Bro, I'm not an Undead!

"Urgh..." Ornamont spat a ghastly mouthful of blood as she jolted back from unconsciousness. She heaved in deep breaths and pushed against the shield which was lying on top of her.r

It was dented and cracked miserably, but she couldn't spare it any concern for now.r

She rose from the ground and coughed violently, the remnants of her bodily crimson flying off. She then looked around her and paused.r

A torn roof was over her head, its remains still spitting out dust while a crumbling wall dropped pieces of heavy, broken stone from time to time.r

Under her and unfortunately on the walls as well as the corridor to this house where she had seemingly invited herself in without knowing, blood, innards, bones and torn clothing were the fresh new interior design.r

"Son of a..." Ornamont murmured with a horrified and dark expression.r

It didn't take long for her to realise what had just happened.r

She pulled her aching body from the floor, trudged strenuously towards the exit to this house and looked outside.r

Her heart skipped a beat.r

A long trail of destruction traced the small town from the east, stopping its march at the house she had just landed in.r

A corridor of blood, torn and mangled human flesh – human attachments too – made its way in this direction as well while screams, some of sorrow and some of intense agony echoed all around town.r

Ornamont gritted her teeth and looked past it all as if not caring for the damage. What she saw made her take a deep breath, realign her broken bones and tense her muscles as she heaved her shield.r

'Duty before sentiment...' she thought as she rushed ahead.r

In the distance, past the carnage, a barely visible blotch could be seen... a blotch too familiar for Ornamont to even bother guessing.r

It was Genhuis City, far, far...away.r

***r

Two minutes ago.r

Ruhrees walked through the streets full of crowded people going about their business close to the entrance to Genhuis, some curiously gazing at the large group of people who had been hurried pushed into the city and quarantined near its wall.r

"What's going on? Did all those bastards just get free passes into the city without any screening?!"r

"Relax you idiot. Or... maybe panic. Something bad is obviously happening outside. I thought I saw a few Knights rushing to the gate. They must want to keep it a secret."r

"Dammit! What do we do?!"r

Ruhrees raised brow as he heard the two civilians talking in hushed voices.r

'I guess they aren't all oblivious...' he thought.r

This served as his cue to act before the panic spread. The Capital Service obviously couldn't mask all their activity, especially if they were all mobilising towards one, painfully obvious position.r

Ruhrees came to a stop and opened his mouth to speak.r

"Everyone... Form orderly lines and retreat deeper into the city."r

The Paladin Champion's voice wasn't too loud but not too subdued either. It was just loud enough to be heard by most of the people within the vicinity.r

After Ruhrees spoke, everyone around him stopped moving and tensed, their bodies standing erect. They all then hurriedly formed multiple, slightly crooked lines and started marching away from the wall with deadpan expressions.r

The sound of thousands of feet trampling against the ground resounded through a great portion of Genhuis and those who hadn't been affected by this surprisingly unnerving effect were startled but cautiously followed along.r

The presence of Capital Knights in their midst as well as a Paladin Champion in his beautiful armour that sparkled magnificently, dazzling shimmering spots of starry light leaking from its chest plate and pauldrons as if to make him easier to spot in the commotion, put the remains of the civilians at ease.r

Surely this wasn't some enemy attack.r

But... an evacuation?r

A safe one at that, it seemed!r

Ruhrees gave nods to those that hadn't been affected by his compulsion after sensing their gazes. That one gesture gave an astounding level of relief, to no one's surprise.r

Incandescent Stage experts, above all their unique capabilities were able to compel lesser beings with speech. At their level, they gained a profound understanding of the soul, and a massive augmentation of that unseen inner self as well. As a result, they could reach others' souls with mere speech at the very least.r

Sila, the Tower General imprisoned and melded into Skullius' soul had demonstrated such expertise before in Inhone.r

Naturally, there were beings like Bek, the Stray Knight whom Skullius had met in Harifrast who could compel with speech despite not being at the Incandescent Stage. Spirit Wardens, a curious and out of place existence born during the Ashing of Time... but that was a separate matter.r

Ruhrees frowned as he sensed a massive spike in energy coming from the mansions designated for the visiting Families. A massive ball of orange light rested on one of the mansions, bringing with its descent a mildly blinding radiance that hid its actual outline.r

Following the controlled fall of this massive sphere, the mansion exploded violently.r

Ruhrees turned away. He couldn't afford to worry about Gillewart.r

"You said a city guardian is nothing if not the first line of defence, right?" he murmured to himself with a smirk.r

Gillewart had indeed said that when Ruhrees had first come to Genhuis.r

Though given the current situation...r

Ruhrees chuckled as he made his way forward, making sure that no one was left within the cluster of buildings – stores, inns, brothels, administration headquarters for various groups.r

After making sure that everyone was accounted for, the Paladin Champion was about to leap over the wall so that he could ascertain if the flurry of attacks he had seen and heard moments ago had done justice to the threat when...r

The wall suddenly shattered as a speeding figure obliterated it from the top and streaked through the air like lightning, covering the vast stretch that was Genhuis City in an instant while remaining airborne!r

The wall on the other side was smashed apart as well, this flying figure whom Ruhrees had recognised to be Ornamont, keeping most her treacherous momentum in this unguided flight!r

Ruhrees' face hardened but he didn't pay the Shield Master any more fleeting glances. Not that he could do so again anyway.r

His eyes darted forward.r

Whatever was out there...r

Whatever had just sent an accomplished Incandescent Stage expert flying off like a ragdoll... was charging towards the wall.r

Ruhrees leapt back a great distance and just when he landed on his feet, a massive chunk of the sturdy wall was blown to bits, making way for a figure that was more than two meters tall, half its face looking like it had been eaten through by an otherworldly rot... not that it had been appealing before.r

Its blue, bark-like skin flexed as it skipped across the ground from its charge, its calm, luminous sockets looking around the empty portion of the city... before zooming in on Ruhrees.r

The Paladin Champion's eye twitched.r

'Strange... I can tell that it's monstrously powerful but... I can't actually feel any form of energy coming from its body..."r

The silver armoured man cautiously examined the opponent and the Knights on the wall.r

The fact that they ignored this particular creature's intrusion into the city after seeing that he was here to fend against it, told of the fact that they weren't faring well against the other five enemies.r

Ruhrees promptly took action.r

First...r

His body brimmed with an archaic, golden light that carried a sacred, blameless feel to it... with a touch of overbearingness that sought to overwhelm without violence. For the onlookers not compelled by Ruhrees' voice, it was like staring at a calm, never ending ocean.r

It was magnificent.r

The Paladin Champion looked up at the sky and raised his left hand above his head. He then brought his right hand close to it and slowly made a pulling gesture.r

A sharp, swelling beam of silvery white emerged bit by bit between Ruhrees' left and right hand. It grew as he continued to draw with his right, as if pulling the string to an invisible bow.r

By the time his right hand reached his chest, a steady arrow as thick as his thumb with a sharp head that resembled a solid golden triangle with a striking golden gradient pointed to the sky. Immediately after it stabilised, Ruhrees released it.r

'Beacon of Ardour.'r

The arrow soared and quickly touched the cover of clouds above. As it did, its blinking figure shattered, producing a wide, circular ring of silver light that surged, shook and shot down a glaring pillar of resplendent light with a milky white glow onto the city.r

Before anyone knew it, everything was painted in a luminous white, with hints of a rainbow here and there over the city. Streaks of colourful, erect lens flares gushed from the city walls, as if it couldn't take any more of the fierce might and had to let some out.r

Ruhrees stood amidst the gorgeous scenery undaunted.r

Now he felt confident enough to face the enemy head on.r

With this cover of light, he could go wild and fight unrestrained without worrying about damage.r

There wouldn't be any, now that he had used one his arrows, the Beacon of Ardour which enveloped everything in a protective light so potent that it could resist the crushing might of a falling moon!r

As a Paladin Champion, the third ranked among twelve, Ruhrees had a Divine blessing.r

It was called the Primordial Twilight Beacons.r

Ruhrees could produce five arrows of light... Beacons, each with distinct and tremendously powerful effects, some of which the Paladin Champion was reluctant to use.r

He could only use one at a time with a brief cooldown in-between, said cooldown usually being where he incorporated other facets of his powers in high level fights.r

For this occasion though, he would trust his Divine Blessing first.r

Unlike mercenaries, combatants from Families and Houses... Paladin Champions predominantly relied on their blessing after all.r

Not that it was a bad thing, especially for Ruhrees whose blessing had much in the way of variety.r

The blue, unsightly enemy a distance from him nonchalantly looked on, unfazed by its glowing surroundings – the radiance did not envelop it – took a step forward and then charged.r

Ruhrees brought his hands forward and drew with his right hand, a bluish golden arrow shimmering within the grasp of his fingers.r

"Beacon of Extirpation."r

As Ruhrees uttered its name, the overbearing storm of light blasted towards the blue creature in less than an instant.r

However, before it smashed into the enemy, it shook vibrantly and lost its lustre, which prompted a strange reaction from the blue Null beast.r

No.r

That wasn't it!r

The arrow of devastating blue and gold light did not just turn dim. It shrunk!r

It became so small that it was nigh impossible to see even for an Incandescent Stage expert and for its target who momentary lost sight of it, that turned out to be...r

Devastating.r

With a deafening crash akin to two worlds colliding, and the mercy of a golden blue hue painting the already light-burdened surroundings, the blue Null creature was send flying by something it didn't see.r

It hurtled far and fast but not fast enough for Ruhrees to fail in catching up to it in the air moments later, his figure that was bathed in a starry glow of Perfect Aura – which any Incandescent Stage expert could use – flashing above the soaring enemy to deliver what would have been a definitive killing blow to any opponent as strong as or weaker than Ruhrees!r

But that was just it...r

The mad straight punch that sent the blue enemy streaking vertically towards the city, plummeting unto buildings protected by a divine radiance... did nothing.r

Ruhrees frowned as he saw his enemy lying on bright dirt unfazed.r

'Tsk.'r

In the distance, a man with pale skin and white hair tied into a ponytail smirked condescendingly. He watched the whole thing and couldn't help but snort.r

"Idline... none of it will work on that thing..." he said to the woman standing by his side among the crowds of glowing human beings, some still under Ruhrees compulsion and conscious enough to appreciate what was going on.r

"What will you do?" Idline asked.r

"I'll handle it..." Aurolio replied, his smirk growing more skewed and twisted.r

"... then I'll have a little chat with that young man."r