How To Survive In The World DxD With Fragment Memories - Chapter 167

A day has passed, Masaru took the lead after familiarizing himself with his powers. Scar commanded the warriors of the canals to follow them as she continued their journey to the next city location where Matt was said to be located at, despite the dangers that were supposed to lurk around the corners of the world. Nothing happened during the journey and everyone safely reached the main camp of the Rebel Army.

Due to the time and stamina consumed to reach their destination as soon as possible, everyone soon went to sleep as soon as they reached their allotted tents. Except for Masaru, who was currently sitting cross-legged facing Vena who explained to him with a serious expression. The unique ability which Solomon cultivated, that was infinitely close to his own.

Alchemy Formulae Codex.

A set of mysterious technique making use of life force, dragon aura, mana, holy power, demonic power or even youjutsu power and convert it into a unique kind of mysterious force. With this force, one could perform alchemy techniques in combat like disassembling attacks, or fuse two attacks into one and take control over it.

Or even transform a living organism, although it all came with proper restrictions since a weak user cant simply bypasses several levels to afflict curses on a powerful being. The same was for this Codex that was close to his own, it was just that his own codex was only a small fraction of this complete formulae codex. Which was why he was learning it intently.

“Milord, I hope when we head out for battle that you would be at the forefront of the battle” Vena spoke with a serious expression as if it was really required.

“Why?” Masaru asked although he felt he could trust Vena. He still kept a small amount of doubt since he was in a different timeline, in a different body with powers. Which meant, he could not determine the “rules” of the soul connection between him and Vena.

“Solomon prepared for this war for a long time milord” Vena explained, “Although I can’t say much due to the promise we made with Solomon, I can at least say that in order to win this war you are necessary to be at the forefront”

“Promise…” Masaru muttered, he opened his palm feeling the holy power coursing through his body. He had been manipulating the holy power to temper his body during the few days, although he was not at a superhuman level, he was at least much better compared to a few days ago. “He really sealed such a binding contract with each of you?”

“Yes” Vena nodded while nibbling her lip, she wanted to keep this hidden from Masaru as she knew it would make him suspect her. She wanted to make it appear like she was hiding it due to her past loyalty, that was until this morning when Masaru relentless pressured her to speak.

At that time Masaru was really pressured, normally he had the Hiei organisation who infiltrated many factions thus he could easily gain information when he requires it. And now he was in a world where he had no information at all, no shadow guards to act as his spies. And his only source of information was hiding things from him until she confessed she could not speak due to a contract between her and Solomon.

And it made him suspicious, whether or not he could continue to have faith in Solomon and what the man arranged for him.

“Then why is it that I can’t sense you or any of the other female ancestors” Masaru muttered while glancing at the skies, even he did not have an answer.

“It should be impossible milord,” Vena said with a confident tone, “The soul connection is a binding contract transcending laws of the universe, nothing can break or even seal it… Well… Except for one thing”

“The divine grimoire?” Masaru asked since he was sceptical that this would be related to the divine grimoire since it was the only power he had in both timelines which he was familiar with. And he knew how formidable it was.

“Yes,” Vena nodded,

“Sigh….” Masaru sighed while rubbing his forehead feeling a headache was coming, he knew the grimoire would only do such a thing for a reason. So he would initiate contact once he leaves this world, as this world was simply far more dangerous compared to its future timeline.

“Sorry to disturb you” a young boy’s voice came from the outside the tent, Masaru gave Vena a glance who understood that she should remain silent for a moment as they could not reveal his secret of being from another timeline.

Just as Masaru was halfway out of the tent, his head rising to glance at the face of the boy, he froze. His eyes constricted while a trace of confusion gleans within his eyes, “Matthew Freeman?”

>/<

“I prefer just Matt, just like the future me” Matt spoke with a wry smile seeing Masaru easily accepting this bizarre situation, but he felt glad for it since he hated to explain many things. Especially when Scar kept asking questions which he could not answer, for some things should never be spoken if one prefers to keep the ending as planned.

“I won’t ask any questions,” Masaru said while following beside Matt, the two of them walking along the path between tents, many people were bowing, waving and smiling towards Matt and Masaru. But the latter was confused, why would these people show such expression towards him who was a general of the Old One’s army.

“Is it because one of you died, that Jamie was sent through time and space to replace him?” Masaru asked,

“Correct” Matt said while having a smile on his face, “But if he dies again, there won’t be another chance”

“Gambling with lives like this” Masaru sighed while looking ahead, “I guess the Old Ones had you cornered to the point that it was the only way out?”

“No” Matt shook his head, “I simply followed the path fate decided for me”

“You speak as if you saw your own future,” Masaru said,

“Not only mine but all of the five, this world” Matt spoke before turning his eyes towards Masaru, “But not you, for some reason I could not find your book in the library at all. It’s like you don’t belong to this world”

“I suppose the library is within that dream world you share with the other four” Masaru said while glancing at Matt,

“Correct once again, I am surprised you managed to deduce this” Matt said with his eyes widen for a moment before he resumed a much more natural relaxed expression.

“It’s not hard to deduce, considering how Jamie and Scar spoke of this Dreamland that no one else understood,” Masaru said before looking at his surroundings, an open plain filled with tents, wooden barricades surrounding the camp and several ditches around it like ripples forming towards a particular direction, but whether it was north, south, east or west. There was no way of telling.

“How did I come here,” Masaru asked,

“That is something Solomon arranged” Matt answered before rubbing his forehead, “Just like you, I could not find his book. And if you perhaps follow the same rule as us, then perhaps Solomon is the past you”

Masaru remained silent as this conclusion he had already reached after his discussion with Vena, so Matt continued “After God forsook the humans for falling prey to the Old One’s temptations, he took his angel armies and left this world for a subspace he created for himself and his armies”

“But Solomon” Matt spoke with a trace of pride, but sadness hidden within it. “He chose to disobey the Lord, and thus he joined the Old One’s army. We all believed he betrayed humanity and his faith, but it was only four nights ago that I finally learnt the truth”

“He used a peculiar spell he created called the Command Seal, and managed to take control over more than half the Old One’s armies,” Matt said before glancing at Masaru, “Those are the beastmen species, Elves species, Dwarves species, Devil species, spirit species, and many others. But there is a problem”

“They can’t remain in this world after the war right?” Masaru said as he could understand what Matt was trying to tell him since after the war humans would be liberated of their fear but their anger accumulated for years might erupt if they see existences that were within the Armies of the Old Ones, even though they were nothing more than slaves.

“Correct” Matt nodded his head,

“I just have one favour to ask you,” Matt said as he abruptly stopped in the middle of their stroll.

“When you return to the future, please do whatever you can to bring the five under your wing,” Matt said while looking straight into Masaru’s eyes, “They will become necessary for you”

“Very well” Masaru nodded, he knew Matt would not easily explain his intentions after hearing from Scar how he always kept things to himself. But Masaru understood that Matt was carrying a burden no less than his own since he took up the mantle to deal with the Old Ones in the future timeline.

>/<

The next morning, Masaru was currently sitting cross-legged tempering his body with his holy power while Jamie was still comfortably sleeping on the opposite bed and already showing signs of waking up.

‘Matt and Flint had went ahead huh?’ Masaru thought while glancing towards the ceiling of the tent.

“Hnnn…” Jamie woke slowly before he had even opened his eyes, he sent out his thoughts, searching for his brother. It was instinctive, something he did automatically. He knew there would be no reply.

[Scott. Where are you ?]

But this time it was different.

[Here!]

The single word came back, very faint, from somewhere far away. Jamie sat bolt upright, fully awake in an instant. That was when he saw where he was, inside a tent he had shared with Masaru. “I got a message from Scott, it appears he is also here” Jamie exclaimed with excitement.

Masaru smiled wryly wanting to tell Jamie that the one who responded to his message was someone else, but he did not want to break the motivation he just worked up and thus kept quiet, standing up preparing to follow after him.

‘Was it really Scott that responded to me?’ Jamie thought, he tried again, visualizing his brother.

[Scott, are you there?]

But this time there was silence and Jamie wondered if he hadn’t simply imagined his brother’s voice while he was still half asleep.

Both Masaru and Jamie exit the tent, noticing that both the tents that Scar and Finn used were devoid of activity. Erin and Corain were currently lighting up a fire to warm up the surroundings a bit.

“This atmosphere reminds me of the two campaigns I participated in” Masaru muttered glancing at the surroundings filled with battle intent, hope, rage, sadness, happiness, eagerness.

All kinds of emotions meshed chaotically, similar to how it was when he participated in the Beast Stampede defence battle in the Bael Territory, or the Defense battle against a small faction that later became part of Khaos Brigade.

But here a peculiar emotion that was not present in his previous skirmish experience, despair. This was something he never truly felt from the strong, only the weaker soldiers had a trace of despair and he understood why. But here, both strong and weak all felt the same emotion towards the upcoming war.

“I know you are confused,” Masaru said while glancing at Jamie, “You are both Sapling and Jamie”

“What you mean?” Jamie asked,

“Sapling is you in this timeline, and you Jamie is from the future,” Masaru said, he did not elaborate his explanation since anyone who read books especially fantasy genre, could easily come up with a hypothesis of their current situation.

“You mean time travel?” Jamie asked,

“Correct” Masaru nodded while feeling that he was imitating Matt by doing this, hench he added “The same is for Flint, who is the past Scott. So he is your brother”

“I guess I can more or less understand, although it still feels slightly confusing,” Jamie said while smiling wryly,

After a while of strolling, the two of them came across Finn who was carrying a water bottle. He came over and handed it to Jamie. “I heard you met Matt”

“Yes,” Masaru said with a wry smile, “He really is as you told me”

“Haha” Finn laughed heartily before clapping Masaru’s shoulder, “He is our leader for a reason, which is why we place our hopes on him”

“You’re awake, did you have any dreams?” Finn said when he turned to glance at Jamie, he was almost certain that Jamie would sleep longer as Sapling did.

“I was too tired of dreams. Where does the water come from if the rivers are poisoned?” Jamie asked while thanking Finn for the water.

“We have wells, but they have to go deep,” Finn answered,

Jamie handed back the water bottle. “Thank you,”

“Sapling…” Finn called out,

“Yes?” Jamie responded before adding it, “But I am not him, but the future him. Jamie Tyler”

“Oh? It seems you came to a conclusion on your own” Finn said while having a mysterious smile. “But today you have to be.”

“Come with me, I have something to show you,” Finn said while glancing at both Masaru and Jamie,

Following after Finn towards the sole building made out of stone, it was in a similar form as that of a medieval church except for the cross was not present, and the doors leading inside were broken and hanging on the hedges. Entering the building, it led into a small circular room with a ceiling that was vaulted and painted blue with gold stars but already deteriorated from age.

Scar was there, kneeling in front of a stone slab that might once have been an altar, cradling across her thɨġhs a parcel wrapped in cloth. Hearing the footsteps, it was as if she knew it was Finn, she got up and turned around. She looked at him almost accusingly.

“What are you doing here, Finn?” she demanded.

“And a good day to you, Scar,” Finn responded as if he never cared how she was fuming like a child at him.

“I was asleep.”

“No, you weren’t. I knew you’d be here,” Finn glanced at the bundle she was holding. “Give it to me.”

“Why?” Scarr asked, wondering why Finn would want to take the only memoir she had of someone.

“I want to prove a point,” Finn said without adding an explanation, this made Scar hesitated, then handed the bundle to him after a short while. Carefully, Finn unwrapped the cloth and took out a round shield made of dark and beaten metal with an intricate pattern of leaves around the side.

It had no spike. Instead, there was a design right in the middle. Masaru could not help but nod when he saw this design, even Jamie next to him surprised as he could recognize this symbol.

A spiral with a single straight line dividing it into two halves. It was exactly the same design that he’d been born with.

Finn laid the shield aside and instead, he took out a sword and handed it to Jamie. The sword had a symbol too – a five-pointed star in the middle of the crosspiece made out of Lapis Lazuli set in silver, just above the blade. The blade was surprisingly thin and weighed almost nothing.

“It was his,” Jamie said, he glanced at Masaru who had an understanding gaze. “So what you explained to me back then turned out to be this?”

“What!?” Scarr cried out, her intuition told her that it was something related to Sapling. So she was desperate to know as well, hench she stood up looking at Masaru with eager eyes, but Masaru shook his head.

“I won’t explain it again,” Masaru said, “That is Matt’s job”

“Hmph!” Scar stomped her feet before turning to look at Jamie who had an apologetic expression and shook his head, with her experience with Sapling she knew that Jamie would not be telling her anything.

“Now tell me what is written on the blade. Don’t read the words. Just tell me.” Finn said while glancing at Jamie eagerly, he too had the same conclusion as Masaru and he wanted to test it out.

“Frost,” Jamie muttered while gently carressing the blade, his eyes appeared as if he was looking at a long lost friend, even he himself was not aware of it.

“You see? He knew.” Finn said towards Scar who shivered for a moment, but kept silent.

“I don’t understand this” Scar scoffed before turning her back, she had never really studied and mostly fought battles and learned combat techniques turning her into a muscle head.

“Let’s hope he remembers how to fight” Finn said with a wry smile,

>/<

A few moments later, the five of them walked out onto the cetnre of the encampment. Masaru, Scar and Jamie first, then Erin and Corian with Finn behind. All of them were armed for battle with swords, daggers and shields.

Masaru had already recalled Vena back into his vessel since he will be calling out all the seventy two pillar demons when the time comes. He was equipped with a simple leather army securing his ċhėst except for his abdomen over his black shirt that appeared more like a medicalscrub, black pants and brown leather pants.

Attached to his hip was a regular iron sword he requested for, and a staff made from an unknown tree, delicate engravings carved on the surface forming a mutiltude of magic cirlces all over it, forming some sort of tribal markings. It was the weapon Solomon carried with him at all times, and it was given to him by Vena.

‘I just hope the war in my timeline would never force humanity to come to this point’ Masaru thought while glancing at the army that was ȧssembled, the army which Scar was in charge of had ȧssembled: a hundred men, women and children, waiting quietly for the order that would bring them to victory or death.

Scar stepped forward. She also carried a shield with the same pattern of leaves as Sapling’s but hers had the image of a lizard with slanting eyes and a spiky tail curled around the centre. Three steps separated her from the crowd forming a circle surrounding them. She stood quitely at the centre and lifted her sword.

“This is the day that we have been waiting for,” she called out and, although she was young and small, her voice echoed easily across the encampment.

“I cannot say what happened to the world to make it the way it is.” Scar’s voice reveberated with many people, who too could not understand how their world came to be this way since it all happened to abruptly.

“I do not know where the Old Ones came from or how they were allowed to take control.” This was something everyone knew, and could not muster strength to face them alone. Only by being united, did they have a chance. With the five gatekeepers.

“All I can tell you is that it’s over. After today, the world will belong once again to us and even if some of us must die, it will have been worth it. Matt and Flint are waiting for us.” Scar cried out allowing the people to cheer as everyone understood what this meant, that the time has come.

“Inti will be riding in from the east. I am here and I am not alone. Sapling is with me. Yes! Sapling was not killed.” Scar yelled, the message was clear for everyone. The time has come for the five to meet.

The beginnings of a cheer broke out among the soldiers closest to the front, but Scar raised a hand for silence.

“The Five are coming together at last! The Old Ones thought they’d beaten us, but they were wrong. And now we’re going to show them. We’re going to show them the power of Five.” She cried out, followed by a bellowing cheer as everyone cried out.

“Five!”

The single word exploded out all around from the surrounding people, banners flew, swords were raised and from somewhere came the thunder of drums.

But no one was being idle, everyone got on their horses following after the lead which was Scar. And all of them began to move to their initial position which Matt arranged for them.

“That was quite a speech,” Masaru said while smirking at Scar, it appears this little girl knew quite a lot in regards to military warfare. Morale was a mysterious force, that could easily decide victory at any given moment.

“You have to make a speech before a battle,” Scar said. She looked down guiltily, then back up again. “Actually, if you must know, Finn wrote it for me. He made me learn it last night.”

“Pfftt” Masaru could not resist laughing softly while he was being glared at by Scar. Feeling a bit awkward he said with a wry smile, “It definitely worked, the rest will depend on their spirits”

“I hope so.” Scar responded.

They were circling the vale travelling in the opposite direction to Scathack Hill from where they picked up Jamie and Masaru, ahead of them the landscape was flat and open, a table top covered with wild grass and a few flowers.

But the flowers were strange, unnatural colours and the grass was sharp and leathery. They rode under the branches of a fruit tree, “To think everything would become this poisonous” Masaru said as he took a fruit that looked like a mauve-coloured peach, this caused many to freeze for a moment.

“Drop it! It’s poisonous.” Scar cried out in shock but Masaru smiled wryly,

“Only by examining things like this, can we perhaps use them in the future.” Masaru said before throwing the fruit away.

“Make use of these? But their all poison” Scar said with a sceptical look,

“Poison can turn into a medical ingredient if handled correctly” Masaru explain before glancing ahead of him, “But that will be left for the future generation”

They continued into the fields and for the first time domestic animals appeared, or their remains. A herd of cows had died here, bloated and stiff as if they had been drowned but the water had yet to leave their bodies, their tongues lolling out, their eye sockets buzzing with black flies.

Ahead of them, less than a mile away, the ground rose up, covered by trees. The trees looked like pines, with branches that were so straight they could have been artificial. They had dark green needles like splinters of broken glass.

Masaru could not help squint his eyes hearing a familiar sound, it was a rhythmic hammering of metal against metal. Boom, boom … boom. Boom, boom … boom.

They reached the first of the trees and began to weave their way through the trunks, climbing steeply towards the top of the hill.

The drumbeat was growing louder, and much clearer. Boom, boom… boom. Boom, boom… boom.

They were moving faster and faster. As they arrived at the last reaches of the hill, the trees thinned out and they broke into a gallop. However, Scar raised a hand and they slowed down to a stop.

They had arrived.

>/<

The fighters who had hitched a lift with the riders were dismounting and preparing their weapons. The wagons were emptying, children as young as eleven and twelve flexing their bows, their faces set in grim concentration.

“How are you feeling?” Scar asked.

It took Jamie a moment to realize that she was talking to him. He nodded. “I’m all right.”

“It’ll be over very quickly,” she said before looking at Masaru, “As expected, you really are him. To be this calm in battle”

“I’m used to it” Masaru answered

“How do you know that it will be over quickly?” Jamie asked

“Matt has a plan.” Scar responded without looking back at him,

“Do you know what it is?” Jamie asked once again, feeling annoyed at how he was being left out of the loop.

Scar smiled. “He told me last night.”

She signalled, and at once they began to move forward, covering the last few yards to the top of the hill. They were very quiet now. The rest of the attackers, tiptoeing with their weapons and shields, bȧrėly seemed to breathe. At the very top, a last line of trees provided shelter. Once again they stopped and at last all of them saw what was awaiting for them on the other side.

The battleground.

It was like nothing he had ever seen before. Masaru had always imagined that Khaos Brigade would be the most diversed army he ever faced, but today he finally saw what it looked like when many different kinds of sentient races and monsters fȯrċɨbŀƴ fought side by side against humans.

What surprised Masaru the most was that there were only two thousand strong human warriors fighting against the old ones, united under the blue five pointed star banners.

The human army was advancing in three blocks a central phalanx and two wings. The horsemen were at the front leading the charge. Then came the foot soldiers. Behind them a long line of men stood waiting, each one holding onto a spear made out of copper almost the same height as themselves.

Then came the archers and finally, just in front of the tents, a row of cannons with two soldiers kneeling beside each. Masaru was quite surrpised to see the variety of weapons, although the forms were different but some of them even resembled weapons from his own time. And their uniforms did not matches, it looked like a ȧssembling of warriors from across the globe all gathered together.

‘Is this really all that’s left?’ Masaru thought, he would never have imagined that the legendary battle for the world would end up with such a few soldiers. He could see Matt and Flint who left earlier this morning must have went ahead to meet with the main camp,

Looking past them and across to the other side of the field did Masaru see the presence of the Old Ones. In the front line were the most wretched of all, the human slaves who had put their trust in the Old Ones and stayed with them to the bitter end. This was their reward. They had all been chained together, either nȧkėd or covered with a few rags, their names branded into their flesh as if they were cattle.

They had been given wooden clubs and axes with which to defend themselves. Many of them had been disfigured, missing eyes or ears. Even worse than that, some of them had had the lower part of their arms cut off and replaced with jagged blades so that they and their weapons were one.

At their side was the group of races whom Masaru, or more accurately Solomon, managed to take control off. The various Elves held their bows, The dwarves held their hammers and towering shields. The beastmen held variety of weapons of which is mostly consist of close range, but all of them shared commonly trait. Which was a chain around their necks enchanted with chaotic energy that ensured their loyalty to the old ones, bruises on their bodies.

Yet they appeared much better compared to the humans, due to the Old Ones who had yet to discover that Solomon betrayed them. For they believed he died for their cause to kill one of the five gatekeepers, hench they allowed these races to enjoy their last bit of peace before they too will be tortured when the humans were defeated.

Behind them were more humans which the ruling classes, these were the people who Scar had referred to as overlords and advisors of the old ones. They had swords and shields, mismatched pieces on armour. They were pale and sickly, for although they had been happy enough in their positions of power, they had no stomach for the fight.

Even from a distance the fear and cowardice could be seen in their faces.

Then came four lines of horsemen encased in black armour, the first two lines were identical to the fly-soldiers he had seen on the way to the City of Canals. But the last two lines behind them and these were so ugly and grotesque, black veins covered their armour as if the armour was their skin and part of their bodies.

Officers. Masaru could instinctively touch fragment memories of Solomon, and he could somehow recall that these creatures were the officers of the Old Ones army.

They had blades jutting out of their shoulders, their elbows and their knees. Their helmets were also surrounded by vicious black spikes so that, from the neck up, they were like porcupines. Their horses had been mutilated with silver bayonets jutting out of their foreheads, screwed into place just above their eyes, turning each of them into a grotesque version of a unicorn.

But what came after was as if an infestation appeared, it as if it bled out of the forest, pouring into the field. A horde with no shape or formation, just an oozing mess of nightmarish creatures desperate for the kill. They carried clubs studded with nails, huge axes, spears, nets and pitchforks.

Some slithered. Some scuttled forward on three legs or more. They were half man, half animal, as if the two had been mixed up on purpose, to see what could produce the most hideous result. Some were part scorpion, man-dogs, man-crocodiles, man-eagles and even man-sharks, a crazy mixture of arms and teeth and beaks and scales and feathers and claws, all brought together to create unimaginable monsters.

Masaru could not help but narrow his eyes at this, since he understood that these were experimented beings created from variety of monsters. But, ‘As expected, the old ones really do toy with humans and other races to their pŀėȧsurė. Slow painful death, like a cancer’

And finally, there were giant animals passing through the forest, high above the trees, looming up behind the army yet not quite part of it. The first was a spider. It was about twenty metres high, standing on eight elongated legs, with a fat poison sac hanging beneath its stomach. It had two feelers that twitched in front of it, and great fangs dripping venom and saliva.

“One of the Generals” Masaru muttered glancing at the spider that had hundreds of eyes, he held the sword attached to his waist firmly as he felt something within him urging him to kill it.

A huge monkey had appeared next to it, jabbering and screaming with a hideous, high-pitched voice. It wasn’t muscular like an ape but almost insect-like, with a long tail and filthy, matted hair. It had only four fingers on one of its hands.

The trees suddenly parted and a gigantic hummingbird burst into the air, its wings beating so fast they were just a blur. The bird was creating a storm around itself, whipping up dust and rubbles on the ground.

A moment later another bird appeared, soaring up into the sky. This one was a condor the size of a plane. It flew overhead, its own wings thundering as they made the air shudder and vibrate. ‘The four generals of the Old Ones’ Masaru thought while feeling relieved, although he knew he was far from being their match, at least he could experience their powers ahead of time.

But his attention was gripped by A single figure making his way through the middle of his army, advancing to take his place at the front. This was the King. He was riding on an animal that at first glance looked like a horse, but which had horns, burning red eyes and steam rising like smoke from its mouth and nostrils.

Thirteen more riders surrounded him but he seemed not to notice them. His eyes were fixed on the two boys directly ahead. “Chaos” Masaru muttered while glaring at that familiar figure, although it’s presence is much more imposing compared to when Masaru first confronted him at Raven’s Gate. He would never forget that familiar aura, where chaotic energies were the most dense.

Chaos was human-sized, but his presence made him seemed bigger. IT was as if his presence was strong to the point that he could swallow up everything around him like a black hole in outer space. Chaos had no face. No features of any sort. With his every movement, he destroyed the area around him. He didn’t just move. Without even trying, his chaotic energies cut his way through the world, destroying it in the process.

The two opposing armies faced each other. Just for a moment, everything was still. The knights stopped beating their shields and silence fell onto the battleground. There was a soft breeze. The grass bent and the banners fluttered. Somewhere, a horse snorted. There were about thirty metres between Matt and Flint and the forces they had come to fight.

Chaos had reached the front. He took out his sword. A moment later, he spoke. The sound seemed to come from him like water rushing out of a pipe, and although he had not raised his voice above a whisper, it echoed across the battlefield and reached them high up on the hill.

“The power of the Five has been defeated, one of you is trapped far from here and one of you has been killed. He died painfully. And now, you cannot win. Lay down your arms and I will be generous. I will give you a quick death. The rest of you I will allow to serve me. There is no need for this battle. You know that you have already lost this war.” Chaos spoke with a sinister smile, although he said it. He intend to give the most painful swift death they could not possibly imagine.

Matt said nothing and reached down, drawing his sword. That was his answer. The King of the Old Ones nodded slowly. He said nothing more. Suddenly he raised his weapon, lifting it above his head. It was the signal.

At once there was an explosion of screaming, cheering, laughing, shouting. A thunder of hooves. A crash that might have been thunder. The black army surged forward.

The battle had begun.