Chapter 520 - A Proof

The vampire tore through the battleground as if scissors ran through a fabric. As the knights thought that their enemy was doomed, a star flashed like a meteor that was heading directly toward the battlefield, but the Runerian Troops looked unfazed.

"What in the gods is this..." questioned a knight as he shielded his eyes from the blinding light. "This must be... a divine punishment! The gods are seeking to destroy the anomaly!"

"This is nothing but a trick from the enemy! Do not flatter!" the knight's captain tried to unite the soldiers, but his words were cut short by the 'trick' descending on the battlefield. A whistle was followed by a booming sound as the land shook.

The light struck the vampire, and there was a roar of pain, who did not dodge in time. The instant acceleration of the blinding light made sure that it was impossible to avoid the attack. Nevertheless, as the knights squinted their eyes to peer through the light, they managed to see the outline of the figure.

"Third Mecha is here," a feminine voice rang from the giant metallic monster that stood atop the vampire, which was impaled by a sword. The giant was almost twice as big as the metallic monster, but the latter managed to stab it to the ground using the greatsword.

"Mecha...?" the knights grew confused as they looked at the giant metallic anomaly. The metal plates were lined in a humanoid shape that looked like a giant from ancient times. Every inch of its body was covered in runes that lit up with every movement.

"You... bastard!" roared the vampire with anger as it tried to stand, ignoring the sword piercing its flesh. The wound grew bigger as the blood pooled on the ground. "Die!" the hoarse voice of the monster turned hoarser as the blood turned into spikes that stuck the enemy.

"Barrier activated," the feminine voice muttered again as a sphere appeared around the mecha, blocking the blood spikes from touching it. "Plan A has failed. Initiating Plan B."

A smoke signal was fired in the air from the enemy side, and the knights were confused. The monster called mecha disappeared before it reappeared a distance above while aiming its arm at the vampire.

The sky lit up with bright orange color as flames gathered in front of the mecha. While looking at the scene with dread, the captain heard noises from the enemy side. After turning towards them, he found that all of them were retreating.

"You better retreat too," a voice whispered in his ears, making the captain flinch and look toward the far horizon. Despite the hundreds of meters between them, his eyes met those of the ice-cold princess. There was no reason for her to deceive him, so he chose to believe her.

"Retreat!" he ordered, and his voice shook the knights, forcing them to scramble away. Then, as the knights used every means possible to retreat, whether mounts, abilities, or artifacts, the flames exploded from the mecha.

The heat scorched the captain's back as he ran away with his soldiers. Then, finally, his head turned and was greeted by a scene from hell, where the sky was painted with nothing but the orange color of flames.

His eyes darted around, and he realized that the last of his men could not make it. The flames were too powerful to be blocked, too. So the captain had to decide to get off his horse and fly back in that split second.

The captain's armor fell apart because he knew it would melt if he got too close to the inferno, so he cut it loose. Then, as his feet landed on the ground, they started sliding through the soil while his arms spread.

"DO NOT LOOK BACK!"

His roar startled the knights who were falling behind. Their legs carried them farther away from the flames but not fast enough to escape. The captain clicked his tongue as his mana exploded from his hands, creating a giant wall of earth to block the flames.

The fire tongues appeared above the wall as the flames slammed themselves into it. His heart clenched when he realized that the wall was breaking down rapidly.

"They are going to die if I let go now," muttered the young captain with bitterness. "My first time leading these men ended like this. I should have become a baker as my father wanted me. Well, I am going to be baked alive anyway."

The soliloquy was for no other than himself, almost in self-ridicule at the fact that his first assignment ended in such a manner. His walls dried and crumbled as if clay, and he could see the flames through the cracks.

"I am sorry for disobeying you, mom and dad," he closed his eyes in one last defeat. "Your son has protected his soldiers."

"Live on to tell them that," a voice came from above, forcing the captain to snap his eyes open. A petite figure stood atop the walls he created with giant wings like blue flames. "Turn to ice."

The command was followed by obedience, and the wall froze rapidly. A layer of ice covered his walls and repelled the flames. Finally, the captain realized that he was no longer needed, and he lowered his arms as his face dripped with sweat.

Then, his gaze turned upward again to look at the princess watching the flames, and she was descending upon him. Their eyes met for what seemed like an eternity, and the light from the fire shone through her wings.

"An angel," he muttered to himself as the Princess of Ice and Fire descended in front of him, her feet touching the ground ever so gently. "Why did you... save me?"

"There is no need for unnecessary deaths anymore," she said with sadness. "I am giving you a chance while my men kill the vampire. But, unfortunately, this monster is not the last. The capital is infested with these creatures, and they will devour your men until none are left."

"Who is the one behind such a thing?" gulped the captain, feeling apprehensive of the angel he was seeing. It was a sweet temptation to believe her words, but he knew it would be his end.

"You must have heard of the ancient calamity, Ruler of Blood," she sighed. "The Overlord of Vampires controls the king and the Temple of Schelera. It is time for us to put an end to it."

"You want to save the knights?" his voice was filled with confusion before he smirked. "They call you the ruthless princess, the aloft god in the cloud, but here you are fighting instead of your squad."

"Those do not care about your lives as I do," she said while raising her hand, spreading her small palm upward. "I want this ending to have as few deaths as possible. Otherwise, he will feel sad."

"Are you talking about the Seika?" he asked and saw her raise her eyes to meet his. "I saw you two before in the auction. I can tell that you were in love, but I don't understand why he left."

"He did not leave, but taken away, and I have to bring him back no matter what it takes. This includes killing the innocents. However, I want to avoid this. So," she reached out to him, "let us stop this war."

The captain felt his mouth dry. This was nothing like he imagined. It was common among the knights to think of the princess as a demon, who they were grateful for having as an ally than an enemy.

This also meant that they were apprehensive towards her. That is why she was assigned to a particular division of psychopaths, insufferable, and crazy people. The princess was considered a perfect leader for those bloodthirsty– some cannibalistic, monsters.

'She is not what they portrayed her to be,' the captain felt his heart bleed for this young girl, who was as old as his little sister. 'I cannot fathom the events that led her to this mindset.'

He would not have been surprised if she was a ruthless killer because that's how most powerful young people are. However, the girl in front of him was wise enough to know that this war would lead nowhere. And if she was right about the Ruler of Blood, he has to follow her.

"I will choose to believe you because, without you, I would have been dead," he said while resting his hand on his heart. "I will make sure that the knights under me will aid your cause. I can promise you that."

"Thank you, honorable knight," she smiled with relief, and at that moment, she looked no different than any girl. However, the image was ruined by the rageful cry behind the walls. "It seems that our mecha has failed to kill the vampire."

"Mecha..." the captain was afraid. "What did the Seika create, exactly?" he asked with worry.

"He created a proof."

"A proof?"

"That strength belongs to those who understand the world, not those who destroy it."