Larian sped through the city and out the entrance in the direction of the Redhill Mountain.
When he was out of sight he directly released his Dragon Form and the Dark Blue energy formed around his legs. On his back, a pair of opaque wings stretched wide.
'The density of my Dragon form has improved. Does this energy improve the more energy that is accumulated in my core? Or are the powers still getting disgusted even though I can't sense it?'
With one leap Larian jumped higher than the tallest building Orsen Mountain ever reached. Larian flapped his wings and it propelled him through the air.
'I can now directly flap and fly, instead of jumping and gliding through the air. I might be able to travel faster to the other mountains than I thought.'
From the ground anyone who looked up would simply see a dark pair of wings flapping in the sky. A black bird was a rare sight in the valley but not that uncommon, so no one would pay close attention to Larian.
The trip which would've taken 24 hours was done in 3 hours. Larian finally saw the Red Mountain.
'It's not blood red like what I thought. It's more natural like the brown mountains from earth. It might be because of the sunset which gives the mountain its iconic Redness.'
From the base of the mountain four camps can be seen in each corner. Larian entered the closest one directly.
"Is this the camp from Orsen mountain?"
This guard was wearing the same bands as the ones Larian had seen from Orsen's Guards.
"Yes. You're a little late for the festival. Are you a participant or a merc?"
"What's the difference?"
The guard explained simply.
"A participant is someone who is enlisted by General Thork. A merc is a blade for hire who is sent in for the fights."
"I'm sent here to protect someone. So I fall under none of the above."
The Gyth Guard eyed Larian''s weapon.
"A swordsman with no armour. I'll put you in as a Merc. Who are you finding?"
"Kranon."
"Sargent Kranon? He already joined the battle yesterday. I heard he was sent to the south lane. You might want to find General Thork, he is sending another batch in soon. You can find him in the biggest tent with the Flag of the Green Tusk."
'Direct and keen, he instantly gave me what I needed to know.'
"Thank you."
Larian wasted no time to find the biggest Tent. He found it quite quickly, It was the only tent that looked like it could have multiple elephants in it. When Larian tried to enter he was stopped by the entrance.
Apparently orders were given and many Gyth Soldiers were moving about in a rush. A Gyth man who was wearing a full Golden Armour happened to see Larian as he exited the tentage.
He was the Gyth General Thork.
"Who are you? Which team are you assigned to?"
Larian understood the haste and direct speech of the camp now, he immediately replied.
"I'm Larian. I was sent by Old Peal to protect his son Kranon."
The general thought for a moment.
"From Peal? Kranon was sent to hold the line of the south line yesterday as per the boy's request. Reports have stopped coming a few hours ago, the next team is heading there to investigate. If you wish to join, find Sergeant Keith."
General Thork examined Larain and his brows furrowed.
"Also go get your tag sorted out else I'll have you charged for infiltrating the camp even if you are a merc."
The General settled Larian with a few lines moved with a group of soldiers accompanying him.
'A tag? Oh everyone is wearing a green tag on their left shoulders.'
Larian had no time to waste now that he found out there was something wrong with Kranon's situation. By the time he got a green tag, Larian saw a group of soldiers getting ready to enter the entrance of the mountain.
"Is this Sargent Keith? I'm a merc swordsman sent to follow you."
The soldiers all wore silver armour, the only one who stood out was a helmet with a green plume on top. It was Sergeant Keith.
"A merc? Alright, you'll take the front. We're moving off already. Try to keep up."
'They seem to have lax security to mercenaries if I can join so simply. Does the festival not worry about spies or rogues?'
Larian joined the soldiers as they marched towards the south lane. Along the way Larian understood the layout of the battlefield within the mountain.
Each side of the mountain has 3 lanes that lead to the other camps and the goal of the armies is to conquer as much territory within 5 days. Currently it is the 4th day of the festival.
'This war is called a festival because the Gyth's find honour in battle and death. The victors would be hailed as Heroes as they become leading figures of the entire Gyth race.'
The more they walked the more they crossed corpses, there were a mix of Humans and Gyths. But more of the corpses belonged to humans.
'It seems most mercs don't make it far in the festivals. For a festival about the Gyths, there sure is alot of humans that come by… Were they all used as cannon fodder?'
After an hour of marching the squad finally found the path widening. In the open space a tall stone wall was in view.
"We're getting close to the designated station, stay close."
Along the lanes there were multiple stations. They were small castles which could house the troops and be used as a defensive fortress. The Gyth's would calculate how many castles each faction holds to decide the final victor.
When Larian and the team entered the full view of the castle, its residents were unfamiliar. Unlike the Soldiers who wore green armbands around their armour, this group wore red armbands.
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"Orsen Soldiers! You're late. The troops stationed here have been killed by me. Let it be known that Horsen of Horken Mountain has conquered Orsen's southern Station!"
The Gyth Hudrean, wore dark red armour with a grey cape on his back. It looked just as impressive as the Golden armour General Thorm had worn.
"T-that's Commander Horsen of the Blood Gem Squad! He's said to be on par with the General of his Mountain!"
"I even heard he denied his own promotion just so he could be sent to the battlefield! That man is a beast!"
The troops provided context to who the new resident of the Southern Station was.
"Shit, the south station's been lost. Kranon has tarnished the honour of Orsen's people without even sending a word."
Keith cursed under his breath, but everyone heard it and the soldiers grew restless.
"Fighting the Horsen with our numbers is suicide. Glion, head back and send word to General Thork that the South station has been lost. We will wait for reinforcements."
The team headed back and wanted to wait further back in safety. But Larian didn't move from his spot.
"Sergeant, the new guy. He's not coming with us."
Keith shook his head to show that he didn't care.
"It's the way Mercs are, we don't command them and they get paid by the head. So these ambitious bunch are always dying first."
But Larian was not like the others. In his released state, any magic in the mountain has become as familiar as the back of his palm. He could look directly into the station.
From within he was looking for Kranon. He quickly found his mark.
Above a pile of corpses. Kranon laid with his armour striped, there was a wound that cut straight through his stomach to his back. Kranon was already dead are a long while.
'Old Peal's son… Kait's brother… he died.'
From within Larian a blood red worm was slowly releasing its energy into the mix of Larian's pool. Living in Larian's Heart, the creature reeked of the same madness the Dragon exhibited in the fight with Shiro.
'Old man and Kait. They've treated me so well and I hoped to bring them good news, but now I have to bring them the corpse of the only son in their family?'
Larian welled his Draconic Energy into his legs and the black energy formed into a translucent claw like boots.
Larian felt unusually angry now, even the energy that manifested started to exhibit differences.
The new energy felt more ravaged and deprived. The elegant energy was no more, now it crashed wildly forming scales and claws all around Larian.
"Sergeant look! He really is going for it!"
*Crk!
The ground cracked as Larian jumped.
In one leap Larian was high enough to reach the speaker on the wall.
While mid air Larian already prepared his blade. There was a tinge of red madness seeping from the Magic he released.
*SHING!
The swing produced a noise that caused the air to move and compress. It was fast and ruthless, the Gyths on the wall didn't even have time to react as the stone walls got slashed.
*BOOM!
A resounding blast struck the castle walls, instantly killing a row of the garrisons.
Larian fell with momentum and directly crashed into Horsen. Under the red armour Horsen's face was filled with surprise. A man had jumped higher than the castle walls and instantly destroyed a portion of the walls and his man, how could he be unfazed.
Horsen withstood the impact of Larian but was pushed back and fell from the wall. As he fell, he rolled and recovered.
"Men! Gather on me and charge! Gunners! Fire at will!"
Showing his grit as an experienced commander, he immediately recovered from his daze and commanded his entire troops on the intruder.
The gunners were lined along the untouched portion of walls and they held a long pipe with a small opening at the side. They held the pipe over their shoulders and leaned to take aim like holding a rocket launcher
'Gunners? They looks like muskets. I have to find cover!'
Larian ran along the walls and directly killed the remaining soldiers holding the high ground on his side of the wall. More Gyth's were rushing up the stairs to rush Larian.
*Click *Click! *Clang!
Larian kept repeating the quick draw of Shinki Style.
Each draw killed multiple men as they advanced towards him. With how practiced his blade was Larian could finish his quickdraws within half second.
With each draw killing a foot soldier, a pile of bodies was quick to block the path on top of the castle walls before the soldiers even reached close to Larian.
"Men! Raise your shield over your necks and form a shield wall! His attacks are quick and precise!"
The soldiers formed up with their shields forming a row, covering every loophole Larian could slice into. These metal shields blocked Larian's line of sight and Larian couldn't take advantage of the confusion any longer.
Realizing he was quickly losing his advantage of Shinki Style Larian chose to leap down from the wall.
In the air, Larian's arm shot out a rope. It didn't hit any of the troops. Instead, it gripped the stone floor and the rope tightened firmly. With a pull, Larian directly plummeted into the ground.
The impact of his smash directly crushed multiple soldiers and the splatter of blood spread like a popped balloon.
The surrounding soldiers were either disoriented or stunned from the impact. In this field of targets Larian swung in a full circle all around himself. The invisible slash directly cut off the heads of those in proximity.
Soon the troops recovered and readied their shields, they were going to advance towards Larian and surrounded him. Larian could see the gunners on the walls already homing their aim on him, he had little time to react.
'The shields of the foot! It's too hard to cut through! I need more power and a distraction!'
In this bleak situation, Larian controlled the magic in the air to get sucked into his body at an incredible rate.
This technique didn't crack the air like Shiro had done but it caused the air around Larian to wobble and distort.
*Bang! *Bang!
The row of guns shot, the bullets which were circular like a musket ball struck Larian in multiple parts.
*Ting! *Ting! *Ting!
The bullets stopped on a gigantic shield that spread from Larian's prosthetic arm. Old Peal's shield had managed to block the first barrage of bullets.
With a shield on his left prosthetic arm and the blade on his right Larian held onto his concentration
His blade glows bright blue, the magic of the mountain seems to heat Larian's blade brightly.
'The Magic here is more attuned with the heat of the mountain core! It's even burning my hands but I'm almost done!'
"Stop him! Charge at full force! Quickly! Before he is done! Gunners! Fire agai-"
The bright energy on Larian's blade burst out and flew in an arc like a beautiful Purple Crescent moon.
Larian's blue energy had mixed with something red at some point giving the slash an intense concentrated ruthlessness that tore everything in its path
This slash directly cut through steel and flash, continuing until it struck the walls.
*DRRRR
The entire castle rumbled intensely like an earthquake. The base of the stone walls which were the thickest had a deep cut stretching all around.
The marks it left made it look like a Dragon had descended and clawed on them.
Around Larian the footman who gathered by Horsen had all been cut in half, only a handful with good intuition had ducked to avoid the strike.
But they wouldn't have any time to celebrate their survival, because all around were bisected bodies of their comrades.
Only one man was still standing tall. It was Horsen, the commander of the army of Horken Mountain
Horsen's armour and shield was dented in, he had endured the strike in full force and survived.
"A-amazing… What strength is this? My armour was forged with the greatest technology and the hardest Material in this era. To have been cut … I've been called a beast but you... You are a monster comparable to the Generals…"
Horsen fell as the gaping wound on his arms and under his armour continued to bleed.
"You're lucky the Generals are reserved this festival. If they had not chosen to only come out during the last day of the festival, I you would have died just like the rest of the humans mercs."
On the castle walls, most of the troops had fallen prone due to the strong impact. Seeing the scene of their commander falling and the intruder still standing, a strong fear gripped their hearts.
"M-monster…"
Larian took a while to recover from the great expenditure of his Draconic Energy.
'That took almost everything in reserve. What a scary sight, Shinki Style can cut through hundreds of men and still carry on to break apart the castle walls.'
Looking at the stone walls Larian thought back to the cut which sliced the Dragon. He was close to death at the time but he felt it. The Cut which sliced through space left no room for the dragon to survive.
'Compared to Master Shiro, I am still so weak. How would Master's sister, the Heroine of the Blade fare against her?'
When Shiro had executed the same technique on the Dragon, the space around had cracked and split. This was above the level of Larian and goes to show how durable the Dragon really was.
And the Heroine who had been growing stronger for so long in the Forgotten Isle would definitely be stronger.
When Larian looked up to the survivors on the walls, the Gyth Gunners cowered and didn't dare to make eye contact. They had already chosen to surrender under Larian's immense strength.
'The guns and technology of the Gyths. It's quite primitive compared to what I've seen from earth, I nearly scared myself. Given time with all the conflict, if guns evolve to assault rifles from the modern era and every gunner here shot me with it, I would have definitely died.'
Looking at the pieces of red armour of Horsen Larian was a little worried.
'They are starting to develop stronger armors too. A good armour is key to enduring a prolonged fight. I would definitely need one when I go to the Forgotten Isles.'
Larian walked to Kranon and carried his corpse over his shoulder. He carried the body through the corpses of Horsen's men and opened the gate from the inside.
When the gate was open Keith's squad had their mouths agape. Larian covered entirely in blood made Keith shiver in his boots.
"Kranon was among the latest to be disposed of, he fought to the end and stayed as the last man standing in his squad. He is a hero that laid his life to uphold the faith and glory of the Gyth people."
Keith nodded vigorously to Larian's statement as if he would agree with anything this monster said.
'I don't know if he got the message but I hope Kranon will get the recognition he deserves. To die for fame feels stupid to me, but it was his desire and he chose to die for it. So I will respect him for that.'
Larian looked back to the destruction he caused, the piles of bodies and blood which flood the Station's floors. Nearly a hundred men littered the walls and floor.
'Is this really alright? I once promised Master that I won't attack unless I'm defending myself. But this carnage… the anger I felt when I found out Kranon died feels unnatural.'
Thinking back. Larian felt something suspicious.
'Feeling anger is natural when someone learns that the person you hope to save is dead. But why did I immediately jump in and exhaust everything I had to massacre everyone?'
Jumping into his Qi Heart, Larian's spiritual body arrived in the black cave. He looked around, now that all his magic reserves were spent, there was an obvious abnormality he found.
A fleshy worm that looked like a finger was crawling in the foundation. In the middle of its body a grotesh eyeball opened and stared back at Larian.
'This… worm. The madness that is seeping out of it. It's the same madness that the Dragon held!'
The worm pulsed in red energy, it seems whatever occurred recently was giving the worm strength and it grew bigger by the second.
'I have to destroy it now!'
Forming a katana with his spirituality Larian slashed at the worm.
Sensing the danger, the worm curled up and hardened. Its eye closed shut and it entered metamorphosis. A thick red cocoon covered the curled up worm.
Larian tried cutting the silky cocoon but nothing seemed to be able to cut the hardened exterior.
'The dragon's power I got wasn't the end! I inherited the madness that plagued it! How do I get rid of this thing?'
Larian was starting to panic. A power that was able to bring one of the strongest monsters on the planet into complete madness would no doubt affect Larian. Maybe it has already infected Larian.
'I need some way to stop it. But I can't destroy it.'
Larian's mind suddenly clicked.
Controlling the ability suppression that held him, Larian controlled the chains and wrapped them around the cocoon. He didn't stop until the cocoon was sealed up like a ball of chains.
'It worked! I can suppress it. But what is this thing?'
Thinking back to power the madness brought him Larian realised that the worm might have already influenced him.
'The promise to master that I broke… I was so easily controlled by this thing. It seems to feed on my bloodlust and people I kill. In a single fight it had gained enough strength to survive against me in my own Heart.'
Larian was quite fearful of what the worm was capable of.
'I'll have to control my bloodlust. But my target, Shinon, still remains.'
Controlling his emotions, Larian regained his cool.
'I will have my revenge without becoming a monster like the Dragon that killed Master Shiro.'
Larian went back to the physical world.
"Why is he just standing there… Menacingly!"
"Oh Orkan above. Has he not had enough? Is he coming back?"
Keith's men murmured among themselves. Larian pulled Kranon's body close and was ready to depart.
"Shit. He'll stir up trouble if he returns covered entirely in blood. Rolen, take charge with rounding the rest of Horsen's men. I'll follow the esteemed guest back to camp."
"Yes Sergeant!"
Larian had already left, so Keith had to run to keep up.
"Hey wait for me!"