Chapter 50 - Crisis

The signal had been set off with a pulsing explosion, leaving a shockwave that the entire kingdom could see.

"What's that?!" Lancelot asked, feeling the ominous energy coming from the energy mass.

***

In every single castle town, a massacre was taking place. Normal people would suddenly grow horns, change the colour of their eyes to a menacing shade, and begin slaughtering anyone around them; heads flew, blood splattered, lives were being ended in bulk.

By now, the screams of the innocents began echoing around the kingdom.

"Father! Father!" a terrified Aegis came running from the castle doors, "there are people with horns… killing the residents!"

She, being inside a castle tower, was able to see the massacre through the window.

So she decided to strike now… Reiki thought, almost regretting not bringing the matter to light earlier.

Aiko and Ichika were clutched by their parents but neither of the two girls showed to be crippled by fear. In Ichika's case, she had witnessed the transformation of her parents many times over the years and she had not seen anything scarier than that yet; while for Aiko, she had switched to the heartless personality she had locked away; usually triggered by traumatic events.

"Reiki!" Lancelot shouted as he quickly devised a plan, "Find Gyotan, th-"

"I'm already here," Gyotan voiced as he appeared out of nowhere.

This would have been surprising but this was no time for that.

"Good, Kotai, Rikka, your race is the fastest on land. Find the elves and pixies and have them guide the weaker folk to the safe village, I'll keep your daughter safe, go now!"

Neither of them hesitated as they nodded with a determined expression before taking off on all fours at their highest speed.

Lancelot wasted no time as he looked towards the castle, servants and guards were running out in droves, all helping in this unprecedented fight. He anxiously looked through the crowds in search of his wife, but to no avail.

"Where's Urusla?!" He shouted in worry.

Reiki sighed as she decided it was now or never to speak up-

"She's one of them…"

"What did you say?!" A shocked expression came over Lancelot's face.

***

Urusla had moved from her spot at the pinnacle of the castle to an area lower down, just above where Lancelot and the others were gathered; she listened in with a smile.

"I guess I should make my entrance now," she said with an ominous giggle.

***

Reiki hung her head low as she explained her findings, everything she had learned over the years was put on the table.

"Why didn't you tell us sooner?!" Lancelot yelled, losing his cool as he knew he could have avoided this if he knew.

Reiki hadn't really understood the reason she kept it to herself, but now that she was being confronted about it, all the memories came rushing back. The battle with Karu had more effect on her than she realized, the whole time they fought she was afraid; Then Shiva added even more fuel to the fire.

"I-I was afrai-" she tried to mutter as the tears became harder to hold back.

*Crash!~*

The sound of rocks crushing startled the group, turning around they were surprised to see Urusla standing in a large crater which was made from her jump. Everyone present, except Aegis, got into a battle stance

"Oh, leave her alone. It's not her fault she was scared," Urusla taunted, sarcastically consoling Reiki.

Reiki noticed the complete change in Urusla's attitude and began to deduce, "That 'Kotsukuo' Fairy Queen Shiva spoke of, he must be possessing her."

Seeing Urusla's appearance sparked a feeling of deceit in Lancelot's heart, he was about to retort when a surge of energy erupted from Gyotan who was next to him, seething with anger.

Activating [Earth Dragon | Second Scale: Boulder's Physique] he revealed his dragon mark as the muscles in his body bulged, he sprinted at Urusla carrying the weight of a ton of rocks with his attack, he took a right hook at her.

"*Sigh~* Weaponize!" Urusla said with indifference as she watched the rather slow attack come towards her.

A gauntlet of jade with spikes knuckles, reaching up to her elbow emerged from her arm. As Gyotan's fist came upon her, she dodged by barely leaning to the side and immediately after, she counter-attacked with a swing of her armored hand, sending him across the ground.

"Gahh!" Gyotan groaned as he barely recovered from the attack, his eyes had a large gash going across them, rendering his eyes useless; The Ieshi family, as well as Ichika rushed to his aid.

Lancelot lost all hope of finding a peaceful solution and went in for an attack as well, jumping to the air in preparation for a ground pound.

But almost exactly as before, he couldn't get a hit in. As soon as he was in striking distance, Urusla delivered a kick to his stomach, making him cough as he was thrown back.

"Give up," She said mockingly, "If you stop fighting then I'll allow you to leave with those pathetic residents."

Urusla stood like a monarch in front of her subjects, neither of them were able to fight back, so they decided to take the small chance they received, no matter how much it shamed them.

"I promise you, Urusla" Lancelot stated with resolve as he turned to leave, seeing the crowd of demons who seemed to have let the remaining residents go, not knowing that only the residents with sufficient strength were released, with the others who could not defend themselves being held back, "I might be backing down today, but I will not stay down! Come, Aegis"

Aegis, who was crying rivers this whole time, looked at Urusla in complete sadness and disappointment. Turning to leave behind her father, she felt something grab her throat.

"Ah ah ah," Urusla mouthed as she pulled Aegis towards herself, "You'll have to leave without her, she is of use to me. Don't worry, I'll keep our daughter safe."

This turn of events was totally unexpected, Lancelot was about to fight with his life to save Aegis when something unexpected came from her sweet voice.

"It's alright, Father. I'll be fine, just make sure you save me." she said, with a level of maturity that she had never displayed before.

Biting his bottom lip as tears streamed from his eyes, he left with pained steps; not even knowing in the slightest if he would see his beloved daughter again.

On that day, lines of battle were drawn, and an era of tremendous risk and pain dawned in.

***

Years passed since that day, Lancelot had been devising ways to fight Urusla's forces while she was devising ways to make her plan a success.

On a full-moons night, they both received a dream, seemingly from an ancestral spirit, saying-

"I shall aid your plight… do as I say and you shall have everything you desire…"