Chapter 12: The Fall of Guard's Point

Guhn turned back to them. "I assume you three can fight?"

Espada smirked. "Why else would we be here?"

Elric nodded. "We can hold our own."

Guhn studied Kaiser for a moment before giving a firm nod. "Good. We need every blade."

He tossed each of them a Royal Guard insignia. "You fight for the fort now. Do your duty, and you'll be well-paid—if we survive."

Though Guhn was a warrior, he wasn't reckless. He knew that if there was a chance to prevent bloodshed, he had to take it.

Under a white flag of truce, he rode out to the enemy lines.

The revolutionaries stood still, watching him approach.

He raised his voice. "I am Captain Henry Guhn of the Royal Guard. I seek an audience with your leader. We are willing to discuss terms!"

No response.

The only sound was the war drums pounding steadily in the background.

A chilling realization settled over Guhn. They weren't here to negotiate.

They were here to destroy.

He turned his horse around and rode back. "Prepare for battle."

The moment he passed through the gates, the revolutionaries attacked.

Battering rams slammed into the main doors.

Arrows darkened the sky, forcing defenders to take cover.

The revolutionaries charged forward in disciplined formations, their sheer numbers overwhelming the outer defenses.

Guhn barely made it inside before shouting, "HOLD THE LINES!"

Espada drew her scimitar. "Well, that answers that."

Inside Guards' Point, the 1,000 Royal Guards prepared for the worst.

Archers lined the walls, loosing volleys of arrows into the advancing enemy. Shield bearers braced against the first wave of attackers, stopping them from immediately overwhelming the entrance. Kaiser, Elric, and Espada took position at different points along the battlefield.

"Here they come!" a soldier screamed.

CRACK!

The massive wooden gates splintered and collapsed under the repeated strikes of the battering ram.

The revolutionaries poured inside, screaming battle cries.

Steel met steel, arrows whistled through the air, and blood stained the ground.

Kaiser activated Phantom Step, blinking through enemies and striking down revolutionaries with precise dagger slashes.

Elric stood firm at the front lines, swinging his flail with terrifying force, smashing enemy skulls and shattering shields.

Espada moved like a ghost, weaving through the battlefield with her Flow Thrust technique, cutting down attackers before they even realized she was there.

Despite their efforts, the revolutionaries kept coming.

The battle for Guards' Point had begun.

The walls of Guards' Point trembled as the revolutionaries flooded into the fortress, roaring their battle cries. Though outnumbered five to one, the Royal Guards stood their ground, their discipline and superior armor giving them a fighting chance.

Steel clashed against steel, shields locked together in desperate resistance, and the air was thick with the screams of dying men.

At the front of the defense, Captain Henry Guhn led his warriors. His massive tower shield blocked incoming strikes, and his gauntlet-clad fist crushed skulls and shattered ribs. He fought with unrelenting force, barking orders to his dwindling troops.

Kaiser, Elric, and Espada stood in the thick of it, fending off wave after wave of attackers.

"Keep pushing!" Guhn roared, smashing his shield into a revolutionary and sending him flying. "We don't let them take the inner fort!"

Kaiser dodged and weaved through the chaos, his twin daggers flashing like fangs in the dark.

A revolutionary lunged at him with a sword—Kaiser ducked, spun, and drove his dagger into the man's side, twisting it before pulling away. Another attacker came at him from behind, and he barely had time to parry before a spear nearly impaled him.

His breathing was heavy. His limbs felt sluggish.

He had been fighting nonstop since the battle started, and he could feel his stamina draining. Phantom Step had been a gamble to use earlier, and now his body was beginning to fail him.

A blade rushed toward his throat—

He barely dodged in time, falling backward onto the blood-soaked ground.

Nearby, Elric fought like an unmovable force.

His massive flail swung in wide arcs, shattering shields and breaking bones. But despite his raw strength, the revolutionaries kept coming, swarming like ants, pushing him back with sheer numbers.

A spear sliced across his shoulder, leaving a deep gash. He gritted his teeth, blood dripping down his arm.

He knew what he had to do.

"Nessie… awaken!"

A powerful surge of water erupted around him, twisting into the air as the spectral form of Nessie materialized.

The massive, serpentine beast coiled above him, its blue scales shimmering, its piercing eyes locking onto the enemy ranks.

With a deafening roar, Nessie lashed out, sending waves of crushing water through the battlefield, sweeping away dozens of revolutionaries.

Elric felt the surge of power flow through him. He had entered Summon Mode – Level 2.

Kaiser stumbled back, his vision blurring.

Another revolutionary charged at him, blade raised. He tried to move, but his body wouldn't react fast enough.

Then, he heard the voice.

"You are weak, Kaiser. But I can change that."

Alzalel's voice echoed in his mind, dark and commanding.

Kaiser gritted his teeth, his fingers tightening around his daggers.

"Alzalel…"

He slashed his palm open, letting his blood spill onto the battlefield.

"I call upon you—AWAKEN!"

The shadows around him twisted and surged like living tendrils. The air grew cold.

From the darkness, a ghastly figure emerged.

Alzalel's form flickered between reality and nightmare, its spectral body stretching unnaturally, its hollow eyes staring deep into the souls of its enemies.

Kaiser had entered Summon Mode – Level 2.

With Nessie and Alzalel unleashed, the battlefield changed drastically.

Nessie's massive body crushed revolutionaries, water magic flooding through enemy lines. Alzalel moved like a nightmare, its mere presence sending terror through the ranks of the revolutionaries. Some rebels fled in terror, unable to face the two Quas-blooded warriors and their supernatural entities.

For the first time in the battle, the Royal Guard had a fighting chance.

Espada darted through the chaos, her Flow Thrust technique cutting down enemies before they even realized she was there.

Guhn took the opportunity to rally what was left of his men.

"We push forward now!" he shouted, slamming his shield into the ground. "Drive them back! Fight for your brothers!"

With renewed energy, the Royal Guard surged forward.

Then, the battlefield grew silent for a moment.

A new figure stepped forward, standing amidst the chaos.

Daniel Gustav.

A massive man, standing over six and a half feet tall, bare-chested, his muscular body covered in battle scars.

He carried a massive battle axe, its weight alone capable of crushing a man in one swing.

His presence alone changed the battlefield.

Kaiser and Elric felt it immediately—a crushing, suffocating aura.

It was King's Presence.

Some of the Royal Guards collapsed where they stood, unconscious from the sheer force of Gustav's aura.

"Quas Bloods," Gustav said, his voice deep and booming. "I will show you why that power means nothing against a real warrior."

Kaiser and Elric attacked together.

Elric swung his flail, enhanced by Nessie's water magic.

Kaiser darted in and out of the shadows, using Alzalel to strike from unpredictable angles.

Gustav was unfazed.

He dodged effortlessly, weaving between their attacks with unnatural precision.

Then, he counterattacked.

One brutal swing of his axe sent Elric flying into a broken wall, blood spraying from his mouth.

Kaiser tried to use Phantom Step, but Gustav anticipated it.

The revolutionary commander grabbed Kaiser mid-step, lifted him, and slammed him into the ground.

The impact knocked the wind out of him.

Kaiser gasped, his vision blurring.

Alzalel flickered and vanished.

He had lost.

With most of the Royal Guard dead or unconscious, only a handful remained standing.

Guhn fought harder than ever, his shield breaking bones, his gauntlet crushing skulls.

But even he was beginning to falter.

Thirty Royal Guards turned into twenty… then ten… then five.

Espada looked around, realizing they were all that was left.

"We have to retreat. Now!" she said.

Guhn gritted his teeth, his hands shaking with rage.

But he knew she was right.

With their last strength, Guhn, Kaiser, Elric, Espada, and the last five Royal Guards escaped through a hidden passage beneath the fortress.

As they fled, the revolutionaries stormed the stronghold, raising their banners.

Guards' Point had fallen.

Standing among the wreckage, Daniel Gustav watched them escape.

He let out a deep laugh, his voice carrying across the ruined battlefield.

"Run while you can. The war has only just begun."