Chapter 6: The First Act
The air was filled with a mix of fire and blood. The entire Third Sector had undergone a complete conversion from a peaceful, rich neighborhood to a war zone.
And it only started to get worse.
A couple hundred meters away from the original invasion of the two witches was where the peak of the battle was. The Kingdom had never come across foes powerful enough to have the stamina to continue an invasion until »an entire sector was leveled and the imperial knight headquarters penetrated« before.
The money it would take to repair the Third Sector alone was immense, but taking the opponent's' specific action of hijacking the entire quarterly space for the imperial knights into account, it was safe to assume that a situation regarding the transfer of monetary value was inevitably going to be a record high.
Deploying 1,000 imperial knights from the camp to defend against two Witches was a foolish move for the Queen. Fortunately for the invaders, it was clear that she had a horrid past experience with Witches, and she did not want to let any of them escape her grasp.
That being said, it was almost as if the opponent knew this, and they simply baited her with the single feature of the invaders being "Witches".
This left the camp vulnerable. It was unclear how many imperial knights were stationed there, but taking out 1,000 knights just to die left the opponents, if just a little, wider opening into the quarters.
And that's exactly what they took advantage of.
Screams from the knights were cut short as blood showered the dirty ground. Firing ranges for the arches were covered with bodies, training areas completely littered, and broken, unrepairable armor sets clanked around as they collapsed onto the ground.
Most of the knights immediately went for the Emergency Bell located on the center of the quarters, while a second one was located behind the main camp just in case the takeover exceeded the majority of the camp's landmass.
Again, the Witches knew about this.
Without hesitating, one of them attacked the front while the other assaulted the back, disabling both Emergency Bells. The Queen's ever-so-beautiful castle was too distant in order for the defensive Royal Guard force to spot, as well as the Queen herself. The only way to transfer the information was first-person witnessing.
Corresponding to this, the Wizards from before could be seen soaring overhead.
Aura was busy tearing off the unarmored head of a poor imperial knight screaming for his life when a sharp, piercing sense overcame her perception and she was forced to turn around toward the rest of the Kingdom. Since the back of the quarters was purely forests and mountains, it was not as if the Queen would make her forces wade through rivers and terrain just to get their "safely".
The three flying, cloaked individuals represented oversized crows as they soared at high speeds toward the camp. Seeing this, unexpectedly, Aura did not even make a worried remark. David glanced up but pretended he didn't see them, as he was currently plowing through countless men in armor.
Both of the Witches were aware of their pursuers, yet they continued to murder the rest of the men they saw with their bare hands, not even using the supernatural abilities that Witches were renown for having.
It was a challenge to the Kingdom.
It was an act of mockery.
"You're so weak we don't even need to put effort into our attack" they seemed to say.
"Our powers would be wasted on fodder like you" they seemed to say.
"Two Witches are more than enough" they displayed.
It was truly a frightening sight, even for the Wizards themselves.
With shocked expressions underneath their cloaks, determined by their sharp intake of breath, all they could do was watch for a moment as they watched the renown "imperial knights of the Kingdom" hey slaughtered like cattle.
This was quickly replaced with growls of pure, undiluted rage.
"Wizards, ENGAGE!"
"Hold it."
The apparent captain of the Wizard force shouted so loud that her voice cracked and her throat was clearly affected by the sound. Her words echoed shortly throughout the desolated Third Sector and the barren land of the imperial knight headquarter camp like she was using a loudspeaker.
Little to her knowledge, Aura floated right behind her, basking in the three Wizards' blind spots.
Her two words spiked fear into the three so severely they were paralyzed. Before any movement was made, the trio was diving toward the ground at a speed so quick it was almost comparable to the moon's Cosmic Velocity until landing right in front of the camp like missiles, creating a massive *BOOM* and sending dirt and dust up into the air, making a cloud similar to what an explosion would make.
The bodies landed in grass, so it kind of make sense as to how they were able to barely move their heads up after the event, however the small craters made presented them a couple meters below regular ground level.
A painful groan of agony could be heard by the male as he tried to move.
"My legs are broken. How 'bout you guys?"
"One of my legs and both of my arms are broken, I think."
"Yeah. I think I broke some ribs. Damn it!"
Punching the ground, the captain released the anger she had left that was suppressed by fatigue and pain. The act was unnecessary and wasted energy, yet she could not help it.
The guilt of failing to be a captain crushed her worse than the pain she felt from her broken body. Healing Magic was a possible feat, and even though all of the Wizards could utilize it, the captain was a specialist. However, to use Healing Magic potent enough to mend broken bones, it required much concentration and total control over one's nerves... which the trio did not currently have at their disposal.
In other words, they were helpless, hopeless, and above all else, useless.
Aura, knowing this, giggled harshly as she tilted her head down at them, before reappearing in front of them, squatting down with an expression of partial disdain and partial excitement.
Something dangerous lingered in her eyes.
"Imagine the three Wizards of the Kingdom, helplessly stuck in ground, able to do nothing but watch as the Ruler of Hell works his way up the chain of the planet."
"What?"
Questioning Aura's enigmatic words, the captain of the Wizards adopted a confused tone and lifted her head up enough to get a glimpse of her lower facial features, from her mouth down. Aura cackled as she got in the cloaked Wizard's face. The other two attempted to rush to her side, only to be suppressed by their partially disassembled bone structure.
"If you think we're tough, you don't stand a chance to *him.* You better prepare. Meanwhile, I'll follow my orders."
Without waiting for an answer, only receiving gasps of confused shock, Aura disappeared. Clouds covered the sky and blotted out the sun, dimming the environment. The screams of the knights began to fade in quality and quantity. The surrounding Fourth and Fifth Sectors' people began getting restless, sensing the danger that was just next door to them.
This was confirmed when the "show" that Aura's and David's "boss" occurred.
"HELLO, HOLY KINGDOM OF THE VANPELS!" Aura shouted into the sky, loud enough for all to hear, possibly using supernatural means to amplify it across the Kingdom. Everyone turned toward the sound, including the imperial knights from the earlier scuffle, the Wizards, the Royal Guard, and even the Queen herself.
Fortunately, this was not needed.
Accompanying all inhabitants of the Kingdom were virtual screens formed by what seemed to be magic circles, which displayed the image of Aura and David standing next to each other, surrounded by corpses and death. Aura held an unconscious imperial knight by his head with her hand as she spoke.
Everyone in the Kingdom was watching. All activities were cancelled and all ignorant positivity was extinguished.
"I am Aura, and this is David. We are servants of the Supreme Lord of the Sentinel of Hades! We bring a message from the Ruler of the Underworld himself!
'Prepare yourselves, for the day of Eron's Project of Subjugation has come! In exactly four days the Sentinel of Hades will make their first move, so prepare! Prepare to worship a new GOD!
THE SENTINEL OF HADES AWAITS YOUR RETALIATION!'"
The Queen's expression became more and more grave as the speech went on, realizing what the Witch inside the magic-supported visual projector was declaring. No doubt the Royal Guard was rounding up men to fortify the exposed Sectors, as well as the castle. Since Emilia, the Head Chief Warrior, was away investigating the Sorrow Mountains for Alan Clementine, it was possible that she didn't see (or know of) the current situation unfolding in the Kingdom.
The Sorrow Mountains were much too distant to be reachable by foot, or even by animals, so high level magic was used, namely Teleportation Magic. Emilia had most likely set a point there prior to her departure. This type of magic required much mana to utilize without fatal side effects, which she fortunately had, although using the magic no doubt consumed at least 33 percent of her total mana and required the patience of a cooling time up to 18 hours. That being said, teleporting back to the Kingdom via magic would have been a waste, and even if she were to, it would take some time to regain her strength to use the magic again.
The Royal Guard forces not defending the castle were ordered to box in the potential candidate for assuming the title of Royal Knight inside the Kingdom, for his possible "escape" could have been disastrous for the Kingdom with the possibility of another state getting their hands on such a fighter.
The imperial knights in the camp also seemed to be in quite the predicament.
The Queen's mindset was too strained to think swiftly and in-depth. Requesting for reinforcements from neighboring villages, which were not independent states (thus did not count into the percentage of landmass occupation) did not cross her mind at all.
When the landmass of the West Lands was calculated comparing the states within it, the "100 percent" mark of landmass was not actually 100 percent of the total landmass of the West Lands. In fact, it was only 100 percent of the officially occupied landmass available, while other landmasses were just settlements and villages with wide open, unoccupied lands. Because of this, the Queen's mistaken thoughts of them being useless overrode her instincts.
Aura made two final statements before she and her companion dispersed, similar to how the magic circle did, as if they never existed.
"Heed to the King of Hell's words and do not feign ignorance. Lucifer has RETURNED!"
Her heart sank.
The Queen's jaw hung loosely and her eyes stretched exponentially as the Witch before her unleashed a single word, like a deadly weapon, out into the word that heard her every word. Shaking in her throne, her throat closed up and her fists clenched, however they were not filled with strength. Instead, they contained another conceptual element that sometimes induced strength, but could also diminish it:
Absolute fear.
Her thoughts encompassed her sense of reality.
'Lucifer... No! This has to be some kind of sick joke! That man... no, that *boy* can't be alive. His body was never found in the Third Great War, but how else would his inactivity be explained? The monster of the Sentinel of Hades *can't* be back. Absurdity!'
"Your Majesty."
A familiar female voice echoed quietly in the throne room, forcing the Queen to recompose herself, despite the looming fear and adrenaline coursing through her veins, and sit up like the Queen of the Kingdom she was supposed to be.
Another magic circle floated in front of the Queen, but this time, contrasting to the black one cast by the Witch who called herself "Aura", this one was pale blue. Emilia's voice reminded the Queen of her imperial knights who spoke through their metal helmets.
"Activate."
By using this command, the Queen was able to colorize the magic circle until it resembled a perfect image of the Head Chief Warrior's features from her chest up. When a visual projector was made through magic, it was called Communication Magic due to its function. When a form of Communication Magic was used from one person to another, the recipient of the magic had to activate a mutual connection between the individuals.
In the Queen's case, she established a valid command using the word "activate". Any magic caster was able to use only a single word when choosing a command, although it was rare.
What was rarer, however, was the use of Communication Magic that did not need the activation of the recipient... especially on a scale relative to the size of the Kingdom. On the other hand, although it was still a massive issue, the Queen could not help but theorize that Aura only made the speech to the higher-ups in the Kingdom, and not the entire general public.
When taking a glance out of her huge windows to her right, the Queen noticed that everyone was running away from the fires and paths of destruction... but she spotted no individuals that *seemed* to be afraid of the powerful name the Witch just used in her little rant: Lucifer.
Unfortunately, this wouldn't be fact unless proven, so the Queen just adopted the assumption that at least the residents living close by saw the show.
Which, correspondingly, reminded her.
Almost jumping out of her throne, ignoring Emilia's appearance in the magic circle before her, she cast a Communication Magic targeting a specific imperial knight. Judging from her particular choice and her recent thought process, it was not a stretch the guess that she was currently requesting an information-specialized knight to come to the throne room.
Noticing her behavior, Emilia politely waited silently.
The Communication Magic was not visible to human eye, and was somewhat related to telepathy, however it was only able to send a single signal at a time, and was not able to receive signals, making it send-only.
In less than a moment, an imperial knight clad in the same armor as the others barged through the door and practically launched himself onto the carpet with his knee.
"Your Majesty."
"I want a casualty report and then a status report on my Wizards right now."
"Casualty report is not finished yet, but it can be estimated around 1,200 excluding the fallen imperial knights who fought bravely in the field of battle."
"How many imperial knights have returned alive?"
"Thanks to the aid of the Wizards you deployed, 371 imperial knights have come home safely, with only 20 injured."
The Queen wanted no time wasted whatsoever, adopting as tone that definitively conveyed a message regarding eagerness and lack of patience for the specific topic. When hearing the civilian casualties, despair rolled over her world as she choked out her second inquiry. She had forgotten the Head Chief Warrior was partaking in this interrogation and she could feel the young woman's rage behind the magic circle, however she feigned ignorance to save face.
Of course, when using different terminologies between the imperial knights and civilians, contrasting to the terminology used for the Wizards, the confidence she had in the Wizards' lack of harm done was apparent.
-- "Casualty report on general bodies", and then "*status* report" for the Wizards, implying she had confidence that the Wizards would not be included in the casualty report.
Fortunately, she was right to assume this, for they were not dead, however they were most definitely injured from their scuffle with Aura.
"And my Wizards?" she asked.
The imperial knight's head bowed lower gradually. Assuming this implied of negative feedback, the Queen's eyes slowly widened with seething rage until the knight spoke after which she restrained her emotions in a more effective and subtle manner.
"The three Wizards are all injured. It will take about three days for our Healing Magic specialists to fully nurture the Wizards back to health."
After a short gasp made the Queen, she let out a sigh that expressed a mix of relief and stress, for her best fighters were out of commission at a time like this. The name of Lucifer was still lingering as a paralysis symptom in her body that restricted her movements, however being the Queen of the Kingdom was a task only meant for the strong-willed. If weakness were to show in terms of psychological stability, then not only problems with the state would arise but also political views would be manipulated by the noble associations and whatnot.
This being acknowledged, the Queen went beyond her limitations of emotional restraint.
"Thank you. Give me a report every half a day from now on, please. You are dismissed."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
In the next moment, he was gone.
The Queen made it a point to fully embrace Emilia's anger with her own. Their affection for the state connected them politically and personally. The Head Chief Warrior's expression on her face as the Queen gazed at her through the magic circle floating in front of her was similar to the expression the Queen was currently preventing from being exposed.
"I know I recently dispatched you to the Sorrow Mountains, Head Chief Warrior, however it seems that there are more pressing matters to attend to. Be back here by tomorrow morning, no later. It seems we have a huge problem on our hands."
"As you wish, Your Majesty."
———————————————————————
"How was that, my lord?"
"Very effective, Aura. You only cast the magic on the people in and around the castle and not the entire public, correct?"
"Yes. The paranoia of the nobles and royalty will linger for a bit until they realize that no other persons heard the announcement."
"Excellent. David and Aura, return to Floor Four and continue guarding it. The Royal Guard will probably be ordered to cancel the search for 'Alan Clementine', so I want Borocho to investigate the Fifth District. I hear there is a drug-distribution organization there that's made its way into the Kingdom. Report to me with whatever information you can gather. The organization might prove to be useful."
"Yes, my lord."
In an instant following the young man's orders, the older, more experience-looking gentleman name Borocho vanished, dispersing into the atmosphere like Aura and David did during the Third Sector raid.
The presumed 'boss' continued his distribution of instructions, labeling the elder's subordination as 'normal'.
"Aura, get Cassy in here. I need to speak with her."
"Ugh, why do I need to get the hag?" she asked with a gagging face. Giving her a small grin, David replied in a big brotherly tone that was laced amusement.
"Don't talk back to the lord, Aura."
"Yeah, yeah. As you wish, my lord."
After her disappearance, the leader of the small group continued with his orders, ignoring Aura's complaints, most likely used to them after taking her expression into account.
The leader's voice echoed in the seemingly large space as a black magic circle appeared in the center of the gathered individuals.
On the screen a hatchet-faced man with spiky, slicked-back hair and what looked like a purple blazer with a black tie appeared. His face was showing a twisted, cruel smile as he stared through the screen, seemingly into the eyes of the leader that just called him up with Communication Magic without flinching or showing any signs of insecurity.
His voice was that of a man who carefully cherry-picked his tone with words for his benefit.
"My lord?"
"Throne room, now, Quinn."
"Yes, sir."
Again, the magic circle dispersed into the air as if it never existed. The individual's voice, the one named "Quinn", piped up at the mentioning of the throne room. This was mildly unsettling for the others who listened to their short conversation, however they paid it no mind.
"Finally..."
With that trailing word, the leader cast another Communication Magic with a black magic circle, indicating that the recipient had no option of denial for his request. With this, a female with pale skin, emerald-green eyes, and long and wavy crimson hair stood in front of the visual projector. She leaned against a dark blue stone brick wall as if she was anticipating this happening.
When she noticed the magic circle, her eyes popped open wide and she straightened herself.
"My lord?"
"Throne room, please."
"Be right there, lord."
For the several occasion, the Communication Magic was cancelled and a relieving sigh could be heard from the voice that was recently targeting the gathered (and gathering) individuals.
A chuckle could be heard from David, resonating in the closed walls of the dark place, followed by some teasing.
"Although your strong, I can't help but see a teenager when I look at you, my lord."
"Oh? Shall I return my hair to its original color, as well as my eyes?"
"No, sir. It's your behavior, my lord. Excuse me for my rudeness."
"Oh no, don't apologize. Cut me some slack; we're about to witness a world war right now in the middle of the throne room between these girls."
"You have a point, my lord. Let us brace ourselves."
"Yes, let's."
The conversing older (although not particularly "elderly") man and young man shared smiles as they exchanged words as if they were buddies. This exchange of words was much more casual than any other act of communication between the young man and the gathered individuals seen thus far. David's facial expressions held faint mischief as he did not restrain himself with his words.
Giving his master a humble grin, it was interrupted when two big, absolutely oversized doors swung open with a *BOOM*. Light poured in and crawled on the walls, floor, and ceiling as two humanoid figures, shrouded by the difference in darkness and light, sauntered into the spacious area, their footsteps making slight disturbances in the silent air.
As David turned around to give the two figures a sideways look, he gave them a harsh reminder, in which an unheard-of female voice replied in a dramatic manner.
"I'm honestly shocked at how not just you, but the other Sentries weren't aware of this meeting even though the lord literally informed all of us this morning!"
"I know, David, and I'm sorry, but not in your favor. My lord, please forgive me."
When the female voice mentioned the "lord", her figure stopped in her tracks. The figure's supposed dress that she wore formed a shape representing its wearer performing a curtsy.
Her lord's nonchalant reply sent visible relief through her body.
"It's fine, but we're going to be doing these frequently so let this be the only time."
"Of course, my merciful lord."
Ignoring David's teasing stare, the figure, along with Aura's, ambled into the throne room deep enough to reveal their appearances. The female that accompanied Aura seemed to be Cassy according to the earlier request from the "lord". Aura's look of disgust that was not directly targeted at the entering woman yet was fully concentrated on her displayed pure distaste for the individual.
David and the lord's earlier conversation was about to become a realization.
Walking up to the point in front of what could be assumed to be the throne (where the "lord" sat) where the linear formation of what David called the "Sentries" would be constructed, Cassy exposed her features outright with enough confidence to make any model insecure about themselves.
Her sweet, pale skin mixed with mischievous violet eyes with long lashes was illustrated more in richness by her light silver hair that ran straight, touching her lower back. The dress she wore was crimson with lighter accented shades, with a white main body.
Her fingers were long and nimble-looking, like a pianist's, however unlike preferred fashions, her red violet nails were definitely lengthy enough to carve into fruit as well as a knife. Fortunately, she seemed comfortable with them and did not act cautious with her hand movements.
Upon her arrival, she knelt, along with David, saying but one thing.
"It makes delighted to see you wear the eye color that reflects my own, my lord. I was not aware of this honor you had given me."
"I quite like it. I'll keep this shade on when under my new alias."
"I am beyond grateful, my lord."
The doors that she banged open stayed open, allowing another figure to walk from the light. This one had a very slender build and was unusually tall, but the spiky, slicked back hair gave away his identity. His purple blazer and black tie screamed formality that was exclusive to him, for some odd reason or another.
"Excuse me as well, sir."
"You're fine, Quinn."
"As kind as ever, sir. I am most grateful."
Judging from his careful words, it was clear that he had heard Cassy's apology, even though he was not present for the encounter. Almost as if he had expected this, his "lord" did not question him nor act surprised, along with the others, as he knelt alongside Cassy.
Aura's shocked face swung back and forth for a moment, being only replied with silence, before speaking her mind, crumbling under the restrained laughter by David.
"Wait, why didn't anybody have to get QUINN? DID YOU USE COMMUNICATION MAGIC FOR HIM?!"
"Michaela, too."
"*WHAT?!* So you send me to get... *HER* but you don't send David to get Quinn?!"
"Sorry. Didn't cross my mind."
Frustrated, Aura screeched toward the throne where her "lord" sat, yet instead of being reprimanded or punished, her master gave her very ignorant, comical responses that just threw gas into the raging fire until it reached a breaking point. The sight of the young woman throwing a tantrum because of her misfortune was undoubtedly humorous to the onlookers, including the "lord".
'If you weren't so childish you would know the favor that the lord is doing for you... but it isn't urgent.'
This thought trailed across David's mind as devil horns protruded from her head and the color of cherries blanketed her entire face. Returning his attention back to his current situation, he noticed the final expected figure walking through the light and into the darkness.
Recalling the leader's words, the only other expected individual was a female named "Michaela", which could have been safely corresponded with the female he contacted earlier with magic.
And indeed with was correct.
Crimson hair shined, small footsteps sounded, emeralds glinted, and a dark, heavy atmosphere was bestowed upon the onlookers, excluding the boss-man himself. Her untrustworthy-supported yet beautiful face showed nothing but undying loyalty as she simply knelt with a grave expression. Her outfit consisted of normal skinny jeans and a red t-shirt.
Her silence encouraged a gasp out of the others kneeling before their master, but she feigned ignorance as she kept her head facing the ground in what seemed to be shame. It was clear that she was the superior to the other subordinates, however her behavior was not the Michaela that they seemed to know and had gotten used to.
Ignoring her grief, the presumed leader commenced his meeting without a showy, over-the-top startup.
"Michaela, your usually-hip and positive attitude has wavered. Do not worry about your tardiness. Now, on to the main discussion..."
Surprised, but also extremely grateful, Michaela's head shot up toward her master, as did the others', as they gazed at him with awe beyond normality. The air had turned tense and suspense was built up so severely that it was painful. The looming cloud of silence allowed for everyone's heartbeats to be exposed to their superior... their *supreme* master and ruler.
The atmosphere bestowed by Michaela was shrouded and totally overpowered by the mere presence of the overlord.
There was no doubt that every single subordinate present was capable of feats beyond normality.
On the other hand, the power difference was staggering. The simple existence of the young lord was enough to suppress all of the Witches' auras and presences. One look between the group of subordinates and the young man and one could easily determine who was the stronger foe.
This young lord was not just someone playing God.
This was a young lord who was intent on rewriting the *concept* of God.
"It is time to discuss our plans. 'Operation Efficient Search and Conquer' has now officially commenced."
The looks on his subordinates' faces were so mixed with emotions one couldn't distinguish the awe from the excitement. It was clear what this young lord's plan was.
This wasn't some small group planning on destroying cities.
This wasn't a dreaming teenager who had hopes of becoming a king.
This young lord intended to make the *world* kneel at his feet.
He wanted to show the world that no other ruler existed that could rival him... No, that's not even all of it.
He wanted to show the world that no other God, Lord, Sovereign, Emperor, and/or Ruler deserved to be on this planet. An ambition hidden away for years under wraps was about to become a realization in the eyes of the world through the young lord's next actions. Enigmatic auras emanated from his body as his complex brain functions calculated in ways that were inconceivable to the regular human mind.
"It's time that we introduce Exul Valentine to the world... and declare the Fourth Great War unto the people. God will not be my witness, but my tool in this endeavor.
The world is mine to conquer... and it always has been."
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Clockmaker
Clockmaker Hello! I've been kinda busy again, but I've also been trying to pump out some Variant chapters. If you'd rather me write them all in one go and then publish the chapters by like five a week or something then let me know!
I'm going into my school year pretty soon so my writing might slow down but I will try mt hardest to stay consistent. Happy reading, everyone!
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