Right as Hector was starting to rush away, a collective forceful grunt and roar shook the floor, stopping the old fabricator in his tracks. Oscar redirected his attention to the unified front of humans and beasts, an immense Ein surging ahead in all manners of spells and attacks. Those who could perform the Meld or Integration led the charge and pushed back the accursed, forcing the lost souls past the entrance and onto the bridge. Santen personally slew two of the abominations with two swipes of his arms, raising the severed bodies high on his long arms for all to see. It garnered a cheer, and as if invigorated by the small victory, they marched onward like berserkers, clashing against the accursed yet keeping in good formations.
"Should I still go?" Hector let out a rough chuckle, like a rock crumbling apart. He crossed his arms and leaned on the Gravitaram with a prideful look toward the few of the Haven Academy Exalts fighting their hearts out.
"No need anymore. We can keep the Champions away for now." Oscar smiled and heard a similar cry of rising confidence, then another, and then a third. The other gates had rallied and transformed in the same manner, pushing the accursed back, hardened like a boulder against the crashing waves. Serit landed beside him with a wide smirk and inhaled deeply. He couldn't help but ask his brother-in-law, "Why do you have that ridiculous grin on your face?"
"Because well over a thousand Marshal Exalts, both humans and beasts, are ready now. Once we're out, you can lead them and the rest of the Defiants in rooting out the old order. Can you imagine it?" Serit closed his eyes and sighed in delight as if the sounds of the fighting, explosions, and warcries were a joyous orchestra.
"It won't be a free world like you or Ollanar wishes. They just signed away the freedom of their entire bloodlines to me. Am I now their master and them the slaves? They came here to escape and be free from the others. But I chained their minds with some gracious help from you." Oscar snapped, angered by Serit's leisurely tone.
"Is that so different from a King and his vassals? From an Emperor and his subjects?" Serit said in an annoyed tone, waving off Erden's antlers that drew dangerously close. "Will you oppress them? Will you put them down when they're unable to carry out your orders? Threaten their families? Slaughter them like animals?" Serit shook his head and answered for Oscar, "No. You won't. You may not be the best leader in history, but you'll never betray them as long as they don't betray you. That's enough. If you need someone to take on the harsher roles while you keep your hands clean of the mess, let me help."
"I wonder how many 'friends' you've killed and betrayed, how many 'allies' you tossed away. How many looks of grief and shock have you seen as you backstabbed them?" Oscar asked, glaring at Serit.
"They were never friends or allies…enemies, they were. You may not like what I do, but it's people like me who delve into the quagmire so others can charge heroically on the battle. I assume that your precious Brilliant Drake Empire had some bad actors of their own." A large slap echoed. Hector smacked the back of Serit's head, making his brother-in-law stumble and stagger, clutching his head in agony. Serit cursed long sentences of harsh language and turned to Hector. "Are you out of your mind?"
"Shut the hell up, you slimy git. I'd wring the guts out of your mouth if not for the boy." Hector gargled and spat in Serit's direction, his scowl tightening the scruffy beard. "Bah, I spit on you Defiants. No one has to experience that sort of betrayal." His pained voice turned fierce, and Oscar knew why. The former city lord of Convecia, Aldric Inron, betrayed Hector and Helen long ago for the New Dawn. Oscar remembered the explosion that nearly swallowed the entire city, saved thanks to Helen and Hector's efforts.
"Someone has to be the bad person. You've spent all those years and haven't learned that, old Hector? Incredibly naive. But then again, fabricators are a very hardheaded group." Serit rubbed his neck and cracked it several times. "I did learn much from our information on you; I understand your anger."
"Looking for a fight?!" Hector pointed his hammer at Serit.
"Calm down, Hector. Don't waste precious Ein on a useless fight." Oscar separated the two, using Volten's sword as a barrier. He gazed at Serit coldly and clacked his teeth. "The only reason I trust you not to betray me is because you are my brother-in-law, and I can see you love Avila. That is no lie. But go too far, and I'll make Avila have to nurse you back to health for years."
"Of course. If I mess up, it's on the leader to give appropriate punishment." Serit unsheathed his short sword and swiped his finger near the edge, the steel ringing as it vibrated to his touch. "To tell the truth. This work is quite unrewarding and gruesome. Countless spies never leave their mark on history, cast aside like dogs when they die in the line of duty and shipped off to the next assignment when they're finished. Or hated by, well, the two of you. I can handle that. Now, Avila, she's a straight-shooter. She could never handle this job." His face softened with a loving gaze toward Avila on the wall. "Perhaps you can create a new world where people like me are unnecessary. At least, that's how my efforts and the efforts of the others that came before can be rewarded. A world that does not need us."
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
"Hmm…." Oscar grunted and focused on the walls. An abomination let out a low groan, climbing up the wall and clinging to the barrier until it reached one of the watchtowers. The barrier rippled fiercely and distorted as the abomination dug its sharp dagger-like nails into the barrier. It pulled hard, using sheer power to rip open the barrier slowly, tearing a hole in the veil of Ein. The ranged attackers and winged beasts were too preoccupied with the crawling masses of accursed that covered several feet of the barrier under their pale bodies.
Accursed poured in through the gap and dropped on the walls, snarling and howling as they leaped ahead. Luckily, the winged beasts returned in time and clawed the accursed into pieces, spraying their black blood over the stone walls. The abomination roared, seemingly impatient, and jumped in by itself, letting the gap close behind it, forcing its fellow accursed back. Oscar stared wide-eyed at Avril, who snuck into the wall when she was supposed to stay behind in the reserves. Vines stretched and lashed out from her staff, entangling the abomination's limbs. In a forceful tug, she redirected the abomination's course and dropped it right before Santen.
'Damn it. She's going to give me a heart attack.' Oscar scolded her inwardly, but a faint smile stretched from his lips. He was proud of Avril's achievements and watched his beloved scatter pollen everywhere to help slow down the accursed. Now that she had gone out, Oscar couldn't let her get ahead alone. His Eirin hadn't fully recovered, but he felt it was enough since the accursed had come very close, his light not having to spread farther than before.
Erden, already ahead of him, flew in the air, bringing Oscar above the walls. He flowed his Eirin into Volten's sword, the hum and ring of the long blade droning on in an endless chime. The sword stabbed high and shone a bright radiance, sending waves of light. The converted accursed on the barriers dashed along the Ein and dragged down several hostile accursed with it, falling into the fiery chasms. Oscar lifted his sword higher, flying over the walls and gates.
One section of the wall had Helen's feathers clinging onto the climbing accursed, freezing their hands for them to slip off. In another, Kragg and Marcus fought side-by-side, biting and clawing at their enemies. On the third, Astrid and Maia froze and burned the accursed. Several powerful Greater Marshal Exalts aided them. Inside the inner region, Renn and Gloria frowned at him above but remained in their place along other Lower Marshal Exalts.
"Now!" Avila shouted when he returned. The cannons fired another round from the watchtowers. She led the ranged Exalts in another wave of offense. Then, the cannons in the backlines fired, followed by another onslaught of spells from Avila and the others. The violent winds, resulting from the fearsome explosions, swept over Oscar, knocking him and Erden away from the wall. But his friend regained control and landed well by Hector's side.
"Hector, is it ready?" Oscar coughed out a mouthful of dust.
"Almost…now!" Hector shouted.
"Fall back!" Oscar commanded, projecting his voice to everywhere in the outpost. Everyone cleared away from the gate, firing spells to deter the accursed from chasing and stopping them from climbing the walls from behind. Hector slammed the lever down and fired the Gravitaram. The fierce beam of Ein incinerated the accursed in a flash. Oscar gestured and called out, "Switch!"
The ones who fought on the front rushed back, and the second group of Exalts in the backlines charged ahead, fresh and well-rested. The gauge on the Gravitaram fell sharply, indicating depletion of Ein. As the beam flickered out into thin air, the new group of Exalts filled the gap and pushed against the incoming accursed. He heard several pops and gulps behind him, the now-relieved Exalts behind him downing entire vials of elixirs in recovery. Their rushed breathing and pants of exhaustion quieted down as they entered meditation, fast recovering their Ein.
"It's my time!" Hector entered his Integration. Black armor covered him from head to toe, furnaces fixed on his shoulders, knees, joints, and chest. He had become a living, walking forge and carried a burning hammer with an open furnace. Flames burst, and smoke poured out as Hector jumped in, slamming the hammer on the ground in a loud thunderous boom.
"If you have to use the Champions. Go ahead." Serit lunged forward at incredible speeds and pierced the head of an accursed with his short sword, the fire of the braziers glinting on the blade soaked in black blood. He sidestepped in flickers of darkness and sliced several necks.
"Not yet. Not yet." Oscar turned to Erden and nodded. Erden roared and took over for Ruvin and the other winged beasts, striking at the climbing accursed with a stabbing of his antler wings. This was the battle plan they had come up with—rotation of two groups in tandem with the Gravitarams, the ranged artillery, and his sword. He frowned and looked at the burning strip. Only one hour had passed. His eyes wandered to the dark sky, a rushed wish passing by his thoughts. 'Come on. Turn bright.'