Others Summon Dragons, I Summon Legendary Knights

Chapter 159: Imminent Clash

’I’m here again, and it still feels as surreal as the first time.’ Godfrey muttered within himself as he stood before Dirge’s chamber door, looking at the hallway lit up with torches as it led right into the chamber.

’Here we go again.’

As he walked down, he could see white phantoms shaped like women without feet, moving about as a melodious voice rang from within the chamber.

The phantoms chorused like a choir as Dirge sang. There were no words, just different soul-touching sounds.

Godfrey paused for a moment at the edge of the chamber to absorb it all. He watched Dirge stretch her hand to the phantoms as she sang. They would try to take her hand, but it would just fade past her gauntleted fingers.

She would then turn to another.

The song was sad yet hopeful... the view was tragic yet strengthened him to keep standing even when it seemed all was lost.

Dirge noticed him and swiftly bowed her head. ”Grand Prince.”

Upon hearing that, the phantoms began to speak, though their voices were faint.

”Grand Prince?”

”Is he the Grand Prince?”

”He’s a child...”

They all faded away as the song that summoned them had already stopped.

”I forgot to ask. What are they?” Godfrey asked, still standing at the entrance.

”My sisters. We sang for the dead as they were laid to rest. Our sisterhood was of peace until a dungeon of banshee opened up, possessing many of us and then turned us against ourselves. I thought I was dead until the great alchemist brought me back to life with my newfound powers.”

Dirge lifted up her hands. ”However, only my sisters... and I don’t want to raise them as shadows.”

”Then there’s no need for you to,” Godfrey replied, turning to the wall where the image of an alchemist was carved. ”Do you know who these alchemists are?”

”They’re saviors of my world, founders of the Golden Order, and men craving the mysteries of the mana tree. That’s the reason Lament’s helmet has the image of a tree.”

Dirge’s reply made Godfrey recall that Lament’s helmet did have what looked like a tree above the crest.

”Your race was not too favoured, so how were the alchemists able to create the False Heart and fuse chimeric beasts with elite knights like you?”

”Technology,” Dirge replied. ”Their knowledge was deep; they understood runes and how to manipulate mana to do their bidding through those runes.”

She lifted her staff. ”My staff is able to absorb and store my powers. It can unleash my screams and also make them more powerful by merging multiple screams together. The more the screams, the bigger the damage. At my peak, I could shatter an entire mountain with just my staff.”

Godfrey was amazed.

He also recalled that Mountain’s Bastion had lots of abilities, two of which were Reflect and Ricochet; Tempest’s Double-Bladed Greatsword whose ability was to either pull a person toward or away; and Ballista’s bow that could conjure any type of arrow he desired.

The alchemists, on their own, created weapons with abilities of their own and armour that enhanced their knights. The more he knew about these alchemists, the more Godfrey was amazed.

Their creations even beat back Cain and his great army, sending him heavily injured back to his home world.

Godfrey turned toward the other door, walked toward it and placed his palm on it. ”What’s behind this door? A beast?”

He asked as the image on it was that of a dragon head with the sun in its mouth and two short swords behind the head.

Dirge was silent for a moment. ”It’s a man. A commander without troops, a walking, breathing sun. Sometimes in the form of a man, sometimes in the form of a beast. He’s the knight who purged the banshee dungeon and fought against most creatures that threatened to engulf our planet.”

”Engulf? You mean creatures able to consume an entire planet?”

”Yes.” Dirge’s response made Godfrey’s face turn solemn. He couldn’t imagine the horror on everyone’s face if they saw such a dungeon beast approach earth.

It could be that people like Arthur Pendragon were already facing such threats, both those in the planet and those outside it.

’I guess my next knight will be much stronger than I expected.’ Godfrey muttered inwardly as he looked at the huge image carved into the petrified wall.

”Godfrey.”

A voice echoed through the chamber, and he left his soul space, opening his eyes in the real world where he sat in a classic pickup truck moving through an underground passageway.

He was seated at the back of the truck with Percival, Dax, Oliver, and Thalia, the wind whipping their hair about.

”We’re here.” Thalia said, placing her finger at Godfrey’s chin and tilting his head toward a blue gate which they had just entered.

”Our mission is to kill the tracker. Once he’s dead, they won’t be able to follow Godfrey anymore.” Arden’s voice rang.

Godfrey turned to him. Arden sat beside the driver, who was Arian. Godfrey couldn’t deny the warmth he felt inside as he looked at the other vehicles filled with members of the cohort.

A good number of the cohort was here to fight for him.

”This dungeon opened recently. No freelancer has explored it completely, so the Authorities won’t have a map. With telepathy, we speak to ourselves, and that will be to our advantage.” Arden said while looking ahead with a pensive expression.

”Prepare yourselves.” Arian’s deep voice rang as the truck came out of the underground road and the bright sun fell on them.

Their surroundings were like an abandoned metropolis with lots of greenery, abandoned vehicles that had aged so badly it seemed like they had been left for a thousand years.

”...We’re in the territory of Ents.” Arian stated. ”The Authorities will not be the only threat here.”

Saying that, Arian summoned Isshin before dozens of cars that blocked the road. Isshin lifted its leg and kicked forward. That kick sent almost a hundred cars out of the road and into the buildings, causing two structures to collapse as the vehicles drove past.

***

At the same time, a long convoy of armoured trucks drove toward Brooklyn Bridge at high speed. Seated in one of the leading trucks was Amber, her arms crossed while Bram sat behind her with a man, a simple-looking man with large ears and black shades.

”So he’s in Brooklyn?” Amber asked.

”He’s been here for a few days, but his mana scent is growing weaker. He must have entered a gym. Once I let out my Bloodhounds, I can find him. Once my hounds have a target, they’ll track it down, even if it’s dead.” Henry, the tracker, said confidently.

”Will the target know?” Bram asked.

”Of course not. Even if they did, they’re helpless. I’m one of the Invincibles for a reason.” Henry smiled. ”My ability makes others hopeless; isn’t that the whole idea behind Invincibles?”

After the Great Vanishing, Invincibles had increased from Lord Tiers to Throne and Saint Tiers, as they were to be seen as only weaker than the true giants.

”You can be assured the target will lead us right into paradise. The shock my targets always have on their faces when I catch them is exhilarating. I can’t wait to see it on the faces of those bloody Vagabonds.” Henry cackled.

Amber shot him a glance from the corner of her eye. ”Your summon might be one of a kind in the world, but the ability to smell can’t bring down Godfrey Daniels. He’s powerful, powerful enough to wipe out the troops who were supposed to apprehend Percival Jackson. That’s why we brought two extra one-of-a-kind summoners.”

Henry furrowed his eyebrows. ”So that’s why you brought the other Invincible, even though he’s a criminal.”

”His ability is crucial, but time traveling is a delicate ability, and we would like to reserve him as a last option. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to it, or he might have to kill Godfrey, changing a bit of our current present.” Bram stated with his hand supporting his chin.

”Won’t killing the boy cause his mother to react? She might do what would make the higher-ups lose,” Henry stated.

”She won’t.” Amber retorted with a collected tone. ”I think you’ve forgotten how his ability works. Once he kills Godfrey, it would be in the past, at his place of birth. His mother won’t know how her son died, and fate itself will weave a life for her. She willingly accepts to sacrifice herself for the greater good of mankind. I really don’t understand why this option wasn’t chosen earlier.”

”Because there are variables. What you stated was the best-case scenario. She might adopt and have a reason to be attached to being alive.” Bram stated.

”Well, that reason can’t be Godfrey Daniels, and whatever isn’t Godfrey Daniels isn’t a threat to the Authorities when it comes to our target,” Amber replied.

”Wait,” Henry interjected. ”Why is this the last option? We should start with it!”

”I did mention affecting things like the past has variables we might not think of. Which is why we would prefer to use Adonis White, the Manhattan High student known as Snow, for our main attack.” Bram looked out the window.

”The boy has grown from one of the many Glimmer-Wing Butterfly summoners to one of the most talented summoners on the planet. He has kept pushing, doing the impossible several times. I don’t know what’s pushing him, but it’s made him critical for this mission.”

While Bram spoke, in one of the last few armoured trucks, Manhattan students in combat-ready attires sat, some looking at the pistol handed over to them.

Snow sat with his head lowered, fingers entwined and eyes closed, while Leander leaned against the truck’s wall with his legs crossed.

...

A/N: I haven’t been at home for two days now. I’m back now so I’ll make sure the Chapters rise back to two from next week.