“It’s time” said Jabari
After Jabari had spoken, a figure who appeared human except for the dark energy enveloping half his body approached and stood next to him. This figure was carrying a sword wrapped in the same dark energy that shrouded half his body. Jabari looked at the figure in awe and said, “So, are you’ll ready, Jolvuthiz?”
Jolvuthiz nodded his head and replied, “I am.”
“Good, then use that dark energy of yours from your swords to break the wall of this castle,” said Jabari.
He was prepared for any challenge that came his way as he lifted his sword to his chest and felt the weight of it in his hand. He held the sword to his mouth and ran his tongue along the blade, tasting it with the tip of his tongue. The warmth of the blade was pleasurable, and he wanted to lick it again. He finished licking the sword as he was eager for combat—thirsty for blood. He grinned in anticipation and said, “Let’s do this” with a smirk on his face while standing on top of the hill.
Jolvuthiz carefully gathers dark energy around his sword, winding it tightly like a spring. The energy grows and builds until it is humming with power. With a mighty swing, he releases the energy in one powerful blast, accompanied by the words “Diyu!!” The energy careens down the hill, slamming into the ground and causing a massive explosion. They could feel the shockwave for kilometers around, and the deafening boom echoes through the land.
The energy was like a writhing, living thing, expanding and tearing through the earth below it. It threw dirt and debris into the air as it continued growing and moving at an alarming pace. The dark energy seemed to have a mind of its own, and it was clear that it was heading straight for the castle. Panic began to set in as the soldier within the courtyard saw it and were meant with the realization that they were in the path of the destructive force. The destructive force was heading straight for them, and there was nothing they could do to stop it.
***
Inside Balisarda Sumernor throne room
Balisarda Sumernor waited with a smile on his face, His hands clasped together on his throne as he anticipated something to happen. However, Balisarda Sumernor was beginning to grow impatient as he wanted to execute his plan soon. As he turned his head to look out the window, he saw a ball of dark energy making its way towards the castle walls. Balisarda Sumernor knew this was his sign to start his plan.
As Balisarda Sumernor’s grin widened, he grew increasingly incredulous at the idiotic military action unfolding before him. “Are they looking to end their lives?” he thought to himself. “I see everything that happens in this castle. But that dark energy looks a lot like a demon’s power. How interesting. Let me give them a warm welcome.” As he stood up from his throne, the sound of his clothes rustling together was louder than usual. It covered the armour in bronze scales on the upper body, while the underside was a deep black.
As Balisarda Sumernor neared the center of the room, the sound of his footsteps echoed eerily throughout the chamber. He went to the window and looked outside, seeing the ball of dark energy heading towards his castle walls. “Excellent! I shall make sure to watch them die. We’re going to have so much fun!” Balisarda Sumernor exclaimed, clearly excited at the prospect of watching his enemies perish. He was confident that his castle would be able to withstand the attack, and he relished the thought of seeing the looks on the faces of his enemies as they realized they were about to die.
As Balisarda Sumernor gazed out the window, he summoned a portal into the palm of his hand. A double-bladed sword slowly took shape, its blade formed of swirling energy that looked deadly sharp. With a powerful throw, Balisarda sent the sword out of the window. It flew through the air with great speed, hitting Jolvuthiz’s dark energy and causing a loud bang to echo through the sky above the castle.
The dark energy ball that Jolvuthiz had sent into the air with his sword suddenly dissipated the moment Balisarda Sumernor’s double-bladed sword made contact with it. This unexpected turn of events took everyone by surprise, and it left them uncertain of who had destroyed it.
Outside of the castle grounds on a hill,
The disbelief was clear on all of their faces—it looked as if the ground had disappeared from beneath their feet and it left them scrambling to comprehend what had just transpired. They had been so certain of their plan, only to be thwarted by another. There was no way that anyone other than Balisarda Sumernor could have dealt with such a formidable strike so effortlessly, but they didn’t think he would make an appearance so soon.
“It seems that Balisarda has gone mad,” said one of the soldiers as he wiped sweat from his brow. “We should turn back and—”
“No!” said Jolvuthiz, cutting him off. “An attack of immense power totally annihilated my attack, but that just makes me even more excited. I want to fight whoever did that so badly.”
His reaction dismayed the soldiers and uncertain how to proceed. “What a strange man,” said one of the soldiers. “Is he even human?”
“I think he is,” said the other, attempting to console his colleague.
“We can’t afford to argue about this,” said Jabari, cutting off the discussion and gaining everyone’s attention. “A sword thrown by Balisarda Sumernor thwarted Jolvuthiz’s attack, so we need to find a way to break into his castle so we can finish our mission. There’s no time to waste.”
The relentless tapping noise of somebody’s boots squishing in the mud as they walk up to the hill echoes eerily through the desolate landscape. Chris steps forward, taking a deep breath before staring intensely at Jabari in the eye, trying to be intimidating even though he is much smaller. “How do you know it was Balisarda that attacked us? What proof do you have?”
Chris knows that Jabari is likely to be evasive and unhelpful when questioned, but he presses on anyway in the hopes of getting a truthful answer. He realizes that there is a strong possibility that Jabari is telling the truth, but he needs to try, anyway. He doesn’t want his fellow soldier to risk their life in a war that is meaningless.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Jabari looked at Chris, who was clearly skeptical of his claims. “Chris, you are well aware that I have the rank of master 1 in the military. So my sources must be reliable and accurate or else I wouldn’t have this position. I hope you haven’t forgotten that Balisarda Sumernor was once a part of the military before he betrayed us. He knows our weaknesses and strengths. We need to be prepared for anything.”
Jabari looks intently at Chris without revealing any emotion. Chris nods in agreement, even though he knows that Jabari isn’t telling him anything he doesn’t already know. Chris still needed to hear those words from someone other than himself.
If they are planning to battle Balisarda, Chris wants to make sure they don’t underestimate him. He knows that Balisarda is a powerful opponent, and he doesn’t want anyone to get hurt because they didn’t take him seriously. Chris looks at Jabari and nods, indicating that he understands.
north-east hallway of the castle on the first 1 floor
Deimos leapt away from Mephistopheles after having his attack blocked. “You are right,” said Deimos. “Your powers are incredible, but I wonder if they can match my strength. I’m not sure if your fancy sword tricks will be enough to take me down.”
Deimos circled Mephistopheles warily, looking for an opening. He knew that he was stronger than he look, but Mephistopheles’ swordplay was uncanny. He had to be careful not to get hit by one of those whirling blade attacks.
Mephistopheles stared at Deimos with a cold, hard glare and said, “I will defeat you with ease.”
Deimos couldn’t help but laugh hysterically at the situation. “That is very interesting, however, I will beat you fair and square.” Deimos charged towards Mephistopheles, swinging his fist with a quick motion. Mephistopheles quickly sidestepped the punch and swung his sword horizontally at Deimos. But before Mephistopheles could connect with his swing, Deimos suddenly punched his fist with all the might that he had and slammed it into Mephistopheles’ neck.
A sickening crack resounded through the hallways as Mephistopheles fell backwards with a loud thud and hit the ground hard, cracking the stone underneath him. Blood poured out of his wound. However, he got right back up and glared angrily at Deimos.
A startling crack bounced off the walls as Mephistopheles fell back and hit the ground with an earsplitting thud, shattering the stone beneath him. Blood spurted out of his wound, but he picked himself back up and glared at Deimos with pure rage. Mephistopheles stood up, fuming, and bellowed, “I won’t let you get in my way.” Mephistopheles charged towards Deimos with his sword drawn, yelling “Die!” as he tried to plunge it into Deimos’ chest.
Before he could get to Deimos, a white steel chain flew out of Deimos’s sleeve, narrowly missing Mephistopheles’s shoulder. Mephistopheles barely had time to react before Deimos swung the chain upwards and teleported behind him. The chain then rustled back up Deimos’s sleeve as he swung his arm downwards and punched Mephistopheles in the back of his helmet, sending him flying backwards and crashing against the wall with a heavy thump.
Mephistopheles was barely able to get up, his armor dented and various systems damaged from the hit. He knew he had to act quickly, before Deimos could teleport again and deliver another powerful blow.
Mephistopheles winced in pain, still standing upright and rubbing the spot where Deimos had hit him on the head. He thought to himself, “This person is strong. When I went to swing my sword, he immediately appeared behind me. Maybe, just maybe, his power has something to do with his opponent’s movements. I’m going to change my battle strategy from aggressive to defensive.”
Deimos grinned with excitement as he watched Mephistopheles stand up and take a step towards him. “So you’re finally ready to fight, huh?” Deimos said, his voice laced with arrogance.
Mephistopheles snarled and said, “Oh, please. You can’t even touch me. Your power is pitiful compared to mine.”
Deimos cackles triumphantly as he sees Mephistopheles struggling to defend against his attacks. “That’s what I call impressive. You’re quick, but you’re still too slow to keep up with me.” Deimos leaps back, effortlessly dodging the horizontal slash from Mephistopheles.
He then throws his fist at Mephistopheles, hitting his chest and knocking the wind out of him. Mephistopheles stumbles back, but quickly gets back up and stares at Deimos with determination in his eyes. “Don’t worry, white-haired emo. You’ll never win.”
Deimos chuckles darkly at Mephistopheles, standing his ground and preparing for another charge. “Sure thing, big guy,” he says, his voice full of mocking laughter. He is confident in his ability to take Mephistopheles down, and he’s not going to back down now.
Deimos, feeling discouraged that his previous attack had not landed as he had hoped, put all of his effort into his next swing, directed at Mephistopheles’ legs in an attempt to make him lose his balance and fall. To his dismay, Mephistopheles was able to use the force from Deimos’ swing to flip himself in the air and parry the attack. Mephistopheles then slammed his foot onto the ground with tremendous force. The floor started to make cracking noises and give way under the impact, and a shrill noise filled the air. Some of the debris that resulted from the impact flew up towards the ceiling, making a thumping sound when it hit the roof.
Deimos grinned at Mephistopheles, impressed with his demonstration. As he took a step back, Mephistopheles heard the clicking noise of Deimos’ boot as it hit the ground. Deimos took a couple of steps backwards, preparing to launch another attack at Mephistopheles.
***
Deimos sprints towards Mephistopheles quickly, his boots echoing against the ground as his fists swing through the air wildly in an attempt to hit Mephistopheles. Mephistopheles stands his ground steadily, observing Deimos as he approaches calmly.
Deimos continued striding until he was in front of Mephistopheles and then started punching and kicking him repetitively. As he kept attacking, he noticed that Mephistopheles was parrying each of his blows with his sword. Even though the sword kept deflecting Deimos’ fists, each time caused Mephistopheles to shift back slightly. Deimos realised that every time he hit Mephistopheles’ sword, he was actually pushing him further away.
As Deimos carried on his attack, Mephistopheles started to counter with a succession of hits targeting Deimos in an attempt to cut him down. But Deimos dodged every single one effortlessly, hitting back at Mephistopheles with his fist each time he avoided his slash. The clanging of metal echoed through the air as they took turns hitting each other.
After finally comprehending that his attacks were futile, Mephistopheles reverted to a new strategy and started blocking Deimos’ next few attacks with his sword. This made Deimos halting his advance for a moment, and he began to ponder why Mephistopheles had decided to change his tactics.
south- west hallway of the castle on the first 1 floor near the courtyard
As Bismark made his way through the castle hallways, he couldn’t help but to brace himself against the floor. The whole place seemed to have an eerie feeling to it, like something bad was about to happen. And when he finally came across Aham’s corpse, he couldn’t help but to feel disappointed.
“What a disappointing principal you were, Aham,” he said in a disappointed tone. “To be killed so easily... We both were given the rank of principal by our majesty Balisarda Sumernor, but your death proves that you never deserved it.”
As Bismark walked away from Aham’s dead body, he lifted himself back up and thought to himself, “It’s only a matter of time before the military breaches the courtyard. As principle seven of the Balisarda Sumernor kingdom, I’ll give them a surprise.” His armor clanked as he headed towards to the east gate, where he knew the military would be coming from.