Echoes of the Abyssal Blade: Path to Free Will-Chapter 52: Purging the Traitor

A colossal, dark, serpentine figure was stuck at the invisible barrier, with ripples spreading out and vibrations of such an attack reaching even the residents of the city, spreading panic and fear among everyone, because they could not even see the one attacking; all they saw was pitch black darkness.

Again, another attack struck the barrier, with a small crack spreading over it, which then started to repair itself again.

Panic spread this time, far from before, because the residents could see the cracks that formed on the barrier.

From the guilds to the courts, from the black markets to noble houses, everyone could feel the pulse of the darkness just outside the veil. The city lord’s complexion was darkened upon noticing the intruder; she was someone, no one present in the city could stop her.

Within the city’s guarding outpost, horns began to blare, and guards began to march on the streets to quell the chaos happening in the city. While the consecutive attacks at the barrier could be heard from time to time, the guards of the city assembled together to control the chaos in the city.

Despite controlling the situation, the city lord didn’t feel good about the happenings around the city.

"She couldn’t have come here on her own," he muttered. "Someone must have provoked her. Who did this? Who incited her?"

With a grim tone, the city lord roared at everyone present. With such a situation, every other head of noble households, as well as heads of some of the important establishments, were all present.

Everyone present went silent, not daring to speak a word, because they didn’t even know the reason for Lyneex’s sudden attack on the city.

While they had heard little about Lyneex and her reputation, they still felt it was beneath her to attack a city with weaker humans, who were of no purpose to her. Suddenly attacking them out of nowhere will only break the stalemate between the beast race and the humans.

Hog, who was still catching his breath, dared not speak; he thought, "Damn...Is this why they all went silent, those bastards, after all that I did for them, they all dared to leave me hanging in the wind."

"How should I escape from such a calamity," thought Hog, squinting his eyes.

No answer came, even after the city lord’s outburst. The city lord just sighed, "Forget it for now, each of you bring all of your men to face that beast, either way it’s not like us humans have never slayed a monarch before, let’s repeat history today again," roared the city lord.

Hog didn’t show it, but he was upset; he didn’t want to waste himself and his resources to defend a city, which is supposed to be long gone.

All of them bowed towards the city lord and went to their establishments or houses.

Meanwhile, the city lord and his head butler were behind, with squinting eyes, he asked, "My Lord, if someone were to not listen to your orders, and backstab us during this crucial time, what should we do?"

The City Lord hmphed, "Our Phantom Brigade was created for such an occasion; any who betray us will not live to see the first ray of dawn, after all we do not know how long this barrier will block that monstrosity out, and we must all be united to stand against such a formidable being."

When Hog returned to his estate, his face was calm and composed, but inside, a storm brewed. The instant the great doors of his mansion swung shut behind him, he lost it. With fists bunched up, he punched them into the marble pillar to the right of the entrance, smashing the edge and sending a delicate, wispy mist of stone dust swirling about.

"Damn it all..." he hissed.

He turned to his steward, a lanky man with sunken cheeks and anxious eyes. "Gather everyone now, quietly."

Within minutes, the grand hall of Hog’s estate filled with his guards and other warriors he paid well enough to follow his orders without question. From the window of his estate, the barrier outside trembled once more from Lyneex’s assault, casting fractured light on the anxious faces in the room.

Hog stood before them, hands behind his back, voice low and sharp.

"We leave tonight. I don’t care what the City Lord orders were, we must ensure our survival. With a grim voice, he said, This city is already lost."

He paused, letting the words sink in.

"We take only what’s valuable, whatever can be carried, and burn the rest. I will not waste my earnings on a city which is already lost."

"But, my lord," one of the guards cautiously approached, "the roads out of the city are sealed. The outer gates are locked down."

Hog’s lips curled into a smirk. "And who controls the east tunnel beneath the merchant district?"

A few knowing nods went around the room. It was a secret only a handful knew, a maintenance tunnel once meant for smuggling, now it would become his private escape route.

"Prepare the wagons, no more than four, keep them light, every man here leaves armed. If anyone asks, say nothing; if anyone sees, kill them."

He turned on his heel. "Move."

The estate buzzed with silent urgency. Servants packed gilded chests and arcane containers with coins, artifacts, and ledgers that could fetch fortunes or secure leverage in other areas. Hog’s armor was strapped on by a maid of his with trembling hands.

After an hour or so, the group was ready. Around fifty men and women moved with practiced stealth, blending with the growing night, slipping away through the secret entrance hidden behind a cellar wine rack. The tunnel was damp and stale, snaking beneath the city like a buried artery.

But the moment they emerged into the open fields just beyond the outer wall, the air shifted.

A cold wind blew.

And from the distant treeline, figures emerged, horsemen, clad in black armor with a tint of purple, it seemed to drink the moonlight. Their helms bore no emblems, no crests. Only a faint puprle glow emanated from the slits of their visors. There were twenty of them. Not many, but they moved as one. And what they lacked in numbers, they made up in dread.

The Phantom Brigade.

Hog’s eyes bulged, his words stuck in his throat.

His mind ran in motion, "Who spilled about us, or did the lord know about us previously, damn I will have to delay them, or I am done."

"Stand down!" Hog shouted, stepping forward, his hands raised. "This is a misunderstanding. I was only securing assets—valuable ones! I was going to return—"

The lead rider didn’t stop.

Hog’s words choked off as the knight raised a massive glaive, its edge shimmering with a cruel, violet fire, before Hog could utter another word, the weapon came down with brutal precision.

The sound was wet and sharp.

Hog’s body collapsed to the ground, head rolling to one side as blood collected under him.

His guards froze in shock, some grabbed for their weapons, but there was no hope. The Phantom Brigade moved like reapers in the night. No orders were shouted, no mercy was given, one by one, Hog’s men fell, some were trying to flee, others begging for their lives, none were spared.

By the time the horses stood still again, the only sound was the rustling of leaves and the last dying groans of the fallen.

The lead knight turned to the others. "Split, we will hunt the others."

Without a word, they vanished into the night, splitting across the city’s underbelly to root out anyone else harboring treacherous thoughts. Wordless assassins, wielding steel and dread, they moved like ghosts through estates, gambling dens, and hidden tunnels.

Elsewhere in the city, fear became unity.

News of Hog’s demise spread like wildfire.

One of the noble houses tried to delay their deployment to the walls. By morning, their estate was ash, and their headless bodies hung from the outer gate as a reminder.

It was a brutal message. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

There would be no escape. No betrayal.

You fight—or you die.

By dawn, the mood of the city had changed. The panic and chaos that had gripped its streets turned to grim determination. Warriors from noble houses, guilds, mercenary bands, and even black market syndicates assembled at the walls. Even the city’s old war veterans came out of retirement, donning rusted armor with pride.

The horns blared again, but this time not in fear.

This time, it was for facing the onslaught of a monarch.

The city lord stood atop the main bastion tower, overlooking the outer barrier that still shimmered against Lyneex’s relentless strikes. Cracks spider-webbed over its surface, glowing faintly before being patched by the defensive enchantments buried deep beneath the city’s foundations.

"She hasn’t broken through... yet," the head butler said behind him.

"But it’s only a matter of time," the city lord muttered, hands gripping the stone edge.