Hundreds of thousands of projectiles flew at Kai ranging from arrows and spears to shards of bone and fire balls. Kai waved his hand to the side causing a lightning bolt to crash down from the sky and then curve around destroying all of them. Kai turned his attention to the ground as the few projectiles that he had missed were destroyed by arcs of electricity from his armor.
Kai fell out of the sky and crashed into the ground. Lightning arced out of him attacking everything close by. Kai swung his scythe, killing everyone that had survived. He pulled his scythe back and took a step, with a crack of thunder he shot forward his scythe already swung. Blade parted flesh as he shot from one target to the next.
As Kai attacked electricity arced off his armor and bolts of lightning crashed down around him. Kai attacked slowly making his way through the army one group of soldiers at a time. Kai swung, cutting through soldiers as he made his way towards the massive ant-like creatures.
A bolt of lightning crashed down into Kai. Lightning surged and crackled across his body as his scythe was wreathed in electricity. A phantom blade of black mana crackling with lightning condensed around the blade of his scythe. Kai swung his scythe, sending the blade flying. The blade cut through soldiers and bolts of lightning lashed out scorching people.
Kai moved through the army like a farmer harvesting a crop. He reaped the lives of all the people getting in his way. At a mental prompting from Seth Kai flew up into the air. Seth appeared behind Kai, he reached out and grabbed the scythe. Seth ran his palm over the blade of the scythe as he chanted a spell.
“Cold embrace of the final demise. Fields stain crimson with the blood of the apostles of your will. I summon you to the place of your birth. Fields of finality.” As Seth spoke black mana gathered around his scythe in a swirling vortex. Seth swung the scythe and and the black mana spread out over the entire battle field giving a faint eerie black glow. Seth floated forward and into Kai, the scythe settling into his hand.
With a clap of thunder Kai shot forward towards the fire covered ant. Two bolts of lightning struck Kai while one struck the ant causing it to let out a shrieking roar. From underneath the ground hundreds more ants that look just like the big one but smaller tunneled up. Kai swung his scythe tearing a small scar into the big ants carapace. Flames shot out at Kai and the ant turned around snapping its pincers at him.
Kai gestured with his hand causing the two chains wrapped around his chest to shoot out and chain the pincers to the ground. One of Kai’s metal and lightning wings extended out and shielded him from the flames. The smaller ants joined in on releasing streams of flame at Kai. Kai raised his hand up curled it slightly and ripped it down, a massive bolt of lightning following his hand and scorching the ants around him.
The wing moved back to its normal position and Kai glanced at the ants around him. Kai ignored the small ones as he shot forward towards the big one. He swung his scythe forward chopping into the ants carapace. Over and over Kai swung his scythe into the ant’s body creating fissures in its defense.
Heat surged as flames shot out of the wounds towards Kai. With a thought lightning surged out of his armor meeting and beating back the flames. Kai continued hacking through its carapace until he finally hit its brain. The flames stopped surging out of its wounds but fire mana continued to gather. Kai’s focus narrowed on it as he got an idea of what might be happening.
With a gesture the chains moved wrapping around the ant's body and one end of the chains settling in his hand. Kai shot into the air with a clap of thunder as he flapped his wings. Kai flapped his wings gaining momentum as he shot forward, then he stopped. The chains unwrapped and the corpse was sent flying into the army.
A man shot out of the army crackling flames in the vague shape of wings behind his back. There was a massive boom as the ant exploded in a ball of flames. The flames lashed out in the explosion but before they could hit any of the soldiers they were restrained.
The flames moved in a river of fire towards Kai. Kai shot forward with a clap of thunder as a bolt struck the man controlling the fire. Kai sliced his scythe through the air sending out five phantom blades wreathed in lightning. Two sliced into the river of flames while the other two shot out at the man. He barely managed to dodge two of them while the third cut off an arm. Kai swung his scythe as he closed the last of the distance between the two of them. Blade cut through cloth and flesh as Kai bisected the man from hip to shoulder.
Kai shot off towards the next ant. This one was covered in leaves and vines, its body a patch work of flesh and wood stitched together by vines. Roots and vines dug into the ground below it, rooting it in place.
Kai knew that it was doing something but to him it was just making it easier to kill. A bolt of lightning struck down on both him and the ant. The lightning crackling on his armor and weapon increased as the ant was scorched. Around the ant plants started to grow out and upwards. Curving to encase the ant in a protective shell of nature.
With a flap of his wings and a crack of thunder Kai descended. Lightning scorched the shrubbery before it got close to him. The blade of his scythe buried itself in the body of the ant and then let out an explosion of electricity.
Kai pulled the blade out as the ant fell to the ground below him dead. Kai flapped his wings shooting up into the sky. Vines and roots shot out of the ground grabbing onto Kai and dragging him back down before he could get too far away.
“NOW!” A voice rang out through the battlefield. Kai whipped around his eye flooded with mana allowing him to see the approach of two more ants and three men. Hovering above them in the air was a massive runic circle made of earthy brown and light blue mana.,
To his right the flesh ant charged in. Its wedge was more of a ramp and as it ran corpses were shoved upwards into its mouth. As it ate the ant slowly grew larger and larger.To his left the earth ant charged forward as the ground rose up to create a spike plate armor for it. The ground rippled as the earth rose up behind him and around him preventing him from retreating.
Kai grinned, he would not retreat, either he would kill all of them or die after killing so many of them that their only option would be retreat.
In quick succession three bolts struck him. The electricity crackling across his body was so dense that it was almost a second set of armor. Kai shot forward towards the flesh ant intent on killing it.
His scythe met the flesh of the ant with a boom sending it skidding back. The ant let out a shrieking roar as its flesh was quickly healed back up. Kai shot forward again black mana and lightning gathering together to create a phantom blade. As Kai swung his scythe to send the blade flying, a mass of earth and stone slammed into him, sending him flying back.
A long furrow was dug into the ground as Kai and the mass of earth and stone hit the ground. Kai grunted as he pushed it to the side and saw the three men standing on top of the earth ant with the flesh ant charging towards him. Behind the three men a second circle had started to form.
Massive amounts of earth and and began raising up from the ground and gathering in front of the brown circle. As the earth collected together the earth ant began sending boulders of stone and spears of rock shooting towards Kai.
Kai dodged past each projectile slowly making his way towards the flesh ant. As Kai reached the ant a stone wall rose up in front of him. Kai swung his scythe releasing an explosion of lightning and blasting the wall apart. Kai shot through the space where the wall had been as ruble rained down around him.
Another bolt of lightning struck Kai right before he reached the ant. Kai swung his scythe downwards releasing a blast of lightning into it. A massive cloud of dust was kicked up as the ant was blasted backwards.
The dust cleared allowing Kai to see that while the ant had been scorched badly it was already well on its way to being fully healed. Kai narrowed his eyes as he watched it heal itself up.
Kai shot forward this time not aiming for its body but instead its legs. His scythe swung a black phantom blade detaching and flying forward. As the blade dug into and cut off one leg Kai went for another, his scythe cleanly cutting through it. As Kai targeted a third leg the chains wrapped around his torso moved wrapping around the ant and anchoring themselves in the dirt.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
Kai finished off the last leg on one side and moved towards the other side. In two swift blows he cut off the last of the legs. With a thought the chains constricted binding it further.
Kai shot up into the air and spoke a single quiet word that reverberated throughout the battlefield.. “Descend.” As Kai spoke he reached out and chopped his hand down. As his hand fell a bolt descended striking the ant.
Due to the regeneration of that ant it would take far too long to deal with it so Kai just wouldn’t. Instead he commanded the throne to continuously strike it with lightning while he dealt with the others.
Kai looked over to where the earth ant was and the three men. A man's voice echoed out across the battlefield as the recently made runic circle activated. “Flesh of the fallen head my call. Follow me, form the avatar of our foes' destruction. Avatar of the fallen.” A man slowly rose up into the air in front of the circle. From all around the battlefield lightning scorched and chopped up flesh flew towards him. Kai saw the man grin as his body was sectioned off and taken apart. His flesh joined that of the fallen into slowly forming a skinless giant of muscle and sinew.
Hovering in front of the second circle was a massive hammer formed of stone and dirt. The giant reached out and wrapped his hands around the hammer.in one fluid motion the giant swung the hammer at Kai.
Kai rolled to the side dodging the blow but he was thrown back by the force of the air. Kai narrowed his eyes wondering if it was time to use his final spell. Spears of wood and earth shot out from where the other two men and the ant were as the giant swung his hammer again.
As Kai dodged he glanced around. While the army had been ravaged by Kai’s attacks and the bolt of lightning he was only one person and there were over a million things to kill. It was not yet time but he still couldn’t take too long.
Kai dodged again this time retaliating by shooting past the giant and decapitating one of the two men before they could react.
While he had avoided thinking about it he had limited resources before there would be nothing more that he could do. From the limited knowledge that he had of the spell it would be better the more battered the army was.
Kai swung his scythe as the final man. The man’s skin turned to bark as he tried to resist Kai’s attack. It was futile as his scythe cut through the man.
Kai turned his head to see the giant reaching out with his free hand towards Kai. Kai shot past, slicing a line up his arm as he did. Kai turned around to see that instead of reaching for him the giant had been reaching for the ant. The giant grabbed the ant and placed it on his shoulder. The ant climbed over his shoulder and to the center of his back where stone shot out of the ant and into the man. Slowly the stone spread until it had covered the man from head to toe in a set of plate armor made of stone.
“I’ve got this.”
Kai nodded as he heard Seth’s voice in his head. Seth grabbed the scythe as he floated up behind Kai’s back. Around them hundreds of black runic circles appeared. Half of them were on the ground or close to the ground while the other half were in the air. “Heralds of the final end and arbiters of the will of cold finality do your work. Let none leave here alive.” The circles on the ground changed forming into black mantises with a red tipped scythe like arms. While the circles in the air became scythe wielding robed figures with skeletal wings.
The mantises turned, slaughtering the soldiers on the ground while the robed figures in the air attacked the flying creatures. Seth turned his attention to the giant that was swinging his hammer at them. Kai dodged out of the way Seth right behind him.
“The ring of the final hours' silent toll has been heard. Your time has been spent. Your turn in the game of life has come to an end. Rejoice for yet again you get to feel the comforting embrace that all returns to. As the silent toll fades so does your life.” Above Seth the phantom image of a black bell formed. A ripple but no sound came out as the bell tolled. Around them a few soldiers dropped dead but most of the ripples' power was focused on the giant. The sound waves battered into the giant causing it to collapse, hands clutching at its chest. The giant fell face first into the ground. Rock armor became brittle and crumbled into dirt and pebbles. Flesh sloughed off leaving behind the dead form of the man who had used the spell.
Kai turned his attention to the blood ant that was currently charging at him. Kai shot off intent on finishing the ant off and then moving on to the rest of the army.
***
Vasil followed Kai with Zac and Connie atop him. Even with how far away they were they could feel Kai’s powerful and uncontrolled aura lashing out at everything now that it was out of the city
“At least they haven’t lost themselves completely just yet.” Zac said.
“You think that he’s lost control of his mana then?” Connie asked.
Zac nodded. “I can’t think of anything else that would cause whoever it is to lose control in such an explosive manner.”
“His-” Connie paused before speaking again. “The aura feels very similar to the empress's aura.” Connie paused again as part of her aura seeped out of her. “The feeling of rumbling thunder is almost as strong as hers but it has other elements to it that she doesn’t. Though it is more tyrannical than hers." Yet again Connie paused before continuing . “Though it has a similar protectiveness but it’s more focused than the empresses.”
Zac nodded his head. “Yeah it’s kind of eerie how similar it is.”
Zac sucked in a deep breath upon seeing the massive army arrayed against them. Flying in the air was a myriad of different types of flesh constructs. On the ground were the soldiers and more of their flesh constructs along with a couple of their war constructs.
“Wow they even brought eight of their elemental ant constructs.” Connie muttered to herself. “If this is the advanced force to start off the war they really aren’t messing around.” She hesitantly glanced over at Zac before continuing. “There's no way one person could deal with this army. We should help him get out of there. Based on the power of his aura, if we use hit and run tactics we might be able to delay them long enough for the city to evacuate and the army to get here.”
Zac shook his head. “My mother could deal with them.”
“I know your mother could but what the point, she isn’t here.” Connie said while looking at Zac in confusion.
“The point is that one person can defeat this army. In fact, I could list a couple people that could deal with this army alone. Knowledge seems to believe that this person can defeat the army but we will have some role to play later. So we will wait and play our role.” Zac explained.
A runic circle was swiftly drawn out and behind the person a beautiful woman with long silver hair and a silver dress appeared. With a couple gestures runic lines wrapped around the runic circle and a chain blocked both the creatures attacks coming at the two. The woman chanted out a spell causing chains to erupt out of the ground trapping everyone in a massive cage. The woman disappeared and a distinctly male but childish voice spoke.
Above them clouds gathered together and rain started to pour. The sky flashed with lightning and rumbled with thunder. The childish voice held more weight than anyone even close to that age should. His voice was not that of a child but that of a higher being that knew it every word was law. Any that dared try to defy it would be struck down and destroyed. Yet there was a protectiveness to it. Like a dragon that would safeguard its gold from outsiders.
The world went wight as a bolt of lightning struck the person. The person stepped out of the lightning, a scythe in hand and a throne behind him.
The three of them watched as the person below started massacring the army below. Slowly and methodically he slaughtered his way through the army. Hi scythe sliced through everyone that got in his way and his wings beat with the clap of thunder.
Eventually he started taking down the war ants that had been in the front. No war ant was an easy target but it took a while before he started to struggle. But it was only when he was struggling that the three of them were surprised.
Behind the person a new figure appeared. His skin was slightly tinted red, he had four horns and a leathery cloak. The devil summoned a giant bell that rang with the silent promise of death.
“Wasn’t that woman a bond armament?” Connie asked, slightly confused.
Zac nodded his head. “Yeah I think she was.”
“But isn’t he also a bond armament?” She asked this time more confused.
Zac nodded his head again. “Yeah I think he is. I had been wondering if Nath had finally decided to take a disciple and decided to send him here but that seems unlikely. I was told that it isn’t uncommon for illegal experimentation to happen on the border and it seems that's true.”
Connie looked at Zac and then back to the person below. “If they are both bond armaments then wouldn’t they have to be high tier three at least.”
Beside them Kir manifested. “The binding spirit is at least mid tier two if not high.” Kir paused as he examined what was going on below. “As for the devil I can’t tell which tells us that he is at the very least high if not peak tier two.” Kir glanced at Zac with a large smile on his face. “If he lives through this we have to fight him.”
Zac let out a long suffering sigh as he forced Kir back into the sword.
“What if it isn’t tier two?” Connie asked hesitantly.
“It is impossible for a tier three to hide themselves and go all out so he has to be tier two.” Zac said while never taking his eyes off of the battle.
“And if he is tier one.”
Zach’s head snapped up at her words. “No.” Zac said while shaking his head. “We wouldn’t find a tier one like this. First of all a tier one has far more power than this. Second, all tier one bond armaments are the closest guarded treasures of a kingdom. Even stumbling onto two tier twos is extraordinary. A tier one is impossible.”
Connie nodded her acceptance and the two of them watched as the person made his way through the army destroying it while targeting the ants.
The blood ant took a while due to its regeneration while the bone ant’s defenses were difficult to deal with due to the ample supply of bone. The lightning ant was destroyed by the person simply taking its lightning for himself. It was when he finally got to the metal ant that the person was really pushed to defeat it.
As the person fought it Zac looked around at the devastated army and the absolute carnage that one person had been able to bring.