The sides no longer knew what to do.
Both of their leaders were adamant not to attack one another.
The soldiers were panicking but Emilia remained right in front of Eros.
Eros did the sa he was looking at her with eyes clouded with a bit of strangeness.
Emilia was familiar with this eyes.
It was the a eyes she would often saw when people were under the influence of oath.
She is aware since her uses the sa thod to bind people under his will.
"You are becoming worst than a puppet Eros"
The princess said moving abit closer to her forr fiance.
Midgar and Edmund both block her.
A pair of a staff and sword pointed infront of the Aileenian princess yet her gaze didnt him one bit.
"One more step and I might attack"
The old mage said his body may be injured but his eyes are clear to know that he can fight anyone.
Emilia his determination but seeing unconcerned eyes it seem the old mage knows nothing about the oath.
"Your student is a ss dont you see it?"
"And who do you think is the reason?" Edmund rebutted.
The princess just clicked her tongue and just her head.
"This is pointless"
"You just realized that princess?"
The sarcasm was there.
The wind howl like a beast.
It ravages through the dust, blowing away everything in its path.
Yet still unlike the wind.
No one dare to make a move.
Then the ruined street suddenly trembled.
Not from an attack.
Not from a spell.
But from sothing falling from the sky.
All eye suddenly pulled away and suddenly went up the sky.
BOOOOOM!
A roaring shock brust from sky to the ground.
Everyone took cover all sorts of debris fell one after the other until a light thud stop the sweeping energy.
A mangled body crashed directly into the center of the two forces.
Blood splattered across shattered stone.
Several Aileenian soldiers instinctively stepped backward.
The creature twitched once.
Then stopped moving.
Silence followed.
Everyone imdiately recognized it.
The Chira Knight.
Or rather—
what remained of it.
Its body had been reduced to little more than torn flesh and shattered armor.
Several of its stitched limbs were missing.
Its draconic scales had been ripped apart.
Its core completely destroyed.
Then—
another figure descended.
Apollo.
Floating casually above the ruined streets.
His calm golden eyes swept across the battlefield.
His expression remained relaxed a direct contrast to the rest of the people who were still struggling to survive.
His stature and his walk was breezy. As though he had rely returned from taking a walk.
"What a nice reunion."
His voice echoed throughout the street.
The first thing he noticed wasn't Emilia.
Nor Midgar.
Nor Edmund.
It was Eros.
Apollo smiled.
Then lazily pointed toward the corpse.
"Your pet had so many tricks."
His gaze shifted toward Emilia.
"It was entertaining to watch."
Imdiately—
Emilia's expression darkened.
A satisfied grin form on his lips as she her reactio.
"What a cute reaction"
He chuckled earning more glare from the princess.
"It hasn't been long since we saw each other yet you seem to be getting stressed lately"
"I don't think our last et up was a good one"
"Yes I couldn't say hi since you left with such hurry"
Apollo then turned toward his brother.
Edmund flinched with his sudden arrival but seeing his gaze he couldn't help but follow it.
It was Eros.
For several seconds—
Apollo simply stared.
'He looks to be not himself'
[Shall we see whats happening]
'Go I don't mind seeing whatever ss my brother got himself into'
Then Jeremiah began working.
Countless notification flooded Apollo's thoughts.
And from all of it, a result not so surprising erge.
The Eternal Oath.
'Why am I not surprised, Jeremiah run a simulation on how we are supposed to shake him up'
[On it Creator]
Soon enough a list of things arrive.
Its structure.
Its activation conditions.
Its limitations.
And finally—
its loopholes.
'Co to think of it I did try to fool the oath before, I did succeed but there is no way I am doing it for him'
Then another notification appear.
A smile slowly spread across Apollo's face.
"...Interesting."
Despite being under the influence of the oath Eros still felt Apollo's gaze causing for him to frowned.
"What?"
Apollo said as he floated lower.
Edmund and Liam felt nervous the mont they saw Apollo descending.
However no matter their vigilance Apollo just stroll pass them.
Then casually threw an arm around Eros's shoulder.
"Tell , brother."
Eros imdiately looked annoyed before calming down.
"What are you doing?"
He saidin confusion.
"I was just wondering."
Apollo's smile widened.
"How loyal are you exactly?"
The question sounded harmless.
But Jeremiah imdiately began targeting the foundation supporting the Oath.
Not destroying it.
Confusing it.
Twisting its assumptions.
Apollo continued.
"If I ordered you to betray the Empire right now, would you?"
"No."
"Good."
Apollo nodded.
Then imdiately followed.
"If the Emperor ordered you to betray the Empire, would you?"
Eros blinked.
"...What?"
"Answer."
"The Emperor would never do that."
"But if he did?"
Eros hesitated.
Only briefly.
But that brief hesitation was enough.
Apollo saw it.
A crack.
But then the Oath tightened instantly.
Eros felt it.
A sudden pressure wrapped around his thoughts like chains being pulled.
The familiar certainty returned, forcing his mind toward an answer.
Then—
It loosened due to Apollo.
Like a knot slipping apart.
The pressure weakened for the briefest mont.
Then tightened again.
Harder.
Desperate.
As if the Oath itself could not decide which command to follow.
Apollo continued rcilessly.
"If protecting the Empire required disobeying the Emperor..."
"If protecting the Emperor endangered the Empire..."
"If the Empire itself beca the threat..."
"If loyalty caused greater harm than betrayal..."
Every question collided against the Oath's logic.
And slowly—
the Oath beca confused.
For the first ti in since this war—
Eros felt sothing break.
Not physically.
But ntally.
The fog clouding his thoughts receded.
His breathing stopped.
And the sudden clarity made his eyes widened.
The world suddenly felt clearer.
"...What?"
Apollo released him imdiately.
"There we go."
Eros staggered slightly.
The pressure inside his mind had vanished.
The constant weight.
The constant whisper.
The constant certainty.
The absolute order had vanished.
It was gone.
For now.
Emilia stared at the scene in complete disbelief.
She had spent years trying to make Eros see.
Unknowingly her fingers tightened around the hilt of her weapon until her knuckles turned pale.
Apollo did it in less than a minute.
And she couldn't understand why.
After recovering sowhat, Eros looked toward Apollo.
"You are here"
"And so you are" Apollo fire back.
Eros step back a bit then glance at the staff in his hand.
"...Why am I here?"
Apollo tilted his head.
"Good question."
'This idiot is too confused to explain things to . He doesn't even realize its . Jeremiah lets do so scan focus on the staff. Seeing his expression it should be connected'
Jeremiah imdiately answered.
[Investigation complete.]
[Reason identified.]
Apollo stared at the notification in front of him and couldn't help but laughed.
"So that's why."
Eros frowned.
"Why?"
"You ca here to repair the capital's barrier."
Eros imdiately pointed toward the glowing shield protecting the refugee district.
"That barrier?"
Apollo stared at him.
Then laughed again.
"No."
The answer confused Midgar and Liam.
Eros looked around.
"What do you an no?"
Apollo pointed upward.
Toward the entire city.
"The barrier protecting the capital collapsed hours ago."
Eros froze.
Then slowly looked back toward the shield.
"...Then what is that?"
Apollo grinned.
"My barrier."
No one responded.
Edmund went pale hearing that.
Even Midgar looked surprised.
Eros stared at him in dsiband fear.
"...How?"
"How?" Apollo said instead.
"How can I fix the barrier."
Apollo rely shrugged.
"Figure that out yourself."
Apollo turned away.
Preparing to leave.
Then his gaze landed on Edmund.
His smile widened imdiately.
"Oh."
"You brought your master."
Edmund narrowed his eyes, his pulse raising while sweat slid down his neck.
Apollo simply smiled.
Then floated upward.
Following the monstrous pressure coming from the heavens above.
The battle between the Dukes and Pillars was still raging.
As he rose into the sky—
his final words drifted downward.
"You should finish what you started here."
Then he vanished.
Leaving only silence behind.
Those words were like a declaration.
There was no room for hesitation.
Only the mission matters.
Few seconds after Apollo disappeared—
Eros reach the sa conclusion without anything influencing him.
His grip tightened around the replica staff.
Without the Oath suppressing him—
the pain returned.
The anger.
The disappointnt.
The betrayal.
Everything.
Yet strangely—
his resolve remained.
Not because of the Oath.
Not because soone commanded him.
But because he had chosen it himself.
Across from him—
Emilia slowly drew her weapon.
She understood as well.
The Oath wasn't controlling him anymore.
This was Eros.
The real Eros.
And that realization hurt more than anything else.
Because now—
neither of them had anything left to bla.
Only their choices remained.
And then—
the battlefield erupted once more.
User Comments
0 comments from readers