The guards charged into the plaza and clashed with the soldiers. The clanging of blades rang while flares, rain, and blood splashed in the battlefield. The tents were enfolded in flames and mournful screams were heard everywhere. One standing under the dark sky felt as though one was among the flames of this terrifying hell.
Once one shot an arrow, there was no getting it back. It was especially so for the retired soldiers. They didn’t have any bright future ahead of them anymore, so they weren’t afraid of the menacing blades. On the contrary, it urged them to charge ahead bravely, which caught the guards unprepared. Even though the guards were permanently stationed in Casabianca and were experienced in handling riots and protests, and despite their armors being much better than the ragged pieces of clothes clad on the soldiers, the problem was that this wasn’t an ordinary protest, after all. Many of these retired soldiers pulled out of the battle against the undead creatures. Although the Country of Light’s military commanders were useless, the soldiers who survived against the undead creatures were extraordinarily impressive in adaptation and their skills. The battle and murderous intent in them weren’t what the guards could handle. The guards panicked and even though they had the upper hand in quantity, they were like paper tigers. On the other hand, the soldiers used their experiences from battlefields and formed several teams to start guerrilla warfare.
The reason why the parliament chose to announce the news during dusk was to lower its influence to the minimum. The parliament members thought that the retired soldiers were only a bunch of powerless, ill, and disabled people who would retreat at the sight of the slightest challenge.
But the truth exceeded everyone’s expectations. Not only did the retired soldiers not flee, but they also summoned their courage for the fight. On the other hand, the guards who had all hopes pinned on them by the parliament were desperate and miserable! This instantly brought a whole lot of pressure and uncertainty to the parliament.
Of course, if the parliament sent out mages instead, the soldiers wouldn’t be able to match them. But they weren’t in the outskirts of the wilderness and were located in the city center of Casabianca instead. Mages would not only destroy buildings, but the opportunity to handle the situation peacefully would also be shattered. If news of this clash spread throughout the continent, it would leave a bad impression with several large-scale organizations like the churches and Mage Tower. These third parties didn’t need to show deference to the parliament and might perhaps raise objections because this matter was the parliament’s fault to begin with. They weren’t willing to fork out the money to compensate the soldiers which ultimately led to this disaster. If the parliament took it too far, the church would surely step in. But fortunately for the parliament, emergency relief issues were the financial affairs of the Country of Light and weren’t agreed upon in the contract under the church’s supervision. If not, the parliament would have a bigger headache over their money being frozen in the church’s bank…
The situation was horrible for the parliament. The results that they expected didn’t show up and on the contrary, the guards began to retreat, turning the entire Freedom Square into a massive meat grinder. The guards who entered the plaza were crushed and the glorified cavalrymen were nowhere to be seen already.
The parliament members were out of ideas. They stood by the window helplessly, watching the chaos taking place in Freedom Square, praying that they would survive as the winners. But if the soldiers were to break through the blockades and attack the parliament hall… They didn’t even dare to think of what would happen!
The night darkened and dazzling lightning bolts bursting in the thick clouds blinded the plaza in a white flash. The blazing flames, shifting silhouettes, thunders, and screams formed a desperate scene.
The situation was heading toward the point of no return.
“Heyahhh!”
Bane slashed his blade through the pouring rain, piercing into the neck of a young guard. Beads of blood sprang up and the young guard instantly felt his life fading away from him. He widened his eyes in panic, reaching his hand out in despair. But at the next moment, he crumpled to the pool of bloodied water on the ground.
Damn it, where exactly did everything go wrong?
Bane lifted his head and gazed at the plaza that had completely turned into a bloody battlefield. Ironically, they were swinging their weapons at their fellow citizens instead of the enemies who had invaded their homeland and massacred their families! How did the situation turn out this way? Bane could no longer consider this question and didn’t even have the time to feel sorrowful. Right now there was nothing else he could do apart from slaughtering one another. He brandished his sword blankly, his heart completely perplexed. Perhaps he wasn’t the only one feeling this way. Both parties were tearing into each other and the so-called compensations were already out of the picture. So what if he killed more people now? Could they even attack the parliament and occupy the building? If so, what was the purpose of that?
But this fight couldn’t be stopped! No matter what, he didn’t wish to die here. Even if he were to become a fugitive and escape the Country of Light, at least he had a chance to survive. Everything would be done for if he lost his life here!
Bane knew that there was still a way out. As long as someone with more authority over the parliament intervened, the battle could be stopped. But did such a person exist? If even the parliament had given up on them, who would be willing to lend them a helping hand?
There was an instant when Bane had given up all hope. He panted, gazing at the guards charging at him. He closed his eyes and raised his sword, before swinging it forward…
“Everyone stop!”
All of a sudden, a snarl as loud as thunder overwhelmed the battlefield of clamors and blade clashes. Not only that, but Bane also felt his body coming to a halt as though it was frozen. He widened his eyes at the two guards standing before him in their offensive stance, their faces in complete astonishment. At this moment, a bright, holy ray of white shone and eradicated the darkness. Bane looked up at the sky where hundreds of glowing angels appeared before their eyes.
Battle Angels!
Bane shrieked. Even though they couldn’t stand the Battle Angels in the past, they respected them a lot more after the war against the Country of Darkness ended. It could also be said that if it weren’t for the Battle Angels, they would have died miserably in the hands of the undead creatures. As a result, the soldiers didn’t detest the Battle Angels as much as the ordinary civilians. And now, the Battle Angels were actually here to rescue them. If Bane recalled correctly, the parliament wasn’t in a position to control the Battle Angels. So if the Battle Angels were here on their own accord, this meant that…
Bane suddenly felt a sliver of hope.
“Stop fighting immediately!”
Boulder descended to the platform with a blazing sword in his hand. He swept a look at the crowd, which was stunned by his ‘intimidating’ words. Then, he knitted his brows and repeated.
“Stop fighting immediately!”
Along with the arrival of the Battle Angels, the crowd no longer had the intention to continue their battle. Shortly after, the soldiers and guards swiftly separated themselves to two sides of the plaza. Both sides gazed worriedly at the Battle Angels. After all, the Battle Angels were low-profile and wouldn’t intervene with any situations. Besides, there weren’t a lot of them left in the Country of Light, which was why they seldom showed up. But with their appearance here, everyone felt that something was off with the situation.
The parliament members standing by the windows watched tensely. They knew who had the authority to mobilize the Battle Angels. Could it be that…
As though confirming their greatest fears, a petite figure sauntered out of the group of angels and went up the platform.
“I was still feeling hopeful when Big Sister Sonia reported the situation to me. But Chairman Nakvard, is this the way your parliament handles the situation?”
Lilian puckered her brows and asked the pale, solemn man standing before her.
