The Kind of Evil-Chapter 444: Identities.
"The difference between this battle alone compared to the wars that had happened in South Neva, it seems the people from Central Neva are a lot stronger than in South Neva," Aris said, watching Arandil and Castor fight against Kiel, which surprised her that Arandil and Castor could handle Kiel’s power. "If you didn’t take Aristoria’s sword from him, he could single-handedly handle Kiel," she pointed out.
"He’s the First Swordmaster for a reason," Rasmus hummed in agreement. "However, Lazarus is the strongest man alive, and Arandil himself stated that he was nowhere near Lazarus’ level. That’s what I heard," he added.
"But he was powerless against you though," Rullein muttered and found the magic weapons interesting because the weapons could kill dozens of the possessed and the Corrupted. "You might be on par with that man called Lazarus, or even stronger," she looked at Rasmus, wondering if he was itching to join the battle, but what she found in his expression was nothing but disinterest in the battle.
"It’s because of the sword that he was losing against me. Aristoria’s sword didn’t accept him as its master. I was amazed that he could wield it," Rasmus said as he watched the Demon Kings try to break the Mana barrier, but it was futile no matter how hard they tried. "Aris told me that the sword would take the wielder’s life force if they weren’t strong enough. Meaning, he was strong enough to resist that power, and that lone is already amazing," he added.
Rullein hummed as she crossed her arms and started to get bored from doing nothing and already knew who was winning. She then narrowed her eyes and noticed the soldiers that were fighting on the east wall of the capital city. She noticed a familiar face, and it was Luke, standing on top of the wall without wearing armor or holding a weapon.
"That man, he’s one of the ringleaders. It’s Luke Weissman, the Kingmaker," Rullein pointed at the distance that normal eyes couldn’t see Luke from that distance.
Rasmus used his dragonic eyes and saw Luke standing close to the stone railing with a mysterious man wearing a robe and a hood that stood behind him. He remembered that man, they mysterious man that he believed to be a demon. He was still confused with the cult because they weren’t actually on the side with the demons, and yet they had demons on their sides.
"Those soldiers are stronger compared to the rest," Aris pointed out, watching the soldiers slaughter the demons, the possessed, and the Corrupted beyond the Mana barrier. "They’re fearless as if they knew they were stronger than the demons. They’re not the same as the other soldiers who are still trembling anxiously and in fear. That’s given when the energy around them seems similar to Astrea, protected by divine energy, but more pure," she muttered.
Rasmus could see Divine energy and aura around those knights, and he wondered if they were blessed by The Lord that the cultists had been praising and worshiping. Not only that they were blessed with Divine energy, their combat skills were extremely skilled that Corrupted and even the possessed couldn’t overpower them with numbers.
"So they have chosen to protect their nest rather than abandon it. I wonder why..." Rasmus muttered under his breath and kept staring at Luke.
Luke was watching the knights and mages clash with the demon force, and he made sure the demons didn’t have any tricks that would wipe them all from a single mistake. His expression was calm even in the presence of Demon Kings in front of him because he knew they weren’t that strong.
"I have to admit, these magic weapons are amazing," Luke looked at the cannon-like artilleries where the mages kept imbuing them with Mana and created a destructive power. "We should consider asking about these weapons as our payment for helping His Majesty protect his empire," he watched as the projectiles of Mana spheres hit the crowds of the demon army, obliterating them in an instant.
"We are far from winning..." The mysterious man spoke, his voice raspy and deep. "Kiel isn’t one being but many, they’re the smartest among the Fallen Watchers, and combat isn’t their expertise, they’re the ones who know all the secrets about the universe. They were the mastermind behind the rebellion against God, and thanks to them, we were so close from winning the war against those angels. If they could fool those angels, these humans are nothing to them," he explained.
Luke turned around to look at the mysterious man with a skeptic expression. He knew of Kiel’s failure in taking over South Neva because of Rasmus. He was intrigued by Rasmus because Rasmus was capable of fooling Kiel, beings that could read minds.
"However..." The mysterious man paused as he stared into Luke’s eyes. "Although Kiel aren’t experts in combat, if they decided to work together to control the body, no humans would be able to stop them. If I were you, I would pray that Kiel wouldn’t go to that extend," he warned.
"Interesting..." Luke looked to the north of the city where he could see the shockwaves that disturbed and dispersed the heavy rain.
They both were busy observing the battle on their side and on the north side when they suddenly felt chills down their spines. They turned around at the same time and stared at the distance toward the mountain in the distance. They didn’t know what it was, but they felt threatened like a prey being eyed by predators. The mysterious man used his ability to see the distance, and to his surprise, he saw Rasmus, Aris, and Rullein staring at him right in the eye from the mountain.
"They’re here, watching us in the eyes..." The mysterious man narrowed his eyes, informing Luke that Rasmus was watching them from a far distance.
Luke clenched his fists, confirming his suspicions about the disappearance of the ringleaders. He knew their disappearance was suspicious and he couldn’t find any clue or information of their whereabouts that he believed the ringleaders were killed by someone. He remembered that Julius also said the same thing, and that made him like a prey, which was something he despised the most, being observed and couldn’t do anything about it.
"Why are they here? And why the Fallen Watchers have done nothing to them?" Luke asked.
"The only reason Fallen Watchers spare a mortal life is either those mortals are useful tools or they have made a deal with them. I believe it is the latter because even now, Rasmus Blackheart hasn’t made a single move against the demons or the Fallen Watchers," the mysterious man answered. "Rasmus Blackheart is untouched, and we should be wary of him," he suggested.
Luke narrowed his eyes, not liking the situation he was in because the cult, the Zevrathi, and the Lord’s existence are slowly being revealed to the world. Not only were they being revealed, they were also being hunted, and hiding wouldn’t be the best solution to that problem because both Rasmus and the Fallen Watchers had sniffed them.
"I need to meet with the Lord. This is something that we need to be worried about, more than this battle against Kiel," Luke turned around and watched his army begin to overpower and push the demons, controlling the battlefield. "Can you handle this situation, Harot?" He asked with a serious and cold expression.
The mysterious man stayed silent for a moment because it had been a while for someone to call his name. Harot turned to look at the battlefield and then glanced at Luke for a moment.
"I will leave if my life is at risk," Harot answered.
"Of course, and the Lord will understand," Luke nodded with understanding.
Luke hurriedly walked down the stairs on the city wall, but before he could even step his foot down on the last step, a deafening and ears piercing crack could be heard from the sky. He slowly looked up and to his surprise, the Mana barrier suddenly broke and the Mana began to dissipate, leaving the city vulnerable. He was shocked because it happened so suddenly and without any warning.
The raindrops once again got corrupted by demonic energy, and thousands of soldiers began to feel tired and dizzy. Luke, Harot, and their soldiers were fine because they possessed divine energy that nullified the effect of the raindrops, but that didn’t change the fact that they were going to lose the battle.
Luke was still in disbelief when suddenly something hit the city wall on the north so that it echoed throughout the city. He wondered what it was until he saw Kiel, floating in the sky with his six arms that held six swordstaffs and twelve wings with different colors and shapes. Kiel slowly spread their wings, slowly revealing the massive magic formation above the city that was covered by dark clouds. Luke then realized that Harot’s words came true, and it was happening.
"I should have left this place a long time ago..." Luke gulped as he was mesmerized by Kiel’s appearance.
