章 244: Clash of Kings (I)
Chapter 244
Clash of Kings (I)
The entire city seemed to lay in ruin. There was nary a house whole and a street untouched, corpses, or at the very least their remnants strewn about like useless trash. Discarded weapons, armors, shields, even utility items that have run their course... the whole world was in shambles. Even now, Cain could still hear distant battle cries and clashes. They were still fighting, even a week after the conflict initially sparked. What for? He didn't know.
Their king was likely leisurely sitting on top of the throne, waiting for challengers. What were these people fighting for? Power? Influence? Just for fighting's sake? Likely the last, though their excuses would be aplenty.
Sera walked unstably by his side, her eyes often drifting, gaze uncertain. Unlike Cain, who merely pitied and condemned the sight, this was her home, a place of her origin, where she was born and raised. She likely danced and walked these streets countless times in her life, How harrowing must it feel to see them drenched in blood and corpses of her fellow people?
Their pace was slow but they were slowly gaining ground toward the palace. The closer they came, the more in ruin the city appeared, with seemingly the vast majority of destruction having been done within the palace's vicinity.
"... it's much, much, much worse than when Senna and I were coming to you," Sera said. "How do they even have enough strength and will to fight for a whole week?"
"A week's nothing," Cain chuckled bitterly. "A good chunk of battles can stretch on for months, let alone wars that can go on for years."
"..."
"Never underestimate a mind's ability to adapt to even the cruelest of realities," he added. "Blessing and a curse and all that."
"I know. But this... can anyone truly ever adapt to this?"
"Nope. So, it stops being about adapting to things," he said. "And becomes about who can compartmentalize them better and quicker. 'I don't need to become immune to death', they start to think. 'I just need to endure longer than them, and I'll become a victor'. That's, really, what most wars devolve into; if it's not a one-sided slaughter, it's about who can endure death and misery and anguish the longest without cracking or breaking down completely."
"..."
"Bla, bla, bla, you still yap on like always, Thief!" Cain's lips stretched into a smile while Sera jumped back, startled by the sudden voice. It was high-pitched and lazy, but since she was unable to quickly see where it was coming from, she thought it was an enemy.
"And you still appear at the most random times," Cain replied. "Don't you, Te?" the small cat appeared in his arms, laying there lazily and looking at him, his belly exposed as though begging. Chuckling, Cain rubbed it gently a few times, causing the cat to purr.
"Damned Thief, you woke great Te'gha up with your rumbling! And that old man! Pu! I was too groggy, great Te'gha should have--"
"Just say you were scared," Cain interrupted. "Nobody's gonna judge you, don't worry."
"Great Te'gha wasn't scared! Pu, Thief!"
"E-eh? A... cat?" Sera finally regained her senses and joined Cain, noting the newcomer in the latter's hands. "He's cute!"
"Humph, it's not a cat, you blind girl! Te'gha is a great Ti--"
"Ah, you yap too," Cain interrupted. "He's cute, but annoying. Like a toddler who never grew up, but continued demanding more and more. Wanna pet him?"
"Can I?"
"Please," Cain handed Te'gha over casually, much to the cat's anger.
"Wow, so soft," Sera exclaimed softly. "His fur is so soft..."
"Yup," Te'gha's dismay vanished quickly as he began to purr underneath Sera's repeated, gentle strokes. "I picked him up on the first floor and he decided to stick around."
"... ah, yes, because that happens," Sera rolled her eyes. "You just keep tossing my understanding of the world into a whirlwind. Is anything I've known even real anymore?"
"Just the fact that I'm the coolest dude alive!"
"..."
"Bahahaha, stupid Thief, bahaha, serves you right~~"
"Thief? Did you steal something from this poor cat?" Sera asked.
"... na," Cain said, glancing at Te'gha who flinched. "He's just being an annoying bitch, is all. We can see palace from here. Looks... damaged."
"The others must have proceeded further," she said, looking at the distant towers. "The Serendipity Tower... is in ruin. They must have defeated Archbishop Serelus already. Were... were they really that strong?"
"They were always plenty strong," Cain said. "Just a little lost. I hope they got some nice drops."
"Let's hurry up," Sera said. "It looks like they haven't faced Elder Brother yet. It's best if you're there too." Is it, though?
Cain's question remained unasked as the trio moved forward. Sera began asking Te'gha all sorts of questions and the cat, desperate for attention, continued to wiggle and waggle in her arms, purring incessantly while conversing. The closer they drew to the palace, the more living they encountered, but Cain ensured they remained unseen. Partly by taking the countless alleyways, and partly by suffusing a few rudimentary Skills to ensure their presence was masked. Unless somebody expected to see someone and looked directly at them, it was unlikely they'd be found.
Meanwhile, on the other end of things, dust settled as the group finally defeated second-to-last boss, titular Archmagus. To say 'defeated', however, is an exaggeration, as they fought a mere projection on top of the de-roofed platform exposed to the invisible stars. And rather than a 'battle', it was more akin to a test, with the boss slowly amping up skills to test their limits. The moment they hit those limits and began falling behind... they 'won'.
"Not bad," an old voice spoke with the hooded projection flickering in and out of existence. "Good seedlings. There's, however, something you must quickly realize, saplings: you are too individual in your make. Which is fine, naturally; all living things posses an ego. However, there is a decision that needs to be made: if you wish to maintain that individuality... you will be unable to follow him. And if you wish to follow him, you will need to abandon that individuality and tailor yourselves to best enable him."
"..."
"The path is long and treacherous," while everyone stared in disbelief over a boss 'advising' them, following what was likely the strangest battle they had yet, the aged voice continued nonchalantly. "I am a bit peeved I hadn't experienced the sapling Mage myself, but, alas, stars did not align. Rest know; though a King false, he shan't attack first. Until we meet again, sapling Conquerors."
The projection faded in the wind, leaving behind only the ruined remnants of a platform. Countless scorch marks, holes, frosted areas, and entire dug-out chunks were the solitary reminder of the hellish battle they fought-- this was especially so within the last five minutes of the battle, once they were pushed to their limits.
Yuki had to go well above his normal ability to keep them alive, while every damage dealer struggled to find an avenue of attack. In part, they finally realized the strength of the Mages; while they always had an example in Cain, his way of battling was... different.
While fighting the old man, it felt as though every single one of their thoughts was read, every single action taken already understood. It was as though nothing was outside the old man's scope of understanding. It was horrifying, the notion that there was a worm in their minds reading all their thoughts.
Senna, especially, felt the frustration. While in the previous battles, she was the key to victory, in this one... she felt useless. All of her attacks were avoided or deflected with minimum effort; the old man would use a single glacial spike to deflect hundreds of her weapons. What stung even more, however, was that he all but ignored her during the last five minutes; most of his attention went into dealing with Emma and Jamal, with everyone else simply struggling to even execute an attack properly.
"That was probably the easiest," Emma said, sighing in relief. "And yet the hardest battle we ever fought. Kinda felt helpless throughout..."
"Ah, tell me about it," Kramer sighed, drinking an entire bottle of water in one go. "At the very least, he seemed interested in you. The old bastard completely ignored me."
"We need another support, you guys!" Yuki cried out, tears genuinely streaming down his cheeks. "That was too much!! I barely kept you alive..."
"Yes, yes, I'm sure Cain will pick up some new kid soon enough," Emma said dismissively. "And just like the last battle... there are no rewards. Tsk, this shit is pissing me off. I'm guessing it will all just be rolled up into the last battle."
"Should we wait for Cain?" Kramer asked.
"We'll rest for a day," Emma replied. "If he's not back yet, we'll go ourselves. I've a feeling that the fight against the King will be less frustrating than this shit."
"Yup, pretty much."
"Now I can kinda sympathize with people who fight Cain..."
"Yea, can you imagine? Aah, I wanna cry..."
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