A soldier stood behind the artillery, watching as they fired relentlessly at the Seeker barrier. "Sir, the barrier seems to be getting weaker," another man observed, his eyes fixed on the shimmering shield.
"What did the Commander say we should do?" the first man asked, wiping sweat from his brow.
The second soldier shook his head grimly. "We haven't gotten any information about that from the main base, Sir."
"How long do you think until the barrier breaks?" the first man pressed. Around him, soldiers scrambled with heavy shells, their movements frantic as they reloaded the massive weapon.
"Less than an hour," the second man predicted. Just then, a shell whistled through the air, followed by a deafening explosion echoing in the distance.
Suddenly, Tina Helios nightmare raven flew in front of the line of soldiers, her wings beating rhythmically.
"Stop firing! It's the Supreme Commander's raven!" the first man barked. The cannons fell silent as every eye turned toward the bird.
"To all the soldiers listening: once the barrier falls, you have been given permission to fall back and regroup with the others," Helios's voice projected clearly from Tina's mouth.
"Yes, Sir!" the soldiers answered in unison, standing at attention.
"If there are any attacks while you are retreating, strike back, but keep running," Helios's voice commanded.
The first man raised his hand, his expression filled with uncertainty. "Supreme Commander, what if they attack us the moment the barrier breaks?"
"Everyone fall back. The plan has changed," Helios replied firmly.
"Supreme Commander, we can't! The barrier hasn't been destroyed yet!" a third soldier interjected, his voice laced with confusion.
"That's an order," Helios snapped, his voice booming with authority.
Inside the command tent, '1' looked at Helios with a puzzled frown. "Supreme Commander, why did you tell them to retreat?"
"Don't worry about it. I'm going to break the barrier on my own," Helios said, his tone eerily calm.
"You can't use an ability from here to the Nether Principality! That won't work!" '3' argued, his voice rising in frustration.
"It will. I can share my abilities with my Nightmares," Helios explained, his eyes distant as he peered through the vision of Robin, his other raven. "Since you can't see this, you can ask the soldiers what happened after this is over."
He took a deep breath and summoned Circlet. "Circlet, if I do this, am I going to survive?" Helios thought privately.
"Yes, but with at least a few internal injuries," Circlet answered within his mind.
High above the battlefield, Robin soared until he was positioned directly over the center of the barrier.
"Inferno," Helios whispered in a strange, ancient tongue. Above the barrier, Robin mimicked the incantation perfectly.
"A runic language..." '4' whispered, recognizing the complexity of the spell.
Grey clouds began to gather over the Nether Principality, swirling rapidly into a violent spiral.
"Look behind us!" a soldier pushing an artillery piece cried out, his eyes widening with sheer terror. The retreating army turned back to see a colossal blue fire tornado descending from the sky, slamming into the Nether Principality's barrier.
"Is that... the Supreme Commander's power?" another soldier asked, trembling.
"Keep going! Fall back quickly!" a commanding officer shouted, though he too was staring in awe.
"We are lucky he's on our side," another man muttered, watching the flames roar.
The tornado grew in intensity, and the barrier began to spiderweb with massive cracks. Inside the gates of the Nether Principality, a Seeker stood paralyzed. "Who the hell is using that ability?"
"What type of power is this? I can't keep the barrier up for long!" another Seeker cried, his voice shaking.
With a sound like shattering glass, the barrier exploded into a million pieces. The fire tornado immediately began to disperse, and Robin took flight, disappearing into the clouds.
Inside the tent, Helios's face drained of color. The commanders watched him, their expressions turning to deep concern. "Are you okay, Supreme Commander?" '2' asked, stepping closer.
Helios suddenly coughed violently, spraying bright red blood across the table and the tactical map.
"I'm okay. It's just because I used too much spiral energy," Helios said, his voice strained as he wiped the blood from his lips.
"Don't you dare use spiral energy to heal your wounds," Circlet's voice echoed sharply in his head. "If you use spiral energy now, it might get even worse."
"You always say something is going to happen, but it rarely does," Helios thought defiantly. "And you said 'might.' That means there's a chance I will be fine."
Ignoring the warning, Helios began absorbing spiral energy to heal his internal damage. Almost instantly, he coughed up even more blood than before. His head throbbed with a white-hot pain, feeling as if it were about to explode.
"Supreme Commander, you're not fine! You need to rest!" '1' cried out, reaching out to support him. "We can't continue the battle if you die!"
Helios raised a trembling hand, signaling '1' to stop. "It's... fine," he managed, his voice weak and a metallic test if blood in his mouth. Blood continued to flow from his mouth, staining the table a deep, dark red.
"Are you dumb? You are trying to heal injuries caused by spiral energy with more spiral energy!" Circlet's voice was livid. "That's like trying to heal a gunshot wound with another gunshot!"
Helios clutched his head, his eyes squeezed shut against the agony. "Shut up. You're making it even worse," he thought.
Deep within the Nether Principality castle, two men in crimson robes ran through the halls. They reached the throne room and knelt before a figure shrouded in shadow.
"Twelfth Apostle, the barrier has been destroyed," one of the men reported breathlessly.
"I know that already," the Twelfth Apostle replied, his voice dripping with curiosity. "I only care about knowing who broke it. Master might love to make that person an Apostle." His tone shifted, becoming low and sinister. "Now, tell me... who broke it?"
"That's not important right now—we might be attacked by the Aethelgard Kingdom's army!" the second man interjected frantically.
The Twelfth Apostle's voice turned deathly calm. "Are you telling me what is important?"
"No! I would never dare!" the man cried, pressing his forehead against the cold floor.
"Since I'm in a good mood, I'll let you go. Now, tell me who the person is," the Apostle repeated.
"About that..." the first man said, his voice shaking. "We... we don't know who it is."
The Twelfth Apostle began to laugh, a cold, hollow sound. "You're joking, right? Say you're joking so I can laugh with you. What a funny joke... with all your tracking abilities, you couldn't find one person?"
"We are not joking, Sir!" the first man trembled.
"You useless things... you useless things!" the Apostle hissed. He raised his hand, and a sickly green glow erupted as lightning began to crackle around his arm.
With a sudden roar, thunder struck the two men. Their bodies, charred black like charcoal, collapsed lifelessly to the ground.