Accadeas briefly glanced upwards towards the moonlit sky, “It’s about time.”

A Demonkin officer stood patiently at his side and followed after Accadeas as he made his way through the silent camp.

The majority of the Demihuman army was positioned along the entire wall of the capital city and the wall was under a continuous barrage of magic.

They had been bombarding the defensive barrier protecting the wall for most of the day without rest. Accadeas had not once ordered his men to charge the walls. They only patiently waited out of reach of the walls archers as the magic casters sent waves of magic striking against the barrier.

As he walked through the camp, Accadeas caught a glimpse of a superfluous display of a variety of colors which illuminated the walls. Each elemental spell that blasted upon the walls causing the light of the protective barrier to pulsate rapidly.

Accadeas finally stopped in front of a small inconspicuous tent for a moment before entering with a steadfast gait, his officer following close behind him.

“Nes..”

A darkened figure rose slowly from a seated position and a strange glow emanated from his eyes as he turned to glare at Accadeas.

“Are you ready?” Accadeas said without minding Nes’s unfriendly gaze.

“...Yes..” He responded unenthusiastically.

“This is the real plan and of utmost importance. You can’t complete this mission halfheartedly. Wake the fuck up and take it seriously before I pound some sense into you!”

“Just get on with it. I won’t screw it up. What do you need me to do?”

Accadeas was satisfied with his response, noting that some fire had finally entered his eyes.

“What I am going to have you do must not leave this tent. Demihumans are a proud and honorable people and it’s because of this that certain underhanded methods wouldn’t be very acceptable according to their sensibilities. However, if we want to be successful, we can’t always rely on honorable tactics. Sometimes it is necessary to accomplish objectives in the shadows, do you understand what I am saying?”

“I understand, so what is it that you want me to do?” Nes didn’t hesitate to reply. He had no qualms with Accadeas’s words as he himself had already used despicable means when betraying Fayde in the past.

“In a secluded area nearby are nine of my trained assassins. They are skilled in illusion magic and assassinations. I need you to use the cover of night to fly them over the city walls and find a secluded place to drop them off. They will assassinate the mages maintaining the defensive barrier towards the western section even if it costs them their lives. I will order the bulk of our army to that section and once the mission is complete and the signal given, I will have the mages blast through the wall and the army charge in through the breach.” Accadeas informed Nes.

“Wouldn’t it be simpler if I just attacked them in my dragon form? I doubt they could last long with the power of my breath attack.” Said Nes.

“No, it’s not yet time for you to make yourself known. You will be our trump card against the border fortress in Quijon. That will be our most difficult battle so it will be necessary to utilize your power at that time. That’s when you will finally reveal to the world that the Dragonkin are still alive. It will also prove as a deterrence for the future. For now, we need to keep your presence hidden.”

Nes nodded thoughtfully and then asked, “Are you sure we can make it over the walls without being seen?”

Accadeas snickered in his deep voice, “They will never expect that an enemy can fly over the wall and it is already difficult enough to see your dragon form flying at night. My assassins will also be using illusions to make it even more difficult to spot you. You will easily succeed, I am not the least bit concerned about that. How many will you be able to carry in one flight?”

“I can carry four, maybe five at a time.”

“Then you should only need two trips. Once you transport all of them, keep yourself hidden and make your way back to this tent. Don’t let anyone see you in the camp. I want it to be a big surprise when you officially make your debut.”

Accadeas let out a resounding laugh as he gave Nes a good pound on his shoulder. Nes was almost dropped to his knees from the force but he struggled to remain standing while gritting his teeth.

“Hehe, good, now get going. My officer here will lead you to where the assassins are”

Nes scowled before leaving the tent. Accadeas grinned at his receding back and chuckled under his breath before motioning to his officer to guide Nes.

“Make sure you pass on my orders to the army once you finish guiding him. We need to have the majority of our casters and half the army ready to attack the western wall once the signal is given. The rest will fool the enemy into thinking we will continue our siege.”

The Demonkin officer nodded. “Yes Marshall!”

He followed after Nes while Accadeas remained in the tent for Nes to return as the night slowly dragged on.

After an hour had almost passed, Nes entered the tent as quietly as he had left it.

“Were you seen by anyone?” Accadeas asked.

“No, no one saw us. Your men used their illusion magic immediately and we circled a good distance away. None of the Demihumans or Humans saw us. It took a while to circle around and I had to make two trips but I got them over the walls. My job is done, It’s up to your men now. I’m going to get some sleep.”

Accadeas nodded and said nothing more. He left the tent and made his way towards the main force.

The night was long and dark except for the illumination of elemental spells which were being launched towards the enemy walls in intervals.

Demihumans had a huge advantage when it came to fighting in the dark because most Demihumans possessed a type of night vision. Humans required light to see well in the dark, but Demihumans only needed the light of the moon and the stars.

Accadeas stood before his army of ten thousand warriors well beyond the visibility of the Human soldiers on the walls.

He said nothing, his eyes glued to the sky above the western section of the capital’s walls.

None of the Demihumans knew exactly what was going through his head or why such a large army had been amassed at this particular section of the wall.

The minutes dragged on, but Accadeas’s eyes never moved. Many warriors began to grow restless and low murmurs spread throughout the ranks.

A few dozen magic casters continued their bombardment of the wall, but hundreds more stood in reserve waiting for their orders.

Even the Khans, who were fully confident in Accadeas’s abilities and had no intent to question his orders, were beginning to throw inquisitive glances towards the Marshall.

“Why do you think he has amassed the army here? Does he think the wall will be breached here?” Whispered Rajal to Rhaegnar who stood beside him.

“It doesn’t seem like the barrier will be coming down anytime soon. Hmm…. I’m not sure what the Marshall is thinking.” Replied Rhaegnar as he rubbed his grizzly beard with his right hand.

“He must know something we don’t, let’s just wait to see what will happen. There is no point in questioning the Marshall at this point. If my guess is correct, something should happen soon.” Added Reddin thoughtfully.

Arctus who was also listening to their conversation frowned.

“What is it Arctus? Did you realize something?” Asked Rhaegnar after noticing his frown.

Arctus sighed heavily before responding, “No, it’s nothing. It would be better if I didn’t say. We have all lived quite a long time and many of us are stuck in our old ways, but this is a time of change. Just… ignore this old man. Let us just watch and see what our Marshall has planned.”

The others looked at Arctus strangely but none of them questioned any further.

Suddenly a strange light lit up the night sky over the capital’s walls for only a brief moment. Only someone who was closely watching would be able to notice it.

Accadeas, whose eyes had never left their position, noticed the signal and abruptly turned to face the army.

“Everyone, prepare yourselves! Mages, all of you, focus your attacks on the wall straight ahead and blast a hole through it!” Accadeas shouted orders to the waiting army.

All of the soldiers readied their weapons while the magic casters ran forward towards the front and began casting their most powerful spells.

Hundreds of spells immediately lit up the night and ferociously blasted towards the western walls.

“As soon as they breach the walls, everyone will charge into the breach. Be ready to move!” Accadeas roared once more and his orders were passed down through his officers who repeated them throughout the entire gathered army.

The Khans standing nearby had no idea where Accadeas was getting his confidence from or why he was so sure the wall would finally fall. None of them voiced their concerns however.

All those assembled began to flex in anticipation as they prepared to charge with full strength.

There were mighty tigerkin, rabbitkin, wolfkin and the members of many other tribes whose blood began to boil. Some looked beside them and saw the many tribes which had been gathered here together for the first time, fighting side by side as a grand army.

The excitement and expectation of victory electrified the air around them and morale soared.

Every spell that impacted upon the barrier caused the barrier to pulsate in a strange light and as more spells struck, the light pulsed more rapidly.

The sound of the bombardment drowned out the senses of those upon the walls and a loud shattering sound resounded throughout the night as the barrier collapsed.

Cracks began to spread along the wall as the Human soldiers cried out in fear. They knew the wall would soon fall now that the barrier collapsed and they quickly retreated from the walls to avoid casualties.

Under the constant bombardment of powerful spells, the wall began to crumble.

Accadeas lifted his giant halberd and thrust it towards the capital city and shouted in a booming voice, “CHARGE!”

Thousands of voices roared and the land outside the city rumbled as the army thundered towards the city’s walls.

A dark shadowy horde poured towards the breach created by the bombardment of spells with Accadeas at its head. They surged through the hole in the walls and met little resistance at the western section of the wall as the Humans attempted to retreat towards the inner wall.

With how quickly the wall fell, the Humans had little time to inform the soldiers defending other sections of the wall. The Demihumans rapidly made their way into the capital city attempting to cut down as many retreating soldiers as they could.

Soldiers who were too slow to retreat attempted to put together a futile resistance but were easily cut down by the Demihuman warriors with Accadeas at their head.

Within a relatively short time, almost half of the defending army had been wiped out while the rest retreated beyond the inner walls. With so few soldiers, they weren’t able to properly defend the inner wall and the Demihumans continued their assault.

Fighting continued well into the night, but by the dawn of the next day, the defenders had surrendered and the Demihumans were victorious.

Fayde sat leisurely on a cushion while eating breakfast in his command tent. Reia, Laila, Allein, Tris and Shar were all present along with several others.

“Fayde, the army is ready to move out. They are well rested and morale is high. They are ready for battle.” Reported one of Fayde’s servants.

“So we’re almost there…..” Fayde frowned.

“What’s wrong Fayde?” Asked Reia.

“Many people will die today.” Said Fayde apprehensively.

Laila was sitting next to Fayde and gently squeezed his hand, “It’s too late for regrets now.”

“I know….”

“Don’t forget your promise Fayde.” Interjected Shar.

“Relax Shar, I already promised you I wouldn’t harm the King of La’gun or his family. Once we take the city, I will make sure they are taken care of under house arrest. This was our agreement and I won’t go back on my word.”

Shar nodded and no longer pressed the issue.

“Fieral, send out my orders and prepare to march. Once I finish checking my status we will move out. Everyone go get ready”

Everyone left Fayde alone with the diviner and after he finished his meal he had his status divined.

[Level: -1 EXP: 0/0]

[HP: 189/189]

[Health Regen: 2/min] [4/min while resting]

[VP: 5400/5400] [Void Threshold: 6000 Next level 10000]

[Void Regen: 15/min] [40/min while resting]

Strength: 17 ( Modifier +4, Representation of your attack power as well as your physical strength)

Dexterity: 16 (Modifier +3, Representation of your reflexes, movement, agility, and evasion)

Constitution: 18 (Modifier +4, Representation of your resilience and affects health/health regen)

Charisma: 15 (Modifier +3, Representation of how others perceive both your physical appearance and personality as well as your skill at social interactions)

Intelligence: 146 (Represents intellectual capacity, Affects Skill Growth)

Wisdom: 300 (Represents an accumulation of life experience and common sense)

Acquired Proficiencies: Sword (Level 9/10 Superior), Evasion (Level 8/10 Superior), Tactics (Level 8/10 Superior), Leadership (Level 8/10 Superior), Endurance (Level 8/10 Superior), Spear (Level 2/10 Beginner)

Acquired Martial Arts: Sword Whirlwind (Sword), Poised Strike (Sword), Seven Sword Slash (Sword), Sword Mirage (Sword), Piercing Wind (Spear)

Blessings: Blessing of the Void (The ability to unite with the soul of a ‘Child of the Void’ through the ‘Mark of the Void’)

Special abilities:

Molecular absorption (Absorbs dark matter contamination strengthening host)

Molecular transfer (Transfers dark matter contamination from host, to those bearing the ‘Mark of the Void,’ strengthening them)

Molecular reconstitution (Through dark matter contamination transference, reconstitutes entirely, the body and soul of those bearing the ‘Mark of the Void’, amount of VP required is dependent on severity of the condition of the one being healed)

Inherent status: Immortality (Immortality grants agelessness, your body and soul will no longer age)

Affinities: Void (Your natural and innate magical affinity, Void Element)

Void Element abilities:

Void Flame (Maximum) (20VP - 7VP/min) (Imbue the power of the ‘Void’ across your entire body and unleash flames that devour space and time over a limited area, Flames act as a defensive shield around the ability user’s body and protects against all attacks while active)

Void Strike (Maximum) (200VP) (Unleashes the power of the ‘Void’, limited dimensional strike)

Void Phantom Image (Maximum)(150VP - 40VP/min) (A type of magic body enhancement that circulates ‘Void’ element throughout the body which creates ‘Phantom Clones’. These clones allow for short range cross-dimensional teleportation. Clones act as a mirror copy of the ability user sharing 75% of the ability user’s power and abilities)

Void Beam (Greater) (300VP) (An enhanced concentrated beam of Dark Matter which moves at the speed of light)

Void Flight (100VP - 20VP/min) (The body of the caster is entirely encased in ‘Void Flames’ which allow minute control over gravitic forces affecting the caster’s body)

Void Fireball (Greater) (400VP) (A much more powerful version of ‘Void Flame’ with blazing and explosive properties striking over a large area. Duration is increased.)

Void Blade (minor) (200VP/constructed blade) (Combines Sword Martial Arts with Void Element, Dimensional blades are created with the power of the Void, Blades act independently of the user and can cross dimensions to strike at an enemy at the ability user’s will)