Jora did not know what was happening, and there was nothing but terror in his eyes as he held his young daughter in his arms, running as fast as he could from the fortress that was now engulfed in flames.
It began with a deafening explosion in the center of the fortress, where the officers and angels resided. Alarms blared, and the news of an assassin spread like wildfire just before all the angels charged out, chasing after the intruder.
Like most civilians, Jora was paralyzed with fear upon hearing about the assassin. Still, he managed to calm down slightly after a few minutes as the soldiers flooded the stress of the Strong Hammer Military base and reassured the people that the assassin was gone and there was no longer any danger. Time seemed to stretch, and just as they thought the danger had passed, a massive explosion of white force tore through a portion of the walls, obliterating anyone near it.
Jora saw everything from the windows of his house and could not believe it. He nearly puked as he witnessed the thousands of mangled bodies left after the explosion.
This marked the beginning of a nightmare for Jora. An army of men in black armor and dark robes stormed the base, massacring anyone in their path and laughing every single second. The soldiers’ attempts to fight back were futile against the overwhelming force and the rain of fireballs that fell on the base.
Though many soldiers had reached the Level System, the angels had kept them weak and dependent on artifacts like laser weapons that were ineffective against the organized assault.
Realizing the battle was lost, a group of brave soldiers opened the northern gates and began evacuating the civilians, covering their retreat. It was clear the dark forces intended to kill everyone, and their only chance was to flee.
Jora ran as fast as he could, his eyes darting around frantically, searching for his wife. But he couldn’t stop. He needed to get his daughter to safety, and if he slowed down, the people behind him would trample them.
An explosion echoed behind Jora, and he felt the blast searing his back. The terror in his heart intensified, knowing the dark forces had reached them. Glancing back, he saw bloody pieces scattered across the ground.
If that scene was not horrible enough, Jora also saw warriors in black armor flashing toward him, their weapons ready to hack him and his daughter to pieces. Tears streamed down his face as he realized there was nothing he could do to stop it. He had failed to protect his family. His last act was to hug his daughter tightly, shielding her with his body in a final, desperate attempt to protect her.
The man in black armor showed a vicious smile as he jumped toward the father and daughter duo, bloodlust in his eyes as he intended to split them to pieces. Yet, before he could land, a figure flashed forward and split him in half.
The warriors that were chasing after the civilians with maniacal bloodlust could not help but freeze as they saw the armored figure split one of the strongest of their force in half before turning their eyes toward them.
Vlad stared at the elite soldiers of the Azarin Empire with hatred, but he did not make the attack. A small face emerged from his shoulder, and Jormungandr opened his mouth as a massive amount of flames and lightning gathered.
"Torrent of Lightning Fire!" Jormungandr roared as a blast of fire fell forward, spreading in all directions and scorching all the Warriors from the Azarin Empire in its range, killing dozens of them in a single strike.
A second after that charge, the small yellow cat turned toward the civilians who were running in disorder, and his energy burst again as he shouted, "Move fast and spread out. Do not bump into each other!"
Those words sought to help the people run in an orderly manner. Of course, in their shock and terror, civilians would not normally follow those guides, but shockingly, it worked.
The reason for that was Jormungandr’s Devil Champion Bloodline, which granted him mental powers. He deployed a Mortal Tier Spell called Minor Compulsion, and while it could not force people to do what they did not want to, it could guide them into an orderly manner like now.
Jora stared at the duo for a moment, his heart full of shock. As he heard those words, the power took over him, and he continued running with all his strength, holding his daughter tightly.
Vlad felt the civilians running away, but he did not lose focus, his eyes ahead. The spells of Jormungandr killed the first batch of elite soldiers, but more ran out of the military base, chasing after those who escaped.
The small cat had drained his energy using those two spells, and while he could still fire attacks, the brunt of the battle would rely on the young man.
The Depravity of Wrath took a deep breath and glanced at the broken corpses of children around his figure. He allowed his rage to grow higher and higher, transforming his wrath into physical strength through his Depravita Ability.
It did not take long for a large squad to emerge from the gate, all of them eyeing the running civilians like a pack of hungry jackals, making it clear they did not see them as people and took joy in their death.
The forces of the Azarin Empire saw Vlad in their path. While they caught a glimpse of the fire spell from before, it was clear that the small cat was not able to fire another one. Pure coldness appeared on their faces as they flashed forward, ready to kill the one between them and their game.
Even as the rage burned through his heart, Vlad did not lose focus. His sword was ready as he flashed toward the soldiers, not allowing them to charge their momentum.