REYNOD
The battle erupted like a tempest, our blades clashing in a flurry of steel. The treachery of my former comrades was a blasphemy I could never forgive. The people's faith in the monarchy was wavering, and my lord, Gosu, was being questioned.
"How could you do this?" I demanded, my voice low and menacing. "Turning against your sovereign in the blink of an eye. Have you no shame as warriors?"
The traitors stood before me, their eyes blazing with determination. They infused mana into their weapons, and in less than a second, they attacked, pouncing on me like wild cats thirsty for blood.
I deflected two of their attacks out of five and created a reasonable distance between us.
I'm rather at a disadvantage,
I thought, scanning the environment around me. The massive hordes of people trying to escape were a distraction I couldn't afford.
As I tried to devise a plan, I was interrupted by spell fire raining from the heavens. I dodged a few and barely managed to divert the rest, but I was taken by surprise.
"Rule One, never take your eyes off your opponent!" one of the traitors exclaimed, charging at me with his mana-infused blade radiating with heat and leaving a trail of fire in its path.
Our blades met in a collision of sparks and flames. The more we dueled, the more our mana burst began to split and destroy the ground around us.
He was younger than me by at least a decades, but his swordsmanship was far from a novice. "Are you trying to teach me what I taught you?" I uttered, overpowering him and landing a fatal kick to his abdomen, sending him flying into the hands of his comrades.
Their bodies collided, and a fog of dust covered them for a moment. "You must think you're so better than us," he said as the dust settled, his comrades standing by his side.
"You may be strong, but against all of us, your death is inevitable," he declared, drawing his blade towards me with a look of pure authority dazzling in his eyes like a young boy who had discovered the taste of power for the first time.
This child...
I thought, giving out a sigh. I looked at them all, and even after so many years, they still appeared as mere children before my eyes.
"My death is inevitable? You say," I started, my lips curling into a smile I wasn't intending to make. "I've denied death at the hands of a mighty dragon and even tricked it twice at the hands of a Giant. Who are you to dare stare me down, boy?" I said, my mana erupting with rage.
The only feeling I had greater than hatred at the moment was my admiration for our great Sovereign. I too drew my blade once more, and from this moment onwards, I was going to personally execute all traitors involved in this blasphemous act.
ZURIA ELENFOND
I streamed the halls, searching for Einar amidst the chaos. The mere thought of him being in trouble broke my heart, persuading me to increase my efforts in my search. What made it worse was the fact that his mana was untraceable. I couldn't sense even the tiniest fragment of his core.
"Einar!" I cried out as loudly as I could, my voice echoing throughout the halls to no response. I repeated this action for quite some time until I nearly lost my voice. Anxiety had taken over me, and my heart began pounding as loud as a massive drum. I couldn't help but worry.
"Where are you, idiot?" I murmured, my voice hardly audible as I gasped for air. After taking one big breath, I continued my search for my missing companion.
Finally, after searching nearly every sector of the academy within range, my hope was slightly shaken. I paused, trying to catch my breath. "Are you seriously looking for that human scum?" a voice oozing with malice stated, walking in my direction.
I quickly prepared myself, casting a sensory spell that would allow me to detect possible threats.
Just a little trick Reynod taught me.
"Hello, princess," Benedict Lè Bonderee remarked, his voice filled with sarcasm. He came out from the pillar in which he hid. As he casually leaned against the pillar, he portrayed a narcissistic expression on his smug face.
I groaned, not uttering a word to him, trying to conceal my anger. "Oh, what's wrong, princess? Are you mad your little human boyfriend isn't here?" he said, bursting into laughter like a madman. Clearly, he didn't understand the gravity of the situation.
But in all honesty, I too was still trying to wrap my head around all of it.
But one thing was certain, despite his idiotic behavior, Benedict .
Son of the former councilmen. Would most certainly know about Einar's whereabouts.
It would be unusual if he didn't know something, right?
"Where's Einar?" I requested, my tone calm, concealing all the anger that was bubbling inside me.
He chuckled, his chuckle was sinister, and I could tell he wasn't taking me seriously. After a moment, he stopped, pulling his hair back, he spat on the floor, his saliva nearly reaching my foot.
"Wouldn't you like to know," he muttered, now bursting into a laughter that echoed through the halls with a heavy, unrelenting malice.
His uncouth behavior irritated me. This fool, I thought, gritting my teeth.
"Very well, then... If you won't tell me where he is, I'll just have to force the answer out of you," I drew my blade and prepared myself.
He grinned and then removed a laso of some sort.
KATHERINE ROSE
There wasn't much time to be wasted. In the midst of the chaos that had spread like wildfire, I, as the student council's president, had a duty to my fellow students. It was my job to make sure none of them were injured.
I ordered the other members of the council to prioritize the survival of our students. Once that fire was put out, I could tend to more urgent matters.
The royal guard had betrayed the monarchy, and an uprising was unfolding right before my eyes. I knew that if any of the twelve knights who were currently in battle against their former commander decided to attack the students or even civilians, it would be a catastrophic event.
And so I had to prevent that at all costs.
With half of the faculty busy and the other half either traitors or simply missing, the school was left with no one to defend it.
I rushed towards the center of the chaos. And cut off by a short, curvy sword of some sort. The battlefield reeked with hostility and bloodlust.
I looked and beheld the greatest warrior in Zouran single-handedly fighting off a dozen knights who held immense power.
"Incredible," I whispered to myself, slightly getting lost in thought.
Three warriors attacked him from the right, and another three from the left, while the remaining six charged up their mana in an attempt to overwhelm him.
But they failed. Before I could even blink, the first six men were already on the floor, crying out in excruciating pain.
He then targeted two of the six who were nearly completing their spells, ready to attack. He overwhelmed them with ease and was able to prevent them from casting their spells.
But he was ignorant to the other four he had neglected.
Swiftly, I rushed in, slicing off the arm of one knight who was attempting a sneak attack. My cut was subtle and precise.
"You Bitch!" he cried out, moving back, trying to stop the bleeding.
"You shouldn't be here," the commander said, his voice as serious and uneasy as always.
"Does a warrior need permission to fight for what they believe to be true?" I inquired, leaving him speechless.
We stood back to back as the dozen knights surrounded us.
He gave a sigh, and finally, he responded, "Don't die."
His voice was commanding, as it should be, but for some reason, I genuinely believed he meant it.
"Yes, big brother."