Salvos

“It is time.”

Princess Faith of the Elutra Kingdom looked up from the dressing table. Her oldest sister, Destiny, the current ruling queen after their Father’s death, waited at the doorway with a pair of servants.

Is this really happening? Faith had to wonder. Are we really going to do this?

It was ridiculous. The Inoria Empire had assassinated King Credence— they’d sent a Demon to assassinate Faith herself. Their actions were brazen. It was clear to anyone observing that this attempt at suing for peace was nothing but a facade.

Faith had tried to argue with her sister— that this was clearly a ruse to lower the barrier of the Capital city of Ertos— but it was to no avail. Regardless of whether Elutra surrendered, they’d already lost.

Queen Destiny hoped that by surrendering, there was a glimmer of chance for Inoria to uphold its promises. And even if they executed everyone in the royal family, they’d spare the citizens and the remaining soldiers.

With a sigh, Faith drew herself to her feet and faced destiny.

“Let us hope that your faith wasn’t misplaced, sister.”

“There it is.”

Daniel stared at the city in the distance, built right next to a tall mountain that overshadowed it. It was Ertos, the Capital city of Elutra. A dome-like barrier surrounded it as an army encroached on the city.

He’d rushed here when he’d heard the news. A peace conference was going to be held. An armistice of sorts— except, it would be the total and complete surrender of Elutra. It was an expected outcome of war. Total destruction wasn’t uncommon, but it wasn’t the only outcome either.

Normally, Daniel wouldn’t have raised an eyebrow when he heard such a news. The Elutra Kingdom was going to submit to the Inoria Empire. Surrender. While that sounded innocuous at first, he was aware of not just the King’s stance on Inoria, he was aware of one of the princesses as well.

King Credence saw Inoria as an evil empire— one that Elutra should never submit to. While princess Faith believed that all of Elutra was going to be sacrificed for a mass Demon summoning ritual.

Daniel didn’t believe it, but he knew that Faith truly thought of it as the case. She would never agree to such terms. Something was… wrong.

Amanda whistled, eyeing the Inorian troops.

“Well, that’s quite the gathering, huh? What kind of an idiot thinks peace is going to come from this. I mean, clearly the Inoria Empire intends for war.”

“We can’t let this go down.”

The young man from Earth started forward, without hesitation. But the assassin snorted.

“And how are we going to do that?”

She crossed her arms.

“We’re two Level 100s going up against an army of hundreds of thousand or more. There has to at least be a dozen Level 100s amongst them. Maybe even hundreds, since this is their main force. We’d be walking straight to our deaths, Daniel.”

“We just have to stop this peace conference from happening. We can’t let Ertos drop its barrier— I know what kind of a spell it is. It is a grand magic that even a thousand Diamond Ranks would take months to breach.”

It was a spell that was constantly fueled, but rarely used except in times of war. Ertos was literally drawing on centuries of stored mana.

Amanda shook her head, placing a hand on Daniel’s shoulder.

“And then what? Six months from now— or maybe even a year from now— the barrier gives in and the city falls. What’s the point? We should get out of here before we’re found out.”

Her words made sense, even if it grated on him. Normally, Daniel would be amenable to such a suggestion. That was if the stakes were lesser.

He’d always been the one to run away. To suggest to flee when a situation started to turn dour. He didn’t want to risk more than he was willing to lose. Maybe that was why he got along with Salvos so well— she took risks, he didn’t.

And yet, now, faced with an army that would trample over him without a second thought, he didn’t waver. He didn’t run away.

Daniel Song took a chance for once.

Stepping forward, he drew his blade and faced Amanda.

“I’ve run… for too long. Every time I feel like I’ve changed— every time I feel like I’ve grown and taken a step forward— I always revert back to who I once was. A coward. A fool. A loser.”

He tightly gripped the hilt of his sword, arms trembling as he spoke. He was nervous. Of course he was. Anyone, when faced with an army, would feel fear. But to him, that didn’t matter. Not anymore.

“I’m not going to run again. Not this.”

He spun around and made his way to the city. Amanda, however, didn’t budge. She planted her foot on the ground and spoke with finality in her voice.

“Well, you can go ahead and do that. I’m not going to get myself killed because you’re stupid enough to think you can actually make a difference.”

Daniel paused. He glanced back at her fractionally, shaking his head.

“Fine. You can stay here or run away if you want. But I won’t. Even if I have to face them all alone, I’ll do this. Because it’s what’s right.”

With a deep breath, he turned back to face the Inorian army.

“Because I’m a [Hero].”

Amanda just stared at him as he finished his speech. She bit her lower lip, her gaze shadowing over. Her mouth opened, and—

A voice interrupted her.

“Look, he actually went and said it.”

Daniel’s eyes flickered and his gaze snapped up. Amanda whirled around, tensing, already with her daggers drawn. A pair of winged creatures floated just beneath the clouds smearing the afternoon sky. No— not creatures. They were Demons.

“Hey— Vide, this wasn’t part of Simag’s plan.”

“Sorry, Occis. I can’t resist. They’re just standing there like a bunch of idiots. Simag’s plan will take too long. Why can’t we just kill them now?”

One of them— the first one to speak— looked like a man. He had blue skin and a hunched back, along with a curved tail that morphed into a needle at the end. His voice was familiar. Very familiar. And so was the other Demon’s voice.

Except, Daniel didn’t have trouble placing hers. He knew who it was in an instant. Even if she wore red skin and had a pair of wings— even if she had curved horns jutting out of her head. It was the same difference between seeing Salvos in her [Mortal Form] after she’d been an [Imp] for months. There was an uncanny resemblance that was quite obvious at first glance. That Demon was—

“Cindy.”

He growled, and Amanda blinked.

“That’s Cindy? Wait, that makes no sense. She’s supposed to be a little girl. Not… whatever that is.”

“They’re [Changelings].”

Daniel explained quickly, raising his blade.

“She was only pretending to be an [Informant]. She tricked us— led us here into a trap.”

“Oh, don’t be so full of yourself, Mr [Hero].”

Cindy— no, Occis laughed.

“I didn’t mean to trick you. I was just doing my job when you showed up and presented a perfect opportunity for me. Don’t worry, I’ll be merciful and give you a quick and painless death.”

[Changeling - Lvl. 115]

“Whatever happened to following Simag’s plan?”

The other [Changeling], Vide, spoke up. Electricity crackled around his body as a sneer spread across his crooked lips.

[Changeling - Lvl. 113]

“It’s fine. Look, we’ll just say we were careless and the [Hero] caught sight of us. Not like it matters much, anyway. Look— the fun’s about to start.”

What are they talking about? Daniel narrowed his eyes. Then he felt it. Like the release of an immense amount of mana. As if a powerful spell had been cast. Even if he wasn’t a [Mage], he could feel it when uncontrolled magic was cast.

And it was uncontrolled. The magic that kept up the barrier around Ertos was created by a [Mage] far above the level of those who were utilizing it today. They lowered the barrier, and Daniel felt the ripples of its magic falling.

His eyes grew wide as he faced the Capital city of Elutra. The last city that still stood, belonging to the Elutra Kingdom. Its only protection— the only thing keeping the Inoria Empire at bay— collapsed.

He was too late.

“No…”

“You really shouldn’t drop your guard around enemies, you know?”

The young man blinked, and Amanda shouted.

“Daniel—”

Occis appeared right next to him, slicing for his head. Amanda barely intercepted the strike in time. She parried her attack with a dagger— and the weapon was knocked out of her hand. Sent flying into a tree.

“Oh, the little assassin has chosen her side. And I was planning on letting her go because she was speaking some sense.”

“You fucking moron.”

Amanda cursed, producing her signature double-bladed.

“We’re both going to die now because of you.”

“On the contrary…”

Occis smiled as she opened her mouth. The world went entirely, and Daniel tensed. The only thing he could hear was the Demon girl’s voice. Followed by a piercing screech.

“I’m the reason you’re both going to die. [Song of Destruction].”

Faith watched as the procession from Inoria slowly made their way through the gates. This was a mistake. Even if those fancily dressed nobles looked like they were here for a party— even if they only brought a handful of guards with them— Faith knew not to be deceived by them.

A phantom pain echoed in her right arm. Or at least, what was left of it. A Demon assassin— a [Changeling]— had come for her life. She lost everything past her right elbow from that encounter. It had been a terrible night for her.

Any one of these noblemen could be Demons, she thought. She turned to a man standing guard next to her. Garland Monsterthorne. Captain of the Pegasus Knights of Elutra.

“Why are you here?”

She asked, voice low.

“The queen has ordered me to ensure your safety. I am here to protect you with my life.”

He answered, bowing dutifully.

“What about my brothers and sisters? What about Bel?”

Bel. Her youngest, sickly brother. If anyone deserved to survive this encounter, it would be him. Garland shook his head.

“I’ve instructed my men to transport him out of the city as soon as any fighting begins. He will not be present at the conference. As for your other brothers and sisters, they have been assigned their own bodyguards.”

“That’s good.”

Faith sighed in relief. She placed her left hand in her chest, feeling the hammering of her heart. Truth be told, she didn’t want to die. She wanted to live. More than anything.

But this was their best chance of protecting their citizens. Faith hadn’t been the best princess to her country. In fact, it could be argued she was not even a good princess. That she was too focused on her own gain.

It was her greatest regret. So, if she could possibly save her people with this last and final act of redemption. That she’d be the sacrifice for them to live? She was willing to accept it. As long as her people were safe.

Now, the only question was— when?

Just when exactly was the Inoria Empire going to attempt their betrayal? When were they going to backstab and murder the royals of Elutra? Was it going to be at the end of the treaty? The middle?

Faith eyed one of the carriages in the center of the procession. It was the emperor of Inoria, along with his wife. They were surrounded by not as many bodyguards as Faith would’ve thought. It was quite a small procession, in fact.

Something was wrong.

Raising a spyglass, Faith peered into the carriage holding the emperor of Inoria. He was a man named Alexis. He was supposed to be quite a tyrant, from what she’d learn of him. She expected him to be gleefully smiling, awaiting the moment to spring their trap on Elutra.

And yet, he was pale-faced and nervous. He muttered something to his wife, tightly clasping her hand. His eyes closed, and Faith frowned.

“What is he—”

The carriage exploded.

Faith watched as the emperor of Inoria, his wife, and his bodyguards were all killed in a brilliant explosion. A crimson blast that incinerated the carriage in its entirety. It blasted apart nearby buildings and shook the balcony Faith had been standing in.

She stared in shock as chaos erupted in the streets below. A familiar man leapt out of the explosion. One with gilded armor and raven-black hair. Faith instantly recognized him as the Archdemon who’d been sent to assassinate her, except wearing the skin of a Human. And Faith realized that her speculation had been wrong. That the Inoria Empire— no, the Demons in charge of the Inoria Empire— wasn’t going to waste time with a peace conference.

Their betrayal began now. At the start.

The Archdemon wearing Human skin spread his arms wide, shouting.

“We have been ambushed by the Elutra Kingdom! We have been led into a trap! They’ve assassinated our emperor! This peace treaty shall be called off! Destroy the city! Imprison its people! Do not let a single member of the royal family escape!”