It didn't take long for Zaos to start to feel some presence disappearing. The soldiers were dying even though they were using their best shields to protect themselves… the power of Derenus and his people really reached a whole new level. Still, despite that, the soldiers reached the summit of the mountain. However, before they could attack the followers of the demon god, Zaos knocked the first line of soldiers with a long spear enhanced by earth magic. The weapon was as sturdy as it could be, but even so, that would be enough to knock the soldiers down, so Zaos enhanced his arms as well. 

  Zaos made around eight soldiers roll down the mountain on his first strike, but he didn't stop there. With a powerful stab, he made shields fly, and their users also rolled down the mountain.

"Hmm… this magic spear of yours isn't that bad," Zaos said as he was watching the soldiers of the second like trying to reform their line.

"It is probably because of that I survived many battles against your people," Derenus said.

  Nowadays, they use mostly bows made of bones since long-ranged attacks would keep them away from harm, but back in the day, it wasn't weird to find some of them using spears made of bones. Since that was the material, Zaos couldn't help but feel creeped out a little bit, but the bonus in power his magic gained made him ignore that.

"Anyway, I told you that you didn't have to go all out so soon," Zaos said.

"My apologies, but my people can't afford to lose even a single fighter, unlike your people," Derenus said.

  Before long, the second wave of soldiers finally showed up. However, they didn't have the chance to attack because Zaos quickly knocked them down with his long spear. It was quite unexpected, but the bonus in his magic power granted by the spear made his enhancements last for at least ten seconds more. So Zaos had the chance to destroy the second line of soldiers before the earth around the weapon could fall on the ground.

  Cailu and his men thought that they would have to jump in and fight at many moments, but Zaos didn't let the heavily armored infantry truly reach the summit of the path. Although Zaos succeeded many times, the looks coming from behind were starting to bother him more than a little bit… Maybe he shouldn't try so hard and let those assholes fight a little bit for their lives.

"I thought you were supposed to be a good swordsman, but you aren't half-bad with a spear," Derenus said. "Maybe we should have let you use your real sword."

"I had a friend who is a true genius with that weapon, so I learned a bit just by watching him fight with this type of weapon," Zaos said. "Besides, using my real sword would reveal my identity."

  Although Zaos had some time to rest between attacks, he could see that such a battle would tire him out much sooner than expected. Some soldiers were forced to retreat, but he still could see some groups climbing the path…. Vitalar was trying really hard to succeed that night.

  It happened around two hours after the start of the battle. Zaos and Derenus suddenly noticed a new force coming from behind the mountains on the left side. They then attacked the soldiers who were still trying to climb the path. Zaos soon realized that something was off… because that new force was armed with shields and spears, just like the soldiers who were trying to climb the mountain. Zaos quickly realized what had happened, but then he saw his vision being covered by darkness.

Your Illusion Resistance has reached level 01.

Your Illusion Resistance has reached level 02.

Your Illusion Resistance has reached level 03.

Your Illusion Resistance has reached level 04.

Your Illusion Resistance has reached level 05.

  Zaos immediately used Cleanse to clear his vision and free himself from those effects, but it wasn't working. As soon as he got rid of that magic, it would continue, as if a group was casting that on him at that exact same time.

"What is the meaning of this, Cailu?" Derenus asked.

"I am sorry for not informing you for this, Derenus, but we couldn't let this opportunity go to waste," Cailu said. "We will brainwash this guy and use him against the people of Sairus kingdom. Still, before that, we will wipe out this army and show that the descendants of the magic race are back and will pay in full everything the world did against us in the last two thousand years."

  Derenus cursed his own naivety… that was why he felt weird early. His own people were planning to fight to kill the enemies, and he didn't notice that… he felt their blood lust, but since it had been more than fifteen years since the last battle, he didn't recognize the feeling.

  Regardless, despite his madness, it seemed that Cailu really thought things through. His followers were trying to brainwash Zaos with magic, and the members of Derenus' group who were supposed to obey only him were attacking the soldiers who were trying to climb with all their might. The scent of blood was quickly permeating the area.

  Derenus finally recalled why he decided to stop fighting. It was because of that… his own people have gone mad with their desire for revenge. In his youth, young men and women would practice their magic hard and fight to protect their lands when they were attacked by the hunters. Still, after some time, people who were willing to do anything for revenge began to develop some questionable techniques like brainwashing and the power to control corpses. It was no wonder his people decreased in number with every passing year… they forgot to live and only pursued revenge.

"Ah… I am so tired of all this," Derenus said after a long sigh.

"Don't do this, Derenus…" Cailu said. "You are our hero, our people need you."

"Our people need to live by something else aside from vengeance," Derenus said and then pointed his hands toward Cailus' squad.