Chapter 406: Indirectly involved.
"Ready your weapon!" The general raised his sword as he looked at the hundreds of knights ahead of him.
All the soldiers unsheathed their swords and raised their shields, waiting for the general’s next order. They looked at the militia that was at the far back of the line, they could see the fear and anxiety in their eyes and the way they held their spears. They knew that some of them or most of them wouldn’t make it out alive. When the enemy sounded their horn, they knew there was no going back now.
Mykel was watching in the distance with Aider when the two forces collided and began to shed blood. It was obvious who would win the battle, especially that Rullein was there, pretending to be a soldier. She was going to devour them all, turning this event to be an unsolved mystery in the future.
In just 3 hours, the battle was already over and the victor of the battle was obvious since Rullein was on their side. However, she didn’t fight to win or to kill, she fought to prolong the fight, inducing every person with her dark energy that made them go almost in a frenzied state. They fought to kill, until their lungs burned from exhaustion and they either passed out or died from exhaustion.
"What’s happening to their bodies..." The general narrowed his eyes when he looked at the corpses scattered on the battlefield. "They’re all so skinny and pale in just in three hours?" He muttered as he looked at the corpses with their skins that clung onto their skeletons as if there was no flesh and muscles in between.
The mystery put everyone on edge and the general issued an order to retreat, leaving the field behind as they brought their dead comrades back with them. They were terrified by what had just happened, and how the bodies seemed to be drained like dead flowers. The general had to make the hardest decision and burn the dead bodies, fearing that they might be cursed.
"You’re letting her kill those people while knowing the demon force is growing?" Aider asked with his brows raised.
"Which one would you prefer? To let them be fodders for the demons or to be Rullein’s nourishments? Either way, their deaths serve more purpose for both of them, and I would rather her than making the demon stronger," Rasmus answered as he looked at the sunset in the distance. "Oh, and I believe this will prevent them from waging wars in the future. You can say we indirectly made them stop killing each other and perhaps unite them to fight the demons," he added.
"So you’re going to roam around, gathering information related to skirmishes, wars, and battles to feed her?" Aider asked as he looked at the battlefield that had been completely abandoned, leaving the enemy’s corpses behind like undesired trash.
"Isn’t that what you have been doing? Don’t you enjoy performing in front of different crowds every day?" Rasmus asked as he got up and brushed his trousers. "Your method to gather information is flawless, and I’m thankful for that. Let’s leave," he said as he walked away.
Days turned into weeks, wars were happening everywhere and Rullein was always there to join. The mystery of the dead that turned like husks began to circulate around the people, wondering if a curse of the demons had spread across the continent. That slowly made the nations stop waging wars, knowing that the demons might gain something from this. However, it was already too late because the commoners had taken refuge in the Holy Nation out of fear and safety.
Aris stood in front of the gate, and the Paladins that guarded the gate were shocked when they saw her silver hair and blue eyes. They didn’t know if they wanted to let her in or to send her away, but they knew they wouldn’t even be able to stop her.
"I’m here for Saint Serena, let me in," Aris said with a stoic expression as she stared at the Paladins. "I don’t have time for this, so let me in or die for nothing," she warned.
The Paladins clenched their swords, but they all nodded with understanding and immediately moved aside. Aris nodded as she put back the hood on, covering her hair as she walked into the city. One Paladin escorted her to the inner circle of the city, keeping an eye on her and because she was an important guest.
Aris was surprised that there were so many people in the city already, especially after she heard that the Holy Nation had opened their gate for refugees. She looked at the people rebuilding the houses and the buildings that seemed to be destroyed during the war. She looked at the city walls that were being repaired and reinforced by the mages from the Magic Tower.
Her arrival immediately reached Lenin and Aurelia’s ears, and they all immediately went to see her. They thought that Aris had come with Rasmus, but to their surprise, they only saw her alone. When Serena and Aris shared a look, Serena knew that Aris had come for her or Videl.
"You’re looking for me?" Serena asked as she approached Aris. "Let’s have a conversation in private," she grabbed Aris’ hand as she glanced at Aurelia and the others, knowing that they might want to know what was going on.
Aris glanced at Lenin, Aurelia, Novia, and two figures that she didn’t know who they were, which were Alexander and Marina the Sorceress. She then walked into the palace with Serena and went to Serena’s chamber.
"I need to meet with Videl," Aris said as she stared into Serena’s eyes.
"Videl? That’s a bit disturbing and concerning," Serena tilted her head, wondering why Aris, the woman who didn’t like Videl at all, was looking for him. "Did Rasmus send you here? That’s not it, is it?" She raised her brows.
"No, I need him," Aris said as she shook her head.
Serena narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms, she then nodded with understanding. She went to find Videl, which she knew exactly where he was. It didn’t take a few minutes until she came back with Videl. He had the same reaction as Serena, confused and disturbed that Aris was looking for him not because of Rasmus but because of her own will.
"I’ll keep it simple, I have been marked by Satan and I need you to remove that mark from me," Aris said as she approached Videl.
Both Videl and Serena raised their brows, surprised by the revelation. Aris made it brief when she explained what happened to both of them. It was unbelievable that Satan took this matter into their own hands, especially to make a move against her.
"You’re quite unlucky that you got marked by Satan," Videl said as he sat on the couch, crossing his legs and resting his arms on his lap. "The good news, I can easily remove that mark from your body since I have gained a lot of power, but the bad news..." He paused as he tapped his fingers on his lap.
"That the chance of Satan to know your existence will be guaranteed? Because the only being that could remove the mark was nobody else but a being with the same rank as Satan?" Aris asked, crossing her arms.
Videl was surprised that Aris knew that, but then he knew it must be Rasmus that told her.
"Yes, you’re absolutely correct," Videl nodded in agreement. "And I think Rasmus was the one who told you that? If he knew the risk, he knew that it would blow our cover, mine and Rasmus’s..." he muttered as he sighed.
"He said that it didn’t matter and he wanted you to remove the mark from my body," Aris said with a serious look on her face. "If he wanted this mark to be removed, meaning that he knew the risk and consequence. So, are you going to remove the mark from my body or not?" She asked.
"Well..." Videl grinned as he sat straight and uncrossed his legs. "I’ll remove the mark if you could win against me," he said with a smirk on his face.
"Oh dear..." Serena said as she took a few steps away from them.
Aris pulled out Aristoria’s armor from her spatial ring, letting them fall on the ground. Serena and Videl looked at the armor parts, noticing the immense energy that the armor released. Videl’s smirk widened as he got up from the couch as he pulled out a blood red sword from thin air.
"I knew you would accept the challenge, after all, you’re not that different from us..." Videl said as he swung his sword around, watching Aris put on the armor that felt like a second skin on her body.
"Not this time..." Aris said as she put the greaves, gauntlets, pauldrons, and chest plate on. "I really want this mark to be removed from my body, completely free from this," she stared into Videl’s red eyes as she pulled out both Rasmus’s and her swords.