A Journey That Changed The World.

Chapter 1234: Ten Rowboats

Archer continued watching the vision as attacks came from every direction, arrows slicing through the smoke, blades flashing between the trees, and fire cascading down like wrath from the heavens.

Soldiers fell in waves, their cries drowned by the relentless roar of the inferno engulfing the battlefield. The remaining Legionnaires and Drakeguards gathered, their bodies battered and bloodied, forming a desperate last stand.

Back to back, they fought like feral beasts cornered, their roars of defiance cutting through the smoke-choked air. With savage precision, their weapons cleaved through wave after relentless wave of foes.

Their strength and ferocity were unmatched, each swing of a blade or swipe of a talon felling another foe. But the Draconians paid dearly for their defiance. Each charge forward, each desperate push to break free, exacted a toll.

Archer was heartbroken, but impressed that his soldiers hurled themselves into the enemy with reckless abandon. They didnʼt feel fear or hope, driven by a singular resolve to drag as many of their attackers down with them.

The memory continued as the commander fought with his man down to the last. He returned to reality while crouching next to the Centurionʼs body. With a sigh Archer closed the soldiersʼ eyes as he muttered, ”Iʼll kill those fools when I find them. Rest well Darius.”ʼ ”What happened my king?” Thalion asked while the Oathkeepers circled him in a protective circle.

Archer stood up and stretched before answering, ”The Dragon Marshals failed in their duties and one of them is a traitor.”

When the giant knights heard this, they stiffened, but he continued speaking, ”Letʼs continue on. The 18th and 19th should be up ahead.”

Following that, Archer and the Oathkeepers started walking through the forest only to see more dead. By the time they stepped out if the treeline, they had found the 18th legion which was destroyed. ʼFuck! Eight hundred thousand men and women lost to stupid generals.ʼ he was internally raging. ʼIʼll torture them in front of the rest of the legions when I find them.ʼ

A field of corpses stretched out in front of them and to Archer, it looked like the army had left the forest only to be attacked. He spotted dozens of destroyed cannons that belonged to the Dragonfire Company.

The Oathkeepers glanced around just as Thalion commented, ”Looks like the 19th survived.” ”No, they didnʼt,” Archer suddenly interjected, his voice colder than the wind slicing through the battlefield. ”Ashokaʼs report mentioned a deadly swamp between here and the hill. The legion didnʼt make it past this place. They fell here.”

His words hung heavy in the air, silencing the group as they pressed on. When they finally reached the swamp, and stopped at the edge of the creepy-looking landscape that stretched into the distance.

The land looked like a vision of hell, fires crackled across scorched earth, and mountains of twisted, lifeless bodies sprawled across the battlefield. Archer stopped in his tracks, his hands trembling as he took in the devastation.

Archerʼs heart clenched, and a slow, seething anger rose within him. ”Enough,” he snarled, his tone like thunder. ”Iʼll fly to find Ashoke. Fuck the Alliance and their anti dragon weapons.”

He summoned his wings while opening a portal to the Domain. ”Wait here for the survivors,” he commanded without looking back. His fists clenched so tightly they shook. ”As for the Alliance... Iʼll burn every army I find to ash.”

Seconds later, the Oathkeepers nodded in silent agreement and stepped through the portal, leaving Archer alone in the desolation. He unfolded his wings and ascended into the ash- laden sky, the anguished cries of the swamp fading beneath him.

The scattered remains of the 19th Legion, sprawled in disarray across the swamp, drew only a fleeting glance. Vengeance already consumed his mind as the thought of losing three entire armies angered him.

Flying west, the broken landscape stretched endlessly beneath him until he spotted a fort. Rage surged through him like a storm, and without hesitation, he folded his wings and dove, a streak of fury against the twilight sky.

He slammed into the heart of the fortifications with an earth-shattering impact, the ground trembling under his wrath. Soldiers scattered in every direction, their panic palpable as they clambered to react.

Some froze, others shouted warnings, but it was too late. Archer rose from the crater of his landing, his eyes blazing with fury as he unleashed the storm that had been building within him.

Without waiting, he summoned an army of Shadow Creatures that started butchering the Alliance soldiers while letting out horrifying howls and screeches. As this happened, Archer approached the enemy commanders with a smile that didnʼt reach his eyes.

The five enemies tried to run, but he Blinked in front of them while casting Mana Manipualtion to tie up their limbs as he grabbed the oldest by the neck and used Soul Eater to go through his recent memories.

What Archer saw angered him even more than this man led the ambush, but that made his smile grow wider. Following that, he summoned his claws and started torturing the Alliance General with a sadistic expression.

He skinned the manʼs left arm before getting a brilliant idea and using his magic to create a bigger hole in the forts square. Once that was done, Archer filled it with water and sent a message to Thalion. ʼBring ten rowboats from the Domain,ʼ he said in a firm tone.

Seconds later, the Oathkeepers appeared holding the requested boats, causing him to speak. ”Place them here and letʼs show the Alliance what happens when they mess with me.” Following that, Archer stripped the enemy commander before placing them in the boat and securing their limbs in place so they couldnʼt escape. Once that was complete, he turned to Thalion with a menacing smile, ”Take the knights and search the fort. Bring any survivors you find here.”

The Oathkeeper Commander saluted before the six of them rushed off as Archer used Mana Manipualtion to spread honey and milk all over their bodies. This confused the Alliance commanders.

A younger man thrashed, desperate to break free, but his struggles were in vain because someone had tied the ropes tightly, leaving no room to escape. Archer watched the futile effort with a bemused smirk before chuckling darkly. ”ʼʼAh, the confusion on your faces excites me because what is to come will be remembered for many years,” he remarked, his voice filled with amusement.”Itʼs almost endearing. Allow me to offer a hint.”

He finished drizzling honey and milk over the writhing captives before stacking another boat atop them, trapping their bodies with only their heads and arms exposed. The sight was absurd, yet it brought a twisted satisfaction for Archer as he inspected his work.

With a casual push, he sent the five captives splashing into the murky water that gather new homeowners that were exploring the sudden stagnant pool. He watched them struggle, his tone light but laced with menace. ʼʼTell me,ʼʼ he mused, leaning over to catch their frightened expressions, ”What stirs in the heat of the sun? Theyʼve plagued my legions since we set foot on Avidia. Now itʼs time you meet them, too.”

The commanders looked confused which made Archer laugh before revealing with a dark smile, ”Insects. Once the sun comes up, they will swarm this pool that will quickly become a bug infested hellhole which youʼll be floating in.”

Five faces went pale, but he continued while summoning ten Stone Men, ”These guys here will smother you in more sweet foods. That will attract thousands of horrible creatures to eat it, then burrow into your bodies to lay eggs.”

Following that, Archer started laughing when seeing the hopeless expressions on their faces, but he didnʼt care. Minutes after that, the Oathkeepers appeared while pushing along a few hundred enemy soldiers.

This pleased him before opening a portal and asking Morena to come see him. When the white-haired necromancer appeared, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and placed a passionate kiss against his lips.

Archer was pleased with her greeting but broke apart as he questioned, ”Can you turn these soldiers into cannon fodder? I donʼt want to waste a few hundred bodies when I can use them against the Alliance.”

Morena nodded in agree with as her blue eyes gleamed. ”I have an idea, but can I take them to the prison? That way they can soak in the Domainʼs mana.”

After speaking, he sent the prisoners with the older woman, who was staring at the floating boats with a raised eyebrow. She approached the edge before warning, ”Hundreds of deadly insects are lurking in this water.”ʼ ”Yes, I know, but what youʼre seeing is a new torture method I came up with to horrify the Alliance when we pull back,” Archer answered. ”They want a Demon King and thatʼs what Iʼll give them.” [Check out my new novel and let me know what you think: Aether Chronicles: Birth Of A Legend - If you like magic, academies, brilliant romance and dungeons, then give it a go]