“Open the gate.”
Asher said, his voice calm.
“OPEN THE GATE!”
Moses bellowed at the top of his lungs, and the gates opened with a thunderous groan, allowing thousands of Bladebreakers to charge into the battlefield.
They galloped forward like a tidal wave, lances thrusting and sweeping in deadly arcs. Barbarians fell, dropping like flies as they tried to run away.
Asher watched as Lambert led the charge, bringing the Bladebreakers halfway through the battlefield before making a U-turn galloping back toward the gate.
Tigris’ forces had taken a brutal hit—Asher knew that much.
But…
Count William knew of his arrival faster than he had expected. Not only was he aware of Asher’s arrival, but he had also managed to procure high-ranking spell scrolls and siege weapons.
Clearly, this wasn’t just a battle. The real target was him!
Before Asher’s frown could deepen, Alec approached him. The massive knight’s armor was slick with blood.
“My Lord!”
He bowed his head.
“I have a report. The West division succeeded in holding back those wild barbarians. General Paul was injured, and we lost 127 Archers in battle.”
Asher’s eyes narrowed.
Losing so many archers was a heavy blow.
“How many casualties on the enemy’s side?”
“We’re not done counting. Levi Tigris fled with the remaining barbarians, but the Temple knights are after them.”
Asher turned. “Take me there.”
He wanted to see the state of the west division with his own eyes.
Nero, Eleazar and two other paladins followed him as they made their way to the lift.
Meanwhile, a fearsome battle erupted elsewhere.
Sapphira gripped her hand tightly around her sword, clashing against a jotunn, a blue-skinned being even larger than an orc!
Behind the Jotunn stood a blonde woman garbed in flowing black robes. Her hood had been pulled down, revealing sharp, calculating eyes.
Before her eyes, the jotunn got hold of the heavy table from the centre of the tent and hurled it towards Sapphira. The fairy reacted instantly, sliding under the table, forcefully spinning on her knees and delivering a horizontal cut in a fluid motion.
Her sword cut through the jotunn’s thick leather belt, which bore the gruesome trophy of a human skull!
Roaring in fury, the jotunn swung down his axe in a devastating arc.
Sapphira’s eyes narrowed.
The next instant, her wings seemed to have flared to life, and then she moved.
Swoosh!
She then darted to the right, faster than the eye could follow, and before the jotunn could react, she slashed—her sword carving deep into the jotunn’s right knee!
“Argh!”
The jotunn’s agonized shriek shook the tent, yet outside, no one could hear a thing!
Seeing that the jotunn was losing, Liya’s eyes flickered, and ice rose up, locking Sapphira’s arms and legs in place.
Liya smiled.
The jotunn’s lips curled into a chuckle, his eyes darkening with a possessive gleam as he beheld the otherworldly beauty held down by the thick ice.
Sensing the jotunn’s intentions, Liya ground her teeth. “Kill her.”
She snarled.
Crack!
Just as the jotunn raised his axe, fractures started appearing on the ice, and a white mist, shaped like a ghostly figure, erupted from Sapphira.
Puchi!
The jotunn gasped. Blood bubbled from his lips as he stared down at the sword that had pierced through him from the back, his eyes widened in disbelief.
Behind him, there was another Sapphira. And the one trapped before his eyes, captured by the ice, just dissipated into thin air.
Swish!
Spikes of ice erupted from the ground, but Sapphira sliced them all effortlessly. Then, without hesitation, she surged forward, decapitating the jotunn before turning to face Liya.
Swoosh!
Like a phantom, she appeared before Liya, unleashing a swift, angular slash. Unfortunately, it missed—Liya had vanished and reappeared near the tent’s exit.
Her sudden appearance made the air distort, causing the tent’s flap to flutter.
“Who are you, and what are you doing in his tent?!”
Sapphira shot forth, thrusting her sword with the intention of piercing through Liya and pinning her to a beam.
Clink!
Her sword tip hit something metallic instead!
A golden chest plate, to be exact.
Sapphira’s pupils narrowed as she realized who stood before her.
Asher!
She had pointed her sword against Asher!
Unaware of what had transpired, Asher had only wanted to walk past his tent towards the west division, but the movement of his tent’s flap caught his attention.
Unbeknownst to him, that was also when Liya appeared there.
Sapphira quickly retrieved her sword while Asher scanned his tent, which was now in shambles.
Removing his helmet, he raised an eyebrow at her.
“I sense a spell.”
His deep voice resonated in Sapphira’s ears.
She turned but didn’t see the jotunn’s corpse.
Was that dark mage trying to frame her?
“I sensed a foul energy in your tent, so I followed it and discovered a dark mage. I apologize for destroying your tent, My Lord.”
Sapphira lowered her head.
Looking at the dirt on her gown, the sweat beading on her neck, and the slight tremor in her stance as she bowed her head, Asher’s gaze softened, and he lowered his brow.
“I can sense it, too. Whoever you fought against left the moment I touched the flap. But right now, I am more concerned about the county’s priestess.”
He took two steps forward, taking Sapphira’s left hand.
“Are you alright?”
Sapphira couldn’t come up with a response. Inwardly, her shock knew no bounds, even resulting in slight shyness, a trait she had never known in her life!
The intensity of the fight against the jotunn became a child’s play as her heart pounded against her ribcage.
The reason for her feeling this was because Asher’s other hand reached out for her chin and lifted her head.
Their eyes met.
Sapphira’s pupils shook.
Inside Asher’s golden gaze, she couldn’t find the kind of desire other men had, but it was clear… he wanted her!
As she came to this conclusion, Sapphira felt her knees grow weak.
She couldn’t believe what was going on in her body. Although she did find Asher appealing, considering their age difference and her sense of discipline, Sapphira thought she would never react like this.
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It was as if all her defences and sense of authority had melted away.
The rapid beating of her heart, his soft touch and his beautiful golden eyes filled her senses.
“I… I’m alright.”
She barely managed to utter.
_____
Boom!
A glass cup shattered, its shards sprinkling onto the ground with soft sounds that fell into the ears of the infuriated woman.
Liya’s piercing blue eyes burned with vengeance.
“Asher Ashbourne.” she seethed, grinding her teeth.
Through the hidden mirror inside the tent, she watched the two of them—her fury growing with each passing moment.