were reddened. "How long will it take for you damned to realize that much."
The breeze of silence swept across for a beat, then his voice intruded again.
"The moment we step foot into that continent. He will have our heads, I tell you!"
"What makes you so sure?" Gilbert narrowed his eyes, 'Is there perhaps something he knows, that I don't...'
This was not the first time he had worked for Rughsbourgh. He hated the man mainly because he was the type to use people without informing them.
But he owed him nevertheless... enough to walk into hell for him.
One thing he also knew was that if Rughsbourgh was saying it was for the good of humanity, then it was for the good of humanity.
However, Rughsbourgh's means to an end, is always very questionable.
And Gilbert had found himself always asking the question, "Does the end justify the means?"
A difficult question he had not been able to get an answer to.
If there was a chance that Rughsbourgh was playing something else, he wanted to find out and have his own plan.
This time he was going to double-cross the damned man. And pay him off once and for all. Zephyr did not respond, however, there was a hint of hesitation in his eyes. He exhaled softly and leaned away from the table.
His face slowly became stern, determination flaming up in his eyes.
"We were given only one command. To bring your damn stronghold to ruin and capture the two monsters that you people have tamed. And that is exactly what is going to happen."
He picked up the bow that was leaned against the lower wall of the balcony and raised it into the sky, drawing its string back strongly.
There was no arrow of light within the bow this time around, but he still drew back fiercely, pointing it to the sky.
Then he said:
"Face your deaths. Heavenly Judgement."
He released the string. An ear-splitting scream soared into the sky, splitting the dark clouds.
A beat following that, the cloud began to get bright, as if light was forcing its way through the
night.
Gilbert shouted, "Take cover!!!"
Immediately he shouted, every person for himself, used their different skills to shield themselves. Those that weren't able to shield themselves darted away from open air as arrows
of light began to fall from the sky like rain.
As the arrows touched the ground, they melted into it, burrowing a small hole.
They would probably burrow into whoever they managed to touch.
Amidst the chaos was Ellis, unprotected and running away for his life whichever way he could.
Every miss was by a hair's breadth and an evidence of luck, but his luck eventually ran out when he tripped on a vine and fell.
His eyes drifted towards Braham who was grinning viciously at him from inside a cocoon of
vines.
Ellis' face contorted with dread but he quickly regained himself and struggled to stand up, which was for some strange reason very difficult-something was holding his leg down.
He looked back to see a vine twisted around his ankle, holding him down.
And another downpour of arrows was coming.
His eyes got teary as he cursed Braham with all his heart. He closed his eyes as the particular
arrow falling his direction got closer.
However, long seconds after, he still was alive.
So, slowly, he opened his eyes. And saw a powerful creature with four arms and four eyes,
looming above him.
Night Terror looked different from before, his body like dark-silvery carapace armor.
His eyes burned with furious red light that danced with flares.
The creature patted Ellis' head and turned away from him-towards Zephyr.
And leaped.