"Challenged. How would you like to proceed? To the Arena of Gods? Or a chosen the?"
For a mont, silence descended across all of Asterra.
Due to it occurring before, many would likely take situations like this to be a normal occurrence. But they couldn't be more wrong.
It was rare that the Great Verge would take such interest in any battle between gods. Though it wasn't a surprise that an arbiter had appeared, the fact that it had declared the Great Verge's presence was the confusing and shocking part.
Anorah found her expression turning cold. Both choices were dangerous in their respective ways. As the challenged, the Sentinels had the choice of choosing how they fought.
They could choose to clash two-to-one in the Arena of Gods, or one-on-one if they wished. As for the second option, it was even more unpredictable. There was an incalculable number of thes they could choose, each one unfavorable to her.
"A chosen the."
Anorah's eyes sharpened.
'As expected.'
She had been outplayed, and her people were currently being held hostage. Regardless, she had never been one to give up until the end. She would fight until her last breath.
"The challenged has chosen a the battle. Does the challenger accept?"
The eyes of the Will Guard turned to Anorah, and she didn't miss the coldness that went through them. They were threatening her.
"Yes."
As Anorah responded, the furry creature smiled.
"Spectacular!" it said, turning toward the Sentinels. "Challenged! Choose your th—"
It stopped mid sentence, freezing suddenly. One clawed hand rose to its temple, its glassy eyes losing focus. The air around it rippled faintly.
'It's communicating… with the Verge,' Anorah realized.
For a few seconds, the creature stood there motionless, before its eyes refocused, and this ti, a huge grin split its face, showing rows of sharp, gleaming teeth.
"Rejoice!" it announced dramatically, raising its tiny arms like a preacher. "The Great Verge has graced us with his wisdom!"
It waited, but only silence greeted it.
The creature blinked its large eyes, then looked around expectantly. "…That's the part where you cheer," it said, stretching its paw farther into the air.
Still nothing.
Its smile twitched, and it let out an exaggerated sigh. "Ugh. Philistines. None of you deserve my master."
It let out a frustrated sigh, tail flicking, before clearing its throat and composing itself again.
"Ahem! The Great Verge, in his rciful wisdom," it said, glaring at everyone, "has decided that, for the sake of fairness, he will personally choose the the of this battle!"
It straightened its fur proudly, as if expecting applause. But none ca.
"Honestly," it muttered under its breath, "no sense of ceremony, any of you."
Instead of the expected cheer, a cold voice answered.
"What is the aning of this, creature?" the first Sentinel asked. He was taller than the other; his eyes scorched like embers behind his mask.
"This goes against the major rules your Verge has created."
The furry thing turned slowly toward them. If looks could kill, they would be dead. It sniffed theatrically.
"The Great Verge does not have to explain himself to the likes of you. Know your place. If you don't like it, you're welco to leave the Verge and crawl back to the pit you erged from."
The Sentinels' masked faces hardly moved, but their eyes leaked an ugly heat. They stared daggers at the creature but said nothing.
They were not going anywhere.
"Good." The furred arbiter nodded, satisfied, then faced Anorah. "Challenger, do you accept?"
"Yes." Her voice held no hesitation.
'Why is the Verge helping ?' Anorah wondered. She had t the being only once, when her father died and she beca a god. Seeing it intervene now felt like a miracle.
The creature clapped, delighted.
"Alright! Here are the rules. The the of this challenge will be: Will Guard vs Resistance. Take it literally. You will battle without the use of any Will. Weapons that attack and affect Will cannot be used. The resistance side will choose an equal number of mbers to face off against the Will Guard present. Last one standing wins. That is all. Challenged, do you accept?"
The Sentinels exchanged glances and nodded in unison. "We do."
"Challenger?"
Anorah fixed her gaze on the Will Guard army. The situation that had felt hopeless only monts ago just shifted. A thin thread of hope went through her chest; she clenched her fists.
"I do."
The arbiter clapped again. The ominous hum that filled the world snapped away as if cut. Anorah watched, elated, as her people's eyes regained focus.
"Saint!" One bellowed the mont clarity returned to his eyes. He appeared at Anorah's side with the other Knights of Light. There was only confusion across their faces.
"Wh—what happened?" One asked.
"It's too late to explain. Just know we have to fight them, and we cannot lose."
One and the other Knights turned their gazes to the Will Guard army, their expressions hardening.
"Now, gather your forces and get ready!"
As the arbiter ordered, Anorah worked quickly, ordering One and the other Knights of Light to gather their strongest warriors.
Unfortunately, though there was hope, the situation was still bleak. She and One were the only Synod mbers on their side since the others had betrayed the Resistance.
'At least they won't be able to join the Will Guard.'
She was glad for at least that much. Since they weren't part of the Will Guard, they wouldn't be able to fight for them.
As she gathered her forces, Anorah watched coldly as the traitorous High Synod mbers gathered on one side, watching the unfolding scene with varying expressions.
Kaino, in particular, sported a swollen cheek from the earlier slap. But his eyes never lost their glee. He was clearly anticipating the upcoming battle.
Under Anorah's stare, while the others cleared their throats and turned away, only Kaino t her eyes with a wicked smile, mouthing:
"I'll trample you beneath my feet, you cunt."
But rather than the expected reaction, all Kaino received was the sa, emotionless stare she had always given him. Kaino felt his blood boil, but before he could mouth any other thing, Anorah turned away like he was a useless thing.
The mont went quickly, and after a few seconds, Anorah gathered her forces. As it turned out, being in their world provided them with a great advantage.
Anorah had gathered the strongest thousand from the Knights of Light and had fitted them with the strongest artifacts she had in the world.
Armors, weapons, she ard her people with anything of power.
Then, with a flick of the furry creature's hand, both parties vanished, only to appear in a vast wasteland stretching across the horizon.
The armies gathered across from one another. The Sentinels stood at the forefront of the Will Guard, while Anorah and One took the helm of the Resistance.
"Are both parties ready!?"
As the furry creature's voice thundered through the silence, Anorah's eyes sliced through the distance and locked eyes with the Sentinels.
They uttered in unison. "Ready."
The creature let the silence linger. To Anorah, each passing second felt like a decade. The tension in the air was suffocating.
Then, with a single clap, it declared, "Begin!"
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