[Rex’s POV]
My mind was a hazy mess, and my head was killing me, but besides that, I was feeling better than ever. I'm not sure what happened or why everyone was giving me a wide berth, but I keeping up with the conversation.
The attack was larger than I expected. It wasn’t just the royal guard attacking the Emperor; it was a full-scale surprise attack on Borderton itself.
The offending parties included Soleo and the Leafwhisper commune, with additional soldiers concealed among the crowd. This meant the attacking force was not necessarily filtering in from one direction, but was already spread out everywhere.
Merk mentioned key points he had men defending. The Emperor was still fighting against Leonidas, based on the noise I was hearing, and the academy was being occupied. What should be our response?
“Let's hear it then, Rex. Time is of the essence.”
Merk urged me to speak quickly.
“The Emperor can handle himself, right? Can I discard the objective of assisting him?”
Merk nodded immediately. I figured this was the case when he did not even attempt to block Leonidas’ first attack. We could assume he would not lose his duel.
“Soldier, have the elves made any demands?”
“They have secured the main building and are tossing all the students inside, but anyone else who interferes is killed on sight. We have not been able to open talks with them.”
They had moved incredibly fast based on what I was hearing. Is it possible the attack began much earlier, and those of us in the arena simply weren't aware?
“Have they moved into the town?”
I continued my questioning.
“No. In fact, they stubbornly remain around the academy buildings, taking no action against those who run for the path into Bordertown from the campus. Though Imperial soldiers are still being attacked either way.”
“Their goals are not aligned. The elves want something , but the Soleans want Borderton itself. Both are willing to kill, but the elves won't pursue.”
I verbalised my thought process and took a breath before presenting my argument.
“We follow Merk's original plan. Axel and I can act as a third team and work on securing the central point. The elves can be dealt with afterwards; it works in our favour so long as they are doing our job for us in the meantime.”
“Doing our job? What does that mean?”
One of the other soldiers piped up.
“The conflict doesn't end when we drive them all back. They will attack again. We need a deterrent. What better deterrent is there than the children of Solean nobility? We can use the pretext of keeping them safe while the conflict is resolved to keep them here, but the silent threat that we have them under our thumb should not be lost on Soleo.”
Merk considered my reasoning for a moment, then nodded and immediately set to directing us.
Whether he genuinely agreed with me or simply felt pressured to make a decision, I couldn't tell.
“The central point is a tavern by the name of the Burning Sprite. Are you familiar?”
Axel and I shared a glance and nodded.
“Good. Go.”
Merk left the restrained Bridgit back in the viewing room and closed the door. Her strange wound had not been explained to me, but given that it was not bleeding and she seemed to be awake, even if in a state of delirium, I figured she would survive.
Everybody began filtering down stairs, but Merk had one final warning for Axel.
“That creature seemed to trust you, but can you really kill your countrymen? An unreliable ally is worse than a dangerous foe.”
Axel burst into laughter.
“Nothing I say will be convincing. Either detain me or let the results speak for me.”
Merk was right to be suspicious. The fact that I just assumed he would be on board with following me was highly out of character.
But something told me he be trusted. It was not a gut feeling or instinct; it was a certainty.
“I'll vouch for him.”
“That doesn't mean anything.”
Merk shot down my attempt to back Axel up.
“But under the circumstances, I will put my faith in you. Don't make me regret it.”
Axel grinned at me, but then levelled me with a doubtful expression.
“Shouldn't we go grab one of your buddies first?”
Axel asked me.
“...No, we can't risk getting captured by the elves. As much as I hate it, Tiara and Soot will be safe on their own.”
“Yeah, but what good will you be alone?”
“Wow. Thanks.”
“I'm not wrong and you know it.”
“Unfortunately, yes… You right. Luckily, I recently developed something that will change that.”
We made it to the main arena and were startled to see Leonidas releasing a burst of golden flame from his mouth that engulfed the Emperor and radiated out towards us.
But as suddenly as it came, it was snuffed out, as a small black hole appeared in the air and consumed all the flames before anyone could be harmed.
“Carry on, my loyal subjects. This kitten is safe under my care.”
The familiar voice of the Emperor called out from the cloud of smoke that obscured everything around them.
As great as it would be to continue watching, I had nothing to add to this battle. The others likely agreed, or simply knew they would be annihilated if they intervened, as they all hurried for the exit.
The instant we emerged, we were met with a scene of carnage.
“Gods… what is this madness?”
One of the soldiers cursed under his breath as he bent down to check on a collapsed student.
It was a bronze class third year, his weapon still clutched in his hand.
“...Dead.”
The soldier stood back up and looked away. It was only for a moment, but when he lifted the head of the body, I clearly saw the deep hole left in his throat.
It would not have been a quick death.
“I thought they weren't harming the students…”
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Another man gripped his spear tightly.
“They must have tried to resist… He won't be the only one.”
I spoke calmly.
“Nothing changes. We should keep moving.”
My words were heartless, but they knew I was right. Charging the elves now, with such a small force, would end in numerous casualties, mainly from the students being held hostage.
A silent anger hovered over the soldiers, and Axel likewise slowed his pace as we passed all the fallen bodies.
“...Recognise anyone?”
I asked quietly.
“No. Rex, let's not screw around, we should end this quickly.”
A shadow was cast over his face, and I felt the simmering rage radiating from his massive body.
“Right…”
“Incoming!”
One of the soldiers yelled, and like a well-oiled machine, they immediately jumped into formation.
Three shield bearers at the front had a barrier spell cast on them by someone in the back, and it was immediately expanded by yet another member of the group.
It was all so fast, but there was not a single misstep. The barrier covered us all just as a handful of arrows came flying.
They bounced off harmlessly, and the barrier opened up just long enough for Merk to fling another pair of knives.
His arms cracked like a pair of whips yet again, and two of the five elves positioned atop the gate to Borderton fell to the ground, gaping holes now sitting in the centre of their chests.
But it did not end there.
“.”
Merk spoke, and the knives were back in his hands. Naturally, they immediately flew to kill two more of our assailants.
“You're mine!”
Axel had sprinted out of the barrier and leapt through the air, covering the distance before Merk could attack a third time.
The final elf, who was mid-air after jumping down to flee, was instead tackled to the ground.
A flash of light and the boom of thunder echoed throughout the campus. Axel stood up, his fist covered in blood, and the elf's lifeless body was left where it was.
“Looks like that was the last one. We had better go; that noise won't go unnoticed, even in this chaos.”
The sounds of battle echoed from all throughout Borderton, but the campus was relatively quiet. Axel’s attack practically announced the death of the elven gate squad.
“We will part ways here. Do not fail.”
Merk took a right turn and immediately disappeared from our sight.
“Will you boys really be okay? Maybe we should send a couple of men to assist.”
The soldier who appeared to be in charge spoke to us with genuine concern.
But before we could give an answer, a group of men with swords came running at us.
“Imperial dogs! Kill them all!”
“The traitor is with them! Don't let him—”
Axel once again closed the distance and slammed his fist down with such force that the man's head was pushed down into his torso with a sickening crunch.
Another tried to attack him from a blind spot, but my thrown axe removed his hand before any damage could be done.
He wasn't dead, so I similarly ran forward and snapped his neck before he could compose himself.
Three remained. Axel’s activated, and he acted as my shield to deflect their blades while I drove my Goldbrand dagger into one of their eyes. The eye itself offered no resistance and was crushed into a jelly-like substance as my blade passed through. But the brain was much firmer, causing me to expend a small measure of effort in removing it.
Two remained. An uppercut from Axel removed one man's head as he fell back to cast a spell.
One left. With Axel and me separated, the final attacker lunged at me, seeing that I was the weak link. But I had no hesitation, nor was my judgement in any way hindered, even under the pressure. I side-stepped, changed to a reverse grip, and spun to add momentum to my strike.
The man stared at me in horror as his throat was cut open and he bled out on the ground.
“We will be fine.”
I responded to the Imperial soldier's earlier question.
“Ha! What kind of beasts are they raising here? Now you've gone and impressed me, boys! You really can't die on me now.”
As their group entered the fray, each of them slapped us on the shoulder with an approving smile.
“Heh… I knew it.”
Axel grinned at me.
“What?”
“You're not bothered by this at all, are you?”
“Would you like me to cry and tremble?”
“Haha, I'm not accusing you of anything, just glad my instincts were on point, is all.”
“Good for you. Guard me for a second.”
I grabbed the body of the man Axel had beheaded and cut open his shirt.
“What are you doing?”
“...I'm not sure. Just shut up and keep a lookout.”
Axel frowned but did as he was told.
I was not being coy with him; I truly did not know where my morbid idea had come from. Nor did I know why I was so confident it would work.
My work was quick, but certainly not clean. My knife carved flesh, and when bone stood in my way, I hacked it apart with my axe.
The prize I sought was removed from its home in the dead man's chest, and I dug my fingers into the organ.
Blood trickled out, and I quickly drew a spell circle on the ground.
“
The method was different, but the results were undeniable. The mana organ I used as a catalyst had enough mana still contained within to serve my purposes.
“Axel, are Solean soldiers typically weak to a particular element?”
“What? Uhh, they favour fire, so water is useful, I guess. Why do you ask—whoa! What the hell are you doing?”
He turned to see what I had done, but there was no time to explain as he was set upon by a fully armoured soldier with a warhammer.
His hefty swings were not as slow as one might expect. The man beneath the plate must have been more than just a tower of muscle.
And I was proven right, as shockwaves of aura accompanied his attacks. Against , it didn't do much, but given that Axel was seriously dodging and hitting back hard, he must have taken them seriously.
I left him to his duel and focused on finding a water spirit. Any would do; there was no need to waste time locating anything fancy.
“There. Come here, you.”
I smirked as I coaxed a small serpent-like spirit to the spell circle, and the mana organ in my hand exploded. Apparently, this method of spellcasting was not very efficient.
But it worked, and now the serpent with a body of water had emerged into the material world, visible to all…
…For all of two seconds before I melded our souls together.
“Damn. This guy's tough.”
Axel muttered as he delivered a heavy dropkick into the soldier’s chest. His armour was dented in various places, but he had not slowed down in the least.
“Fine. I didn't think I'd be busting this out right away, but here we go…”
Axel spread his legs and stretched his arms out in front of him, linking his thumbs and pointing at the man.
Whatever he was about to do, I didn't give him the chance.
“Urgh! Mmmrrmm! Mmm…
The armoured man made a series of muffled screams as he helplessly clutched at his helmet in an attempt to remove it.
He flailed around, trying to hit my new body as it engulfed him. A body of pure water that sank into every gap in his armour.
It was an unpleasant experience for me, too. I could feel even the parts of me that were filling the man's lungs. But before long, he had lost consciousness and collapsed.
Axel took his hammer and splattered his head into a fine paste. Liquefied brain matter began to slowly seep out from the visor, and chunks had become stuck within my new body.
“Gah! That feels disgusting!”
I shivered, trying to dig my watery hands into my own chest to remove the foreign substance that was dyeing my body from a clear blue to a dirty red.
But it was impossible. This body was unlike any I had assumed before, and it was difficult to get used to how my ‘flesh’ was constantly flowing all around me.
“I'm not even gonna ask.”
Axel shook his head and led the way further into town.
My new form was able to move surprisingly fast, and I could simultaneously act as a shield for Axel.
A crossbow bolt came for him, but after piercing the living wall of water that coiled around him, it became a harmless piece of wet wood.
Until I forced it back out, and it pierced the attacker's thigh.
“Good shot!”
Axel used my opening and broke the man's neck with a mighty kick.
It wasn’t a good shot. I was aiming for the head, but precise shooting appeared to be beyond me at the moment.
With this formation, I continued to nullify any and all physical projectiles that came our way, and Axel responded with lethal violence at every opportunity.
There was much to say about our mentality, but under the circumstances, our brutal behaviour proved to be a boon. I would not risk slowing down the battering ram that was Axel by expressing my thoughts and sowing doubt in his mind.
“Argh!”
I cried out, and my form shuddered. A large amount of liquid left the main body, and I recoiled into a thin, coiled-up shape behind Axel.
Something had struck me. Unlike the arrows, which did nothing, this attack felt like having all my nerves set on fire.
“Damn, looks like you really are just like an elemental! Stay away from the spellcaster!”
Axel tanked the next blast of magic and shot back a burst of lightning from his fist. The blast melted through the man's torso, killing him instantly.
“Axel! Behind you!”
I spotted three armoured men rapidly approaching on horseback from the direction of the eastern gate. Two additional horses were following behind, but the riders were already dead, their heads blown apart. It was the same type of wound that the royal guard who threatened me suffered.
Axel spotted them too, but the chaos caused by the fleeing civilians barred his path. These men, while not attacking the innocent, were still trampling them beneath their mounts’ hooves. They were warhorses, stout, resilient, and heavy.
Those who were crushed beneath them never had a chance. And Axel was clearly their intended target.
He braced for the blow, but we never got to see if he could withstand it.
As all the horses suddenly halted in place and the riders were sent flying.
We jumped on them immediately. Two had their throats stomped in by Axel, and the last froze to death as I engulfed him and lowered my body temperature. No amount of warm clothing could protect him as I froze his organs from the inside out.
“Heeey! Over here!”
A familiar voice cried out, and as the crowd cleared, I realised why the horses had stopped.
Thorny tendrils of shadow had wrapped around their legs and dug in.
A blue-skinned, horned devil stood among a handful of guardsmen. If they were bothered by her Infernal presence, they didn't show it. In fact, their formation suggested they were protecting her while she cast her spell.
“A devil? Get back, Rex, their magic is deadly.”
Axel grinned with murderous glee and cracked his knuckles.
Were I not prepared for it, he would have attacked for real.
“Wait! She's on our side!”
My form shifted away from the amorphous shape I had been employing in combat and assumed something more humanoid.
“It's just Lily.”
“...Seriously?”
Axel stared at me in disbelief.
“Don't you recognise me? I thought we were fwens!”
Lily put on an obnoxious cutesy voice, and Axel immediately believed me.
He did, however, have one more comment to make.
“There’s so much you two need to explain to me.”
He shook his head, and for a moment, I felt a little bad for him.
Rex (Water elemental fusion)