Commanders on Sacronan’s side were watching how things progressed in a observation platform within the fortress. It was surprisingly luxurious place in otherwise quickly built simple fortress. There were tapestries, well crafted furniture and decorations. Servants had arranged food in beautiful arrangements. All to maintain pleasure and comfort for these glorious leaders of Sacronan Empire’s army!

“Hmmmm, saints are strong indeed”, muttered one the higher officers.

“We knew this would happen. All is proceeding according to plan”, said another and took a few casual bites of a pastry.

There were nods and quick agreements on the matter.

Soon afterwards one of the people in the room stood up. Everyone stopped doing what they were doing. This person was important!

“Ah, as much as I’d like to observe here, I think its about time I’ll go look which True Magus saints dragged out here, hmm”. He seemed very relaxed and talked in very casual manner. “Oh, indeed, this tea is truly very good quality. Does anyone mind, if I take it with me?”

This person seemingly not part of the the army and yet no one dared to say anything against his desires. He wore unusual looking armor. It made him seem much larger than he was. Yet, this armor seemed externally made of almost clothlike material, yet gleamed like polished metal.

“Of course, you can take it with you, Lord Ragur”, said one of the higher officers, a general, the leader of the army. Even he was going along wishes of this Lord Ragur. “I found this specific tea several years ago being sold at Stefinos’s temple. Ever since I have regularly bought more.”

“Haha, I need to buy some too. I can’t be borrowing more from you all the time”, Ragur replied and picked up the tea pot. He then simply stepped out of the observation platform and floated out towards the battlefield. The pot floated along with him. All the while he casually kept sipping tea from an exquisitely crafted porcelain cup and kept muttering how good it was.

---

Around at this time a lot of people noticed the hard to miss flying person above them. That included Kaden too. His mouth was open with surprise. Lot of people around him pointed in the sky.

“How strong must one be to fly?” Kaden asked his father. He wasn’t going to get answer, though, as his father had very similar reaction.

“No idea”, Aden replied and kept staring. “I think… this person is beyond our comprehension.”

---

Ragur was sipping his tea and paid no heed to shock and surprise of the people below. He was waiting. Also not for very long.

Another person flew up from behind the saint army. This person appeared extremely unusual too and did not seem to be part of the military either as far as his appearance went. What could be the reason they were with the armies?

“Haha, its you, Lorien”, Ragur started as he put down his cup of tea for a moment. He poured some more of the tea from the pot and continued. He had waited for quite a bit to even show he had noticed the other person, Lorien. “I had thought a newbie like you would have died somewhere already.”

Lorien didn’t seem to mind the insult. “On the other hand, old fool such as yourself, who has not progressed in ages should be dying soon”, Lorien replied in similar manner as Ragur. “Perhaps you should retire and not mingle with … whatever it is that you call this pathetic gathering of people.”

“Its a good bait isn’t it?” Ragur said with a smile. “You did take it. All we need to do is to slow you heretics on the wrong path and we will have victory elsewhere. You could have simply ignored all this and concentrated on the victory. Instead you came here to to fight an army thats not going to even be significant problem in near future.”

“Hehe, if you think we didn’t realize that, you are starting to get senile”, Lorien laughed. “You are risking quite a bit here. You are aware what is in stake?”

“Of course, my objective is complete, even if I only get you to remain here for a time”, Ragur laughed and stopped drinking the tea. In fact, his casual look was starting to quickly disapear. “Even just injuring you and forcing you out of the game weakens your side enough for this to be worth it. Still, I’d prefer to collect your head.” Ragur smiled and then added. “In fact, I insist on it.”

Suddenly he flicked his hand, the beautiful, yet fragile, tea cup shot towards Lorien at extreme speed. It had accelerated to such velocity that there was a sonic boom. The cup, still intact, emited light as it shot at sneering Lorien, who also merely flicked his arm and deflected the tea cup. Still intact, the cup shot down towards the saint army and pierced through an unforunate soldiers head, leaving behind a circular smoldering hole. Eventually the cup came to a stop short distance behind along with an explosion that tore apart a few more soldiers.

“Saint Empire! Attack!” Lorien shouted calmly and took out a mystical looking staff.

Battle started!

Ragur had sharp yes and yet almost serene smile as, if he was watching an exquisite play with great interest. A sword of light suddenly appeared in his hand and immediately afterwards he charged towards Lorien. His speed was even greater than the cup he had thrown.

Lorien replied with similar act, but seemed even faster.

The two extremely powerful True Magi basically slammed against each other above the armies and much closer to the Sacronan’s side. An enormous shockwave was released from their collision. It was not just air presure, but there was wild incandescent glowing mana suffused within too. The shockwave hit the ground and started moving along, shredding apart everything within a large radius. People were torn into pieces, blood and meat scattered on the ground and seeped among shattered rocks and fresh mud. Then everything mixed some more when backdraft kicked up the blood and mud mixture a bit. Only some blood mist was left floating in the air from people that had turned into mush.

That had been at the northern side of the Sacronan’s side.

---

The whole scene was incomprehensible to Kaden. He should have been concentrating on the charging saint soldiers, but his mind blanked from seeing such horrifying power being released. He was in shock.

This shielded him from certain realization for a bit longer than it did for Aden.

“NO!” Aden screamed. Even from across the distance, one could see the entire northern side being devastated. It seemed only higher ranked people with higher cultivations had survived with varying levels of injuries. “Thats where Ann was!”

This woke up Kaden from his shock. His father must have kept in his mind constantly where Ann was supposed to be.

“Mother!” Kaden thought in his mind. Horrifying posibility that his mother had just perished was high.

Just before the first saint soldiers reached Sacronan’s frontline near him, Kaden could see them rush into the entirely undefended northern side killing everyone that still stood.

The two monsters had at least moved higher in the sky and whatever blastwaves they released only caused shocks on the ground level.

First saint soldiers clashed on the people right at the front. If it could be called a defensive line at all, it crumbled instantly all the same. The true soldiers behind triggered their formations and began emiting everything from fireballs to bolts of energy. A few bubble like shields appeared too, but none of them covered the front, but instead specialized long range casters at the back.

While saints had far stronger army, they were not getting through instantly. They would take quite a bit of damage while doing so. They had similar long range attacks, but it seems they were less willing to blast the frontline where their own soldiers were. Most of the fire flew towards the shielded backline.

Kaden had very little time to think of this as saints started to charge through around him.

Suddenly he saw a saint soldier run towards him. Kaden didn’t even consider fighting him and charged his limbs as full mana as he could. He still could take a few steps back and hoped someone else would help him deal with the soldier. It was pointless, though. Most of the people around him were scared shitless. They were barely pointing their swords towards the enemy.

He snapped back to the moment. There was no time to think of such things. Sword was coming right at him, intending to cut his life. Kaden barely dodged. The saint soldier was not giving up and charged towards him and before Kaden could dodge again, the soldier delivered a hard kick.

Kaden felt like he had been hit by a hammer. He felt like vomiting. Internal injuries? He didn’t taste blood at least. Kaden did not have time to check for injuries as the soldier, now in great advantage kept pressing.

“I’m going to die!” Kaden though. Somehow the entire world seemed to slow down and he could see all the details of that moment. There was no way out. He was on his knees and would not get up or move anywhere before the sword strike would connect.

Kaden closed his eyes. He heard a wet slashing sound and thump. “It doesn’t hurt at all?” Kaden thought and opened his eyes.

Someone was in front of him, just between him and the saint soldier, whose eyes had bulged out and trickle of blood pouring out of his mouth. The person in front of him was impaled by the soldier’s sword and the soldier was similarly impaled by the person's sword.

“Live son”, said the person who had saved his life. “Live”.

These were the last words of the person in front of him.

Kaden’s eyes widened as he realized the person was his father. The soldier and his father collapsed on the ground, both dead. His father sacrificed himself to save him?

Somehow despite the chaos around him, he was being ignored. Were things happening quicker? Or perhaps did Kaden’s perception of time change at that moment?

“Father!” Kaden shouted and pushed away the soldier’s body off from his father. Thoughts were shooting about wildly in Kaden’s panicked mind. “The sword. Yes, the sword, remove it. Ah, would he bleed out, if I take it? I can’t leave it there. He is not moving. What should I do.”

Eventually he pulled out the sword. No effect. Soon after the truth was finally starting to sink into his mind. Aden, his father, was dead. Dead! There must be something he could do? The priest Peil had said that death was what gods had preordained. Gods! In his desperation Kaden started praying right there in front of his father’s corpse.

“Gods! Please, any that is willing to listen! Please restore my father! I’ll do anything! I’ll dedicate myself to you, if you do this for me! Anyone!” Kaden’s most devout, desperate and truthful prayer was right there as he begged for the only power that could possibly restore his father. Kaden then suddenly stopped as he realized there was also the matter of his mother. He had not seen her die for sure, but would any god return them both? What should he do? Pray for them both?!

“Gods what should I do?!” He begged once more.

Nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

There was only the stench of death, screams and chaos surrounding Kaden. Still somehow he had been ignored.

Kaden’s mind blanked.

Thats right, what had gods ever even done for him? Fualu had only made their forge slightly better. What had gods ever done for Dashire? Anything noticeable? Gods didn’t care about them. They just took the sacrifices people brought to their altars and accepted people’s prayers. Hard work and what did people get for it? Basically nothing!

Dashire had been obliterated by people supposedly acting on holy orders. If gods really cared or had different opinion, why did they allow their followers to do such things in their name?!

They didn’t care! Gods didn’t care! They must be just like their followers! Perhaps those orders were exactly their will! Everything that had happened could be their will!

No one would help him. Not even the gods. No one would answer his calls.

Kaden shuddered almost imperceptibly. It was that moment that something in Kaden’s mind snapped. It was something that had been under heavy load and could no longer bear the presure. It bent and twisted beyond any possiblity of repair.

“Ha… ha ha… haahhahahaha”, Kaden laughed while tears flowed from his eyes in endless stream. “I curse you! Gods! I curse you! I curse everyone that wronged me! I curse you all to death! I will abandon all of you as you have abandoned me! I will have my vengeance!”

Considering the situation, there was actually no one who really heard him. People losing their minds on the field of battle was nothing new. No one had time to listen to anyone's deranged rantings.

Someone from Sacronan’s side ran past Kaden. It was just another soldier. Were all the villagers dead that had been used as a meatshield? Kaden picked up the saint soldier’s sword and plunged it inside the passing soldier’s back. Kaden felt nothing as he did it. Nor did he care about the surprised face of the soldier as he turned to look at Kaden who stared back with glee.

The soldier soon died and Kaden, with some effort, hid himself under the corpse. He had placed it just next to the saint soldier and his fathers body. He believed he needed two bodies to properly hide under them. He did not want to use his father’s body so he arranged both of the soldiers in such a way that he could hide under them and wait for the end. With some luck he would live. As for future, he would act as necessary.

Kaden hid there under the two bodies calmly. He watched as people rushed past, ignoring the pile of corpses.

His actions were perhaps something that a coward would do, but definitely his motives were different. Even, if it was cowardice, what does it matter? Did Kaden have any loyalty to anyone except himself? No. He would do anything necessary to live. Nothing else mattered. Thats what his father had told him, right? To live!

It did work. He watched and listened people die around him, but no one noticed him. Kaden survive the most dangerous part. The battle eventually ended and he was still alive. One could call it an achievement!