Chapter 1 - The Rise of Phoenix Monarch, The Seventh Prince returns
Ten years enslaved by the tyrannous Azure Dragon Clan, the remaining survivors of the Vermillion Bird Monarch—also known as the Phoenix Monarch—recuperated in the shadows and carefully planned out the ways and tactics to reclaim their motherland. On the day they attacked the capital, laying their lives once again, the once glorious and majestic city was filled with fire and smoke, flooded by blood of their own, but mostly of their enemies.
Caught by surprise, the Dragon Clan didn’t have enough time to send a signal for reinforcements and was forced to fight by what people they had at the capital. While the Dragon’s Water could have easily swept the tongues of fire, the Phoenix Fire undoubtedly became stronger than what they had expected.
Amid the chaos, the Dragon Prince Yue came out with Princess Ahri in tow, taking his own wife as a hostage to gain an upper hand from the siege. Surely, these people would not risk the life of their last royal bloodline. The leader of the siege, the monarch’s former Deputy General, signalled his people to stop fighting.
“It is no surprise that Prince Yue would use such tactics to get what he wants,” Deputy General sneered. Standing opposite of him at the other side of the stairs, Prince Yue looked down on him. He had his arm around Princess Ahri’s chest, a silver blade pointed at her pale neck.
“General Lucas,” the princess whispered, shaking her head. Doll-like eyes, which were purer than any ruby, pleaded the Deputy General not to surrender for her sake. They must take their land back. No matter what the cost. Ten years of oppression and suffering was enough and she couldn’t bear to live looking at their people enslaved by the Dragon Clan.
But the Deputy General’s resolve was certain. He would save the last princess of the monarch, and free the enslaved citizens of his land. It was what he took the oath for, what his life meant to die for. If he would continue to breath knowing he did not give his all for his country, he’d rather not live at all.
“Why don’t you take all these filth you brought and go back to your nests, Deputy General, so Princess Ahri would still see the daylight tomorrow?”
“You will have to kill me first before you can lay your filthy hands on Princess Ahri, bastard.”
A black dagger flew to the Dragon Prince’s direction, tipping off the blade that pointed against the princess’s neck. Deputy General Lucas shifted quickly, his body almost flying to catch the princess in his protective arm. He called on his second-in-command, Former Lieutenant Lance to hold and protect the princess for him. He would have to take this battle with the Dragon Prince on his own.
“General Lucas!” The princess cried as she was dragged away from the battlefield.
While the battle of silver and black blades from the Dragon Prince and Phoenix General continued, Lieutenant Lance took the princess in one hand, while he cleared the way towards the capital gates. Many of their men had fallen, but many had also persevered. The strength of fire deep in their blood was long ignited with deep animosity towards the Dragon Clan, and tonight, they poured all these resentment in every wave, every wield of their black bladed swords.
The battle carried on, the Dragon Clan gaining the upper hand in numbers. With only a hundred from Phoenix Monarch attacking the city, even if at their best condition, they would not be able to endure long hours of fighting a thousand of Dragon Clan warriors. Eventually they will exhaust themselves and will lose their footing during the fight. Lucas knew of that, and as much as he wanted to end this victoriously, Prince Yue was a cunning and a formidable opponent.
If only they could receive a helping hand from the gods. Whichever god it would be, he would worship them for the rest of his life.
The clash of the blades resounded in Lucas’ ears. Eye to eye with the Dragon Prince, the general’s resolve remained unfazed. For the sake of his country, for the sake of his brothers, for the sake of Princess Ahri, he would take back what was theirs and restore the glory and dignity of Phoenix Monarch!
Lucas’ chest vibrated as he cried the last bit of his power, his energy, to gain the upper hand. He withdrew the blade and slid a foot distance in a second before pivoting to the right. He swung the blade and aimed it to the Dragon Prince’s neck, but the latter was fast to gain composure and block the attack. Lucas kneed the prince’s side and followed the move with another slash.
What he didn’t foresee was Yue’s elemental attack, a whip of water formed on his left palm took the blow from Lucas’ blade. The splash of water was enough to distract him for a second, before Yue’s feet spun and extended his silver sword through Lucas’ armor, and into his gut.
“I admire your skills General Lucas,” the prince sneered, “But it was nowhere near a noble birth like me.”
Lucas spewed blood down his chin, his veins and bones struggling against the coldness of the blade. His fire spirit refused to yield and admit defeat, but with him down on his knees, who would lead the remaining people of the monarch? Who would take them to safety, should everything start falling down from there on?
“I promise not to hurt, Princess Ahri,” the prince went on, “After all, the Dragon Clan is still merciful for not harming the surviving citizens of the once glorious Phoenix Monarch.”
Lucas wanted to thrust his own sword against the man’s mouth, or better yet, slid it home against his neck to wipe the grin out of his face.
Losing strength, Lucas’ eyes started to fall. Even in death, he would not dare try to forgive himself. He would not rest in peace, not until his ghost sees his home out of misery.
Right before he let go of the thread, there was a series of explosions coming from the gates. There was a fast moving figure, swift and almost invisible. It suddenly reminded Lucas of the only one person who practiced such art of fighting.
Impossible.
The figure was in all black, even his waist length hair. The lithe body of the man moved like shadows, unnoticeable, unfelt, but definitely there. A promise of death, a promise of pitch black nightmare against all that is light.
Yue finally withdrew his sword from his body when he saw his men fell one by one. Thousands of Dragon warriors were killed in such a short time by that single man blending in the crowd.
“What are you all standing there, take that man and kill him!” Yue ordered in fury. He no longer took Lucas as his main concern, because Lucas, to him, would die any minute now, but that man who just killed his men was definitely not someone he should let live.
The general heaved his breath, seeing the man on black appear out of nowhere behind the Dragon Prince. Up close, Lucas noticed the two thin, black swords he was holding in each hand.
Double-Edged Twin Swords?! Even in his state, Lucas’ heart galloped against his chest.
Out of the four kingdoms, no one dared to master such a weapon. Double-Edged Twin Swords was not uncommon, but due to its difficulty and lethality, it was considered as one of the hardest to master. A person must have years of intensive training in speed, agility and strength to master its formation, both offense and defense. If not, the other edge of the sword would definitely injure the wielder if the person did not master the three essence of martial arts.
Now it explains how the man was lithe in form. It all went down to his art of fighting. But what Lucas couldn’t place was his identity. Before he saw the swords, he was sure it was someone from the royal bloodline of the monarch. He had seen it ten years ago when he fought during the siege.
But now, it was impossible to think that it could be him!
“Prince Yue,” the voice rang amid the chaos. Lucas watched the latter spin in shock, terror replaced the arrogance in his face.
Lucas could not see the face of the man in black, but Yue recognized him immediately. “You!” He pointed, “You’re dead! It can’t be—”
“Ah,” the man chuckled, “If I am dead, then consider me as a ghost, Your Highness. After all, my resentment towards your clan could surpass any evil that existed in this world. Don’t worry, I promise it won’t be a quick death.”
Lucas’ back shivered from the coldness of that tone.
“I will make sure that you will wish I killed you painlessly,” the man whispered. “But that would take all the fun in that, wouldn’t it?”
Just as how he silently appeared on Yue’s back, the man moved so fast that he was again behind the Dragon Prince. This time, with the help of the little light coming from the sea of fire, Lucas met a pair of almond shape, dark eyes, straight nose and bow shaped pale lips, as he slowly, excruciatingly, opened up the prince’s neck with one of his blades. The prince’s screams were downright horrifying, traumatizing. And when he fell on the ground, gurgling his own blood and gasping for air, the man in black tossed him with his booted foot, before lacerating every part of his body. They were not deep enough for an instant death, but they were precisely lethal in a person’s vein which would result in death by bleeding.
And indeed, Prince Yue of Dragon Clan died with his blood bathing the staircase towards the Hall of Flames, the throne room of Phoenix Monarch.
Lucas almost forgot that he, too, was bleeding. The man in black approached him. Still, no sound coming from his footsteps. It was as if he wasn’t there. It was as if he was walking on clouds.
He knelt before Lucas and observed his wounds.
“It’s over General,” the man said, placing a comforting palm on his shoulder. “We finally got our home back.”
Lucas was a man who did not show any signs of weakness. But when the man in front of him smiled and patted his shoulder reassuringly, he now understood why the Order of Seventh was loyal to their prince. His lips stretched wide in relief, but at the same time, his eyes burned with tears.
“Your Highness, P-Prince Aizen…”
“Come,” the prince extended a hand, “Let us gather the survivors and have Ahri treat your wound.”
Lucas reached out to that hand. The symbol of hope, the symbol of their monarch’s future.
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