Act 3: Empire's Stand - Chapter 467: Entering The Fray

Act 3: Empire's Stand - Chapter 467: Entering The Fray

Inside his cell, Oscar meditated, gathering his thoughts together, not his sealed Ein. Should he break out of prison and fight to clear his name? Or should he stay inside and hope they could weather the attack? Drakken Port was a well-supplied iron fortress, the people's faces and confidence of the Exalts on the way over to the prison telling a picture of belief and safety in its walls. Susan did tell him about the numerous attempts to siege this area, all for naught thanks to the efforts of three Marshal Exalts and the powerful defenses.

Oscar rested on the cold metal floor and knew no comfort. He wished he had Avril by his side to provide him with some warmth and company during this time. His wife's figure popped up in his mind, scolding him, and he smiled and stood, rattling his chains around. 'Just because they've won the previous sieges doesn't mean lives won't be lost. I'll have to take a look around.'

He called to the prison guard outside, "Excuse me, sir. Do you know where they took my space pocket? If we're going to fight, I'll need my shield."

"What sort of idiot are you? I guess in exchange for your height, your brain shrunk. Do you believe you'll get out of here, or the fighting will come down to you?" The guard chastised Oscar by hitting the cell bars with his spear, brushing aggressively in metallic clanks.

"There should be lots of clothes in there as well. I would very much like it back. My wife selected those clothes for me." Oscar turned his back to the guard and studied the restraints further, finding the latches where they locked and tightened. He sighed in relief at his prudence. He had dumped all his precious treasures into the dimensional cube and other space pockets in Erden's stomach; otherwise, everything he had would have been ransacked and confiscated.

"A wife? Let me guess. Your wife is from one of the other empires, isn't that right?" The guard spat on the ground and sat in his chair, grumbling about his job as a prison guard.

"No. She's from another continent. The stories I can tell you about everything we've been through together can take a whole week." Oscar nodded to Erden while his left hand grasped the restraint on his right ankle and his right hand clenched hard on the restraint on his left wrist. Erden nodded and inhaled before releasing a roar while banging his hooves on the metal floor, kicking up a ruckus of noise. Oscar entered Adamasreis and broke apart half of his restraints with a focused Shattering Wave.

"Shut up! You damned beast!" The guard shouted, rising from his seat. He sounded very displeased. "Those restraints are keeping your Ein in check, and this prison is meant to keep in physical monstrosities like you. Tell your beast to shut up."

However, Erden continued to create as much noise as he could to distract the guard from hearing Oscar's actions. Oscar focused and broke the left ankle and right wrist restraints. He shuddered slightly from the surge of Ein from his core and the feeling of Ein itching his skin.

Rising from his seat, Oscar turned to the guard and dropped the shattered fragments of his restraints, entering Pseudo-Guise immediately. Before the guard could shout, Oscar punched the prison cell apart, the metallic bars clattering to the floor, and slammed his elbow into the guard's unprepared stomach. He swiftly punched the guard's chin and knocked him out, felling him onto the floor.

"Sorry about this. I'll repay you with a fresh new armament." Oscar carried the guard and placed him comfortably on the chair. Outside, the rumbling and chaos grew louder, worrying him. But the inside was no different; all the prisoners started to rise and bang on the prison walls, enlivened by his escape.

"Hey, brother! Help the rest of us escape as well!"Cheêck out latest novels on n/o/ve/l/bin(.)c/o/m

"We can overturn this fortress while they're distracted and gain huge contributions. Maybe we'll be regarded as heroes back home."

"This is no time to talk. Focus on the battle." Oscar summoned his golden maw, the dragon head chomping down on a Knight Exalt. "I'll be the vanguard and push them back. The rest of you follow me and attack from the sides."

Without waiting for their answer, Oscar bolted through the air and raised his hand, pouring out waves of golden rods filled with Eirin. The other defenders joined in, bombarding the enemy with their spells. The air became disrupted by the clash of their spells, and Oscar bravely charged into the thick of the horrific swirling Ein, culling down the enemy numbers.

His followers all shouted, their morale at an all-time high. Their fighting became more confident and forced the enemy back.

'They're all Grade Six and below. Where are the others?' Oscar parted the waves of enemies with his Shattering Wave. He reached the edge of the barrier and was about to destroy the Ercanal with a wave of golden rods while his newly encouraged defenders fought off the remainder of the enemy. Suddenly, his spell was disrupted and blocked by three sources of profound Ein.

"Seems this place had rallied nicely." A voice called out, laughing in each breath.

"Those lower grades can't get the job done. They couldn't kill off the enemy to allow us to step through." A second person clicked her tongue in dissatisfaction.

"That's why I argued we should go through ourselves. We were meant to save our Ein, but it appears fruitless." A third sighed.

Three Greater Knight Exalts of the Undying Flame Sect floated out of the tunnel and stared down at Oscar. Their Ein alone showcased their Grade Seven Exolsias. "What kind of soldier forgets the rest of his armor? Even his clothes are ragged." The laughing man said.

"Don't underestimate him, Enver. He fought his way through the rest of our men. I wonder what kind of face is behind that helmet." The third, stoic man warned.

"Enough talk, you idiots. If you were going to make a move, you should have done it from the start." Oscar raised his fists into a stance and beckoned them to step forward. "At least, you would have had an iota of a chance. But now, you will leave your lives here."

"Haha! It seems we have quite an arrogant person here. Isn't that right, Sasha?" The man, Enver, chuckled.

"Nothing to it. Follow Colum's lead." The woman, Sasha, scowled and turned away from Enver.

"Be careful and kill him." The calm man, Colum, waved his hand for them to begin.