Tyrant of the Ruined Sun - Chapter 223
Chapter 223: Crush them
That night I lay awake in my bed, my sleep as elusive as my enemies have been for the past fortnight; not because I am anxious, not because I am excited, nor is it because I feel my skull particularly crowded with thoughts and rage tonight, as I have so often felt; no, this sleepless sickness of mine tonight has only one cause, and it’s cure is one and the same as it’s lavender scented medicine.
The only drug I have ever, and would forever so willingly succumb to it’s intoxicating effect.
I have not seen my Eve ever since I gave her her secret task, back when I had not yet led three hundred thousand men into the enemy’s ravaged territory. And though I had hoped that she would use her many divine talents to visit me since, I have so far been disappointed.
I rise from my comfortable bed with an impatient start and a frightening scowl, beginning to stalk through the darkness of my tent with practiced steps, before I quickly find my way to my desk’s top most drawer and extract from it the dried husk of lavender flower I had once never let part my side, but after so long in the presence of the real thing, this feels like a sad excuse for her existence, a hollow shadow that merely intensifies the feel of her absence, instead of sedating it.
I remain there, immersing myself in the flowers feeble scent until I feel it has no more to give in it’s withered form, when the rustling sound of my bedroom’s clothe partition is creased to the side, with the arrival of silver haired friend.
“My emperor?” He says in momentary surprise at my unexpected wakefulness. “It is dawn, sire.”
“Very well.” I coldly reply, taking the flower in hand, as he helps me into my obsidian black armour.
I fasten Dark majesty to my hip and take hold of Fallen Nemesis, as I make my way out, where I behold my brothers standing there waiting for me, along with Abraham and the rest of my guard.
“Are you ready?” I ask.
“Yes brother.” They both say, but there is apprehension there, I can see it as clear as day, yet they do not shy away from it.
Good.
‘Fear war my brothers, but never forget it’s necessity, for it shall always be thrust upon you.’ I think, as I pat both of them on their armoured shoulders and then walk past them, while they quickly trail behind.
We saunter then out my tent, where the dust pillars of mobilizing my armies rise high in the air, like gnarly fingers of giants reaching it up to grasp the distant sky.
But if that were true, then the kicked up dust of my enemy’s innumerable heals on the opposing end, were like an endless wall, barring our entry into that promised plane.
“How long till we are in position?” I ask, coming to the side of Hamilcar, who sat alone atop an elevated stand, built so we can better survey the battle’s progression throughout the day, while my other commanders were undoubtedly engulfed within the surrounding conflicting steams of moving men, trying to make sense of it all.
“A little less than two hours, sire.” He replied.
“Good.” I nod, taking my seat along my brothers, while my guards dutifully their positions around us.
“I expect that they would want to speak with you before long, sire.” Hamilcar commented, as he surveyed the our foe’s obscured movements.
“To give themselves more time to prepare?” I knowingly ask.
“Yes.” He nodded. “They would need more time to ready their gargantuan, and highly diverse army after all.”
“We obviously won’t extend them that curtesy.” I lightly declare, listlessly rest my chin upon my closed fist.
Exactly as we expected, after a long two hours, my army was nearly ready and in position, while our foe’s forces remained entrapped in that same obscuring typhoon of swirling dust and frantic yelling.
“My emperor, look.” Abraham gestured towards a coming group of chariots, carrying flags of parley.
“Ignore them.” I say, continuing to twirl the dried flower between my thumb and index finger.
Not long after, my generals all coalesced around me, reporting that all is set and are awaiting my command.
“Today we claim victory with simple, overwhelming, force.” I coldly proclaim, sweeping my gaze across all of them, making them feel as though a malevolent wind had passed over them, prickling their skin with tongues of frozen fire.
“We crush them.” Said Hamilcar, nodding.
“Abraham you and the Palace Guard are with me. Hamilcar, Leonid, Tessiphina. I leave the heads of the four commanding bastards to you.” I looked to my most competent warriors first. “Horus. Hasdrubal. The flanks and Diomedes Knights are yours.” I then look to my two most trusted friends. “Orhan, your cannons are not allowed to fall silent once until the battle is over and done with. Barrafin, you are to make sure that no harm ever comes to them.”
“By your command, sire.” Barrafin and the others saluted.
All with the exception of my eccentric Cannon-Master, who loudly said instead “No need to worry, boss! My Darlin’s will sing ‘ntill their voice go hoarse fo’ ye if you want ’em!”
I simply nod to them, before turning to the last two of the present, saying “Avestan, the centre is yours. Archon…” I look at the silent demon, Hamilcar gave command over the berserk battalion he’d personally founded, and who still derivate their name from, and thought for a moment, before saying “You may do as you please.”
He silently bows, while Avestan calmly salutes me.
“What will you be doing then, my liege?” Horus asked, having understood that I will not be staying still in this battle either.
“I, my guard and the Chimera Knights will make sure they have no fortress to retreat to.” I say, looking towards the pale city, half way up the white capped mountain.
A few moments later, three pillars of oppressive aura erupted like guizers from the earth, each a mocking challenge to the four leaders of the army before us, one of eery skeletal white, one of deep amber water, and the last of horrifying blood red fire.
A second later, the duel’s call is answered with defiance by four lances of power, one of green smoke, one of snow white winds, one of blue light, and the last of brown fire.
At once, all seven horrifying columns vanished, and appeared miles away, before booms of so deafening clashes their slipstreams blew our hoisted banners all amok.
Turning my attention away from the cataclysmic clash for a moment, I called out “Let us begin as well.”
“Yes, sire!” They all awoke from their entranced state, as they all rushed to their respective lines, commanding their equally stunned soldiers to charge.
“Orhan, crack their lines.” I commanded.
“Righto, boss!” The mad cannoneer cacklingly acknowledged with the unsettling glee of a schoolgirl, as he waved his hands for his fearsome darlings to begin their morbid song.
A resounding echo of thunderous bangs took hold of our ears then, as a hundred Epirus canons sang all at once with an endless note of fire and precision, answered in kind by the opposing forces with a tune death and horror, their lines buckling like rotten wood under too much weight.
I retracted my eyes then from the colossal battle at hand, and again turned it to the scene of apocalypse happening a far way’s off from us.
Yet my eyes could not glimpse their forms at such a vast distance, and even if I could, I knew they would moving far faster than what my eyes are currently able to perceive, so I turned to my Golden Guardian, and asked “How is it looking Abraham?”
“I will not be needed.” Abraham calmly assured, his eyes shining in his radiant golden aura.
“Can you see what exactly is happening?!” Cyrus excitedly asked the Captain of the Palace Guard.
“Indeed I can, my prince.” He simply nodded, but seeing the vibrant light in his eyes, practically begging for more details, and seeing me nod in agreement, unconcerned with immediately completing our part of my plan, he began “Lady Tessiphina is engaged with the one who released that jet of white aura. Lord Leonid is battling against the one who unleashed the green. And Lord Hamilcar…” He paused for a moment there. “He is toying with the other two.”
A chuckle escaped me at his final words, as both my brothers clamoured him for more details, which he quickly provided “The one I mentioned first, with the white aura, is a mage, apparently specialized with the use of wind magic, though it appears he is augmenting his magic with some form ice spells, as his attacks are not like those of other wind mages.”
“Truly?!” Nizam asked in surprise, knowing how difficult it is for someone to combine spells from two schools of magic.
“Yes, but he is having a difficult time managing his distance against her, especially since lady Tessiphina is most specialized in medium ranged combat with her twin whips.” Abraham observed, before then giving his brutally apathetic honest opinion. “It is a favourable matchup for the duchess, but the mage seems to be very experienced in fighting martial artists, though he seems unused to those who use a tricky and uncommon weapon as a whip. It will depend if she can defeat him before he can grow accustomed to her fighting style.”
“What about the other two?” Cyrus quickly asked.
“Lord Leonid will not have any issues, his foe is fast, with tremendous amounts of experience under his belt and excellently finetuned natural instincts for combat, but he remains the weakest among the four, with his stamina seeming to be a particularly glaring weakness of his, making very much still lacking before Lord Leonid’s Scythe in the long run. As for the Grand Marshal, he will be done soon enough.” He finished his words with a slow shake of his head.
Cyrus and Nizam said nothing more, merely staring wide eyes and slightly slack jawed into the horizon, where only the booms and eruptions of light stand as evidence of the titanic battle going there, that would’ve made even the one before them to seen like a schoolyard’s brawl in comparison.
I stand then, whistling into the air as several Chimera’s come crashing down before us, including my own Chimera King, Bellerophon, saying “Let us get on with our own task,.” Shrugging off my heavy mantle, taking my helm under one arm, while Fallen Nemesis takes it’s place in my other.
A shame Bellerophon was still too young and weak to effectively hoist my weight above the clouds.