Fire bathed the earth as screams and shouts filled the streets of Alicia. A large number of small fires had broken out during the battle, which caused the surrounding forests to burn slowly. Grass was practically nonexistent as the fires had eaten them up leaving only ashy gray soil.

Darien's spells wreaked havoc burning and maiming everyone and everything in his way. The gray knight, Vince, stood by Darien's side, erecting pitfalls and earth walls to protect himself and the Tower Master. He refused to leave Darien's side. Darien merely glanced at the towering gray knight saying nothing; as he lashed his way through a crowd of mages.

"Stop him!"

Regardless of the reinforcements helping, there were still thousands of deadly Argonian knights and mages standing in Darien's way. Only a few hundred flanked Darien's side against a seemingly endless wave of armored enemies.

Darien noticed that the Black Tower Master had run low on mana, but it was impossible to capitalize on that fact as he had buried himself in the middle of his army. Darien blew up his flaming serpent and chose to conserve mana as he directed several flaming whips to lash and cut through knights or mages that got close to him. Vince excitedly yelled, "Tower Master, the sky!"

The sun had risen, and the effects of the darkness's attribute grew weaker and more subtle by the second. Spears of darkness soaring at him turned into arrows as they were easily brushed aside.

"The darkness attribute is terrifying during the night. The Black Tower has very few mages, but obviously, they had enough to kill us all had we not lasted till morning. Most of their knights or mages use baser elements." Darien ducked as a wind blade grazed his hair, "Even now, we need more reinforcements to turn this battle around." Dairen paused, "Not as many as I was expecting, though."

Darien's own shadow formed a spike as it tried to pierce his back. A flaming whip Darien had defensively wrapped around his body came to life like a coiled snake: as it wrapped around the shadow. "Ughhah!" The whip choked the shadow creature until it revealed a woman in black robes clutching at flames gripping her neck. He pulled the whip taut, and the woman's head flew off her shoulders.

Assessing the battlefield, Darien shouted, "Don't be complacent! More help will arrive soon, and this battle will be over!"

Like the coming of a prophecy, a battalion bearing the Red Tower's flag arrived mere minutes after Darien spoke. A purple and gold morning sky was soon dotted with hundreds of fireballs. The resulting explosions caused disorder in Argon's dark army.

"Let's go. Follow after me."

Striking while the iron was hot, Darien led Vince and a few other mages slowly through the chaotic scrambling of Argon knights and mages. Darien's hawk-like focus zeroed in on the Black Tower Master.

Cole met Darien's eyes and froze.

Like a scampering rat, he tried to flee. "We can't let him get away!" They pushed through the mages and knights, wildly casting spells to pierce through Argon's defense. The Black Tower Master pointed at Darien, and a group of mages left his side in an attempt to slow down his group.

Darien clicked his tongue as he cast a spell, "Blaze Hawk!" Fiery and lifelike, a fiery bird the size of an adult male came to life behind Darien. The bird of prey flapped its wings and flew faster than an arrow. It went into the center of the group of mages and exploded, killing three of them before blowing the others away.

"Hurry!"

Darien leaped through the air with wind, and fire wrapping his feet.

Desperation marked the Black Tower Master's face as he chanted, "S-S-Spirit of Darkness! Manifest your bow and take aim, Dark Arrow!" The spell matrix faded in and out, blurred, as though it barely had enough mana to take form. An arrow flew toward Darien's head, too close for him to dodge. Darien pointed his left hand, and a ring on his pinky finger dissolved. A bolt of fire met the dark arrow in the sky before exploding.

Darien was blown backward landing on smoldering grass. He immediately rose to his feet and closed the gap even more. Knights rushed forward trying to stop him, and Darien swung his right-hand chantlessly casting a flaming sword that cut through the knight's swords, spells, and armor altogether.

The Black Tower Master cursed, "S-shit!" Darien arrived in front of him. "Flame Whip!" Darien bound the Black Tower Master tightly in a wreath of flames, setting his robes on fire. "Please w-wait! D-don't kill me!" Darien looked at the cowering mage in front of him. He had eyes that were black as night with long black hair cascading down his back. The Black Tower Master was also unnaturally pale, as though he never saw the sun. Darien looked to his side looking for Vince when the Black Tower Master moved.

Cole smiled while the necklace he had wrapped around his neck dissolved into gray powder. A 4th Circle flood of darkness poured forward no weaker than it had been in the dark of night swallowing Darien whole.

"Flame Serpent!" A Serpent came to life once more surrounding Darien with its own body. Darien's clothes had partly dissolved, and his skin was rashed and bleeding.

He had been in contact with the darkness for less than a second any longer would have been devastating.

The flood passed, and his serpent disintegrated along with it.

Cole laughed before saying, "Your spell-casting speed is unmatched! Only the Emperor can cast high-ranking magic like that with as few words as you."

"That was close you know. If it was still night, I'm not sure I would have survived that."

Darien walked forward pulling on his whip as he pulled Cole close to himself. "Tell me, Darkbright, why shouldn't I kill you now? Can you stop the fighting and make your side surrender?"

"Hahaha! My side probably wants me dead more than you! But, yes, I probably can. Wishing me dead and contributing to it are two very different things."

"Order your men to stand down, and we'll take your side prisoner. Refuse, and I'll wring your neck."

"Oh no! Let me call my mommy, and ask her for some warm milk."

Darien glared at the Black Tower Master he was stalling.

He looked at the mages and knights that surrounded him. Vince, and two knights he didn't recognize stood shoulder to shoulder guarding him closely. A wind mage with the King's crest on his leather armor also stood by Darien's side.

Enemy mages surrounded them., looking at the Black Tower Master without moving. He hadn't even had to say anything.

"You all can attack if you'd like, but if you do, I'll just pull this whip tight and end this battle here and now. If you'd all like to live, I suggest getting on your knees and throwing away your weapons."

They hesitated. Cole nodded at them, and slowly knights began throwing down their swords. Mages and knights got on their hands and knees and surrendered.

Darien shouted, "Cover their limbs with heavy earth magic and gag their mouths. Very few mages can cast magic without an incantation, but just in case some do, we have mana-suppressing cuffs in the wagons. Just make sure they can't speak or move for now! We can block their mana afterward!"

Slowly one by one Argon's mages were gagged and bound. As Darien carried Cole he walked forward calling out to Argon's army in a loud voice, "DROP YOUR WEAPONS! THE BLACK TOWER MASTER'S BEEN CAPTURED!" It wasn't immediate, but as Darien paraded Cole around more soldiers continued to surrender one by one, and the battle slowly stopped outside of the city walls. Joseph came running when the situation had calmed enough.

"Tower Master!"

"Jo, The city is on the verge of ruin! Take your mages and regain control of the city! I'll be joining you shortly!"

Joseph nodded before changing his direction and heading towards the city. The battle was on the verge of being over, but for some reason, Darien was getting anxious. He looked up at the sky, which now had the light of the early morning sun.

Far in the distance were ominous-looking clouds. Darien shook his head. He needed to take control of the current situation first; he could always worry later. Taking a dagger from his belt, he dispelled the whip, which had been wrapped around Cole's body. Hopefully, he wouldn't need to cast another spell for the duration of the day.

Darien pointed toward Cole and said, "Vince, Choke the Black Tower Master out. It's too risky to keep him lucid." Vince nodded before walking toward the Black Tower Master.

Darien's frown deepened as he saw the Black Tower Master look toward the same storm he had. Despite being put in a choke hold... he was smiling.

Darius took deep breaths as it took a long time to regain control of his body. Mages bearing the Red Tower sigil passed by as the chaos in the city faded. "It looks like we're winning." Darius hid in a corner while breathing a sigh of relief. The morning was beginning to grow bright as the day had begun in earnest.

Despite the brightness of the early morning sun blinding him a bit, Darius was tired beyond belief, his body practically begged him for rest, but he forced Qi throughout his veins and brain to stay awake. He couldn't sleep until everyone started heading back home.

"I guess I'm no longer needed." Explosions became less frequent, and cheers lined the city. The kind of cheers people make when they've won.

Jamie was running. The earth molded to his feet, and the wind carried him faster than a fell beast mid-sprint. His face was covered in sweat. His mission had been a success. Even better than he had hoped. Many nobles were on their way to Alicia and would be there soon, but he couldn't continue with his mission any longer.

Jamie looked down at a small compass. He rarely checked it as it was an expensive and dangerous tool. Ancient by all means, and ate up an enormous amount of mana.

Small, silver, and with a cracked glass, he held a compass pointing towards Alicia. The needle inside the glass was glowing bright red, and red meant danger, supreme danger...

A monster or calamity was coming. Only one color exceeded red in danger, black. He wouldn't dare head toward Alicia if the compass was black, but still, he chose to go. At least to see what was there and plan around it. The tool that had never led him astray on his journey of taking over the Dil Republic was telling him to turn back now. It meant something or someone dangerous enough to kill him was on the way.

He needed to be there. He had to be there to assess the situation.

"Red! It just had to be red!"

The Princess was surprised when he took off, but she didn't need his babysitting anyway. She had been gaining experience as they talked with the nobles. Needing less and less hope as they traveled from place to place.

It was strange the nobles didn't just like her or the Ayer family. It felt like an instinctive compulsion. The nobles practically ate out of her hands.

They were too receptive.

They were too accommodating.

Jamie didn't have time to think about it as he rushed through the forest. The danger in front of him was the only thing that deserved his current attention. He could see the smoke in the distance. He was close.

The war for Ayes was over. Cleanup was necessary, but the hardest part was taking care of the prisoners. There were thousands they had managed to capture, but they only had about a thousand mana-suppressing cuffs on their person. The most dangerous mages and knights were categorized and placed in cuffs before being led to the dungeon.

Darien sighed, "Tobias, when we get home. I'm going to sleep like a king and eat like one too. I'm getting too old to be playing war hero."

Tobias laughed, "Ha! You still look young, Tower Master, but I agree. I hope we don't have to fight like this soon..." He looked down before adding, "Too much bloodshed."

Darien nodded while looking up at the sky. He had tried to ignore the storm clouds, but when he looked at them the back of his neck would break out in goosebumps. It was getting impossible to ignore the growing anxiety now. His hindbrain was screaming, 'wake up!'.

Ominous dark clouds were getting uncomfortably close. Sparks of lightning flashed as they lit up, the dark clouds in purple-colored luminescence.

Ba-bump! Ba-bump!

Tobias looked worried as he asked, "Tower Master? Is everything ok?" He looked in the same direction as Darien before saying, "Looks like a storm's coming. We should probably get inside when we've finished organizing everything. We can head back home when the storm passes."

"Tobias."

"Yes?"

"Make sure no noise disturbs me. Pass on the message, Argon's Emperor is approaching."

"What?!"

"Move now! I need to recover enough mana if we even hope to get out of here alive!"

Darien sat crossed-legged while closing his eyes. Reaching down he grabbed one of the two bottles he held on his person. In on smooth he uncorked the bottle and drank its contents.

"Mana potion... as disgusting as ever."

If his instincts were wrong... he'd have just downed poison for no reason.

"Sigh."

He breathed in deeply as he willed the mana in the air around him to draw itself toward him.

Darien would prefer being ill from a precious potion to being dead.

Every hair on Darius' body stood on end. Darius felt something instinctively, like a beast knowing when a natural disaster was coming. It was similar to the feeling he had long ago when he faced the white-winged tiger.

His heart beat wildly, as his body screamed and begged to run away. Run away with every ounce of strength he had. "Stop." Darius growled like a feral beast. He would not let his bodies will trump his own again. He bit his lip till it bled and climbed the rooftop of the alleyway he was hiding in to get a better view of what was going on.

His gaze was naturally drawn toward the black clouds in the sky. Darien froze at the sight of the storm clouds. His muscles tense as though he were looking at an alpha predator.

Cheers died quickly as the news. It spread like the forest fire outside the city wall warping the soldier's excitement into fear. They rushed to get the prisoners bound as quickly as they could, while some even suggested killing the prisoners outright.

"W-we don't have time to be merciful!"

"Just shut up, and keep moving! Do as your told! Dammit, all!"

Mages once again settled on the city wall. As the storm clouds grew closer, the overall chaos in the city became apparent. The citizens of Alicia had gone through chaotic takeover after takeover multiple times over a year. Homes had burned, and people had died. The people were terrified. This wasn't the first time Argon did these kinds of things either... And now the people needed to stand against a godlike Emperor?

What could sheep do to a lion?

Joseph stood by Darien's side. "It's time." With a heavy nod, Darien rose to his feet.

The light of the morning sun faded as heavy dark clouds rolled over the city. Constant flashes of lightning and rumbling cries of thunder filled the skies above Alicia.

It was a roar that broke through the skies as a man of pure gold appeared. Long golden air and golden robes adorning him made him look just like his namesake, Daybright.

"Looks like I came at the right time."

The Emperor descended in range of the mages on the city wall, but not a single person dared make the first move. Darien slowly walked up the stairs to the parapet before facing the Emperor and saying, "Emperor Lucius Daybright, what exactly brings you here?" Darien would try to stall as long as he could. The Emperor alone could level the city, but Darien didn't even have the mana to cast a 5th Circle spell, let alone resist. They needed time. A few more minutes was all he needed.

"Why have I come, Salamander? Why do you think I've come? Is it that hard to guess?"

"Emperor, perhaps you've come to negotiate for the Black Tower Master's head? We captured him not but an hour ago and are holding him now. We can negotiate an exchange of sorts."

The Emperor smiled, placing a hand on his chin he appeared amused by an interesting proposition, "Cole's been captured, has he? If I were to entertain you, what would you want in return for Cole's head?"

Darien would have loved to just ask him to leave, but he tried to contemplate it seriously. He thought for an uncomfortably long time until the Emperor's patience had worn thin.

"Speak!"

"We could negotiate a non-aggression pact. Since you seem deadset on this war, we could make it five years. After five years, you can start this war again. By doing so, both our sides will have the time they need to prepare for our engagement. It would be beneficial to both sides."

Stunned, the Emperor looked at Darien as though he had heard the most ridiculous thing in the world before laughing, "Wahahaha! Incredible! What a fascinating proposal! Beneficial to both sides you say!"

Darien clenched his fist, hoping he'd accept, and with bated breath, the Emperor continued. "I can have my Tower Master back as long as I make a promise to leave you alone for five years? Does that agreement go both ways?"

Darien nodded, "Of course, it wouldn't be an agreement if it wasn't mutually beneficial."

The Emperor smirked, "How about two years?"

Darien didn't leap to accept the offer. He tried his best to look hesitant before saying, "While I'd like to negotiate three years. Two would be acceptable if you extend the deal to Ayes as well."

The Emperor crossed his legs in the sky as though he were sitting on his own bed. He placed his right elbow on his knee and held his head while he said, "There's only one problem, Salamander. This negotiation is terrible. It only benefits you."

Darien frowned, "We'd give up a military advantage and avoid fighting. It would give your side time as well. Giving away a Tower Master as a political prisoner isn't exactly in our best interest."

The Emperor placed his right palm to his mouth and yawned. "Salamander, have you considered at all the value I've placed on your head?"

Darien scowled.

"The way I see it, I could lose the Black Tower Master and all the men here. I could even get injured in the exchange, but in return, the biggest obstacle I have will be gone. Poof. Like it was all a lie. Though it's sad Cole's head isn't that valuable."

"My head can't be worth more than the Black Tower Master and all of its mages. The Dark attribute is considerably rare. Anyone can cast a fireball around, but few can bend shadows to their will."

"Ha! You aren't wrong. Yet you and your fireballs managed to defeat the Black Tower Master, and from what a little bird told me, you managed to defend against him in the dead of night. Darien Northwood, your head is the most valuable thing here. Which is why I'll gladly throw away the Black Tower Master to gain it."

Darien frowned while he subtly built up his mana, "Callous."

"What's more... You are ripe for the picking. If I don't kill you now when you're drained and vulnerable, then I'd truly be a fool!"

Thunder rumbled in the clouds above as lightning gathered around the Emperor. Darien grabbed a small pendant out of his pocket and charged it with mana.

Joseph had already begun chanting by his side, as did Tobias. As if an unspoken agreement bound them, all of the knights and mages on the city wall and all those below it, began chanting in unison. Thousands of spells prepared against one man, and he looked at them all unfazed...

"Lightning god!"