(Previous chapter - Gauge confronts Vendrick in the fortress of Lucia. The others rush off to protect the people of Lucia.)
Vendrick choked and fell to his knees. Wings pierced through his flesh, bloodied. The dark veil unwrapped, revealing a seven-foot monster. His eyes were like those of a cat. He wore a long, unbuttoned jacket. His face was almost human, but with short sheep horns bulging out of his bald head.
Vendrick's voice rang out,"Still think you can take me on alone?"
Gauge did not falter. He charged his legs and dashed towards Vendrick. He sprang off the ground, rapidly closing in with his leg propelled forward. Vendrick responded with a punch. The two clashed. The impact created a blinding flash of light.
Battle at the fortress - Vendrick Vs Mordan Gauge.
Outside the fortress
Var, Ceraphilla, and Lucian saved as many people as they could from the demon attacks. Lucian suggested,"These weapons are ours! I know where our armory is. If we can sabotage the armory, we can win this war!"
"I can do it. I can use my forcefield to crush down the armory," Ceraphilla volunteered.
Var conjured a plan and explained,
"Lucian, split up and send Aeropiercer with Ceraphilla. (His gaze turned towards Ceraphilla.) You and Aero—do whatever it takes to take down the armory. Me and the champion will—"
Swoopp Var was swept off the ground by a fast-moving figure.
Lucian responded,
"Okay. We don't have time. I'll leave the champion here to assist you, Gabriel."
fzzzzz Lucian split himself into Aero and Champion.
Aero instructed the Champion,
"Brother, stay here and protect Gabriel. Let's go, Cera."
Ceraphilla grew annoyed and whispered to herself in a grim tone,"Cera…? Ughh..."
Top of the fortress
Var was thrown onto the top of the fortress. He quickly regained his stance and observed the demon that nabbed him. It looked similar to Vendrick, only smaller. Its wings were significantly larger.
The demon threatened Var,"You think you can just barge in and take over the kingdom? You will not win. Even if you did, you would have saved nothing. I, Markoth, General of the Skies, shall take down the intruder."
Battle on top of the fortress: Markoth vs Var'zek.
Somewhere in the city
Gunfire of blue gleaming energy rained upon the city.
"That gun—made from Gate fluid. The Gate Gatling Gun. Otherwise known as the 3G!" Gabriel exclaimed to the Champion.
The Champion stood emotionless as ever. Gabriel gave up talking to him and started tapping his Riftcore watch.
"If I remember right, I installed a failsafe in that gun in case the energy grew unstable. If I can find the program among the three thousand others, I can shut it down!"
Suddenly, he heard a warcry,
"Freedom! It has come knocking on our doors. If four people are brave enough to resist the Tyrant, then all of us combined should be too. Hail the resistance!!"
All the people of Lucia started fighting back.
A woman exclaimed,
"We too have weapons of the same nature! To freedom!"
They all pulled out spears, swords, and small pistols, each gleaming with gate energy.
—Not more than a moment later, a fast-moving shadow pierced through a crowd of people. Blood splurted everywhere. Gabriel was confused. Before he could react, the shadow appeared in front of him.
A small demon, with sheep horns and a humanoid face, wielding two short scythes. He aimed for Gabriel's neck.
Thudddd The Champion punched straight through the ground. A rubble of smoke filled the area. Once it cleared, the Champion noticed he had punched through nothing. The short demon stood right in front of them, unfazed.
He responded,
"Woah, you guys do have the muscle. Pardon me, where are my manners? I am Raikin, General of the Grounds. You see, rebelling against the throne is a crime, so I'll have to kill you."
He tightened his grip on his dual scythes. The Champion had been given one command: to protect Gabriel.
Battle at the city centre - Raikin Vs The Golden champion.
Meanwhile, at the Castle Armory
Ceraphilla and Aero reached the armory. They found it locked by a large, heavy door.
Aero commented,
"These doors are really hard to open without a key. What do we do?"
"You will stand back," ordered Ceraphilla.
She placed her palms together and created a small film of shield between the doors. KRRR She struggled, expanding the forcefield, crushing the doors on both sides. She then released it and started panting.
Aero hurried inside and took a look. His eyes widened."It's empty!?"
Ceraphilla followed him and glanced inside. She noticed a single tall woman sitting at the center of the empty hall.
"Came here looking for weapons?"
The woman stood up and revealed herself—a ten-foot-tall, obese figure with pink hair. Her body was larger than any demon in Lucia. She walked toward them, her shrieky voice cutting the air,"Too bad! Hahaha."
Aero was frustrated. He yelled,"Who are you? What did you do with all the weapons?"
The woman grinned and responded,"I am Karla, General of Weapons. As for your second question…"
She raised one of her arms. Her palm opened up. Shnng A series of spears launched out. Ceraphilla blocked them all with her forcefield. Clang The spears hit the ground, rendered immobile.
Aero rushed to one of them. He noticed the Lucian dynasty emblem carved on it. He deduced,
"She isn't guarding the armory… She is the armory! If we have any chance of winning this war, it will be by defeating her."
Battle at the armory: Karla vs Aero and Ceraphilla.
Inside the fortress
The throne room was covered in ruins. Both Gauge and Vendrick repelled from each other after a bout of exchanges.
"It seems I have underestimated you, warrior. Well then, let's get serious, shall we?" remarked Vendrick.
He reached for his spine, extended out from his body. He grabbed hold of the extension and pulled it out. Blood spluttered from his body, yet he stood menacingly silent. He pulled a sword covered in blood and flesh.
Gauge was not intimidated in the slightest. He slowly unsheathed Feryx.
She commented
,"Finally, it's good to be—"
She was interrupted by Vendrick laughing hysterically,"Ahahahaha! Look at the size of that dagger. You think it's going to stop my Executer?"
Feryx's voice turned serious. She demanded,
"Finish him quick. Drive me through his heart."
Gauge smirked as he prepared his stance,"With pleasure."
Next chapter – A Shot at Freedom.