In the kingdom of Mystveil, their plan was progressing smoothly without any disruption. Knowing that the biggest enemy they faced right now was none other than Scarlett, they believed everything would go smoothly as long as she could be defeated.
In the cold, damp basement of Vladimir's royal palace, Vladimir was present with the Captain of the Holy Knights, Vesilisa, and the Vice-Captain, Arthur. The air was thick with the smell of old stone and burning incense.
Meanwhile, the other knight member, Priest Adam, was sitting on the ground cross-legged. His eyes were closed, and his brow was furrowed in deep concentration. He was in the middle of the sacred and dangerous ritual of summoning warlords for the upcoming grand battle.
To summon a warlord, one needed many things: perfect, ancient chants that had to be recited without a single mistake; an alive, healthy body to serve as a vessel; the true name of the warlord; and lastly, one thing that was very close to them in their past life, such as their weapon, a favorite piece of clothing, or their armor etc
Being a knowledgeable and powerful priest, Adam was flawless in summoning as long as he had the necessary items. Specially summoning so many warlords in one day was an incredible feat, it was a task where even veteran, knowledgeable mages would have to sacrifice their own body just to summon one.
Meanwhile, Vladimir, Vesilisa, and Arthur were there just for show, to oversee the procedure and stand guard, just in case anything went wrong. They stood back, watching the magical circles on the floor glow with an eerie light.
Still, everything was going smoothly. Adam had already summoned two warlords. Each was sitting quietly in their own corner of the large, circular room.
One was an elf woman dressed in a flowing green elven battle costume. Her long, blonde hair and sharp green eyes clearly stood out in the dimly lit room.
She was Lortell Beatrix, the same warlord who had been defeated by Scarlett. But warlords were already dead beings. The one who died in that battle was Lórien, Although he, too, was later resurrected by Scarlett.
The other one was also a girl, but she had vibrant pink hair that was tied back in a practical ponytail. A heavy sword, almost as big as her own body, was strapped to her back. She was the War Princess Xeno Throne. She was actually ancestor of Vladimir, so knowing her true name had been quite easy for him.
"What are you looking at?" she sneered, her voice sharp and arrogant as she glared at Vladimir, her eyes full of disdain.
"Nothing, you just reminded me of one of our late Holy Knight members. She too had pink hair," Vladimir said calmly, his voice smooth. "Her unique skill was also quite amazing. The more her fans cheered for her, the more powerful she got. She would've been more powerful than ever in the upcoming war if we had just used any method to broadcast her fight, becoming the second strongest Holy Knight member." He explained, a hint of regret in his voice.
"But what bad luck. Somehow, she died by that cheeky brat, Aoto," he sighed, shaking his head slowly.
Xeno's beautiful features immediately twisted in anger and disgust. She spit on the stone floor before saying, "Who are you calling 'you'? I'm your ancestor. You have humiliated me enough by summoning me from my eternal sleep," she sneered, her voice dripping with contempt.
"I mean, when did we become so desperate? Who is this enemy? Or is it just because my bloodline became weak?" she questioned, her eyes challenging him.
Vladimir chuckled lightly, a sound that didn't reach his eyes. "Of course it's the earlier one. The enemy is quite strong. And her subordinates... well, we don't really know, but they might be strong as well," he admitted, his tone casual.
"Tch... Whatever," she sneered once again, looking away from him with a dismissive flick of her head.
"Quiet, please. I'm trying to focus," Adam's calm but firm voice broke through their conversation, his eyes still closed.
"Oops, sowwy!" Vladimir chuckled, putting his index finger on his lips in a mock-apologetic gesture, though his eyes glinted with amusement.
Adam calmly raised his hands while chanting something under his breath, the ancient words flowing from his lips like a river. "Bring the body," he says, his voice steady and commanding.
"Yes," Arthur nods, his face a mask of indifference. He opened a dark portal right away, its edges swirling with purple energy. From it, two soldiers came out, dragging a chained man who was likely a slave. They threw him onto the cold stone floor outside the magic circle.
"Release me... Please release me," he screamed, his voice hoarse with fear and desperation. But then—Smack!.
Arthur lightly smacked the back of the man's head, causing him to go unconscious instantly. He then lifted the limp body and let it rest in the center of the glowing magic circle in front of Adam.
Adam didn't stop his chanting. He then took out a pair of uniquely crafted twin daggers, their blades gleaming with a faint light. Without any hesitation, he directly stabbed them deep into the slave's stomach, killing him on the spot. There was no blood, only a faint flash of light as the life left the man's eyes.
But the next moment, the magic circle glowed with an intense, blinding light and then vanished. The body on the floor began to change, its form shifting and morphing. It turned into a blue-haired, middle-aged man with a smug, delinquent-like face. He was dressed in dark, practical leather clothes.
He opened his eyes and stood up, stretching as if he had just woken from a long nap. The daggers that had been stabbed in his stomach disappeared and reappeared in his hands, as if they had always belonged there.
He looked around, confused for a second before understanding everything. "Huh? So this is what it feels to be summoned? It's just like I died a moment ago and happened to be here," he said, a casual grin spreading across his face.
"Welcome, great thief, Ashford. People regard you as the weakest warlord, but I have now chosen you as a candidate for the upcoming grand battle, so that you can show the world how great you are," Vladimir spoke, his voice booming in the stone room, as if he was saying some prophetic words.
"Grand battle? What kind of battle?" he asks, his curiosity piqued.
"You'll know soon enough. For now, have a seat there," Vesilisa interrupted, her voice cool and professional as she pointed at the back, near the other two warlords.
He turns around and immediately realizes that those two females sitting there were also warlords. He could feel the ancient, powerful aura radiating from them.
"Three warlords? What disastrous situation has come that you need to summon three warlords?" he asked, his smugness replaced by genuine surprise.
"Not three, but four. One has yet to be summoned," Vladimir replied calmly, a small, knowing smile on his lips.
Gulp!...
Ashford gulps lightly, the sound barely audible in the silent room. The situation seemed far more dangerous and serious than Vladimir's calm facial expression suggested.
"I think I took this situation lightly. It seems I will need to do way more work than what I initially thought," he sighs, looking at Vladimir with a more serious expression.
"So, what will I get in return?" he said, his smug smile returning, his mind already calculating the benefits.
"It's not decided for now. I'm sure once we are successful, I'll be able to grant any wish you have. So please take your seat and have some chat," Vladimir replies politely, his tone smooth and reassuring.
Ashford didn't argue further. He turned around and sat down beside them, the stone floor cold beneath him. Meanwhile, the others focused their attention back on Adam, who was preparing for the final summoning.
"You ladies, what did you two ask for in return for helping them?" Ashford asked, trying to make small talk and gather more information.
"Nothing," Xeno replies, her voice sharp and dismissive.
"None," Beatrix also added at the same time, her tone flat and emotionless.
"Huh? Why?" he asked in puzzlement, unable to understand their lack of negotiation.
"He's my descendant, you see. And besides, it's not like we got other choice. Once warlords are summoned, they have to complete their purpose for the summoning as long as it is within their limits. It's not like a contract," Xeno replies with a heavy sigh, as if explaining something obvious and tedious.
"Also, the sooner the work is done, the sooner you can go back. So it's better not to hassle over it too much," Beatrix says, being the warlord who had been summoned multiple times throughout history. She had gotten bored of it. All she wanted was to wrap it up quickly and go back to her eternal peace.
"Becoming a warlord was the worst thing I did in my life," Xeno sighs, looking at the empty space in front of her, her eyes distant.
"Agreed,"
"Agreed," both Ashford and Beatrix replied in unison, a shared sense of weariness passing between them.
Meanwhile, Adam continued his work.
"Bring the body," he said, his eyes still closed.
Just like earlier, Arthur opened his space portal to their hidden base. From the swirling darkness, some guards inside threw one more chained person onto the floor. The slave looked up with terrified eyes, his body trembling.
Arthur didn't even let that slave speak. He moved with practiced efficiency and smacked him on the back of the head, knocking him unconsciousness instantly.
"Give me the armour," Adam said, holding out his hand.
The next moment, a heavy, dark blue armour appeared in Arthur's hand, as if it had come out of thin air itself. The shiny armour, with its intricate, handcrafted royal patterns, surely indicated that it was worn by some high authority in the past. It radiated a cold, powerful energy.
Adam took the armour and carefully made the unconscious slave wear it. The armour was too big, but it clung to the slave's body as if it were alive. Then, with a simple, sharp knife, Adam directly stabbed him in the heart, killing him on the spot. There was no struggle, just a final, silent breath.
"Sparda Malus," Adam whispered, the name feeling heavy and powerful on his tongue.
The next moment, the body began to transform. It turned into the tall, sturdy body of a general. His face was that of a middle-aged man, with an authoritative look and sharp, black hair.
His eyes opened, revealing pupils as black and deep as the abyss itself, seeming to swallow the light around them.
He calmly stands up, and the upper armour he was wearing expanded and shifted, becoming a full-body suit of dark blue plate armour. A large, imposing sword also appeared, sheathed on his waist, its hilt gleaming.
"Can I care to know the reason for my summon?" he asked, his voice a low, rumbling growl that commanded respect.
But as soon as his gaze shifted to the others in the room, especially Vesilisa in her white saintess outfit with the Holy Knights' symbol locket on her neck, his entire demeanour changed. His calm, authoritative presence was replaced by a cold, burning rage.
"Holy knights? You leeches of humanity!" he shouted, his voice echoing off the stone walls. He immediately took his battle stance, his hand hovering over the hilt of his sword, ready to unsheathe it and unleash his fury.
Adam immediately stepped back, his chanting forgotten, and Arthur also touched the hilt of his sword, Ready for battle at a moment's notice.
"Stop!" Vesilisa shouted, her voice ringing with power. She flickered her fingers at once, and the very air seemed to freeze. Time itself stopped.
Everyone in the basement were frozen in place, their expressions locked in a moment of shock and readiness. The only ones who could move were Adam, Arthur, and Vladimir.
"There was no need to, he can't attack us," Vladimir said, waving his hand dismissively, a confident smirk on his face.
"I know, but he is the strongest warlord after the first hero. Who knows what tricks he has up his sleeves," Vesilisa replies, her voice sounding cautious, her eyes fixed on the frozen, furious form of Sparda.
"She is right," Arthur added, his hand still resting on his sword, his body tense.
"Okay, resume the time. We'll be careful," Vladimir said lightly, his confidence slightly shaken by their concern.
Vesilisa nodded and resumed the flow of time. The black, deathly aura of Sparda, which had been about to unleash, surged forward, but Vladimir immediately interrupted.
Vladimir's facial expression immediately changed from confident to panicked. "H-hold on, mister! You are misunderstanding this situation! Right now, holy knights are not the enemy. There's something greater, something far worse waiting for us," he said, his voice rushing with urgency.
Sparda stopped, his hand still on his sword, but he was still on high alert, his eyes narrowed with suspicion. "Scarlett Nova," Vladimir began, taking a deep breath. "She's an unknown enemy from another world. She even killed a demon lord and has made a territory in the demon realm. There are no movements from the sixth demon king either; it is highly likely that he also died by her hands."
"She is a formidable opponent. If we let her run free, it'll only be a matter of time before she'll take over the whole world, both humans and demons," he explained, his voice grave.
"Killed a demon king? No way!" Xeno stood up in shock, Her eyes were wide with disbelief.
The same reaction was on Ashford and Beatrix's faces as well. Their smugness and boredom were gone, replaced by sheer astonishment.
Despite being warlords, they knew they could not defeat a demon king on their own. The closest one was Sparda, but even he had died without ever facing one. Even Xeno, said to be the strongest human woman of her time, had faced defeat against the fourth demon king, Nirvana.
Of course, another reason was that in their time, there were only four demon kings, and each of them was overwhelmingly powerful. Still, a demon king is a demon king, a symbol of ultimate power. No matter how you looked at it, the shocked, disbelieving look on their faces was completely valid.