章 18: The Sun is Falling

As Helios felled yet another man, he realized two things. Firstly, he was enjoying himself. Secondly, the army before him seemed to be unending.

As he had feared, Raijin's men had deviated, choosing to serve Averys over them. Infuriated, Yam had isolated himself in his kingdom, the floating island of Atlantis, seemingly losing hope in their cause. Helios had tried forcing him out, but Yam's kingdom was under total lockdown, disallowing anyone from getting in or out. Regardless, he was sure Averys would tear down his walls and kill him. Isolation was merely prolonging the inevitable.

Helios, on the other hand, had chosen to lead his men out on the offensive. He feared leaving his people unguarded, but in a three-versus-one scenario, attacking first seemed to be the only sensible choice. He had targeted Typon first, catching the beast king off-guard.

The Beast King lived quite a distance from his two alies, which was why, even after a two-day siege, no reinforcements had arrived. Despite receiving no assistance, Typhon's forces seemed to be holding on better than Helios anticipated. Although his kingdom wasn't in the best location to defend itself from an attack, they weren't letting up on Helios and his army easily. Which was why Helios decided to join the front line himself.

He had left Sol behind to deal with tactics and technical nonsense Helios never really fancied. Then he had made his way to the front, reigniting the fighting spirit in his men. As long as he was by their side, they were never going to lose.

"Apollo!" Helios yelled, calling for the commander he had put in charge of the front lines. "How long do you reckon we have to break into the city?"

"If you mean how long do we need, then maybe one more day," he heard Apollo shout in return. "But reinforcements may have arrived by then!"

Flinging a man over his head, Helios cursed. He could see the large, broad gates of Etna, Typhon's kingdom. So close, yet ever so far away. Typhon himself hadn't graced the battlefield at all; he most likely sat on his throne, happy to stall Helios for as long as he could. Helios knew there was no other choice. They had to secure the city before night was upon them.

Glancing up, Helios quickly took note of where the sun hung in the sky. He guessed it was close to midday, cursing under his breath as yet another bold man recklessly swung an axe at him. Growling, Heios grabbed the man's arm, twisting it so hard he shattered it, and then flinging him aside like a ragdoll.

It annoyed Helios how unending Typhon's army seemed to be. They weren't particularly exceptional in strength and skill, but they had the numbers to make up for it. As hard as his men fought, it was like battling a hydra. The more they cut down, the more seemed to show up.

Helios wanted to burn them all to the ground and charge into the city, but he was preserving his strength for the beast king. Typhon might have been weaker than him, but he wasn't stupid. The second Helios unleashed his full might, he would come out and fight him while weakened. Typhon wasn't a pushover, even when Helios was at full strength. It would be unwise to face him less than that.

A man wielding a large broadsword approached him, a malicious glare in his eyes. Helios silently commended his confidence. Hardly anyone was bold enough to challenge him head-on with an emotion besides pure fear. Helios smiled, acknowledging the man.

Snarling, the man lunged at Helios. He swung his sword in a wide arc, aiming for Helios' head. Hopping backwards, Helios dodged the sword, then leaped back forward and grabbed the man by his shirt. The man tried running his blade through Helios' chest but was flung into the air like a doll before he had the chance. Helios punched upward, shooting a stream of flames at him, incenerating him at once.

Another man came at him, but this one chose to irritate him from afar, launching arrows his way. Helios could have been impaled once or twice, but it was obvious the archer was unseasoned. Every arrow missed its target, dropping at his feet.

Punching towards the man, he released a ball of fire aimed right at him. Widening his eyes, the man scrambled backwards, but it was too late. The ball consumed him, enveloping him in unquenchable fire. A small smile played on Helios' lips. How easy it would be to wipe them all out with fire!

"Sire!" he heard Apollo call out.

Swiveling around, he searched for his commander. After a few seconds, his eyes settled on the tallish man with golden hair and deep blue eyes. He wore only a breastplate with the Phoenix insignia in the middle, along with leggings. Armed with nothing but a bow, he waved at Helios, drawing his attention.

"Reinforcements! They will arrive sooner than we anticipated!"

Helios felt the blood drain from his face. "Are you sure!?"

Apollo nodded grimly. "Sol sent a man here. They spotted Louis men marching towards us. It won't be long till they arrive."

Gritting his teeth, Helios looked towards the legion of men still camped not so far off from the entrance of the gates. If Louis' men caught up to them, Helios wasn't sure if they would survive the altercation.

"Call our men back." Helios ordered. "And send a message to Sol. Tell him to get everyone ready. We will be taking the city now."

Apollo frowned. "But my lord! You can't! What if-"

"There is no time to worry about that," Helios sighed. "I'll deal with it when the time comes."

Nodding, Apollo rusched forward, cupping his hands over his mouth.

"Fall back!" he yelled at the top of his lungs. "All men, fall back NOW!"

Helios drew in a breath, summoning his fiery wings. He shot into the air, climbing the sky till everything below him were specs. Drawing strength, he opened his palms, aiming for the space in front of the gates. He would first cut off their army from any retreat of any sort. He realeased the flames, sending white-hot fire downwards. He was sure they had seen him ascend into the sky, so he had no time to waste.

As he planned, the flames hit the ground, fanning across the grass and increasing in intensity as Helios kept firing. He could see the figures that were Typhon's men running around their camp in panic, finally realizing what was happening. No one dared to brave the flames, which was good. Now Helios could annihilate them without interruption.

Shutting off the fire, Helios increased the flames around his body, replicating the fire output he had conjured when he had first arrived at the Land of the Moon. He had no way of knowing if his men had completely retreated, but he hoped they had started running for their lives when he rose into the air.

Helios sucked in a sharp breath and dove, the wind tearing across his face as he plunged downward. He grinned as he fell, unable to contain his excitement. As he neared the ground, he could already see the tents Typon's men had set up catching fire. Anyone within a two-hundred-mile radius could surely feel the intensity of the fire.

The screams hit him as he came within a hundred feet of the camp.

The sun is falling, they seemed to be shouting, looking up in fear and horror.

The men were scrambling all around, some darting towards his own men, only to be struck down by arrows as they approached. Others tried leaping through the fire, blocking them off from the gate, but none got through without burning into a crisp first.

Letting a shrill laugh of delight escape his lips, Helios crashed right into the middle of the camp, releasing everything he had been storing. The camp was instantly incinerated as a ball of flame engulfed it completely, not sparing a single soul that had been unfortunate enough to have been inside.

Only one person stood from within the flames, a grin of pure madness plastered across his face.

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