On The Other Side: I Quit Being Human

[Storyteller’s POV]

Layland and company who were already two miles away from Allusia County didn’t even glance at the forest nearby. They didn’t have any intention to land there, unlike what they had always done, because they were going to wipe a city off the map this time.

With Genelos veiled in an Illusion Spell, no man could detect his presence or his physical form. He was moving at a mind-boggling speed but, still, no man could hear the sound his wings made as they cut through the air.

Swish!

Just like that, he flew over the gate of the County.

From above, Layland looked down at the city–his target of arson, in his words. Dichotera was one of the three small cities making up Allusia County. It was in the centre of the County and the smallest city. The Earl of the County lived there, so it was the most prosperous city despite its size.

Although it was not impossible to take the entire County down by himself, Layland decided not to because of how long it would take him to do it. There was a Temple in the County; its presence indicated the close relationship the Earl had with the higher-ups of the Temple.

In most cases, the self-centred, prickly Priests would run away when an attack befell the territory they were in. In this County, however, there were Paladins stationed.

That means the County was highly valued by the Temple. Should Layland attempt to conquer the whole County, there was a huge chance he would need to fight thousands of Paladins, which was troublesome; thus, he just attempted to destroy a city instead of liberating the County.

Everyone from the Temple was self-absorbed and mentally unstable. They would do what they deemed right, so they wouldn’t hesitate to kill everyone who crossed with their twisted idealism.

Encouraging the people to rebel was equivalent to sending them to their last resting place. Layland didn’t mind letting them die; however, it would hurt his reputation as Shadow severely. He still needed that persona of his. He couldn’t take risks that early on.

“Here is the city,” Layland muttered as a cue for the girls to prepare.

Genelos dived down without revealing himself. When he was 50 feet from the ground, Layland and the girls jumped down, thus revealing themselves. Some people noticed them but none of them cared that much. They dismissed the fact that they had seen Layland and the girls appear out of thin air as a mere illusion.

Now, you may be wondering why none of them wondered what the four people were doing falling from the sky. The fact is that they wondered about it but instantly came to the conclusion that the four people had just jumped high up and were currently in the process of going down.

Absurd it is, indeed; however, you need to consider the fact that it wasn’t an out-of-the-world scene. A lot of people in this world could jump that high, so none of the people treated it as something to fuss about.

Thud!

Layland and the girls landed in one of the quietest parts of the City–the alley that a Black Merchant had reserved. The moment the Black Merchant spotted Layland, said Black Merchant took a step back and then immediately packed his things up.

Hadrian had notified every one of the Black Merchants in Antares of his deal with Layland. They knew what to expect when they encountered him, which was why the Black Merchant stationed in the city immediately left.

“What are we going to do next?” Millonia asked, coating her sword with fire.

“Kill as many Knights and guards as possible,” Layland answered. “You may avoid citizens but don’t hesitate to cut them when they show any intention to go against them.”

“When should we start?” Winerva wondered.

“When the city hall is set ablaze.”

A second passed; Genelos revealed himself and roared. The booming and ear-rupturing sound made the people feel like their heads were going to explode. They knelt in pain and frustration. When they looked up, their eyes widened and horror quickly overwhelmed them.

Wyvern. Whenever you spot one, it is guaranteed that a Demon is raiding your territory. It is an untamable Beast that only Demons and some of the chosen Monsters can subdue. Its appearance is a nightmare to humans.

Burst!

They are known for their ability to spit acid; this is why people don’t put them in the same category as Dragon. When you see a Wyvern spitting fire, what will you think? A young dragon is about to obliterate your home and you have no way of fighting back.

“It’s a raid! Run for your life!”

“D-Dragon! W-What is a young Dragon doing here?”

“It’s burning. The city hall is burning!”

People were panicking. They were deafened by their heartbeats; they couldn’t even hear the helpless scream of their neighbours. “Run,” their minds whispered to them. Mothers held their children’s hands. Devoted husbands, brought their families to safety. Cowards…they stomped other people to save their lives.

Watching the chaos unfold, Lunea and Winerva involuntarily gulped. They had killed people yet it was their first time finding themselves in a chaotic situation where they could see the suffering they inflicted on the faces of the innocents.

“It is time to shine,” Layland said as he dashed off, awakening the two girls from their dazed state.

Boom!

Layland jumped up to the sky and then created a sphere of fire around him. He arched Rexorem widely, scattering the fire in every direction. The buildings and the houses in the surroundings were set aflame. The screams got louder–the fear could now be felt by everyone.

The girls took this as the cue to get to work. They got out of the alley and were immediately greeted by the Knights stationed there to get the citizens to safety.

“They are with the Arsonist–kill them!”

“You fuckers will die today in my hand!”

Clank!

The clash ensued. It ended in less than a minute. The girls won almost effortlessly. Their formidable talents and splendid collaboration overwhelmed the Knights in no time. Of course, they still had the other Knights and Guards to mind; however, it was smooth sailing for them.

Layland himself, like Genelos, was focused on burning everything. He ran around the city at an incredible speed, leaving a trail of fire that was melting the road in his wake. Knights and Guards could only stop him by blocking his way. This would result in their deaths and it shied many of them away.

They couldn’t chase after him because of his running speed; so, most of the time, they would only watch him as he ran around, spreading fire. The archers, though, were diligent in their jobs. They kept doing their best to hit Genelos with their arrows. They failed most of the time, yet Genelos’ fire didn’t deter them.

“Stop, you villain!”

“By the name of the God, the Lord of this world, I demand you, Demon to–“

“Get out of the way, bastards.”

Slash!

A pair of Paladins stood in Layland’s way. They talked first instead of immediately attacking, allowing Layland to bisect them cleanly. He ran for a couple of hundred feet more until he was stopped again. This time, there was a platoon of Paladins standing in his way.𝒐𝒱𝐥xt.𝗇𝓔t

“Pathetic existence shall end here, Demon. With the blessing of God, we shall take you down and remove another one of the unnecessary existences in this world!”

The sheer conviction Layland could hear in the man’s voice made him sneer. Although no one could see it, they all knew he was mocking them from his gesture alone.

With Rexorem on his shoulder, he beckoned them to come. At the same time, the Knights and the Guards who had been trying to catch up to him arrived behind him. The scene made the Paladins sneer. They fully believed that with their God’s help and unity, they would take him down.

The battle ensued and ended with Layland being disappointed. None of them was strong enough to give him a Power-up.

….

As pandemonium reigned in Dichotera City, Abigail and Gabriela had just arrived at Avares Barony. They entered the Barony without a hitch; their reputation as the Full-Armoured Duo was well-known amongst the Guards of the Barony.

Upon entering the gate, they pulled over, got out of their carriage and stored it inside their Spatial Storage. They joined the crowd and then sneakily disappeared into an alley. They changed into a peasant girl’s dress and overlayed it with a hood. Walking out of the alley, they then headed to the residence.

Avares Barony didn’t have an extreme environment like Achtreal March; however, it still had harsh living conditions. The Baron who ruled over the territory had an extravagant lifestyle, which was very prevalent among Nobles.

He knew absolutely nothing about governing, so the people had to suffer from the consequences of his stupidity. They had to work extremely hard so they could pay their taxes, which would then be used to fund his lavish lifestyle.

The good thing about this was that no one was homeless. You could find no man begging for money or food here…. Those who did had long been killed. Ironic it is, indeed; however, the Baron strongly believed that the lazy didn’t deserve to live.

“How should we gather the people?” Gabriela whispered.

“We don’t. Let them do that for us,” Abigail responded.

“How would you do it?”

“Talk to them. Layland has said it; in hard times, those who suffer will listen to the leader who can relate.”

The two girls entered a tavern that looked slightly dilapidated. Distraught faces greeted them as they marvelled at the distress the people were exuding.

They sat down, ordered a drink and said nothing. The tavern remained silent until Abigail muttered, “Let the shadow guide you to the light.”

All heads turned to them; eyes full of hope stared at them. A sentence was all they needed to hear for their dying spirit to burn again.