Svend and I sat alone in the dim lighting of his mansion. My family and Cyra had already been sent away on the floating Island of Dragon’s Nest so that they would not draw Sebastion’s attention when he arrived. Only the two of us remained in the now-empty mansion.

Waiting was always the worst part. Silence hung in the air like a blade waiting to fall.

Sebastion was almost here. I could feel it, as if a roiling ocean was crashing down just past the horizon. Even from this distance, it was suffocating.

“Do you think the boy will stop to rest, or just charge straight to the capital?” Svend asked, breaking the silence as he pulled on his beard.

“Sebastion was never the patient type. If he was going to rest, he would not be announcing his presence in such a dramatic way. He wants me to know he is coming. He wants me to be afraid.”

Svend continued pulling on his beard as he chuckled. “That is good for us. Flying does not take an enormous amount of energy, but based on what I feel, King Sebastion should still be at least an hour away. Depending on when the last time he rested was, he might drain up to thirty percent of his energy reserves before he even reaches us.”

“Perhaps,” I mumbled I reply while tapping on the table impatiently, “However, neither of us has faced Sebastion in decades. We should move on the assumption that he is twice as powerful as when you last fought him.”

“Doubtful,” Svend muttered with a shake of his head, “When you reach our level, improvement is not that easy, but I understand your caution. He is still very young by Division standards.”

“How does it feel knowing you are about to get thrashed by someone a tenth your own age?” I asked with a teasing grin.

Svend scowled at me in annoyance. “I have no intention of getting thrashed by anyone. When I fight, I fight to win, regardless of the enemy.”

I cupped my hands under my chin as I smiled up at the massive frame of the man. “Want to make a bet on how long before Sebastion buries you?”

Svend raised an eyebrow, obviously intrigued. “What are we betting?”

“A few centuries ago, I stumbled upon a variation of the Divine Body during one of my missions for the Fifth Division. The process was a twisted and inhumane project called the Demonic Body. The exact creation method was destroyed but I saved quite a few research notes on how they altered the refinement process. These notes will be all yours if you can just last more than five minutes against Sebastion. However, if you lose before five minutes, you will owe me a favor, something to be decided at a later date.”

Svend’s eyes sparkled as he leaned forward. “Now that is something interesting… but the last favor I agreed to got me stuck in this backwater for fifty years… Fine, I agree.”

Svend suddenly stood from the table, his hulking form towering over the room. He walked over to a bare wall at the side of the mansion and raised his fist. “I was not planning to use this since it practically screams my former affiliation with the Seventh Division, but for the sake of my project I am willing to accept a little risk.” Svend spoke as he brought his fist down on the wall like a sledgehammer. Stone and brick exploded and crumbled under the blow. Svend brought his fist down a second time clearing any remaining rubble and revealing a hidden room just beyond the wall.

Inside the hidden room were two objects. The first was a suit of armor made from a golden alloy. Bright red cloth connected the joints of the shining metal and covered the chainmail underneath. Most striking though was the helmet. The figure of a golden snarling face molded into the metal would cause nightmares in children as well as some adults. The second item in the hidden room was a weapon that had made countless men tremble in fear. While the design was simple, reminiscent of a halberd, it was a ludicrously massive weapon. Made from the same golden alloy as the armor, the shaft alone was thicker than my thigh. The giant blood-red axe head attached to the top was larger than a full-grown man.

Svend solemnly donned the armor that once represented his rank in the Seventh Division. The golden alloy glowed with an unnatural light as it came into contact with his skin. The countless battles it withstood were shown by the hundreds of small scratches that marred the bright metal. Most eye-catching was the long scar down one side of his chest plate where the armor looked as if it had been eaten away by a corrosive acid. As the helmet was placed upon his head, Svend’s demeanor changed. He felt like an angry deity of wrath and vengeance that looked down at everyone and everything.

Svend turned to me. I could not see his face under the terrifying helm but it was not hard to guess his grin. “Do you still think I will not be able to last five minutes now?”

I eyed the armor with a satisfied nod. “I admit, I did not expect you to still have your armaments. If you really go all out, even Sebastion might actually have a little trouble getting past you.”

Svend chuckled as he reached out to take the massive halberd. The stone floor under his feet began to crack under the combined weight of the man and his weapon. It was only when his domain spread out that Svend was able to prevent damaging his house and sinking into the ground.

“A little trouble?” Svend asked as he hefted the halberd onto his shoulder, “You think too highly of the boy. Today I will teach Sebastion the terror of a true ace of the Seventh Division.”

I shook my head as Svend marched out of the manor full of confidence. I had no doubt that Svend was strong. Against any normal enemy, he would be an unstoppable monster but against Sebastion, there would be little he could do, even with the armor. Still, I looked forward to seeing him in action. I could not help but be pleased with myself for goading him into taking this fight seriously.

I felt the overwhelming pressure over the horizon get even heavier and I knew it was time. Sebastion was almost here and I needed to get into position as well.

Taking a deep breath, I forced a smile on my face. “Let’s see how much you have improved Sebastion.”

I shifted my focus to one of my undead as Sebastion approached. Standing patiently in front of Svend’s manor, this young girl would show Sebastion down into the labyrinth we created. She also allowed me a decent view of Svend as he stood in the air above his city. The civilians had all been warned to stay underground but that did not stop a few courageous souls from venturing out.

Standing proud in his golden armor, the mighty halberd resting on his shoulder, Svend looked towards the ever-mounting pressure that was rapidly closing in from the south. It was a sight the people brave enough to venture out would not soon forget.

However, Svend’s grandeur was soon overshadowed as a brilliant light began to radiate from the horizon. As if a second sun had appeared in the sky, a blinding figure rapidly approached.

As the brilliant ball of light approached, what little skin I could see under Svend’s armor began to take on a metallic golden sheen. With a booming voice that shook the heavens, Svend shouted, “You are not welcome here Sebastion. Leave my lands while you still can.”

The dazzling light began to dim as the figure came to a stop midair. Sebastion looked exactly the same as I the last time I saw him. A golden crown sat atop his short auburn hair. A long, two-handed sword was strapped across his back. His stern expressionless face looked at Svend with obvious disinterest.

Looking at him now, I could not help but miss that goofy grin that used to annoy me so much. Long gone was the boy that followed Lucia like a lost puppy. He was a king now. His mere presence radiated authority that could not be questioned.

Sebastion’s domain stretched across the entire city, forcing every civilian to the ground. They could only kneel in awe of the King of Novus

“Where is Aurielle?” Sebastion demanded.

Svend’s boisterous laugh echoed across the city as his own domain spread out, allowing his people to once again stand. “Aurielle has been officially recognized as an ally of Kala. If you want to get to her, you will have to go through me first!”

Sebastion narrowed his eyes silently as a ray of golden light instantly appeared from his body. Svend did not have time to respond before he was thrown backwards like an oversized cannonball. A tremor shook the ground as his massive body was slammed into the earth. An explosion of dust filled the air.

The people of Kala cried out in dismay as their leader was instantly tossed aside without being able to resist at all. However, those cries were interrupted by thundering laughter from within the dust cloud.

“Forty years since we last fought and you still have not fully mastered the ability to add kinetic force to your talent. I am disappointed.”

With a wave the a single hand, the cloud of dust was blown away to reveal Svend standing at the center of a deep crater. The rock around him was glowing red from the heat of Sebastian’s attack. Smoke rose from Svend’s armor as he began to float back up. His halberd had not moved, still resting on his shoulder as if he had never been thrown into the ground.

Slowly, Svend began to move as he pointed his halberd towards Sebastion. “Are you sure you want to make an enemy of me boy? Your talent may be powerful but you are not strong enough to break my defense, let alone kill me. If I wanted, I could fly to the Novus capital right now and there is nothing you can do to stop me.”

Sebastion stood silently in the air as he gazed down at Svend. Without saying a word, he reached towards the sword hung on his back. He pointed the blade towards Svend as a blinding light shined from his body.

Following the point of the blade, the light became a ray of death as it sliced towards Svend. Once again, Svend was not able to respond in time as the light struck. However, the ray of light did not just shine down on Svend. The entire world seemed to burn as heat from the light scorched the earth in every direction.

People screamed in agony as they tried to run for cover. Grass, crops, and trees were instantly lit aflame as the entire city turned into a flaming hellscape. Even the undead girl I controlled began to falter as its skin blistered from the heat.

Svend was again rocketed into the ground. The entrance of a nearby building, a miniature castle that led underground, collapsed from the earthquake caused by Svend’s impact. A crater, ten times larger than an average house had now formed at the center of the city.

“I will not ask again. Take me to Aurielle.” Sebastion ordered with a calm tone that denied any defiance.

In reply, a massive halberd came flying out of the dust cloud. Thrown with enough force to create a shockwave, the halberd reached Sebastion in an instant. Sebastion barely had time to raise his blade as the halberd struck. A translucent domain armor wrapped around Sebastion, protecting him from the blow, but he was still sent flying back.

Svend stepped out of the crater with smoke billowing from his armor and looked around at the destruction caused by Sebastion’s attack. All the mirth in his voice was gone as he spoke in a low growl. “I tried to reason with you as Svend of Kala but you spat in the face of my goodwill, destroyed my land, attacked my people. Regardless of the outcome today, I will make you regret that. I swear it upon my name, Gaius, the Demigod of Slaughter.”