Aiden opened the gate and let the other prisoners come out. They were shocked to see such a large army, Aiden's face everywhere, with skeletons and other soldiers standing in formation.
Aiden said, "Lyris, get ready. We are heading for Veridion. It will be a long fight. The rest of you are free to go anywhere… except you five in the back. Don't you dare move or try anything funny. You five cannot leave this area."
"What have we done, you…," one man tried to speak, but his companion stopped him. They all knew Aiden's true strength.
"You five are the space bandits responsible for looting and killing many innocent lives. You are going to Null Prison," said Aiden.
"You think we are just going to accept that?" the first man shouted.
The five men pulled out small knives they had collected. They grabbed nearby prisoners and took them as hostages to force Aiden's hand.
"Let us go, otherwise we will kill them," one of them said.
"Kill them. But think about what will happen to you after that," Aiden replied calmly.
"We are not joking. We will seriously kill them."
Aiden signaled his shadow indirectly.
"Fine. I'm going to let you five go…" Aiden said.
The moment the space bandits loosened their guard, Aiden's shadow rose from below like a dark wave. It grabbed all five and pinned them to the ground.
"Now who's going to kill whom? Shadow, take them to Null Prison. Tell them to take good care of these five," said Aiden.
After the matter was settled, the remaining prisoners quickly left the area. Only Lyris stayed behind.
Vale contacted Aiden through UV, "Aiden, I'm sending the exact coordinates to Ultra Vision. You can teleport here now. Come soon, I'm waiting."
"I'm coming, Vale. Well, not just me. We are coming," said Aiden.
Aiden opened a portal and stepped through to the other side. He arrived in Veridion, a short distance from the palace.
[Map View]
----------____________|-------------------------|
|m____________________|_________________________|
|o____________________|______city_______________|
|u____________________|_________________________|
|n___[Vale ]__________|_______________[palace]__|
|t___[Aiden]__________|_________________________|
|a____________________|_________________________|
|i____________________|_________________________|
|n____________________|_________________________|
----------____________|-------------------------|
Lyris followed Aiden, and then Aiden's entire army crossed the portal. They regrouped and prepared for the next fight.
It took nearly twenty minutes for them to fully regroup and form their battle formation.
Two support teams stood at the back, one on the left and one on the right.
Then came Aiden's Shadow Army and Void's Reborn Army in a half-circular formation.
Inside the curve stood the close-combat skeleton fighters on the left, long-range magic support in the center mainly formed by Aiden's shadows, and close-combat fighters again on the right.
On both sides of the formation stood giant skeletons and giant shadows.
In the front were Vale and Lyris, and leading all of them was Aiden.
Aiden still felt something was missing. He closed his eyes, raised his hand again, and this time revived the horses of the warriors who once protected this land. He wanted to revive the fallen warriors too, to give them another chance to defend their home, but he kept that as a backup for now.
After reviving the horses, Aiden, Lyris, Vale, and the close-combat forces mounted them.
Aiden explained the plan. "Listen well. On the right side, the skeleton army and the giant skeletons will be led by Lyris. Your mission is to save Princess Fiona. The central and left parts of the army will engage the enemy forces. Here is how it will work. Vale, you will take the left flank and launch a direct attack. Keep the enemy forces busy and take down their commanders and higher officers. That is why I'm sending shadows with you. You must also open the palace gates. When the battle becomes chaotic and the gates are open, Lyris will charge inside. She knows this palace better than anyone here, so she will lead her men to save the princess. I will go meet Void personally. Any questions?"
"No, sir," Vale and Lyris replied.
"Vale, go. It's your turn," Aiden said.
Vale nodded with full confidence and ordered his men to charge toward the palace.
The enemy guard outside the village saw a massive army rushing toward them. The guard hurried to his superior and reported the surprise attack.
"What did you say? An enemy attack? Hey, you—connect me with the army commander, quickly!"
The audio operator connected the call.
"Sir, we are under attack! We are closing the gates, but they can break the first door anytime. They are coming from the mountain."
"An enemy attack? Hold your position. We are heading your way. No one is allowed to abandon their post."
"Understood, sir."
Meanwhile, Vale and his men were waiting outside the gate, watching for the right moment to strike when the battlefield descended into chaos.