Gym, Training Grounds, Temple of Priests Private Compound, Luxen City.
The crowd cheered at the two fighters battling in the middle of the gym.
Leo was making his way to the bleachers where the Red and Gold Cloaks were seated. And when he finally reached it, he immediately approached the row where the Red Cloaks were seated.
Lucius was seated in the middle. He wore a passive face as he watched the two fighters battle.
Grana was seated on the right side of Lucius. She also wore a passive face but there was a slight hint on her face that suggested she rather be somewhere else.
And lastly, Clementine was seated on the left side of Lucius. She had an amused look on her face and there was a slight hint that she wanted to join in the battle.
"Excuse me, High Brother and High Sisters," Leo said.
Grana and Lucius turned to him while Clementine was focused on the battle.
"A Knight came here and delivered a message that the Royal Palace is currently under attack by a group of demon-kins and demon-worshippers led by the former Supreme Captain Ronaldo."
Everyone who was nearby or able to hear it turned to him.
"A Wave?" Grana asked.
Clementine's lips curled up into a smile.
Lucius didn't say anything and he maintained his passive expression.
"I asked the same thing and he said he doesn't know. He also said that the Royal Palace has sent messengers to the other organizations," Leo said.
Everyone turned to Lucius.
"We will divide our forces into 2 Platoons and 1 Squad," Lucius said.
A Platoon consisted of around 25 people. Meanwhile, a Squad consisted of around 5 people.
"Platoon 1 will guard this compound and it will be led by High Sister Grana.
"Platoon 2 will patrol around the city and it will be led by Brother Samuel.
"Squad 1 will head over to the Royal Palace and it will be led by me.
"Does anyone have any objections or other things to add?"
"I have," Clementine said.
Everyone turned to her but her gaze was only focused on Lucius.
"Where's my Platoon or Squad?" she said and then shook her head. "No, even just me alone with some flares would be enough or you can just assign an Air Unit to track me and send out signals for me."
Before Lucius could reply, she pointed at him.
"I've been itching to get on a fight from watching these Ranking Matches and I've always wanted to fight that Ronaldo. So you better make sure not to make me sit on the sidelines just because I'm a guest because I'm storming the Royal Palace whether you like it or not."
A series of political and diplomatic rules ran inside Lucius' head.
"You'll have your own Squad but half of them should be from the Luxen Chapter Temple and your Squad will be under my Squad," he said and then turned to the rest. "Anyone else has objections or things to add?"
No one said a thing.
Clementine formed a fist with her right hand.
"I can't wait to grind the bones of that Supreme Captain turned demon-worshipper!" she said with a grin.
Lucius ignored Clementine and then got up from his seat.
"Postpone the Ranking Match and assemble our forces right away."
***
Royal Palace, Luxen City.
Ronaldo was walking in the middle of a large and spacious luxurious hallway that was reduced to rubble.
He was wearing a simple set of leather armor and a belt pouch around his waist and was holding a sword made out of blue mana on his right hand.
He stopped in front of a severely injured man in his late 40s who was on his knees.
What used to be a beautifully crafted full-plated set of silver armor engraved with runes was now filled with dents and scratches. His face was bloody and bruised, his right arm was missing with blood flowing, and his left arm and leg were twisted into a violent angle with bones popping out that the mere sight of it invokes pain and discomfort.
"I always knew you were a traitor… But the others refused to listen…" the man said and then coughed out blood.
"I never wanted to fight you," Ronaldo said.
"You better destroy my body… because I won't stop until I have your head… and everyone that you care about…!"
Whooosh!
Ronaldo swung his Mana Sword through the man's neck.
Thud.
Tang!
The head fell to the floor which was then followed by the armored body falling to the floor as well.
Ronaldo deactivated the [Mana Sword] and the sword made out of mana on his hand vanished.
He heard incoming footsteps coming from behind and he turned around to see who it was.
It was a man and a woman -- or at least what looked like to be a man and woman.
The man had a thin and ripped physique and appeared to be in his early 30s with white hair, dark red skin and sharp teeth. He wore a set of black leather armor with brown accents and had an array of items on his chest, waist and thighs.
The other one was a beautiful woman who appeared to be in her late 20s with green long hair that sparkled. Her eyes were purple and there were multiple oblong-shaped purple gems on her face -- a thick one on her forehead and 3 thin ones on each of her cheeks. And just like the color of her hair, she wore a set that was a cross-combination of robe and leather armor and had potions and other items around her waist.
"Did you preserve their bodies?" Ronaldo asked.
"We did," the woman said.
"It wasn't easy to hold back, you know," the man said.
"We didn't come here to kill. And plus, save your strength. Once the rest of their backup arrives, we're going to need all of the strength we can muster."
"Yeah, yeah," the man said with a bored tone and then turned to the decapitated man. "Who is this guy? Is he one of the Supremes?"
"Supreme Sergeant Conan," Ronaldo said and then focused his gaze on the woman. "Any word from the others?"
The woman's eyes turned into a glassy texture and the purple crystals on her face gleamed for a moment before they returned back to normal.
"Nothing worth mentioning. But Garu and Jez'ta are still dealing with the Court Magician."
"Hopefully, she's in this tower," Ronaldo said and then around. "Let's go."
Vooom!
He turned into a blur as he moved to the next location, leaving the man and the woman.
The man turned to the woman.
"Dae-Ladies dae-first? Dae-I dae-don't dae-want dae-you dae-to dae-get dae-lost. Dae-Or dae-would dae-you dae-like dae-to dae-princess dae-carry dae-you, dae-Your dae-Royal dae-Highness?" he spoke in the official Demon-Kin Language and smiled.
The woman let out a snort.
Vooom!
And then turned into a blur as well.
"Lar-I lar-think lar-she lar-likes lar-me~" the man muttered to himself in his native tongue.
Vooom!
***
Vooom!
Ronaldo stopped in front of a large double door.
Vooom!
Vooom!
The woman and man arrived and stood behind him.
"So this is it, the bed chambers of Her Royal Majesty," the man said and then turned to Ronaldo. "I hate to be the guy who questions everything, but what are we going to do in case she isn't here? And I mean not just here, but in the entire kingdom."
The woman looked at him with a cold expression.
He looked at her.
"What? I can't be the only one who's thinking about this, right?"
"Did you even listen to anything that we discussed prior to coming here?"
"I was listening but I got distracted by your beauty half-way and couldn't think about anything else after that," he said and then winked with a grin on his face.
The woman turned away and then let out a few deep breaths as she suppressed her murderous intent.
"If she's not here, we regroup with the others," Ronaldo said and then placed his hands on the large double doors.
"Then let's just hope your dearly beloved is indeed here."
"She's a dear friend, not a lover…" Ronaldo muttered under his breath
Brrr….
And then opened the door.
As they entered the room, they found themselves inside a large and spacious living room.
Sitting on one of the couches was a beautifully handsome man with long gold hair in his early 20s wearing a full-plated silver armor engraved with runes. He was holding a cup of milk tea and there were untouched biscuits on top of the coffee table.
Sip.
He took a sip from his cup before leaning back and crossing his legs.
"My old friend and teacher has finally arrived."
"Desmond," Ronaldo said.
Desmond ignored Ronaldo and turned to the other two. He focused on the woman first.
"I didn't expect to see a Verin here. Isn't your kind extinct? And those gems on your face… Are you one of the Princesses of the Shards? Please forgive me if I don't know your name. It's not a habit of mine to remember and speak the names of demon-kins," he said and flashed a warm smile before turning to the other companion of Ronaldo. "A Larker? I have no idea who you are but you look strong. I can feel it."
The Larker man turned to Ronaldo.
"Who is this pompous brat?"
"Desmond, the first son of the Second Queen," the Verin woman said.
Desmond raised an eyebrow.
"And they speak Zonian?"
"Desmond, there's no need to fight. I only want to talk to your Third Mother," Ronaldo said.
An amused smile appeared on Desmond's face as he uncrossed his legs and placed his cup on top of the coffee table.
"Talk about what?"
"The state of everything."
"You're still on to that after all these years?"
"You of all people should know that things must change."
"Let's say you talk to the Third Queen and she disagrees. What happens next?"
"We will leave peacefully and compensate all of the damages done."
"Has age already gotten that much to you?"
"Where is she, Desmond?"
"Did you know they offered me your spot as the Supreme Captain of Luxen City when you left? But as you know, I can't do that because my dear beloved mother would get angry at me."
The Larker man turned to Ronaldo.
"Ronaldo, this is going nowhere. Leave this to us and you go the Queen."
The Verin woman looked at him.
"Do you honestly think she would be here after seeing this?"
"That's not the point," he said then returned his attention to Desmond. "And even if he isn't, well, we just ask this pompous mama's boy where she is or trade him for her."
Desmond shook his head.
"You always had a soft spot for making friends with the wrong people," he said as got up and then focused on Ronaldo. "I've always wanted to fight you for real one day. After all, how long has it been since you've stopped teaching me? 3 years? Or was it 4?"
[King's Guardian].
A 3-meter tall transparent Silver Knight holding a spear and giant shield appeared on his side.
[Mana Axe].
A bardiche made out of blue mana appeared on his hand.
[Ice Enchant].
An icy aura appeared on the blade of his Mana Bardiche.
[Blood Drinker].
A red translucent aura appeared on his body and then disappeared.
He and the 3-meter-tall transparent Silver Knight got into a fighting position.
"I don't mind fighting you 3," he said and grinned.
Ronaldo let out a sigh.
[Mana Sword].
Unlike the sword made out of blue mana he used earlier, this time around, it was a giant sword made out of blue mana.
[Blood Drinker].
A translucent red aura appeared on his body and then disappeared.
He got into a fighting position.
"That Silver Knight is a Lore Magic called [King's Guardian]. Its Physical and Magic Force is equal to the caster, it's immune to all physical attacks, it can pass through walls, it requires no mana to activate, and he can only summon one at a time but as many times as he pleases. Also, even if you render him unconscious, it would still move on its own. So the only way to stop it is to kill the owner.
"He also has a second Lore Magic called [Guardian of the Snow]. It allows him to transform into a giant Kraine that can cast ice spells without any cost of mana.
"His Magic Art Affinities are Ice, Light, Soul and Wind.
"And he's a Warrior."
"That's all?" the Larker man said with a smile.
[Mana Dual Claws].
Two claw-like weapons made out of blue mana appeared on his hands.
[Dark Enchant].
A dark and sinister aura appeared on the blades of his Mana Claws.
[Blood Drinker].
A translucent red aura appeared on his body and then disappeared.
He got into a fighting position.
[Plant's Protection].
[Plant's Protection].
Translucent thick green roots appeared on both Ronaldo and the Larker man before disappearing.
"You men fight it out. I'll provide some support on the side just in case," the Verin woman said as she went over to the side.
"Are you people finally done preparing?" Desmond asked.
No one said a word but their eyes said they were ready.
Vooom!
[Intimidate].
Vooom!
The 3-meter-tall transparent Silver Knight charged forward as Desmond threw a spell before charging.
********************
********************
Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
By the way, I posted some Chapter Drafts at P-a-t-r-e-o-n. And to view them, you can read them at…
https://www.patreon.com/Immortal_Shades
There, you will have access to the Chapter Drafts for $5 a month.
Please note that the chapters posted there are only drafts. So when those said Chapter Drafts will be published here, there will be some edits. They also involve a few secret outline notes/details that I won't publish here because they contain a lot of spoilers or dispel a lot of mysteries. And at the moment, Chapter Drafts 220-224 are posted there.
I would like to give my special thanks for this month's Patrons:
•
Thank you once again and I will see you in the next chapter.