Chapter 402 Trembling As They Stood (End)
Basil had spent one year and a half building a good relationship with Archibald for a reason. No matter how kindly he was treated, he never had any intention to change his view of the Rancuser Family.
For the past year and a half, he didn't only figure out their weakness, but also sneakily erected a Self-Destruction Array in case something unexpected happened in the future. The Rancuser Manor was the centre of the Array; it covered almost a third of the entire territory.
Lo and behold, it had just served its purpose.
The destruction of half of the Dukedom, of course, shocked and baffled many people. The news hadn't come out yet, but the people who lived far from the Dukedom knew that something had happened to the Dukedom due to the Mana fluctuation.
Thousands were killed in the event—men, kids and women alike. The Rancuser Family vanished in a single happening, leaving Archibald as the sole survivor.
No one knew who caused the event and what caused the person to do such a thing, but all of them were terrified of what just happened. Braxtein had been peaceful for a millennium and a half—thinking that the status might end soon terrified them.
'Will the nightmare from two years ago be repeated soon?' the people dreaded.
During this time of confusion and fear, the person who caused the event walked out of the palace with a stoic face; neither remorse nor sorrow was seen on his face. His gait was unhesitant—he was ready to cut those who stood in his way.
"What just happened?" Iliana asked solemnly. "The explosion earlier came from, at least, 300 kilometres from us. The fact that we could still feel the Mana fluctuation and the rumble means that it is something made to destroy; not a bluff."
"It, indeed, is, Iliana. I have killed numerous innocents along with my enemy," Basil responded calmly. "I will not blame thee; if thou findeth it hard, thou shalt stop. I need not those who drag my feet and deliver me to my doom."
"I won't drag your feet … It is just shocking that you could do what you did as easy as breathing."
"Apathy is a must to win a battle. Thinking too much of thine enemies will bring thee to thy knees; if victory you wish, apathetic you shall be."
Basil was cold—it was a fact that Iliana had already known a long time ago. She had already gotten used to it, but she was still surprised by how apathetic he had become now that the battle he had foreseen came faster than they had expected.
'Was that amulet what exposed us?' Iliana recalled what Basil did to the God's Tear Amulet that Archibald had given him. 'That should be a mere tracking Artefact. It shouldn't be able to do anything that exposed our identity as Pacifer.'
"Iliana," Basil called, awakening her from her thoughts. "It seems our 'betrayal' hath been announced to the entire Kingdom and possibly the entire world."
Stopping in their tracks, Basil and Iliana looked at the fear-stricken soldiers of the Royal Army blocking their way. None of the soldiers dared to enter the gate before the palace, they looked ready to do anything to keep the two in their place.
"G-Golden Apple! Please, prove to us that the news is wrong! Stay where you are and let us detain you! Victory is in the hands of those who are right, so you shouldn't be afraid of the crime you didn't commit!"
"What the news hath said about this one?"
"Y-You are planning to destroy the Church and take over the Human Empire with the help of Charles Blois."
"Charles Blois hath perished. I slew him myself," Basil answered calmly. "Taking a fop-doodle's twaddle seriously shall be the greatest mistake a man can make. You did that and thus you have become one."
Shaking his head faintly, Basil pointed Durendal at the soldiers. "Move or doom you shall meet."
Holding his sword with a trembling hand, one of the Legion Commanders leading the soldiers who were blocking Basil's path said, "This is the last warning. Golden Apple of Braxtein, Basil Pacifer, stay where you are or… die by our swords!"
"You know you have not the capability to, don't you?" Basil smiled serenely. "You have made the choice, so doom it is you shall meet."
As the soldiers took a step back to make a distance, Basil swung Durendal, sending out a Mana blade that bisected the soldiers even before it touched them. At the same time, Iliana used her Art that slew tens of the soldiers with a single thrust of her spear.
Deacon jumped off Basil's shoulder and immediately assumed his true form. An immense pressure descended upon the soldiers as he bared his fangs.
Everyone who was there to witness the new look of the Tyrant Saberwolf widened their eyes in horror. The sharp presence that pricked their skins aside, the single horn in the middle of Deacon's forehead made them wonder if he wasn't a Monster that Demons made.
"Waste no time—rush!" As soon as Basil and Iliana hopped onto Deacon's back, he immediately instructed Deacon to leave the scene.
Swish!
Like a wind, the Tyrant Saberwolf which had become a Seventh Grade Beast disappeared from the people's eyes. Currently, only Legendary Beasts or Mythical Beasts could hope to beat him.
"I didn't know he had evolved," Iliana remarked.
"Like power, a Beast's Evolution can also be hidden," Basil responded.
"What did you feed him?"
"A Dragon's body."
"…"
Now, Iliana knew where the Dragon's body had disappeared to—Deacon's stomach.
When she was about to ask where they were going, Deacon abruptly stopped in his tracks. Trembling as they stood, a group of civilians were blocking the way; behind them, a group of Priests that was led by a Head Priest could be seen.
Hiding a smirk, with extreme disdain, the Head Priest shouted, "Stop, you vile creature!"
"Using civilians as a shield—as expected of a bunch of cowards," Basil sneered faintly.
Wasting no more time, he instructed Deacon to clear the way. Deacon immediately opened his mouth and shot a small but extremely high-pressured air sphere out.
Whoosh!
The Head Priest and the Priests under his lead immediately erected a Barrier to protect themselves, leaving the civilians to take the brunt of the attack. The civilians cried in terror as the air sphere kept coming closer, but it didn't last long.
The moment the air sphere made contact with the civilians, their screams of terror were engulfed. No sound of human could be heard as the air sphere disintegrated the bodies.
Blood and fleshy, red mush decorated the ground in the next moment. The Priests were too astonished by Basil's decisiveness to realize that Deacon was pouncing on them.
The moment they realized it, the Barrier protecting them had already cracked. Another wind sphere from Deacon destroyed it completely; Basil and Iliana's Art killed them in the next second.
Deacon continued running, leaving the disfigured bodies behind. All of them could feel hostility from all sides, but none of them was fazed.
"Earlier… I was surprised," Iliana muttered. She clenched her fist as she recalled the vain death of the civilians moments ago. "Some of them were just teenage girls. They knew nothing of the whole conflict."
Basil kept silent and let her continue her monologue. "It pained my heart and it still does. I can see it, Basil; this is the way we are treading from now on. The way that is coloured by the blood of the innocent and our enemies."
"Should killing a million babies be required to save thee, I will do it in a heartbeat. Iliana, fighting for thy happiness hath never been something thou shalt look down upon—no matter how hideous it is."
"I know… and for that, I feel guilty."
Basil didn't say anything at her remark. He also didn't comfort her because he believed Iliana needed to realize the ugly truth of this world by herself; she would never be able to move forward if he justified it for her.
Boom!
A High-Grade Spell had just been shot at them. It was a very destructive Spell that turned whatever it hit to dust in a matter of seconds.
The Spell didn't come from the soldiers of the Royal Army who were in a Magic Battle Formation. It came from the Seventh Circle Mages of Braxtein, who had been gathered at the palace.
Their range of attack was up to 400 kilometres, which means they would keep being attacked until they reached got out of the territories that were part of the Dukedoms. It was a nightmarish situation for most, but Basil and company were still unfazed.
"We are a world-class criminal now, huh?" Iliana smiled bitterly as she looked at the people blocking their way to no avail. "Do we have to worry about the Empire getting involved?"
"We shall. The false news has justified them to meddle in."
Boom!
Clicking her tongue in annoyance, Iliana stood up and then took out a Magic Spear that had lower quality than Sinister Piercer. Basil warned her to not fall, but she ignored it and immediately utilized one of her Execution Arts.
"[Cloud Splitter]!" she threw her spear in the direction where the annoying attack came from.
Swish!
As the spear split the air, the cloud that was 10 kilometres above was torn apart. Deacon was pushed forward due to the recoil, meanwhile, the group of Seventh Circle Mages that had been attacking the three were panicking.
The spear hit the Barrier protecting the palace, which was also protecting the Mages. The ground that was not covered by the Barrier was obliterated upon contact.
As the spear slowly penetrated the Barrier, the Mages could only gulp their saliva. They were sweating coldly as they wondered just how strong the Pacifer couple actually were.
Much to their shock, the spear managed to pass through the Barrier. They immediately calmed down, however, since it immediately fell to the ground after losing its power.
As they sighed in relief, Iliana smirked. She sat back down and snapped her fingers as she said, "I can make an explosion too."
Boom!
The spear that the Mages thought was no longer dangerous exploded; the shards hit them but, unfortunately, did nothing more than pierce through their Barriers and cut open their skins. Still, it was baffling considering who they were and their superior amount of Magic Circles.
"Where are we going now?" Iliana asked.
"Where the old Warriors gather and retain their will to fight."
The war hadn't started yet; despite so, many people were shaken by the two's might. Basil was going to bring his people into the war and the world would tremble for the second time ever since The Lord's descent.