"What happened?!" Aurora came rushing into the tent, Chonky perched on her shoulder. "Why are you panting and… sweating?"
Sylvester sat holding his forehead, trying to get rid of his headache. "I don't know… I remembered something from the time I was five. It's like a hidden memory… I don't have any recollection of it."
Aurora settled beside him and helped him stand. However, the moment she touched his shoulder, her hand recoiled back. "You're burning!"
"That's alright. Fire and heat don't affect me." He straightened himself. "Let's move. Mum and Sir Dolorem had escaped to the Highland Kingdom and will reach Sand City today. But Isabella stayed in Green City, fighting the Holy Army and creating a long enough distraction for Mum to reach the castle."
"But what about you? Are you alright?" Aurora asked him in concern. "You don't look like you're ready for battle."
"I'm fine. I've fought in worse conditions before." Sylvester put all the stuff away and walked out to meet with the Dwarves, who had begun to set up their own encampment using timber and digging the ground. They were masters of construction, and their speed was unparalleled.
"Erlog." Sylvester tried to ignore the seething headache and met with the old dwarf he had initially encountered in Masan. "You wanted to meet me before I left. Do you need something?"
"Yes and no, Lord Bard." Elrog remained highly respectful of Sylvester. After all, Sylvester had done precisely as he had promised them—he freed them. "Lord Bard, we saw all the diagrams of your light cannon as well as the other weapons you conceptualized for us. We will require iron ore and plenty of magic crystals for them, but at the same time, we have something to give to you. We have been working on it since you liberated us."
Sylvester had plenty of iron ore in Chonky Bank, so that wasn't an issue at all. As for the magic crystals, he had even more than iron, as the spoils from Masan were too much. He was still in the process of separating and organizing everything.
But what the Dwarves wanted to give him piqued his interest. "What is it?"
"Please come with me." Elrog excitedly said and led Sylvester and Aurora into their small camp that was still under construction. They had already built one central warehouse out of mud bricks, and a few dwarves stood guard.
Elrog entered effortlessly and guided him through the stash of items stored to their left and right. Finally, they stopped in front of a tall vertical cupboard made of simple wood.
"Lord Bard, us dwarves wish to gift you this as a tribute." Elrog snapped his finger, and the cupboard gleamed with intricate tiny lines on it. The twin doors swung open slowly, revealing its contents.
"When we learned that you're a master at metal manipulation, we wondered how we could aid you in becoming even more formidable in battles. We wanted the Son of Solis to always win and be able to vanquish hundreds or thousands of foes at the same time. So, we came up with this new armor. Unlike our Masan's armor, intentionally produced with inferior quality, this one possesses the finest craftsmanship we can offer. Forged from Mythril and gold plated—it will harmonize perfectly with your magic." Elrog explained at length with excitement in his words. "We've named it—Thousand Piercer."
Sylvester approached the cupboard, momentarily forgetting his headache. The armor was beautiful. It had a golden chest plate, shoulder plates, gauntlets, and leg guards going from waist to foot. Beneath it all, chainmail covered most of the body, and behind the armor was an off-white colored cape.
"Why Thousand Piercer as a name?" Sylvester inquired.
"Heh… Because of that!" Elrog cheerfully pointed toward the two more boxes. They were horizontally long and not very wide. "Behold, the Golden Wings of Thousand Piercer."
Thud!
The lids fell off the two boxes, revealing giant wings comprised of sharp golden swords and blades. They were meticulously crafted and, when brought together, seemed like real wings.
"Lord Bard, while they may not grant you the ability to fly, these wings are made of blades forged with dwarven magic and engraved with our runes. Being a metal manipulator, you can easily disassemble each of the blades in the wings and make use of them like a hailstorm of blades. Whenever you are done, the blades shall fly back to your armor's back and form themselves into wings again!" Elrog explained. "Even now, you merely need to tap the armor's chest after wearing it, and all the blades will fly onto your back."
Sylvester was delighted by it. 'Wings? An armor like this could raise my public image as long as I use it wisely.'
"I'll try it." He said and proceeded to don the armor. Mythril was a highly conductive material for magic, posing a challenge even for his metal manipulation abilities. However, using magnetic manipulation was somewhat different. He could at least make things hover in the air, although he felt the need to master levitation with it now.
"Aurora, can you help?" He asked her to hasten the process.
First, he donned the chainmail and then the intricate golden armor. He fastened the shoulder plates and the leg guards and finally wore the gauntlets.
Pat! Pat!
Finally, he tapped the chest plate to make the wings fly and attach themselves to his back. To make it an even greater challenge, instead of aiming his back toward the wings, he faced them.
Clank!
Clank!
"Amazing!" Sylvester exclaimed.
Right before his eyes, with astonishing speed, the two wings disintegrated into small blades and flew around Sylvester, only to attach themselves to his back with a resounding clang. Each blade knew its place, and within three seconds, the two wings, each at least two meters wide, appeared behind him in all its majesty.
To top it off, Sylvester also took out the Spear of Infinity and held it in his hand.
"How do I look?" He asked, feeling a few hundred kilograms of weight on his back, but negligible for his rank.
Aurora's jaw dropped to the floor. "I…I think If I tell people you're Solis… they'll believe me, no questions about it. Your golden hair, the armor, and the wings… along with the halo! I'm jealous! Hey, Elrog, aren't we good friends now? Please make an armor for me too. It doesn't need to have wings. My special power is thunder… so something like that, please?"
Elrog smiled, reveling in the admiration. "For allies of Lord Bard and us Dwarves, we're always ready to help. But give us some time, My Lady."
Meanwhile, Sylvester explored the capabilities of the wings. He could retract them on his back so they took less space and hid behind him. He could also make them spread wider, and if needed, he could easily use metal manipulation to turn them into a shield for himself.
'I can throw all of them out and control each one with ease—this is similar to having overly powerful mind-controlled arrows.' Sylvester was thoroughly satisfied.
"By the way," he interjected, interrupting their conversation. "Elrog, I have a few Skygems I've collected over the years. I heard only Dwarves can forge them, so I was wondering if you could add them to this armor?"
"Skygem?!" Elrog's face lit up. But in the next second, it fell. "I've only ever heard of them but… Forgive me, Lord Bard, we don't have the means. To forge them, we need either Dragonfire or the fire from the home of Dwarves."
'I guessed that much. But can elder magic recreate such a fire? Surely something to think of later. I have enough on my plate for now… This Elven Goddess mess…'
"Perhaps one day, both our dreams will become a reality, Elrog. But for now, we must part ways. Aurora, let's go. Elrog, Beastkin Elyon and Bishop Gabriel will remain behind. Speak with them if you need anything."
Since the mission had changed, Sylvester decided to let Gabriel focus on establishing the Church-In-Exile in Sandwall County itself.
Within minutes, they all gathered outside. Sylvester wasted no time making Light Tiles in the air for them to step on and ascend.
Aurora, Soulbreaker, Dagorith, and Bishop Lazark were going with him. He had decided to leave Hozin and Kimino behind as well since they lacked familiarity with East Sol, and in Princess Zylena's case, she had to be protected, as the future of the Blackhart Kingdom rested upon her shoulders.
"If any of you feel tired, just tell me. You don't have to catch up to my speed and exhaust yourselves before the battle." Sylvester cautioned everyone while creating Light Tiles to reach the clouds to remain hidden.
"Understood." Bishop Lazark responded. He was a peak Archwizard, merely a level away from being a Grand Wizard.
"Let's go!"
Woosh!
Faster than any horse or carriage, the group of superhuman monsters dashed towards the East, akin to a powerful gust of wind in the midst of the fiercest storm.
…
Green City, in the Gracia Kingdom,
During the same time, Green City fell under siege by the Holy Army of the Faith. On a cloudy day, all the negotiations failed, and the Commander of the Holy Army continued to demand the handover of Xavia Maximilian. Isabella denied it each time, continuously insisting that there was no such person in the city.
But, it was common knowledge that she was in the city. So, when all patience broke, the battle began. Gracia's Army halted the enemy strikes from their high city walls, using arrows and spears.
Boom!
However, when both sides involved Grand Wizards, the situation turned tricky. Within an hour, the City Wall fell to Faithwalker, the eighth Guardian of Light. Accompanying him was Blackfire, the seventh Guardian of Light.
The Kingdom and the Holy Land clashed under the lead of the Grand Wizards, two from each side. Once the powerhouses reached a stalemate, the Holy Army infiltrated the city, intending to raze it, loot it, and advance toward the Royal Castle.
With Holy Land's superior number of Archwizards, Master Wizards, and Golden Knights, it quickly turned into a slow massacre of Gracia's soldiers. Better equipped, better trained, and battle-hardened—the Holy Army was trained to be the finest since its main enemy was supposed to be Beastaria.
Yet the swords were now aimed at fellow humans instead.
"Your Majesty, please return to the castle. It's not safe here!" Sir Morphus implored.
Isabella grunted and watched the city from her castle estate's boundary walls. There was smoke and fire in any direction she turned to. The thought of innocents screaming, crying, and dying filled her with anger. Sadly, she possessed the skills of a healer, not a warrior.
"If the Kingdom falls, I fall with it." She muttered and looked toward the East, in the direction of the Holy Land. Her hand clutched onto the locket on her neck, a precious gift from someone special.
Fond memories abruptly brought a smile to her face. The faces of her friends, the laughter, and the romantic vows exchanged with Felix almost brought her to tears. It was all lost—there was no longer a place to call home.
At last, the towering structures in the city began to crumble from the damage, and the Holy Army started approaching the drawbridge of the Royal Castle estate while marching. Their beautiful golden armor were now stained with the blood of innocents.
'So this is how Gracia meets its end…'
"Not today!"
Boom!
A bright beam of scorching light fell from the sky onto the marching ranks of the Holy Army, accompanied by the resonating voice of a man. The sky seemed to be overtaken by blinding light as the dense dark clouds parted, clearing the sky above the city.
Then, a majestic being descended gracefully from the sky with wide, gleaming wings and a tall figure. The halo simmered over everything. His light reached all beings in the city, leaving nothing.
"Children of God! Hear the words of his Bard! Throw away your weapons, for my wrath you cannot afford to disregard!"
[A/N: See Sylvester in his new armor]
Thank you for reading. GT votes are much appreciated.
