Since the battle was taking place in this area and it was an assault on the Empire of Pride, it was evident that the Royal City of the Empire of Pride was nearby, in the same direction where the army of Pride retreated.
Azekiel grabbed one of the horses on the field that was left behind while commanding the others to take one as well.
"I-i don't know how to ride a horse." Most of the porters raised their hands in uncertainty.
"I don't either." Azekiel's response shocked the heck out of all the Porters. He didn't know how to ride a horse, yet he was sitting on one?
Even though Azekiel told the truth, some refused to believe him.
"I don't know how to ride it. It's the truth. I've only seen someone do it before, but I personally never experienced it. Still, isn't trying better than nothing? These horses are trained by soldiers. They aren't wild horses. I don't know if that changes anything, but it's still worth a try. Unless you would all prefer to walk all the way?"
Despite talking so confidently, even Azekiel was somewhat worried about riding a horse on his own, just based on what he saw. He convinced himself, thinking what's the worst that could happen to him. At worst, he was going to fall.
Some of the Posters who knew how to ride horses got on the horses immediately. It was better than walking for them. They also convinced the others to get on a horse, saying they were going to tell them what to do and what not to do.
*****
Despite confidently commanding everyone to get on a horse, Azekiel soon realized that it was easier said than done. His own horse refused to listen to him, going in all the random directions every once in a while, leaving him struggling to get the horse back on the right path.
He was still doing better than the rest though. For the first half an hour, they had barely managed to cover even one kilometer of distance. Fortunately, with time and with the help of people who knew what to do, everyone started getting a gist of horse riding.
Finally, things were back to normal, and they could increase the speed to cover the distance faster.
Over fifty horses raced through the deserted land covered in remnants of the battle that took place, advancing towards the nearest city.
Along the way, Azekiel had also taken off his torn clothes. He wore a new attire of clothes that were seemingly created on Floor Zero for Michael. Now that Michael was dead, the porters who went back to stock more food thought it was a good idea to bring it back for Michael. A King needed to look the part after all.
Azekiel was now wearing a white shirt that was spotless clean without a single tear or blood mask on it. The shirt contrasted with the black pants that he wore.
On top, Azekiel had donned a beautiful black robe that covered his shoulders yet let his hands be free.
Raphael and Lia floated right beside Azekiel, keeping him company. Since they were in the spirit form, they could fly without having to do anything special.
Along the way, Azekiel discussed plans with Raphael and Lia about what he wanted to do.
"Oh, so that's the loophole you were talking about." Lia finally understood everything. "So that's the loophole you noticed. That's pretty good and might just work."
"Not might, it will work. As long as we get to the Royal City of Pride before Elijah takes over the Empire. If he did that, it'd be a dead-end," Azekiel grimly stated. "That's why time is of the essence. That's also why I had to interfere in that war back there."
*****
On one end, the horses of the Newcomers raced. In another place, a middle-aged man entered what appeared to be a Royal Palace, seemingly completely haggard. His hair was ruffled, and his clothes were dirty and covered in dust and mud. His face was pale, and his eyes were looking all around him as if looking to find something.
The General climbed the stairs and stopped at the door of a place that appeared like a Temple inside the Royal Palace.
There were many statues inside the temple, all belonging to the Gods that the citizens prayed to. A young man stood before the biggest statue in the Temple, holding his hands behind his back.
"Two years... I let others pass through while only I stayed behind. This long patience... Finally, I will get the rewards I am looking for. All the Other Kings went ahead, not even knowing what an important role this seemingly unimportant floor plays in the Trial of Sin..."
An amused smile rested on his slender face as he gazed at the book that was placed on the feet of the Statue of the God.
Knock~
He was distracted, hearing the sound of someone knocking on the door.
He took a deep breath, shaking his head. "These people, they don't even let me be with myself. It's fine. Soon, I don't need them. Just a little more... As soon as I get it, I can go to the Tomb of Gods and..."
He took calm steps toward the statue and picked up the old book before turning his back on the statue.
The door of the Temple opened, and a young princely man stepped out, closing the door behind him.
"What happened? Didn't you go to win us a war? Why do you look like you're coming back after a mud fight?" Elijah glared at the defeated General before him. "Don't tell me you lost the war."
"Your Majesty, we were winning the war, but...'
"But what?"
"Before he could finish the remnants of the soldiers, someone interfered in the war. All our soldiers were killed... I barely managed to get out to get this information to you." The General dropped to his knees.
"Someone interfered and killed all our soldiers? Who interfered? Another Empire? Did they already start their move? I thought they would take a long time. Did they find out about my plan?" Elijah's face instantly went grim, realizing the implications. "Which Empire was it? Which Empire sent its army? Tell me?"
"I-it wasn't an Empire. It... It was just one man..." The General answered after some hesitation.
"One man? One man who managed to kill my Entire Army?" Elijah frowned. "What did he look like? Tell me his description."
The General described the facial features of Azekiel as well as he could.
"Hmm, that doesn't sound like any of the Kings... Could it be a Lord of Sin? That doesn't make sense. Why would a minor sin dare to go against me, knowing full well that I'm on this floor personally?"
"Did he give you a name?"
The General shook his head. "He only gave me a message and told me you'll understand everything once I tell you the message."
"What message?"
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(Author Note 03/06/22: I've rewritten chapter 24-28, rearranging some sequences so they are more in sync; also Chapter 28 is completely new with some history of Lia that I forgot to add before. If you want to check it, you can read. It should be available. If not, a refresh or clearing Cache might be needed.)
