MANDATES OF DIVINITY

EPISODE 19

Episode Nineteen

They will come

They will by all means attack

But because they dwell in darkness

The light shall prevail

-Saint Bale

Conquering FUTA

“Just who are you?” Hurd was starting to get a strange feeling from the strange Paladin that stood before him, a faint trace of terror, like there was a demon caged within the armor and every now and then, its aura would gently seep out.

Raising his palm, Hurd conjured a giant red ball, more like blood. With a yell, various projectiles of blood shot out from the red ball towards Edgar. They sprayed like bullets, covering a wide range. Edgar’s sword lit up, glowing brightly. Gusts of wind followed the sword’s movement, he slashed out and deflected the projectiles. It wasn’t effective, but the blood splattered around him, with many even landing on his armor.

“Siiiii.” What followed was the sound of sizzling, the blood melted everything under their touch. Even stones rapidly reduced to puddles beneath the blood. The sizzling sound soon came from Edgar’s armor and smoke began to rise from every single blood stain on his armor.

“The corrosive nature of the bleeding sun is legendary, nothing can withst-“ Hurd’s words froze, the sight before him came as a shock. Edgar’s armor was not even scratched, the blood had evaporated, leaving behind an even brighter armor.

“Bleeding sun?” A voice mocked from beneath Edgar’s armor. “ It still did a poor job polishing my armor.” Edgar was infuriated, not at the assaults, but by the very nature of the assignment he had received. He could snuff out the entire enemy all by himself and here he was, dragging out the fight because of the orders he had received. The so-called leader of the infiltrators was nothing but a coward. Edgar sensed his technique earlier, a faint energy to detect power levels. To Edgar, that was cowardice, a noble warrior such as the paladins fought with honor, regardless of the level of their opponents.

“So far, his strange armor has rendered all of my attacks useless.” Hurd’s expression had turned solemn, he analyzed events within himself. “He perfectly counters my techniques. At this rate, eighty percent of my techniques will be ineffective.” A cold glint flashed in his eyes. The giant red ball began to condensate drastically, till it morphed into the shape of a saber. A powerful aura exuded from the saber, the blade also blood red.

“Shuaaa.” Hurd left a series of after images as he turned into a blur that sped towards Edgar. The speed was unfathomable and he appeared before Edgar as soon as he moved. He slashed out with the saber, the saber left a red streak in the air as it descended towards Edgar. Edgar, whose sword was already shining radiantly also slashed out in response. The two streaks of white and red collided.

The blades clashed over and over, colorful sparks accompanied the sound of the metals clashing. Hurd moved like a whip, pushing his speed to the maximum, he plunged at Edgar from various angles. Edgar on the other hand remained rooted on a spot, barely turning even when Hurd struck from behind. Hurd felt like he was wrestling a metal pole and the only feedback was violent vibrations that travelled through his saber into his body. Time and time again, he had almost lost grip of his sword.

“So far, he has remained on the defensive. What happens when he begins to attack?” Hurd was beginning to discover that he was outmatched, he would have fled but the members of the council were there, all engaging various opponents. “If I can drag this out a little bit, Sera should be able to finish off her mark quickly and come to my aid.” He quickly calculated within himself.

Hurd drew back from Edgar; his attacks had made no impact whatsoever. “Blood purge.” Hurd yelled when he had drawn far enough and took a stance. The saber he held glowed red once more, he pointed the saber at Edgar. A puddle of blood gathered above Edgar, he glanced up at the mass above his head. It was like the mass of liquid above him hissed, he tightened his grip on his sword.

“Do you guys ever run out of blood?” The voice came from within the amour, it was vivid he spoke with disdain. “The blood reeks of impurity, I weep for my amour.” The disgust in his voice was evident.

“Sadly, this is your end.” Hurd retorted with fury. “The blood purge is a better version of the bleeding sun…” Hurd chuckled slightly.

The mass dropped directly upon Edgar. Edgar didn’t move to shield himself against the b****y mass. It immersed him totally, once again leaving no effect on his amour.

“Hmmph, I knew you wouldn’t block against the puddle. That was just one step in the technique. The real deal starts now.” Hurd chuckled and plunged his saber into the ground. He stretched forth his right palm and a sign appeared like a closed eye. “Now be purged!” Hurd yelled and a wave of energy blasted towards Edgar.

The energy didn’t blast Edgar backwards like he expected, instead it was like it rested upon him. Like a huge palm was placed upon his head, the feeling of danger around him multiplied exponentially.

“Hahaha…” Hurd laughed. “Finding it difficult to move and stand?” He pulled the saber from the ground once more. “The blood is just a marker, the real purge is a curse from our goddess.” A presence descended on the field, more terrific than all the previous ones.

“So this is the source of your confidence, the might of your goddess?” Although he could barely speak, Edgar still mocked from beneath his amour. “Like Saint Udias said in the mighty outreach.

The creator knows all things, the creator made all things, except the fallen, they are a product of man’s pride. The delusions of his ego and lusts have limited him. Only the children of the creator are free.” Edgar sounded noble, like he pitied Hurd.

Edgar fell to his knees, the ground below him even cracked. He totally lost the ability to move, he could barely hang on to his sword.

“Oh, you were saying?” Hurd laughed out loud. “Burn!” He yelled and a mighty flame descended from the sky. The others turned towards the flame, it raged down from the sky towards where Edgar knelt. The temperature of the entire terrain rose drastically, Edgar could only glance up faintly.

Watt attempted to move towards Edgar’s position, but he was restrained by a barrage of attacks from Tom and his doppelganger. The others were also occupied by their opponents. They could only watch from the side of their eyes as the flames engulfed Edgar, every single drop of blood on the amour caught fire. In no time, Edgar was immersed in flames.

“Although the effects are only perfect if the blood fell on his skin, I am certain the power of Hella’s flames is enough to destroy his amour and affect him terribly.” Hurd focused his gaze on the burning figure before him, the entire figure of Edgar was trembling. After a short while, the figure of Edgar stopped moving. Hurd hesitated but he undid the flames, he felt something was off. There Edgar knelt, on one knee, his right palm stabilizing him on the floor, his head bowed and his sword laid beside him.

Hurd inspected the amour from a distance, he was confronted with a shocking sight. The amour remained unscathed, he couldn’t even find soot or scorches on the amour. It was like Edgar never burnt.

“Hmmm. Show off!” High up in the clouds, the figure of Bishop Itus could be seen. His eyes were like hot embers, his skin glittered like glass. He had been there since the beginning of the conflict, he had seen every single detail. Without a doubt, the fight between Edgar and Hurd was well under his inspection and Edgar’s actions did not escape his eyes. “And I thought nobility didn’t permit such actions.” His eyes narrowed to a slit.

“Hmmph. Why don’t you come down and let me show you nobility?” Hurd fell backwards in fright, Edgar’s sudden yell startled him. Edgar who had remained on his knees, unmoving had suddenly rose to his feet and yelled facing the sky. Hurd had no idea that Itus was directly above them and that he had communicated with Edgar using telepathy.

“Ho-how is this e-even possi-.“ Hurd could barely make up words, what really startled him wasn’t Edgar’s actions, it was that Edgar could even move at all. The flames just now were from Hella’s realm, no material, none at all should be able to withstand the flames. It was a flame that also burnt on the spiritual plane, so he expected Edgar to have sustained a lot of serious injuries to his soul. Not only was Edgar’s amour unscathed, Edgar himself seemed uninjured.

“You seem puzzled, surprised that the flame of your goddess can do me no harm?” Edgar laughed at Hurd’s terror. “Your methods have absolutely no effect on me, I will enact the will of the giver and cleanse every pawn of the damned, you included.” He flashed his sword.

“Edgar’s amour was forged by higher beings; it was given to him by our order’s saint. Both the material and the flame for forging the amour were bestowed by the first godling himself, as the paladin ranking third in the entire order, he is one of the few who received such mighty weapons.” Itus quietly analyzed Edgar’s amour from above.

Edgar’s amour was particularly resilient to flames, no matter the dimension it was summoned from, unless they were from the living flame, the very flames that forged them. Every other form of flames were just meaningless to Edgar, every enchantment contained within them would be totally nullified.

“I would have loved to see what other foolery you have to present, but I am pressed to please the giver.” Edgar’s voice rose. “Prepare to face judgment.” He sounded like a noble judge preparing a verdict.