Konrad burned his last morsels of mana faster than he would've liked.
"A cheap trick won't work on me," his twin scoffed, crashing giant boulders from the sky. The void shook—or rather, Halaima beneath—but his aim was way off. "W-what did you do?!"
His expression changed fast—so easy to read, Konrad almost felt embarrassed for him.
Nimrod must've been strong, but watching him now—
He hoped he didn't look this stupid when someone outsmarted him.
"I call it 'Void Labyrinth,'" the boy forced a grin. "You'll never be able to break out of it."
That latter half was a bluff—there was nothing to break out of, but nobody needed to know that. He was out of breath, running unseen towards his purple-eyed—um, companion?
Haremette? Lover? Servant?
Whatever she was, Eyna waited for him, as confusion spread around them.
He created a simple, yet clever illusion—though it was anything but cheap.
Where mazes narrowed vision, he let everyone see—but from the wrong perspective. People have always trusted their eyes, even when they lied.
Had they listened, they might've realized that voices didn't come from where they stood.
They might've even spotted their mirror images somewhere. But after that initial flash—in the chaos of the battlefield—the confusion was complete.
He could keep that up for fifteen more seconds—before he'd fizzle out completely.
Only three steps towards the church annex—
His muscles screamed in protest as boulders rained down—on the spot he should've been.
"Run all you want, I'll bombard the town until nothing remains," his twin raged.
"And here I thought you wanted to capture it," Konrad panted, focusing on a single goal.
He had hoped having a twin would mean a new ally—but there'd be time to hope for that, if they all survived and escaped. He only had ten seconds left and almost reached Eyna.
The ground kept shaking under his feet. How far could that idiot's power go?!
The prophecy made it clear that the spirits blessed Nimrod—but sure as hell, not with brains.
As long as his actions pleased his benefactors, he could keep casting magic.
But did they want Halaima gone? In any case, this felt like cheating.
"Shoot him," Otto shouted, pointing his dagger at the blank sky—Konrad's cue to act.
The girl yelped. Silvery hair tangled in the Inquisitor's fist, but her throat no longer threatened.
While crossbowmen peppered the fake image with bolts, he snuck closer to grab Eyna's arm.
"So, I hear you like setting people on fire," the boy snarled, creating one last flame. "Let's see how you like the taste of your own medicine."
All he could do was set Otto's garbs on fire and let the Void Labyrinth crumble.
At least the changing scenery left everyone confused, giving him a chance to recover.
"You heretic," the Inquisitor screamed, trying to put out his cloak. "Kill him, kill them all—"
But his men weren't where they thought they'd be.
The shieldwall scattered. The archers found themselves surrounded.
Tribesmen—still outnumbered, but no longer pinned—began to retreat.
Nimrod raged above, flying low, becoming the first clear target for the crossbowmen.
As Konrad's spell ended, it caused even more chaos than it did while it lasted.
"You should've taken my exchange offer while you had the chance."
He freed the confused girl, but had no power left to run away with her.
Nimrod sent more boulders their way—where did he pull them from?! But the Church's men could aim without confusion. He must've had an invisible shield, or he'd fallen like a stone, too.
But at the very least, he had to pull back as well.
"M-master," Eyna mumbled, sticking to Konrad like a magnet. "You saved me again."
"Not yet," the boy panted.
He was running on fumes in the middle of the enemy formation as chaos erupted all around.
"Master Otto," Sister Stella yelled, too.
It seemed she escaped while Konrad was busy, but since the Inquisitor was on fire, she froze on the steps. He didn't intend to shock her again, but—what the hell was Welf doing?
"Kid, this way," the redhead showed up with a large shield, stones clanging on it with every step.
At that moment, he forgave all the blacksmith's mistakes.
"Let's go," the boy nodded, but his legs wouldn't carry him further.
Eyna grabbed him and ducked under his arm, dragging him along—who was saving who now? Nimrod wouldn't stop his rage, though he floated further and further away.
The ability to levitate was already unfair, but that shield made Konrad even more jealous.
There were so many spells he still had to learn. Starting with some healing or recovery magic, because his arm still bled, and he was about to pass out.
"Don't let Stella escape," he pointed at the hesitant executioner.
With that, he spent the last of his strength.
He stumbled, Eyna carrying more of his weight than he would've admitted.
The blacksmith, shield in hand, knocked Stella out and dragged her along like the brute he was.
That only left Father Alastair, but it seemed the priest had already reached the gates. Good, he didn't care about the rest for now—he'd deal with them after a long rest and a rich dinner.
"Run, cowards," his twin boomed, but the crossbowmen kept him at bay.
The battle descended into chaos, helping the tribesmen to bolt.
They threw away their weapons and dignity, too.
Whoever thought this attack was a good idea has never seen a battle.
Konrad wasn't an expert either, but even without his meddling, this would've been a disaster.
"Master, I'm sorry, I have failed you again," Eyna was sweating bullets, dragging him past the rusted gates. "I thought I could negotiate in your name, but I fell into the Church's trap."
"And so did I," the boy tried to catch his breath. "Look, is this the face of someone who won?"
Gazing into those purple eyes, he felt a surge of power and pride.
"Neither of us could've expected this, but we're all still here, still alive. That's what matters."
He pointed at the routing tribesmen and the Church's men chasing them.
Without Otto's strict orders, they didn't seem motivated, either, and left them alone at last.
As the rumbling stopped, Konrad figured his twin would withdraw, too. The battle was over.
It was a mess, but for all intents and purposes, the true winner might've been him.
"Now we know where things stand, who leads the town and the tribes. And we even got ourselves a hostage," he nodded at the shaking executioner.
Welf learned from his earlier mistake and wouldn't take his hands off her arm.
"Y-you'll regret this," Stella gritted through her teeth. "The Inquisitor will—"
"You mean the guy who didn't want you back?" Konrad interrupted her with a smug grin. "Did you see how well he was burning? Want to know how that feels, too?"
The tall and proud woman tried to cower behind Welf's back.
Her long, straight hair was a mess now, her face contorted in panic and shame, dirty—
And her mind must've been full of the Inquisition's secrets.