Swoosh! Swoosh!
Brimstones were launched into the air, leaving orange trails in their wake. They streaked through the sky and slammed the walls of Tiberias thunderously.
Boom! Boom!
The wall shook, debris falling and soldiers succumbing to the tremor as they lost their confidence.
Boom!
A brimstone struck a tower. The tower fell, and when it crashed on the ground, it shattered, large boulders flying everywhere and a thick dust wave spreading outward.
Sofia, who was about to enter a carriage, turned around only to see the wave heading for her and her men.
Whoosh!
It enveloped them, causing her to cough.
“My lady, please enter the carriage. We need to leave.” A knight covered Sofia with his cloak and opened the carriage’s door.
As Sofia stepped in and sat down, her eyes flashed.
‘After pouring all his wealth, influence, and resources into making his son become the first man in the northern region of Tenaria to become a half-step sacred ranked knight and forging a half-step imperial ranked armor that no knight could damage, he still dies at the hands of a wastelander.’
Sofia clenched her fists. Her shoulder trembled as the sound of the wall being slowly weathered down fell into her ears.
Her city.
Her pride.
Her daughter.
And their relationship with the Archduke had all crumbled. There was no doubt that the archduke would be extremely furious when he hears the news.
The northern region was about to be engulfed with war. And it was all because of the rise of one man.
Maybe he was a war bringer!
‘Asher Ashbourne!’
While Sofia’s carriage raced for the back gate, the battlefield had changed. Thousands of Ashbourne soldiers ran toward the wall, their battle roars piercing through the clouds.
Alec, the biggest of them all, was also the fastest. This was the first time the soldiers saw Alec run this fast.
He was always making sure the soldiers were in formation and showed little of his strength. But this time, with each step, he would cross a large distance.
Upon closing in on the gate, Alec channeled his Battle Force into his spear, causing it to burst into flames. Enjoy more content from empire
With a cry, he lunged it toward the gate. The air itself imploded as the spear shot forward with a frightening speed.
Boom!
It blew the gate open. The metal bars behind the gate snapped, and the gate was pulled with so much force that it almost left the hinges.
The squad behind found themselves in different areas struggling to stand.
Their eyes dilated as thousands of arrows, lightning and flaming, fell from the sky into the city.
Hundreds fell!
While the battlefield was filled with roars and soldiers running towards Tiberias, Asher walked toward Nero’s lifeless body.
His father, Alex, stood before him. The man was as still as stone with his head tilted downward, looking at his son.
Tapk! Tapk!
Hearing footsteps, Alex turned. “My Lord.” He fell on one knee, lowering his head.
“Rise.”
Alex rose up. He glanced at Nero and back at Asher.
“Where should we bury him?”
Asher looked at him. “Nineveh. He deserves to rest in our homeland, in the city where he was born.”
“It’s a privilege, my lord.”
Alex bowed.
“He’s not dead.”
A soft, fragile voice rang out, causing Asher to look at Sapphira, whom he had gently laid on the ground to attend to Alex.
Weakly, she walked toward them.
“What do you mean?” Alex asked, hope about to sprout up like a seed about to germinate.
Sapphira walked past them. Asher was about to help, but she raised her hand, signifying that she didn’t need help.
She fell on her knees, and the moment her hand touched Nero, a white mist in the form of a human appeared.
It enveloped Nero and was in the same position as him. Without being told, both Asher and Alex knew that white mist had a link with Nero.
“It’s his spirit.”
‘What?!’
Asher’s pupils dilated. How was that possible? Spirits were invisible beings that most of the time attracted people into their world in order to be seen.
“Nero is partially human. He’s like me. When we die, our spirits linger in the mortal world for a period of time. But once it leaves completely, there will be no way to revive him.”
“You can revive him?”
Alex’s eyes widened. All that Sapphira said went into one ear and left through the other. The only thing he grasped was that his son could be revived.
Sapphira placed her palm on Nero’s forehead, emerald light spreading out from her palm. It covered his entire body, causing flowers to grow around him.
Sapphira’s face grew paler and paler until she finally slumped. Asher quickly held her before her head hit the ground.
Meanwhile, Alex called out to Nero several times, but there was no response. Sighing heavily, he was about to turn when metallic sounds fell into his ears.
Turning, he saw Nero slowly rising to his feet. He wrapped his fingers around the hilt of his sword and pulled it out of the ground.
“Father…!”
Thud!
Alex closed the gap instantly and embraced his son.
Asher lifted up Sapphira and turned, walking toward his mount.
“Welcome back from the dead, Nero.”
His voice fell into Nero’s ears, causing him to bow.
Rumble!
Asher turned and saw a large section of the wall crumbling. A large amount of dust rose up.
The dust cloud was like a background for the company of Stormbringers galloping toward them.
“Aunt Eritrea…” Nero smiled when he saw the woman leading the company. The disbelief in her eyes was vivid.
Climbing his mount, Asher left.
….
Aquila walked into a tent. She saw her lord leaning against a wooden beam with a cup of green tea in his hand as he stared at the sleeping priestess.
He tilted his head.
“My lord.”
Aquila swiftly went on one knee.
“Arise. What do you want?”
“My lord, we discovered the blood of a lightning mythical beast mixed in Slade’s blood.”
Asher frowned.
“That’s impossible unless…”
“Illegal organ trade in black markets.” Aquila said solemnly. “Lord Slade had the heart of a giant thunderbird implanted inside of him. Turns out the Archduke really wanted his son to be exceptional.”
“So the lords of the high plains are disregarding the codes of the founding emperor.”