Against the lich king (1/3)

"I'm sorry but... this is all I can do for you." Ethan muttered in a faint voice. The blue-haired girl looked at Ethan with a grieved expression, droplets of tears gathered at the corners of her light blue eyes.

"... Ngh." The middle-aged man's face winced as he held his wounded chest firmly. "L-Luna... I am sorry." The middle-aged man's eyes became hollow, as the gleam in his eyes grew slightly dull. It was obvious he didn't have much time left before he dies.

"F-Father... Please don't leave me." Luna clutches his shirt tightly as she wailed. Seeing the expression on his daughter's face the middle-aged man felt his heart clench. If possible, he wanted to protect her smile. 'I'm sorry I'm about to leave you.' He thought as he hugged Luna's petite body closely.

Meanwhile, Ethan watches the emotional exchange of the father daughter duo and couldn't help but sigh dejectedly. 'It's just like back then...' He couldn't help but reminisce on the past.

...

On a desolate land surrounded by burning field a blonde-haired man was holding the body of a young black-haired girl. Tears trickled down his cheeks as he saw the wound on her abdomen.

"Don't die! Don't die! Don't die!" Ethan frantically shouted from the top of his lungs, this girl his childhood friend who had been with him since the very beginning.

The woman who he was supposed to marry, was dying right before his eyes. He hugged her body close, so that his face touches her head. Her body was beaten up and covered with blood but, he didn't care. 

"... Please. Someone anyone... please help." Ethan muttered weakly. "... It's okay, you don't have to cry." The girl said as she gently caresses Ethan's face lovingly.

Despite the fact that she was about to die there was a warm and gentle smile on her face. "... I am sorry, it seems I'm about to pass on without you... please do not blame yourself. And p-please live... live for me." She said, before her hand fell limply to the ground as the small shine in her black eyes went out.

Ethan continued to cling tightly to her small and delicate body even after several minutes had passed.

Soon the sound of footsteps became audible behind him, along with the sound of trampled grass. Turning his head, he saw a handsome young man with long waist length inky black hair.

"You... please help her." Ethan said, in a trembling voice. However, "... Impossible." The black-haired man answered, bluntly. There was no fluctuation in his voice at all. It was as if he felt nothing towards the sight before him.

However, Ellard wasn't a very emotional person to begin with, while many may have seen him as an apathetic person. The reality was completely different, what he felt right now was only one feeling...

Frustration!

'If only I had arrived here sooner.' Ellard thought to himself. "What? Why can't you help her?!" Ethan asked, his voice laced with anger. "... That woman is already dead, even if I fed her high-level healing potions it wouldn't have any effect." Ellard answered, curtly.

Soon, he turned his back causing his long black hair to twirl by the rotation of his movement. Ellard stared at the beautiful sunset in the distant sky, narrowing his red eyes, as he muttered.

"Prince of the fallen kingdom... I can understand your pain, your sorrow and most importantly, I can understand Your rage. I also felt these emotions long ago. Though, it has already been one hundred years since that day when I lost everything. So, some emotions were long forgotten through the river of time. But losing someone you love is never easy, even the cruelest beings had felt this pain at least once in their lifetime." Ellard muttered; the surroundings became silent after that neither Ellard nor Ethan uttered a single word.The only sound that could be heard was the rusling of the grass as a gentle gust of wind blew past.

Until Ellard broke the heavy silence between them.

"This kingdom has already fallen... young prince you have two choices, you could either stay here and be eaten by the monsters... or come with me and you could acquire power beyond your wildest dreams. So, what will your answer be?" With his back turned to Ethan. Ellard, the "Overlord" Asked.

...

"... I see. So, this must be how he had felt that day," Ethan sighed. This feeling of frustration was not something he liked.

In truth that day Ethan had blamed Ellard for not arriving on time to save her, he was furious. Ellard was powerful, he was able to overturn any battlefield and yet... he couldn't save her. "Sigh, perhaps I should have thought of the situation back then," He muttered listlessly to himself. His kingdom was being attack and he was the sole survivor.

His lover was already dead, indeed there was nothing Ellard could do at that time. In fact, he had already known about these facts. However, he had refused to accept it! His heart wouldn't allow it! He didn't want to accept the cruel reality before him.

Ethan turned his head back to the duo who continued to embrace each other. However, they didn't have much time left, the longer they take the more the infection from the undead will continue to spread. The middle-aged man's skin was already black.

Ethan had no other choice, using the side of his hand he skillfully landed a small chop onto Luna's delicate neck, the world around her spun as she lost consciousness.

Ethan grabbed her body and gently lifted her up from the ground. "I'm sorry." He whispered into her ears before putting her down gently.

After putting her to rest somewhere safe Ethan slowly approached the middle-aged man whose skin was now turning slightly purple from the veins running through his skin.

"... I apologize but, I'm going to have to put you out." While saying that Ethan drew his sword upwards, pointing the tip of the blade directly at the middle-aged man's heart. The man only smiled wryly and looked at Ethan with an expression that was filled with gratitude.

"...P-Please take care of her." The man requested. "Understood, I promise I'll look after her in your stead." Hearing that the middle-aged man smiled and closed his eyes. At the same time the blade of Ethan's sword pierce through his heart in one smooth motion.

"Guh... cough." The man coughed out a mouthful of blood as his body convulsed slightly before subsequently coming to a stop, he had died!

Confirming he was actually dead Ethan removed his blade from his chest with a pained expression. 'It's never easy, no matter how many times I tried.' He thought to himself. The face of the only woman he had ever loved resurfaced once again in his mind, but he buried those memories.

[Sigh. You really are a troublesome child, you know] A voice echoed within Ethan's mind. "Heh, that's the first thing you say after witnessing such an emotional scene?" Ethan didn't know whether to laugh or cry. 

[Hmph, you have seen such sights hundreds of times... why are you acting as though you have never witnessed such things before, you are too soft] The spirit sword said rather harshly. It really didn't understand his sentimental feelings.

People live and people die, it was the natural way of life, why was he so downhearted? It didn't understand.

"Soft, yeah maybe your right... I'm too soft." Ethan said, clenching his fist there was no trace of emotion coming from his voice at all. "I thought that I have lost my humanity long ago. However, it seems I still have a long way to go." Ethan said. But just then...

{Ethan where are you?!} A rather anxious voice sounded inside his head. "Hm, Louisa... is something wrong?" Ethan questioned, sensing the agitation behind her voice. 

{Undead, ten thousand... no twenty thousand... or maybe thirty thousand... too many to count.} She replied.

"Wh-What thirty thousand? Impossible! Where could a lich acquire such a large number of corpses?" He questioned aloud. 

{Dunno... but I'm going to counterattack, evacuate the villagers and flee. I'm not holding back.} She warned in a serious tone, as she ends the telepathic communication between them.

"Right, it would be a nightmare if she actually gets serious. Better move while I still have the chance." Ethan muttered to himself.

...

Meanwhile, in the sky. At a height of several meters above ground. The figure of Louisa could be seen there as her two angelic wings spread outwards flapping silently behind her back.

Down below the figures of hundreds of thousands of undead could be seen trampling the plants beneath their feet as they made their way noisily towards the village.

Her blue colored eyes narrowed as she observed the direction of where the army of undead were marching from. There were so many that she had lost count.

However, after observing the location of where they were marching from, she was able to pinpoint the location of where the lich was stationed.

"Found you." She said, her luscious red lips turned upwards.

Slowly she extended her hand outwards, and a magic formation appeared. "Flame dragon!" Once those words were said, a torrent of flames burst from her palm. The hot red flames twirled around changing shape as though they had a mind of its own.

ROOOOAR!

Soon a large western dragon materializes in the vacant sky. The dragon's body easily exceeded 50 meters. Two large wings covered with flame and a long whip like tail that extended from its rear.

ROOOOOOOAR!

The dragon looked down at the army of undead with indifferent eyes. It was as though its enemy wasn't even worthy in its eyes. "Leave them scorch." Louisa said, curtly. Hearing her orders, the dragon growled towards the undead. Soon it opened its maw wide and scorching hot flames shot downwards towards the army of undead.

Its burning hot breath burnt down everything within a straight line, leaving the earth burnt black with thick smoke rising into the air.

The undead tried defending themselves but, it was no use they were all reduced to nothing but burnt flesh in matters of seconds.

"Oh, so you decided to summon a stronger undead." Louisa said, turning her gaze towards the forest. There was a rather large flying creature closing in on the flame dragon.

The creature had the head of a lion and the tail of a snake, while two reptilian like wings were flapping on its back.

"Heh, that's a creature you don't see every day. I wonder how it feels to have my spear pierce through its flesh. Mm, I'm getting tingly just thinking about it." Louisa hugged her curvaceous body as her cheeks were dyed a bright shade of red.

The wing lion tackled the flame dragon crashing right into its large body, sending it flying back!

Grrrr!

The dragon growled as it flapped its large wings and instantly flew up higher into the sky. The wing lion also spread its wings increasing its altitude of its flight but...

"Hehe he... Don't think my little dragon friend is your only opponent, you'll also be facing me." Louisa said, accelerating right into the lions rear with her golden spear braced in her hand. A golden radiance envelops her delicate body, creating a beautiful horizontal line that seemed to split the sky in two halves!

Slash!

ROOOAR!

The winged lion let out a painful shriek as its body was pierce through by Louise's golden spear, purple blood splash everywhere. Louisa sensually licked her lips as droplets of blood splash onto her fair white cheeks, trickling down.

The winged lion glared at Louisa as though she was its most hated enemy.

Soon, the winged lion opened its jaws and a darkish energy begun to gather there, then suddenly a dragon's breath attack was launched towards it. "!?" 

Sensing the impending danger, the winged lion flapped its wing and halted its attack, and abruptly moved its large wings and skillfully maneuvered its giant body into a steep 360 degree turn mid-air effectively avoiding the sudden attack.

The flame dragon flew next to Louisa as though protecting her. "Like I said before... we shall be your opponents." The strong wind blew Louise's long golden hair as she declared.