Return of the Fallen Volume 8 Chapter 57
Before Glacious and the two kings engaged in battle, Garn had just arrived in front of a large city.
His floating palace on standby, he hovered a few miles away from his next target. Before he even readied his weapon though, several figures stood atop the cities large wall.
Nunully, Asuna, Sam, Kimi, Shin and even Triska. Everyone here and seen Garn’s palace firsthand in action and knew how dangerous it was. It could kill them all with a single strike and its defense could take several attacks from a 6th stage being. They knew what it is they were going against. It could be considered suicide in nearly every regard.
Asuna stood on top of the wall with no fear. Deep within though, she felt a cloud of doubt called dread. Squeezing her hands into fists, she thought about why she was here. It wasn’t for herself but rather the innocent people within the city walls. She had seen too much pain, too much hardship.
She continued to fight time and time again, risking her life for the sake of humanity. She sacrificed and watched others sacrifice only to die horrible deaths. To see so many good people die to try and save humanity. For Garn to readily kill innocent people, what was she fighting the enemy for if the wolf was already in the den? The Azirian’s and the Miasma, it was understandable to go against them.
They were beings that only destroyed and took life time and time again and they wouldn’t stop, couldn’t see reason. This is exactly what Garn had become. Killing just to kill, destroying just to destroy, no stopping, no reason. Garn, to Asuna and the rest who stood along the wall, was now humanity’s enemy as well.
The floating palace came to a stop in mid-air before Garn’s voice boomed outward.
“Seeing all of you here, I can assume you no longer will listen to my words?”
Asuna filled her voice with power and shouted back.
“Listen to words. If only things were so simple. We all know what you’ve done. King Brian told us that Bozek wasn’t the one who burned the first city. He still lives. This fact alone shows all of us that you lied. Not only that, cities have continued to burn. I don’t know why you’ve done this. I don’t know why you’ve slaughtered millions of innocent people but this ends here. Garn! You have abandoned reason and you will not stop until you are stopped!”
Garn was mildly surprised to hear that Bozek was seemingly still alive. He always knew that Bozek possessed a treasure or two and concluded he must have been saved by one.
(So that half-breed lives and managed to warn Brian but he failed to mention why I’m burning these cities. The lizard half-breed bastard no doubt wishes to make me look vile. Even though I’m right, even though I do this for humanity’s future but of course that bastard failed to tell Brian the truth.”
“It is not I who has gone mad! My plan will save everyone that’s left. I burn these cities with purpose. I’m not simply doing this for fun. Once I burn enough of the city, the magic in the air will draw the Miasma’s attention and it will follow the source. Killing all of the people in the city will help prevent famine and rebellion later on. It’s two birds with a single stone. My plan will work. All of you must follow my commands and believe without question. If you do that, you will see that it is I who am right and Brian and Bozek who was wrong.”
Asuna shared a look with everyone else and they all heard Garn’s words clear as day. He wasn’t going to stop and in fact was leading the Miasma for some hidden purpose.
“Do you not hear your own words! Garn, you are going to kill these people to prevent famine. You are going to kill them for a rebellion in the future which you aren’t sure will even happen. Killing millions of people for crimes they haven’t even committed and you think this sounds reasonable. You believe in some sort of plan that has no guarantee but in order to complete it, you have to sacrifice all of these innocent lives and you think anyone with a straight mind will simply go along with this?”
Garn sighed inwardly.
“You all have witnessed so many things and yet your all still so naive. Once I lead the Miasma to the depths of this desert land, I will isolate it and starve it of all energy. Containing it in this dead land, it will slowly rot itself away into nothing. Once it is fully gone, the Azirian’s hiding in its shade will be fully exposed and we can all destroy them in a single swoop. All of this though requires necessary sacrifices. These people have to die in order to save everyone else. This is the way. So I give you a final chance. After knowing what I plan to do. After knowing I do this all for everyone’s sake. Will you all still stand there and try and block my path? Will you really not believe in this old man? Will you really risk all of humanity for your childish morality, for your fake sense of justice? Or instead, will you come away from the city and follow my absolute will? One path will lead to your doom, while the other will have you by my side where you will see our pure human race develop and prosper in ways you can’t possibly imagine. Now…DECIDE!!”
There was nothing to decide as Asuna already knew what was right and what was wrong in her heart. A golden hoop appeared in her left hand and a crimson dagger in her right. Not just her, but everyone else began to draw their weapons. Triska stood at Shin’s side and she bodly asked him.
“Are we really going to do this? Are we really going to fight against that palace?”
Shin smiled at her.
“What’s wrong? Is my lady scared of a little palace, should I protect you, hehe.”
Triska smirked back and a long trident appeared in her hand.
“We may both be at the 5th stage but between the two of us, I hold the clear advantage in strength. It should be you who gets behind me and seek protection.”
Shin took her words and teased Triska.
“If you want me to go behind you, I’ll gladly do it but it won’t be for protection, you know I don’t use that.”
A small hint of red flushed into Triska’s face and she swung her trident at Shin but Shin already took to the skies with incredible speed.
“That damn fool. When this is over, I’ll need to put him in his place.”
“Not if I put you in your place first, hehehe!”
Shin’s shout came from up above and once again Triska’s face took on a darker shade of red.
Asuna ignored the strange couple dynamic and focused on Garn in front of her. Her ring flashed and a suit of red armor covered her from head to toe. Kimi as well wore white armor along with a white glove laced with golden inscriptions on her only arm. Green armor covered in spikes formed around Sam’s large body and some of the armor shaped into an even larger hammer.
Nunully was the only one who did not have traditional armor. A layer of ice crawled over her skin, making armor that was harder than everyone else’s. Her ice was condensed and harder than most metals and from her back, two large wings made from ice formed and she flew into the sky.
“Garn, you understand that by attacking me, you will be directly making Glacious an enemy. The alliance you two have made, his fighting the Miasma and Fera all this time, it will all seize and he will focus his all into destroying you. I am not one to make threats nor am I threatening you now, as I am simply stating facts. I will not step away from this city, which means if you truly aim to destroy it, you will be aiming at me. No amount of protection will protect you from Glacious’s wrath.”
Garn agreed.
“Your right, which is why I will leave not a single trace of you or any other witnesses behind. Once I kill you all and burn this city, the Miasma will get rid of anything that would ever leave a clue and connect me to your deaths. In fact, with you dying here and the Miasma to blame, it will not be me that faces Glacious’s wrath, rather he will fight even harder to destroy the Miasma.”
As soon as he spoke up to here, the power within the floating palace began to change up rapidly.
Just as he was about to fire it, all of the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as he felt the element of space rise in the atmosphere and a large tear in the sky opened up. He saw a single hand reaching through this tear in space and he felt Glacious’s power.
(How!… How did he know!?!?)
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