CHAPTER 459: MIGHT OF GUILE

When fighting a powerful foe, use a distraction. When one distraction wasn’t enough—use two.

Annas was no fool. As much as he utterly loathed that child who called himself the Akh Nara, Annas had seen the boy’s power firsthand. Had watched him destroy Matiman, whose belief in the superiority of his Ultimate Bloodline Arts got him killed. Annas had watched him groom that army of monsters in the Ash—no army in this realm could hope to match it, regardless of size or coordination.

Even with the aid of the Aindri, even after blackmailing the Panav out of this war, Annas knew he would not win through conventional means. Annas would not make the same mistake as his predecessor. He would not underestimate his foe.

His caution had paid off. Samar Patag was engulfed in flames fully occupying the goddess Ashani’s attention. The Akh Nara and the Ravager were both caught in a battle they could neither win nor escape, and his Asuras were all engaged in the field, fighting the Aindri-Chitran allied forces.

Which, given the small size of the Akh Nara’s forces, left precious few to guard the castle.

Annas had created the perfect scenario to walk in on his enemies undetected.

It was why he was met with hardly a sliver of resistance as he entered Samar Patag’s castle via one of its numerous secret passages, bypassing the guards and gaining entry to the core of the keep.

While his force wasn’t a large one—the tight confines of the snaking passages prohibited a large force moving through by design—it was an elite one. His very best Chitran Warriors had led the charge, aided by the Aindri’s finest.

Even without their mounts, the Aindri elites proved fearless. They fanned out, securing hallways and rooms one after another, killing silently and mercilessly.

The enemy didn’t even see it coming. Chakra attacks made no sound, and only the most paranoid of demons kept their Foundation and Shield Chakras open all the time.

Annas’ troops swarmed the corridors, clearing the royal quarters, the war room, and a half dozen other strategic locations, holding choke points and key corridors within the castle.

Annas had spent a good deal of time in the castle, after all, and he hadn’t wasted it. He’d studied every passage in detail, drafting maps and detailed notes, fully expecting such an eventuality. He’d hammered those plans in the minds of his troops so thoroughly, he suspected they could recite them in their sleep.

The preparation paid off, yet no amount of preparation could forestall a surprise attack by the Asuras straight from the depths of the Ashen Realm.

The goddess’ Gates were one of the strongest weapons the Akh Nara wielded—to say nothing of the goddess herself. Should Annas ever have the sheer dumb luck to stumble across a friendly Imperium deity, he’d cow the entire realm into submission in days.

Another grave mistake on his enemy’s part—the Aindri, the Panav, and even his Chitran could have been stolen from him in one swoop had the Akh Nara leaned more on her reputation.

Even still, Annas’ attack would be doomed from the start without doing something about Ashani’s Gates.

Luckily, he had a solution.

His forces stormed the audience hall, taking the chatting Ruler and Laborer Callings by shock.

“Everyone move!” Annas announced. “Comply and you will not be harmed. Resist…”

Annas picked a random demon, a middle-aged woman, and fired a Warrior Chakra attack at her chest.

She collapsed without a word, frothing at the mouth, spasming. She’d stay that way until she either suffocated or starved.

“Need I say more?” Annas asked, voice even and low.

He didn’t. The remaining demons complied, allowing subjugation collars to be fitted around their necks, though an old woman in particular kept throwing him death glares.

“Greesha, how good to see you again,” Annas said, ensuring he showed his teeth when he smiled. “We granted you power and prestige, and this is how you thank us. Betrayal. I’ll have to arrange for a proper traitor’s punishment for you. Breaking at the wheel, or possibly death by burning. It will be public, of course.”

“You’ll have to do a lot better to scare me, Annas,” Greesha scoffed. “And I rather doubt you’ll have the opportunity. Your days are numbered, though I’m quite confident not even Adinat himself could convince you of that.”

Annas knew better than to argue with the old hag, so he walked off without another word—but not before allowing himself the pleasure of spitting on her sickening face.

“Bottle,” Annas commanded as he approached the nearby Gate. If his intelligence was correct, this one led to somewhere deep within Baira, where the Akh Nara had erected a nexus of Gates connecting to various locations within the Ash.

Annas had to admit—he felt a little jealous as he peered through the Gate to the empty fields on the other side. Such a network was an unbelievable advantage.

Luckily, it seemed it was the goddess who constructed the Gates, not the boy. It’d take time, but Annas was confident he’d convince her to support his cause, even if he had to worship her. He’d give her fame and power. Build her temples and erect statues of white marble. Everything a deity could ever want.

Annas tore his eyes from the Gate to the black liquid swirling within the bottle, staring for a moment before throwing the bottle at the edge of the Gate.

The bottle shattered, sending the black liquid flying in all directions. Much of it fell uselessly on the floor, but some merged with the prana keeping the Gate active. Mingling and mixing with it.

The Gate flickered once, twice, then lost its oval shape, devolving into an Ash Tear before winking out of existence.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

“My friends,” Annas announced happily. “See to the other Gates. Leave none standing. With the Gates closed, our victory is all but guaranteed. ”

“Sir,” a kothi Annas didn’t recognize called. “We’ve located the children. Seems they rounded them all up in a room nearby. A couple of healers were trying to remove their tattoos, but we stopped them in time.”

“Then the gods are truly with us,” Annas said, a genuine smile creeping onto his face. “I’d thought the children's part over, yet it seems they’ll continue to be useful. Come, lead me to them.”

“What do you mean?” the Warrior asked as they walked.

“Tell me, even with the Gates disabled, do you truly believe we can hold this keep by force?”

“That’s…”

A round of anxious looks passed among his soldiers.

“We cannot,” Annas said flatly. “The flames will eventually be put out. Jagath will soon depart, his obligation fulfilled. Then there would be nothing stopping the Akh Nara from annihilating us.

“Nothing, that is, except the Akh Nara himself. Do you know what is more valuable than a good army?” he asked.

“Better numbers?” the Warrior replied, earning a round of chuckles from the others.

“Knowing your enemy,” Annas said as they rounded a corner. “Knowing their strengths, their weaknesses...”

“And what is that living god’s weakness?” a Warrior asked. “The demon is nearly unkillable and has an army of nearly immortal soldiers at his back to boot.”

Annas tsked. “You miss the point, my friend,” he said, nodding to the two Aindri standing on either side of an unmarked door. The guards returned the gesture and moved aside, allowing Annas inside.

A dozen pairs of eyes looked back at him. The children Annas had pressed into service. There were no adults present, aside from his forces—the healers had all been killed.

All, that was, save for one.

A spear thrust from seemingly nowhere, a naga woman descending from the rafters.

Annas dodged, throwing his attacker a look of disdain. A look that swiftly changed to surprise. “You?”

“Yes, me! I will kill you if it’s the last thing I do, kothi scum!” The demon roared, attacking again.

Her element of surprise was gone, however, and she was already surrounded.

“Enough, Tara,” Annas spat, motioning for his guards to restrain her. She resisted, of course, but even a Warrior as fierce as the Naga princess stood no chance against a half dozen of his elites.

Before long, she was disarmed and bound and forced to kneel before him.

“Then kill me, swine,” Tara spat. “Better dead than imprisoned by the likes of you. Just know that if you lay one finger on these children, the Akh Nara will have you gutted like a fish.”

“You know, I’ve always appreciated strong women. Perhaps, when I’ve retaken my throne, I will have your grandmother marry you to me.”

Tara’s eyes widened. “You’re not killing me?”

“While I always appreciate a good kill, sadly no. I made a promise to your family. They stay out of this war on the condition that you live. And though you may not believe it, Tara, I honor my promises. You will be returned unharmed. So please do not resist.”

Tara was in the middle of her reply when Annas signaled one of his troops, who smashed the pommel of his Talwar against the back of her neck, rendering the Naga unconscious.

“A pity,” Annas muttered, running his finger through her hair. “I very much would have liked you as my Rajni.”

Perhaps it could still be arranged, one day.

Annas ordered his troops to haul her out before turning his attention to the terrified children who huddled together in a corner.

He held up a tablet. “You would all do well to know that I hold your lives in my hand,” he announced. “This tablet detonates the tattoos inscribed upon your arms. If you don’t wish to die—if you don’t want everyone close to you to die—then do as I say. If you don’t…” Annas’ eyes moved to the corpses in the corner.

“Does anyone require a demonstration?”

Not a single voice spoke up.

“Good,” Annas said with a grin, turning to the soldier he’d been chatting with. “As I said. Know your enemy. Against the Akh Nara, these children are a stronger defense than a hundred thousand of the realm’s finest.”

“Are you sure it is wise to use the children against him?” the kothi asked, looking more than a little perturbed. An understandable reaction, given the preciousness of children in the demon realm. “If the worst comes to pass...”

“Oh, I am counting on it,” Annas said with a snarl. “The boy is far too soft to write away such a valuable resource.”

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Vir had never fought a more frustrating battle in his entire life. While neither side was truly trying to kill the other, it wasn’t as though Vir could afford to take the battle lightly.

Jagath had more than mere experience and power—he was crafty. The moment Vir became distracted by the surrounding battle, Jagath would move in, attacking mercilessly or booting Vir off into the distance so he could focus on Cirayus.

Vir felt like he was fighting a foe who’d trained in trickery and guile for half a millennium, and the truth was likely not far off. To say nothing of that immense aura that clashed with Cirayus’. Jagath’s very presence pressed down on Vir’s soul, crushing his body and soul, serving to distract him further from the deadly Chakras—amplified by Jagath’s Crown—he hurled Vir’s way.

Vir could only thank the gods he’d managed to open his Shield Chakra before this fight. Had he not, he’d have died long ago, and even with it, Vir had to be exceedingly cautious about which attacks he took. As he’d learned, his Shield could only protect him so much before it failed, and if it did, there would be nothing to save him.

Though it chagrined Vir to admit it, even with Cirayus’ might, they were failing to contain this monstrous Raja.

Throughout the fight, Jagath had never remained in one position, always galloping on his mount—always moving in erratic patterns that proved impossible to predict.

As such, Cirayus couldn’t easily target the Raja with Balancer of Scales, and if the Ravager couldn’t, Vir had no hope of doing the same.

Nor could they simply deploy the ability in a wide field, with the battle raging all around them.

The Aindri, with their superior mobility, ensured the battle stayed close, while the Chitran rode behind them, using their bloodline arts to coordinate their allied forces.

An impressive strategy that would’ve worked against most armies, but the Asura were simply too strong to be defeated by strategy alone.

They were not, however, strong enough to withstand Jagath when he suddenly darted over to attack.

His appearance was always sudden and unexpected, and Vir had watched as several of his elite Asura lost their heads to his attacks.

Refusing to watch them get picked off one by one, Vir had ordered them to fight cautiously, always keeping an eye on Jagath.

This had reduced the Raja’s deadliness, but it came at a cost of efficacy. With their attention divided and their fewer numbers, Vir’s Asura no longer had the commanding advantage in the battle, and while they were still winning, progress was slow.

Too slow. By the time they finished off the enemy army, Samar Patag would have burned to the ground.

And where is Annas? Vir wondered as he deflected a strike, following up with a barrage of Prana Darts, forcing Jagath to break off and move away.

The fact that his Chitran nemesis hadn’t shown his face worried Vir to no end. As the enemy commander, Vir assumed he’d attack the city, but where was he? Where were his forces?

At this point, Vir could see this battle against Jagath as nothing but a diversion. Away from the fire and from Annas’ true attack.

But if that were the case, then he should’ve made his move by now.

In the background, Samar Patag burned. And every second Vir spent here, more innocents died.

“Just a little longer,” Vir muttered. A little longer and Maiya and her forces would have secured the city, allowing this farce to end. “If we can only—”

Shrieks pierced the skies above, causing everyone to look up. Vir didn’t dare, and was glad for it when Jagath launched an all-out assault on the distracted Asura.

Vir didn’t let him. Even with Haste active and Blinking over, Vir barely managed to insert himself between the Raja and his forces, deflecting blow after vicious blow, firing back with prana arts whenever he could.

Then Cirayus arrived, threatening to cleave Jagath with Sikandar, and not even he could ignore the sheer destructive force of that blade, especially when augmented by Balancer of Scales.

Jagath darted away, allowing Vir to glance up at the sky to see what the commotion was about.

Pitch black figures ripped across the sky, swarming the airships that lingered above the battlefield.

Only wooden debris remained when they finished.

Each airship had a dozen Asura onboard. To have killed them all…

There were only a handful of creatures capable of wreaking such devastation, and only one that resembled an oversized Acira.

Shrikes. Nearly a hundred of them.

These were no mere Ash Beasts, however.

For these Shrikes had riders.