Blue roses, the favorite flower of immortals or so they say.
It was just a regular day until every capital of every kingdom in the continent had blue rose petals raining down on them- the sheer amount of the roses numbered in millions. No matter where one looked, one couldn't find that many roses anywhere on the continent, not to mention blue roses which literally appeared once in a blue moon.
In this world, blue moons were possible and any roses that are hit by the blue moon's light will instantly turn blue. Though the only time blue moons happen are on occasions such as an immortal is born or an immortal's immortality is removed- rendering them mortal.
In this world, Gods and Goddesses were worshipped as immortals yet only a few know that blue roses signify immortality. The one most alarmed by this event was Kai, he expected it but seeing it was still hard to take in.
"Sir Kai!"
Heliana quickly entered his room without regards for manners and saw Kai looking out the window.
"So he's come."
"Who's come?"
Kai looked at the falling petals outside in silence before looking at Heliana.
"The Immortal, Fate Shion."
"Immortal?! It's just as We feared!"
Heliana was one of the few people who knew what blue roses meant.
"Does the name Fate Shion not ring a bell?"
Seeing as how Heliana was more flustered about the 'immortal' rather than the name, he couldn't help but ask.
"...It does sound familiar but We don't think it's of much significance."
"Look through the Empire's grand library and find books about ancient heroes."
"You're saying that Fate Shion is a hero from olden times?"
"Just go and read, I have to report the situation to Alteria."
Kai didn't wait for Heliana's reply and began teleportation. Lately, his way of speaking with Heliana became less and less polite.
It's quite late but Kai's teleportation was different from the one the Soul Thief used, it's far more efficient and costs a lot less mana. Kai dematerializes his body and transfers to the destination in a vacuum of air, he can travel faster than lightning but like the other type of teleportation, he also needs to go to the destination once before teleportation becomes available. The ghost-like figure was just his body being covered in mana. A ghost-like figure envelops Kai and the destination his body is set making it seem like there are two of him, that was the secret.
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"Kai, what's happening?"
As King Atsushi saw him, he immediately asked about the blue roses. He was used to Kai teleporting in the throne room without proper messages.
"The Immortal is arriving, the Great War will now start."
Once King Atsushi heard his words, he immediately issued orders to his soldiers to gather themselves within the day and also released over fifty birds carrying messages to other kingdoms. Kai had long since told him to prepare for this day.
Natsumi had just entered the throne room and heard Kai mention the Great War.
"Kai, could it be that this is the council's doing?"
"No, it's the Immortal. I never really told anyone but the war we are about to face is not humans versus humans or humans vs demons, it's humans versus immortal."
-I'm not completely human though.
Kai stopped himself from saying it.
"Then, all the preparations you made...?"
"All for the Immortal. He can summon hordes of undead skeletons and ghosts, this is why I trained you all immediately. In three or so years, there will be a war far greater than this but right now, the entire continent has to unite against this one enemy. Natsumi, inform everyone of the happenings, I'm going to Mariko Palace and talk to Duke Hyosuke."
Again, without waiting for a reply, Kai disappeared and headed for Erina's place.
Once he reached the door, guards began to tremble and let him through without questions, they were the same ones who blocked his path before. Kai didn't care about anything and simply rushed into the place, immediately running into Erina who seemed to sense him coming from outside.
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"Kai, what's happening?"
How many times has he heard that line now? Kai immediately began to explain everything to Erina while walking towards the duke's study.
Knocking on the door, Kai quickly gained permission to enter.
"So it is Kai and... Erina."
Erina ignored him and continued to stand beside Kai. The distance between them had widened ever since he was freed but it was better than before. Kai didn't see the need to mediate the two of them as it would naturally happen in the future.
"Assemble every force under you and all of your connections to prepare for war. We are heading for the kingdom in the middle of the continent, Centrium."
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Two days later
It was an amazing sight, a hundred thousand people were gathered outside the capital wielding banners of the Alteria Kingdom. Not only knights, adventurers were also gathered and given armor. The amount of funds required for this trip was insane, a normal kingdom would take years to supply this much people at once with gear for battle and food. Naturally, most of the expenses were taken by Superbia in the form of a loan which placed the kingdom in debt but King Atsushi had unwavering trust in Kai.
Immortal. This was a word that would scare anyone who came across it. These were beings who couldn't die whether they wanted to or not. Beings who lived longer than kingdoms and even continents, these were the immortals.
Immortality involved longevity, not indestructibility. Otherwise, immortals would be the most powerful beings in the entire universe. Immortal Slaying Ki was vital in taking care of immortals but Kai had a problem, he couldn't produce even the slightest amount. This was why he planned to hold off the immortal and leave the finishing blow to someone else, Erina or Amelia- the only two who could produce Immortal Slaying Ki.
In the time that Memento Mori trained, Amelia who could already use Green Ki under the guidance of the Goddess of Frost taught Erina day and night which allowed her to make enough Green Ki to imbue the tip of a sword- it didn't sound much but the single tip would be stronger than anything Kai could do to the immortal.
Amelia wore her usual clothing while Erina was clad in a white dress, it didn't seem fit for battle but this was a dress gifted to her by the Goddess of Frost- it was stronger than any armor she could've bought in the continent. The dress spanned from a little lower than her shoulders to slightly above her feet. It looked like a white gown but the skirt wasn't that thick, it was only three layers. Kai was clad in different clothes though they were still black.
Instead of a trench coat, he wore a cloak along with a shirt complimented by metal. He looked prepared for war but on Earth, it would just be called cosplaying. Right now, he genuinely looked like a character from an anime. He had a full helmet on his head that had sharp features such as squinted eyes that glowed violet and metal teeth designs that spanned from cheek to cheek- these were just decorations but right now, he looked insanely intimidating. The hood that covered his helmet had metal edges and runes were inscribed on it.
Arata, Kei, Date, and Kazuki were given similar armors of varying colors. Arata had a thick golden-brown suit of armor, Kei had a slightly thin red-orange armor while Date had a shimmering blue. Kazuki had two great swords strapped on his back which were larger than his person while he wore emerald armor- he looked exactly like an enemy from a game.
Yoko was wearing armor that covered less than the others, places that she required to be free were covered in nearly transparent black cloth but her armpits and the crease in her arm were devoid of cloth and armor to give her more movement while she only wore pads on her knees and some other parts of her body. Her face was covered by a mask that covered her mouth made from a thicker material than the black cloth. It was evident as to who designed this because of the amount of black.
Natsumi wore clothes fit for elves. She had pointed boots made of light metal, a loose skirt stretching up to her knees with a cut in the side which revealed her thigh. The quiver was tied by a sash and in her hands was a recurve bow. She wore a tight breastplate that covered only her chest and the top she wore was a small loose green jacket that only covered her nape to the center of her back. One side of her had a metal guard on the shoulder and forearm while the other side had an exposed shoulder.
Umi wore a light blue robe fit for mages and priestesses which was loose but didn't fall off. It was heavily enchanted to the point that a sword wouldn't be able to scratch it. She wore a light blue cloth hat and had a giant staff in her hands.
Other than them, the knights were all equipped in the best armor the kingdom could provide regardless of rank. Their weapons were provided by Superbia, the high ranks used Enchanted Gear while the normal knights were provided the sharpest of weapons, spears, glaives, swords, and many other weapons.
Kai tapped his foot and as if listening to him, the ground began to rise up and carried Kai about fifty meters in the air. Then, he casted magic that looked very much like videos floating in the air and amplified his voice.
"People of Alteria Kingdom, today we depart for Centrium, the kingdom where the immortal will arrive. Using the power of teleportation, all of the kingdoms in this continent sent soldiers numbering in the tens of thousands to a hundred thousand to fight the immortal. For us, the peak of power is S-class where only a few have arrived to but the immortal is at a different level of power, he is above SS-class and entered into the realm of legends! Right now, he is weak and his power is at most at the peak of SS-class, this is the only opportunity we can strike!"
Kai snapped his fingers and several more projections appeared.
"The immortal can summon skeletons and tangible ghosts. The objective of everyone is to free the way for me and the other S-class. Accompanying me will be a few people I've personally selected. Centrium has all but fallen but I've already made preparations and have transferred everyone to another place. The immortal's power is immense and I can't say I guarantee any of your lives but know this, if we survive today then humanity will be stronger! Use this war to break through your limits! After the immortal, we take care of the evil demons that tried to attack the continent!"
Each of Kai's words held power and encouraged the soldiers and adventurers. Everyone knew him, he was infamous in the capital as the third princess' royal guard and also the youngest S-class in history- to the adventurers, he was known as the diamond adventurer Angelina's mentor.
"Follow me to victory!"
""""""YEAAAAAAAH!"""""" """"""OUUUUUU!"""""" """"""TO VICTORY!""""""
The hundred thousand units roared. Kai raised his sword and stabbed the floor, a giant magic circle covered the floor and sky and sent the one hundred thousand units to Centrium in an instant.