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Chapter 102 - Liberation of Arkaim
🕑 Added 2018-06-25 20:47:03 +0000 UTC I was right; the signal for the retreat didn't reach the humans still fighting inside the walls. The army on the outside is retreating quickly, while the demon reinforcements that were being torn apart by the dragons are giving chase in righteous fury. I'd tell them to go and secure the city instead, but I notice that the purple-skinned, six-armed demon I saw fighting Svanhild earlier is rallying their troops to do just that.Picking her up and holding her unconscious form under one arm, I fly up into the air and peer over the retreating army. Even though both the reinforcements from the southwest and our attack did a lot of damage, their numbers are still immense. One hundred and forty-thousand is such a huge mass of people that I can't even begin to imagine what the million-strong army that my mother defeated here the day before my reincarnation must have looked like.
"[Tokomaha, enter the city through the northern wall and help secure it. Korenga, hold your position.]" I call out to my companions across the battlefield with the dragon voice. The humans from the empire shouldn't be able to speak this language, so they won't understand what I'm saying.
"[What about me?]" I hear a muffled voice next to me and spin my head around.
"[You're still here? I thought you returned to your mother's side.]" It's Aorutihaua, who has been flying around me like a satellite with a very eccentric orbit, even after we safely reached the demon continent, and they pointed me in the direction of the capital city. I haven't seen them since we approached the siege, so I thought they had finally decided to leave.
"[It seemed like fun around you, so I decided to stay a while longer.]" They perform a pirouette in midair and speak through their full helm. Since they have the Golden Shawl, they can go back to their mother's side at any time, I guess. "[Do you need some help?]"
"[Oh, you would help me out?]" I'm surprised. Aorutihaua seemed to be one of those gods who doesn't care about anything below their feet, especially after regaining their means to soar in the skies. "[Alright, see that army over there? If they, at any point, turn around and come towards the city, do your thing.]"
"[What thing?]" Tilting their head, the Child of the Sun looks at me through the slits of the full helm.
"[You know, when you drop out of the sky, and the whole area around you explodes. Do that into the middle of them.]" Patting Aorutihaua's helm and then pointing at the human troops that are gaining more and more distance, I state in a matter of fact tone. Last time the child-like god came down like that, even Korenga was swept off her feet.
"[Huh? That was just my landing.]" The androgynous meteor god tilts their head again and is seriously wondering about what I mean.
"[Yeah, do that again, but with more force.]"
"[Is that all?]"
"[That's all.]" It's obvious that they're pouting under the helmet since they must perceive it as a pretty small and insignificant contribution. It seems like they never stopped to think about the implications of them creating a meteor impact-crater in the middle of what must still be around eighty-thousand humans. "[I'll play with you later if you do that for me.]"
"[Really?]" Aorutihaua's voice sounds as bright as I imagine their expression to look like, but I can only see their two glowing eyes in the darkness behind the visor. "[You promise?]"
"[Yes, I promise. And when have I ever broken a promise?]" I've only ever made one to them, and I fulfilled it. That's a very small sample size, but I know that the Child of the Sun isn't one to think about it too deeply.
"[Yay!]" Performing a quick looping in midair, they cheer.
I return my attention to the burning city, where the humans are beginning to fall into confusion. Some of them must have heard the signal for the retreat, and are telling their comrades about it, while those who didn't hear it must be questioning the information's authenticity. In either case, the demons seem to notice it and quickly consolidate their forces once again, as they try to hold the central plaza a short distance away from the floating castle. They must have a pretty good commander.
When the retreating army has run away far enough and still don't show any signs of slowing down, I fly towards the city.
"Humans, hear me! Your army has retreated! Lay down your weapons and surrender!" With a roar that carries across the entire city, I make myself heard. Those who have the leeway to do so look around in fear and confusion when it dawns on them what my words mean. The demons do so too, thinking that it may have been aimed at them.
The army of Tokomaha clones reaches the abandoned northern gate and begin to enter the city. I'm not sure she can distinguish humans from demons well enough when considering her own appearance, so things might get messy. Unlike the humans of Adanak, those from the empire are far more light-skinned, too.
I think it's alright for me to go down into the city. The retreating human army won't be able to turn around quickly enough to catch me by surprise now. I signal for Aorutihaua to stay here and fulfill their job when needed, before flying to the castle with Svanhild under my arm. I'll drop her off there, and have her put in the dungeon for the time being.
As I approach the castle, a group of flying maids comes out to greet me. At the very front is the maid leader, flying on violent looking crimson wings so completely out of place for her otherwise reserved appearance. I have no idea what kind of demon she is since she otherwise looks completely human - even though she's more than a head taller than I am.
"Your humble servant Rewera welcomes your return, my Queen. Excuse me for being unable to kneel before you." Bowing deeply while in midair, the maid leader speaks in an almost apologetic tone. So she was called Rewera? I never learned her name during my short time at my mother's side, but now I know.
"Put her in a cell and be careful of her magic. She can cast it without incantation." I do away with any empty phrases and hand her Svanhild. "And I'm not your queen, yet."
"Excuse me. It was a slip of the tongue." Taking the unconscious Dragon Knight, Rewera bows again while beating her wings to stay in place. The many beautiful maids in her retinue are staring at me in awe, and some have tears in their eyes. I'm reminded of the fact that Asoko did a number on them when she came here with Lenoly back then, while I was on the moon. Apparently, they believe I'm my other half.
I don't have time to clear up the misunderstanding right now.
"Are there any intruders in the castle?" I look down at the humans and demons still fighting in the streets below. Even without reinforcements, they still have a quantitative advantage, albeit not a qualitative one.
"No, there are not. The walls have only fallen not too long ago. We were able to repel an attack by a few Fatas earlier, though." An eager maid with the wings of a dragonfly replies. Her voice is crisp and carries youth, and I can see that rather than individual teeth she has two serrated bars. She seems to be the happy-go-lucky type, as she grins with a hint of pride.
"Then why haven't you gone out to help defend the people?" I try not to sound too reprimanding, especially after seeing how joyously she reported their success at holding the castle just now. Still, her smile freezes as if I just slapped her in the face.
"Our duty is to protect the castle-" Rewera begins.
"Doesn't matter, I'm here now." But I interrupt her, not wanting to waste time arguing. "Next time, remember that people make a nation, not castles."
"Wasn't that a little harsh? There are some important people in up there right now, you know?" Senka's voice suddenly echoes through my head.
"Oops." I reply in my mind, not really regretting my words - it's a good lesson, even if it doesn't apply in this particular case.
Well, I guessed that the top military brass is in there; my mother is no more, so some other demon must have taken the reins for the time being. The doll girl told me that unexpectedly, not a single member of the Four Great Clans attempted to usurp the throne through military strength in the absence of any successors. In this case, they believed Asoko to be the one, and they're currently somewhere on the other side of the world trying to thaw her out.
In other words, they're most likely mistaking me for my other half, believing that I've finally returned - with a power-up to boot. I'll have a lot of explaining to do when this whole thing is over.
When I turn to fly down and deal with the humans in the streets, I see that the Tokomaha army is beginning to do their work. It seems they know how to differentiate humans from demons based on the fact that the former are the first they encounter. And they're attacking the clones because they all look the same, thinking they must be demons, too. Since the humans are attacking the clones, the demons that witness it think that they must be allies. It's that simple, huh?
Then I see a golden figure standing on a disc of gold flying over the city and coming our way. It's obviously Aurelia since I know for a fact that Tokomaha can't fly. She didn't join the battle outside the walls and isn't really interested in fighting inside them either; her eyes are on the castle, where she'll be living with me from now on - for however long we can stay here before leaving to liberate the rest of the dominion.
"[It's boring out here!]" I hear Korenga's voice booming across the city. It's always impressive to hear that organ of hers being put to use; my volume derives from the fact that I can create a giant pair of lungs and a huge throat inside the depths of my body, but she's doing the same without such a convenience.
"[Come to the floating castle and meet me in the central plaza. Don't fight anyone on your way there!]" I roar back, and the maids all hold their ears in shock. The humans and demons fighting below me do the same and look up to see where the incredible voice came from.
"What is that language, your Royal Highness?" Rewera is wondering about what I just said. She was the only one who didn't cover her ears, although I think it's mostly because she's carrying Svanhild with both hands, rather than because it's not affecting her.
"I'll explain later. That one is Aurelia; she's with me. Let her into the castle." I point in the direction of the approaching golden girl, before descending to the city square quickly, not waiting for an acknowledgment of my order.
"Woah!" A humanoid crocodile covered from head to toe in blood - most definitely not his own - makes when he sees me. I picked this one on purpose because I've noticed that he's been the one everybody else has been rallying around; he must be the field commander.
"Hear me, warriors and citizens of the Dominion!" Not amplifying my voice to the extremes as I've been doing when communicating with Korenga so far, I make myself heard across the entire plaza. "I am Chaos, daughter of Queen Pelomyx! Fear no more, for I have returned!"
It takes a few seconds for the demons to process the news. Then an ear-numbing cheer runs through their ranks, as they visibly regain their vigor.
"Humans, hear me!" Once again, I address those still fighting the demons. There must be a commander somewhere, egging the humans on to keep up the battle to the last man. "Your army outside the walls has retreated! Surrender now, and you shall live!"
"What? How can you let them-" The crocodile commander turns to me and questions my offer in an aggressive voice, but I shut him up with a glare that leaves no room for any arguments. I fully understand his anger at the humans, who have invaded this deeply into the capital of the dominion. But massacring them all here will only perpetuate this chain of mutual hatred.
"Do not listen to that thing! We have them on their last breaths! For the Emp-" A knight sitting on a horse, clad in silver armor and golden shoulder pads covered with runes, raises his sword and rallies his confused troops, but I shoot a plasma beam at him. The upper half of his body is vaporized instantly, and whatever enchantments his armor featured proved completely useless against it.
At the same time, I see a light flashing in the corner of my eyes, coming from beyond the walls. When I look in the direction, I see a massive dust cloud rising into the sky, before the sound of an explosion reaches us, closely followed by a shockwave that sweeps some roof tiles away.
It seems that Prince Hector got frisky and thought he could blindside me, now that I'm inside the city. Judging by that explosion, Aorutihaua did a pretty good job at being a meteor. I can't even begin to imagine how our battle would have turned out if they had the Golden Shawl at the time.
Completely uninterested in what just happened outside, Korenga is crashing through the human troops in the streets like a runaway freight train. I did tell her not to fight anyone, but I didn't tell her not to open the way up for herself. Before she reaches the lines of the demons, I stop her though; don't want her to be considered an enemy.
"[Hey, stop.]" I call out to her, knowing that she won't really listen right now. Thus, I increase my density to the maximum; I ate pretty well during our crossing of the ocean since I caught quite a few of those giant marine creatures of which Juzual gave me one on the moon. I should have at least twice as much mass as I did when I first clashed with the Black God.
She runs straight into me, but bounces back and falls onto her backside. I'm forced to take two steps back myself, noting that Mataku was able to hold his position without even flinching against a completely serious Korenga. How much mass does he have, to be able to achieve that?
"[Oh, it's you.]" She stands back up immediately and looks down at me. Seeing her height from up close like this is always an impressive sight.
"[See these behind me? They're my people, the demons.]" I gesture at the defenders on the plaza. Then I point behind her. "[In this nation, humans are the enemies.]"
"[So I should just smash them?]" Cracking her neck, Korenga turns around and grins in what must look like a terrifying expression in their eyes. She's still in her black form, so she should register as a demon.
"[Only if the majority of them refuse to surrender.]" Patting the Black God's shoulder, I stop her from going on a rampage again. Then I float up into the air and spread my wings while raising my voice and putting weight into my words. "This is your final chance. Lay down your weapons. At the count of three, kneel and pray to your gods. Then you shall live. If you do not, only death awaits you."
Even before I begin to count, many throw down their weapons and clasp their hands to pray. Many more who were undecided so far do the same when I count one. At two, only a few dozen humans are left standing, and even the cavalry has dismounted. At three, a ball of light appears over my head, and from within it a spirit spear shoots out for every single human within my range of vision still standing. They fall over lifelessly with sizzling holes in their chests.
"Commander, tell your troops to round them up and guide them outside the city." I land next to the crocodile man and give him his orders. Not waiting for his reply, I turn around to the civilians gathered in the center of the plaza. These can't be all the citizens of the capital and must be only a fraction, or the humans really did a number on them before I arrived. "You are safe now."
That's all I say, and a cheer runs through the crowd, followed by thunderous applause. I fly up into the sky and revel in the awe I'm receiving. My instincts are telling me that terror is much more nourishing than this, but the vestiges of my humanity think that something like this once in a while isn't so bad.
Letting my gaze wander outside the city, I see a massive crater where Prince Hector had retreated his troops to earlier. The impact wasn't quite able to eradicate them all, but I see human bodies strewn across the entire plains, most of whom aren't moving anymore. After this, I doubt they'll try again.
"[I did as you told me. They blew their horns, and suddenly all of them turned around.]" Aorutihaua appears next to me and says. They must have been flying at an incredible speed because I didn't even notice their approach.
"[Well done. I have some important things to take care of, for now, so come find me after this whole thing has been settled. I'll play with you then.]" I pet their spotless full helm, which they most likely rammed into the ground head-first. Whatever it's made of, it must be at least as sturdy as Korenga's black form. Considering the thing inside it doesn't get vaporized from the impact at such a high speed, I assume the Child of the Sun's body is similarly indestructible.
"[Yay!]" Performing a looping again, Aorutihaua is unexpectedly obedient. Reminds me of the twins I left behind in Adanak...
All that's left to do is cleaning up. The reinforcement army has entered the city from the south, and they will most likely begin to kill any humans they see. Zooming across the sky, I come to a stop before these troops.
There are six-armed men and women, each as tall as the maid leader, minotaurs, and centaurs, but no other kinds of demons. They must be an elite contingent or something like that since all of their members look powerful. At the very front is a six-armed woman with long red hair tied in a bushy ponytail and purple skin. Her body is covered in cuts and bruises from the battle, but she looks relatively better off than most of her entourage.
"Woah!" She makes and signals for her company to stop. It has become a common reaction to my sudden appearance, just like I used to do when Aorutihaua popped up out of nowhere. "Yer... yer the princess?"
"Yes, I am Chaos, daughter of Queen Pelomyx." I state in a matter of fact tone. "As you may have noticed from that explosion just now, the army that retreated has been dealt with, and the humans inside have laid down their weapons and surrendered. Do not harm them and guide them outside."
"Why don't we kill 'em all?" The purple woman asks with a raised eyebrow, showing not a hint of awe despite who I am.
"... who are you?" Now it's my turn to raise an eyebrow. She doesn't show the respect and reverence I expected all demons would after I saved their city just now.
"Oh, sorry. We never met, did we? I'm Chandra, leader of the Ajura clan." She introduces herself quite casually and tilts her head with a neutral expression. Still nothing, huh?
"She's a pretty big shot, served under King Aldeath and helped establish his rule, and has lived for nearly seven hundred years. She was one of the few who sided with your mother when she took the throne after his death." Senka's voice speaks in my head and gives me a much-needed explanation. Now I have a good grasp on why she's so informal.
"Come to the castle with me, Chandra." Landing on the ground and looking up straight into her eyes, I speak with less authority and in a more friendly manner -though with more determination than before. She's one of the people I need to prove myself to before I can properly ascend the throne of the dominion. "I'll explain everything there."
Comments
Is it a cliffhanger though? I thought I was pretty clear on this battle ending =P
Lordmod
Cliff of course. It is a wonder he is still hanging.
What guy?
Lordmod
Damn, Cliff Hanger. Why doesn't this guy just fall already?
