The fight into the citadel was best described as ‘Oh my Divine Beings, please stop getting in my way’. There were multiple entrances into the Kreylin but almost every path was barricaded by the elves or the other. The closer to the citadel, the more chaotic the scenery became.

Even after an hour or two within the battle, there were still fighting raging across the capital city. Although I had no doubt that the elven army was strong, there were all probably stationed at the borders where the orcs were expected to attack.

It would make sense given that teleporting an entire army was as fantasy as having no magic in the world. I should seriously continue to catch up on that one novel my novelist companion wrote about having a world without magic.

“Halt, filthy zealots! Attack them! Stomamoi!” An elven officer leading a squad of elves waved his fancy sabre around while charging. My companions made short work of them, showering them with arrow and strangling them with vine roots.

The chaos was evident that almost half of the time, the unionists were on our side. The other half, it was a free-for-all. The confusion was giving me a headache as I couldn’t even trust the unionists unless I explicitly waved an ‘I love the Union!’ flag.

“Sivyit, comrade! Good to see you comrade-heroes alive! Get over here!” An officer manning a barricade called out to us. My group scurried across the streets trying to get to their barricade. Like many barricades, it was either tangled blocks of wood or just furniture arbitrarily thrown onto the street to block passage.

Ducking to avoid flying axes and holy bolts, we got behind the hardwood barricades. The elven soldiers were actively firing back at whoever fires at them, not paying attention to the dying next to them. Some of the elven defenders in this barricade even looked half-dead to me.

“Comrades, if you are trying to get into the Kreylin, I’m afraid you have no choice but to fight through that street,” The officer pointed at the aforementioned street, “but the defense line holding that side had fallen to a large group of zealots. They hold the closest entrance.”

“Well, that’s good enough. I’ll just charge through them.”

“Charging at them?! That’s…extremely tactful! My men and I shall charge first! This is a glorious day to die for the Union! Watch us, non-revolutionaries!” The officer and his men sharpened their weapons and lined against the barricade facing the entrance of the Inner Kreylin.

“STOMAMOI! URRRAAAAA!” The officer screamed and the rest of his men joined him in a glorious charge. We followed behind the elven charge while trying to keep up with these lunatics. Who the hell would order a mass of infantry against a heavily fortified position without any support?!

The zealots manning the barricade had obviously noticed the horde of screaming elves as bolts started flying our directions. Bodies after bodies fell helplessly against the enemy fire as the lead of the charge closed the gap between them and the zealots.

Jumping above the snowbags, barricades and spikes, the elves fearlessly went eye-to-eye with their halberd-staves against the zealots’ maces.

“URRRRAAAA!” was shouted many times among the new mayhem that was formed, adding to the increasingly chaotic situation.

“Comrade-God, protect me!” A zealot chanted and a form of holy light flew towards me. Just like the time when the highest cardinals of the Path of Life used their strongest holy spell against me, the holy light just dissipated.

I still didn’t like how he menacingly flashed me with a torch so I flicked a piece of coin towards his neck, the impact separating his head from the rest of his body. Satisfied with the result, I shoved my hand into my purse to check my ammunition.

This is bad!

I was running out of ammo and I didn’t feel like swinging my sword around! Obviously my companions could just do my work but then they would just nag at me, asking for a back massage because they were sore from all the work.

While I quite agree with them that I am amazing at back massages, I didn’t want more work. I looked to the side, checking on the heroes. They were busy enough with handling a bunch of lunatics so I did a jig in my mind.

Snap!

As soon as I flicked my finger, the corpse lying next to me on the ground twitched. It was an elven soldier that was stabbed as evident by the large dagger protruding out of his chest.

The elf corpse opened its eye and raised its body. All the corpses around us followed suit, spooking enemies and allies alike.

“Z…zombies!”

“Comrade-God has sent us here to purge these undeads!”

“Comrades, destroy these zombies and zealots alike! Purify the Union off these scums!”

The zombies started attacking anyone nearby but they subtly focused on anyone getting in my way. Princess Evergreen, who was guiding us, panicked a bit at the sight of zombies fighting zealots fighting unionists fighting whoever was not previously mentioned.

“Oi, Evergreen. Keep moving. I don’t have all day.” I impatiently snapped my finger at the elven princess.

“Ah! S-sorry!”

“Hey! Don’t you dare use that tone against the elven princess! Also why are you omitting the title Princess?! Don’t you know that I, Vakasa of the Darkness, have vowed to protect the princess?! I, Vakasa of Darkness, will-“

I felt that my guardian angel watching over me had finally answered my prayers as a zealot had managed to sneak behind Lard and gave him a good smack on the back of his head, knocking him out cold.

I had my lich lieutenant carry that sack of useless meat as our group went through the barricade and into the entrance.

“Huh?! Is that…” Blackhair pointed at the figure blocking us.

“Behold, you heretics! Die and let your filthy unbelieving blood sate the hunger of the Goddess of Light! These trees you worship are no match to the one true god! MwahWAHAHHAH!”

My, my! If it isn’t the supposedly-shy looking, supposedly-timid priestess of the heroes’ party!

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Leyna had crazed eyes, twitching with excitement as death flowed through the air. Her robes were covered with fresh blood and she was carrying a bloodied mace. Surrounded by men in black heavy armor, she was directing the main force of the zealots holding this entrance to the Kreylin.

“You’ve got to be kidding me, you guys are heroes?” I grunted towards the original members, Blackhair and co.

“To be fair, there was only three of us before the Aonians sent her to us,” Kendra tried to defend herself.

“What do you mean by that? Aren’t you guys chosen by that Goddess of Light?”

“No, not really. We just banded up by chance and did some heroic deeds which made us the heroes’ party. After that, people were just being pitched into the party,” Kendra explained as she ducked from a crossbow bolt.

“Does that mean I can gather a swarm of crabs and if they somehow save a village, it could be a potential heroes’ party?”

“…Yes?”

That just gave me an idea…No, wait! Now’s not the time!

I snapped my finger and pointed at the group of black knights. I formed an intention of getting rid of them in my mind which slowly copied into the minds of my mindless minions.

The zombies started focusing more on the black knights but I should have known that they were no match to the familiar looking armors.

“Foolish meat bags! I am a Crusader of the Light! I am the light of the darkness!”

Even though the men wore black armor, their equipment glowed with a pleasing white light. The light was soothing to the living, but agonizing to the dead. It was agonizing to me because it was too damned bright!

I pointed forward, ordering my companions to get rid of them before they make me go blind. They slithered into the horde of zombies and crept up to them.

“Ha! These ones can’t be compared to the beasts we used to fight in the Fields of As-“

“What? Where? I couldn’t hear you properly over the zombies I’m purging.” The crusader turned to his left to find that his ally was on the ground dead. Sweat trickled down his spine as a cold embrace of death swept all over him. The feeling was immediately gone as his head went flying across the battlefield.

“Who are you all?! My..my mission has failed! Goddess forgive me and take my body! Erase this unholy ground from existence!” Leyna started chanting what I would just assume a self-destruct spell so I snooped up behind her and knocked her unconscious. I tossed her little body onto my lich lieutenant who was still carrying Lard around.

“Tie her up. Also, I want answers later.” I turned at the heroes and grunted.

Without their leader, the zealots scattered slowly against the overwhelming size of the zombie horde. Another “URRAAAAA” was heard in the distance which would mean someone was leading a charge against this horde of zombies.

“Let’s move before the zombies get overrun,” I ordered.

“Boss, this is one of the only entrances into the Kreylin so we’ll stay here and keep any unwanted visitors out,” Daggerless said as he and a few others prepared their weapons.

Shrugging, I left with the rest of my group into the Kreylin. Passing through many abandoned sections of the Kreylin, we had to navigate through the outer Kreylin as many of the paths were blocked by debris or barricades.

Some of the barricades were easily torn through by Rookie but some were just impossible for even the sentient meat slab abomination. As we ran through the maze, we bumped into an orc band led by a large orc.

“Huh?! I’m a simple orc - I see no freedom, I BEAT THE FREEDOM INTO IT!”

He pointed his axe forward and the orcs charged at us with their axes, maces, clubs and explosive crossbows.

I noticed that since most of my companions were left behind, there were less people defending the elven princess who looked like she could easily be done in with one papercut.

Protecting both the princess and the heroes was a big hassle. There were too few corpses to raise as zombies and too few of my companions were around. We even had to leave the giant demon tortoise Alph behind to fight bears and warthogs.

I shoved my hand into my purse and gulped hard. Impossible! I was running low on cash! If I could cry, I would’ve emptied by tear ducts at this catastrophe unfolding in front of me.

So…guardian angel? Can I get an answer?

“CAWWWW!” A mighty beast sped through the first wave of orcs and spun around, cutting down clusters of orcs. Wearing her specially made armor with her sword in her mouth, Cass slashed through the orcs like they were butter.

The orcs surrounded her and circled around her. Noticing her situation, she held her head up and closed her eyes, invoking her newly acquired name. I sensed a plea for permission in my head and I nodded, excited to see the results.

“Release your power, Sarjay the Second!”

At my behest, Sarjay the Second transformed into a flaming phoenix with a sword made out of fire in its mouth. The orcs were melted, cut down and roasted alive as Sarjay the Second made short work of the small fries.

Rookie charged at the large orc and rammed into him head-on. The orc was no joke as he managed to stop Rookie’s charge in its track and even managed to throw Rookie off him.

“Boss! Go on without us! Sarjay the Second and I shall handle these buffoons! Have at you!” Rookie shouted as he took out a fencing sword too small for him, requiring him only two fingers to hold it.

“Come on, princess! Let’s move! Into the inner sections!” I pushed through the orcs and went for the opening made by Rookie and Sarjay the Second.

“I don’t even know how you managed to turn your bird into a phoenix but whatever…” Kendra commented as she tried to keep her pace up.

*

*

*

As we broke through the inner section and into the main building itself, I could see that not even the heart of the Union was safe. Injured guards were being escorted out as elves organized themselves.

I went straight for an elven officer and asked, “What’s going on here? Why is the Kreylin Palace under attack?”

“It’s the saboteurs and rebels! They broke through while we were caught off-guard. They’re deep into the palace and we have them cornered. Only problem is…”

An explosion blew through the side of a nearby wall causing the nearby elves to fly off or be blasted into pieces. As the smoke cleared, vines were rooting their way around the hole and greens were sprouting out.

“Elven magic! It’s even real deal…but how? This was suppressed for a long time that it was thought that the desert elves were the only ones left with genuine elven magic!” Kendra noted as she pointed at the roots growing.

“I don’t know how but the large mana-draining crystals placed all over the city are all shutting down. We don’t know what’s the cause, but I do know we’re all screwed. Seska!” The officer cursed as he ran off to lead a counteroffensive.

The palace was large, almost comparable to a castle…if there were two other castles glued to it as well. Many of the hallways were contested between rebels and loyalists, both sides trying to either get into or out of the palace.

“Oppressed no longer!” A rebel shoved something in his mouth and gained an increased vigor. He raised his hand and conjured a ball of green clay, which leapt at the nearest loyalist and strangled the unfortunate soldier. Whatever he just did, I sensed a sudden jump in his mana and magic level.

I ended the rebel’s life with a coin and went to pick up my coin off his dead body. Noticing the bag lying next to him, I inspected it.

“Oi, Maven.”

“Huh? You called?” Maven approached me as I stared at the contents of the bag.

“Who would’ve thought that a thousand years ago, your food killed people. Now, your pies have somehow managed to revive a magic art,” I commented as I showed her the bag, which was filled with Maven’s pie.

“What?! Give me those!” Maven grabbed the bag and took out a piece of pie, “No way…these are my pies!”

“Make up your mind. Does your food kill or revive ancient magic?”

Maven groaned and mumbled to herself, “So that was probably why they were ordering my food in massive bulk…”

We helped the elven soldiers clear the area we were in and I checked out every dead rebel. They had at least one piece of pastry from Maven’s restaurant stored somewhere. I wanted to research on why Maven’s pie managed to give the elves increased magic levels but for now, I gave every piece of food to the heroes.

“Eat up, you all have to grow strong. Look at how strong Lard is.”  I chuckled at myself.

“What? Do we really have to eat now?” Aera was skeptical at the piece of pastry handed to her. As a noble’s daughter, she probably expected a fork and knife.

“Yes, this would give you a lot of magic power.”

As soon as I finished saying that, Kendra started stuffing her mouth with every piece of pie she would find.

“Unlimited…poooowweeerrr!” Kendra screeched as she wolfed down pie after pie.

“Oi, you idiotic brat! Don’t overeat and choke! We still have to follow the princess. Speaking of the princess, where the hell is she?!”

“She’s already gone ahead, Boss,” Beor pointed at the direction she ran off. It was leading downstairs, further down into the palace.

“Come on! We need to catch up to her or else I won’t get my free coffee and magic-enhancing pies!” I charged down before I could hear a retort from Maven, not that I wanted to hear it anyway.