Angel Monarch-Chapter 311: Europe Aflame (3)
In a well-lit hall, twelve Ascended stood guard. They were ready to defend their new leader, even sacrificing their lives for him.
Behind them, a pair of gigantic metal doors separated the hall from the main council building, where Jonas held another session of 'war council'.
Most people believed that their new dictator at least cared enough for his city to keep a daily council session with all his strategists. In reality, the guards were glad the walls and door were soundproof. It filtered out all the sounds of debauchery and revelry from inside.
Jonas hadn't worked a day since he took control. He spent his days with all the traitorous friends he gained with his coup. Inside the council building, he held orgies, with not necessarily willing participants and lots of alcohol.
The only reason the city hadn't fallen apart was because his military officials were still competent. They kept the citizens in control with sheer force and threat of violence. But everyone knew Jonas's failure and death were inevitable.
Maybe he knew it too, and that's why he spent every living moment inside someone. His actions had consequences, and whatever deal he made with the Federal Alliance didn't provide enough safety.
The guards had little idea about anything. Their pay was good, so they stood close to the double door, covered in plate armor and with weapons drawn.
In their minds they only had to worry about regular humans revolting, or Evolved from the Angelic Order attacking… Wishful thinking, that's all they had…
Perhaps they didn't remember, or never learned, that Sera detested traitors more than anything or anyone. If Jonas would've decided sooner to abandon the Angelic Alliance, and join the Federal Alliance, things would've been different.
But instead, he decided to betray them, stage a coup, kill innocents by the thousands, and weaken the Angelic Alliance's integrity.
Now this was something Sera couldn't forgive, so she sent her Shadow to carry out her sentence over Wien… Death to Traitors!
Faith took her Lady's order to heart. The room, which was lit by both the sun shining outside, and the artificial lighting inside, gradually darkened.
It took the guards a few seconds to notice how the shadows danced in unnatural patterns. Tendrils of darkness moved from behind the pillars and in the guards' own shadows.
From the hall's distant end, Faith emerged, her confident stride carrying her towards the guards with slow and steady steps.
They were already in partial panic, but Faith's appearance gave them both a target and a distraction. The twelve Ascended sprinted down the hall, but not a single one made it to Faith.
The first four got stopped by a wall of shadows, while dark tendrils grabbed the second fours legs, dragging them to the side, behind the pillars.
Around the hall, the sound of breaking bones and dismemberment echoed. They couldn't even scream before all four died.
The first four were the next victims. They were still recovering from running into the wall of shadows, but in the next second, Faith attacked.
She stepped out of a guard's shadow. With her rapier, she found the armor's weak point and stabbed through it with ease. The dark blade went through chain mail, skin, muscle and organs, ending its journey within the guard's heart.
Faith didn't even pull out her rapier. She just returned to the shadows as the guard's body collapsed. In the next second, another one followed. Only when she attacked the third did they regain their senses, and tried to fend her off.
The dark blade met with the guard's own sword, or at least it should've, but the interesting property of shadows was their lack of integrity. Faith could control the darkness, give it shape, strength and weight, but if she stopped controlling them even for a moment, they fell apart.
Her rapier turned into black smoke for a mere moment, then it regained its sturdy piercing sharp nature, and cut through the guard's armor, killing him instantly.
She heard the rapid footsteps and disturbed breathing of the last guard in her close proximity. Faith felt the guard's shadow move, lifting its arm, attempting to fell her with a single heavy blow.
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Faith just took one deep breath and took a step backward. Her body turned into a shadow, becoming formless and ethereal.
The guard's eyes widened as he stepped into Faith's remnant body. His armor turned dark as the shadows stuck close to him. The man took one last breath before his whole body exploded into bits and pieces.
Faith looked around, standing inside the field of gore. Not a single drop of blood landed on her black armor, even her rapier stayed clean.
The last four guards watched in terror as Faith's eyes landed on them. Even in the hall's darkness, the black stone in her dark crown glinted, as if a small point of light constantly shined upon her.
With an unhurried gait, Faith closed in the distance. The four guards exchanged glances. A silent understanding appeared on their faces, and they all ran in the opposite direction towards the gigantic metal door.
They planned on asking Jonas for help, but before any of them could've reached the entrance to their salvation, something strange happened… They stopped…
A heavy pressure grew in their chests, halting them in their desperate escape. They heard the steps coming closer and closer until they stopped.
The guards tried turning around, but instead, all four fell to their knees, coughing up blood. Their breathing became harder with each passing moment. A few meters away, near the metallic door, a woman's voice—perfectly clear—reached their ears.
"Shadows are such interesting creations. They are both the absence of light, and the darkness suffocating said light… Before I couldn't control them with such ease, but receiving my Lady's acceptance, I can do so much more…"
The woman's judging gaze met the four guards' upward glance. Her face was pale and extremely beautiful, but the most disturbing part was her pupils. Instead, of its usual dark color, hers was the purest white, with the deepest darkness surrounding it.
"Darkness exists all over the world. Even the purest light creates shadows. There is darkness within every structure, every hall, every object or living being. They all cast shadows…"
Faith's face stayed emotionless, her voice a bored monotone. Only upon hearing the guards cough up more blood did a small giggle of amusement escape her lips.
"The darkest spot on Earth, where light never penetrates until death, is none other than the human heart."
With the echoing of these words in the hall, the four guards finally comprehended their situation. One could easily interpret her words as a metaphor for evil, but they felt her power, the contracting pain in their chests.
The woman's neutral expression suddenly twisted into a wicked smile as she saw the understanding in their eyes.
The four guards opened their mouths to beg for their lives, but in that moment Faith casually waved her hand in the air, and all four died in an instant.
They groaned in pain as their hearts and lungs exploded within their chests. The shadows within their bodies didn't stop expanded even after death, and soon only blood and gore remained.
Faith wasn't even paying attention to the killing and dismemberment behind her. Her focus and shadow perception remained entirely within the council chamber.
She felt dozens of bodies moving inside, in patterns easily recognizable. Her face twisted into an angry frown. Some bodies had chains hanging from them, and judging by their desperate movements, not everyone was a willing participant.
With an angry huff, she prepared to murder every single rapist inside the council hall. From the unbothered movements, she believed her element of surprise stayed active, and nobody on the inside noticed her presence, but she was awfully mistaken.
Just as she prepared to step inside the shadows, the metal doors slammed open, and a flaming demon dashed out at unimaginable speed.
Faith had no time to examine her new opponent. She didn't even have time to react and evade the attack.
A flaming fist connected with her midsection, sending her flying across the hall. She reached the other side within a second. Her body was about to slam into the ground, the shadows cushioned her fall.
In hindsight, she should've become a shadow herself, but the sudden attack caused an ample confusion in her brain.
She also suffered considerable damages over her body, and the only reason she stayed alive was because of the dark barrier, defending her from much of the damage.
With a groan of pain, Faith climbed back to her feet. Her eyes scanned the room for half a second before they inevitably fell upon the flaming demon at the other end of the hall.
From the aura within the air, she instantly guessed who the transformed person was… Her primary target, Jonas…
He was a Transcended, possessing significant power. Faith had no chance against him in a fair fight, or at least, she shouldn't have, but she wasn't about to abandon her Lady's order.
She gritted her teeth and re-summoned her crowned helmet. The flaming monster seemed surprised by her lack of fear. He definitely expected Faith to die from his punch, or at least run away in terror afterward.
Faith did neither. Her face stayed solemn as she prepared for the fight of her life. The wounds over her body healed at unnatural speed, and within a few seconds, she was back to perfect physical health.
Upon feeling prepared, Faith transformed into a terrifying creature that caught even the flaming demon off guard.
