Making their way into the fortress as the path before him was sealed by thorns. Kael lit a cigarette as he held a katana. A cyborg army had arisen to greet them, including civilians. The sight of a toddler among them with a gun, aiming the pistol at Joshua. Weapons in hand, blood lust was lacking as Kael could see their faces that seemed to be wrinkled with fear. Cold Cage is one nasty fellow to force the people to fight. They can try to resist it but what could they do?

"Are you a bad person, mister?" A question from the child, Kael could see Joshua's hesitation had faded as he grabbed Ashen Phoenix.

"Forgive me, child." With those words, the guns were fired. Their bodies weren't theirs and their guns went off. Storms of lead flew through the group. Solis raised a barrier to stop the bullets, seeing them hit the barrier. Purchasing a lot within the barrier.

"There is no other way for you to deal with them without killing them. For even if you knock them up, they will be forced back into consciousness because of the Cold Cage." Erioth said as he flicked his cigarette at a soldier, watching the soldier's body fall for a moment. Then rising once more with the rifle in hand.

"I can't hesitate." Joshua said as he drew Ashen Phoenix, where the Phoenix's shrill was unleashed throughout the entire city. It caused them to fall to the ground, being motionless. That singular shrill was enough to force them to the ground, which was great but that much power? Seriously? Joshua is broken right now.

"Shit. You actually got the Phoenix to give you this much power? You just got the damn thing a while ago." Kael spoke up, perhaps the envy had kicked in. It took him 50 years to get a fraction of that power but when he got the blade at its full power. The God Slayer was there.

"Correction it has been months since he obtained the blade from you. It must have been a blink of an eye for you, My Former Summoner." Seijuro commented with an approving nod, perhaps that is true since time flows differently between the realms. Kael just saw the kid a few days ago and he's already found himself in another battlefield.

"That draw was near to its perfection. It seems our bouts and short training have fixed your fundamentals." Seijuro turned to Joshua who sheathed the blade.

"I made it as painless as I could." Joshua spoke, as he walked over to the child who fell to the ground. No blood oozed from the wound, the eyes staring to the sky.

Yeah. That's the shitty part. Seeing Joshua close the child's eyes, then continuing on.

"It seems as if we were not needed after all." Erioth chuckled, only to watch the bodies stand back up. Where the humans began to twitch, their bodies grew elongated. Their clothes ripped open and anything that was once human had been changed into something else. They had been changed into something far different. Some of them grew extra limbs, extra heads, extra eyes, extra mouths. A woman's chest burst opened with the body of an infant hiding in her chest.

"Great. More nightmare fuel. This is why I hate being out of my place." Kael said as he took out a card, throwing it at the newly changed woman with her infant.

"High Priestess. Cleanse my enemy!" The card grew a light but the magic didn't work. Now that's annoying.

"Shit. There goes magic, then." The horde began to amass to their position as they tried to grab Joshua first, ignoring the others. Joshua didn't hesitate, it was just there were too many of them at once. Caught in their grip, Seijuro swung his blade to free Joshua from their grip. Grabbing Joshua by the collar, pulling him back by his side.

Yep. Seijuro and that collar grab. that's how he treats his disciples/masters. Seijuro's strength is the real deal.

"It seems that he wishes to whittle you down with numbers... Well not a bad tactic." Solis said as one of the creatures grabbed his arm, only to be shattered to dust with just a flick on the forehead. Erioth drew his odachi, unleashing a single wave of an attack that turned the overbearing crowd into nothing but ash.

Classic Erioth. I wonder how he'd fare if I fought him now?

Joshua was fighting to his best with singular strikes but his mind was engraving the sight of Seijuro, Erioth and Solis's powers. if he compares too much he might view himself as inferior which would suck. Kael was just slashing enemies with one of his cursed swords, it was better this way since his magic got nullified again. Slowly, Joshua had a grip on himself, swinging the blades at the foes as he weaved through the horde. Thorn Sharpness is lethal since it's a unique sharpness. Though noticing how the blade bounced back against the heavily armored creatures. Switching to another weapon as he fired guns.

"What's a Legari?" Joshua spoke while firing off a few shots to give cover to Seijuro who was preparing a second draw strike. The cover was not necessary but it did give Seijuro a perfect opening to strike. Tearing through hundreds of them at once.

"It's a word in dead language. Means Cuff.. Hell if this is a Legari, then it means this entire city is screwed." Kael said as he wielded his katana in a reverse grip, bulldozing through the Legari with his blade. Left hand grabbing the blade where he continued to unleash a flurry of slashes.The Legari, now that's a bitch. It's forced control over the ones who submit to Cold Cage. This was going to be difficult, by a longshot.

A swing to the side to get rid off the blood on the blade, then proceeding after another group. Erioth didn't even bother with a blade, simply pointing at them was enough to turn the Legari into dust, while Erioth merely had to just point his blade at them. Despite his one wing, he began to hover. Unleashing swings that turned the ones in his path to ash.

He better not be doing what I think he's going to do.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

More of the Legari began to mutate, turning into larger abominations that rivaled the sky scrapers, some of them started coming out from the underground. Caving in the streets, crawling out as they began to hiss and shriek at them.

"Well. They've got the numbers alright."Erioth spoke without much care, rising up into the air fast. For a guy who only has one wing, he can sure fly.

"Brother you cannot be serious!? Get clear!" The clouds above turned black as Erioth gripped his blade with both hands. Raising it above his head. Looking down to the ones below with a chuckle.

FOR FUCK'S S- Kael's thoughts were interrupted as the destruction began. Buildings crumbling, Legari burning to ash, cracks on the ground that they were on. Which slowly began to crumble, Watching Seijuro grab Joshua by the waist, carrying him like a luggage bag did make Kael chuckle a bit. Leaping to the air as he raised boulders for them to stand on, at least not all of his magic had been nullified but it was still tedious.

Kael whistled to the sight.

"Damn, that's the Seraph for ya. Always one for heavy lifting."

"Considering you sneezed a castle out of oblivion because it was cold that one time... I believe that this is the saying... The pot calling the kettle black, my former Summoner." Kael turned to Seijuro while shaking his head. Just remembering how that happened made Kael cringe a little. It just ruined the whole 'Hero stopping the villain' that Kael had in his mind in his younger years.

"Don't remind me about that Seijuro. It was so embarrassing. Final boss confrontation and he died because I sneezed when the room was cold." Kael and Seijuro bickered like a married couple,

Oh I hope he doesn't remind me of that time when I was eating food with a dictator and when I bit my toothpick by accident, it sent that one small half through the dictator's neck. That was a horrible time for shit to happen. I barely made out of that one alive.

"Did you really train Kael?"

Thank you for changing the topic, Joshua.

"I was among his Swordmasters. You are by default my first disciple who has no fundamentals aside from the Ancient's of Fall's techniques but they are good for fights but pale when compared to my swordsmanship. His true strength comes from being the Avatar of Destruction, but even then..." Seijuro glanced over to Kael who was whistling about as he controlled magic to raise the barriers for them.

Don't remind me of getting my ass beaten by you a few hundred thousand times. Just let me be.

"You seem to be in a good mood."

"What is being in a good mood a crime now? Leave me alone, Seijuro." Seijuro crowed to his former Summoner's words. Solis on the other hand was seemingly disappointed with the actions of his elder brother. The kind of second hand embarrassment that was present among siblings. Not that Kael would know since his younger siblings always stayed clear of bullshit.

"He's too playful to be a Seraph.. But the stage is set." Whereby they watched as the dust and ash sink into the ground, amassing itself to form a large towering beast that rivaled the fallen skyscrapers of the city. Where Joshua came face to face with the Cold Cage. The man behind the madness in this world.

The towering beast made of Legari, dust and ash was a blasphemous sight to the eyes. Anyone that laid eyes on it would bleed out as Joshua could hear the screams. Raising his right hand as the thorns amassed a barrier that would not allow those on the outside to see.

"Iacus, situation on the outside?"

"We've got those enemies... The Legari. We'll take care of it. Lord, not to worry."

"Do your best."

"Good luck, Lord of Thorns." Joshua grinned to those words.

"I am the Lord of Thorns. I do not need to pray. I do not need to beg. I just do." Joshua said as Kael set up a large circular boulder that became the battle arena for Joshua to meet the Cold Cage face to face.

"Good luck, Lord of Thorns. Be sure to kick that Cold Cage a new one yea?"

"The Four of us will handle this one ourselves. It has been quite a while since I could face something to ease the time. Former Summoner, what do you think?"

"A bit occupied with their stage, so I can't use much spells. I can use Ice Reaper at least. What about you two, ready to go?" Kael got Ice Reaper ready.

"I'm always ready for a fight. Besides, it's an outsider. It's going to be strong!"

"Oh brother... Here we go again, I suppose." Final Judgement cringed to the words of his battle hungry brother, but such is the nature of siblings after all. A glance at Joshua, Kael could see his back being broader than before, glancing at all the Legari making their way to them. Kael took a deep breath as Ice Reaper's cold emanated like a gentle breeze. Though it was not going to be gentle as Kael swung the scythe to tear through the Legari, bulldozing them fast because it was necessary. It was going to be a long fight but he had three of the strongest people he knew by his side. Aside from the Avatars, these three could do a lot of work.

Seijuro swung his tachi as the Legari's bodies were slashed. Most of them flying upwards while Kael delivered the final blow. Slashing through the head and chest, encasing the rest of the bodies in ice but that did not stop them from trying to thaw it out.

"Ugh. This is the annoying part, they won't stop."

"Feeling your mental age, former summoner?" Kael dodged a huge Legari's strike, then kicking it to Seijuro who split it in half. Followed up by Solis and Erioth burning that creature with holy fire.

"Shut up, Seijuro." Seijuro chuckled as he caught a Legari by the throat, strangling it until it exploded with blood splashing all over his robes. Letting out a sigh as he swung the blood off his blade, this time using martial arts. His hands became claws as he tore through the dozens of Legari in quick succession. Swipes that lacerating them followed by a roundhouse kick. Sending most of them flying into the buildings which Erioth decided to slash them down. Seijuro got clear but Kael? He was in the middle of it.

Showing his middle finger to the pair as the building came tumbling down on him. It crushed most of the Legari, and Kael was alive because he had to slice his way through a building. An easy feat but those two were literally just messing with him at this point.

"You two are grade A assholes. You know that? Sheesh, Solis. You must have your hands full with that idiot brother." Kael said as he elbowed a Legari in the face, seeing it turn to splat in an instant.

"Of course, Avatar. That is just how my brother is." To which a Legari's blood splashed over Solis. A glare to Erioth who just smiled sheepishly.

"Brother. I just cleaned these."

"Ah, you can clean them with magic! What's the big deal!?"

"Ah, I can't believe the Supreme Beings let you be a Seraph! You bastard!"

"What was that!?" The two of them were going to argue, whereby Kael and Seijuro decided to just sit this one out. Seijuro offering a cup of sake to Kael, where Kael accepted with a sigh.

"You've got your work cut out for you Seijuro."

"So it would seem. But such is the nature of being a Wandering Mercenary. I do like that boy's earnestness." Seijuro giving a compliment, now that's rare.

"Wish you were this nice to me in our first meeting. I can feel the sword slashes you gave on my body again. Ugh..." Kael grumbled as he sipped on his cup.