Chapter 16: Chapter 16 – Lord Virgo versus Captain Aries

“What?” Elder Gerald exclaimed out loud.

“What?” Gemini furrowed his eyebrows.

“That’s right random person!” Aries pointed at the Elder, unaware of his position.

“Theseus called me over here, and we had to duel because of a bogus contract that the despicable Lord Virgo put on me.

But, do not fear! Most of the people I brought with me are my own men. We have supplies and stuff to share. The rest of you dogs of Virgo,” Aries pointed to some miscellaneous soldiers and Captain Centos.

“Go tell the ‘great’ Lord Virgo to come face me like a man.” Aries said sarcastically while pounding his chest.

“Go on get out of here you bastards! Shoo!” Aries shooed away the flabbergasted soldiers that weren’t in on the conspiracy. Captain Centos had his mouth agape.

“Huh?” Gemini couldn’t believe his eyes and ears. After Theseus grew in power, now, his body was in tatters, but the Shade who challenged him actually joined him after winning?

Theseus was put in the makeshift hospital built by the town herbalist, Iaso. As Iaso investigated the beaten-up Theseus, he closed up the surface injuries.

“What did you do to yourself child? These aren’t simple injuries?” Iaso could tell at first glance that Theseus used some strange skill. Iaso was an old man with lots of life experience, but Theseus’s residence in Oceanus was the greatest excitement of his entire life.

“Don’t worry.” Theseus coughed just then, “I should be fine in a few months.”

“I trust you…” Iaso had never seen the effects of an Authority Skill like this. It was like a Potential Seal injury, but different. Although Iaso couldn’t directly tell the extent of the injuries. Theseus’s aura realm had dropped from his base C Rank down to the F Rank Sage Realm after rising to the F Rank Royalty Realm. If a ghost could look any paler, this was what Theseus currently looked like.

“Can you at least promise me you won’t try something like that again?” Iaso tried to lasso in the esteemed guest, who often made absurd declarations and plans.

“I’m sorry doc, but I can’t do that.” Theseus grinned with blood stained on his teeth. Iaso sighed. Aries shook his head in disapproval but laughed next to Leo, who stood at the entrance of the doctor’s medical hut.

***

The standoff between the tamer Theseus and the Captain Aries spread like wildfire. Within days, the Suzerain Lords knew the perceived truth.

“How dare he!” Lord Virgo boomed.

“After all I’ve done for that Shade, he runs away with this tamer? This sorry excuse for a Shade. This bastard. That son of a bitch!” Virgo smashed the wall in anger, causing the messenger to cower in fear.

“Call all available Captains; we’re going to Oceanus.”

***

Meanwhile, Lord Jezebel smiled sinisterly.

“That troublesome Captain finally made a move.” She giggled.

“At last, some excitement.” Lord Jezebel stood up and turned to her bodyguards.

“Whoever loses this fight, we will pick off the loser. Make sure Lord Achilles is aware of the situation as well. Keep him off my prey.”

Captain Zamani, Lord Jezebel’s right hand Captain, nodded.

“Yes, my lady.”

“Two Suzerain Lords in one small city. I underestimated this tamer. Hmm, perhaps he will make a good Captain for us? Don’t you think?” Lord Jezebel turned to Captain Zamani with a twisted look of lust and delusion on her face.

***

Oceanus was busy bolstering its defenses. With a new squadron of Mortal Realm and Sage Realm soldiers, Oceanus became a haven for political defectors. The borderland refugees ran to Oceanus in a mob, and before long, the borderlands became known as the territory of Oceanus.

“How long before he arrives?” Theseus asked Aries.

“It’s been about half a week, I give him a day, maybe two.” Aries responded and shrugged his shoulders.

In the upcoming battle, Theseus was useless. The hundreds of Oceanus residents who went along up until now suddenly comprehended the gravity their settlement was undertaking. Elder Gerald had his hands full.

“Elder, are we really taking on the Suzerain Lords?”

“How can we fight them; they’re too powerful.”

“We can’t stand for this!”

There were minor rebellions, but Elder Gerald’s pragmatic nature calmed them.

“Theseus has a plan, and he has never failed us. His subordinates are strong enough to challenge Lord Virgo. Consider Theseus like the general of our town.”

Some were skeptical. Some even fled Oceanus. They were scared. Theseus told his friends and Elder Gerald to let them go. In order to build a new territory, there would be casualties and fears. Theseus knew what he was getting himself into, but for the future he and Leo envisioned, there was no room for dictators and tyrants.

After this upcoming battle, the future of Oceanus would be cemented, but for now, the original villagers made their choices. Most moved to the borderlands to flee the Lords, but now that their dreams of overthrowing them were coming true, the scary reality of revolution set in.

“Do you think we can really win?” Gemini asked the bedridden Theseus.

“With Aries and Leo, we should be fine.” Theseus smiled, but the truth was that there would be heavy casualties.

Depending on how many Captains Virgo brought with him, they could even lose. The bedridden Theseus had to leave this battle up to his comrades.

“Was using that skill really worth it?” Gemini asked.

“Yes, it gave Aries hope and tricked the Lords into thinking I’m stronger than I actually am.” Theseus responded.

“What do you mean? How did you even do that?” Gemini was confused. During their training, Theseus taught the importance of foundations and steadily building on old skills to create stronger ones. The fight with Aries was the opposite. Theseus used a strange skill that damaged himself after its use.

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“As you know, there are seven paths, but you’ve been taught the more stable paths up until now.

There are dangerous paths that could kill you just by using them. Aries uses the Shade Path we discussed before while I used an Authority Path skill to deceive the other Lords.”

“Didn’t you tell me never to use those paths? Yet you and your buddy are using them?” Gemini was mad at Theseus.

“You can’t protect me forever master. One day, I’ll be strong enough to use those strong and dangerous skills too.” Gemini had tears in his eyes. The reason he was upset was not because Theseus used the Authority Skill; he was upset because he felt weak and couldn’t do anything to help.

“Yes, and when that time comes, I will teach you how to do it correctly. I’ve been using these riskier paths to close the gaps in my own inadequacies. I’m hoping your foundation will be firm enough so that you will never have to use dangerous skills like me.” Theseus explained, and Gemini calmed down.

“I’m sorry I yelled at you master. I just thought you were trying to coddle me, but with a clear mind, I know you’re teaching me the safe and steady path I need.” Gemini forced a smile and left his side to go study the Spirit Cultivation skill again.

No matter how hard he tries, Gemini fails to grasp the technique. It was his goal, but he felt that learning it never felt further away.

Skill wise, Gemini was possibly one of the most skilled D Rank Mortals in current existence. His versatility and strong foundations would be highly sought after, but he couldn’t know just how deep his roots were at the present.

Aries came into the room later.

“I’ll follow the plan as we rehearsed it, brat. But, after we win, we run these things 50/50. I’m the brawns, and you’re the brains, got it?”

“No, you claim to be the next Suzerain Lord, Aries, and I’ll be your head Captain. Isn’t that what you wanted?” Theseus had no intention of ruling. As long as he and Aries were on the same page, their territory wouldn’t be drenched in evil like the others.

“No, we’re running everything 50/50. Knowing myself, I could be worse than Lord Virgo.” Aries had a look of fear on his face. He didn’t want to admit it, but his own selfish goals would make him a vicious Suzerain Lord. Only to Theseus would he admit his shortcoming; he would become what he sought to destroy.

“Don’t get cold feet now, Shade.” Theseus teased.

“Shut up cripple.” Aries whispered. He left the room shortly after.

***

“Aries, I’m going to raze this place to the ground!” Lord Virgo screamed at the top of his lungs. Aries’s prediction was spot on; a day and a half after his conversation with Theseus, Lord Virgo arrived with three Captains. Two of the three were at the S Rank Sage Realm while the weaker was at the A Rank Sage Realm.

“At last, playthings.” Aries and Leo both yet separately thought to themselves.

Not wasting any time at all, Lord Virgo smashed through the gates, and his soldiers marched into the small town.

“Sorry Theseus, this is about to ruin your little project here.” Aries muttered to himself.

Facing the Suzerain Lord, Aries spoke first.

“Oh, Great Suzerain Lord, how dare you march into our territory!” Aries mocked.

“How dare you betray me you devil Shade. I gave you resources and a home, for this?”

“Psh, yeah, and you also tormented me for years on end, torturing me for ‘misbehaving’ and even sent me to die in the Phaunus Forest. How could I grow fond of an evil tyrant like you?” Aries growled out.

“Enough talk. It’s time for you, to die!” Lord Virgo shot forth at Aries.

“Skill: Holy Light!” Virgo was surrounded in a bright white light. Lord Virgo used light magic and dubbed it ‘Holy Magic’. Part of the reason Theseus fought with light magic in their previous encounter was to give Aries a trial battle against a light magic user.

“Skill: Demonic Strike!” Aries fought off the pugilist with his sword strike, but they were evenly matched. Despite the name Holy Light, it wasn’t actually a Holy attributed Spirit skill. The terms Holy and Demonic referred to the Spirit and Shade paths, so it was somewhat misleading and hypocritical of the Shade Lord.

Leo faced one of the three Captains at an even match as well. He was ecstatic to face a worthy opponent!

The largest problem here was that the Sage force brought by Aries was shredded by the remaining two Captains. Captain Centos, the A Rank Captain, felt delight as he decimated Oceanus’s forces and went out of his way to cause harm to the surrounding buildings.

“Damnit all. That kid has a bad influence on me. Fine. I’ll use the skill you made.” Aries grumbled.

“Authority Skill: Shade Rebellion!”

 Aries used the skill Theseus explained to him in the middle of their previous battle and in their follow up conversations.

A black and red aura engulfed Aries, and Lord Virgo was knocked back.

“What’s happening to that Shade?” Lord Virgo watched as two glowing red eyes emerged from the black storm of aura.

“You’ve really done yourself out this time Theseus. What a skill!” Aries mumbled to himself.

“That’s enough. Skill: Holy Judgement!” Virgo cast a spell, causing a grand light to appear from the sky, smiting down the Shade Aries. This was Lord Virgo’s trump card and strongest skill.

Laughing in the midst of the storming, violent light magic, Aries laughed.

“Authority Skill: Shade Rebellion Prison!” Aries’s hand burst forth from the light, engulfed in crackling black energy. The hand grasped Virgo’s neck and Virgo was consumed by the energy.

“Stop! Stop this at once!” Lord Virgo yelled, but before he knew it, his body and soul condensed into a red and white orb. Aries, whose skill was fading, clutched the orb tightly.

“Finally, true judgement.” He said with a downcast face. Silence filled the battlefield.

The moment Holy Judgement swept the center of the battlefield in the main square of the city, everyone stopped fighting; they were blinded by the skill. Now that Lord Virgo was defeated, everyone didn’t know what to do. The clash of these powerhouses left the growing town in shambles. Debris littered the streets, and buildings crumbled from the aftermath between Virgo and Aries.

“Lord… Lord Virgo, was defeated?” Captain Centos exclaimed in shock.

Aries who was hobbling around, clearly injured from the overuse of his aura from the Authority Skill, shouted at the top of his lungs.

“The reign of Lord Virgo is over. Long live Lord Theseus!”

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