章節 29: Truth, Erebos And Michael
Heresh stood as a unique beauty, its dark tendrils of magic weaving through the air. The city's inhabitants were predominantly undead, retaining their personalities after transformation or skilled necromancers. The numbers of the latter had dwindled since Sandro's encounter with the First Legion Necromancers.
Despite appearances, I knew Zakera couldn't be dead. During her plague-induced chaos, I had marked her soul with a magical tracker. Whoever Sandro had killed, it wasn't Zakera. Determined for answers, my body moved at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye, bringing me to an antechamber guarded by two formidable Death Knights.
"Halt!" one of them demanded, drawing his sword, while the other aimed his staff at me.
"I am Lucas Aldaric. I want to talk to the one inside the antechamber," I declared, raising my hands in surrender.
After a momentary exchange of glances, the door opened with Zakera's shrouded voice instructing, "Let him in." The guards reluctantly allowed my passage.
Entering the chamber, illuminated by eerie green fire, I saw Zakera kneeling before an altar dedicated to the Mother Namtaru.
"How did you know?" she asked, her voice tinged with pain.
"Belketh would never kill you like that. Nobody believed it. If your death were real, some of us would have voiced our distrust for the angel," I responded, taking a seat on a bench.
"Sorry," Zakera's voice murmured, akin to a mosquito. "I was arrogant and blinded by the needs of victory. Belketh showed me what I was becoming, and it made me sick."
"He showed me how I would have ended up, with Sandro killing me," she added, looking at me with determined eyes.
Smiling, I spoke, "I believe you want to change. Your actions will determine that. I truly hope, Zakera, that you'll find what your heart is searching for."
"I'll inform everyone that you're alive and changing your ways. Vagran will be pleased; he was the one who wanted to kill you the most after what you did. Perhaps you won't meet the Chaos Lord's fate so soon."
Zakera huffed at my reply, "A demon talking about justice, what a paradox."
Laughing, I vanished into the horizon in a flash of light. "Take care, Zakera. We'll see each other on the battlefield."
As I approached Falcon's Reach, a lingering sense of presence made me turn around. Behind me, a faceless figure rushed towards me, its masked visage resembling a haunting smile. Despite the unsettling sight, I halted my journey to the capital and confronted the mysterious being.
"Why are you following me, Faceless?" I inquired, addressing the peculiar creature.
"We sought to encounter you. We were curious about an Elrath Chosen who aided Malassa's own. Nothing piqued our interest more than this," the Faceless responded,
"We didn't introduce ourselves. This one is Erebos, master Assassin of the Faceless," he declared, sending a wave of dread over me. 'Erebos? I am in serious trouble,' I thought, a feeling of fear creeping in.
Erebos was renowned for defeating Uriel and Michael, dismissing them as weaklings in the process . However, I knew that Michael had managed to defeat and seal Azkaal during the Elder Wars—a feat far beyond my capabilities. And now, here was before my very eyes Erebos, the one that killed Michael.
"You don't have to fear us. We harbor no ill intentions toward you or your empire. We serve Malassa, and she considers you her second chosen. We will never harm a chosen one of the Mother of Secrets," he reassured me, attempting to allay any concerns.
"We assisted the Angel of Death in concealing the death of his pupil by sacrificing one of our own. He now owes us a favor," Erebos explained.
"The Faceless who perished against Sandro was one of yours," I realized.
"Exactly. The true purpose of this charade was to eliminate the Necromancers accompanying the young girl. They were deemed too extreme by Belketh's standards."
Realization struck me as Erebos reached under his robe and tossed me a bag made of darkness. "This is the soul of Michael," he revealed.
"What?!" I exclaimed, widening my eyes at the Faceless.
"We are grateful to you, and Mother is too. Consider this a small compensation for not wiping out the Dark Elves," Erebos responded, his ethereal voice resonating everywhere.
"It would have been simpler for you to eradicate them, but you didn't. Instead, you provided them with food and the means to produce it, all for a modest stock of rocks and gold. If this isn't a perfect representation of the Elrath's Faith that was lacking in Ashan, we don't know what is," he concluded.
I felt a stirring within me, and my eyes seemed to moisten slightly.
"We are aware of everyone contradicting your ideals of peace and gentleness. However, understand that we, the Erebos, agree with your stance. We assumed the title of Master of Assassins for the sake of peace, recognizing the necessity of sacrificing a few to save the majority. We were once like you, and after the war, we reflected on our actions. Do we regret anything? No. Do not regret what you do, for it is for your people," Erebos spoke with a solemn tone.
"Nothing in this world is simply black and white. Faceless are not all bad, and Angels are not all good. We know that this is not the truth," he added.
His form seemed to dissolve as the sun peeked above the horizon. "We will see each other soon, young king," Erebos' voice lingered.
I watched his disappearing silhouette with a smile on my face. "Thank you, Erebos. Thank you so much," I expressed with a beaming smile.
"You are welcome," echoed Erebos' voice one last time before fading away completely. I turned my attention to the bag he had given me, applying dozens of defensive matrices to protect its contents.
Smiling, I gazed at the emerging sun, feeling a happiness I hadn't experienced in these times of war.
Entering my personal laboratory atop the mountain of Falcon's Reach, I swiftly placed the bag on the table. Cautiously, I inspected its contents, mindful of potential treachery from Erebos. Despite my trust in the Faceless, prudence remained essential.
What I beheld was a soul etched into my memory forever—a radiant sight, akin to gazing at the sun, with fiery light dancing around the soul. Closing the bag, I surveyed my surroundings. I had previously attempted to create Angels, but it had proven impossible with my current abilities. However, with Michael's soul in hand, everything changed.
My attention turned to Elrio's lifeless body, already marked with wings. This would serve as Michael's medium for resurrection. Placing Michael's soul into Elrio's form, a divine miracle unfolded. The entire mountain lit up as if a meteor hung above Falcon's Reach. I sensed divinity surge within Elrio's body as it underwent a transformation—white hues replaced the colors of death, brown hair turned into cascading silver strands, and wings sprouted, one pair enormous and the second shorter.
His appearance evolved further, a silver armor covering his once-nude body, and an enormous sword materialized in his right hand. My eyes widened in awe. In the next instant, I teleported out of the mountain just as a beam of light pulverized its summit.
"Here goes my workshop," I sighed, but my heart swelled with joy at the sight of the figure emerging from the ruins.
I felt his presence in the surrounding mana, a fountain of light that enveloped the space.
"I am Michael, Commander of the Angels Legions, and I pay my utmost respect to Elrath's Chosen," his echoing voice accompanied his materializing form in front of me as he kneeled on the ground.
"I have witnessed my host's memories and his death, My Lord. Allow me to dispense fitting punishment for those who killed him. Let me bring them to justice!" the angel cried out, the surroundings lighting up with his palpable anger.
"You, Michael, will lead the legions directly into their territories alongside the other factions," I declared. With a teleportation, we appeared inside the meeting room where the four leaders of the Praetorian legions knelt at our arrival. Surprisingly, they seemed indifferent to the Arch-Angel's presence, showing perhaps a hint of awe but lacking the zealotry I had anticipated.
I should have anticipated that Angels were not a rare sight in Ashan during the Second Eclipse, considering it was a greater war that brought destruction to civilizations and carnage as the norm in the last years of Ashan.
The two dukes entered in turn, exhibiting a similar reaction to the Praetorian leaders. "We will devise the plan for the next year," I announced to the war council gathered.
"First, we'll pursue the Necromancers and Elves, who are heading directly north to crush the Empire. We will protect their right flank," I began, opening the map of the continent.
"We'll divide into two legions. The first will move into the farmlands of their Empire. Vagran has already caused considerable damage, but they are still operational. Xario and Lectrios will be the commanders for this legion. Michael, you will lead the legion as a whole with the support of the commanders," I directed, receiving nods of agreement.
"George, Ionatos, and Luke, you will lead the army heading here," I pointed to the east of the first legion's path. "Take the cities around here, ensuring no reinforcements cut our army in half."
"Thaum, you will oversee the supplies for each army. I'll provide you with a considerable number of golems to create roads and encampments for advancing into their territory."
"Is everyone clear on their next mission?" I asked, seeking confirmation from the assembled council.
"And you, your majesty, what will you do?" Xario asked, his red armor gleaming with a beautiful light.
"I will be overseeing the entire army. I'll move from battlefield to battlefield, offering my magical assistance wherever needed," I replied to the commander, who nodded. "Additionally, I will supervise the construction of additional cities and villages throughout the captured territory. After all, the war doesn't halt our expansion."
"The plan will commence next month, allowing everyone time to familiarize themselves with each other. I believe this will be one of the final assaults of the war. They'll be attacked from every front, unable to defend against all of us simultaneously," I informed the council.
Everyone nodded and began to disperse as I called an end to the meeting, except for Michael.
"Is something the matter, Michael?" I inquired of the silent angel.
"This plan is sound, my Lord," he began. "But complications could arise at any given time. I am here to rectify the situation if something goes wrong."
"I heard during my imprisonment about this 'pact' that all leaders made. I don't trust any of them. Demons and Faceless are the worst kind of people you want in your team, but well, we can't be pickers now."
Michael and I looked outside suddenly as we sensed a fiery presence closing in from afar at blazing speed.
"Azkaal," muttered Michael with gritted teeth. "My Lord, I will be going to fight him. He sensed my resurrection without a doubt."
I looked at the angel worriedly; he had just been freshly resurrected, and perhaps he would not be at his top form.
"Do not worry, my Lord. I am Elrath's Chosen General. I will not lose against a mere prince of the Demons," the angel declared as he disappeared in a flash of light. I followed promptly.
–
The sky blazed as the Champion of the Overlord Ur-Khrag flew toward Falcon's Reach with a hateful expression.
"This golden chicken is back, time for revenge," he laughed. Abruptly stopping, he looked at Michael, who appeared in front of him.
"A defeat didn't suffice for you, Azkaal. You're back for another round of thrashing," Michael declared, drawing his enormous sword that blazed with light, mirroring Azkaal, who did the same with his broken sword.
"You defeated me because you were numerous. Do not delude yourself, slave of Order. I am stronger than you," the demon prince laughed, generating an inferno around him. However, the two combatants found themselves ensnared in azure chains.
"What is this? What's happening?" they struggled within the magical restraints, only for Lucas to appear alongside a cloaked figure who materialized above them. The robes of the cloaked figure concealed the blue hue around his head.
"Sar-Elam?!" Lucas exclaimed, recognizing the Seventh Dragon God.
"Shit," Azkaal muttered, fear showing in his eyes for the first time as he looked at the cloaked man.
The voice of the cloaked stranger resounded, the world seemingly responding to his words.
"Why fight among yourselves when a more pressing threat is around the corner, Prince of Destruction?"
"This is why I sealed all of you and your masters back then. You cannot contain your impulses. Only my foolish disciple, now known as Kha-Beleth, can retain his demonic impulses. You are no different from beasts. So, now tell me, Prince of Destruction, should I kill you for your attack on an allied general?"
The stranger seemed to ponder for a moment before moving his cloaked hands, conjuring a contract from thin air.
"You will sign this, Azkaal. This contract forbids you from using your power to attack your allies. Belketh wanted to do that, but he doesn't have the power to force you into a contract. However, I don't have these limitations."
"Now, Azkaal, sign and live, or refuse and die. The choice is yours."
"I accept," grunted the demon prince without even allowing time for thought.
"Good, then you go back to where you came from" Sar-Elam moved his hand and Azkaal was removed from reality, his body erased.
Sar-Elam looked at Lucas and Michael before dispelling his bindings, he nodded and then disappeared at his turn.
The two chosen of Elrath looked at each other with shock in their eyes before disappearing at their turn.
–
"Who are you? This is not your throne room!" Lyza cried out, her magic dancing widely around her, as she looked at the stranger sitting on her throne.
"Why so serious?" the beautiful voice of the stranger was heard as the body of the snake woman reclined on the throne.
"Mother Shalassa asked me to teach you for a bit since Yafei there can't instruct you anymore; you've already surpassed her."
"By the way, my name is Yue Mei, or Eternal Empress if you want to go by my title. Now, call me sensei~" the irritating voice of the incredibly beautiful azure-haired snake woman said.
Lyza gritted her teeth as she looked at all the frozen guards that tried to stop the stranger from taking her throne.
"Now, my beautiful disciple, let's start our first lesson—titled 'Survive.'" A deluge of magic was launched from Yue Mei.
That will be all for today, see you soon :)
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