Chapter 513: An Understanding
The building was in ruins as normal humans ran from the scene. Even the chosen who had stuck close to Annie as their fear of her was still currently larger than their fear of death were keeping their distance as Laz clashed with Neferia.
Warden McKnight was the first to actually speak up.
"What do we do?" She asked to no one in particular since even Annie seemed to be at a loss.
"Reinforcements are on their way but the corpse solders that are available are few in number," Millie said, looking at a tablet while they fought.
"Call them off and get more chosen," Annie ordered after a minute, still looking on intently.
"Madam? The corpse solders are our best weapon to get in close to those two. Without them we would be..."
SLAP!
Annie smacked Millie across the face and send her to her knees. She looked up with defiance at first, but Annie’s glare was enough to make her drop her head low, having temporarily forgotten who it was that she was disagreeing with.
"Your subordinate doesn’t know her place warden. It seems that I didn’t train you about how to keep them in line. Perhaps a few more personal lessons from me will drill the information into your body?" Annie said, glaring at McKnight.
"No need mam. My subordinate has a loose tongue, but I guarantee it has it uses," Warden McKnight said before slapping Millie again. She then leaned down and stuck her hand under her chin, lifting it slightly to that Millie had no choice but to look into her eyes.
"You should serve the lady herself later and let her know why it is I keep you around!" McKnight said in a voice that conveyed this was an order and not a suggestion.
"W... what... whatever you say mam," Millie responded, her body turning pale. She knew what happened to those who had served Annie in the past and even if they survived, they were only left as mere husks of their former selves.
Millie found that her regret went to her bones, but she had brought it on herself and couldn’t even risk asking for forgiveness.
"MAM!" One of the guards ran over and bent low to the knee to Annie. Normally this would have only been to Warden McKnight, but everyone here knew who was in charge right now.
As for the one speaking, it was a guard from the men’s side of the prison.
"What?" Annie said, watching Laz punch the god through a wall before she came back and bashed him into the ground, creating another loud boom that shook the ground.
"The prisoners... all of them... are escaping..." The man said, trying his best to control his fear.
"That’s to be expected, isn’t it? Just announce they should remain around until this had been resolved and report for relocation tomorrow.... or don’t. I said a while ago we should just kill everyone one of them that we see, but that bastard had too many needs for them to waste the resources and just kill them off. Doesn’t work well when they are already dead... Whatever. Spread the announcement and let them know they had 24 hours to return or they are forfeiting their lives," Annie replied before waving the man off.
"Um... mam... they... seem to have been freed from their collars. Right now their power is coming back to them as they are escaping. There was even several buses waiting for them at the side entrance.... This was planned."
Just then, Laz came flying by before hitting one of the few remaining steel enforced, concrete walls near where they had taken shelter with Neferia hot on his heels.
"YOU BASTARD!" Annie yelled as she charged for Laz, not caring about the death god who was already closing in.
Wind blades came flying at Laz’s head and body as he stood, but he simply glared at Annie with his golden eyes and laughed, letting the blades hit him as though he didn’t care. They barely made a ripple in his fire armor.
Laz then raised his hand and lowered it, like he was pushing down on something large that only he could see. Annie, Warden McKnight and the other chosen and humans who had been gathered around suddenly dropped to their knees as though a massive weight had suddenly fallen on them.
They could barely move but Annie lifted her head enough to glare at Laz.
"I like those eyes. I’m guessing you just figured out that the prisoners all escaped? Well, yes. I did that. See, at first, I wasn’t going to do much other than to figure out what you were doing here. What the purpose of this place was? But the more I found out and even seeing that lab you had in the basement? I was more than just a little pissed."
Laz bent down and grabbed her face in his hand, the pressure still holding her to the ground.
"I know the truth. About our lines, about our blood. And I know the truth about yours. But all that matters little. You have turned the world against us, but soon others will know as well. More of us will wake up, just like more of you will wake up. This war your waging won’t end with someone winning, it will just end with the world burning. I might not be able to change that, but I won’t sit back either." Laz pointed a finger at Annie’s forehead and pressed against it.
"You might want to figure out what the hell is going on up here as it seems like everyone of you I meet has something really wrong happening upstairs. But for now I have a god to try to stop. So why don’t you be a good little bitch and keep the people safe from the things she is dragging out of the ground, like we agreed."
Neferia had stopped charging over when Annie made a lunge at Laz and instead folded her hands together before bringing one up and one down, mimicking a scale. Suddenly, the grounds around her began to collapse as hundreds of skeletons began to rise, ones that had been buried in the rubble and others that were fresh from the earth. This time, they weren’t even just human shaped ones, but some of many different sizes that looked like large cats and dogs and even several that were the size of houses that could have been elephants had they been covered with flesh.
"This battle is far from over. So are you going to help? Or are you going to run you loose legged cum dumpster?" Laz felt something come over him during this battle. The flames inside burned bright while the lands he had built surged with a powerful energy, showcasing the strength of a lord that hadn’t been seen in many thousands of years. Once that energy surged within his blood, he felt like his entire body was burning with so much energy, even his perception was effected. Having come into close contact with Annie after all these years... he felt like he could see through her and automatically knew what to do.
"No one has ever treated me this way before you disgusting shit stain of a man.... but for some reason... I... want... to please you...." The words almost seemed like they were forced out of her mouth, but not by her own will as it was clear she was trying to not say it.
"I have people coming. They will help with this. But if you or your people try anything, I will burn them all to ash. Every last one of them. Are we clear, whore?"
"The... truce... will last... until.... we... go our.... own ways...."
"Good. Get to work," Laz said, turning back to face Neferia.
"Where were we? Oh right. You just punched me..." Laz said, striding forward as though he wasn’t walking into a field of undead horrors. Besides just the bone monsters she had summoned, Laz noticed these ethereal beings floating around as well, creatures whose faces were covered by darkness. Behind them were scores of other almost invisible beings, but their faces weren’t covered and instead, looked like ghastly, pale humans with drooping faces and lifeless, vapor like eyes.
Even the, Laz didn’t stop moving until he was again standing just a few feet from Neferia. She looked back at him with a slight smile, one of intrigue and enjoyment.
"I know now why the Asura were so feared throughout the omniverse. Even as a lord, you can contend with me, a god. Truly a pity that you are too weak for me to serve, but so be it. Even if I can’t beat you, you can’t beat me either. And now my pets shall ravage this land while I hold you here, turning it into my city of the damned. But worry not. Once I have recovered enough from the fresh sacrifices, I shall turn you into my most prized minion, that of a flesh golem, an immortal body so that you made serve me forever."
"You are truly a piece of work. Considering the gods I have met so far... you are definitely the most unhinged... which is saying something. But you’re wrong about two things. Number one... you won’t be able to kill me," Laz said, with a smile.
"Oh? Mmm. I like a challenge. And what is the other thing I am wrong about?" Neferia said, smiling.
"I’m not alone!"
Around Laz, four shadows rose from the ground, four lords with beautiful, waist length black hair, snow white skin and deep, piercing eyes.
Each one of them was like a mirror of the other, but the powers they gave off couldn’t be more different from one another.
"We have come to serve you, master." The four sisters said, bowing on their knees.
"Come then, my four horsemen. It’s time to deliver judgement to death herself!"
