The Duke's Passion

827  The sphere of light, the scythe of death, and the holder of time

"Yes, madam!" Lilou's eyes glinted with satisfaction, sensing the unyielding determination in the warrior's voices. Meanwhile, Claude's lips stretched from ear to ear, smacking his lips as he glossed his eyes over the warriors' haggard faces. They all looked tired and beaten up, but the fire in their eyes was something Claude hadn't seen before. It was brighter when they fought their way out of the Colosseum. Surely, Lilou just had a presence of a leader. Someone who could lead an army to victory. There was a moment of silence until the grunts and little growls from the undead resonated in the air once again. Everyone held their breaths, eyes on Lilou, waiting for her signal. "Acheron…" she whispered, spinning her giant scythe with her fingers, eyes on the figure coming clear from the fog. "... I told you back then, but it seemed the lessons that time were all for naught."

As Lilou's fighting aura emanated from her back, everyone prepared themselves. The warriors not only prepared their feet to run but also carried their comrades securely. Meanwhile, Claude looked around casually. Rufus drew a deep breath as the ground he was standing on revealed cracks. One…

Two…

On the third deep breath, everyone fled their spot when they heard Lilou shout, "now!"

CLANG!

Lilou's pair of crimson eyes shone fiercely like the sun, gazing over the blade that blocked her attack. Her scythe hooked the sword when Acheron swung his sword down. The moment their weapons made contact, a strong gust of wind exploded, blowing hand-sized rubbles around the plaza. The warriors who fled the scene couldn't help putting all their weight on their feet to not get blown away by the impact. Thanks to Claude, he deflected all the incoming stones that could've hurt the warriors more. Surprised by the shockwave, the warriors looked back, searching for Lilou to see if she was fine. When they caught a large scythe's shadow, they heaved a sigh of relief. Admiration and awe immediately replaced their relief as reality sank in. That impact was so powerful it shook the ground. It was even more powerful than what Rufus's crash made. Understandable, since Rufus simply crash into the ground after he was sent flying. Still, it was admirable. That woman… the warrior's eyes focused on Lilou's vantage point. "Amazing…" a warrior blurted out under his breath.

They had seen Claude and Rufus fight in the arena. The warriors already knew those two were amazing fighters in their own right. They were also aware that wasn't Claude and Rufus's full strength. However, Lilou caught them off guard. It wouldn't be far-fetched to think she was just as capable as those two — maybe stronger.

"Don't stop!" Lilou's voice rang, snapping everyone from their trance. "Go!"

Claude cast the warriors a look, motioning them to pick up their pace. On instinct, the warriors started moving while keeping their eyes on Lilou.

"Move!" shouted Claude to keep these warriors from getting distracted. "We have others to save!"

Upon the mention of their new agenda, the warriors shook their heads. They peeled their fiery eyes from Lilou, gazing ahead at the herds of undead in front of them. Seeing the countless undead before them, their hearts thudded. Could they go through that thick layer of undead without wielding their swords?

Hesitation dawned on each of them; some placed their hands on their weapons, ready to wield them if it was necessary. Claude was running behind them, and there were only a few capable warriors in the front. Many thoughts hovered over their heads, wondering what they should do. However, when they were several meters from the enemy, the warriors caught a light from above them. While running, they looked up, only to catch a blinding light on top of the establishment. Upon a longer look, they saw a man holding a sword. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Rufus.

Rufus stood on top of the tower with the tip of his sword facing heavenward. A small ball of light hovered over the sword's tip, growing bigger bit by bit. But just as the sphere of light grew to the size of a palm, a figure suddenly appeared on his back. "Watch out!" A warrior shouted whilst running slower. Yet Rufus didn't bulge, nor did he look back at Acheron, who suddenly came behind him. "Oh, Gods who reside behind the thousands of glorious suns, bring light upon thee…" Rufus chanted under his breath without a care at the blade approaching the side of his neck. "... bless them with your light…"

"Acheron Roseberg, I am your opponent." Suddenly Lilou's voice came from Rufus's side, but Rufus didn't stop chanting or his action. CRASH!

The rest of Rufus's chanting faded into the loud crash that followed after a second. Acheron and Lilou crashed into a building right across the tower where Rufus stood. Meanwhile, Rufus drew a deep breath and, without a second hesitation, swung his sword down.

Everything happened so fast that the warriors could only see the blinding light falling from the tip of Rufus's sword. The warriors didn't stop running as they subconsciously abided by Lilou's orders, albeit they slowed down at the light falling onto the plaza. The sphere of light suddenly multiplied midair, surrounding the dark and ominous plaza until everything looked like it was daytime. After a second, the warrior had to stop to shield their eyes as the light spread before it exploded. "Damn it!" Claude cursed through his gritted teeth; he barely shielded his eyes when he figured he nearly got blinded by it. Silence followed, and after a minute of nothing but silence, the warriors and Claude peeked. Much to their surprise, half of the undead were now on the ground, unconscious. But before they could think or admire Rufus, they heard the latter's echoing shouts. "Do not stop!" Rufus's voice thundered, snapping everyone back from their trance. "Get away from here!"

Claude clicked his tongue in irritation, but didn't complain as he backed up Rufus's remarks with another yell, "keep moving!!" And with that, the warriors resumed. This time, however, they didn't stop anymore. Instead, they kept moving forth without slowing down, even if Acheron would appear before them or the undead ran in their direction. After all, Rufus and Lilou would come before any of them would get hurt, and Claude would support them on the side.