Chapter 208: Regis

Regis shot forward, aiming toward Tam, who hovered in the air, Vaya on his right and Anteris and Teves on his left. Seeing Regis aiming directly for him, Tam started to fly forward, but was cut off by Teves.

"Please, Grand Marshal. Allow me." Teves said in his solemn voice, the yellow falcon glowing all around him, his tan colored armor blending in with his aura. Like all the others Tribes People, he wore quilted armor, made of reinforced and padded cloth, that glowed with runes.

Teves' armor was well decorated with tawny colored feathers, and the enormous cloak that he wore draped around his shoulders was made only out of the fluffy, insulating feathers of countless falcons.

Tam, who had now been fighting for hours, just watched Teves leap into battle, more than happy to allow the young Master to take on Regis.

As Teves flew to engage Regis, thousands of tiny yellow grains of sand filled the air around Teves, forming an impenetrable wall by the time he was right in front of the furious Regis.

Regis, though he was furious,  had no chance other than to let his powerful attack slam harmlessly into the wall of sand that Teves summoned, which took on the Lightning imbued slash and then fell apart, some of the grains super heated to form glass.

"Ahhhhhhggh! Tam of Ursten! Face me, you coward!" Regis' frustration reached a peak, he couldn't believe that Tam didn't even respect him enough to face him by himself, instead allowing some sand wielding Tribes man to fight in his place.

But unfortunately for Regis, Tam wasn't the type to worry too much about giving his enemies an honorable death, especially one who was so dangerous even into his last moments.

The cyclone of fire around the four men began to die down, as Regis' final reserves of mana faded away, the fire gradually running out of fuel.

"Teves, be careful of his Lightning when you finish him." Tam said coldly, he could tell that Regis was now on his very last dregs of mana, all of his Fire Element Mana completely burnt out.

Teves nodded, and the grains of sand around him began to spin rapidly, forming a narrow and narrower band around Teves that continued to gain speed as it shrunk.

By the time Regis had gathered enough mana for a second attack, the ring around Teves was about half the thickness of a pinky finger, and the grains of sand spun so fast that they were basically invisible, only a faint yellow glow could be seen thanks to the aura that coated each grain..

Teves flew toward the desperate Regis, who, even in his last moments, kept his eyes locked on Tam's back, which was slowly disappearing as he flew down to Outer City.

In a flash and a shower of red, the spinning ring of sand slashed through the faint and faded remnants of Regis' aura, slicing clean through his armor and his entire neck. 

A red helmeted head tumbled through the air, a spout of red trailing behind, the spinning curtain of flames, already reduced to a thin layer, completely disappearing as the head tumbled through the air.

The Burning Storm, Regis of Aznur, was no more.

Countless cries of shock and sadness rang out from the many Imperial soldiers who had already surrendered, and had been watching the whirlwind of fire with bated breath, 

Now, only the occasional pocket of resistance remained on the battlefield, a few soldiers scattered here and there who hadn't realized that their leaders had surrendered. But before long, even they threw down their weapons, the battle for the Empire coming to a close in the darkness that now hung over Aznur.

The glowing figures who hovered over Aznur all slowly drifted down to the surface of the city, meeting in the auction hall that Tam had repurposed into a command center.

"What was that, Grand Marshal? You mean to tell me that I spent weeks cooped up on those boats, getting sick over and over for this. To fly into battle and have the enemy flee as soon as I appear, running with all their might?" Bhal boomed as he strode into the building, his enormous frame barely fitting through the door, a jangling noise following him as the countless bangles on his arms and legs clashed against each other.

"I musst agree with Master Bhal, Grand Marshal. We have come sso far for you, but we shall not even tasste the blood and fire of battle?" Mistress Ajyha seemed to slither into the room, her voice a hiss. Her tattooed face was  mostly covered by her plate studded leather helmet, her tone filled with clear disappointment.

Master Vaya and Teves entered soon after, not asking for an explanation, but their faces still filled with confusion. 

"Masters and Mistress, I must apologize. Our alliance was only forged recently, and so I fought this campaign around the belief that you and your fleet might not arrive. And so, myself and the rest of the Ursten forces, fought with all our efforts to take Aznur.

Even so, before all of you arrived, we were on the defensive, the Emperor's strength and the speed and strength of the Storm Generals and the Elites were far beyond my expectation. 

But your arrival was enough to turn the tides completely, and resulted in the enemy losing all hope. If it weren't for all of you, the battle would have continued for far longer, maybe even weeks!" Tam's voice held genuine gratefulness, he could barely begin to describe the sense of relief he had felt when he realized that the Masters from the Tribes had arrived. 

Even so, the conquest of Aznur didn't mean that the war was over, and so Tam continued to speak.

"Conquering Aznur is only the first step in a long series of battles to fully grasp the Empire in our hands. But now we hold the heart of the Empire at the very beginning of our campaign, so our efforts to take control will only be made easier.

Masters and Mistress of the Tribes, I assure you, there is still much fighting to be head." Tam could feel the frustration in the air after the Imperial's retreat, the Tribes people had come to Aznur expecting a grand battle, but their arrival had caused the battle to end.