Chapter 27: Going Out Not With A Bang But With A Loud Screech / Das Ende ist nahe, also schreit am lautesten

In the span of 12 days the Xagreas Kingdom had been brought to its knees. The elves with demonic might and aid conquered most of the nation and razed everything to the ground. Slave markets, cities of commerce and trading, churches, adventurer's guild sites and important government buildings with important documents that were used to run the day by day workings of the government. All within 12 days. One had to stand in awe of the power that those demonic elves received. They were a whole new monster ready to rip the world apart and show it their new found strength. Starkweather found an opportunity to strike and soon he was going to behead the royal family so he could appease the elves. Yes it was rather late for him to destroy the areas that he needed to snuff out but the elves were doing that job for him, but if he was to ignore genuine conflict with anyone using the fastest route to the royal capital which was by the river then he would arrive there in due time. Only one day was left and now just a couple kilometers from the royal capital and a single rest he would be able to grasp his dream after so long.

The days were hot and the nights were cool, their morale was quite high that the nation would be saved by General Starkweather. The noises of the crickets and the cicadas made their hearts feel at ease, he nodded as he drank water from his flask.

"The night is certainly beautiful. Is it supposed to represent my glorious capture of the royal capital?"

"Yes sir. It is"

"It is a blessing from the gods that we shall capture it under your guidance!"

"We shall lead the Xagreas kingdom into a new era!"

"Praise be to the Starkweather dynasty!!"

One of the noblemen who agreed to join his cause said valiantly and another and another. Hope was drawn within their hearts and they really did believe they were the heroes that the Xagreas Kingdom needed how else would Irving have brought them together?That sense of patriotism and quest for valor and greatness was what he took advantage of. He knew that if he exploited this urge then he would be doing them all a favor.

"Alright men. I'll run through the whole scenario once again: We are to enter the royal capital, aim for the main gate and splitting up within to kill the knights located at each of the gate openings. These forces will be led by you, my admirable men. I put my faith in you all so I trust you are going to do your jobs properly"

"Yes sir"

"We shall do it fantastically!"

"Our nation shall be saved by us after all"

"Even if we were to kill our countrymen, it is for the future after all!"

"Alright. I shall take a small walk to contemplate my thoughts."

They all waved him a short farewell as well, morale was high and it was enough to cause panic within those who heard of their just rebellion. Irving walked by the river with his weapon of course, it was the night before his crowning as king of the new nation he was about to lay the foundations. The glorious image of the heads of the king and his family surrounding the throne as he wore the crown that was going to be his was burned in his mind. He could taste victory and all of it was in his grasp, sure it would take a long time to rebuild the nation but he would be called the hero who saved the nation from certain doom.

After walking for a while he heard the sound of a howl in the distance, it made him freeze on the spot, the hairs on his skin were all standing and he could feel fear crawling beneath it. There wasn't much in this world that would cause him to have a reaction like that and yet he did, there was something in that howl that made him feel that kind of fear. It was bestial and savage whilst having the raw unfiltered murderous joy of a demon, and to top it off demon wolves were not found in this forest that much he knew. Soon after the howl came sounds of agony filled screams, he could hear the sheer pain induced madness in their shrieking. Irving knew moments when he should run and he did not want to join whoever was being tortured by whatever was out there. Just as he turned around his eyes came into sight with a large animal, its black fur was almost shadowy emitting out some kind of flame like wisps from its body, its numerous fangs were in a cruel smirk that sought to rip him apart, its crimson filled evil eyes were like tears coming out from where its eye sockets were supposed to be. This creature was at odds with the very world itself. Its very essence screamed of the void itself. Walking towards him Irving was struck by utter fear, he could feel himself regress into being a child again. He knew nothing could stop this creature and once it opened its rows after rows of teeth filled maw it leapt at him with a sinister growl filled laughter. He closed his eyes in fear of what it was going to do to him and then......

Nothing.

He was still very much alive, were his nerves breaking because of tomorrow?Or was he hallucinating because of the thing in the distance. He did not know and he wasn't going to find out. Irving fled from the spot as fast as he could. Intense fear was built up in his body and he knew that if he remained at the spot who knows when that thing would decide to actually devour both his body and soul. Upon arriving in the campsite he headed straight to his tent without speaking to anyone, it was best that no one knew he fled like a coward in the face of a monster that he could have defeated with his own hands. With the gentle touch of sleep washing over him like a great wave.

His dreams weren't as pleasant either, not even the forgetting power of sleep could help him escape the jaws of the creature he saw within the forest. In this nightmare he was constantly running away from it with it always being a step behind him ready to snap his legs from his body and slowly devour him. Trees were nothing more than just decorations to it that it could just breeze right through them and leave the background being transformed in its wake. He couldn't do anything about it either. His sword was half broken, armor tattered and shield discarded for more focus on his now broken sword. Running out of energy to flee he stopped at the cliff that was right before him and stared at the abyss of trees that were down below, would he take his own life like this or allow that thing to eat him alive. He tries to turn around to find an alternative but the monster is right in front of him opening its maw wide for a big bite. The more terrifying thing about this was he could see something within its mouth, a deep red flame that felt like it would eat at his very soul. Within that flame were people suffering to the greatest degree and he too was joining that group of people, he was going to go to hell for all of his sins and there was nothing he could do to stop.

With a great scream he roused from his sleep, he looked around and saw that the confused faces of his men. They had rushed in to see what had happened to their leader, using a gesture for them to go back. His whole body was drenched in sweat, was it the cold dew that made him have this or was it the hot summer weather. Irving couldn't tell. All he knew was there was something peculiar about that monster, if it was a demon sent by the Demon King then he would have to face it sooner or later. Not today, today was his special day to take the throne and become king. Today was the event that he had been looking forward to for a very long time. He got up to wash his face in the river to rinse away the shame of him having cold sweat in his sleep, he did not want this to remain on his body. The light blue tinge of the morning was ominous but nothing out of the ordinary, Irving goes on his knees and cups the water in his hands to begins to wash his face. Followed by a similar motion he washes his hair and then his face again, Irving opens his eyes to stare at his brave reflection, instead he is greeted by the image of the monster staring back at him with a smirk filled grin ready to pounce at him from the water.

Like a man possessed Irving immediately backs away from the water and slowly gets up to stare at it again. There was nothing, it was just an apparition. Mental attacks was what it was using from this moment on and he had to be on guard but how can one defend against his own fear was something that Irving wanted to ask. He had no time for such, now was the time to march down to the royal capital and begin the operation that would begin his reign as king.

💀

The city was a fair distance away from them, they could all see it from the great distance that they were still in. Cloaking themselves with magic items Irving made sure that they were not seen by the people who he wanted to invade, the time had come and he had to give an inspiring speech to raise the morale of the people.

"Now is the time for your bravery to shine, you who are the future of the kingdom. You who have seen the great disease that has plagued the nation, I want all of you to live and become the great nobles and knights that you were meant to be. We must rid the nation of the parasites that continue to make it ill!We must be the ones who purge out the evils of our nation!The elves will understand that we are still good people, that we are not representative of the vile sickness that rules our nation!We shall offer up the heads of the king and his degenerate son!NOW THEN LET US BE THE JUSTICE OF THE NATION!!!ONWARDS TO GLORY!!!!!!"

His men roared out in pure courage like the lions he believed them to be. With a single gesture they began their sprint to untold amounts of fame and wealth. Irving smiled as he watched the march move in synch to his words. Their feet sounding like a war drum that was steadily moving towards the royal capital that was going to be taken by them, the cavalry slowly riding behind them. He smiled in full pride as he watched his efforts come into fruition, the moment of truth was here for him to witness. He wanted to cry out of joy but now was not the time for it, they were halfway through to royal capital but suddenly they all came to a halt.

Something was heading towards their way. The aura surrounding that thing was pure evil itself, like a demon coming from the abyss itself. Jet black plated armor which had the air of a sinister dragon, the helmet was fashioned to be similar to that of a wolf's however the shape of the head had numerous sharp fangs that acted like they could open at any moment in time and begin cackling in pure malice, carrying its weapon of violence on its shoulder was a great sword the color of the starless and moonless sky at night. Slowly walking towards them as if it didn't see them if at all. An ordinary adventurer would run away and ignore the royal capital if he saw this army marching towards it but not this thing, this thing was walking straight towards them. Irving immediately recognized what it was, this was the monster's physical form, the very thing that was causing the screams of the other night. He shivers as he stares it with the crimson eyes behind that helmet shining in full joy that it had met him, the beast of malice went from leisurely walking towards them to sprinting at great speeds to reach them.

With a sword that huge one would normally be very slow however this thing was quickly arriving at their location. Within mere minutes it was already there, right in front of them and they could do nothing to stop it. A flash of blood sprayed into the air as it swung the great sword across the bodies of the soldiers, this became an awakening to all of them that the beast of malice was here to slaughter every single one of them. Another swing of that tool of mass murder took the lives of the several men who were caught in its wake, their bisected bodies sent flying as it continued to kill everything in its sight. With speedy efficiency it sliced off the limbs of the ones who tried to come next, their heads sent flying with ease. The land was slowly being covered in blood and guts, it leapt up in the air with its great sword that was stained in the blood of their comrades high up to represent their certain doom. Numerous wolf like jaws were made from nothing as it dropped to the ground with everyone being devoured by the jaws that surrounded the beast of malice. Its sheer power was present in their deaths as all of them screamed on the top of their lungs as they were eaten alive by the spell that it had cast on them. It drew back its sword to throw it towards the now awake remaining members of the army who all started to sprint towards it, the sword acting like it had a soul of its own started to kill those within its vicinity spinning continuously like a murderous wind. The beast of malice was left with no weapon but that did not mean they could easily conquer it as it took out something from its hips, within its claw like hands were arrows of different colors that it threw towards them. Explosions of different colors occurred but the results were all different: some were burnt alive, some frozen solid, some covered in the very essence of life itself: plant matter and some turned into undead to rip the very bones out of their once comrades. It lifts its hand up to receive the great sword once more in its grasp after it committed its very own murder. From the perspective of those who were being slaughtered like lambs its metallic jaws came open as its crimson eyes left a red afterglow that made them see the very beast of hell itself and scream as they watched it use its sharpened fangs (the sword that it was carrying) to send them all to the great fires below where the evil gods resided. It swung that tool of death once more causing the halves of their bodies to be sent flying, throwing another arrow that released a black flame that devoured anyone caught up inside of it. The battlefield had turned into its killing playground, it was experimenting on how it should kill them next. Stopping for a brief moment before it laughed sinisterly as its shadow turned into a massive wolf like monster that was just like its master, in unison they both howled from the bottom of their hearts in joy as they dove straight into the groups of humans who were now running for their lives. Sword and fangs with claw had now become one as they all served a single purpose and that was slaughter. The lives of the brave soldiers who wanted to save their nation were snuffed out and their continued screams reminded everyone here they were going to meet the same fate.

The army that he had gathered to immediately take over the royal capital was dwindling down in mere moments, it was all vanishing like paper that was set on fire. His dreams were going up in flames under the might of this beast, the power displayed by its raw power made him remember something very crucial about its movement.

"This.........is what a Hero looks like......"

In his mind he remembered the project to create a Hero that was suggested by one of the priests who had a vision of the end. What happened to the lad who was chosen to become the one who would become the Hero of the Xagreas Kingdom when the time came?What happened to their Anti-Elf weapon that was waiting to stop them at all costs?The answer to that was given immediately as the crunch of the neck could be heard coming from somewhere. Total annihilation had occurred amongst the infantry, the noble who had his neck snapped off from his head rolled down to the ground with the immediate bisection of man and horse happening to the next group of people that were all surrounding him. Next with nimble movement it was reaping the heads of the people whilst only jumping on the heads of the horses, putting its sword on its back it stretches out its claw like hands to quickly rip out the hearts of those who were unlucky enough to get caught in this rapid action. Irving had to get off of his horse before he was murdered like the others, he leapt off just as it had pulled out its sword to wildly swing at everything in its way in a massive burst of wind that aided to kill everything in the vicinity.

General Irving Starkweather watched the beauty of the storm that had arrived to kill his men, he was entranced by it, the mastery of the art of genocide was something to behold. A one man army that could kill 1500 men in mere moments. Had his life culminated to this point?Just to see a monster so powerful that he could never reach the height of its power even with 10 lifetimes. The great sword that ate the lives of his men was on the ground, the field was painted in the blood, organs and body parts of his men. It stared back at him with the monster he saw the night before standing right next to the knight of malice, the jaws of the helmet seemed to move on their own to purely laugh in pure delight which made him all too sure that this was not something that was even human. He got up from the ground picked up his sword and unsheathing it with the intent of strengthening his resolve, he points the sword at it and begins to run towards him. It grabs the sword which turns into a long sword just for him. Feeling more honored than previously he lifts his sword into an upward swing and crashes his sword down on its blade.

The two of them clash with the result being clear who was in the lead of strength as Irving gets thrown back by a light push, he uses his weight to stop himself as he sprints towards it once more. He continues to clash against its blade without mercy, a flux of emotions are born from this: joy, anger, fear, sadness, confusion. As he continues to fight this thing that appears to be leagues above him, just as he is about to make another crashing clash his face is grabbed and he slammed to the ground where it stabs his chest immediately. It was at that moment he could feel the pain and agony of all of his men who had recently died. He could feel his very soul experiencing death again and again and again and again. With a twist he groans as the excruciating torture doubles, and with the release of the blade he falls into a hell of torment. Before he completely loses himself to the darkness he sees the wolf helmet come alive and roll back into the armor to see the face of an elven woman resembling the young lad who was supposed to be the promising Anti-Elf weapon of the nation. On her face was a smirk worthy to be called abysmally evil, and with that General Irving Starkweather is but a corpse that was punished for taking the glory that belongs to the elves.

"The Fall is near, the preparations are complete. The traitors have been dealt with. Begin the Elven Howl"

Something beyond General Irving was coming to take the place of his treacherous army, and that something was ready to commence the final stage of the plan that was to occur.

☆

Alberto's life had become one of fleeing, it was greatly numbered and there was nothing he could do about it. He could not so easily escape the nation via the border because he knew that he would captured and sent to prison for offsetting the invasion from the elves. Running away was the only option here, he had to contact his friends in the dark guilds to look for a way out of this dying nation. Severing his ties with the royal prince wasn't a good idea but it was a very good one nonetheless otherwise he would be seen around that idiot and then everyone would act accordingly to the people who caused the war to occur in the first place.