Free Web NovelChapter 12: The Armament Crusade
"My Armament!" This cry resounded through the mansion. Those close looked at the person, only to see an armoured man staring at the sky, as if his love had been stolen.
When they followed his gaze, they saw his weapon, a sword, had flown into the sky.
It wasn’t only his. Within seconds, their armaments had flown from their sheaths.
For those holding spears, halberds, and the like, they tried desperately to hold their armaments down, but all they could do was watch as they left their grasp and soared into the sky.
Tragic cries resounded throughout the castle, everyone wondering what sorcery this was.
These cries alarmed everyone in the castle, including Seraphina and the three men with her.
"What’s happening?" Kelvin muttered. Had an enemy attacked? They immediately became vigilant.
Suddenly, they felt everywhere was dark. Weren’t they in the afternoon?
It wasn’t supposed to be this dark.
They instinctively looked above them. But the scene above made them feel chills.
Armaments were packed together in the sky, covering the suns from shining.
Even Seraphina was shocked by this scene as she wondered what was happening.
Rushed footsteps could be heard. Seraphina glanced behind her to see that everyone had already gathered here.
Chefs, maids, butlers, guards, everyone had been drawn by the phenomenon and commotion that was happening.
"That’s my Armament."
"Phew, for a moment, I felt scared."
"What happened?"
Relieved murmurs could be heard when they saw their weapons were safe.
They finally began to assess where they were. When they saw Seraphina’s figure standing with Darwin and the others, they shivered.
In a monotone manner, they all knelt down. "Greetings, Young Miss."
Seraphina almost cried out when they knelt down, but felt relieved when they called her Young Miss.
"You may rise," Seraphina ordered with a wave of her hand.
A corner of her gaze drifted to Lucien, hoping he didn’t know anything, but surprisingly, he seemed focused in front of the awakening crystal.
It was at this moment that everyone finally noticed Lucien standing before the awakening crystal.
"Who’s that?"
"I haven’t seen such a person in the castle."
"For the Empress to be here, that means he’s important. It seems he was responsible for that phenomenon."
"What’s happening? Who is he?"
Everyone began to discuss Lucien. The unknown pressure and the phenomenon made them curious, wondering what was happening.
Before they could continue, they all felt new presences arriving, numerous armaments appeared in the sky, numbering up to fifty.
And they weren’t ordinary. Each one emitted a peerless and arrogant aura, as if they stood at the top of the world.
Flames burned around some. Killing intent diffused from others. Each one radiated a different phenomenon, some crackling with lightning, others shrouded in shadow, a few pulsing with ancient light.
The crowd immediately fell silent. Ignis and the others were shocked when they saw the new arrivals.
"Isn’t that Klaus’ armament?" Kelvin asked in disbelief.
"Isn’t the Armament in the treasury?" Ignis followed, in shock and disbelief.
They began to point out many Armaments they recognised, and this made everyone feel chills at the unknown that was happening.
Before they could process what was happening, their own weapons began to shake, even those stored in their origin rings trembled intensely.
They had to release them to prevent chaos within their origin rings.
But as they let them out, all they could do was watch as their armaments joined the armament crusade in the sky.
Their mouths opened wide enough to stuff an egg inside. Seraphina’s main armament also tried to join the crew, but with her power and bloodline, she was able to calm it down.
But it was only her main armament. All her other armaments joined the crew.
"Even Her Majesty’s armaments didn’t escape this," someone whispered among the crowd.
Numerous scenes unfolded as figures appeared, numbering up to thirty, each one a powerful Originator like Darwin and the others.
They greeted Seraphina upon their arrival with devotion and respect.
"Darwin, what’s happening?" One of them questioned.
Darwin, who was asked the question, fell silent. What could he say when even he couldn’t comprehend what was happening now?
Could he say that Lucien’s awakening was responsible for this?
At the moment, they had noticed Lucien, but for him to be here with the Empress and Darwin, Kelvin, and Ignis, showed it was the Empress’s decision.
They became curious about Lucien, wondering what relationship he might have with their Empress.
SWOOSH!
This mutual sound of blade movement caught everyone’s attention.
They looked up to see every armament slanted, their tips pointed to the ground as if they were going to attack.
Everyone had their Originat circulated, thinking the armaments were planning on taking them.
But the angle of their tips wasn’t facing them.
Everyone realized the armaments weren’t planning on attacking them, but were bowing.
But to what?
"Look."
Everyone’s eyes were drawn to what appeared beside the Draconic Eyes.
All they saw was the tip of a blade, vast and gleaming, extending beyond what their eyes could follow. But the rest of its form was shrouded, covered in a dense, swirling energy that pulsed like a living shroud, hiding its true shape from sight.
No one could see the rest. It remained concealed, as if the blade was still forming, still awakening. Yet even with only its tip revealed, the armaments all bowed lower, as if they had recognized their sovereign.
They didn’t even notice its presence upon arrival.
"My eyes." Someone cried out from the crowd, holding his eyes that were spilling blood.
More of this occurred, making everyone feel chills as they realized they couldn’t look directly at the tip.
Each withdrew their gaze, the scene becoming a heavy impact.
But the fun was just beginning.
Above them, the sky itself began to tremble. The barrier that Seraphina had erected, the Void Containment Rune, started to crack, silver fractures spiderwebbing across its surface like broken glass. Then, with a sound like the world groaning, it shattered.
The pressure that had been contained surged outward, but it didn’t scatter; it rose.
The clouds above Aethelgard began to shift, swirling in a slow, deliberate spiral. Their color changed, deepening from white to grey, then to a deep crimson, as if the sky itself was bleeding. The suns dimmed, their light swallowed by the growing darkness. The temperature dropped, and a heavy silence fell over the land.
Then, above them all, a throne stepped out of the shadows.
But it was faint, like a half-formed memory, like something glimpsed through water. Its edges blurred and rippled, as if it was not fully present in this world. The shadows clung to it, refusing to let go, as if the throne was still trying to pull itself into existence.
The more the blurriness faded, the more Aethelgard shook and different phenomenons happened.
Everywhere was silent, everyone holding their breath, none dared made a sound, eyes glued to the throne, awaiting its appearance.
CRACK!
