Chapter 50: Never again

Outside Tegralle, on a vast plain at the edge of the forest near the town, it was usually possible to see numerous kinds of animals enjoying the peacefulness of this area.

It was particularly the case at night.

However, that night was different.

Animals long deserted this place to enter the forest.

The once luxurious grassy plain was replaced by a colossal amount of sand moving at high speed and trapping numerous men inside.

Millodas didn’t know how much time passed since he triggered his magic.

However, he knew one thing.

With his injuries, Idlan couldn’t have reached the hideout yet.

Knowing that, he couldn’t allow anyone to follow him.

With the mysterious stone in his hands, the strong magic swallowing his opponents seemed endless.

Even Vated was struggling to barely stay standing, but he still couldn’t get out from the furious whirlpool of sand.

It was as if the earth itself wanted to bury him.

Millodas coldly looked at Vated and his men struggling inside his magic. Large beads of sweat were already flowing from his forehead and back. Even his hand holding the ‘elemental stone’ started to shake.

“Release us!”

“You can’t trap us here forever.”

He turned a deaf ear to the furious screams of the mercenaries and continued to concentrate on his magic.

Vated wasn’t shouting and despite the fact that he was obviously furious to have fallen into his trap, he still maintained a calm appearance.

It was because he already understood the limit of this magic.

It was its consumption.

To trap all those men together, Millodas had to expand the range of his magic far beyond his limit. Without the ‘elemental stone’ in his hand continuously strengthening his magic and providing mana to use, it would have been impossible.

Even so, the energy of this magical stone wasn’t infinite. Its grade wasn’t high enough to reach this level yet.

With such a wide reach, its energy was quickly depleting.

Millodas and Vated could easily say that at this rate, it wouldn’t even take ten minutes before it shattered.

However, Millodas didn’t have any other choice.

This was the last trump card he had prepared.

“How much longer can you hold on? Five minutes? Maybe ten?” Vated asked him in a mocking tone.

Millodas didn’t answer and continued to carefully control his mana and the ‘elemental stone’ to avoid any unnecessary consumption.

“Give up.” Coldly added Vated.

The output of the magic was already less strong than before. Vated had much less difficulty standing and it would clearly only take him just a little longer to escape from this magic.

“For you to believe that you would be strong enough to hold all of us together. I am truly impressed by your arrogance and your naivety. Even so, your magic is quite impressive. What a shame that by expanding its range you sacrificed its mortality.”

Millodas clenched the small rock tighter in his hand after hearing his words.

“Give up. You can’t win. You never could but there is no reason to fight so desperately. The girls will become true members of the Waldemar house and will help revive your house. They will have a brilliant future. Much more important than wasting their lives in a pitiful town like you and Seledia did.”

“Don’t give me your crap. I know what is truly happening in those so-called Great houses. I know what my father will do to them. He will use them just like objects. I won’t let that happen.”

“You’re too weak to stop anything.”

Long minutes slowly passed until it became apparent what was going to happen. Millodas couldn’t prevent his hand holding the ‘elemental stone’ from shaking anymore.

Seeing this, a vicious smile finally reappeared on Vated’s face

It would be over soon.

Like a curse, amidst the weakening rolling noise of the whirlpool of sand, Vated let out his pent-up anger.

“You should have listened to me.”

Millodas’ head was spinning and his heart was tasting despair once again.

The energy inside the stone was almost totally exhausted. Without its support, he wouldn’t be able to continue using his magic on a large scale and the men trapped inside would be free to pursue his daughters once again.

Finally, the extreme border of his magic didn’t have enough mana to sustain the movement of the sand. Without this restraint, a couple of mercenaries finally stood up and rushed as fast as they could on the hard ground, outside of the range of influence of his magic.

“Well done guys!” cried some of their companions who were still trapped.

“Quick, get him. I’m already at my limit!”

The free mercenaries didn’t need anyone to tell them to act against Millodas. They had already fought against him and watched him helplessly as he stole their last mount before being almost trapped to death by his hateful magic.

Their anger was already on the breaching point so they began to circle around the area full of spinning sand to reach him.

Millodas was still standing, but he couldn’t divert his attention nor did he have enough strength left to do anything about the men coming to him. He knew that he had to keep Vated trapped as long as he could.

He concentrated harder to prevent other mercenaries from escaping, but he knew that he wouldn’t be able to hold them much longer.

“Get him!!!”

“Careful, guys don’t kill him.”

“And leave him conscious for us.”

The free mercenaries were only fifty feet away from him when three others managed to escape.

More and more began to extract themselves from the clutch of Millodas’ magic. Only a few other mercenaries were still trapped with Vated, but they were already starting to break free.

The impressive loud noise of his magic was only a memory as more and more mercenaries began to climb out of the pit of sand. Except near Vated, the moving sand was nearly completely stopped.

“What the…”

The constant sound of his magic having died down, another one replaced it.

A rumbling sound growing stronger with each second reached them.

The earth around them began to slightly tremble.

The free mercenaries shifted their attention away from Millodas to look behind them from where the rumbling noise was coming.

Distant lights piercing the darkness began to appear revealing to the dumbfound men its nature.

A horde of riders was coming at high speed toward them.

Even with the darkness, it wasn’t hard to see that they outnumbered them.

“Quick get into formation!” Ordered the still trapped Vated to the rest of his men.

Despite being caught off guard, the experienced men quickly got into formation and prepared their magic to welcome their mysterious new opponent.

“Millodas!!!”

One of the riders abruptly shouted.

Hearing this familiar voice, Millodas understood who was coming.

After several seconds, more and more riders began to appear in front of the mercenaries.

They were the guards of Tegralle.

Millodas watched dumbfounded as the men that he personally trained for numerous years appeared on their respective Preel one after the other.

They were only about thirty official guards inside Tegralle, but there were at least eighty different riders who rode the commonly seen Preels raised on the city's border to earn their living.

After carefully looking, Millodas realized that some of the ordinary citizens of the town were present alongside them on different mounts. They all had rudimentary weapons and protections, but the determination that burned in their eyes could not be underestimated.

“Why are you here?” Shouted Millodas in disbelief.

“To help you obviously!” Strongly replied together some of his most trustful comrades.

Millodas felt a rush of warmth in his heart threatening to overcome him, but after the initial bliss he felt seeing those reinforcements in this desperate situation, he quickly calmed down and realized what was going to happen.

“Go help Idlan carry my daughters to safety. He went that way. You should be able to catch him easily with your mounts.” Quickly explained Millodas while pointing with his finger to the direction in which Idlan had gone.

“Got it.”

Two thin-looking guards hurriedly moved their respective mount away from the pit of sand and rushed toward Idlan at top speed.

The group of mercenaries in battle formation were facing the rest of the riders and couldn’t rush to stop them while Vated was still trapped inside Millodas’ magic.

Seeing the two men successfully leaving to help Idlan made Millodas breathed a sigh of relief before his tired face turned more serious.

“Why did you come? You can’t face them like that, they are too dangerous” Shouted Millodas while breathing heavily.

He knew more than anyone else the true strength of his men and also personally faced the mercenaries.

This bunch of brave amateurs who only faced weak deviants barely awakened weren’t a match for those battle-hardened warriors much less the ordinary citizens awkwardly brandishing swords too heavy for their weak arms.

Millodas himself as a true Saint mage couldn’t face them all by himself. His previous fight was the proof of it. If not for them not wanting to kill him, the situation would probably be totally different.

“We know that it’s dangerous.” Answered one of his men. This honest-looking bulky fellow couldn’t hide his shaking hands holding the reins of his mount.

“Then hurry and escape. You’ve already done enough!” Pleaded Millodas.

“No, it’s not true!”

A heavy silence suddenly settled after the sudden shout of several other guards that even the mercenaries didn’t disrupt.

“You saved this town, you saved us and taught us how to fight and stand for ourselves without begging the noble houses for protection.”

“Even so....”

“Even though you’ve done so much for us…”

“We couldn’t help you save Sillath!!!”

Millodas inhaled a sudden breath of the cold air of the night after hearing their answer.

“We watched you and Seledia hiding your sadness all these years. We won’t let that happen again!”

“Never again!!!”

This violent shout filled with their repressed feelings that they have accumulated over the past four years has made the heart of all the men present shiver. Even Vated couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow in irritation when he saw these fearless men getting in his way.

A long silence settled on the soon to come battlefield after their strong declaration.

A sacred and unbreakable silence created by the determination of these men ready to risk their lives to repay the gratitude and kindness shown to them.

This delicate atmosphere settling in the night seemed to want to last forever until a rough voice filled with fury and coldness echoed amidst the faint sound of the sand still trapping him.

“Kill them. Don’t let a single one alive.”

Immediately after this cruel order, several large fireballs suddenly flew at high speed from the mercenaries.

The forefront riders, formed by the most experienced members quickly reacted and hurriedly avoided. However, only a few of them showed this level of training and reaction speed.

The violent blazing impact disrupted their ranks. Several men and mounts screamed in pain altogether before the most experienced guards at the forefront of their chaotic formation issued a battle cry.

“Attack!!!”

As if woken up from a dream and, forgetting the raging flames surrounding them, the riders rushed together forward.

The earth trembled under the massive hooves of their mounts making an impressive racket feeding their bravery.

Nearly a hundred riders rushed like a single man to crush the dozen mercenaries who were waiting for them together with their weapon raised.

Several other fireballs flew in their direction but, after a few seconds of an intense run, they finally reached the mercenaries and engaged in the first real battle of their life without exchanging any other words between them.

Despite their clear disadvantage in number, Vated’s men didn’t falter and also rushed forward.

The once peaceful plain where families used to come to relax didn’t exist anymore.

A cruel battlefield replaced it.

After the initial fierce impact that nearly made their formation collapse, the superior training of the mercenaries began to show its might.

Despite their disadvantage in number and their lack of mounts, they were able to fight equally against their opponent. However, the difference in number was too much for them to completely suppress these weak yet brave enemies.

The less skilled didn’t hesitate to awkwardly gang up together whereas the strongest guards attacked in smallest squads while using the superior speed of their mount to try to break their formation.

They acted just like sharp knives crashing repeatedly into their enemy.

They maximally used their advantage in number, but this tactic had a price.

Their losses were much more important.

Several minutes already passed since the initial attack, but only a single mercenary fell whereas around a dozen men from Tegralle were already lying on the ground, some dead, some wishing they were.

This devastating result wasn’t only due to their recklessness, but was simply the result of the most crucial difference between the two groups.

All of the mercenaries could use magic with the potential to kill.

On the contrary, only a few guards trained their magic to a satisfying result. Most of their comrades were not too bad and could still use a couple of times some useful magic but the normal citizens were totally overwhelmed.

They didn’t have much potential as a mage and could only use some magic for their daily use.

They weren’t physically or mentally prepared to face the downfall of fire and sharp rocks that the mercenaries regularly created.

The fierce fire sweeping the small plain was enough to understand that victory wouldn’t be easy.

And that it would come at a price.

Everything was clear from where Millodas was standing.

He could see his friends falling one after the other.

He could hear the clashing of steel and the screams of agony.

He could smell their blood tainting the grass and sand among the sickening smell of burnt flesh.

Millodas watched in a daze those events unfold before his already red eyes.

However, he didn’t turn his head away.

He didn’t have this right.

Because they were fighting for him and his family’s sake.

Millodas didn’t get overwhelmed seeing them fight desperately because he had his own duty.

“Let me out!”

The voice of Vated full of rage overcame the frightful noise of the battlefield to reach Millodas who was standing near him apart from the battle.

The anger that Vated felt before couldn’t compare with what he was feeling while seeing his men slowly weakening and falling one after the other, drawn by a massive number of enemies.

He was violently struggling to break free, but no matter how much he tried, the magic of Millodas prevented him from joining his subordinates.

The mercenaries didn’t have the leisure to attack him to free their boss either.

Millodas was already on the brink of rupture earlier, but since he didn’t have to worry about the mercenaries anymore, he could concentrate all his remaining strength on Vated and as a result on a much smaller place.

He could still hang on.

“Let me out, you bastard!” Screamed Vated once again.

“I won’t!”

Millodas was breathing heavily while trying to hold on. The light of the ‘elemental stone’ in his hand was almost completely gone. However, he didn’t give up.

His whole body was shaking, but his eyes shone with an even stronger determination as he saw his friends fighting for his sake.

“If I let you out then you’re going to kill them all.”

“MOVE!!!”

“I WON’T!!!”

Millodas clenched his fists tighter and gritted his teeth while looking at the enraged Vated struggling against him.

“Until they win, you will stay here with me.”

For what seemed like an eternity, the battle raged, illuminating the night with fierce lights and thunderous explosions.

Millodas and Vated, each struggling against the other, could only watch helplessly at the devastation unfolding before them.

Finally, they watched with opposite emotions the last man on one side still standing falling in a pool of blood.

Seeing the result, Millodas went pale.

Witnessing this heartbreaking scene, his voice got stuck in his own throat while Vated finally stopped struggling.

The fresh grass was bathing in a river of blood with numerous small mountains of charred corpses on it.

“We did it!” Finally exhaled one man still standing with numerous cuts on his bodies.

He turned his head to look at his comrades near him before finally looking at Millodas and Vated.

“Let’s go guys! We’re not done yet.”

While raising his sword in the sky, he rallied the rest of the standing men. More and more began to painfully stand to join him. Some had burns on their bodies while others were bathed in blood.

The few men standing and the others joining them began to once again form a small crowd.

The small tattered crowd slowly began to grow larger.

Millodas watched with a pale face his friends and subordinates awkwardly and painfully gathering together.

There was no doubt anymore.

The winner of this cruel fight were the men from Tegralle.

The dozen mercenaries were all dead while only around fifty men from Tegralle were able to stand. Many others were only injured on the ground unable to stand up, but even so, the number of dead wasn’t low.

Despite the clear difference in ability and experience, their number and courage helped them wear down the mercenaries to defeat them one by one.

It’s only when the men began to walk toward him that Millodas recovered his wit and voice.

“Don’t stay here. Run!!!”

“What are you saying? We won.” Answered some of the most baffled men.

However, most of them quickly realized why Millodas was suddenly screaming.

Vated was emanating an incredible amount of mana. His eyes were red with fury as he gathered his mana to finally break free from his weakening prison.

“We can’t give up on you, Captain. If we join our strength, I’m sure we will be able to defeat him. While he is trapped, we just have to shoot him down.” Proposed one of his subordinate witnessing the change in Vated.

However, Millodas hadn't even considered this option.

Because he knew what was going to happen.

“Don’t be stupid. No matter how much you try or how many attacks you launch, you guys can’t defeat him.”

Vated was like a volcano ready to erupt at any time while Millodas was the last barrage to his fury.

“I won’t hold on much longer. Gather the wounded and leave now!” Millodas continued to urge them.

Seeing his men hesitating in this situation while he was already suffering from the depletion of his mana finally made Millodas shout in anger.

“Hurry!”

Some began to finally step back, but some of his men still hesitated.

“But… and you?”

“Vated won’t kill me so hurry and leave! You can’t die here. You still have to protect the town.”

After his final urging, the men of Tegralle still covered in bruises and blood began to run away.

They quickly gathered the wounded on their mounts still usable and prepared to desert the battlefield.

Some of the ordinary citizens still didn’t understand why they finally ran away after obtaining a difficult victory, but the guards who heard the name of the man trapped by Millodas understood.

They could surpass the mercenaries with their number, but that tactic would never work against that man.

Since the beginning, they couldn’t win but that didn’t matter anymore.

They had already helped Millodas stall for time.

It was too late for Vated to catch up with his daughters anymore.

*Crack*

Only a couple of minutes passed since the end of the battle. The men were still busy running away with the wounded when a sudden noise made them turn their head toward Millodas.

They didn’t know what caused this noise but Millodas and Vated both knew.

The miraculous ‘elemental stone’ that created a magic strong enough to trap Vated for so long finally shattered.

There wasn’t anyone able to contain Vated’s fury anymore.

After losing the last bit of strength he had left in him, Millodas immediately fell to his knees.

Contrary to his expectation, Vated didn’t immediately rush out to chase after his men.

He slowly climbed out of the hole of sand.

One step at a time.

The regular noise of his steps was like a hammer hitting his heart.

Veins protruding from his face with eyes already red with anger. The terrifying appearance of Vated towering before him made the will of the running guards and civilians of Tegralle crumble.

Even the least willing to run finally understood at this moment why they had to escape.

But it was too late.

Vated clenched his huge fist and raised it slowly high above his head.

“DON’T!!!”

Among the desperate scream of Millodas, the fist abruptly came down and silently hit the ground.

Immediately after a huge rumbling sound spread.

Hearing this terrifying noise, the men still running away couldn’t help but turn pale as they watched a huge crack in the earth beginning to head in their direction.

The thin crack quickly became wider and spread throughout the plain.

After only a couple of seconds, the crack reached and went beyond them while turning the earth upside down along with the men on it.

Millodas watched powerlessly at the apocalyptic scene in front of his eyes.

The earth spreading apart.

Huge chunks of rock crumbling to piece.

His men desperately trying to run only to get buried by the moving earth.

The chaotic scene lasted for several minutes before his men’s screams finally stopped completely.

“It was wise to let them escape first.” Finally growled Vated before standing up.

He then proceeded to slowly head toward Millodas still kneeling with his gaze fixed on the devastated plain.

“It’s all your fault. Because of your pointless struggle, my men died.”

Vated slowly spoke with neither anger or sorrow in his voice anymore.

“It didn’t have to turn out like this.”

He finally reached Millodas and stopped right beside him.

“Now I will have to erase this pitiful town and every one of its inhabitants for that. I won’t let a single one of them alive. I will kill every man, woman and child to accompany my men to the underworld.”

“...”

“This is the price for your actions.”

Millodas gritted his teeth in anger and sorrow while painfully raising his head to look with defiance at Vated in his eyes.

The darkest period of the night was already over with the moon beginning to cede its place.

The dawning light of the world allowed him to clearly see the calm appearance of Vated with his savage face towering him.

“Don’t worry I won’t kill you.” Finally added Vated after several long seconds of silence.

“I will take your daughters away and after destroying this town, I will butcher your wife in front of you.” He calmly explained while keeping his calm face as if the words he pronounced didn’t have anything to do with his intentions.

Millodas, with tears of frustration and anger in his eyes, was trying his best to stand. However, his strength already left him.

He couldn’t face or stop Vated anymore

“It’s only when you will hold her dead body in your arms that I will finally allow you to die.”

Millodas finally gave up standing up, but he continued to look at those cruel dark eyes with enough hate and resentment to kill.

“You won’t find them. They are already too far.”

“We will see…” Peacefully answered Vated before raising his fist once more.

Millodas didn’t avoid nor moved his gaze away in front of this attack.

The strong fist hit his temple and finally robbed him of his consciousness.