The Void Wolf

The Unified Army pushed further into the Underground City unrelentingly. With that being so, one particular group managed to slip deep within the city unnoticed.

“Once we reach the palace we can end this entire fight,” A formidable looking warrior with a greatsword said.

“You’re right. It’s just...Don't you think it seems a bit calm for how far we’ve gotten?” His comrade asked while scanning the rooftops of the empty houses.

The battle could still be heard off in the distance, but even so, there was no one around to stop their advance which seemed strange.

“Maybe they’re too preoccupied to notice us.” The warrior fiddled with his greatsword but soon stopped. “Hold!”

At his command, the group of one hundred or so came to a halt. The reason being was the black-haired girl who wore a cloak that matched her hair. Her soft-yellow eyes peered at the men with an innocent indifference.

“Identify yourself!” The man lifted his greatsword up and pointed it at her.

“Hey, she’s just a kid.” Someone tried to stop him but he shook his head.

“Look at her appearance. She’s definitely related to that monster Ira.”

Everyone gave a second look to the girl and finally realized the significance of her features. They drew their weapons and took up their defensive stances.

“...Why don’t you come over here? As long as you listen we won’t hurt you.” The man slightly lowered his greatsword and forced a smile.

Raveria looked at the group of men and slowly shook her head. Then, she split into two different versions of herself.

“Why do they keep coming this way?” Raveria asked herself.

“I don’t know.” She responded.

The two of them split into four and then into eight.

“By the Gods...Illusion magic?” Someone whispered.

Raveria took a step forward and then her doppelgangers vanished. They rushed toward the soldiers at an incomprehensible speed only appearing as faint blurs.

“Ahk!” A man cried out as he fell onto the ground. His body began to wither while his armor grew rusty until he eventually turned into a lifeless and aged husk.

“No! No!” Another person suffered the same fate.

“Stop! Please!” And another.

The soldiers only had time to release a few short screams before they fell dead.

“That’s it.” Raveria dusted her hands off and absorbed all of her doppelgangers.

She looked around to make sure she had no one left to worry about and then ran off in the blink of an eye.

...

Elsewhere, Cyprian found himself covered in his own blood. He suffered a numerous amount of small wounds that began to pile up which put him in a dangerous state.

The soldiers he had marched in with hadn’t fared much better as they died in their fight with the half-dragons. Of course, reinforcements were on the way but he didn’t think he would survive that long.

And it was all because of Valeryn who, other than the small amount of sweat that dampened his forehead, seemed to be perfectly fine.

His rapier was stabbed into the ground with both his hands resting on the pommel. He seemed completely calm while waiting for Cyprian to attack. He intentionally left himself exposed to an abrupt attack but Cyprian knew that there was no way he could land a defining blow if things continued as they were.

Was it embarrassing for the strongest human swordsman on the continent to be bested by a child? Not in Cyprian’s eyes. He didn’t look at Valeryn as a child but rather a monster who obtained an immeasurable understanding of the sword.

Cyprian’s spirit magic gave his sword a faint glow. He decided to channel everything he had into a single attack and Valeryn sensed it.

“What is your name?” Cyprian finished his preparation. His white robes seemed to flutter with the immense spiritual energy emanating from his body.

“Valeryn.”

“I see. Then I’d like to see everything you have, Valeryn.”

Valeryn nodded and pulled his rapier out of the ground and took up a one-handed stance, placing his free hand behind his back.

Without saying a word, they seemed to reach an understanding. Cyprian forced himself forward at an incredible speed but Valeryn remained motionless. Thinking he could strike faster, Cyprian raised his sword overhead with the intention of performing a downward slash. Valeryn’s hand flickered ever so slightly and Cyprian was stopped dead in his tracks. His spiritual power had dissipated without him knowing why.

“Ah, I see.” He tilted his head down and saw a hole in his own chest. The rapier impaled him so fast that the friction cauterized the wound. Valeryn’s simple attack pierced through everything.

“I got to witness something great.” Cyprian gave a hollow laugh. The principles behind Valeryn’s attack were profound. Without the use of magic power or physical strength, Valeryn's increased the speed of strike to the point where it was unobservable. For someone like Cyprian who dedicated himself to the sword, it was a great sight to see.

He collapsed onto the ground without an ounce of life left in his body.

Valeryn sheathed his rapier and approached Cyprian. He picked up the plain sword that Cyprian used and then broke the blade before absorbing it into himself. With only the hilt of Cyprian's sword left, Valeryn tied it to his waist. It was his way or marking his first significant kill.

It was only then did Valeryn realize there were other people around. He turned and looked at Aldis whose mouth was agape.

“Hey, Valeryn...Could you…” Aldis started. He wanted to ask if Valeryn could instruct him on a few moves but the question wouldn’t come out. Not only was the time inappropriate but Valeryn was also just a kid and more importantly, his nephew.

“Forget it.” Aldis let out a defeated breath.

Their little break was interrupted by a massive explosion that erupted near the Underground City’s entrance. The Angels finally came flooding in and they made more of an impact than the numerous soldiers. With their appearance, the barriers and footholds that the Valkyries and the Dark Elf Army attempted to hold became scrambled. The Valkyries tried to stop the advancement of the Angels but there were too many. Thus, the Angels flew deeper into the city.

“Damn it!” Aldis cursed as he noticed an Angel flying toward their position.

Gerald grunted and moved toward Valeryn with his shield raised to defend against any attack.

A rain of golden arrows came raining down, pelting Gerald who could barely block them. But just then, Raveria’s doppelganger zoomed in and grabbed Valeryn before moving to safety.

“You should be more careful, Ryn.” Raveria scolded him lightly.

“I was, the Angel just surprised me is all,” Valeryn replied calmly.

“I've heard of those with your appearance.” She spoke with a heavenly voice. “I shall bring you both to Lord Rythar.”

Just as the Angel was about to attack but a massive pillar of flame erupted from under her, incinerating her completely.

“M-Mother…” Valeryn whispered to himself.

Raveria silently gulped feeling that she would be in a lot of trouble.

Avery soon came into sight along with Sylun, Zella, and Juliana. Sylun’s royal guards surrounded the area and kept a watchful eye for any Angels approaching them from above.

“Valeryn. Raveria.” Avery’s voice held an indescribable anger. “Come with me now.”

“I can fight, Mother.” Valeryn raised his head up defiantly which made Avery show a briefly surprised look.

“I need to fight,” Valeryn mumbled.

“I won’t allow it.” Avery grabbed her injured shoulder and slightly winced. “Let’s go now.”

“If I may speak.” Zella began.

“You may not.” Avery was curt as she dragged her children along.

“If they were to participate the direction of the battle would shift drastically.” Zella continued.

It was a cold look from Avery that prevented her from speaking any further.

“No, we can hold out until…” Avery stumbled. “Until Ira…”

Without being able to finish her thoughts, Avery fainted.

“Mom!”

“Mother!”

Raveria and Valeryn supported their mother as best they could.

“She pushed herself beyond what her condition would allow,” Zella explained. Underneath the veil, her eyes flickered.

“More Angels will arrive soon if we don't act quickly,” Juliana spoke up.

“I’ll escort the Keepress somewhere safe. As for the Keeper’s children...It isn’t my place to give them orders. Protect them.” Sylun split her group and took Avery away while the rest stood around Ira’s children.

“So where do we go first?” Raveria asked. She had several premonitions about where they were needed but she couldn’t be completely certain.

Zella and Juliana looked at Raveria strangely.

“...You’re almost unreadable, just like Ira.” Zella shook her head and decided to focus on the situation at hand. “Your brother Zephyr is the best hope to stopping the attack.”

“Then to Zephyr we go! He’s not too far.” Raveria bounced on her heels before speeding away.

“Ravi.” Valeryn frowned as he watched his sister disappear from sight. A jet-black saber emerged from his palm and he used it to slice the air, cutting through space almost instantly. “Let's follow her.”

…

Zephyr could feel his heart beating excitedly. Waves and waves of enemies continued approaching but he could easily dispatch them. He waved his hand and gathered a group of soldiers into a ball. Their metallic armor became their undoing as they were crushed by their own armor.

Rhys was busy preventing any from pushing forward with her sheer speed. For the most part, all she needed to do was touch someone while in her lightning form. The surge of electricity was extremely deadly and once again, the conductive enemy armor made it easier for her.

Together, the mother and son duo single-handedly dealt with over a thousand soldiers. And while Rhys didn’t feel right letting her son kill, she knew it wasn’t the time or place to try and convince him to do otherwise.

Rhys leaped into the air and then a was caught off guard by a golden blur approaching her. Her eyes widened and her glowing white pupils made out the approaching entity.

‘Angels!’ At that moment, she increased her speed tenfold and time seemed to come to a crawl. Lightning moved through her veins as she picked her target and then she moved to attack.

A thunderous explosion rang out as Rhys crashed into an Angel sending her foe crashing through a house.

“Mom?” Zephyr waved his hand and sent dozens of soldiers flying across the city before checking to see what happened.

Rhys held her hand up, indicating caution so Zephyr moved back.

All of a sudden, the Angel burst up from the rubble and swiped at Rhys’ neck. Unfortunately, all he grabbed was empty air. With a crackle of electricity, Rhys appeared behind him and placed a palm on the Angel’s back. She didn’t hold anything back and let her lightning cover the Angel completely.

“I-Insolent…” That was all he able to mutter before he turned into a golden light and vanished.

Rhys took a moment to gather her breath. The repeated use of her abilities began to cause a bit of exhaustion but it wouldn’t hold her back just yet.

“Zephyr!” Raveria leapt from rooftop to rooftop before landing in front of her brother. “We need you.”

“Ravi?” Zephyr titled his head in a confused manner.

Then, space split open between them and Valeryn walked out along with Zella, Juliana, and a few Dark Elves. Gerald, Amy, and Aldis had stayed behind to make sure the half-dragons weren’t left unattended.

“Ryn?” Zephyr’s confusion visibly increased.

“...Hello.” Zella and Juliana sent a polite bow toward Rhys. “...If you wish to stop the attack then the best thing to do is make use of your son’s ability.”

“Me?” Zephyr asked.

“Yes...Can’t you feel it? The metal beneath the soil?” Juliana answered him. “You can wield it...You will wield it.”

Zephyr stared at her with a blank expression while Rhys placed a hand on his shoulder and glared at Juliana.

“Ah, forgive me. That wasn’t an order but rather a statement of events to come. I merely wish to increase the speed at which those events arrive to maintain the balance of things.” She explained.

Still, Rhys remained unsettled by the two girls who never removed the black veils from their face.

Just as Rhys was about to agree, Zella spoke up. “She agrees.”

‘How did you know that?’ Rhys thought to herself as she stared at Zella with vigilance. She hadn’t had much interaction with the two of them so she remained wary.

“I wish I could explain, but if we don’t move quickly the Angels will only increase in number.” Zella read Rhys’ thoughts.

“After all, she can only hold them for so long.” She added before looking to a single section of the city where the Angels were the most concentrated.

…

“I feel a foul magic about.” The Angels hovered around a set of empty houses while looking for signs of the undead. Humans had quite the fear of undead so the Angels set out to eliminate them before they could wreak havoc.

“I cannot find its source.”

“No, but there is blood all around. I’ve seen it from above. It's gathering into a circle.”

“A circle? You don’t mean as a ritual?”

“No, it couldn’t be–”

Suddenly, a thick white fog began to spread out and the house that sat in the epicenter of it burst open.

“Haha!” Harper laughed triumphantly as a giant blue phantom was created behind her. It couldn’t be compared to the phantoms she usually summoned as it could easily crush a human with its hands. It had to be more than fifty feet, but it was without a lower body. Only the ghostly blue torso of the giant phantom could be seen.

“I’m not sure this is wise, little one.” The Will of Purgatory clung closely to Harper out of fear of being attacked by Angels.

“Now all of you die!” Harper began to cackle maniacally as the giant hands under her control swept through the air and grabbed an Angel. Controlling the phantom’s actions, she pulled the wings off the Angel before crushing them in her palms.

“Move!” The other Angels flew away to avoid her deadly attacks while sending golden arrows toward her. Unfortunately, the phantom that was summoned wasn’t a type of undead so it wouldn’t die so easily to divine power. Though that didn’t mean it didn’t take damage, holes appeared in the Phantom’s but it quickly recovered from the damage.

“As long as you keep it up they won’t be able to stop us, Wilma!” Harper shouted like a madwoman. "Die! Die! Die!"

“Yes, little one.” The Will of Purgatory answered while channeling all the power she could from purgatory in order to keep the phantom summoned. As long as people continued dying on the nearby battlefield she would have a supply of power.

…

Elsewhere, Zephyr was escorted to the very front lines of the battle. Explosions of magic power rang out frequently and there was nothing left but rubble where the houses of Dark Elves used to be. Bodies covered the ground every few steps. Anywhere that didn’t have a corpse covering it didn’t stay that way for long.

“For the Keeper!” The numbers of the Dark Elf Army were halved during the short battle but they persisted.

An Angel with six wings wielded a translucent golden halberd and swept across the groups of brave Dark Elves, Lycanthropes, Beastkin, and Vampires, cutting all of them down.

“We need to stop that Angel!” Saren was still leading the soldiers like a dedicated general until he noticed the arrival of Ira’s children near the back of the defensive line. “W-What are you doing here?!”

“Help us protect Zephyr,” Raveria replied before she went charging toward the female Angel standing atop a pile of corpses.

Valeryn followed close behind and Rhys did the same, fearful that the two would get injured in some way.

“...Fine! Protect the Keeper’s children! If you fail you’ll wish that you died by the hands of those Angels.”

Those at the front of the defensive line fell back in order to make a tighter perimeter around Zephyr which allowed the enemy to press forward easier.

Raveria perception of time made the world grind to a halt. She navigated through the stillness with incredible ease, arriving in front of the Angel’s body. With a simple tap, she put the Angel in a state of deceleration. As Raveria retreated, time went back to normal for her but the Angel continued to move incredibly slow.

Seizing that opportunity, Valeryn brought out the Paradox Blade and leaped into the air. He cut down and the altered Godsteel passed through the flesh of the Angel with unparalleled ease.

It wasn’t a small wound but it wasn’t enough to kill the Angel. That is until the effects of the Paradox Blade kicked in. The space around the Angel grew unstable and her body was pulled apart, causing her to turn into a golden light on the spot.

The Angel’s death was so sudden that Rhys stopped in her tracks. It was clear that neither Valeryn nor Raveria were in any danger. She shifted her focus to making sure her own son was alright but she was about to be shocked once again.

Zephyr’s fingers moved as if he was playing an instrument but his eyes were squeezed shut due to his deep concentration. After a few short moments, he spread his fingers out and made a lifting motion.

A violent tremor interrupted the fighting as people struggled to find their footing.

“What’s going on?!”

“Watch out!”

“Is the entire cavern coming down?!”

The dirt underneath the Unified Army was slowly upturned and then it revealed something. Branch-like constructions of molten metal rose out of the ground and impaled all enemies in sight. Haunting screams echoed throughout the cavern of the Underground City as the blistering hot metal impaled the bodies of the still living victims.

…

Outside the Underground City, Rythar was resting his chin on his palm while waiting for the news he wanted to hear but it never came. Instead, he watched as the ground shook before metallic-trees began growing out of the ground, piercing through the bodies of any person unlucky enough to be around them. The army that was over a million strong was pushed out of the entrance of the Underground City and they even began trampling each other in search of an escape. It was a shameful thing to do while being watched by a God but no one paid any heed as they were too busy trying to survive.

The metal trees continued to grow, hosting the bodies of thousands of soldiers on their branches. Once again, the entrance to the Underground City was completely blocked off and the Unified Army suffered a big loss.

“Mortals.” Rythar rolled his eyes, undeterred by what happened. His magnificent throne began to descend toward the ground while the Angels flew toward him.

“Lord Rythar!” Harith called out with a shameful expression. “I promise that I will personally retrieve Ira’s kin.”

Rythar ignored Harith and continued his descent. He stopped just above the canyon and stepped down so that he had both feet planted on the soil.

“Were Mortals always this weak? No, they couldn’t have been. Why else would we have closed the connection between the two realms if they were so feeble?” Rythar mused to himself while throwing the Godsteel sword onto the hovering throne.

“You disappoint me, Mortals.” Rythar’s voice boomed through the air. “Watch closely, observe the will of a God at work.”

He pointed his palm toward the metallic barrier and smirked.

…

Zephyr fell onto the ground and breathed heavily, exhausted after using his power to seal up the Underground City once again.

“You did it, Zeph!” Raveria ran over to her brother.

“Yeah,” Zephyr responded with his eyes pinched shut. His body became covered in sweat as his fatigue only increased.

“Good job, Zephyr.” Valeryn crouched next to his brother and smiled.

Rhys moved to lift her son up with a frown that seemed to criticize his overexertion.

“With this, we can rest some.” Saren and the soldiers of the Dark Elf Army seemed especially pleased. “I wonder how Sylvia is doing during this whole mess?”

“She's fine,” Juliana replied. “As are the citizens of the Underground City. The fighting wasn’t able to spread to the tunnels where the Godsteel is mined. Even if it did, she has a Vulpes and a Dragon protecting her.”

“How did you know where they were?!” Saren’s eyes widened. No one was supposed to know exactly where the people of the Underground City were hidden. If the Angels attempted to extract the information from captured soldiers they’d gain nothing. At least, that was the original plan but the fact that Juliana knew worried Saren.

“Fear not, they will not suffer any harm. But…” Juliana looked toward the raw metal ore that was congealed together into a giant mass that resembled a forest of steel-colored trees.

As if on cue, the metallic-trees began to retract back into the ground faster than they appeared.

“W-What’s going on?” Raveria looked toward to Zephyr for an explanation.

“It’s not me,” Zephyr responded with complete surprise.

Then to make things worse, the area near the entrance of the Underground City began to rise up.

“Hold on!” Saren yelled as the ground underneath his feet shot up into the air. It looked like they were going to crash into the rocky ceiling above when it was ripped open and they continued ascending into the open.

“Woah!” Zephyr shouted as he nearly fell off the side of what resembled a tower made out of soil.

A few Dark Elves were unlucky and went tumbling off, falling to what was a certain death.

“Ah, so I’ve uncovered a few rodents.” A powerful voice shook the air around them.

“How...How are we on the surface?” Saren was too distracted to let the words register in his ears. He instead looked around to see that he was above the Underground City.

“Are you ignoring me, worm?” A golden-haired man sitting on a levitating throne slowly came into view. He seemed to look down on everything as if he himself was a God.

“Randolph? No...You’re not him.” Juliana whispered to herself.

“Hear me, filth. I am Rythar, God of Might and Righteousness. Kneel and I just may choose to spare you.” Rythar smirked.

Rhys put Zephyr down and moved to stand in front of the children while staring at Rythar with a defiant gaze.

“No? Then your deaths will be slow and painful.” Rythar wanted to instill terror within their souls but instead of crying or begging, they began to smile.

He looked closer and he could see their eyes weren’t focused on him at all. Instead, they were focused on the giant stone sphere behind him.

He turned his head and his face began to reflect panic.

“It can’t be…” That was the only thing that he could say.

The Tartarus spewed massive amounts of black mist from every part of it while cracks formed on its surface. Huge chunks fell off and crashed onto the ground below, crushing the military camp that was set up under it.

“Lord Rythar! The Tartarus!” An Angel shouted.

The Tartarus began crumbling into pieces and its remains crashed into everything below it. Several moments later and a heavy cloud of black mist covered whatever remained of the Tartarus. The black mist dissipated and revealed an almost endless pile of stone.

“It can’t be possible.” Rythar ignored the ones behind him and flew toward the remains of the Tartarus.

He came to a complete stop when he noticed movement. The piles of rock began to shift as something climbed out. A hand revealed itself as it clawed around before lifting the rest of its body out.

A young man with pitch black hair and yellow eyes crawled out of the rubble. Even though he was covered in dust and completely disheveled, his expression remained indifferent. He surveyed everything in front of him in an unflustered manner.

Then, he looked at Rythar. No, he looked past Rythar, spotting a couple of very familiar faces.

“I see…” He let out a relieved sigh. “I wasn’t too late.”

He turned his attention back to the millions of soldiers of the Unified Army that were spread all over the place.

For some reason, Rythar felt a sense of foreboding that couldn’t compare to anything he had experienced before.