Goddamn pests. They are everywhere and anywhere. I cannot even stop for a second and kill the freak in front of me.

"Yes, my dears, attack, attack!" Damn you and your dears, but I must appreciate my enemy for choosing this type of freak to protect their sewers.

But if such a guy is currently protecting the entrance, that means I am on the right path.

Let the mana flow through my body and concentrate on my hand. "Flame Spear."

And with my command, a ball of light began growing in my hand. The magic scatters furious sparks around it.

More and more rats are gathering with each second, but will their presence go to save that fucker? I think not.

"You and your pests end their reign over this sewer, now. Flame Spear!" The ball of flame took the shape of a spear then left my hand with a whistle.

Spear illuminated the sewer corridor as it flew towards the rat freak, and its flames scared all of the rats on its way.

"Huh."

Just before the spear hit the rat freak, I managed to see his face, even uglier than I expected.

And with a flamy explosion, hundreds of rats squeaked as they either died or jumped to the waters for a later death coming from the depths itself.

"What a show, right my dears, well where did we leave, oh yeah, on our dinner." I was expecting that. It called its rats at the last second for a shield.

"You are doing no shit." But as I said, I expected that.

I grabbed the rat freak from his neck and slammed him into the nearest wall.

Several rats fell off from his clothes, gross.

Rat freak was shocked, but he still had the energy to talk. How annoying. "When...

I grabbed him from the head with my prosthetic arm before letting him finish his sentence, then stabbed him from the chest with my sword.

"Still, I need to be sure you won't come back." For safety, I slit his throat as well.

When his corpse hit the ground, rats once served him began gathering around the man, and after confirming his death, they started devouring its flesh.

"Gross." I let rats alone and started moving deeper inside the sewer system.

Deeper inside, I found a small room with various nice furniture and valuable goods, but even amongst all of them, one thing was shining the most.

A shrine decorated with various valuables, a golden crown, shining the most amongst them, built around a woman's portrait.

I don't want to know what reason or who built this shrine, but that crown might have some value if in future, better take it than leave it to root.

With the end of that little stop, I can go back to sewers and their seemingly endless tunnels.

But with a voice coming from above.

"Didn't you learn that prisoner's name yet?"

Wait. That could provide valuable information.

"No sir, General Leonard ordered everyone to stay away from his cell, and that demon isn't allowing anyone to move close to the cell."

No location of the cell. Well, that's bad news for me.

"Hmm, give me that food tray. I will give our prisoner his food tonight."

Now it is my chance! Where is the closest way to up there?

It appears that lady luck shined on me tonight because only a few meters in front of me, there is a ladder leading to the upper floor.

And I can still hear the man talking right before. He is grumbling.

I sneaked through corridors and reached a spiral stairway leading down.

Two people are currently talking. I can hear them. It is best to eavesdrop and gather information then I can move.

The voice I heard from earlier, one who wanted to carry the food tray.

"Come on, why are you even hiding that guy anyways. We will see his face on tomorrow's tournament anyways?"

What tournament? Why didn't I hear about it back in town?

"Rule are rules, General Leonhard gave me orders, and I am implying them, no go before I turn you into a paste and feed you to that weirdo."

"Fine, here, his food there."

And footsteps are slowly coming to me. I hope Fionnlagh is smart enough to recognize my magic and fly to the rescue because I will do something stupid right now.

At the moment that reckless soldier took his last step to the top of the spiral stairway, I quickly slit his throat with my sword and closed his mouth with my hand.

"Feel happy that I killed you this quickly," I whispered to the man while slowly carrying his corps downstairs. "Now, where are you, Arthur."

End of the stairway, there was a very long corridor, and at the end, a big fat man with a massive ax was grinding his weapon.

I don't think he recognized my presence, but I must still stay aware. Maybe I can take him down with a quick Flame Spear, no that will make too much sound, like fighting him will not cause any sound.

"I know you are there, Emperor. You don't need to hide."

How, just how?

Well, it is too late for a stealth rescue now. I will use The Butcher and cleave my way out of this fortress if needed, but I will finish what I came here.

"What a surprise, but how did you know I was there."

I entered the corridor.

"You don't need to fight." He stopped grinding his weapon and opened the cell next to him. "Here, take him. Lady said you were coming sometime soon."

What is that woman thinking? I don't know, but I won't refuse this gift, so I quickly entered Arthurs cell.

Man, what they did to him. All of that spark and courage are all gone. Now, like a sick old man, he is crawling on the floor.

"Arthur, I am here, friend. Are you there." I began shaking him. "Come one, wake up."

"Erwin?" Arthur slowly opened his eyes, but I saw terror inside his eye pupils. "No! Escape, now!"

"Well, here goes the surprise, I wanted to kill you while you were desperately trying to escape with a piece of hope inside your heart, but I will still get my payment from her anyways, and don't get your hopes up. I know you lost to a simple Priest. You have no chance against me."

Oh, so he heard about that fight. How sad that I lost one of my arms that day, but it will be stupid to call me weak as before.

"So, tell me your name." I raised The Butcher with my hands. "So I can add you to my list."

"Ortho, or The Ax, remember it or don't. You will die anyway."

Ortho raised his ax and swung towards me, but it was too slow.

I easily evaded the attack, but a follow-up came right after it.

But rather than evading, I blocked this one.

His attack still had strength but not enough for me.

I pushed the man back, and he gave me a gaze of terror.

"So, are you scared?"

"Impossible!"

Ortho started swinging his ax even faster. I can feel his fury flowing through his arms then to his attacks, but fury alone will not be enough to beat me.

"Is that all you got? How sad." I grabbed his ax from the handle. "Let me attack from now on, okay?"

I pulled the ax away from his and threw it to the ground.

"Here I come." I raised The Butcher, and the red aura covering me grew.

And when I slashed my weapon towards him, I heard a whistle, a whistle coming from air getting split into two, then crushed bones and internal organs getting diced followed that sound.

With one swing, it only took me one swing to split that man into two, but I wonder, am I getting too powerful, or is it the enemies staying relatively weak?

"Arthur, can you walk."

He was still weak, but he nodded with his head.

"Good, now follow me."

I grabbed Ortho's corpse from the ground and started dragging it with me.

After a short walk, we entered the bailey, and enemy soldiers started an alarm as they saw us.

"My friend." Arthur coughed. "I am surprised by your strength, but I think what you are currently doing is stupid."

"Give that moment to me." I threw Ortho's corpse forward and placed The Butcher between my shoulders.

"Now everyone inside here, we can do this in a good way, which none of you ended up dying, or in a hard way."

"What a pain in the ass this late at night. I am the captain of this fortress, and I am asking who the hell are you?"

"I was passing by, but then I learned one of my friends was inside, so I decided to grab him on the way, now open the gates. We are leaving."

Captain laughed. "Look at how arrogant you are, let's see. How about no! Soldiers kill those two!"

Arthur began poking me.

"How sad." I created a Flame Spear and threw it into the air.

I hope Fionnlagh is smart enough to understand the meaning of this.

"I started the, who will be the first one to achieve the honor of dying in the hands of Lich King." Just as I expected, no soldiers were making the first move. "No one? Maybe your captain would be the first one."

"Move and kill him, you idiots! They are only two people." Their captain shouted from a safe location.

"Yeah, I will probably die if all of those soldiers attack me, but you know I can take a dozen or more before dying, so who is ready to be diced." I slammed The Butcher to the ground. "And if anyone wants to give a special order, I can make a two-piece like that guy." I pointed to Ortho's corpse.

"Are you mad!" Arthur shouted from my back.

"Maybe, just a little, but, hey look at from the good side, no one wants to die tonight."

Well, still no soldier took a move forward.

"You see that my friend, none of these guys here wants to throw their lives for nothing."

Their captain shouted. "Archers! Kill that fucker, all fire allowed. Now!"

"Arthur, are you hearing that." A pair of wings flapping from the far.

"Anything other than sweet song of death? No, I cannot."

I smiled. "Make sure to remind you that I will hire a doctor for your ears. Now get behind me."

Let's use a spell I didn't before. "Frozen Skin."

Thanks to that, all part of my body is now covered with a protective ice barrier, and I hope it will be enough to stop any arrow until our ride arrives.

"Fire!" And archers quickly shot their arrows toward us.

I used Ortho's corpse as a shield to block some of the arrows, and the rest got deflected by my armor.

"Here comes our ride, be ready, my friend."

And from the darkness, Fionnlagh appeared. He instantly dived towards the fortress and fended any enemy soldiers away with his cold breath.

When Fionnlagh landed, I helped Arthur to climb on his back. "See, I have a plan. Now, wait."

I climbed on Fionnlaghs back as well, but rather than sitting. I stood up."

"This fortress, it is much more defenseless than I thought it was. Captain! I give you one week, when my armies arrive, prepare my key or your end, spoilers, not be good."

"Why should I trust a goddamn Lich! You will kill us at first chance, so we will defend when you come with our lives."

I pat Fionnlaghs head, and Wyvern dashed towards the air. I almost fell from his back, but it was a risk worth taking.

"Because everything changes, brothers will betray each other, sworn friends will stab each other from the back, and sometimes ones you know as the doom will be your salvation."

I throw the crown I picked from the sewers to the ground. "Remember is your choice, but remember times have changed, and this time, it is Death's role to save the Living."

When I finished talking, Fionnlagh started flying away.

And no arrows fired from our behind, or no one shouted.

It appears that no one is happy with the situation, and both sides of the civil war don't have much public support. In times like this, heroes must rise for the people.

A hero no one excepts, and a hero who can bring change to the rules of this realm. Maybe a Lich supported by a forbidden goddess?