Zap 2

Bugooohm!!!

A loud bang reached the royal castle resided on top of the plateau in the middle of the city. The knights stationed around the exterior and inside the castle walls along with the servants were brought into a panic and confusion.

"What the?!"

"An explosion?!"

Meanwhile, remained calm and unfazed while sitting pompously on his seat, seemingly waiting for something. Or rather, for someone to come meet him.

With the sound of an explosion reaching the royal castle of Kruule, it was only natural that it would also faintly reach the inside of the prison chamber.

"W-What was that...? Did you all hear that?"

"Some kind of explosion?"

"Could it be...?"

While the heroes, Reyna Elena, Prinsesa Alena, and Rea are trying to guess what was transpiring outside...

"There, can you see it?"

"They're all going at it, huh..."

Lyrica and Aran, after a long trip, found themselves getting close to their destination. They paused and allowed the horse to rest for a short while as they watched the ongoing battle on the horizon. The girl's slightly enhanced sense of sight allowed her to see faint beams of light being shot in the air before crash landing back to the surface of the land.

If she were to guess, those lights are from normal burning arrows and magic beams shot at their target. Targets or people Lyrica could hear roaring in anguish, although faintly, due to her slightly enhanced sense of hearing.

Right then, it hit Lyrica.

"So it's impossible, after all."

"Ha?"

Lyrica wanted to resolve the matter without having to resort to violence and bloodshed. Looking at the seemingly endless and raging war between the forces of Reilaea and Kruule, it was very clear that her ideal outcome can no longer be realized.

'I knew it was impossible from the beginning, but..."

Lyrica wanted to try it at the very least, both she and Reilaea wanted to try and resolve it without conflict. But sadly, reality doesn't allow it. The only thing she could do now is to accept reality. Yes, though it was against her will, she had to accept it.

"But... I'm not gonna just stand by and watch, just like back then..."

Upon reminiscing her heartbreaking past with her parents, Lyrica made up her mind.

"Hey, we can't stay here forever."

"I know. Let's go."

The two mounted the horse once more and began moving south in haste. While keeping her determined eyes forward from beside Aran, Lyrica thought:

'Even if resolving things without conflict may not become reality anymore, there are still people out there that we can save once the Hari has been dealt with.'

At that moment, Lyrica heard it.

Bugohm!

For her, it sounded close enough. But for Aran, it was barely audible. However, they heard it. And, they could see where it came from.

"That explosion..." Aran stared at the distant explosion in awe.

"Hey! Let's speed it up!" Lyrica suggested, almost anxiously.

"Y-Yeah!"

The horse neighed in response to Aran's pull and began stomping its horse feet on its way towards the capital.

...

After landing a surprise attack on one of the Kruule soldiers attempting to kill her elder sister, Nina stood between Karen and the enemies. Emby, who appeared tired and weak earlier, puffed its chest forward, trying to intimidate the Kruule soldiers.

"We're gonna have to get rid of you first then!"

The forces of Kruule were about to charge at Nina all at once when they heard it.

Crackle, crackle!

The moment they looked up, it was already too late.

"Chain Lightning."

With a single swift strike, Kael struck all four of them Kruule soldiers with his lightning imbued rapier, electrocuting them.

"Raaagh!"

"Aaah!!"

"Kael!" Nina mouthed in utter relief as the young knight gently landed on his feet, all while the enemies fell helplessly in an epileptic state on the ground.

"Are you all right, Payapa Nina?" Kael asked before putting his rapier back in its sheath.

"I'm all right, but Karen..."

Karen is lying on the ground behind Nina and Kael. And although unconscious, they could see from the complexion on her face that she really did everything she could to help destroy the catapults.

"She doesn't seem to be in a critical condition at the very least, but she might have to take at least a week for her mana threads to repair themselves and produce mana again."

"That appears to be the case," Kael replied. "It would be best for you to take her to safety, Nina."

"Yeah..."

Soon after they exchange words, both Nina and Kael get distracted by the battle cry of Kruule forces fearlessly charging at them.

"I will have to take everyone's place from here."

"No," A matured voice of a man interjected. "We'll stay here and fight."

"Kalasag?"

A Payapa stood before Kael, though in a seemingly weakened state. Right then, the young knight soon realized the presence of the Malayas as they stand ready to continue to fight.

Nina carefully lifted Karen between her arms. "I will call Onstad and Irelda to back you up!"

Kalasag nodded before watching Nina turn back and make her way back outside the capital.

"Do not hesitate! Kill them! They are an enemy to Kruule!"

"Raaaaagh!!"

"Uuoohh!!"

Kalasag stood beside Kael, the Malayas are behind them, waiting for their command.

"It looks like we still have a long way ahead of us, huh." Kalasag panted faintly.

"No, Payapa Kalasag, there just happens to be an endless number of obstacles in our way." A surge of lightning current began discharging from under Kael's feet.

"Eh?"

While he was on his way back to Kalasag, Kael had a thought.

'The catapults halt our advance to the plateau, but once it got taken care of, we can continue our advance. However...'

Even if they removed the giant boulder out of the way, there are still an endless number of pebbles in the front that would slow their progress. And so, Kael thought:

"One must swiftly cut through them. And by one, I mean I will be doing it."

Without warning, Kael disappeared from Kalasag's eyes as made a dash with unbelievable speed towards the plateau, leaving behind fleeting sparks of lightning in his wake.

"H-Hey!"

Kalasag froze on the spot while witnessing Kael moving past the knights of Kruule who instinctively moved out of the Malaya's way.

"That kid, I didn't even get to say a thing back at him. But... I like your guts, Kael!"

Kalasag gestured at the Malayas behind him and finally gave them the signal to attack.

"Uuoooh!!"

The Kruule knights trying to catch the swift Kael got distracted by the other Malayas battle cry.

"H-Hey! The Reilaea soldiers are coming!"

"But we have to stop that other Malaya!"

"Huh?!"

Before they realized it, one of the Malayas tackled the one soldier of Kruule who first heard of their charge. After that, the other Malayas attacked each one of Kruule knights who stayed to stop their advance.

Kalasag also confronted one by himself and managed to knock the enemy out in the process. "So this is your plan, right, Kael? If so, then it's definitely working out!"

Zap is another magic ability of Kael. Compared to the other ability that allows him to move so fast that he'd disappear from one's eyes, Zap allows Kael to discharge a powerful lightning current from under his feet to boost him forward.

While Zap barely consumes mana, and although it can only be used to shoot himself in a linear direction, Kael must put at least one of his feet flat to the surface to continue using it. That said, even though he practiced using it efficiently, there are times when Kael unavoidably pauses to correct his footing.

"...!"

"Now!"

"Kill!"

And in these cases, he'd find himself open from the enemies' attacks. That is why, instead of using Zap after another, Kael chose to use that moment to also attack his opponents.

"Grasp Lightning!"

"Argh!"

After that Grasp Lightning, Kael used his rapier to fend off the rest.

Clang! Clang!

With an opening being created by himself, he used Zap right away to close the distance between him and the path that leads on top of the plateau. Before one of his feet would touch the land, Kael glanced behind him.

'Though I'm getting closer and closer to the plateau, I'm also getting farther and farther from Kalasag and the others.'

There are still a lot more knights of Kruule whose attention is on Kalasag and the Malayas, but if he continues to distance himself farther from the others, Kael feared that he may end up being focused on by everyone else in the way.

'I could stop for a short while to let them gain on me, but...'

Kael's foot touched the ground, forcing the Malaya to protect himself from the enemy attacks.

Clang! Clang!

Buwooh!

Step!

'Stopping here would mean exhausting an unnecessary amount of stamina and possibly mana for using my other magic abilities. I can't afford to expend my stamina and mana without gaining distance to the plateau.'

To continue making his way to his destination regardless of the distance he's making between him and the others, or wait for them and expend his resources in the process without making any progress? Kael chose the former.

'Our goal is to reach the plateau and open a path for Lyrica and Aran to reach the royal castle, that has always been the case.'

Crackle, crackle... zapp!!

"Oooh!"

"Follow him!"

'Getting to the plateau means we have accomplished our task.'

Soon after countless use of his Zap, Kael is finally at the point where there was only half a kilometer distance between him and the path that leads straight to the top. However, with his goal almost at his fingertips, Kael failed to notice that he was no longer being chased by the soldiers that are in the capital grounds.

The young knight pulled the break as he stomped his foot forward, grinding the surface with his decreasing momentum.

'I'm here.'

At last, Kael reached the foot of the plateau.

'Now if I can just wait for Payapa Kalasag and the others to get here and keep the path open for prinsepe...?'

The young knight turned around, only to see that there's not a single knight of Kruule on sight, just a bunch of buildings and the path leading to the top of the plateau on his left.

'Did I go so fast that the enemies are yet to appear in the distance, or did they put all their attention to our forces back there?'

Right then, Kael heard footsteps before it paused from his left.

'...!'

Two sword wielders are blocking the path, asserting an unaggressive pose with their blades stuck at the ground.

'Now I see why they're not coming at me anymore.'

At that moment, Kael thought it was because some are already stationed at the cliff. When in reality, it was something else.

Crackle, crackle... Zap!

Kael tried to use Zap to get behind the knights and attack them. But what happened next bewildered him to the core.

'What? Why are they just standing there?'