Chapter 26: Alexander; Shauran 40th, 344SR; 7:30

Alexander stared at the cloudy sky, they were almost directly under the Necropolis. The floating island in the clouds was just east of Lemen's border. After traversing the broken bridge and reaching Hiria, they crossed the ruined Plains of Ziola and arrived in the luxurious country of Lemen safely. Alexander looked down, the platform he stood on was at least fifteen stories above the ground. The large buildings of Lemen were both tall and covered large surface areas, with multiple balconies and landing platforms extending out from top to bottom. While the buildings were large, the country was full of wide roads that preserved as much nature as it could.

'Lemen is definitely the most luxurious city in Hiria... Living here must be expensive... But certainly preferable...' Each building was decorated from top to bottom with golden decals, glistening in the rising sun. However, each of the buildings had massive statues made of solid gold, they each resembled a horse standing on its back legs. 'The Celestial beast Mosin...' Passed the city, and beyond Croal's swamp were giant crags jutting out of the erupted ground. A massive stone circle could be seen past the crags, even from that distance, it was big enough to hold a small city. 'The gate Owen made years ago...' He turned to the sound of creaky wheels and the taps of a horse's feet behind him.

"Your squad is quite interesting, Bruno couldn't stop gushing over the architects who built this place," said Carala, the clan leader of Lemen's traders.

"I request you pardon anything foolish that Yami does," Alexander asked.

"He... Hasn't done anything...?" Carala's head tilted.

"Yet."

Carala wasn't wearing her robe, just a white full-sleeved shirt zipped up to her neck and white pants. She was very thin but tall. Her small eyes were unwavering and focused behind her glasses. Her dark brown ponytail whipped up and down in the strong winds, she moved strands of hair covering her face behind her ear. The numerous gold accessories she wore confused Alexander. It was still early into the day, but she wore earrings and a necklace. She even had purple lipstick on and her eyelashes were sleekly curled upwards. 'Even if you're a politician... Being this dressed up in the morning...' Alexander's eyes wandered to the weapon being wheeled by several large hybrids.

'Descendants of Jor,' Their large burly hands were welded to the bars pushing a giant device forward, each of them was just a few inches short of Alexander's height. The four of them were each stripped down to nothing but a pair of shorts, revealing their muscular bodies decorated with red scars, their stomachs unusually skinny, likely from being starved for days. 'There really is only one way to get a pig to listen.' They were hunched over, wheezing desperately as they struggled to push the fifteen-foot-tall Ballista.

The ballista itself was made from a grey heat-resistant ethore from Argol, fashioned with curving gold patterns similar to the ones all over the architecture. Behind the large device were two decently well-built men, with long faces and longer straight hair. They rode on horses with white coats, also fashioned with gold armor pieces, their hooves however possessed golden grieves that had a slightly deeper gold hue and rigid silver wings sticking out of each side. 'Mosin's vanguard, a spirit-based gift that takes on the form of white horses with grieves. Their flight and speed are adept for trade and transport.'

The horses pulled a wagon full of large spiked rods, Alexander walked over and leaned over the wagon to observe them. He noticed there was something else in the wagon, a smaller bunch of metal rods with a shinier surface. The other rods were especially thick, made of a grey metal which was different from the ethore used on the ballista.

"What kind of ammunition is this?" Alexander.

"These bolts are made of a substance which Lemen was once most known for, a malleable metal which becomes hard yet still fragile," "However they have a twist, show him," Carala asked the men on horseback.

The ranger got off of the horse and walked over to the wagon, his heeled shoes clicking against the ground. 'Lemen was most known for this?' Alexander looked around at the gold surrounding him. He brushed the thought off as the brown-haired man with a purple robe over his left shoulder reached into the wagon and picked up the shiny metal rod. The other man got off the horse as well and picked up the larger rod made of the duller grey metal with both hands. They loaded the grey rod into the ballista, Alexander noticed a hole in the back of it. 'Hm?' The other soldier inserted the longer shinier metal rod into the dull grey rod and then turned part of the shining rod that stuck out on the end.

"The smaller rod is full of liquid logorite and a catalyst at the end, once rotated the catalyst flows into the logorite and starts a reaction. Ready the javelin, aim at the sea," Carala ordered with a raised pitch.

"Logorite?" Alexander replied with an intrigued look.

One of the men got on top of the large ballista, grasping a bar and pushing with all his strength to rotate it. Then both soldiers moved to either side of the weapon and grasped the bars on each side of the barrel. They pulled the front of the ballista down and angled it towards the sea in the distance. As they angled it, the catalyst poured into the rest of the javelin and a green light shone out of the back end. It grew in intensity with every second, a spew of flames shot out one end as the pressurized gas released with a whistling sound. 'This should be interesting...' After several seconds, Carala raised her palm.

"Fire!" Carala ordered with a sudden fierceness as she swung her hand down.

The two soldiers twisted the bars they held, releasing the javelin. It soared straight toward the water in the distance. The further it traveled, it began to burn up and become engulfed in a green light overflowing with smoke. The bolt hit the water, and a large circle of light formed under the surface. Alexander's brow raised as he watched a massive pillar erupt of water upwards from the explosion. After a second, the rumbling roar of the explosion rippled through the sky.

"Incredible..." Alexander praised at a loss for words.

"With this design, we've achieved an exceeding three hundred percent increase in destructive capability, of course, these weapons have not been kind to the amount of logorite we have. We will spare a total of four shots," Carala informed him.

"I understand," said Alexander 'Four... Without Logos, they have no means to make more...'

"We will provide an escort to the gate via Mosin's vanguard. However we will not allow the vanguard to take part in the battle," Carala explained.

"Battle?" Alexander asked.

"Hm? Yes... The resistance has set up an outpost near the gate... That's why you are here, isn't it?"

Alexander looked at the gate in the distance. 'I thought we were stopping the Damned...' A single eyebrow raised as he was reminded of Lector's strange warning.

"Right..." Alexander feigned that he remembered.

"Anyways, if any of our vanguards is hurt, it's coming out of House Rael's-"

The frantic whinny of a horse cut her off in the middle of her warning.

"Woooo!" Yami's cheer echoed through Lemen's capital city.

Carala's expression turned to horror as she ran to the side of the building and looked down.

"I did say yet..." Alexander sighed.

Yami rode on the back of a horse trotting through the sky, every time it stepped through the air, a light could be seen beneath its hooves. The horse trotted frantically as it ran up the sky towards the balcony.

"What-" Carala uttered in a mix of rage and disbelief.

The horse landed on the platform and continued to try and shake Yami off. It succeeded and eventually got him to tumble backward off its rump. Then, while he was in the air, it kicked its back legs and struck the lieutenant in the stomach. Yami flew toward Carala and Alexander, landing against the ground, and sliding to Carala's feet.

"Ow..." Yami groaned as he held his stomach.

"What- how- you absolute moron! Do not attempt to ride one of the vanguards without the proper owner!" Carala scolded him.

"I managed to mount him, but then this explosion rippled through the air and the horse got scared..." Yami tried to reason.

"Ugh! Did you know he'd do this!" Carala turned and asked Alexander.

"Not exactly that, but definitely something equally stupid," Alexander replied.

Vivian and Bruno walked out of the building followed by six white horses mounted by hybrids with purple robes. The hybrids each wore white hoods and jackets with curving gold patterns along their collars and sleeves. They each held simple bows with similar gold patterns engraved in the black-painted wood.

"Why did a horse run by us in a panic?" Bruno asked.

"My bad, hehe..." Yami yelled as he scratched his head.

"Of course, it was the idiot..." Vivian groaned.

Alexander climbed onto the horses at the front, taking a seat behind the ranger. On their back was a quiver with an emblem of a horse standing tall engraved in gold. Carala ran her palm along the white horse's head and then lightly scratched his neck. She reached into her pocket for a small sack and pulled out an oval-shaped stone with a single gold bead in it. 'That device was made by the Lightbringers school of magic, a communication tool created with Lector's gift...' Carala handed it to Alexander, the golden bead had a small circle of light on it, and its size and shape made it easy to pocket.

"Keep this with you, I'll be on the other end, let me know when you want us to fire," said Carala.

"How can I be sure you'll hit them without hitting us?" Alexander asked.

"Don't doubt the rangers of Lemen, you'll find yourself unscathed amongst burning enemies."

Bruno climbed onto a white horse. Vivian looked a little nervous, standing a few feet away. Yami didn't hesitate to climb on.

"A descendant of Mosin is needed to command a member of the vanguard," Carala stressed as she looked at Yami. "They will stay nearby to get you out of there."

"What's the matter, Vivian? Hurry up," Alexander ordered.

"Do me and Yami need the horse? We can fly..." Vivian asked.

"Conserve your energy, the resistance members have set up an outpost around the gate so you'll need it."

"Resistance members are gathering there? Why would they gather at the gate if they already destroyed it?" Vivian questioned.

"Who knows, whether they are in our way or not, they will be vanquished."

"Get ready for take-off!" Carala faced forward and commanded with a stern tone.

Vivian mounted the horse, with some assistance from the ranger. Then, each of the descendants of Mosin tapped the horse's neck twice and they each started to trot into evenly spaced positions. Their formation appeared similar to an arrowhead.

"Advance!" Carala ordered.

Each of the horses started to gallop, Alexander peered past as the edge of the building drew closer. He watched it carefully, a sinking feeling in his stomach approached as the horse ran forward without hesitation. The moment the horse's hoofs left the building, the sound of tapping stopped. In its place, was the sound of glass crackling every time it took a step. Alexander watched in amazement as they soared over the capital city of Lemen.

The horses banked to the left to avoid the building, and then to the right. They soared over the city, the strong winds whooshed past Alexander's ears, and the horses started to hop, climbing the sky with each jump. Within a matter of minutes, they were already leaving Lemen. 'We'll be there in no time...'

"Woo!" Yami cheered with his hands outstretched to the sky.

"You can fly idiot, stop getting excited... Over everything!" Vivian shouted as she held the ranger's stomach for her life.

'Why are you so afraid...' Alexander turned his head forward, and the strong winds pushed his hair up. Each gust flicked by at rapid speeds, Alexander looked down at the ground and he saw it. The giant horizontal slab of concrete embedded in the ground was at least the size of a country. 'The gate...' Just south of that gate, was Libra Prison, now half destroyed after the resistance members escaped. 'Unbelievable... That report wasn't lying...' The large building which was east of Lemen was reduced to rubble, the hollow circle-shaped building now resembled a jagged crescent.

'Something is going to happen on the day of the festival... The Lightbringers didn't inform us of the resistance presence... There are too many questions... Did they account for this?'

"We'll be approaching the gate in a few minutes," the ranger told Alexander.

"Where is the resistance camp?" Alexander asked.

"Northeast of the gate."

"Closest to Murdok Bay... At least that makes sense," Alexander muttered that last part.

"We've been unable to get close, descendants of Ziola and Tyra will intercept us each time on the ground or air."

"Descendants of Ziola? I thought they were wiped out..."

"The remnants of stray descendants have realigned their allegiance under Geral, the resistance becomes more powerful every day, they aren't just the three rogue clans, they almost match Queen Grehilia's forces now. However it's thanks to you, angels that they haven't caused more havoc, it's also probably why they haven't made their move yet."

Alexander looked down at the gate, the giant slab of dense stone was embedded into the ground at the bottom of a divot. There was a massive hole in the center of the gate, revealing a dark chasm with no bottom in sight. 'There are three of these structures located across Hiria... each of which was built in order to stop the Damned from returning. To destroy it in such a way... You'd have to be considerably powerful... Banhu Uunan? No, I don't think it's possible for him to have done it... So who did?' Alexander looked down at the ground. At the edge of a dense bog, a vivid red light flashed and glowed in the distance, around the northeast edge of the giant stone.

"Bank left!" Alexander suddenly shouted an order.

The rangers turned their head back in surprise, then quickly did as the noble instructed. Each of the rangers banked left, however, the horse in the front of the group was suddenly slashed. A red trail of blood dyed the horse's coat. Its shriek of pain broke the rhythm of the wind.

"Damnit!" the ranger cursed.

Alexander looked down, he scanned the area looking for the same light. 'A descendant of Tyra? Just one?' His intention was drawn to multiple red lines soaring toward him. 'We're at a disadvantage in the sky...' The horses dived downwards, avoiding the slashes as they tried to get closer for a landing.

"Pull back your vanguard," Alexander ordered.

"What?!" The ranger replied.

"Just do it!" Alexander took the stone of out his pocket. "Carala, we've lost one."

"Unfortunately, I noticed..." Carala replied with a hint of anger in her voice.

"Fire the first round, northeast of the gate, right at the edge," Alexander ordered.

"Got it."

Alexander turned back to Lemen, the city was now so far away he couldn't see the ballistas anymore. 'Will they hit them from this distance... They don't have a gift for this... It'd be purely skill.' Alexander watched a green glint soar upward through the sky. "They aren't firing directly?!" The javelin glowed bright green as it soared upwards, arching through the sky as it reached the peak of its height. The javelin soared downwards at an extreme speed, hitting the resistance camp and erupting into a large explosion.

"Good shot... To think you calculated the trajectory so quickly, impressive," he commented.

"I told you not to doubt our rangers," Carala gave a snarky reply.

"Land my team by the gate," Alexander ordered as he raised one leg over the horse, both of his feet dangled off one side.

"Huh!? What are you doing, we're still at least two hundred feet above the ground?!"

"They won't let us land... I'll be fine," Alexander shoved himself off the horse.

The inertia carried him forward a bit as he grasped his greatsword with both hands. He looked down at the cloud of smoke carefully, waiting for the slashes to appear again. The greatsword lit up with green flames as he flexed his arms. Multiple red slashes flew out of the smoke, and Alexander swung down, throwing a flaming green slash of his own to intercept. The waves of flames collided in the air and dispersed in all directions.

Alexander landed on his knee, and the impact lifted dust in all directions around him. He looked around, suddenly becoming confused. 'Where are the Damned?' The other members of the vanguard slowly made their way to the ground. 'What is this... There are no skeletons in sight... Isn't that what we came here for...' As the other members of the vanguard got closer, Vivian and Yami both flew to Alexander's side. Bruno had to be dropped off.

"Vivian, keep this with you, stay airborne, coordinate the javelin trajectory with the rangers, and keep Bruno safe," Alexander handed the stone to Vivian.

"Yes sir," Vivian nodded.

"Bruno, you know what to do, focus on the main priority."

"Already on it," Bruno replied as he walked towards the hole within the gate.

"And me sir?" Yami asked.

"We're going to hit the resistance head-on, it's time to prove your worth," Alexander simply explained as he started forward with a slow walk.

"Couldn't sound better," Yami grinned as he conjured his staff in hand.

Alexander knelt and held his greatsword with both hands, igniting it, before leaping a great distance towards the resistance camp. He soared into the encampment of tents set up at the edge of the gate. Alexander broke his fall with his blazing sword, and a cloud of dust surrounded him and the camp, as green flames lashed and burned at everything around him. A mix of surprised voices filled the air. As the dust cleared, several figures rose from the rubble.

"What the heck was that?", "Alright who's drunk...", "Everyone's drunk, idiot! Hahaha," several voices around Alexander didn't take the sudden confusion seriously.

Alexander pulled his blade out of the dirt and threw his black coat off. He swung his greatsword and the cloud of dust spread out in all directions. With the cloud of dust gone, Alexander stood in the middle of the camp surrounded by hybrid resistance members. They were unlike the hybrids Alexander was used to seeing. Many of them had scales or slimy skin. They wore the skins and pelts of other hybrids over their exposed bodies, and each of them was armed with axes and short swords.

One of the drunkards hiccupped loudly, "Hey... Ain't that an angel?" he asked the fellow drunkard to his right.

"Yeah you're right, and that mark... That's Alexander Rael... Isn't he the enemy? Why'd he come out of the sky?"

Alexander gripped the handle of his sword and it lit up with a bright green flame. He waved his blade, setting the various tents and people ablaze. The camp erupted into a mix of roars and screaming, as one side burned, and the other drew their weapons or charged in blindly. Alexander grinned and ruthlessly swung his blade, slicing or crippling several hybrids in a single swipe. 'They are too weak to even entertain me...'.

"Yami!" Alexander called.

A blue light landed directly in front of the noble, Yami dashed forward to the crowd, his wings tucked behind him. He planted his foot and spread his wings to slow down.

"Steadfast Rain!" Yami shouted.

Hundreds of small blue pellets fired from Yami's wings, ruining what was left of the encampment. One of the hybrids didn't hesitate at the incoming projectiles, the moment the droplet of energy hit him it popped and his entire body flew backward. The rest of the projectiles followed, devastating the camp and launching many hybrids through the walls of the camp. Upon impact, each droplet made crackling pops. A green-scaled soldier flew back into the crowd, colliding with his allies and knocking several of them down.

"Not bad, but stop calling out your attacks," said Alexander.

"The bird doesn't follow if I don't though?" Yami scratched his head.

"That means you two aren't a good team yet."

"Oh..."

"Holy crap they're nobles!", "They're strong!" the hybrids shouted.

"What the hell is all the ruckus... Huh?!" a woman shouted in a cranky tone.

Alexander turned to one of the tents which he set ablaze, one of their entrances was pulled to the side by a slender hand. A woman stepped out of the tent, her black hair half tied back in a bun, but the amount of it tied back flowed in all directions. On both sides of her head, were horns that curled forward. The way she swayed in her steps made her seem menacing, however, she stumbled to the left because she was just drunk. She moved her bangs out of the way and scratched the side of her narrow eyes which glared upwards at Alexander, but then looked around the soldiers on the ground.

"Whose that?" Yami whispered.

She stepped over the fire, however, it disappeared out of her path rather than burning her, 'Those black horns... The way they curl forward... If those are the horns of Tavo, and she has both, it could only be one person...'

"Iris Garo, a criminal that escaped... One of the three commanders of the hybrid resistance," Alexander answered.

The five-and-a-half foot woman wore a white coat buttoned up to her cleavage, a pair of baggy black pants, and on her hips was a sheathed straight sword secured by some rope attached to her silver belt. The belt was quite thick, and it had no discernable details. She yawned as her pants flapped in the wind, her ankles also had thick silver rings.

"Commander Iris... It's- agh!"

She knelt and picked up the soldier who spoke by the collar, pulling him out of the pile of corpses he was trapped under effortlessly.

"Hey, what day is it today?" Iris asked with a confused look as she shook the injured soldier carelessly.

"Uh- the... Fortieth?" the soldier replied, "we were attacked by those angels standing over there!" he pointed at Yami and Alexander.

"Fortieth? Ugh... This is why we should procrastinate... But since Geral is an idiot... Now we have all this time and we don't know what to do," she let go of his collar and he fell onto his rear.

The soldier quickly got up and ran as Iris reached down and picked up a bottle out of one of the burned corpse's hands. She pulled out the cork with a pop, and some of the red liquid content inside spilled out the top. She raised it to her mouth and started to chug. She sat down on a broken plank, leaning her head back and consuming a considerable amount of alcohol all at once. Yami and Alexander stared at each other with squinted eyes as the drunkard chugged the flask with audible gulps. A droplet of liquid ran off her chin and down her chest. She pulled the tip of the bottle away and let out a sigh of relief, wiping the alcohol off of her chin and looking up to see Yami and Alexander.

"Yo, idiots... Who are they?" she looked around and registered the fact she was surrounded by burned corpses, "What the hell happened to these guys?"

"They're dead, you'll be joining them soon," Alexander answered.

Iris squinted at the two of them before she let out a dragged-out yawn and rubbed her eyes. She squinted one more time and her eyes went wide.

"The hell? Why are there angels here? Did Geral make a miscalculation? That damn dork," she complained as she raised the bottle and chugged once more.

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"Since you want to die, you could at least tell me what the resistance members are doing gathering outside of Argol, Iris Garo, a descendant of T-" The bottle flew directly at Alexander, he moved his head to the side and just barely avoided it. 'Heh...'

"Don't say that name in front of me... You turd's better run back to your Celestial before I break you," the drunk woman threatened, still not caring to look up as the glass shattered against the ground behind them.

Yami walked forward, conjuring his staff in hand. "Can I take her on by myself?" Yami asked.

"Huh?" Iris squinted.

Alexander looked at Yami briefly. "Be careful, despite her current appearance, she is strong, the horns on her head give her self psionic abilities," Alexander warned.

"Self-psionic abilities?" Yami asked.

"She can anticipate attacks without thinking and alter her body's physical limits."

Iris stood up and cracked her knuckles, stretched her shoulders and back, cracking her neck. Yami spread his wings out once again.

"Steadfast Rain," the pellets of blue energy rained out of Yami's extended wings.

Iris didn't move, she didn't even blink as the projectiles flew toward her, she drew her sword and grabbed the chain at the end of it, spinning the blade to create a shield to block. One drop hit her shoulder and she stepped back. Her lips spread into a wide grin as she flexed her shoulder. She walked forward, moving her head to the left and then raising her arm slightly to dodge two shots that would've hit her. Yami's eyes went wide as he realized the extent to which Iris could anticipate, she laughed as her steps hastened.

"Come on boy! Real warriors should get close!" she ran forward through the blazing rubble.

Yami flew forward and made a wide swing from the left. The moment the staff was going to make contact, she drew her sword just enough from the sheath and blocked it. She continued forward, taking a large step and slamming her shoulder into Yami's chest, dropping her sword back into the sheath, and grabbed his head, slamming her forehead into his. Yami grunted in pain as he stepped back, a trail of blood from his nose to her head. She grabbed the staff and pulled him back in, however, he grits his teeth.

"Is this close enough," Yami grasped her wrists and held her still.

Iris grinned with a raised brow as she tried to pull away, only for Yami's wings to surround her.

"Steadfast rain!" Yami shouted.

Iris gritted her teeth as her body was showered from all sides by the impact of each droplet.

"Rgh!" she grunted.

Yami raised both feet and kicked forward, she raised her arms to block just in time. She stumbled backward but kept her ground. Yami rolled in the air before his wings spread out once more while upside down.

"Azur Assault!" he shouted as the bird left his body and flew directly into Iris.

The moment she landed, she was struck in the stomach by the blue bird's beak. She grunted as it flew upwards, carrying her into the air before exploding. A bright blue light flashed, sending Iris head-first into a rock. Yami took a deep breath as he kept an eye on the wall. 'That gift is quite powerful... And versatile...'

"Ha-haha!" Iris's laugh echoed throughout the camp.

Yami conjured his wings once more, "She's laughing after that?" he said despite grinning himself.

"You're decently strong, I'm surprised. I could crack an angel's skull right open, but you're fine!" Iris praised "And here I thought this would be boring," she slowly unsheathed the blade.

Yami flew upwards directly at her, she kicked off the rock and soared at him with her sword ready to swing. They clashed, but the force of her swing sent Yami straight back down to the ground. He spread his wings in the air to slow down but still crashed into the dirt.

"Where did that force come from?!" Yami grunted.

Iris landed, flipped her sword around, and swung it to the side. While Iris had been drunk and wild in her fighting style earlier, with her sword in hand she was different. She twirled the sword in her hand fearlessly as she took a confident stance with her eyes hyper-focused on Yami. She put her right foot back and pointed her left hip forward, she crouched down and held the blade high but pointed it downwards. Yami was about to fly back in but he stopped, he hesitated as he saw her focus. She took long breaths in through her nose and out her mouth. The cracks in her horns glowed with an ominous red aura.

"Yami, her swordplay is not to be underestimated," Alexander warned.

Yami flew towards her, she lowered the blade. As Yami swung she parried the strike and redirected Yami's entire body out of her way. Yami flew past her and turned, only to see her take up the same stance, looking in the same direction as before.

"Damnit!" he grunted and flew at her again.

She simply crouched down as Yami swung his staff once more, Yami flew past her and then soared between the standing tents that still stood to break the line of sight. She didn't flinch at all, she continued to hold the stance in preparation. Yami's wings flapped and he increased in speed, flying around the camp in circles to try and find an opening.

"Steadfast Rain!" Yami shouted as he zoomed through the camp.

Pellets of blue energy fired through and between the tents toward Iris. She turned around and kicked off the ground, going for the spot Yami would fly to. Yami swung his staff and she spun around quickly, deflecting the strike. He spun the staff and caught it with his other hand, continuing to swing the staff with great momentum. She raised her blade and her arm to block the strike. She simply held her ground without moving, as if she didn't feel the force at all. She spun towards Yami and got close, elbowing him once in the stomach, pivoting and swinging her fist at the same time, smacking him across the nose with the back of her hand.

"Ah!" Yami wailed as he stumbled backward and held his nose.

Yami barely opened his eyes, he saw Iris jump up and swing her blade down with both hands. Yami blocked the blade just in time, but the force of the swing slammed his back against the ground. Yami hit the ground and bounced off it, he tried to extend his wings and fly off but this was a mistake as Iris hadn't stopped her pursuit. She grabbed one wing and pulled him back with a sudden force, a force similar to what had knocked Yami down to the ground. With a single swing, she ruthlessly cut through one of his wings, he tried to strike in the middle of his fall. 'Fool!' her foot slammed down on the staff, stopping his swing, and her other foot stepped down on his chest to pin him down. Yami looked up and froze as she pointed her blade at his face and thrust forward, he was unable to dodge the fatal blow.

Alexander dashed forward and swung his blade at Iris. She kissed her teeth as she chose not to go for the kill, and instead block. The steel clashed and ground against the other, Iris squinted as she was pushed off Yami with a force she hadn't expected. Alexander stepped forward and swung his sword with all his strength, launching her into a tent. A cloud of smoke rose upwards. Her horns flashed red from within the smoke. The resistance commanded launched herself straight at Alexander, they clashed blades, and the impact created a force that blasted Yami and several tents away.

"Alexander Rael!" Iris shouted, surprised to see him.

"Finally recognize me? Fool," Alexander mocked while holding her off.

"Damn... She is strong..." Yami slowly stood up.

"Go and assist the others, this battle will be too much for you."

"But- I can-"

"Just go, don't make me repeat myself," Alexander ordered.

Yami looked down before he flew upwards out of the camp. One of the tents flew over a person sleeping underneath it. A large man wearing a black pair of baggy pants with a metal belt around his waist was shirtless, and he immediately raised his hand to shield himself from the sunlight.

"Ah!" the fat, but muscular man cried out. "What the hell! Why can't you assholes let me sleep!" he stood up in an angry rage.

"My bad, I was supposed to stop them, I didn't expect Carala to send an angel this time," a slender man with two katanas at his waist entered the camp. He wore similar pants to Iris and the large man.

'This could get bad...' Alexander recognized all three of them immediately. "Iris Garo, Blaize Eluk, Banhu Uunan... The commanders of Geral's resistance."

"Blaize you useless fuck... You were on guard duty!" Iris scolded him.

"I've been on guard duty for three days straight, the rest of you have been too drunk to take over!" Blaize replied angrily.

"Good, it's a perfect job for you, he-bitch."

"Shut up you stupid sheep..." Blaize grinned at Alexander as he drew his blades.

Blaize's right shoulder was covered by a red patch of fur that stretched up to the base of his neck. He had red hair slicked back, and both sides of his head were shaved, leaving only the top. His eyes were narrow and his eyebrows small. His teeth were visibly jagged, causing his pointy nose and ears to make him look rather vicious. He raised one of his swords to the fur on his shoulder. As he dragged it against the fur, Alexander heard a grating noise. A red flame ignited on his shoulder, infusing his blade with the special flame.

Banhu, the large man who had awoken scratched his bald head, he had two black-striped tattoos, on each shoulder which came down to his chest and then down his body. He conjured his gift which Alexander was already familiar with. A large spine with a bell attached to the end appeared in Banhu's hand. He had small eyes, a brown beard, and a mustache. His belly was large, but his muscles were just as so. The man was also quite old, the skin around his face wrinkled and scarred.

"Alexander Rael? How much did we drink last night? There's still booze right?" Banhu asked his comrades.

"We're not drunk...And there's probably no more booze after these two pricks crashed our party..." Iris answered.

"No more booze?!" Banhu sighed in disappointment.

"Did Geral say nobles would show up to stop us? His calculations are usually spot on?" said Blaize.

"I wasn't expecting you to be here either, however on the topic of Geral, tell me what he intends to do in Andurill, how did he know about the slave named Jack," Alexander asked.

"Jack? That kid who kicked your ass apparently?"

"Choose your words carefully, scum."

"I'll say what I fucking want. That Jack kid is just some random, what he did to you is what's important. After Arken Grehilia was banished to Protor, no one had the will to defy that fake we call a queen, solely because you angels sided with them. But then the news of a slave that brought a noble to his knees made echoes, and he was just a kid too, a little bit of inspiration goes a long way."

"Banished to Protor? Arken Grehilia is dead. Slain in the battle of Cerulea..."

"If you believe that, you don't know the first thing about Arken, there's no one on Grelt who could fight Arken and win. I don't know who Jack is, or how he beat you. But he's inspired an army to stand against you frauds. Maybe after we take Andurill, I'll save him a seat at our victory banquet."

The other two resistance commanders raised an eyebrow and looked at Blaize.

"What?" Banhu replied, a confused look on his face.

"Yeah, shut up Blaize, you're not cool," said Iris.

"You two are stupid, let's just do this already," Blaize looked up at Alexander, pointing one bright red sword at the noble, the other blade resting on his shoulder.

"Yeah... Let's," Alexander took a stance, igniting the greatsword.

Banhu immediately spun the large spine he called a weapon, the bell didn't toll, it simply swung with the momentum of the rest of the weapon. He continued to spin it, creating gusts of wind which Alexander ignored. 'Jor's bell... That bell can release devastating amounts of force based on its speed before impact...' Blaize ran forward, leaping at Alexander with both swords ready to swing. 'Tyra's fur... He can imbue his blades with a crimson flame which can burn through even the strongest ethore,' Alexander dashed forward, and with two hands he swung upwards with all his might and clashed with the two katanas. To Blaize's surprise, he was launched away at a high speed, crashing and rolling across the ground.

"That's one..."Alexander counted.

Alexander turned and noticed Iris come from the right and jump at Alexander, but he jumped even higher to her surprise. With his greatsword ready to swing, it ignited into green flames. He slashed at her, and she quickly blocked Alexander but was launched away just like Blaize. 'My sword feels so light... Something is different...'

"Two..."

Alexander turned to Banhu who still spun the massive spine around. They both ran forward with their weapons ready. The large man grinned as he swung the bell at the end of the spine down at Alexander, who raised his greatsword to intercept it. The moment before Alexander's blade made contact, the bell tolled and stopped it. 'What! I can't- Push forward!' Alexander tried to push the blade but the vibration stopped him in his tracks as the bell continued forward and slammed into him. The force launched him back to the gate where the rest of his squad was. Debris from the camp rained down in all directions, everything had been knocked away by the force of the bell.

The noble couldn't hear anything due to the ringing in his ears, the force continued to send him backward, and he collided with the ground, his body dragging against it as he failed to stop himself. Alexander stabbed his sword into the ground and he came to a sudden stop. His head was numb from the sound wave. 'Dammit! I forgot how powerful that weapon is...' Alexander rose as he looked around. He had been launched out of the camp and now stood on the stone of the gate once again. Yami flew out of the camp as well, extending his wings out and hovering in the sky as he observed the debris raining down.

"Sir!" Vivian shouted.

"Yami no matter what, do not let them get to Bruno!" Alexander ordered.

"Right!" Yami agreed.

Alexander stood up and pulled his greatsword out of the ground, he conjured his silver armor as he prepared for an intense battle. He looked up and saw Iris jump down onto the gate. A sadistic smile on her face as she ran forward, through and between the falling chunks of debris.

"Blaize!" she called out.

Three waves of red flame flew towards Alexander, he raised his sword above his head and it lit up with a bright green flame, he slammed the sword down, deflecting a majority of the red flames. Iris jumped through the flame with her sword above her head, she swung at Alexander who raised the sword back up to deflect her. The sparks flew in all directions as they clashed, Iris flipped in mid-air and landed on her feet, she crouched down and pounced back at Alexander. Alexander grasped the sword with two hands, spinning around as he made a heavy swing and cleaved at her. Iris quickly raised her sword, the loud clash was followed by Iris grunting as she was carried off her feet once more.

"Damn!" Iris grunted as she rolled against the ground. "He hits hard!"

"Hey! These pricks are trying to seal the gate!" Blaize shouted.

"Huh!" Iris replied with a sudden surprise.

"Vivian! Be ready to call for the Rangers!" Alexander ordered as he ran forward.

He crouched down and then kicked off the ground once more towards Banhu at the back. The greatsword lit up, he dashed straight for Banhu, a trail of green flame behind him. 'Take out the strongest!' Alexander charged forward, raised his blade, and went for a stab, however, his blade was pushed down by two katanas which clashed with his greatsword. Blaize had descended from above, he landed on the greatsword with both feet, then jumped up as high as he could, Alexander looked up, 'Shit!' he took his eyes off Banhu who was about to hit him once more. However, a javelin landed behind Banhu and exploded, engulfing him at the edge of the blast radius.

"Ah!" Banhu cried in pain.

Despite being on fire, the wild man still stepped forward and swung the spine down. 'Shit-'

"Hraah!" Banhu screamed.

Alexander shielded himself with the face of his blade and prepared for the impact. Banhu's bell slammed into the ground and blew everything back in every direction. The stone gate rumbled from the impact, however, it was not damaged by it. Alexander flew back once more. 'Damnit! There's no blocking that attack!' His feet dragged against the ground as he tried to hold his ground. The force of the bell pushed all of the flames off of Banhu, his grin spread from cheek to cheek as he started to laugh.

Alexander felt his feet leave the ground once more, and he flew backward, directly over the hole in the gate. 'Shit!' He turned his head and peered into the deep darkness. As he looked down, he could swear he was looking at the bright green eyes of skeletons staring back at him. Vivian flew behind Alexander and caught him, flying back up to the edge of the hole.

"That guy has devastating power," said Vivian.

"Yeah... It'll be hard to deal with him at the same time as the other two..." Alexander replied.

Alexander looked down and noticed Blaize holding both his katanas against the fur on his shoulder, the steel seemed to glow a bright red as they were set ablaze. The dual-wielded swordsman raised the glowing katanas, a trail of flame following his blade's path, both above his head as he took a stance.

"Let me go, quickly!" Alexander ordered.

Vivian let go of Alexander and flew upwards, he landed at the stone as Blaize swung both down sending a flaming red cross through the sky at the nobles. Vivian evaded the flaming slash. Blaize started swinging wildly, sending multiple slashes through the sky at random. However, Yami dashed from the side, planted his foot into Blaize's stomach, and sent him tumbling across the grass.

"Agh! Who the fuck?!" Blaize cursed.

Alexander descended towards the ground where Iris dashed across the dirt and stopped where he would fall. He looked up and saw two more slashes coming his way, he raised his blade to block it but could only block one, the other burned through his shoulder pad and sliced him. A searing pain against the skin under his armor burned. He looked up as Iris lunged forward to stab him with her short sword. Alexander tried to swing, but his shoulder stung and couldn't launch Iris this time. He raised his greatsword with one hand and blocked her strike, she stepped forward and pushed him to step back.

"Come on, one scratch, and all that power is gone?" Iris mocked.

Alexander felt the wound on his shoulder start to heal, and he started to push her back. He gritted his teeth and tightened his grip on the sword handle. Alexander held the sword with just his right hand.

"What the!" Iris stuttered as Alexander held his ground with one hand.

Iris grunted as she tried to push forward, the cracks in her black horns glowed a brighter red, releasing more of the red steam. Alexander turned his blade and she stumbled past him. With his other hand, Alexander grasped her face and slammed her head into the ground. Alexander huffed as he held her down, but between his fingers, he could still see her enraged eye glaring at him. He let go and jumped back a short distance, taking his greatsword in both hands and raising it. The pain in his shoulder disappeared as he swung the blade down towards Iris, Blaize dashed between them and blocked with both swords.

"Dammit!" Iris yelled as she got to her feet and jumped back, she stumbled slightly and grasped her head, clearly dizzied by the slam.

Both of Blaze's blades were no longer a bright red. Alexander pulled his blade back and swung again, intent to launch him away and go back for Banhu once more. However, Blaize dodged to the left and dashed behind Alexander.

"Roku's Array! Second form!" said Blaize.

Alexander raised his eyes in surprise as he heard that, he swung the greatsword behind him but slashed at nothing. Blaize had jumped over him, instead. 'Shit!' Alexander panicked, as Blaize slashed at Alexander. His back convulsed from the hot metal dragging through him, but he spun around as he heard Blaize land and run forward.

"Hell's..." Blaize uttered.

Alexander slashed behind him, but to his surprise, Blaize stopped, he stood just short of the great sword's tip. 'Crap-'

"Gambit!"

In a single step, Blaize darted past Alexander, slashing his shoulders with deep burning cuts. Blood sprayed out of Alexander's shoulders, he stumbled backward slightly.

"That's some thick armor!" Blaize turned to re-engage. "You'd probably be faster without it!"

Alexander gripped his sword and turned to cut him down; however, Blaize didn't try to deflect, instead dodging the swing at the last second by rolling under it.

"Ever think that a greatsword is too slow?" Blaize taunted.

"Huh!" Alexander roared.

Alexander violently swung his blade, Blaize dodged to the left and delivered a quick slice to the same spot as before, causing Alexander to cringe from the pain. He fell to one knee as he panted, Blaize walked away slowly.

"Roku's Array! First Form!" said Iris. "World-" A javelin landed right next to her and cut her off. "Huh- Ah!"

The force from the explosion pushed Alexander back slightly. Iris was engulfed in a blaze of green flames. Alexander held his side as he got down on one knee. 'Only one more Javelin...' Alexander stood up and resisted the fading pain.

"You may be powerful but every one of your powerful swings leaves you wide open after, I don't blame you though, most nobles are hell-bent on their strength, and you're no different! Just a mad brute drunk on power!" Blaize talked down to Alexander as he approached, infuriating him.

Alexander turned, dropped the greatsword, and closed the distance between him and the swordsman from Argol. Blaize's eyes went wide and his mouth hung ajar when he noticed Alexander's fist coming towards him. Alexander stepped forward and planted his fist into Blaize's stomach. Then raised both his hands and pummeled him into the ground with a slam.

"Dodge that- damn brat!" Alexander huffed.

Alexander turned to Banhu, who ran towards Bruno, swinging the massive spine around. Alexander raised his hands and conjured his greatsword above his head, it ignited with a green flame. Yami got between Banhu and Bruno, extending his large blue wings. Banhu swung the spine down.

"Steadfast Rain!" Yami shouted.

The blue pellets shot out of his wings. 'Idiot! That's not enough to-' Alexander was surprised to see Yami target the bell at the end of the spine specifically. The multiple impacts from pellets stopped the bell mid-swing, causing it to toll early. The force still sent Yami into the air, he spread his wings to quickly stop himself. 'Perfect!' Alexander thought as he stabbed the greatsword down into the ground. 'Jealous Flame! Eruption!' Pillars of green flames erupted toward Banhu, the large man cried out in pain as the pillar exploded beneath him and sent him airborne. Yami flew above him and dived straight down, thrusting his staff into Banhu's chest, knocking the air out of him and sending him back to the ground. The force from Alexander's attack left several cracks in the stone gate.

"Roku's Array! Fourth form!" Blaize shouted from behind Alexander.

Alexander turned to see Blaize take a stance with both of his blades against his fur.

"Wild-" Blaize stopped as a bluebird flew past Alexander at a great speed and smashed into him. "Agh!"

The bird flew back around, Alexander turned as he watched it fly back into Yami who was falling. As it re-entered him, the wings sprouted once more and he stopped himself in mid-air. 'I didn't think he was this capable...' Alexander turned to the hole in the gate. Bruno was breathing heavily, the stone slowly spread out and continued to cover the area of the hole.

"Damnit! I won't let you close the gate!" Iris shouted as she ran for Bruno.

Alexander threw his greatsword straight at Iris. She tried to block it, but the steel clashed and she was knocked off her feet once more. 'Almost... We've almost done it...' Alexander huffed. He looked to the right, Blaize was crawling for his other sword, and Iris rolled onto her front. Banhu slowly rose from the ground as well. Each brawler was ready for another round.

"Give up, you're all going back to prison or dying here... I don't care which," said Alexander. "You can tell me where the other resistance members and Geral are as well, I'll kill him next."

"Geral... Will never be defeated by the likes of you angels," Blaize huffed as he got to his feet.

A sudden rumbling transitioned to a bellowing roar echoed through the sky. 'What the hell was-' A massive skeletal hand rose out of the hole, and slammed into the ground, pulling up the rest of its body. Bruno stepped back in shock as a giant skeleton with strange, black, flesh-like tentacles surrounding its body rose from the gate. The tendrils seemed to come from within the darkness, latching onto the skeleton's spine and around its shoulders.

"What the..." Iris stuttered.

"Huh?! Now the damned want to come out of the hole?! What the hell!" Blaize cursed.

'What did he say?! The damned didn't escape into Hiria from here? What are they talking about?!' The giant skeleton let out a wailing cry into the sky, it didn't sound hostile, but it sounded more like it was suffering. Alexander felt like the skeleton was asking for help. It turned its head to Bruno and whipped its entire body towards the lieutenant.

"Bruno look out!" Yami tried to fly in to save him.

However, a red slash flew through the sky at Yami and cut him. Yami grunted in pain as he hit the ground, the skeleton's massive hand grabbed Bruno. Alexander was about to run forward, but he felt a blade pierce through his stomach. He turned to see Iris behind him, she pushed the sword even further through him. 'Damnit! Why did I get distracted!' Alexander tried to grab her, but she placed her foot on his back and kicked him off the blade.

"This fight isn't over yet!" Blaize shouted.

"Sir!" Vivian cried.

A javelin flew through the sky and embedded itself in the head of the skeleton. It exploded and blew the giant cranium to pieces. However, to everyone's shock, it kept moving. Another hand reached out of the darkness, and another giant skeleton began to pull itself out of the depths. This one had a similar look of panic to the last. Its head looked like it was being dragged around by a body that moved on its own. However, Alexander could only look up as he heard a war cry echo out. Banhu ran forward, spinning his weapon. Alexander tried to get up, but the blood leaked out of him and he felt his strength drain. He slowly got up, conjured his armor, then his sword, all the while a steady stream of red liquid splashed onto the stone.

"Where are you looking!" Iris charged forward and clashed with Alexander.

Alexander's feet dragged against the ground, as Iris jumped up. Blaize's feet dragged against the stone as he took a stance behind Alexander.

"Roku's Array! First Form!" All three commanders shouted.

Alexander's eyes went wide as he realized there was no chance to dodge any of them. All he could muster was the strength to raise his great sword and ignite with as much green flame as he could. Alexander looked up briefly, the necropolis was directly above him. 'Jealous Flame!' Alexander swung the sword down.

"World Splitter!" All three of them yelled at the same time.

Blaize slashed at Alexander's back with a single downward swing with both swords, Iris performed a similar motion. They both slammed their blades into the ground, leaving considerably deep slashes in the stone which withstood most of the attacks till now. Banhu swung the bell downwards at the same time Alexander swung his blade down. Alexander engulfed all of them in a pillar of green flames, however, the toll of the bell smashed him straight down, through the gate.

***

Alexander's eyes opened slowly. All around him were rubble and green flames, the crashes and cries of destruction, and a scent of burning wood and asphalt. The bones in his body twisted as he pushed himself off the ground with a bloody hand. 'What happened... I was just fighting the resistance... How long was I out...' Alexander rose off the ground and heard drops against a puddle. He looked at his stomach as he got up to see a hole in his abdomen, dripping blood into a pool underneath his stomach. 'Wasn't I... Stabbed...' Alexander looked at the gaping hole inside of him, it didn't resemble a stab wound. He looked up, the sky was blood red, but he saw two figures standing nearby.

"So long as he is dead, none should stand in the way of our salvation," a man huffed.

"This isn't right... Who are we to meddle in their affairs..." another man spoke, he had a much deeper voice.

"Enough Abaddon! There is no room for morality! Not with these- things! They are powerful, they are the driving force of this universe! It happened with Jalrog and it would have happened here too!"

"We provoked Ragnarok-"

"We had to!"

"No, we did not! The Celestial didn't give us power for this! The harbingers never wanted this! Look at this! Open your fucking eyes Ymir! Nothing but death and destruction surrounds us! It surrounds us everywhere we go and we refuse to learn!"

"You are blind Abaddon! This is what we, the angels, must do! If we don't, it'll be our end!"

The two men hadn't noticed Alexander rise. He walked forward over the rubble, he couldn't lift his groggy head, he could only look at his pale and bloody hands wave back and forth. He stopped as he noticed a body in front of him.

A frail woman lay on the ground, Alexander dropped to his knees over her body. Tears filled his eyes. 'Why am I crying...' He touched her neck and didn't feel a heartbeat, moving his hands up and feeling the softness of her cheek. Her blue hair was soaked in the puddle of blood she rested in. Alexander looked at her stomach and felt himself lose control of his emotions. 'She's... Pregnant...'

"Lavera... Lavera!" Alexander cried out in anguish.

His scream echoed into the air. Ymir and Abaddon turned to him.

"What the..." Abaddon uttered in disbelief.

"How... How are you still alive!" Ymir shouted in fear.

Alexander grasped the skin under his eyes and pulled down, 'What is this...' His fingers pulled through his skin as he slammed his fists into the ground, engulfing his arms in a green flame. He pulled his hands out of the flame and drew his great sword in hand. 'What is this feeling...' His eyes were wide with rage, he swung the sword violently as he took a stance before he jumped through the air and cleaved downward. Alexander's roar started to fade. 'It feels so real, this anger, this rage...'

***

Alexander slowly opened his eyes, he was flat on his back looking up at a crack of light that flooded through the shattered ceiling in the distance. Multiple crashes and thuds echoed throughout the cavern. Alexander slowly rose and looked around, 'I was fighting... Abaddon and Ymir Lightbringer? No... No no, I was fighting those scum from the hybrid resistance... And I got knocked down here...' Alexander looked up, there was a large hole in the ceiling.

"Give them back!" Someone shouted, Alexander, recognized the voice.

The sound came from up ahead, Alexander looked over to see a large flash of blue light. 'That's... Yami?' Yami breathed heavily and could barely stand, his staff in hand and his wings spread wide. Alexander looked in front of him to see a massive, horrific, and unfathomable monster. It leaned forward on massive arms thicker than its entire body. Its legs were tiny and seemed to be the regular size of a man, with pale skin and torn beige pants. However the further up its torso, the larger it became. Oddly enough its head was a regular-sized skull lacking a lower jaw, with two bright green eyes peering down at Yami.

"I said... Give them back!" Yami shouted.

He swung the staff towards the beast, it raised one arm and blocked the strike. Yami flew up and kicked the beast in the head, and it stumbled to the side with its hands. The massive beast swung the back of its massive arm at Yami, knocking him into the wall of rock and sending him spinning toward the ground.

"Agh!" Yami coughed, blood dripping from his head and arms.

"You ask for them back, as if they were yours..." A croaking old voice spoke up. "Unacceptable!" A deep, guttural voice, different from the other shouted. "Unacceptable!"

"Shut up... Freak! Give me back my squad!"

"Freak? Freak?!" The guttural voice snapped.

'What is that thing... Where is that voice coming from... Why is it... Familiar...'

The large beast slammed its hand into the ground and jumped forward at Yami who could barely move. Yami blocked the fist with his staff and held it back. He flew back into the wall. The beast lunged forward once more. Alexander felt a power swell in his chest, he kicked off the ground, conjuring his greatsword, and cleaved the massive beast's arm off. Alexander landed, and lowered his greatsword, engulfing it in a green flame and swinging upwards, setting the massive beast ablaze. It writhed as it fell backward and burned.

"That flame! It can't be!" The old voice echoed through the cave, shaken at the sight of Alexander's fire.

"Yami... What's the situation?" Alexander asked.

"Sir-" Yami sniffed.

"Focus... What is that thing? How long have I been out?"

"I don't know... We came down to help you after that guy with the bell hit you... Bruno was dragged down too... Vivian and I got down here and found you, but then skeletons covered in black tentacles came from that darkness..."

"From the darkness?" Alexander looked up and noticed a pitch-black path, it seemed slightly off.

"Yeah... We were fighting and suddenly that... Thing showed up," Yami pointed past Alexander.

Alexander looked at the massive beast he just defeated, however, it seemed to turn into a black liquid that entered a small man's shadow. The small man walked forward, his mouth hung ajar. Alexander's eyes widened as he got closer. 'What the...' He wore a strange green robe, with golden triangles lining its edges. Alexander didn't recognize the design, however, that isn't what confused him. The old man only had half a face and on that half, a pitch-black, empty eye socket. The other side just looked like lumps growing off of his face. He slowly walked forward with a bright gold staff in his right hand, the staff had a triangle at the end of it. The left half of his body and face were covered by black tentacles that didn't come from the shadows.

"That guy... Whatever he is... He summons weird creatures, he said something about... Vivian and Bruno having the essence of envy on them, they were taken somewhere deeper into that darkness..." Yami explained.

"How long was I out?" Alexander asked.

"It's been an hour... the resistance retreated afterward..."

"Yami... Go to Dorad, and warn them of the resistance. You can get there with your gift."

"But- What about you!"

"I'll get Vivian and Bruno back... And join you shortly after," Alexander said sternly. "Go to Dorad and warn them... The resistance will attack Dorad and Andurill. They didn't succeed in releasing the Damned... I don't know why... But they'll definitely target those cities next..."

"I won't leave you and the others-"

"Yami. You said you wanted to be the king of the angels, right?" Alexander huffed.

Yami stopped, tears flooding out of his eyes.

"I'll be there to see you take the throne..." Alexander said confidently with a grin on his face.

Yami whimpered as he clenched his teeth and rubbed his eyes.

"So stop crying, be strong, go! I won't die here, none of my squad will."

"Right..." Yami sniffed.

His blue wings sprouted out of his back, and he jumped up and took flight into the sky.

"My lady did not say you could leave!" the strange old man raised his staff.

Out of his shadow, a giant hand stretched upwards for Yami. Alexander ignited his sword in green flames and cut straight through the arm.

"You will die for laying a finger on my lieutenants!" Alexander threatened.

"You... It's you... The god of Envy!" the old man rambled.