Age of Heroes (Age of Heroes Chronicles)

Chapter 399: Retreat (2)

Then when the onslaught stops for a minute as Harald missile corps loaded their arrows and after sending his message to other lords, Arial headed a charge which drove the Vanguan back up the hill with heavy losses. josei

Forming up their shield-wall again, Harald's men prepared to sustain another furious attack. 

But when Arial had arrived at the hill he jumped down from his horse.

'YOU BASTARD' some of the Vanguan soldiers scream. Some tried to hurl javelins at him but then Arial roar.

RARRR and the javelins that is hurled towards him all broke in mid-air and the roar was like a dragon roar, Ancient of the past, Sovereign of the Sky shaking every man, allies and enemies to their core.

He stood there proudly looking at the Vanguan army with a look of condescension, with his chest pushed out, and his family crest proudly displayed. 

His right hand grasped lightly on his glaive, that tool of death which has reap many souls since the beginning of the battle, a tool that has ignored pleas, scream, wails and tear, a perfect instrument of destruction, as the blood of the Duke fallen enemies is still dripping from the sharp edges of the glaive.

He then stabbed the glaive into the ground. 

Standing firm and tall, his expression on his face when confronted with the Vanguan army number is calm and unaffected; his is majesty of a King, his posture is like the arrogance of an Immortal peering the weak mortals from the Sky above in his Heavenly Abode.

Then he yells with pure confidence and a stature of a conquering King

"HARALD! SURRENDER NOW!'

The words echo in the battlefield like thunder in a sunny day 

'I give you this one last chance! Come in front of me and kneel and swear the oath! And everyone will be left alive! Refuse my gift and I swear it in the name of Light! That by God, I will hunt every single one of your soldiers and send them to their doom!'

'Refuse this offer and despair will descend. Refuse and you shall regret. 

The words are really attacking the mind of the soldiers of Vangua.

Arial continues his words

'Twelve moons from now you will all tell the story of when the Dragon offers you peace and life, of long lives and happy days, and you reject it because of your pride! Surrender and save yourself! Surrender and spare your soul from the torment of the Holies defending someone who have committed perjury! Surrender and you shall find that the dragon can be forgiving and merciful!' 

And then the Duke ended his bold proposition in the midst of his battle, his glaive pointed forward. This is an absurd demand! They all thought. 

Some of them are too stunned, they drop their swords, some people mouth is wide open because of the shock.

'ABSURD!' Vanguan army yelled.

'PEII' they spitted into the ground. The Dragon merciful? Who would believe that?

Even Arial vassal thinks so. 

Harald held the superiority in number and while they have regrouped how is the conclusion of the battle can be ascertained right now? 

Harald still have his shield wall and his knight and a few hours later reinforcement may come and at that time it will be the Duke forces that will be pushed hard. 

They have to endure it during that time. But how could Arial had the audacity, the gall, the guts to ask Harald surrender when the King still has so many options?

Only the Dragon dare make such proposition, a bold declaration mix with threat of death and despair.

Harald then yelled from the distance, piercing the salience created by Arial spectacle.

'I REFUSE!' The voice is clear and curt, with a hint of anger and resentment. Of course such sentiment is justified. 

How could the Vanguan King does not despise the Duke? The Duke is trying to invade his country!

Arial just gritted his teeth and showing his displeased expression and he snorted and then with anger he said

'Then hear your fate! I am Central Celestial, the strongest man in the world. Peerless under the heaven, none could be my match! Witness the might of the man who is called the strongest! Today I will open all of your eyes. Let me show you how high the Heaven really is!'

He declared and then suddenly every metal, axes, swords, lance, crossbows and arrows is slowly floating up. 

And then Kyle and the other Arrandian lords look at the Duke. They see the duke is raising his hand slowly and as he raised his hand the weapons also levitate upwards.

The shield wall which is composed by the shield is slowly struggling to get upwards to the air. 

Even when the army tried to hold on to their arms they could not compare to the pull force that Arial exhibited.

Harald finally sees the air manipulation that Arial reputedly use during his time in the famous tournament of martial art.

'QUICK! ATTACK THE DUKE!' the King yelled seeing that somehow Arial is trying to do something that might have an impact in the battlefield. 

The Arrandian lords sprang into actions. Quickly they constructed a tortoise formation and shield wall of their own in front of the Duke. 

Arial could not do it as perfectly like Gaveror as he could not be interrupted but thankfully his vassal also understands that he need time to perfect this massive scale attacks.

When he used this, he will be exhausted beyond measure but this is the only way, they could gain an advantage and end this war swiftly. 

If his attack succeeds, then his army could finish the rest of the survivors. Arial is right now sweating, a sensation he long thought he could never feel again.

Under extreme pressure of Arial pure internal energy, the wind change course, clouds turned cloudy, and many of the Duke enemies tremble and looked helplessly at the sky, some are kneeling, some are praying, putting their hands together and chanting Sacred Song to Light as they are now unarmed.

Kyle looks at the sky from a distance and he could see hundreds of thousands of weapons in the air slowly pointing itself to the enemy slowly, like an executioner blade that will reach the heads of the sinful. 

Kyle then looked at the Vanguan soldiers and Kyle could see the dread, fear, and despair in their trembling eyes. 

They knew their life has ended. Kyle averts his gaze and searched of the King. And then Kyle found him among the massive crowds that has begun to run, kneeling all over the King.

The King has a fierce determination, and an unyielding countenance. But Kyle could see a hint of fear.

That…. Kyle could understand. 

Not many people are fearless when facing death. Kyle only knows one person who is like that. 

To Kyle, fear for death is necessary. It forces you to be better, stronger, smarter and….to survive. 

For someone who does not fear death, they either have great cause in their hearts or they have nothing in their life. 

People who have nothing….is usually the most dangerous.

Harald could not retreat but he has no weapons right now. 

Maybe some people would throw their body to save the King but for the infantry and elite body guards that protect the King they will surely die of the strike.

At first the enemy soldiers try to attack using their weapons but now all of their weapons is up their heads, high up in the clouds, far from their reaching hands, and attacking a shield wall unarmed is suicide.

Then Arial yelled again.

'Pray to your gods! Witness the might of Central Celestial!'

And then like lightning the weapons fly towards their owner with piercing speed and screams, yells, crying and howling of pains fill the battlefield. 

'ARGHHH!'