Bell dragged his labrys forward. A passage of charred ground was carved ahead of him, leading directly to the Rakian backline.
Men yanked themselves away from where a hurricane of dualistic flames had just passed, their limbs seared and armours sizzling.
Cracks spiderwebbed beneath his feet as he hefted the axe up and swung it to his right.
SWOOOSH!
A burst of red travelled from his swing, shearing through a foe trying to rush at his blind spot, along with fifty other assailants behind him.
Thunder of hoofs resounded from ahead of Bell. Rakia cavalry was charging toward him and his army, right through his carved passage.
Hundreds of mounted warriors aimed their lances at him from a distance. The horses beneath them neighed in unison, their combined sound shaking the air with an oppressive weight.
He stepped toward them. Cinders ignited beneath his heels, hoisting him up as they solidified into a spine of demonic flames. That spine extended into a tail and neck composed of black bones. Four thin, bony limbs were the next to condense. A draconic skull with a pair of horns took shape at last.
Two blood-red eyes opened from its empty eye sockets.
SKREEEE!
A Juggernaut.
Its tail flashed, impaling a man trying to attack Bell from behind, and threw him back into the throng, crushing tens of other men.
He had a foot on Juggernaut's head as it surged head-on toward the cavalry ahead.
His labrys was already resting on his shoulders. A single finger pointed upward.
Temperature skyrocketed. Ash started to scatter in reverse, floating up from below.
Flames compressed unto themselves in the sky, revolving into a sphere of pure heat.
A second sun rotated overhead.
Oppressive. Searing. Cruel.
Blood started to drip down Bell's lips, evaporating into white vapour in seconds.
The dragon above beat its wings, leaving sonic booms in its wake, screeching straight for the second sun that blazed near Orario.
A fraction of a second before impact, the dragon dissolved into a sea of fire, pouring straight into the sun.
Bell's own armour started to burn as the sun nearly doubled in size and volume, its heat intensifying to unbearable degrees.
He looked forward—behind thousands of soldiers, behind lines of archers, behind formations of mages.
His gaze landed on Ares' new camp.
We mortals cannot reach you?
... And who decided that?
By now, a thin red line traced from Bell's left eye, trailing down his cheek. Rakia cavalry was close.
The sun floating above everyone started to deform. A piercing edge stretched out from its body, dwarfing the army below in sheer size; embers followed that edge like molten flakes and curved along its spine.
A cleaver materialised, suspended in the sky, well beyond the golden road to victory, well beyond the Rakian backline.
It was a Cruel Sword.
To reach Ares.
Cavalrymen had their pupils constrict. They tried to stop their charge. It was all in vain.
Bell brought his finger down.
Cruel Sword fell from above, phasing through the golden road and plunging into the dazed army below.
BOOOOOM!
Air wailed. Earth quaked without pause. Soil melted into quartz. Smoke and dust spread in all directions. Orario's city wall way back nearly crumbled.
Soldiers? Cavalry? Army?
Not even their ashes were left. They had been vapourised without mercy.
Weapons clattered to the ground. Some footmen's knees buckled unconsciously. Others remained frozen in terror. Every man in the Rakian backline did not even dare to breathe.
A heavy silence descended.
Juggernaut beneath Bell dispersed into flecks of embers. His boots slid against the ground, friction turning their soles orange-red.
Burning silhouettes surged from his sides, overtaking him in moments and standing along the path created by his Cruel Sword.
Bell slowed. Goddess Astraea and Ryuu reached him from behind, each taking a flank.
It did not take them long to arrive at Ares' tent. Every ember-formed phantom fragmented into specks behind him, vanishing under countless eyes.
No soldier moved.
Bell pulled his axe up from his shoulders and swung it toward Ares' tent. Winds howled; the tent flapped like a cyclone was roaring just beside it.
Sounds of fabric tearing rang out soon. The tent was pulled up from its foundation, flying away like a kite with severed strings.
Rakia commanders sat on an elevated platform within, each with their backs pressed against their seats. Some gazed at them with curled fists and trembling eyes. Some sat motionless, arms resting on their knees like the war was someone else's problem.
He snapped his eyes toward a man with battle scars on his face. Then toward an Amazon with two daggers sheathed at her hips. Finally, his gaze landed on a man sitting on an ornate throne between them.
Crimson-red armour adorned his body, paired with orange hair and a muscular frame. He had a smirk spread across his face as he looked down at Bell.
Ares.
The labrys in Bell's grip dispersed as he came to a stop just before the elevated platform.
He wordlessly shifted to the side and knelt, cupping his hands together.
Goddess Astraea placed her foot on his palms, using his hands as a surface to reach the elevated platform.
Bell then straightened up. A light tap, and he landed at her left. With another tap, Ryuu landed at Goddess Astraea's right.
No one spoke for a moment. His Goddess broke the silence first.
"Ares, stop this madness. This war... is not just."
Her words were ignored as Ares put a pinky finger to his ear, eyes on something else.
He replied a moment later.
"I might have considered your words if I was not this close to conquering Orario with my army. Tell me, Astraea... how can I stop when my conquest is just about to be completed?" Ares created a small gap between his fingers, sneaking a gaze at Bell in between.
"Countless innocent people are dying, innumerable families are being destroyed. You can stop it all with a word, Ares." Goddess Astraea spoke, her eyes piercing.
"Unfortunately, Astraea, you're one of the gods who care too much about these mortals. What does it matter if they die or their families get destroyed?"
"They are merely toys. You play with them until they break, then get new ones." Ares rubbed his scalp with a finger, clueless.
Goddess Astraea's eyes had frosted over by now.
"If you don't stop, I'll force you to stop."
Her voice was cold as her fingers intertwined with Bell's, her grip tight.
Ares looked at their joint hands, then looked behind them at his army, which had lost all will to fight.
He went quiet for a moment.
"Hahahahahaha!" Ares burst into a sudden, wild laughter.
"Hahahaha... You won't. Or rather, you can't." His smirk widened, looking at them—especially Bell—with a shrewd face.
"What do you mean?" Goddess Astraea's words came through gritted teeth.
"A birdie told me that you've been living with Hestia and a Renard nowadays, right?" He paused for a moment.
"My boy Marius has probably reached your home by now." Ares continued.
"Tell me, Astraea... You wouldn't want me to use your Renard's tail to make a mat, right? Or maybe make Hestia my personal maid, having her cook, clean, and warm my bed?"
Goddess Astraea's nails dug into Bell's hand.
Silence.
"Haha...Hahahaha...Hahahaha!" Ares laughed like he had already won.
An instant.
BOOOOOOOOOOOM!
Sonic booms collapsed over one another in an unending cascade. Air scrambled away. Vibrations swallowed everything.
A hand clamped over Ares' face. Cracks webbed across it, seeping abyssal darkness.
"Wrong choice... Ares."
Ares' only visible eye constricted as a voice with broken static resounded in his ears.
He couldn't even react as—
Their surroundings dissolved into a cluster of speeding lines.
...
..
.
***
[300 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter]
[8 chapters ahead on P@tr3on = [email protected]/Not_Aaryan]
...
[Authors Thoughts]
Monster Created By God.