Chapter 263: Rekindled Heart
"And that, Juntar...Was a good plan."
White replied, continuing,
"But I’ve noticed something new."
"The Barbarians’ hearts work like machines, activating for a time and vastly boosting their physical might, before slowing down to rejuvenate, at which point they become weaker and slower, like an average human."
Hearing that made Juntar’s eyes widen.
"And right now, those of them who survive the arrows will slow down just fifty meters away from the walls."
"If we wait after that, they’ll bombard the walls, nail away at the archers, and when they force through the doors, the morale of the army which is already at low we fall."
"The last thing we want is our army turning their backs and fleeing when the enemy arrives."
"Besides, the Hellwraths expect us to cower in fear, but we’ll face them head-on, at the exact time when they’re at their weakest."
He said to him, and Juntar nodded before ordering:
"THE GATES WILL BE OPENED NOW!"
"PREPARE TO ENGAGE, AND STICK TO THE COMMAND OF THE BATTLE CAPTAIN IN YOUR MIDST!"
He shouted out to them as many began climbing onto their horses, helmets being worn and spears being gripped tighter.
White stepped down from the walls, branching toward a room where men were waiting.
They held armor pieces, and as White stepped forward, spreading out his arms, it was quickly fastened onto him.
This time, the armor wasn’t golden, but a deep crimson color.
It was his original golden armor, melted down and reforged with the most powerful minerals in the kingdom.
He finished wearing it before stepping forward and picking up the helmet, just as another blacksmith stepped forward and pulled the cover off.
There, lying in what seemed like a coffin, was an equally crimson spear nearly two meters long.
There were no runes carved upon its surface, nor any sign of essence power, yet merely looking at it invoked a feeling that could not be explained.
"It’s the oldest artifact of our Kingdom and belonged to the first Commander of the Igasus Kingdom."
"Igasus Zeloras, a true warrior unrivalled in battle."
The blacksmith at the side said, as White’s hand reached down and picked up the spear from the box.
VROOOOOM!
VROOOOOM!
VROOOOOM!
The air screamed thrice, but White knew he had spun not three times, but six instead, and he looked beneath his feet, noticing a gash on the ground so smooth it had made no sound at all.
The sight of it made a wild grin appear on his face.
The weapon wasn’t just light despite being so tall, it was incredibly sharp too, able to slice open the ground without even touching it.
"Tell me,"
White called to the old blacksmith as the spear found its way onto his back.
"How did he die? Igasus Zeloras."
White asked, and the blacksmith paused, wondering why such a question but still replied solemnly,
"He fought one last battle centuries ago when the Uiron Kingdom tried to take over Igasus Territory."
"The records say we won the war, but... he was never found. Only his weapon, buried upright in the ground."
He said, and White hummed deeply before stepping out of the room.
Looking down beneath him, he jumped off, landing right on the ground within the army.
He faintly looked around him, and many of the eyes that looked back were filled with fear, apprehension, caution, and even faint horror in some cases.
He could even notice some soldiers moving their horses farther back from the gate, knocking into the horses behind them.
Perhaps it would’ve been time for him to try and appease their fears by delivering a war speech of some sort, but White did none of that.
He simply walked to his own horse, grabbed the reins, and mounted it before riding forward out of the army and stopping right before the gate.
Raising his head slightly toward the guard above, he gave a simple command.
"Open the Gate."
GRUUUUUUUUUUM!
The large gates began to open, and before they were even halfway to fully opening,
"Hyyaaaaaah!"
A shout rang out as the horse galloped forward toward the approaching savages, the spear by his side casting fading crimson light onto the army behind him.
He had simply chosen to go first, charging fearlessly toward the approaching army.
"Hyyyyaaaa!"
A louder shout followed as a black horse shot after White, none other than Juntar, who snapped his double axe from the harness on his back, his grip tightening around them as he raced forward as well.
There was no order for them to follow, but there was never any need for such.
"Hyyaaaah!"
"Hyyaaaaah!"
"Hyyaaaah!"
"Hyyaaaaah!"
Shouts filled the air, unknown courage filling the hearts of every single Igasus warrior and, fearlessly and mindlessly, they began to charge forward toward the approaching army.
Not a single soul remained behind, the army that had been stepping back in quiet fear of the enemy all of a sudden becoming locked in a race to see who would reach the enemy first.
__________
It was a lost feeling to White.
For one who had known chaos all his life, great power was a necessity beyond even food itself.
But what happens when he gains seemingly too much of that power and nothing seemed like a worthy challenge anymore?
What happened when he knew there was no battle he would fight in which he could possibly die?
Even if he was defeated, he knew very well that nothing could stop him from simply running away.
In a way, his strength birthed invincibility, but at the same time took away from him a feeling that had defined his life all along:
The hanging fear of Possible Death!
But now, he faced it again.
A swarm of beings far taller than him, stronger than him, more savage and brutal looking than him, running toward him with one and only one intent:
To devour him and deal him the most violent of deaths.
And what’s even better?
His strength had been taken away, leaving him weak, and death seemed beyond certain.
Nothing...Absolutely nothing could explain this feeling of exhilaration he had within him at this exact moment, except for a wide grin that tore across his face, his luminous blue eyes rapidly changing into a deeper shade of crimson and dark.
"Hehehehehe!"
