Take on Another World with My Best Friend Vol. II Ch. 9

Shin and Akira stand there, quizzically about how long Ivanov has understood what they are talking about so far, how far his evolution has taken him to this current condition. The proper and formal voice Akira and Shin heard from Ivanov as if a male kid voice, going through puberty "How long have you been able to talk, Ivanov?" "I have been talking the whole time, Father" "Either way, I'm happy for you, boy" "Thank you, Father" Ivanov jumps and licks Akira in the face. "Alright, boy. Thank you" "Father, if I may, can I take Uncle Shin to fly?" Akira looks at Shin. "How about it, Shin?" Shin looks at Ivanov. He doesn't look like he's able to fly. Sure, he's gotten bigger than before, but flying is out of the question. "Can you even fly, Ivanov?" Ivanov tilts his head as if questioning. Out of nowhere, Ivanov shakes his body as if he's drying himself. After shaking for a few seconds, a wing came out of his back. A silvery red feather is covering his entire branches. If tucked in, it could fit into a door, but the wingspan when extended can cover the entire room. "Wow. Your wings are beautiful, kid. But can you carry me?" Ivanov walks to Shin's back and slid under him. He carries Shin on his back and jumped out of the open window in the room. Akira looks over to the windows to see that Shin is flying at a fast speed. He is flying above the castle for a few moments. "Uncle Shin. Grab onto me tight!" "WHAT!?" Shin didn't hear him too well. In an instant, Ivanov is tilting his body directly toward the sky. Shin is caught by surprise by the sudden turn and grabs Ivanov tightly. Ivanov is moving upward above and at lightning speed. A single flap of Ivanov's wings can move an entire cloud once they passed the cloud. Ivanov stopped flying upward and reposition his body in a horizontal position. Shin's eyes are closed, and he's trembling, due to a combination between fear and the sky's temperature. "Uncle. Uncle. Wake up please" Shin won't wake up. Ivanov shakes his body to wake up Shin until a smack to the butt with his tail wakes him up. "Ouch! Wha-where are we?" "This is the most I can go, uncle. We are up in the sky" "The sky?" It's not a sky. As the far eyes can see, Shin sees Terra in front of him. He could see the whole continent, the desert, the ocean, and the clouds. From his back, he sees complete darkness. They are no longer in the sky. They are in space. "IVANOV! PUT ME DOWN NOW!" "Uncle?" Shin is in a state of panic, but he calms himself down. He pats Ivanov's head from his back. "Sorry for yelling at you, boy. But why are we here?" "This is as far as I can go, Uncle. Would you be able to snipe them from here?" "This is too far for sniping, boy. You could take me beyond the clouds. Well, from here, I can think of a faster way to defeat them. But I need to talk to Akira first. Let's go back" "Okay!" Ivanov says with a jolly kid voice. He tilts back vertically, but this time, downward. When he entered the lower layer, they feel that the air is heavier. Once they are in the clouds, Ivanov slowly stops their descent. From behind the cloud, they can see Sabea and Romolo. "How about here?" "Let me try" Shin takes out his heavy sniper rifle, which might have been a Hecate II. He puts his eyes behind the scope. He tries to target each Negative Zone pedestal "This will do. But Hecate II might not be able to do it all at once. 7 Rounds in the magazine" "Uncle, why don't you use that magic when you fight Father? That was impressive" "Huh? Which one?" "Then one that will always target you wherever you are? You know, the one you shot at Father, but he teleports, but the pebbles came back?" "I can't do that. It only works when..." "Uncle?" "When..." Ivanov is confused, why would he stop his sentence there? "That...might actually work" Shin, taken by the idea of how smart his new nephew is, rubs his belly. "What the- Shin rubs his belly, making Ivanov starts to shake. "AHAHAHAHA. UNCLE! THAT TICKLES! AHAHAHA!" Ivanov starts to roll to give better access to his belly, but in doing so he throws Shin off his back. "IVANOV!" He realizes that he accidentally dropped Shin. He chased him downward. Once Ivanov is on Shin's level, he carefully positions himself so Shin wouldn't get hurt. After catching him, they went back to Akira's room. Akira greets them back. "How was the trip?" "It was great. I think this good boy here can absolutely fly" "Oh? How far did you go up, Ivanov?" "Iunno, around 63000 paces I think" "Paces?" "I dunno about paces, Akira. But we were on the stratosphere. There was darkness behind our backs and we could still breathe, although hard" "You surprise me, boy" Ivanov did not respond. He sits there looking sad. Shin approaches him. He kneels and pats his head. "What's wrong?" "I'm sorry" "Sorry? What are you sorry for?" "I dropped you off from the cloud" "Oh, don't worry about that, boy. The fault was mine. I rub your belly" Ivanov still sits down looking sad. "Okay, if you're going to keep feeling sad, then I'm going to rub your sadness away" Shin rubs Ivanov's belly. But this one is harder than before. He playfully rubs his head too. "AHAHAHAHA! UNCLE PLEASE! THAT'S TICKLISH! AHAHAHA" Ivanov is laying on his back. His position is easier to make Shin give a belly rub. "Are you feeling better?" "I HAVE! AHAHAHA. UNCLE, PLEASE!" Shin stops rubbing his belly. Ivanov's mood is getting better. Ivanov licks Shin's face. "I'm not satisfied yet!" Shin suddenly continues rubbing Ivanov's belly. But the rub is getting thorough. Head, belly, back, and paws. "AHAHAHAH UNCLE! PLEASE!" Ivanov's body is trembling in his ticklishness. His laugh is getting louder and louder. Shin tickles him until Ivanov runs away out of the door. Shin is thinking of chasing him, but he remembers he has something to tell Akira. "I think I have an easier way to destroy Romolo. But it's not going to be clean" "How dirty?" "Off the map dirty" "How are we supposed to do that?" "Ivanov can bring us at least really high. We can drop a really big tungsten rod, like a telephone pole big" "It feels...wrong. I won't allow it" Akira feels reluctant. That method might be too destructive. He can see the idea being useful but it would be a hassle to rebuild the kingdom. "No. Let's stick with our initial plan. If nothing works, let's just use brute force" "Alright. Your call. But I'm going to think of a backup plan, whether you like it or not" "That's fine with me" "Good. Now, do you want to get some rest, or do you want to go out?" "Where are you going?" "Check up on King Halim. Last time I checked, he wasn't doing too well" As far as Shin remembers, Halim came out of the prayer room looking pale and tired. They didn't know how Halim can bring Akira back to life, but whatever he did, he puts his life in danger. "I better check on him. I owe him, too" "Great" Akira jumps out of bed and put on his clothes. Pants, shirt, but no suit jacket. He rolled up the sleeves of his shirt and went out of the room. But when they approached Halim's room, they were stopped by the guards. "Stop! What is your business with His Majesty?" "I came to say thank you for reviving me" "Oh, You must be King Akira. I apologize, but no one enters the room, His Majesty's order. He hasn't woken up yet. But I can say that he's fine" "Thank God. If he has woken up, may I ask you to relay my thanks?" "Absolutely" "Thank you, man" Akira and Shin walk the other way. "A moment, King Akira. If you don't mind?" "Yes?" "I just want to thank you for helping Suleyman. The funds you helped us. My family was starving and I am this close to deserting. I am loyal to King Halim, but as a man, I have to prioritize my own family first" "I understand. I'm glad that we could help" "The rain on Sabea the other day... It was your doing, right?" "Why do you think that?" "The gate guard is my son. He said the day you came to this town, shortly after the rain came down. He also saw a big ball of water shrinking, then a flood across the desert. That wouldn't be a coincidence, would it?" Shin and Akira are feeling uneasy. Now that they are saying it, it doesn't sound really helpful. "Um..." "No need to feel bad. It's been a while since we're having rain. It helped us a lot. Thank you" "Uh...Sure. You're welcome" Akira and Shin walk in the opposite direction of the guards. They are currently walking in the garden in front of the palace. They are currently still taking a census of the slaves. The one that has registered with the census are let to roam the city, but they are currently living under the designated refugee area; near the southern city wall. They are provided with an open desert area, living in tents. Among them is Hana, healing slaves that are injured. She sees Akira from far away with her eyes. "My lord!" Hana rushes to Akira and Shin. They are walking toward Hana. Hana kneels once she is in front of him. "This one thank you for your kindness. For freeing me and our fellow slaves. The other slaves heard this and they kneel to Akira, young, old, men, and women. Akira doesn't like this formality, since this is not a kingdom matters. They ask them to stand up. "Everyone. Please, stand up. I don't like all this kneeling" The slaves are standing up. There are murmurs of uncertainty. The man they called king in front of them doesn't act like a king, which earns Shin a glare. They back down immediately. "Is this everyone?" "There are still 20 of them for the census. What's going on?" "I'm going to address the crowd. After their liberation, they will need a place to live. I'm going to give them options" "Options?" "Let's wait for them first, then we can start" Hana nods. Meanwhile, Akira calls Haruki from his phone. Haruki immediately picks up. "Kid. Thank God. I have been trying to call you. Are you okay?" "Yeah, thankfully" "Listen to this. Turns out, the Emperor of Mercia is only one man in the council. The council's whereabouts are unknown. But they are keeping their eye on you" "Yeah. I kinda know that already Dad. There-" "They are waiting for you to conclude the war. Whether you win or lose, they are sure to take action" "What?!" "They are looking for an excuse. This is what my intel says. Whatever you do, be careful" Akira went silent for a second. "Thanks, Dad. But I called for another reason" "What is it?" "I need to buy food and clothing in large quantities. Where can I buy food wholesale?" "Don't worry about it. We just received a large order from King Halim. It has been sent out with our fastest ship yesterday. It should be there any minute. But we don't have clothing for wholesale. Especially for the slaves you liberated" "Let me guess? There are not enough amount?" "Yup" "It can't be helped, then" "Why can't you use your power to create clothing?" "I tried. It doesn't work?" "What? Why?" "I've been exposed to Negative Zone. Whatever it is, I can't use my power. I'm still recovering, but I don't know how long it will take" "I...I'm sorry to hear that, kid. Hope you're recovering soon" "Me too. Dad. Thanks" "Take care of yourself, kid" Haruki hangs up the phone. Akira sighed. Shin asked Akira about what happened "You lost your power?" "Yeah" "How did you know?" "When you were up there with Ivanov. I'm trying to create an article of clothing for myself, but it doesn't work. The only thing I can use is my item box. What about you?" Shin cast a water ball out of his hand. "My magic is just fine" "I'm useless, then" "Kinda. But you have us. Don't worry. Have faith in your friends. Have faith in us. Besides, if I'm being honest, you are way too overpowered. If someone wrote a book about you, it would be way too boring. Let us handle this, okay?" Akira looks dejected for a moment, but Shin assures Akira that this is okay. "What if my power is gone forever?" "Let's talk about that later. This is not a time to be dejected. Look around you. These people are looks up to you as their leader. If their leader looks depressed, how do you think they would feel?" Shin taps Akira on his shoulder and points at the slaves, who are getting by with whatever they are provided with. Smiles frowns, and every emotion can be seen in these faces. A man who leads them can show emotion, but he cannot show any weakness. "You're right" "Of course I am. I have been a leader in my own company. Right now, It's your turn to lead them" Akira nods. Hana approaches Akira with the other 20 slaves with slaves that are roaming the city "Lord Akira. Everyone is here" "Right. Would you please gather everyone here?" Hana nods. He asked everyone to gather people around. Shin approached Akira. "Speech?" "Yeah. No matter how often I do this, It makes my stomach churn" "You know what they say. Imagine everyone naked" "Ugh. There's no way I'm imagining everyone naked. There are old people and kids here" "Fine. Take a deep breath, and focus on your goal" Akira stands on top of the box and sees the crowd encircling him. Akira took a deep breath and looks around. The people look expectantly. Akira speaks loudly, with the help of a megaphone he got in his item box. "Attention, everyone. If anyone hasn't heard of me, my name is Akira, and this is my partner Shin. I was given a mission by my superior. My mission is to return you to your home. I also happen to be a representative from Newlight, a new kingdom. A kingdom that was made from the land of the people is probably responsible for why you are being a slave" Several people know what Akira is talking about. The Territory of Corsair Princes. "If I am, to be honest with you, I am not sure I can handle this mission. Because this mission is coming from your god. The same God you have been praying to. The same God you are holding your hope on. As his proxy, I aim to deliver my promise" Several murmurs can be heard. God himself sent him to assist them? There are several hopeful people, but a lot of them are skeptical. "If you want to go back to your family, or start a new life, come with us when we're finished here back to Newlight. If you want to go your way, you are free to do so." Akira takes a deep breath once again. "But let me ask you this. Are you going to let that happen again? To you? To your family? To the person to your right?" The slaves collectively shout "No". "Are you going to let them go just like that?" The slaves collectively shout "no", but this time, it's louder than before. "Are you angry? Are you upset? That this happens to you?" The slaves collectively shout "Yes". Akira got the crowd riled up. "Then fight. FIGHT! FIGHT YOUR OPPRESSOR! FIGHT FOR YOUR FAMILY! FIGHT FOR YOUR FREEDOM! FIGHT FOR YOUR GOD THAT ANSWERS YOUR PRAYER!" Akira raises his fist, and the riled-up crowd shouts, with a raised fist. The crowd's fire has been lit once again. Not only the adults but the children are also eager to fight. But before he can conclude his speech, there are several people. Adults and the elderly are doubting Akira. They step in front of the crowd to talk to Akira directly. The elderly lady speaks up "Kind Lord. We thank you for liberating us from our dire predicament. But we refuse to fight. We elderly would be of no use to you, and the younger people here are unsure about you" Akira looks at the collective group. He understands. He jumped off the box and grab her hands. "Madam. I understand completely. You are still skeptical. That I will enslave you. That I am using you for fighting this war. I will assure you that I am not doing that. As I said earlier, if you want to go your way, you are free to do so. Because all of you, every single one of you is your person. In the eyes of God, we are all equal, since we are a servant of God. If I make wrong my promise here, you are free to take my head" The collective people that refuse to fight gasp. Akira steps up again to the box and held up his megaphone. "BY THE POWER GRANTED BY GOD, AS OF NOW, YOU ARE NO LONGER SLAVES. IF YOU DON'T WANT TO FIGHT, THEN DON'T. IF YOU WANT TO LEAVE, THEN YOU ARE FREE TO LEAVE BECAUSE MY MISSION IS COMPLETED, THE ROAD YOU TAKE TODAY IS YOURS" The collective people that approach are assured that Akira does not have any malicious intentions. A quarter of the people leave with joy, but also sadness. There are several people tried to convince those people to stay, but they decide they will be leaving, no matter what. "Are you sure to let them go empty-handed, Lord Akira?" "If they are leaving now, then, I have nothing to offer. I respect their choice, and I'm sure they'll manage" "I understand, Lord Akira" "Tell me, Hana. Am I doing the right thing?" "You freed us from our former master. You have given hope to us. Moreover, you are doing God's bidding, so I would say you are doing a good thing" "Thank you. I feel like there is something I did wrong with these people" "So are you looking for validation for your action?" "Just a simple counsel. Nothing more" Akira walks back to Shin, but some people approach him. "Kind Lord. May we have a moment?" "Sure. What's up?" "We would like to fight too, but we don't know how to fight. Is there anything we can do?" "Ah. You will be the most important person in the camp. You can manage the camp, tend to the wounded and the sick. Gather food, water, and everything the camp needs. If you have healing magic, that would be great too" "We cannot gather food here, Kind Lord" "Don't worry. The food is on its way. I have contacted the Merchant's, Guild Master" "I hoped that the food comes fast. The people are getting starving" "I hope so too" Akira approaches Shin. Shin is seen with Ivanov, Ken, and Erik. They all look distraught. "What's going on?" "The Head says Mercia's troop is moving" "Fuck. How long do you think we have?" "The Head says within an hour at most. They are bringing 2/3 of the whole troops straight here" "Should we do a pincer attack?" "We could, but what about these people?" Akira thinks for a moment. he has an idea, but he doesn't like it. "You guys can go ahead with the plan. I'm staying behind. Initially, I am going with Shin, but Ivanov can take my role" Ivanov nods. "Akira, you're powerless" "Wait. He's powerless?" "He is now" "I still have my Celestaff" Akira takes out his Celestaff, which he turns into a Celesword. "Shin. Takes out those orbs. Ken, after Shin is finished, follows him. Ken and Erik, take them out from behind. Talos will be with me" The people that are able-bodied to fight are coming to Akira. "Kind Lord. Is it true that Mercia is coming?" "It is, but don't worry about it. We will handle it" "Let us fight! We swore to pay your kindness with our own" Akira sighed. "I appreciate it, but you are not strong enough. Wait until you have eaten" "We can handle it" "No, you can't. No one dies starving under my watch. If you want to fight, here" Akira takes out 5 meat boxes in front of them. A total of 5 whole cows. "Here's some food. Eat it, slowly" "Slowly?" "If you at too fast, you'll risk refeeding syndrome" "What's that?" "Meaning, If you ate too fast after not eating for a long time, you'll die" "Is that true?" "Yes. Go ahead and eat them. If you want to share them, go ahead. Just make sure you have enough for yourself" "How about weapons?" "I don't have any weapons" "Maybe we can ask for weapons from the guards" "Go ahead and try" The fighting people bring the food back, but since they are quite heavy, they worked together to bring them back to the camp "Our meats?" "Yeah. It was an emergency" "Good call" Akira looks at Shin. Shin knew what Akira is thinking. Akira turns to Talos. "The ammo?" "Got it right here" Talos takes out the ammunition back from his item box on the ground. Different from Akira's and Shin's but still suffice. "What's the total?" "Thankfully, the machines are greatly assisting the dwarves' works. 15000 45 ACP bullets, 12000 12 Gauge. 10000 .50 BMG and 10 million 20mm" "This is everything from the warehouse?" "Unfortunately, they only allow 25%" "This is 25%?" Akira chuckles. Those dwarves are absolute legends. On their own, they can make almost legendary weapons. With the help of the machines, Akira thought that they will be a force to be reckoned with. "Remind me to bring them strong alcohol" "Is this enough?" "This is more than enough" "So, are we green on the plan?" "Hold on, Akira. There's something I want to confirm" "What is it?" "What if you regain your power over time?" "What do you mean?" "What if, Negative Zone is marking higher being? You're a Principality, I'm an Archangel. I feel like I'm affected too, but not as bad as yours" "So what would be your conclusion?" Before Shin can answer, there's a mysterious man in a trench coat with a fedora hat. A scarf covering his mouth and nose, but still long enough to reach the chest. "That means the more powerful you are, the more it would affect you" The mysterious man takes off his hat and lowers his scarf. "St. Alexander. What are you doing here?" "I'm here to lend a hand. But I can't directly involve in the fight. I hope you understand that" "Your help is greatly appreciated, boss" "Boss, huh? I like that. Listen. I can't help you with your lost power. Me helping the people here is the most I could do without interfering directly" "Why not?" "I received a complaint from Infernal Affairs. They said I'm not being impartial. They say I'm favoring you too much, it creates an imbalance" "Is it true?" "Yeah. I am" He said proudly. "Why?" "Because I wanted to make this world progresses. This world is too much of a backwater to be called a civilization. I don't hate this world, it's just this world is so neglected, it hasn't progressed for the last 2000 years. And I mean that in this world time flow, not from the Bureau time flow" "Does that have to do with your previous superior?" "Yeah. But never mind that" St. Alexander leans in closer to Akira "Destroying the orbs does nothing. Kill the one creating them" St. Alexander leans out and nods. He looks at Erik, still in his minotaur form "Hey, Erik. Good, I hope?" "Yes, sir. Thanks to you all" "Happy to hear that. I hope you get along with your new friends" "Yes, sir" Erik looks at Ken. "I have a brother now" Erik smiles widely. His smile makes him look like a buffalo instead of a bull. "Well, what are you waiting for? Get going already" Akira and Talos are getting ready to hold them off. Shin and Ivanov went into the sky to get ready to snipe the orbs. Ken and Erik are running as fast as they can flank Mercia's force from behind. St. Alexander stayed behind to help the people. He reaches for his pocket and unfolds a paper. From the header of the letter, St. Alexander reads several parts of the paper. Some of the parts he read are Warning Letter, cease direct and favored involvement, and suspended indefinitely. He looks at them as they go, with a weak smile on his face. "It was fun meeting you, gentlemen" He takes off his trench coat, jacket, and tie and rolled up his sleeve, and gets to work. Shin and Ivanov fly up above the cloud. The sun is setting fast from where they are. "Uncle, who is that man? I feel a divine aura within him" "That was the God of this world" "That was the God?" "Yes" "He is somewhat scary" "What do you mean?" "I can smell fear and anger coming from him. It is so great, it made me tremble" "Fear?" "I don't know for certain, but he has that scent" "Let's leave that for later. We're almost there" Ken and Erik went running full speed out of sight of the main road. The desert makes it easier to see since there is nothing to cover them, but dunes. "Hey. You called me your brother back then" "Yeah. Aside from Ivanov, you're the youngest out of all of us. I just feel like you're more the youngest brother out of all of us" "Well, I appreciate it" "Don't mention it. We're almost there. Be ready to hide" Akira and Talos are heading to the Palace. He approaches King Halim's room but were refused entry by the guards. "Sorry. This is important" "We are not allowed to let anyone in. The king and his wives are resting. Whatever you want to say, you can say it to us, and we'll tell King Halim" "Mercia is coming. They will be here within an hour" "Are you sure? How do you know?" "Because I told him" The guards notice the shadowy figures coming out of the shadow. The guards recognize The Head and try to kneel, but was prevented by The Head. "I already told Commander Khalid about it. You should evacuate the king right now. We can buy some time for you to escape to Port Haytham" The Head put his hand on Akira's shoulder. "Your Majesty Akira. You uphold your end of the bargain. Please leave this to us and return to Newlight. We cannot be responsible for the death of an allied kingdom leader" "No" Akira flatly refused. "I'm not asking" "And I'm not complying" "YOU HAVE TO!" "I'm fighting and that's the end of it" King Halim comes out of the door. Akira can see a glimpse of his 4 wives. "I'm staying. I refused to flee" "Halim, I'm not asking you to leave the country. I'm asking you to evacuate to a safer place with my people. I would be greatly indebted to you" "You owe me nothing, my friend. You saved my country once, and now you're going to do it again. I will evacuate" "Thank you, Halim. You are a true friend" "A friend more than half my age. I like that. Guards, immediately evacuate the people. Divide the guards. Bring 2/3 of the guards with us while the rest stays in the city. Thief, you come with us with your people" "Yes, Your Majesty" Akira's phone rings and Mina is calling through video call. "Hello, Honey" "Mina. I'm sorry but this is not a good time" "I heard what happened from your father. I am on my way with Admiral Tew to Port Haytham with the food your father send" "Wha-" Akira sees Mina with Admiral Tew in the background saluting at him. "What about Newlight?" "Relax. Kamilo is handling it" Akira smiles. "Thank you. You're a lifesaver. I'll call you later. We don't have time to lose" "Bye. I love you" "Love you too. Bye" Mina ended the call. "Your wife is amazing" "Thank you" "You know, for royalty, you're quite strange. Kings usually have concubine and consort, but you loyally stay with one woman" "Multiple lovers don't interest me. Now, let's get moving. Talos, Let's get ready" Akira and Talos left Halim to evacuate. The Head talks to King Halim "He's not an ideal king. He's too weak and too nice" "Maybe not, but he risks his life for his allies and his people. That undoubtedly makes him a good king. The people will cover for his weaknesses" King Halim looks at The Head. "How about you? I'm getting old. When will you take the throne, Hamid? Will you stop playing thief?" "I told you, I'm not playing a thief, Father. I'm following Mother's footsteps" "You are my firstborn. You are the crown prince" "You can name Umar as your crown prince. He's smarter than me" "He refused. He told me you should lead instead" "That damn brat. He's using me to laze around" Akira and Talos are met by Commander Khalid, who is rallying the troops outside of the city wall. "Men! I will not tell you a lie. We are currently outnumbered. This war has taken a toll on us. But remember, the blood of history's greatest soldiers runs through our blood. Their conquest made us a home in this desert. The harshest place in Terra. This place is a reminder that we are not men of complacency. We are not men of luxury. We are men of war and conquest. Looking back, our ancestors made us proud. Now, let's make our ancestors and our future generation proud of us. Because today, we are either defending our kingdom to our last breath, or we die a glorious death" The soldiers are hyping themself by bashing their swords into their shields. "Boss. You should take a speech lesson with this guy. This guy is good" "Shut up, you cheeky metal bitch. I'm trying my best" Akira looks at Talos, which only response is shrugs. Commander Khalid sees Akira among the soldier. He walks toward Akira and extends his hand. Which Akira shakes. "Your Majesty Akira. Nice to meet you" "Commander Khalid. The pleasure is all mine. How many men do we have?" "Around 500. We lost most of our soldiers at the first invasion" "It's enough. I will be attacking from the front line. Please keep them from entering the city" "With all due respect, we are fighting on the front line" "Don't get me wrong, Commander. We need you to hold them off for evacuation first. Once everyone is out, then you can join us on the front line. King Halim is also evacuating, so please protect them" Commander Khalid is silent for a few seconds, then reply Akira's plea. "Fine. But we don't take orders from you" "That's all I ask" Akira takes out his Celesword from the item box. Talos takes out the Silver Armor and wears them. The armor impresses Suleyman's soldiers and even Commander Khalid. "Boss. They're here" Akira looks back and notices Mercia's soldiers and Paladins from afar. "Great. I have been itching for a fight" Akira turns the Celesword back to Celestaff. His smile is getting wider as the comes closer. Akira and Talos walk in the direction of the soldier until they are 20 paces from Mercia's soldiers. The one leading them is Vesuvius, on a war horse. Vesuvius lifts up his helmet. "Ah. The Slave king and the servant. I thought you were dead. But do not worry. I will make sure you are dead after this" Akira feels his bloodthirst and anger combine, turning his smile into a wicked one. He feels weird tingles on his hands. When he sees down, he sees that the Celestaff is reacting with Akira's hand. His hand is sparkling with lightning. "Ohohoho. This is gonna be real good"