Armad's point of view

A few hours after they set out, Armad and his team emerged at the third world northern hemisphere through the Eycigan portal. This was King Han'ibal's territory.

King Han'ibal was away facing off with black flame. Yet, the war was brought to his home because of the geographical advantage of Jaljus island. The island was home to the army of the third world and it was the best place to stop intruders from saving Nostalgia.

The third world northern hemisphere had nineteen major cities, and every city had several towns and villages under it. The village where Armad grew up, for instance, was under the city of Fijja, which was under the rule of king Jarfi, who, in turn, was under King Han'ibal.

Armad and his team set out to Daurisa, the capital of the region and where Han'ibal and his family lived. Their faces were grim. None of them spoke a word. They just walked on in silence.

They reached Daurisa in the evening.

Guards paced up and down around the entrance gate. No one was allowed to enter the city. The wall of the city was even taller than that of Jekis and it was manned at every spot by soldiers. Archers were stationed atop the wall at strategic places, looking out for possible intruders.

Armad disappeared from his position behind the tree and reappeared on top of the wall.

"What!"

"Who the hell are you?"

"What are you doing here?"

The archers were startled. Armad and his team had been so far away that they didn't even notice them. How could they not be surprised when Armad suddenly appeared near them?

Silence.

Armad ignored them and took a casual glance at the towering city behind the wall. That pissed the soldiers off.

"Shoot him down," the captain commanded with a domineering tone. Armad was less than a spider to him. He wouldn't waste a second on him.

The archers immediately sent a volley of arrows toward him, but he stood his ground. The arrows pierced through his body, but instead of flesh and blood, lightning erupted. This sent the archers into a panic. Some of them retreated while others rained down more arrows on him. Before the arrows could reach him, Armad made a fist of his right hand and unleashed lightning arm upon them.

A gigantic bolt of lightning as big as a mountain shot out of his hand and went toward them. The archers and spearmen were so frightened by the size of the lightning bolt and the sheer pol they sensed from it that they turned back and fled without a second thought. The lucky among them fell from the wall and escaped with broken limbs, while the less fortunate ones were burnt to ashes.

The captain and the soldiers at the back saw Armad clenching his hand again and their hearts stopped.

"Barrier!" The captain yelled. "Summon your barriers."

Armad smiled wickedly as he struck again. The lightning fist collided with the soldiers and their barriers. When the dust settled, there was no one left standing on the wall except for Armad.

Armad hit the wall with another blast of lightning, turning the surrounding wall to rubbles. The blast echoed in the whole of Daurisa, frightening the city's inhabitants in their sleep. The soldiers defending the city from inside got ready to face off with Armad and his team. At the same time, more soldiers surrounded the entrance gate.

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But Armad didn't bother about going through the gate anymore. He walked into the city through the hole in the wall made by his blast and marched towards the palace. The team consisting of Ilias, Spoon, Inara, and ten others, who had all used the chaos as cover to sneak near the wall, followed Armad behind.

They soon met an army of three thousand soldiers halfway to the palace. All of them armed to the teeth. At the same time, the soldiers from the gate were also running back to surround them. By now, they'd learned not to get too close to Armad and were keeping their distance.

"Armad," Ilias said. "Let us deal with the small fry, will you?"

Armad nodded. The plan was to get into the palace. If Ilias and the rest of the team could provide him with an appropriate cover, then sneaking into the palace should be a child's play.

As the soldiers surrounded them, Inara and the others clapped their hands in unison, saying some incantations. Lightning shot out of their hands and went straight for the nearest soldiers. Spoon summoned his demonic lions to assist. And Ilias transformed into a giant hawk with a beak like a spear and attacked them from above.

Undaunted, the soldiers countered with fireballs of their own. Han was the home of fire and fireballs. Armad might have gotten the ability to share lightning with others, but Han'ibal owned fire for more than one generation now.

As lightning and fire clashed, there was a piercing sound. The sky lit up with fireworks that were seen from all over the city and around.

Armad used the chaos to slip into the palace using photon jump. Fifty seconds later, his voice rang from the speakers installed in the palace. "The palace has now been captured and the royal household has already submitted. If you wish them to be safe, you'll have to lay down your arms."

The warning was repeated and one of the king's consort was heard over the speaker to alleviate doubts. The fighting soldiers looked defeated. A few had their doubts but they all laid down their arms.

Ilias and the others got into the palace and joined Armad. They rounded up everyone they found inside the palace. The chief of staff of the palace was dragged to stand before Armad.

Armad sat comfortably on Han'ibal's throne. He looked at the bearded man and asked, "What is your name?"

"Han Fasumu," the old man replied, trembling.

"Fasumu, I am going to send you with a message to Jaljus island," Armad said. "Tell them what happened here. And tell them I'll slaughter the royal household in an hour. One person will be killed every two minutes until there's no one left."

Fasumu felt a chill run through him. He shuddered and asked, "But what do you want? What is your bargain? You must want something. Everyone wants something."

"I want nothing." Armad shook his head without looking at the trembling man. "Your time is running out. In an hour, we will kill one woman or two men."

That frightened the old man and dispelled any doubt he might have had on Armad not being serious. He took his mount and ran to Jaljus island.

***

At the island of Jaljus, the crowd was cheering wildly. All were present. King Rafiya wore an immaculate red robe that rhymed well with his hair. The person sitting next to him, Deniz Iluru, wore a simple grey coverall over his plain shirt and pants. Uznu Ururu sat on the third chair and wore a lion skin cloth. The last person was one of Han'ibal's Twin Executioners. He was clad in a half-burnt jumper and looked quite ordinary. Although judging the executioner by his looks would be the greatest mistake you would ever do.

Above these mighty figures, on the altar, Nostalgia sat. She was crying profusely. Her head was bowed and locked in chains.

Princes Niyashi and Bizaya, commanders Red Rider and Asifu from Rafiyan empire, commander Kalhari from Deniz, and the other Twin Executioner stood in front of the Kings. Further away from them were the thousand elite soldiers with over two hundred years of pol each. Then there were the foot soldiers who were as many as two hundred thousand.

King Rafiyan Daljari stood up and addressed the crowd.

"This is princess Nostalgia of Sisiya," he said, casting a casual glance at the crying girl. "Everyone here is aware of her crime. In the spirit of justice, we have sentenced her to death as we would anyone who committed such a crime. Everyone here has fully agreed to the punishment. We shall now proceed with the sentence."

He glanced at Deniz Iluru and Uznu Ururu, who nodded in return. Then he gestured with his head, and the executor moved toward Nostalgia. There was some silence as everyone held their breath and counted the seconds silently in their minds.

The executor raised his sword high in the air and then struck ruthlessly. There was a flash of light around Nostalgia as the sword hit her neck. Time stood still. And then where, just moments ago, Nostalgia sat, now, a humanoid figure made of lightning had replaced her. Just in time for the figure to receive the executor's strike.

Slowly, the humanoid figure transformed into Armad.

"Huh?"

"What is that?"

"Who is that?"

Everyone's gaze turned upward toward Armad.