The march of Black and Gold continued despite that strange encounter.
From a single glance, it is obvious that nobody truly heeded the strange words of that stranger they met.
Eventually, they arrived at a point where the Last Bastion was visible to them.
Labolas was mildly surprised by what he saw, though he would never admit this out loud even if hell froze.
When was the last time that a lesser race made an impression on him? Labolas couldn't recall anymore. But this time it's different. Still, that doesn't mean anything.
To him, it's just an impression, nothing more. And Francis might say the same.
This was also the first time that they'd seen the locals of this world. They saw them in a battle formation, waiting outside their territory as if they were anticipating their arrival.
Labolas felt a strange sensation pooling in his guts the moment he saw Humans for the first time. He couldn't tell what it was though so he ignored it. Again...
Then, a force swept past them. Causing them to unknowingly halt in their tracks.
Tension immediately rose between the forces. The armies of Humans and the invaders stood tall against each other in a tense atmosphere.
It was then that someone from the Humans stepped forward and bravely met their gaze.
"Invaders of this world!" She yelled with a strong voice. "Return from where you came from. This place does not welcome your kind!"
Labolas and St. Francis were shocked. Mostly because of the audacity of this woman.
"Well...this is new." St. Francis muttered in amusement. "When was the last time somebody showed this kind of audacity in my presence? It's kind of refreshing, not gonna lie."
"Woman," Labolas grunted. "Are you the chosen one of this race? Are you their voice and their Champion?"
"Indeed. Now, gather your army and go back from whatever forsaken place that your kind came from." She replied.
"Hoh..." Labolas snorted in disdain. Francis chuckled on the side because he knew that this woman had just thoroughly angered this madman.
"As expected of some pesky race. To think that they would have a woman as their leader." Labolas sneered and shook his head.
"How our race operates isn't something that abominations, like you all, can comment on. The likes of you have no authority in this place so be silent and withdraw your troops. Now!"
Bzzt! Boom!
A laser shot out from Labolas' eyes sockets, its target was of course the woman who had just spoken.
His attack kicked up a cloud of dust, momentarily lowering their visibility of the opposite army. So, they waited until it disappeared.
To their surprise though, nobody was harmed. The woman still stood there like a mighty pillar. Not even a scratch could be seen on anybody.
"Tch. Some vile beings you are..." the woman spat venomously. "You don't even know some basic decency. Just some fucking locusts going from one world to another, all you know is destruction. I should've known that you all will act this way..."
If her words earlier hadn't angered them already, then these new ones certainly did. This woman just cursed their entire race, and the worst part is, they couldn't deny it since it was true. Yet nobody would dare to admit that.
"I will say this one last time." The woman glared at them, releasing a dense pressure that pressed down on them. "Leave! Go back to where you came from. This world doesn't want any of you."
"Leave while you still can. The holes that you've made to enter this world is still there, use that to leave this and never return. This is the last time that this option will be available to you, and I strongly suggest that you listen to me, or else, you all will experience nothing but endless pain and suffering if you remain here."
"Hey, Francis." Labolas called out through gritted teeth.
"Yeah?" St. Francis' voice was strained too from anger.
"That woman is mine, don't fight me on this."
"Sure, I'll aim for their homes then."
Their conversation wasn't a mum so everybody heard it. Labolas and Fracis' aura started rising to the skies as if it were responding to their anger.
It wasn't just them. Even their minions felt angry too. They'd never met any race that had insulted them this much so of course, they were triggered by those blatant words of disrespect.
On the other hand, Humanity's army didn't even look remotely fazed by what they were seeing. They stood alert and solemn, but not afraid. Such behavior was highly unusual. Nevertheless, that doesn't change anything.
Since they've angered the superior race, then they shall become extinct from this point onwards. They will all die and their history will be removed and forgotten, just like those who had tried before them.
...or at least, that is what they thought will happen.
Before any of them could move, a strange force swept past them, keeping them still despite their obvious resistance.
Then, the sky parted, revealing a divine light from beyond. From there, numerous chains descended, shooting down to cuff both Labolas and St. Francis.
"AAARRRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!!"
Each chain glowed with a flash of pure divine brilliance. They wrapped themselves around both Labolas and St. Francis' bodies. The moment it made contact with their skin, they felt an intense amount of pain that made them cry out in agony.
The chain singed their skin, digging to their flesh and bones. It was so painful that both of them writhed in agony. They couldn't even make any attempts of taking the chains off since they were in too much pain.
Their respective armies were shocked by this sudden development. They couldn't believe what they were seeing and hearing right now.
It had to be known that they'd never heard these two cry out in pain like that. They never even thought that they could make these sounds but they were proven wrong today.
Seeing them writhe on the ground in sheer agony made them feel nervous. It was then that they heard the woman say:
"Don't say I didn't warn you. I've given you all a chance, it was you all who chose to ignore my words. Whatever happens next, just remember that you all asked for it."
"Mages! Give our visitors a warm welcome!"
That was the moment that the real clash began. When Alice gave out that order, all manner of things rained down on the opposing army; blazing meteors, hailstorms, razor-sharp winds, jagged spikes of earth, floods, and so on...
Spell after spell was unleashed by the mages, causing the enemy army to suffer greatly.
Just a reminder, the Celestials, and Hypogeans never understood how Martial Arts and Magic worked at all. They never bothered learning more due to their superiority complex. Meaning, they don't have a clue about how to handle Humanity's counterattack at all.
Sure they could do their best to evade it or ignore using their strong physiques, but that can only go far. Not to mention, they were still discombobulated by what happened to their respective leaders that they were caught off guard by this sudden chaos.
As their army endure heavy fire from Humans, Labolas and St. Francis continued to suffer from the chains.
They were trying their best to take it off. However, the chains have singed their bodies to their bones, making it impossible for them to do that.
The pain they felt reached their soul, they can for sure say that they've never experienced this kind of pain in their entire lives.
What's more, they could feel their strength draining from their bodies. It's as if the chains were siphoning their strength while also making the experience agonizing pain.
"You imbeciles!" Labolas roared through the pain. He stood up shakily but failed, nevertheless, he still said: "What the hell are you all panicking for!? Meet the enemy!! Kill them!!"
His orders slapped them awake. Both the Celestial and Hypogean army regained their wits and began properly assessing the situation.
"Knights! Charge! Show them that they're picked the wrong people to piss off!"
War cries erupted and the two massive forces clashed together in a chaotic war that shook the earth and darkened the skies.
While that was happening, Labolas and St. Francis were still writhing on the ground in pure agony. The pain was too much for them to handle it was muddling their senses.
"Shit! Shit! Why is it not working? Come on! Get this shit off me!" Francis repeatedly cursed and roared as he tried his best to get rid of the chains.
"So, tell us, O' Mighty Generals, how do you like our present?"
Both Labolas and St. Francis lifted their heads to glare at the speaker.
"You wench!" Labolas roared, "What did you do?"
"Oh, nothing much." Alice tucked her hair behind her ears before saying: "We just put you both on a leash, we were afraid that you two will start going rabid if we let you do as you please."
Alice then crouched down and leaned close to them, not minding their glares and threatening roars.
"You all really should've listened when somebody told you to return from where you came from. Unfortunately, it's all too late now."
