Chapter 882 Acquisition (22)
In another location in Larkring, Achim's group entered his father's mansion and was met with complete resistance.
True to Ravan's righteous character, he did not tolerate Achim and Kesiah's actions and treated them like one would a traitor. He sent out his forces and engaged Achim's group in a fierce battle.
Although Ravan's forces did not emit any killing intent, they still fought Achim's group with the intent to wound them fatally.
Ravan's forces would have succeeded, if not for Kyran ensuring Achim's and the rest were properly equipped.
Before they left the temporary campsite, Kyran enhanced everyone's armor and robes. He also left a protective mark on his Servants, and the first two hundred or so knights and officers. As for the rest, he did not leave a mark just because he had yet to confirm their allegiance. They followed Achim and Kesiah's orders without questions, but that did not mean they did not harbor any ill intentions, especially to him.
Besides, when Kyran appeared before them, he sensed several hostile auras among the Armakeans and that continued even when he was idling at the cliffside while talking with Cyneah. This should not have been the case since Achim and Kesiah already told them about Kyran's importance, especially among the Eidums.
In any case, Achim's group consisted of knights and officers who swore allegiance to Kyran from the start of the conquest. Thus, they also received his protective mark. Those knights and officers who did not receive the mark were split into Noir's group and Malek's.
These Armakeans might not have Kyran's protective mark, but their armor still received enhancements, which greatly improved their magical and physical defenses. Even if they encountered a group of powerful enemies, they would have enough strength to fight and resist.
The battle between Achim's forces and Ravan's was in a stalemate— with neither side at an advantage or disadvantage. Therefore, Ravan decided to come out and confront his son personally.
Ravan's decision was greatly influenced by the observation he had of Achim and his people's relationship.
The knights his son commanded should not have the power to resist the King's pact. Yet, they were here and fighting alongside him. This made Ravan wonder how his son managed to remove the knights' pact when Aran had already rescinded the veto of authority he granted the heir candidates.
It was one thing for the low-ranked officers to follow Achim, but for the knights to do the same was unprecedented.
Ravan wanted to confront his son and understand how the latter and Kesiah ended up working together when both could not even stand to be in the same room, breathing the same air a month ago. Moreover, Ravan knew Achim well. Achim would not betray Aran and join hands with Kesiah. He was far too ambitious and wanted the throne for himself. He would never work with Kesiah, who had the potential to surpass him.
"Prince Achim, Grand Duke Ravan has finally appeared," one of the knights standing near Achim reported as soon as he saw Lord Ravan walking toward the mansion's courtyard.
The tension between Achim's and Ravan's forces went up as Ravan approached.
Soon, Ravan's forces stopped attacking and started retreating.
Achim also sent out a telepathic message, ordering his people to not pursue and to fall back. After which, he walked forward as if wanting to greet his father.
Finally, Ravan stopped twenty meters away from Achim.
Achim also stopped walking and looked at his father with resolute eyes.
Silence followed, but was broken almost in an instant from Ravan's unexpected remark.
"You are not my son," he said, looking at Achim with furrowed brows.
Achim almost choked in surprise. He did not expect Ravan to notice his sudden change. Still, Achim managed to stay calm and hide his trepidation.
"If you are, you would not have agreed to join hands with Kesiah," Ravan continued while observing Achim's reaction.
Achim closed his eyes to avoid making eye contact with Ravan. Doing this also helped him contemplate his response.
"I had a change of heart," he said. "Is that really hard to believe?"
"Yes. Because it is you."
"Your words are piercingly cruel, Father," Achim said with a wry smile.
Ravan narrowed his eyes, "I simply know you, son."
"Would you have acted differently if Kesiah was the one standing before you now?"
"No," Ravan replied curtly. "Both of you are rebels and I gave my word to Aran not to interfere. For this reason, coming here is a waste of time. I have already sent word to the castle that you are here."
Achim shook his head, "Sending word there does not make any difference, at the moment."
Ravan's eyes narrowed. Others might find Achim's words uninformative, but in truth, they conveyed crucial information.
From Achim's words, he hinted something was happening in the castle at this very moment.
Ravan's mansion was in Larkring. but it was located at the borders. He could not hear the commotion happening in the castle and military district because these two were located in the northeast corner of the capital, at the far end of the mansion.
"What have you done?" Ravan asked, not bothering to hide his contempt. He might not like how Aran does things, but he was still the King of Armakea. Ravan, as one of his subjects, swore allegiance to him, and would naturally be on his side. When internal strife occurs, he would not tolerate those who would incite discord that could end up endangering innocent Armakeans.
If Achim and Kesiah did harm any of the civilians, as the Grand Duke and their father, it was Ravan's duty to punish them.
Instead of answering Ravan's question, Achim replied with a question of his own.
"Father, are you aware of the bigger picture of what is happening in Somuli?"
Ravan was caught off guard form Achim's question. Soon after, his expression turned grim.
Although Ravan did not give any concrete answer, his reaction and even lack of response were enough for Achim to guess his father was aware of the situation in Somuli.
"I am not here to convince you to rebel against Uncle, Father. I only wish you would not interfere."
Ravan frowned, not fully understanding what Achim meant.
"What we're doing is not the kind of rebellion you might think. Moreover, Kesiah and I are not the ones leading this campaign..."
*
Kesiah and Gaham barely kept their distance from the pursuit of the Legendary-level Knights. If not for the constant disturbance that Gael's Shadow MInions provided, they would have long lost a limb or two from those knights' unpredictable attacks.
'We're only a hundred meters away from that place,' Kesiah told Gaham.
Gaham did not respond, but his eyes narrowed as cold sweat trickled down his back. There were only a few meters left to their destination, and from the speed they were traversing, it would only take them five minutes to get there.
However, that five minutes that used to be not that long seemed to stretch on forever. Not only that, even the road they were traversing seemed longer than before.
That was the pressure those Legendary-level Knights posed on Gaham.
How Kesiah could remain indifferent from the pressure, or even the presence of death behind them, was beyond Gaham's understanding. Nevertheless, he was in awe of her will.
Just as Gaham was thinking this, a blazing trail of fire blasted at him from behind. He barely changed direction and avoided the flames before continuing forward.
.cοm Kesiah was not within the range of those flames, but instead, several blade-like winds cut through the air and sped toward her. The trees around her were shredded in the blink of an eye and she would have also suffered if she did not summon her Divine Armament and wrapped herself with red armor.
"Princess!" Gaham caught his breath when he witnessed those blade-like winds shred everything in their path.
"Don't worry about me and focus!" Kesiah yelled without looking at him.
Gaham gritted his teeth and nodded. His defensive ability was not enough to shield Kesiah from a Legendary-level Knight's attack. But with their level and speed, they could at least maintain their lead for another couple of minutes.
A couple of minutes...
Gaham broke out in cold sweat once more.
There were still four minutes before they reached their destination. Hopefully, those shadow minions could provide enough breathing space for them to maintain their lead.
Why did they have to prepare that trap so far from the enemy's campsite, anyway?
Although Gaham was complaining, he knew the answer was simple. If they prepared that trap near the campsite, the enemy patrols might find it. Besides, they had to lure these knights so Gael could complete his task— whatever that might be.
"Gaham!"
Kesiah's shout brought Gaham out of his reverie. At the same time, a shadow flashed past his side, shoving him to the side and barely saving him from a barrage of arrows directed at him.
"Don't get distracted Gaham!"
"My apologies."
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