Chapter 211 - You Should Be Proud. Part 1
The Battlefield...
*Boom*
*Boom*
*Boom*
Explosive sounds went off in different portions of the clearing that was now the site of battle as a section of the Plebeian force fought against a combination of the Krast, Horst and Edgar forces.
And yes, you read right, it was only a section of the Plebeian force.
From the very start, if there was one thing the Plebeians always beat the Great families at, it was population.
However, having the largest population meant nothing if they were mostly mortals who either could not cultivate or were stuck at the Energy sensing realm which would do no good against the mighty Great families.
You see, while the Great families indeed had the smallest population, they had the resources to cultivate that population such that their capable fighting force always exceeded that of the Plebeians.
This was how their complacency began.
For centuries, this had been the order of things and they always outnumbered the Plebeians. Not just that, on an individual basis, the Great families still proved more capable as their family heads were always stronger than the Plebeian family heads.
Also, of the notable men on both sides, the Great families were always the better.
So, a wise observer would be able to tell that the Plebeians always had the potential to be better than the Great families.
They just needed to cultivate a large percentage of their population and that was exactly what they did.
With the help of the Master, of course.
While all the notable Plebeian families (about twenty of them) had sent men that came together and formed the alliance army that attacked the Edgar castle, it was far from being the height of their capabilities.
And when the battle began, the Great family forces were shocked to realize that despite the number that had been killed at the Castle on the day of the assault as well as those that had been killed during the many ambushes, the Plebeian alliance force still outnumbered them.
Although to be fair, they had lost many as well in the retaliation of the Plebeians.
Needless to say, the ones with the least amount of men was the Edgar family while the ones with the most amount so far were the Horsts who had suffered little to no casualties thus far.
The two parties, Plebeian and Great, had devised sides for themselves while taking precautions to stave off ambush. They also created miniature hills for the family heads and other notable men who were not foot soldiers to stand on and oversee the war and give orders to their sides.
Even tents had been set up and in those tents, maps of the terrain were laid down and marks were made on the maps as Edvard, Ford and the Edgar brothers came up with formations with which they would attack the enemy.
Frank was present in the tent as well but was way more focused on observing and not acting.
This was the big leagues and his measly strength was of no consequence.
Unlike when Hal's mansion had been assaulted and the attack had been in stages with the ladies fighting against those they could handle, the full-blown war was nothing like that.
It was total chaos and the only way a semblance of structure was gotten was by having at least one Cosmic Armament Expert run together with a group of Cosmic Pearl realm experts.
This way, if a Cosmic Armament Realm expert of the other party tried to strike at the Cosmic Pearl realm experts, which they would powerless against, there would be a Cosmic Armament Realm Expert from their side who would hold them off.
And if the Cosmic Pearl Realm experts were killed, which was usually the case due to the advantage of Armaments over fists and a disparity between realms, the Cosmic Armament Realm Experts would kill the other Party's cosmic Pearl realm experts in consolation.
However, while in theory, it might have sounded quite smooth, in actuality, it was not quite as simple.
First, even if it were successful, they remained outnumbered and they would remain so unless the Payne forced finally make an appearance.
Second, the Plebeians seemed far more capable individually as compared to the Great family's individual strength.
Despite their strategies, the Great family heads were only barely keeping themselves in it. Not to mention that the morale of the men was getting lower the longer this went on.
If there was one thing they wished for, it was the Sieving veils that Hal had used at his Mansion when he was assaulted. Maybe with it, they could reduce the stress each man faced.
Alas, even if Hal could somehow do so with how wide the battlefield was, He was nowhere to be found this far.
*Boommmm*
That was the sound of a particularly powerful Cosmic attack by an Edgar man who in his anger against the Plebeians neglected to pace himself and unleashed his full might, killing the Plebeian Cosmic Pearl realm Expert that was in front of him.
However, he had depleted his pearl so much that he crumbled soon after and a swift kick charged with a Cosmic attack broke his neck and killed him.
His death highlighted another issue which was stamina.
Both sides could not possibly go on forever and if it was not resolved today, then they would retreat and the battle would resume the next day, however, the Plebeians looked like they outlasted them in stamina as well.
It was like a slap to the faces of the Great family heads who wondered what they had done with their lives all this while.
Maybe they truly did not deserve hegemony and with the way things were going they were bound to lose it and their lives as well.
Even from the distance between the Great family camp and the Plebeian family camp that was on the other side, the faces of the Plebeian family heads and the Plebeian leader, San Fidwud, were clear enough.
So the Greats could see them smiling in a gloating manner and simply watching the battle with confidence.
The only one whose face remained serious and completely focused was San Fidwud who felt that as long as Hal was not yet here, then this battle might as well have not started.
Ever since he finally accepted that Hal was the Malevolent One, he had been restless and not at all relaxed as he should have been now that Hector Edgar was dead.
On the Great family side, they heard footsteps heading in their direction and the Great family heads dashed out of their camp towards the sound just as a scout arrived to announce the identity of the arrival.
It was Gregory Payne and Burt who were followed by the Payne family Forces.
Not just the Elites but all of them in total and the looks on the men's faces were varying but many of them looked like they were going to their execution instead of looking like they were about to fight for their survival and their family.
It was a look that hinted at the lowest of morales.
While the other Great family heads were perplexed, more footsteps could be heard and with them came the arrival of a young man with incredible looks and sapphire Blue eyes followed by a mass of ladies whose dressing showcased a readiness to battle.
The most eyebrow-raising of the ladies with Hal was definitely the most casually Dressed of them all, the Gray eyed sexy lady who many recognized as Emily Horst, Ford's wife.
Saying Ford looked uncomfortable would be a massive understatement.
However, it was as though Hal was completely oblivious to the looks as he ordered with a smile,
"Have your men pull back.
It's the Payne Family's time to shine"
Chapter 212 - You Should Be Proud. Part 2
The perplexed look on the Great family heads' faces became one of relief they could not hide as they quickly began to order a retreat.
Ford still looked uncomfortable but he ordered the retreat of his men as well. Of course, not all of the Great family conjoined forces were able to retreat successfully as quite a number of them still fell victim to vicious strikes in their bid to escape.
Hal had the Great family heads relay It to the men that it was not over and that this was merely for them to catch their breath. To this, the men simply nodded and began to recharge their depleted Cosmic Pearls with Cosmic Energy.
Hal was having the Great family heads relay the orders to keep to what he had once said which was that he would leave the ordering of their men to the family heads and only take direct control of the Payne family forces.
Of course, whether by proxy or in person, Hal was still the one calling the shots.
The Plebeian family heads on the other side of the battlefield could not help but gloat as they saw the Great family forces dash back in retreat.
"We have them running scared" They said.
San snorted at those words and they all quickly sobered up and quieted down.
San could see that Hal had finally arrived and if the men were retreating right after he did so, then it meant something big was about to happen.
The Payne Men which was now anyone in Payne Estate capable of fighting, gathered together in the clearing where they were being glared at by the Plebeians who had moved back so as to group together much better.
Hal then moved closer to the point that as long as they turned back in his direction and looked up, they would see him.
He stretched his hands and began,
"So here we are. The Endpoint. This is what you have all trained for. At least I hope you trained and if you did not, then no problem. That's fine as well.
Now before ordering you to attack, I want you to remember,
Should you fight for survival, know that you are fighting to be a part of my force and you will be a part as long as you survive and should you wish to not be tied to a scumbag like myself and continue being loyal to Gregory Payne, then show that devotion by dying.
Now, Attack!"
Hal had ordered it for the Payne Men to begin but it was the Plebeians who attacked instead. Clearly not interested in waiting for the enemy to take the first strike.
While the order to attack had not come from San and should probably have been considered insubordination, San decided he would let it be.
*Swooshhh* *Swooshhh* *Swooshhh*
Multiple Cosmic attacks were sent towards the Payne family and it exploded and only the quick-witted who wished to survive attempted to protect themselves.
And just like that, the battle resumed.
As it did, Hal created a canopy of Astral energy and the ladies retrieved Desks, Chairs and any other implement that was essential for an Army tent which they placed down and watched the battle.
Melinda and Rita wondered when they would finally get to fight and Emily entertained them with tales of battles she had been in while Marla and Amelia conversed and were quite glad to be included and allowed to be there.
Hal then called Gregory over and with trepidation, the older man allowed himself to be steered to the edge of the man-made hill and watch his Payne Men bite the dust.
Gregory had had a while to come to terms with the state of things and he had been sure that none of the Payne family forces would fight for Hal.
Hal had said more than once and shown it as well, that he did not care about the Payne family and also promised that after the war, the family would be destroyed which was something none of those men would stand for.
Even those that did not bear the Payne name had been with the family for generations and the very thought of it being destroyed was something they were sure not to care for.
All through, he had been quite convinced that, much as it would hurt him to see men who he, as Patriarch had spent so many resources to cultivate die, it would still be honorable for them to fall to the Plebeians as a final show of defiance to the tyrant that was Hal.
Hal knew what Gregory was thinking and it only caused him to chuckle because from the moment he marked the Payne Men, he knew what their resolution would be and it was quite a shock to Gregory when he saw that only a scant few of his Men did as he expected.
Most of them fought with dedication and a will.
A will to survive.
"Did you really expect they would let themselves be killed?
Clearly, they are abandoning the sinking ship that is the Payne Family and casting their lot with me" Hal said in a mocking voice.
Gregory froze as he watched more of them take down Plebeians. Their will to survive to fight another day was strong and causing them to fight valiantly and as he saw that, he smiled.
It was a painful smile that came off as grotesque but it was a smile nonetheless,
"Fine, you have completely crushed the confidence I used to have in people. You have shown me that given a choice, none of those I called my men would give their life for me.
If I as a leader can't guarantee that, then I have failed. I accept that.
But I also see a silver lining" He said.
Hal raised his brow,
"Oh, what?"
Gregory pointed down at the fighting,
"You said as long as they survived, they would become a part of your force and they are fighting to survive. If they survive, at least, the time and resources I put into cultivating them won't go to waste." He said, bursting with optimism.
The Great family heads were no longer going over strategies and their attention was know on the 'Father-son' duo.
The optimism in Gregory's voice caused Melinda and the rest of Hal's ladies to shake their heads at the plight of this poor man.
It was not that they pitied him, it was that they found his reactions and his tendency to jump to conclusions, pitiful.
However, his Optimism caused Hal to burst into laughter that quickly morphed into a Malevolent cackle fit for a Devil,
"Hahahaha. I said 'If they survive' so what makes you so sure they will?"
Gregory looked confused,
"What do you mean?"
Hal laughed again and pointed down at the Paynes where only those who wished to survive were still battling hard but were still getting overwhelmed slowly but surely,
"Take a look, Greggy. Do they look like they'll survive?" He asked.
At that moment, despite the sounds of battle, atop the hill, all looked silent as something seemed to snap into place in Gregory's head,
"You're not going to order the other family forces to assist" he realized.
Hal shook his head with a grin,
"No, I am not. What's the point? I have no use for them and if when given a choice, they were ready to turn their backs on centuries of tradition and ties to the Payne family, It just shows they are not trustworthy and I don't need them in my force."
*Thud*
Gregory fell to his knees and grabbed Hal's legs as his eyes moistened,
"Hal, you have ways to guarantee total subservience, so please don't do this"
Hal smiled,
"True, I do have such means but I find it's too much of a bother. Besides I am doing this for you 'Father', these men turned their backs on you and if I ordered them to kill you, they probably would have.
Also, from all I have gleaned from their minds, there is way too much politics among them and they even harbored thoughts of taking over your position of Patriarch"
Gregory wailed,
"I don't care. Please let them live. They are my family"
Hal sighed,
"Figures. I try to do one good thing for you even after your wicked acts to me. Even after you made me a slave and killed me and yet this is the thanks I get.
Oh well, do not worry Gregory, their Deaths will not be in vain. By the time they are killed to the last man, they would have killed many Plebeian men and their deaths, as well as the Plebeians', will serve as nourishment to my Knights..."
While Hal was still speaking, the Blood Knights who had not joined the Great family forces to battle showed up from where they had been hiding, after which they jumped right to the front of the resting Great family forces.
There, led by Karmen, they sat cross-legged and absorbed the Blood Essence of all those that had died so far.
Unlike other times when they were in the city, the Essence was not being absorbed away and remained in place.
A sign that the Master's reach did not extend out to the clearing and was not close by.
While the Blood Knights absorbed everything in the entirety, having been ordered by Hal to do so,
Hal finished what he had been saying,
"...and you should be proud"
Chapter 213 - The Flame Berserk Pill.
The Plebeian family heads were more than a little surprised as they had expected a good fight if the others would retreat for the Payne Family force but while they fought to the height of their abilities, it was nothing against the mighty force of the Plebeians.
It was a disappointing display that was worthy of a disappointing shake of the head.
Even as they watched, the thousand man force of the Payne family dwindled to three hundred and it continued to dwindle. The only thing that made this look like it was not an all-out slaughter was that they managed to kill Plebeians as well.
Hal then retrieved a spatial pouch within which were the pills Gregory had bought from Arya, the alchemist and then called out to the rest of the Payne Men who were still alive to retreat which they quickly did.
As they did, the Plebeians attempted to follow after but they were only able to stop a few of them and did not follow after those that survived. Instead, they pulled out recovery pills and swallowed them to restore lost Cosmic energy.
"Here" Hal said and tossed down the pouch of pills which from the very start were not enough for all of the Payne family forces because of Arya's 'limited' supply.
When Gregory saw Hal giving them the pills, he perked and praised Hal in his mind.
Mostly saying that Hal was not as cruel as he looked.
Hal smirked as he heard it but said nothing.
Julius was the one who received the pills and quickly handed out one Restoration pill and one Flame Berserk pill to all the others. It was not enough and quite a few of them did not receive either one of the pills or sometimes even both.
First, they took the recovery pills and felt the increase in body Strength. They waited a few seconds for the energy recovery to be complete before they took the berserk pill and their eyes widened from fear when it swallowed up whatever body strength increase they had gotten from the recovery pills.
The Great family heads looked on eagerly as they had not yet seen the effect of the Flame berserk pill which the Alchemist had placed at the Rank 2 intermediate.
They feared they had been tricked.
And then, the bodies of all those who took the flame berserk pill combusted. The flames only stayed for a while and when it went out, the bodies of all those who took the pill were naked and covered by a Dark crust that looked like molten magma.
The crust was cracked and orange flames flowed between the cracks.
Their eyes were also bright orange and their expression looked quite insane.
The Great family heads were shocked as they observed the effects of the pills they had purchased while also proving that the Payne Men had now lost all semblance of self.
Their attention was focused.
Focused on the Plebeians.
And then they attacked.
If the war had been chaotic before, it was nothing compared to this as the Payne Men tore through the ranks of Plebeians and killed as easily as though they were snapping twigs.
They grabbed Armaments in their bare Dark crusted hands and rendered those Cosmic constructs useless against them.
Melinda's eyes narrowed,
"They're Demons" She said and all those who heard it agreed.
Hal observed that not only had their physical capabilities being heightened to the limit, a little something extra had been added and caused such a transformation.
The Plebeian heads turned to San whose eyes was widened,
"San, those pills..." They began.
"I know" San said curtly and they kept quiet.
Meanwhile, the Payne Men contained to kill as Many Plebeians as they could before the effects ran out.
"Incredible" Ford Horst said and the other Great family heads agreed as not only had Arya not tricked them, she had given them the weapon with which they would defeat the Plebeians.
They were already calculating the number of pills they had to the Plebeian forces that numbered Eight thousand, Including those that had not yet fought and were still watching the battle close to the Plebeian leader camp.
Those that had died were at least Two thousand.
The Conjoined Great family Force excluding the Paynes numbered about Five thousand and those that had died numbered at least Three thousand, once again excluding the Paynes.
Among the Five thousand that were still alive, only about Five hundred had been given Flame Beserk pills which the Great family heads were now ordering them to prepare to use and lead the vanguard.
Hal said nothing as they gave these orders.
Since he had marked the Payne Men, he could see into their mind and knew that all ability of rational thought had been turned off leaving only one suggestion which was to 'Kill the Plebeians'.
And while this looked as though Arya might indeed have had their best interest at heart, Hal could not help but feel it was not that simple.
Before this, he had already had Grimoire analyze the pills and he had been told of their ingredients which were much too expensive and would cost so much to get them on the Haron Continent.
What Arya had collected from the Great families while it looked hefty to them was actually nowhere close to what it would have cost her to make the pills.
Once again making it seem as though her business-conscious exterior was a front and she truly wished the Great family would win the war and yet, once again, Hal felt it was not that simple.
The pills' effects wore off and the hard Dark crust fell off the bodies of the Payne Men after which they slumped to the floor and fell unconscious. The Plebeians wasted no time and struck them while they were down.
It did not matter that they were no longer a threat, letting them live after they killed so many of their Plebeian colleagues would be an insult to the dead.
Then they went after the rest of the Payne Men who had either only received restoration pills or had not received any pills at all.
Even as they were chased and struck down, their lives extinguished, Hal did not allow any reinforcement as he ordered the Great family heads in their minds not to interfere.
Gregory transitioned from his kneeling and grabbing Hal's legs position to a sitting one while he stared and his eyes looked completely destitute.
He had lost it all.
When he thought back to him once thinking he would take his punishment with pride, he could not help but laugh at himself in Dark humor;
He had been so naive.
What he did not know was that Hal did not do this simply to punish him but just because it was what felt right to him and allso an act that satisfied his Devilish nature.
It also helped him study the Flame berserk pill's effects.
But if Gregory believed this to be the end of his punishment, he was in for a surprise. But that's for later.
Once the Payne forces were all dead, those in the conjoined Great family forces that had been given Flame berserk pills swallowed and underwent the Demonic transformations.
After which, they led the vanguard and each one of the Five hundred took down at least Four Plebeians further diminishing their numbers.
...
Meanwhile,
In the Master's Den...
The Master smiled at Lilian who was cross-legged on her bed and their Malevolent Crimson eyes flashed.
"It has begun" They said and Lilian stood up to stand before her Master.
Lilian grinned as she guessed the Master's next words,
"It is Time to Harvest"
Chapter 214 - Commander Of The Blood Knights.
One word for the events that occurred after the transformations; Devastating.
The Plebeian force was completely incapable in the face of the Five hundred Flame Demons whose strength seemed to have been heightened to defeat the Plebeian Experts whose strongest were at their stage of the Cosmic Armament realm.
And this was a heightening that had nothing to do with minute details such as the stages the demons were in before taking the pill. So long as they were at the Cosmic Pearl realm and the Cosmic Armament Realm, which they all were, the Plebeians were powerless against them.
Soon, there were orders from behind to engage the Demons as little as they could and wait out the time limit of the transformation which was bound to be coming up soon.
The Great family heads were all smiles as the Five hundred went ahead to kill at least two thousand of the Plebeian forces and when they looked to Hal, thinking he would be smiling as well, they found him frowning at it all.
There was a bad feeling that he just couldn't shake and it only intensified the more the battle went on.
So he reached out to the bodies of the Payne Force who had been killed after the effect of the Flame Berserk pill had run out and found that they were void of Blood Essence.
So he asked the Blood Knights if they had absorbed and they said they had done no such thing.
He found it quite perplexing and upon closer observation, he noted that the bodies of those dead men were lined with orange-flame colored lines.
A sign that the pill was still active in them, which begs the question;
Does the pill burn up Blood Essence?
It was a definite possibility and when he asked Grimoire, it confirmed his thoughts.
It was at that moment that the effects of the Flame Berserk pill wore off and the Five hundred began dropping like flies on the field of battle.
However, quite unlike the Paynes, the other Great family forces grabbed the five hundred and pulled them back so that they would not be killed.
A fraction of the conjoined forces became in charge of getting them completely out of harm's way while the others tried to hold back the Plebeians who were now fighting with a vengeance.
Those Plebeians that had hung back at the start of the battle now stormed forward, fresh and ready for battle.
Joining up with the diminished acting force, they pressed the Great family Force and killed extensively.
The situation was back to how it had been at the start, except that the Great family men had a better chance at survival now...
Or so they thought.
San suddenly stood from the Palanquin on which he had sat to showcase his status and then pulled out a little pouch from his spatial pouch and out of it, he poured out pills that looked quite like The Flame Berserk pill!
And then he tossed it to the midst of the Plebeian forces at random but not one pill hit the ground as they were all snatched up by the Plebeians.
The Great Family heads were shocked as they saw not a mere Five hundred Plebeians get the Flame Berserk pill, but at least a thousand instead.
"That bitch played us" Edvard snarled as the Plebeians who got the pills combusted and became Flame Demons.
Ford shrugged,
"Be that as it may, she did tell us she was more about profits. She is obviously only interested in enriching herself"
Hal chuckled,
"Do you really think so?" He asked but said nothing further.
What he was thinking, however, was that if Arya had truly been just about profits, then she could have at least made the supply equal and it was not.
The Plebeians obviously got the better end of the deal.
The Great Family heads did not share his humor as they hung their heads in despair.
Hal sighed,
"Order your men to retreat. You've done your part, it's our turn now" he said.
There was a mixture of looks on the faces of the Great family heads (which by the way, includes Darryl and Marlon), there was relief, disbelief and a struggle to believe Hal could pull something off.
After all, other than the forty Blood Knights and the ladies, Hal had had no one else present.
Hal ignored those looks and turned to see the ladies were already standing and smiling at him.
He gestured to the edge of the Hill and the ladies of pleasure inn unleashed purple sensual flames that shrouded their forms, after which, led by Camilla and Irina, they all combined their flames in what soon became a colossal ball of flames.
It remained there and continued to rotate and then they tossed it.
Not to the Flame Demons who had now paused and looked to be preparing to go after the retreating Great Family forces, but to those that were behind them and had not taken the Pill.
*Boooommmm*
The explosion was immensely large and with it came the lustful combustion of at least Twenty Plebeians.
A change that caused San to sit up and his eyes to twitch. He looked to the ladies who were now charging up another attack and frowned as he realized what they had done in the Mansion was a mere hint of their full capabilities.
He gripped the handles atop his chair on the palanquin and fought the urge to attack them.
He needed to save himself for the Malevolent One or more accurately, Hal.
If Hal knew this though, he would have been quite flattered that even after killing the Strongest Man in the City, San still took him as a serious threat.
Granted, San had not delivered the final blow but he had facilitated it nonetheless.
Emily looked upon the combustion and nodded in appreciation.
But Hal was not done.
The sound of footsteps drew the attention of those Plebeians who were attempting to escape the range of attack of the Semi-succubi who was charging up another Ball of lustful flames.
The footsteps belonged to a thousand Man force who dashed out together from the surroundings and went around the Great family Forces who looked quite fearful as the flame Demons got ever closer.
They did not need to be told as they all moved back and allowed the newcomers to come between them and the Flame Demons.
After that, the forty Blood Knights who had retreated after absorbing the Essence of the dead Payne Men and the Plebeians they killed came back out to stand before the thousand man force.
At the forefront of the thousand Man force were Scarface, Rickety and the Fair lady. The Fair Lady was standing on a side of which was mostly populated by females and most of them used to be a part of her gang.
The respect they had for her seemed not to have faded.
The arrival of this thousand Man force caused San's eyes to narrow further.
Hal on the other hand was grinning. Of all those who were here, there was none with Cultivation lower than the Early stage of the Cosmic Pearl Realm.
While it might have cost him quite a bit of Gold to upgrade their techniques, at least none of them had let him down.
Hal bestowed them with the Semi-Fiend Bloodline and made them into Blood Knights that were to fight under the first Forty.
Out of the First forty, Hal created a hierarchical system with twenty of them as captains, 19 of them as Lieutenants...
"Karmen" Hal called out, opting for vocals instead of telepathy as he retrieved an Ornate violet Broadsword from his Inventory and tossed it to her.
Karmen raised her hand and caught the Broadsword that was once the Payne Family heirloom Artifact, just as Hal said,
"Lead them"
...and sealed Karmen as their Commander to lead them in Battle.
Karmen grinned and bowed as she cradled the Broadsword, not because it was an Armament Rank Artifact, but because it was bestowed to her by her Master.
"I shall" and with that, the Blood Knights fell into formation as all their eyes turned Blood-Red and released fog of the same color just as the Flame Demons reached them and made to attack.
Karmen infused the Broadsword with Cosmic Energy and it lit up as she swung it and beheaded the first to reach her.
After that...
...it truly became a battle of Demons.
Chapter 215 - A Sneak Attack And A Raging Attack.
Emily nudged Hal a little,
"Does she really have what it takes to command them"
When Emily said this, she was not referring to Karmen's strength but her ability to rally people or lack thereof.
Hal shrugged,
"Who knows? One thing though, she is the most qualified to command them" He said and he was actually watering things down a bit so as not to put her way too high and keep expectations at a minimum.
Karmen's ability to rally the Knights was not to be doubted. After all, he remembered clearly on the Day he had gone to station them at the Great families, she had been the most outspoken and the one behind whom, they had all rallied.
Also, she went into Krast Estate as a Maid and was so capable, she became Edvard's right hand and gained substantial influence over the Krast forces and facilitated the infiltration of more Knights into the Estate.
So yes, That she was the most qualified to lead was a gross understatement.
Anyway,
Unlike the flame Demons of the Great families who lacked the ability of rational thought and only had one direction which was to kill the Plebeians, the Flame demons of the Plebeians could still think and make decisions.
They could retreat and could defend and do whatever was necessary to survive and to kill their enemies.
The only thing they were not capable of, was speech.
From all indications, it looked as though the pill they had been given was an upgrade to the one the Great families had been given.
Add that to the fact that they had more pills than the Great families and you begin to rethink the previous judgment that Arya had their (the Great families) best interest at heart.
However, if the Plebeians really expected this to be enough against the Blood Knights, then they had another thing coming.
With the advantage of being able to communicate telepathically, which was an ability Hal only just bestowed them, Karmen ordered the Blood Knights to step back a little just after she beheaded a Flame Demon.
The Flame Demons had no interest in letting up and still continued to charge forward, not out of overconfidence but because they wished to strike first and strike hard.
In numbers, the Flame Demons had the upper hand, so while they might not have been overconfident, they were still quite confident.
"Now" Karmen yelled out loud suddenly and fogs spread out from behind her by the captains who were all at the Cosmic Armament Realm and all wielded Broadsword Cosmic Armaments.
The Fogs became tapered at the end and sharp as they perceived through the chest of multiple Flame Demons, killing them instantly.
The Lieutenants then dashed out from behind her, while leading a squadron of Blood Knights to strike at the Flame Demons with Extreme aggression.
With the order of Hierarchy, Karmen should simply have been at the back and ordered the captains from there and they would in turn order the lieutenants who would lead the men into battle, however, she was far from being the type not to be actively involved.
Besides, she still needed to give the Violet Broadsword more whirls and reap more lives.
She entered into the thick of battle and wielded the Broadsword and heads flew.
There was no Blood of course due to the pill and as they killed the men, while their bodies returned to normal, the wounds only glowed a flaming orange and no Blood was to be seen.
It was a testament to the disparity between Hal's forces and the Plebeian force that other than some successful hits to the Blood Knights as well as some cuts, none of said Knights died and yet more and more Flame Demons fell to either their Cosmic Armaments or their Fists wrapped in Fiendish fog and cosmic Energy.
The Fogs becoming weapons reaped lives as well.
Meanwhile,
Those who had not taken the Pills and were being assaulted by the Semi-succubi were attempting to survive.
The ladies could not keep tossing their lustful ball of flames and were actually nearing their limit... of long-ranged attacks.
Melinda stepped forward and summoned her Cosmic Armament as she prepared to lead them into battle.
The fact that they were outnumbered did not seem to deter her one bit,
"Legion!" She called and they went into the clearing.
Once there, Marla made complete use of her Awakened Mastery of the Dark Maelstrom Physique while condensing the size to merely a coat of Dark energy around her form and she ran by Melinda's side.
Amelia stayed with Rita who was still atop the Hill and together their eyes turned bright purple as they stretched their hands...
"Aflame their Passions, Essence Stealer"
...and said in tandem as both summoned the large Demonic Bow.
This was the only way Hal would allow the two young ladies to join the battle and it was only because Melinda promised to watch over Marla while Rita promised to not let Amelia out of her sight.
Amelia promised to stay on the hill at all times.
So Hal signed a contract with her and made her a succubus.
The two looked incredibly sexy as they were illuminated lightly by sensual flames and drew the string of the Bow while targeting and blasting at the Plebeians.
Together they supported the melee fighters with their long-ranged shots and while neither was an accomplished Archer, they did quite well and hardly missed any targets. Granted, the Armament itself assisted.
Marla let herself go completely insane as she went after the Plebeians and defeated them with immense grace.
That said, even with Melinda's awe-inspiring combatting skills, they were all still very much outnumbered and there was only so much support Amelia and Rita could provide.
San sneered and he ordered the Crossbows to be put together.
While they had always been for the Emissaries or at least those shrouded by Dark for, they would work just fine in hunting those whores.
Hal saw the Crossbows get constructed and then aimed at the ladies.
Emily saw it as well and began to prepare an attack with which to wipe the whole camp out when Hal touched her elbow,
"Relax. Any minute now"
He had just said that when...
*Booommmm*
... from the Plebeian side came an explosive sound and out of it came the bodies of the scouts the Plebeians had placed to alert them in case of intruders.
Following those bodies was the arrival of a hundred figures, shrouded completely in Dark fog and radiating fear that only San at the Early stage of the Cosmic Phenomenon Realm was immune to.
The Emissaries had arrived.
The Crossbows were turned towards them and fired but it all missed as all Emissaries took to the skies.
An act that caused many to gasp.
Mostly from fear.
But the Emissaries were not flying, they were only making use of Hal's updraft skill and it gave them enough footing to arrive right on top of the crossbows.
Together, all hundred Emissaries tossed Cosmic Attacks down...
*Booommm*
...and destroyed them.
So angry was San from the sneak attack that he sent a Cosmic Attack infused with a Cosmic Phenomenon at the Emissaries who banded together all of their shroud defensive abilities to stave off the attack...
*Bang!*
*Multiple cracks*
...and even then they still suffered fractured bones as they landed very close to where Melinda and the ladies were battling.
While they were injured, it was not enough to keep them from fighting as the Emissaries Stood back to their feet and made use of their Fear-inducing abilities to aid the ladies with killing Plebeians themselves.
San then realized that painful as his attack might have been to them, it had also got them to where they wanted to be faster.
In anger, he created a Cosmic Attack infused with a Cosmic Phenomenon and was worthy of a Cosmic Phenomenon Realm Expert.
Then he tossed it right towards the battling ladies and not giving a two-time fuck that it would kill Plebeians as well.
The attack was still in the air when Hal took the Lesser Devil Form, summoned Executioner and unleashed a Mass of Devil energy as well as Cosmic energy and blast the attack right out of the sky...
*BOOOMMMMMM!!!!!*
...and right down at Plebeians below but away from his ladies and his Men.
Chapter 216 - The Plebeian Leader Versus The Malevolent One.
Just like that, San himself contributed to the death of hundreds of Plebeians and thereby reduced the amount of trouble Melinda and the ladies would have to go through.
The most amazing thing, Emily observed, other than Hal's brilliant diversion was that even when the attack was tossed at them, apart from glancing at it, there was not much more reaction from the ladies or the Emissaries.
Clearly, Hal had told them he would be able to take care of San and in his words, they had total confidence.
Hal landed after striking the Attack, into the part of the field where the dead Plebeians were, His skin now back to normal.
He then looked up at San,
"So, will you came down here or should I come up there?" He asked.
The Plebeian Family heads looked at San as he gripped his seat handle even tighter and sneered,
"Bastard! You've made a fool of me multiple times and it is your fault Evian is dead" her said.
Hal's eyes widened in mock surprise,
"So you finally figured it out huh? You sure took your sweet time.
Not that I'm complaining of course. Your denial helped me put things in place for this moment"
So angry was San that his effeminate face now had uncharacteristic budging veins but he said nothing so Hal continued,
"I mean, how stupid could you get?
The whole reason you Plebeians even had a chance against the Greats was because they underestimated you.
They let you run wild and they failed to nip you in the bud.
The one who is to blame the most in this regard is the late Hector Edgar. Not to speak ill of the dead of course.
So it is quite ironic that the very same thing the Greats were guilty of, is what you were guilty of as well.
You underestimated the enemy and despite the obvious signs, you could not bring yourself to believe a teenager could cause you so much trouble.
Heck, I killed so many of your men when you assaulted my home and even then..." At the point, Hal stopped and chuckled before he pointed Executioner at San,
"What are you waiting for? Let's finish this. The Plebeian Leader versus the Malevolent One.
Does that not sound like the perfect title to the end of a feud"
San stood up and shrugged,
"Not to me" he said.
Hal chuckled,
"Figures. You're a man out of the times"
San walked over to the edge of the hill and landed with commendable ease while he faced Hal full on and his eyes were red with rage.
But his poise was also one of confidence.
The last time he and Hal had battled, Hal had only managed to survive due to his implementation of Runes.
However, now that he was at the Phenomenon Realm, Rank 3 runes no longer had the same effect on him.
And as for the peculiarities Hal was bound to showcase, he was immune to their fear-inducing abilities.
And also, impressive as it was to divert that strike, it was not something Hal could do continuously, whereas, he, San Fidwud could dish out much more than that.
Those were some of the perks of being a Cosmic Phenomenon Realm Expert.
Sam stretched his hand and summoned his Saber Cosmic Armament, around which a phenomenon could be observed.
And as he looked at the dreadful-looking Broadsword that was Executioner, he could not care less if it was a Cosmic Armament of some kind of an Artifact,
It would not save Hal's life today.
Hal smiled,
"Know this San, I will not hold back like I did the last time" he said and released the pressure of his Late-stage Cosmic Armament Realm cultivation.
After that, his eyes turned a hybrid of Devil and Fiend as he released Devil energy as well as Fiendish fog. However, he did not take on the Lesser Devil form which, contrary to what he had told San, meant he was still holding back.
And then the battle began.
San sent a massive Cosmic attack at Hal who remained in place and slashed with his Broadsword in a vertical line that released a crescent-shaped attack of Devil Energy which divided San's attack easily.
With the division, Hal dashed forward and engaged San in close combat of Saber clashing on Broadsword where San found out, much to his displeasure that the sturdiness and strength of Hal's body rivaled his.
Meanwhile...
The Great family heads who had their conjoined forces do as much as they could to assist the Blood Knights and also listen to said Blood Knights were now putting finishing touches to what they were to do which was to take the fight to the Plebeian Family heads.
It was while they were putting those finishing touches that two individuals arrived at the Camp.
The first was Karon who had been keeping Edgar castle guarded until he was needed for this moment, and he was expected, the Second was Olivia and she was not.
Once Marlon saw her, he moved closer to ask her why she was there and she said she wished to be of assistance, after all, whether or not she remained with Marlon, Hector was her Father in law and his death hurt her deeply.
She wished to have a hand in killing those responsible.
And before Marlon could accuse her, she admitted that it wouldn't hurt to do something that would make Hal notice her and her endeavors which might help her become a Blood Knight.
So far she had not gone to Hal to request an audience because she felt inadequate.
"Stop being obsessed with him!" Marlon said in a loud tone of voice that attracted the attention of many.
Olivia shrugged because while she had never admitted to being obsessed with Hal, she did admit to being obsessed with becoming a Blood Knight and seeing them all fighting so fearlessly only caused the feeling to grow.
"Enough of your Domestic issues. We have bigger fish to fry" Edvard said with growing impatience and the other Great family heads agreed.
Including Darryl.
All being at the Cosmic Armament Realm, they summoned their Cosmic Armaments and became shrouded in Dark fog granted to them by their Devil Marks and it caused Olivia to feel paralyzing fear.
Then they were off.
Not going through the battling forces but by a roundabout route to avoid such and strike at the Plebeian heads.
Or at least Ford and Edvard were after the family heads, Karon, Marlon and Darryl were after the Plebeian Runemasters predominantly.
Olivia looked downcast as she could not follow after them due to the fear they exuded.
Emily watched her for a while and for whatever reason, she shrouded the lady in an Aurora.
"What is this?" Olivia looked shocked.
Emily said with a light smile,
"It will protect you from the Fear but you'd better hurry 'cause it won't stay on for too long."
Olivia thanked Emily as much as she could before she dashed after the Great family heads.
Amelia chanced a glance at her mother and raised an eyebrow in inquisition.
Emily shrugged,
"What?"
Anyway...
The battle had only just begun and San was already bruised and battered and already had numerous cuts on his body and yet Hal remained as immaculate as ever.
San could not believe it.
He had made use of the complete might of his Cultivation base and yet Hal who was only at the Late stage of the Cosmic Armament Realm not only withstood it all, he reciprocated with such force, San was helpless.
There was nothing San had not attempted and yet he remained unsuccessful.
"Give Up, San. Give in to your defeat" Hal said in an ensnaring tone of voice.
The battle between him and San while short had been so explosive that all battling experts gave them a wide berth and once any Plebeian expert paused to watch the battle, he/she would lose their life.
It was quite unlike back at the Mansion where the two became entertainment, this time any lapse in concentration was met with extreme action.
Hal forced San to his knees and looked him in the eye as he activated his Bloodline ability {Fear!} which he had not used in so long.
However, unlike before, Hal did not simply use fear to intimidate San, he used it as a way into his mind and corrupt it with Devil energy to the extent that the Plebeian became incapable of moving his body.
Nothing was wrong with his body, of course, it was his mind that had been damaged, so much so that he lost the ability to move anything other than his head and was stuck in that kneeling position.
San's eyes were wide with fear as he attempted to be defiant,
"What are you going to do to me now?" He asked and Hal smiled and was about to answer when a familiar voice spoke by his side,
"My My My, This is quite a scene"
Hal turned towards the voice and came face to face with the Green-eyed Alchemist Arya,
"I see you made it. Where's your cloak?" He asked in a grim voice and Arya grinned,
"Terrible fashion statement. It was a necessity at the time though" she said and licked her lips.
At that time, someone yelled from the Great family tent,
"Arrrgggghhhh"
It was Gregory Payne who had still been looking destitute before and he yelled because a long-legged lady with crimson eyes just slashed his midsection.
Lillian turned towards Hal and grinned as though to say,
"You're Next"
Chapter 217 - Harbouring Feelings.
Gregory's yell while loud was far from enough to cause the Edgar men, Darryl, Marlon and Karon, to pause. Their course of direction remained clear and so did the target of their glare.
The brothers and Karon continued to move with indication and the Plebeian Runemasters knew what they were after now.
Baret and Ian retrieved Runes from their spatial pouch, Runes that they had drawn prior to that moment and quickly passed it on to the Plebeian family heads who placed them on their chests and activated them and it created a kind of aura about them.
It was not as thick or concentrated as Emily's aurora protection to Olivia but they would do the trick and ease the fear felt significantly.
Marlon, Darryl and Karon sneered as they realized the Runemasters had prepared ahead. They were still confident the protection would not help in the long run.
Cosmic attacks were sent towards them and they sent their own in retaliation while also adding a little of the fog's offensive abilities to it and blasting it aside.
*Boommm*
Then they ran through it and arrived before Baret and Ian who had also summoned their Cosmic Armaments and were prepared for a fight.
A fight in which they were outnumbered until another Plebeian family head went after Karon who was soon preoccupied.
*Clang*
Blades were crossed and the battle began as Baret and Ian and a majority of the Plebeian heads attempted to make use of their Peak stage Cosmic Armament Realm cultivation and greater numbers to overwhelm the Great family heads.
And they were succeeding.
That said, Ford still showcased that he was far from being a mere figurehead in the Horst family who could not battle. Singlehandedly, he killed Bale and Tod who were both at the peak stage.
With his Peak stage Cosmic armament realm cultivation coupled with the Devil shroud, those two did not have a chance.
However, soon after he managed this great feat he became overwhelmed.
Edvard managed to take down two Plebeian heads as well and his fate was quite like Ford and he struggled to push past the Mass of Plebeians.
Hal looked away from Arya and stretched his hand to summon a portal, out of which slid the large undulating green body of Sassy.
Sassy's attention from the moment she arrived was completely on the Plebeians who Hal had summoned her to eliminate.
*Hisssss*
The serpent let out a long hiss and an Arrow formed before her just as Hal ordered the Great family heads to put up the shroud's defensive abilities through telepathy.
*Whoosh*
The arrow flew and hit the ground close to the family heads.
A lot of them, upon seeing Sassy realized that she was the Toxic Viper, albeit bigger and quickly held their breath once the arrow was released and a smaller percentage who were even wiser leaped back.
*Boom*
Sassy's toxic arrow hit and it created a cloud of green smoke, in which, anyone who breathes it in or was even standing in the fog, except the Great family heads who made use of the Devil shroud, all died and left behind discolored corpses.
Fear!
That was what was felt by those who viewed Sassy's display but the serpent was not done and with speed worthy of her cultivation base which she shared with Hal, she traveled to the top of the hill and joined the battle.
Well, it was not much of a battle as due to being a Demonic beast, Sassy's late-stage natured Beast Realm was equal to a Peak stage Cosmic Armament Realm cultivation of a normal man and their Armaments did nothing to change that.
"I see you've been busy" Arya said and the look on her face as she saw Sassy begin to rampage while smacking Experts away with her tail and flattening some of them into the ground with her large head.
Having been one of the reasons he called Sassy out, Hal was pleased to see Arya's look of annoyance.
"Yes, I have. Doesn't she look beautiful" Hal sighed with exaggerated fondness.
Arya ignored his question, instead, she began to pace,
"So you've been touching things that aren't yours. Do you know how much trouble you are in?"
"What? Are you going to spank me?" Hal asked with a teasing smile that did not fit the situation he was in.
Arya placed her hand on San's shoulder and the Plebeian leader looked up at her in relief,
"Master..." He said before his body gradually became thin and his cheeks hollowed while Red veins formed on Arya's creamy arm from where she touched his shoulder as she absorbed San's Blood Essence in the entirety and left him a mere husk.
"No, I'll kill you" Arya finally answered as she digested San's essence and began to refine it on the spot.
A process that took a surprisingly short time.
Arya was quite upset, of all the Plebeians that had died, there were only a few Blood Essences that she had been able to harvest all because of Hal's Blood Knights.
Hal had ordered them all to absorb the Blood Essence of all their kills as there was no point in keeping up appearances anymore.
They might as well reduce her supply and possibly cripple her strength.
Meanwhile...
Lillian advanced on Gregory who despite being stabbed did not attempt to take a mending pill or even defend himself.
Lillian sneered,
"What? Do you really think I'll take pity on you just because you do nothing?" she asked.
Gregory looked up, his face tear Streamed but his smile in place,
"How can I attempt to defend myself when I know I deserve to die. It was my fault and I see that now. So what better way to finally leave this painful world if not by the hands of the woman I love?" He said.
This was truly the only way he felt he could find release as Hal had already ordered him not to kill himself.
No one made a move to get between them, not even Burt who Hal had ordered to remain in place.
Lillian raised her sword and made to land the final strike but was unable to.
Her hands shook as she held up the Broadsword and it was not because of the Broadsword's weight.
Then she lowered her weapon and it was clear she still harbored feelings for her husband as she slashed and sent a Cosmic attack infused with Blood energy towards Hal.
*Swoosh*
*Boom*
Another Cosmic attack infused with light gold flames canceled hers out and when she looked down at where it had come from, she saw Melinda walking out of the clearing and towards her.
Rita turned to Amelia,
"Be careful" she said and the Horst lady nodded her head as Rita summoned her sky blue longsword Cosmic Armament and filled the void Melinda left behind.
She moved in to lead the Semi-succubi which was fitting as she was a succubus.
Her sword was coated with purple sensual flames, as were the Armaments of Camilla and Irina as well as any other one of the ladies at the cosmic Armament realm, as they struck down any Plebeians left with the Blood Knights fighting alongside them after having killed all the Flame Demons.
The Emissaries were reaping lives with their shroud blades as well.
Arya looked at it all and smiled,
"This is a good time as any to start" she said and released a powerful pressure that bore down on Hal who struggled to remain upright.
And then...
*Bang*
...an Aurora arrived before Arya in a flash and exploded, tossing her away and struggling to remain on her feet.
The break in her concentration freed Hal of her pressure.
She looked up with anger clear in her visage as Emily was already by Hal's side.
Hal wound his arm around her waist,
"Meet my Secret weapon, Emily. Together we're going to kick your ass"
Chapter 218 - Melinda Versus Lillian.
Melinda arrived in front of Lillian and eyed the crimson-eyed lady with her light gold orbs.
"I've been wanting to do this for so long" she said.
"Do what? Lose to me?" Lillian smirked.
Melinda shook her head,
"No, beat you senseless. Ever since that day when you raided my mansion I've been thinking about it"
Lillian nodded thoughtfully and released the pressure of her Early-stage Cosmic Phenomenon Realm cultivation base while she became surrounded by what could be accurately described as a layer of Blood energy.
Melinda felt the pressure but her expression remained the same even though she was only at the Peak stage of the Cosmic armament Realm.
In tandem, both ladies dashed towards each other and crossed weapons with Lillian's having the advantage of being heavier and bore down on Melinda even more than her pressure already did.
One thing though was that Lillian could not help but find it admirable that Melinda still retained her natural expression while such pressure was boring down on her.
Then Melinda managed to straighten up and push Lillian back. The separation was only for a few seconds as the golden-eyed lady quickly followed up with strikes that Lillian quickly protected herself from.
The worst part was how heavy Melinda's strikes were. So heavy that even with her superior cultivation, Lillian could feel it in her wrist.
Melinda was quite confident and it was not overconfidence either. It was that she knew just how capable she was and was not ready to let Lillian feel complacent just because of her superior cultivation.
Lillian suddenly pointed her left hand to Melinda's mid-section,
"Third-grade skill: Darting spearhead"
And at such close range, a two-circled ring was summoned and out of it came a Spearhead composed purely of Cosmic energy that attacked her.
Lillian was quite confident such an attack could not miss, after all, it was so close and even if its energy did not hold Melinda in place, she could not possibly be able to react in time.
Or so she thought.
Melinda was already casting her own skill...
"Third-grade skill: shooting stars"
...which intercepted the spearhead skill and canceled it out. The force of the collision of skills forced the two ladies apart.
Lillian cast the same skill once again in an attempt to barrage Melinda but was shocked to see that despite how fast she had been in recasting the skill, Melinda still destroyed it with a Cosmic attack infused with Light gold flames.
Skills were usually ways to even the playing field sometimes as even with the same cultivation bases, experts tend to be more superior than each other. They were either better combatants or better swordsmen or weapons specialists.
However, with skills, all that meant nothing and the ability of skills to hold their targets in place always made for successful contacts, however, even then the field is far from equal as some are more privileged to better skills and the trapping effects make the target helpless.
Not to mention that some just possess the talent for it and based their whole offense on long-distance skill attacks.
So there grew the need to anticipate.
Anticipate the opponent's next move such that by the time they were making use of their skill and trapping you in place, you have already struck out to intercept the skill.
This was what Melinda had done and she did it a few more times as Lillian still cast the skills again and again so as to catch Melinda off guard.
*Bang*
*Boom*
It seemed Melinda was quite tired of being on the defensive as after she destroyed another skill, she dashed forward and cast her shooting star skill which she knew Lillian would be able to destroy thanks to her phenomenon realm cultivation,
However, it was only so as to create a cover and close the distance between the two of them so that she could engage in close combat which was where her talent lay.
This was a development that Lillian was, of course, aware of and she knew Melinda was trying to make the fight go her way and she could not have that, so she leaped backward to keep the distance between them.
But Melinda had thought ahead and sent light gold flames ahead of herself and behind the crimson-eyed lady.
Lillian leaped backward right into the flames and burned herself quite badly.
The effects of the flames were even more vicious against her because of how demonic she was.
It was clear that she was quite close to being a fiend even though she was not quite there yet.
However, thanks to her Master, Arya's efforts, it was probably more accurate to call her a pseudo-fiend.
However, that was enough for Melinda's Bloodline flames to attack her with vindication.
"Ah!" Lillian exclaimed as she paused and cast a look at the light gold flames that were now fizzling out.
Melinda grinned,
"Do you like it?" She asked as she slashed and sent a crescent-shaped attack of light gold flames towards Lillian who slashed and sent an attack of Blood Energy as well.
*Boooommmm*
The collision ended up having more effect on Melinda who had the lower cultivation base but even then, she powered through and her target was still clear. So was the look in her eyes that showed she was not done with Lillian yet.
Far from it actually.
"Bitch" Lillian snarled and condensed a Cosmic attack infused with Blood energy and a Cosmic phenomenon.
An attack she was very confident Melinda could not withstand.
And she was right.
As soon as the attack was sent and Melinda felt the pressure coming off it, she knew it was way out of her league and she could not do anything to cancel it out.
So why bother?
She leaped up but was not totally out of the range of the attack yet so she pointed down,
"Second-grade skill: Updraft"
As the skill granted her a push that only barely got her out of the attack's range, Melinda could not help but think about how she would berate Hal once this was over for a third-grade skill with the same functions as 'updraft'.
While the skill was quite useful, it was much too weak to give her the lift she needed and she only barely made it.
Anyway,
Lillian looked up at her making a perfect arc in the air and tossed another attack towards her, an attack that while smaller compared to the one Melinda had just escaped, was also infused with Blood energy and a Cosmic phenomenon.
Melinda groaned and thought,
'Screw it'
She released light gold flames that were of such magnitude that she glowed and garnered attention from all those present.
Then she condensed it all into a circle of flames around her and spun so fast that she looked like a light gold disc and cut right through the attack.
It was truly a right to behold and Lillian's mouth gaped as Melinda split her attack in half and landed right in front of her with a loud explosive sound.
*Boooooooommmm!*
So hard did she land that a crater formed where she did and when the dust and flames cleared, Melinda was smacking Lillian away with her sword.
Then she followed up with a Kick to Lillian's midsection and showed the crimson-eyed lady why she deserved to be feared in close combat.
"Ack" Lillian groaned and attempted to defend herself with Cosmic energy when Melinda's kick connected to the side of her face and smacked her into the ground.
At that time, no one was close to them and even Gregory had been taken away by Burt who fed him a mending pill to stop him from dying out.
Lillian lifted herself but Melinda was already sitting on her midsection with her legs on either side of her while she punched Lillian constantly.
As she did, she introduced holy flames into her body which burned the Lillian from the inside out while she attempted to resist and showcase her prowess as a cosmic Phenomenon Realm expert but it was of no consequence.
She quickly became powerless against Melinda's prowess.
Melinda lifted her Armament and so prone was Lillian that she could have ended her life right then and there but she knew Hal wanted his stepmother alive.
So she hit Lillian so hard on the head that the Crimson-eyed Lady fell unconscious instantly.
As she did, Melinda looked back and was quite shocked to see the chaos that had ensued as it looked as though Corpses came back to life and Arya cackled at the sight malignantly.
Chapter 219 - Completion Of The Plan.
Let's back up a few minutes,
Right when Melinda and Lillian began to battle and Emily had blasted Arya back and stood by Hal's side.
Arya glared at the two of them and frowned when she felt the pressure that was coming off Emily's body.
It was the same as hers; the Early stage of the Cosmic Pagoda realm.
She had to admit that she had not expected to meet an expert of such caliber in this city and to make matters worse, had Emily not engaged her directly, she would have been incapable of sensing the Gray-eyed lady's strength.
However, if they thought that was enough to derail her plans, they had another thing coming.
She would just refine all of them.
The Blood Essence of a Cosmic Pagoda realm expert would be quite exhilarating, to say the least.
Emily began to condense another Cosmic Aurora which was in the form of a miniature multi-colored cloud that packed so much energy, it raised Hal's feeling of danger despite them being on the same side.
The condensation took barely a second and she tossed it right at Arya who tossed hers in an interception and the explosion from the two attacks was so strong that a few Plebeians were caught in the blast and were either injured or lost their lives.
Speaking of the Plebeians...
Out of the multitude of Men they used to have, they had been cut down and only a few hundred were left.
Hundreds of which the Blood Knights, the ladies and the Emissaries chased after once they began to attempt a retreat.
They hunted them down to the last man and killed them all.
The Great family forces simply stared towards the end as their services were no longer needed and they admitted to the superior strength of Hal's faction who had done what they had struggled to do, with relative ease.
The Great family heads were having good progress as well because they had a humongous viper on their side, a viper that showcased viciousness and physical capabilities worthy of a Demonic Beast.
Olivia also killed quite a few as well as Emily's Aurora had been enough to protect her from the effects of Sassy's Toxic arrow.
However, the most engaging battle was most likely that of the Runemasters, Baret and Ian who had protected themselves against Sassy's arrow with Protective Runes, against the Edgar brothers...
Call it a bond between friends but once San was defeated and forced to his knees, it had infuriated the two so much that their prowess with Runes and Armaments increased exponentially.
So much so that they withstood the brothers who were aided by the Devil shroud.
Granted, Darryl and Marlon were not at the Peak stage of the Cosmic Armament Realm and should probably be commended even more for fighting with stronger experts on a nearly equal footing.
Revenge!
That was what was in the eyes of the Brothers as they managed to land strikes on the chests of the Two runemasters and send them careening backward.
The two leaped back to their feet, quite alert that Karon would not be occupied for too long and it would be prudent to defeat the brothers now.
Maybe it was about time they made use of an Array.
It was going to be the type that had been used against Hal in Tretch forest. An array drawn with an Inadequate copy of the siphoning Rune.
The two retrieved the scroll and it was then that they noticed Arya place her hand on San's shoulder,
"Master?" They had mumbled before they witnessed it first hand as she siphoned San's Blood Essence and left him a mere husk.
Their mouths gaped as they witnessed this terrifying sight and their close friend lost his life in the hands of their benefactor.
What the hell was going on? They both thought before a large serpent tail swiped their legs and fell them.
As soon as Sassy had those two on the ground, she returned to going after any other Plebeian on the hill while Darryl and Marlon dashed forward and stabbed the Runemasters.
Not to kill them.
No, they would not do that yet.
They wished to torture the two first so as to give them a semblance of what Hector had suffered in that Array.
Any other Plebeian family head was dead already as no one else other than the two brothers had torture on their mind.
Even Karon had killed the one he had been entangled with.
Arya looked up and smiled at the death of the Plebeians even though at that point, she and Emily still fought each other with long-distance attacks.
Hal watched as the last of the Plebeians died and saw what Arya's guarantee had been.
He had once said it that the Master's plans were not yet complete but at the time, he had no idea what it was that the plan missed but now he knew;
It was the pills.
Arya always wanted the Plebeians to lose and from the moment she arrived on the battlefield, she was already monopolizing all the Blood essence so much so that the Blood Knights could no longer absorb the essence of their kill.
She was not yet absorbing it of course.
And Hal was sure she was planning to do it in a flashy fashion.
Anyway,
The pills had been the completion to the plan with which the Great family forces had turned the tides and managed to even the field a little against the Plebeians, however, it was rendered useless when the Plebeians made use of the same kind of pills but in an even larger quantity.
An endeavor that caused the Plebeians to be back on the winning track.
And that was what confused Hal as he was sure Arya could not have made her plans with his Blood Knights in mind.
Which meant that had he not interfered with his forces, the Plebeians would have won.
It was quite nerve-wracking as he tried to make it into the mind of this lunatic who Emily was presently battling.
"What am I missing?" Hal mumbled.
He was hanging back because the battle between the two was not something he could interfere with.
And then he thought of something.
A misconception that the Plebeians were the only ones Arya was after.
What if she was after the Great families as well.
That would mean the pills were a failsafe for both sides...
"Hahaha hahaha. You still don't get it, do you? You lose!" And with that Arya used the collision of blasts between her and Emily to leap backward and then join her palms together.
A Bloodred pentagram formed between her palms once she pulled them apart,
"Awake, My minions!" She yelled.
At first, nothing happened and the pentagram looked like it might have just being for show when one of those who had transformed into Flame Demons and had their lives reaped once the effects wore off, twitched.
Then it was not just one, but all of those who had taken the Beseek pill, even those who were part of the Great family force and had been pulled back once unconscious so as not to be killed.
All of them stood up and the crack lines that had been on their body combusted as they became Flame Demons once again and whatever life they had before was extinguished.
However, if before their eyes had been void, this time it was dead and was clear they had lost their individuality.
They were mere puppets now but puppets whose strength was supplied by Arya and their targets did not distinguish between friend or foe.
Anyone who was not Arya was a target...
Chapter 220 - Full-Fledged Fiend.
The terror began when the Flame Demons behind the Great family forces who had been dragged there for protection from the enemy, arose and moved closer to them.
"Come on guys, what are you..."
*Bang*
The Edgar man was unable to complete his sentence before a fist protruded through his chest and killed him instantly.
If there was doubt before as to whether the Demons were going to attack, that was gone now as every one of the living adopted a battle stance and began to attack the Demons.
Unfortunately, this was something they had once attempted and had caused the death of many. The situation did not change and the same outcome was observed.
"Fall back" Rita called out and the ladies and the Emissaries did.
The Blood Knights moved back as well but had done so first as Karmen had ordered it the moment combustion began.
The problem was that they had killed so indiscriminately that the whole field contained Flame Demons and by the time they had fallen back, the Demons had risen and surrounded them.
Moreover, in this situation, the ladies knew trying to use the enemy's lust against them was impossible as these men had no lust or Emotions so instead they focused on the strength imbuing factor of their Bloodlines.
After all, Succubi were Demons too and were capable of displaying incredible strength, it just so happened that, whether born or turned, it becomes their nature to ensnare and burn with lust rather than be physically brute.
They strengthened themselves with the flames of their Bloodline by having it go into their bodies and burn up their lust from the inside. The more lustful they were, the stronger they were.
It was kind of an aphrodisiac which rather than Sex being the only solution, battling and striking down the enemy worked just fine.
Their eyes all burned a brighter shade of Purple and the look in those eyes was beyond hungry.
However, there came the side effect; Addiction.
They were addicted to Hal. All of them, and when first they strengthened themselves with lustful flames, their eyes first turned to Hal who was standing with Emily and facing Arya.
If they were not careful in controlling themselves, they might very well dash away from the battle and attempt to jump him.
It was the reason succubi either needed to be disciplined (whether by personal conviction or by an individual) or they became mistresses and curbed their addiction with Dominance.
Rita could feel the lust burning her up and the urge to have Hal pound her till tomorrow but there were more important issues in front of her and she would do well to remain focused.
However, that she could control herself did not mean the other ladies could and about five of them began to dash towards Hal.
A dangerous endeavor because not only were they leaving the tight-knit group, they were exposing themselves to the overwhelming of the Flame Demons.
*Slap* *Slap* *Slap* *Slap* *Slap*
Rita was suddenly cutting off their path and hitting their faces to get them back in their right minds,
"Amira, Layla, Callie, Ada, Alana. Get a hold of yourself"
Their eyes cleared up and they bowed to her,
"Yes mistress"
They had only just said this when the Flame Demons swarmed them and made to strike their chest. Which was probably ingrained in them as the surest way to end the life of another.
They were unsuccessful as the ladies easily avoided their strikes and struck back at them
However, they were now in a dilemma because once they had destroyed that batch, more came after them and cut off their path to the rest of Hal's forces.
They were outnumbered and in a very precarious situation.
The Flame demons altogether and by that we mean the Plebeian Demons which numbered over a thousand, the Great family Demons who numbered Five hundred, and the Payne Force Demons who numbered Three hundred in their own right.
Other than the Plebeians, they had not fought against the other two but now that they were being controlled by a single individual, that no longer mattered and the numbers were immense.
The Blood Knights and Emissaries as well as the Ladies were outnumbered.
The Great family forces could not even hold on and were getting slaughtered until they all had the good sense to retreat.
They were chased down of course but they ran at full strength out of the Clearing and towards the city where they would hopefully find a place to hide.
The Demons followed after them.
With that batch gone, the load lessened slightly for Hal's forces but Karmen gripped the Ornate purple Broadsword in her left hand tightly and grinned.
She did not see this situation as a dilemma, she saw it as the perfect avenue to show her Master what she was made of.
And besides, what if her enemies were Demons? She was a Demon as well.
And not semi...
"Awaken for the Blood of my foes, Executioner"
A thick Blood red mist, much thicker than the one she had been exuding came out of her right hand and formed the terrifying Blood red Broadsword that was Executioner.
It was just like Hal's with the skeletal fist as a guard and a spiked Hilt except that it lacked the criss-crossing Black veins of the Primeval Devil Bloodline.
The Bloodcurdling pressure bore down on the Flame Demons as even they paused as they felt it.
Apparently, lacking individuality did not spare them from its effects.
Karmen gripped the weapon that signified her becoming a full-fledged Fiend as her eyes turned a darker shade of Red.
She charged, holding both Broadswords and swinging them so fast that in seconds, she had cut down at least Six Flame Demons.
She groaned in annoyance as not only did the Flame demons need to be completely dismembered to be rendered useless, they also had no blood to give and the fiend in her was not happy.
"Fine, if you don't have Blood to give, I'll just cut you down to the smallest piece to satisfy my ire"
And that was exactly what she did.
The Blood Knights took her charge for the order to attack that it was and so they attacked as well.
The Emissaries and the Ladies fought by the Blood Knights side and cut down Flame Demons as well.
Karmen's trajectory soon became clear; she was heading towards Rita and the ladies to offer her assistance.
She was whirling through the Demons with both weapons outstretched and dismembering as many as she could to open a path to Rita and the five other ladies with her.
However, the numbers got the best of her and Amelia who still stood atop the hill could no longer shot arrows from Essence stealer as she was not strong enough to implement its combustive nature without the lustful components.
And as it has been started earlier, these Demons were immune to lust.
That said, Karmen gripped the two Broadswords and was ready to battle out of the enclosure that was beginning to form around her when suddenly, a crescent-shaped attack of light gold flames landed and destroyed the Demons surrounding her.
Karmen smiled towards Melinda and continued towards Rita but by then the Succubus and the Semi-succubi with her were already fighting to get back to the rest of Hal's forces.
They met up with Karmen and together with Melinda tossing down holy flames, they made it back to the others and fought against the horde of Flame Demons.
...
Arya was far from pleased as she witnessed how well Hal's forces were dealing with her puppets with abilities that told of Demonic origins.
Abilities that only being this close to them was she starting to wonder if this young man was not from the Dystopian continent.
'It doesn't matter' she thought and shook her head just as she avoided Emily's attack.
"Enough of this. What's the point of playing with you? I came here to harvest and once I'm done, You won't be able to resist anyway"
As she said this, Arya formed symbols with her hands and Emily's eyes narrowed at the malignant energies it was exuding.
She condensed another Aurora and tossed it at Arya but a Blood Red Pentagram, much larger than the one before, appeared in front of Arya and absorbed the attack before sending it right back to Emily.
However, it was not the same, it was now infused with Blood Energy and Hal knew that it was a trap.
Emily could deflect it but the Blood within the attack would poison her and while she would heal, it would incapacitate her long enough.
He was in front of Emily in a flash and slashing the attack with Executioner.
*Bang*
So volatile was the attack that it shredded his clothes and lacerated his chest.
The Blood Poison entered his system and made to stop the wounds from healing while also attacking him from the inside.
But Hal knew it was well out of its league and once his Bloodline sensed the poison, it reared up like a monstrous beast and Devoured it.