The ambush attack of Aron instantly killed all the forces of Destiny.
Next to him, Lea and Martha stood by, along with a tall lizardman.
"...Aron Steele. His wife, Martha Steele. And you must be the Grendelor. Lea Olethros. Princess of the Netherlands." Nightwing identified each one of them.
"So this is why Fate led me here... So you guys would save me... At least I know my Fate Challenger isn't all that going." Nightwing sighed.
"Well, actually, it's a mess. There were many moments when the path was open. I mean, Foresight can't show it to you, but you should have been smart enough to dive in." Aron answered.
"That's right! Kyros! I mean, Nightwing... There were many moments when logic would tell you that this was the right thing to do. But I have a feeling you were solely relying on Foresight when you were fighting. That was... well, foolish. Why were you not thinking on your own?" Martha asked.
"I mean... I can act foolishly, but you? The standards for you are up in the heavens, Nightwing." Aron laughed.
"Don't blame him for that. Don't underestimate the curse that is Folly. In my perspective, I can see that this is a terrifying curse! I must say, Nightwing, the curses you carry are truly dangerous! For Kyros, navigating through that battle would have been a walk in the park. And I have heard that you are as smart as him. But that was very messy. You couldn't think properly, can't you? You fell into desperation and without Wisdom, you clung to Foresight."
Nightwing fell silent as Lea pointed out what had happened.
"Oh? Why are you sulking? I was actually praising you! I am saying that such curses would have led me to a team wipeout. As you were fighting, I could feel the target of Destiny focusing on you."
"In any case, your plan worked. Many champions of Destiny have fallen. When I killed them, I felt Destiny's anger." Aron chuckled.
"Yes. Nightwing, You truly did well. I would have died in your place. You even managed to save your true allies! Although, I am curious why these two and their followers are still alive. They reek of Destiny." Lea answered.
"It's because they are a unique type of people called Destiny." A voice spoke as Kyros appeared from a pool of blood.
Nightwing had been drawing in the blood of those that died, but Kyros used it to create a blood clone.
"Kyros! It's been a long time!" Aron laughed and hugged him.
"Master Kyros. I'm glad that you still have Wisdom."
"Husband." Lea made a daring smile and approached Kyros to embrace him.
But suddenly, a strange force appeared between the two.
Lea turned to Martha.
"What gives? Aren't you already married! And this is your nephew!" Lea frowned.
"It... it wasn't me! The power surged out from me but...!"
"It's Mechiel and Scarlet. Mechiel through the Charmed Fallen, and Scarlet through the Coven." Kyros answered.
"Let's not tease them now, Lea. We still have a lot to resolve."
The rest of Nightwing's team was confused at how these people addressed him.
"You!" Nightwing cursed, but he was too weak to stand. He glanced at Kyros who made him walk through the bloody battlefield.
"Don't blame me in your Folly, Nightwing. If you died, I would have also died. I trusted you to be capable of navigating through that labyrinth of death."
"And so... you tricked me to do your dirty laundry!"
"...Dirty laundry? Don't you mean 'dirty work?'" Kyros chuckled.
"...RAAAAA!" Nightwing was too enraged and weakened that he felt his mind whirling in confusion.
"Lord... Nightwing? What is this?" Ikarod was confused.
"No need to hide things from them, Nightwing. I've been trying to figure out their specific state. They should have a condition in Destiny that is similar to Breveros. I believe what you have long figured out but never voiced to Breveros what he is."
"The Eldrich are Dark Dependents... Obviously Breveros is a meal prepared by Destiny to strengthen Bolerax. I know and Breveros must have sensed this as well." Nightwing continued.
"Yes. A person with a specific bloodline whose purpose is to be food that the main power will soon devour. This is also why Ikarod and Grandanite and their sons or allies live. They are mere food. Destiny will try to spare them, as you just saw earlier. They sided with you, but they were not killed."
"What are you talking about?" Grandanite booming voice echoed.
"Angelian. Won't you be so kind as to explain these to them? The faster they learn their destiny, the better."
"Don't you dare talk to her!" Nightwing raged.
"Huh. You really do like your girls... It's a good thing we're a trinity, then. This means we can really live separately. Right now, I'm just a clone, but it's nothing a little True Cut can't solve."
"You would kill me if we separated!"
"Now that's just Folly talking. Angelian, if you will." Kyros raised his hand and used a powerful healing spell.
Angelian recovered and could stand.
She glared at Kyros angrily for what he had done to Nightwing.
"You really are beautiful." Kyros smiled back.
Angelian felt her heart quiver at Kyros's words. A strange power affected her, but she quickly rejected it.
"You dare!" Nightwing was so angry that he stood up and weakly walked toward Kyros.
"Relax. I'm only doing that to frustrate Mechiel."
"Then go to your bride! Don't you dare touch what is mine!"
"Is that Greed? You need to strengthen your will, Nightwing. And you don't get it, do you? Now that there are two of us if the Charmed Fallen's soul fuses with Mechiel, she is more likely to charm the both of us. It is better for all our women to go after the two of us. The Charmed Fallen won't let go of either of us. And if we want to win, you to have whoever you want, and me to have Mechiel, then we need to split her targets and threats." Kyros explained.
Nightwing fell silent as his expression changed.
"I am... still not out of her paws?"
"You're the weaker one. She'll target you for sure."
"And I'm assuming you have a cure for this?"
"Yes. The next part is prepared specifically for you. You survived that terrible tribulation, and all that curses, but more terrors would come. And there is the Charmed Fallen. In this situation where plans and schemes will fail you, you can only rely on brute power. Everyone... I'll need your help. We will be massacring several of the Kingdoms of the Midlands. Kingdoms who will enact grave sins in the future."
"These are the kingdoms that are destined to be traitors, right?" Lea recalled the tale that her sister told her in the Unrecorded Pages. Midlands were given their freedom and autonomy and even waged war against the Highlands on occasions. But the biggest taboo that any Midland Kingdom would commit was to side with the Netherlands in times of war. In Rachel Olethros's tales, the Eldrich had become the rulers, and both Necron and her served them for a time. She saw how Midland Kingdoms betrayed the Highlands.
"Yes. These are the kingdoms that will ally with the Eldrich. No doubt, even now, they are trembling because of the meteors. The destruction of the barrier would make them weak. So while the armies are out fighting, we kill the entire kingdom and devote everything to destruction. In this, Nightwing has to grow stronger! But since he will lose, we will be the blade to aid him in getting stronger. One way to surpass Destiny is to quickly get stronger to the point that he's preparations cannot keep up."
"You want to offer... an entire Midland kingdom's populace to Nightwing?" Aron asked again.
"The Era of Middle Approaches. Gods and Fallen are rushing here. The battlefield will be the Planesworld, and that place called Middle will soon reveal its secrets. We have to be as strong as Cherubims if we want to survive battling against Gods and Fallen. I can already see the battle that Demerus and Daradiel have. They are doing their part. Destiny expects us to go there and help them. But no. We have to do something that he won't expect."
"And massacring an entire kingdom's populace, which Destiny believes to be outside of our moral limitations, is the answer..." Martha couldn't help but speak.
"Wait! This is insane!" Krysta shouted.
"The Highlands will never agree to this!"
"...The Highlands have, daughter," Killian answered and pointed up.
"They allowed the meteors to fall. I was once invited to the Highlands in the era when I was alive. I saw its defenses. The Highlands did very little to defend. They have been following Kyros's or... princess Listrel's suggestion. I believe that if Kyros does this, they will not blame Kyros. They will only grit their teeth and turn away." Killian answered.
"I don't know why you, Light Grown, feel disgusted by this. My father already ordered Alucan Fangsworn to eat to his heart's content." Lea shrugged.
"So let's go. We don't have any time left. We attack the closest traitor kingdoms. The kingdom of Azafego."
"With just us?" Monica was stunned.
"The Emberdons are here. And so is my father. They will help us. Don't worry. This is easy. Nightwing, do you know how to do it? The Blood Calamity spell?"
"...Yes. Let's do this." Nightwing's mouth became parch as the thirst of tasting such blood enticed him.
Updated from fr𝒆ewebnov𝒆l.(c)om