Zathan, Azren Nation. Year: 910 CD.
A sea of black armor rippled outside the city walls.
Leading the Vesperian army was a towering figure. The tilted his head back and grinned at the stone walls.
"So, these are the 'impenetrable' walls of Zathan?" Rhogar's voice boomed across the field.
"General, the Azren rebels still refuse to open the gates!" an officer shouted, his horse shifting uneasily.
Rhogar's grin widened, revealing a row of sharp teeth. "Good. It's more fun when they struggle."
He reached behind his shoulder, gripping the hilt of a massive, shark-shaped greatsword. The crimson steel was nearly as tall as he was. As he drew it, a faint red aura ignited around his boots, spiraling upward like a violent typhoon.
"Aedrick Azazel... You are the bane of the Great Vesperian Empire. Today, you and every soul stupid enough to call themselves your subjects will answer for your crimes against the Empire."
The air around the blade began to warp from the heat.
"I, Rhogar, the Red Mane, will serve your head on a platter to the Sovereign Supreme!"
Rhogar planted his feet, the ground cracking and trembling beneath his weight.
"Crimson Soul Sword Arts..."
He hoisted the massive weight over his head with both hands.
"Howling Wake!"
The sword whipped down. A massive arc of burning energy, tall enough to swallow the walls, tore through the air.
Boom! The earth heaved as the strike slammed into the stone, the shockwave flattening the nearby treelines.
Spider-web cracks raced across the stone, and the "immovable" walls began to disintegrate. With an ear-shattering roar, the wall collapsed leaving a huge hole in its wake.
"Hahaha, let the hunt begin."
The Vesperian army stormed through the opening. On the other side, the Zathan city guards stared in wide-eyed horror.
"T… There's a hole in the wall!" a guard screamed, his voice cracking.
"We are under attack! Ready yourselves!"
The sound of steel clashing resonated as the two factions engaged in battle; however, the guards were swiftly overpowered by the opposing forces, leading to their downfall within moments.
With no one left to defend against the invading army, the people of Zathan were at the mercy of the Empire's forces.
Buildings burned, smoke covered the skies, and the stench of death riddled the air accompanied the cries of panic and agony of the innocents.
It was absolute carnage.
Civilians scurried all over the place. Friends, lovers, and family trampled each other without a second thought. It was everybody for themselves.
"Death to the Hollow King!"
"Death to Azren!"
The Vesperians moved through the streets, slaughtering civilians like livestock. Rhogar danced through the carnage, humming a low melody as his shark-blade sent limbs flying in crimson arcs. Yet, as the pile of bodies grew, his grin faded into a scowl.
Where is he? Why won't the Hollow King come out to rescue his precious subjects?' Rhogar thought, his grip tightening on his hilt. 'My sword thirsts for his blood.'
His impatience grew as he watched his soldiers corner the final group of survivors against a burning shopfront.
"Nowhere left to run, is there?" a soldier sneered, leveling his spear at a trembling child.
"Why don't you make this easier on yourselves and just line up your heads?" another laughed.
The soldiers approached slowly making sure they savoured every second of the sight of their quivering preys.
Rumble! The skies trembled. Stars vanished as thick, dark clouds swallowed the moon. The Vesperian soldiers froze, a strange chill crawling down their spines.
"What is that?" a soldier pointed upward.
A man dropped from the black clouds like a shooting star. He slammed into the center of the square, kicking up a thick cloud of dust as he landed on his feet. Two glowing violet eyes cut through the haze. The dust settled to reveale a tall man with ash hair and a long coat.
The people's faces lit up with hope. They immediately dropped to their knees and bowed.
"Our King has come!"
"We are saved!"
Rhogar trembled with excitement. His twisted into a scary grin.
"Hollow King Aedrick."
Aedrick's gaze softened as he looked at the citizens.
"Get to safety."
His words gave them courage. The panic vanished from their eyes. They rose and ran through the motionless invaders.
"Where the hell do you think you're going?"
The soldiers blocked their path as they raised their weapons.
Just then, the skies rumbled once again and a bolt of red lightning came crashing striking the ground between them.
"That was a warning shot," Aedrick warned. "If you move-no, if you so much as breathe in the wrong direction without permission, I will have you begging a quick death."
They froze in their tracks clicking their tongues as the citizens headed to safety.
Aedrick scanned the city, or what was left of it.
"It is all in ruins."
Stacks of mangled corpses of humans, dark elves, dwarves, and beastials lined the street.
"Was all of this necessary? The soldiers, I could understand but you weasels upped an slaughtered the civilians as well. They were defenseless children and women too..."
Aedrick looked at the blood on the cobblestones. His gaze snapped to the soldiers, his eyes glowing with a terrifying light.
"You look at them and see livestock. I look at them and see my family," Aedrick voice trembled with fury.
A thick, purple miasma boiled out of his skin before erupting like a volcano swallowing everything and everyone in the vicinity.
"What is this monstrous aura?"
"S-such intensity!"
"I can't breathe!"
"My body won't listen to me!"
Their minds were being crushed by the monstrous pressure of the Aedrick' Aura.
"Your screams will be the choir for their funeral. I will tear the life from your lungs and the hope from your hearts. You will beg for a quick death which you will not get!"
"Be devoured by the scorching flames of your sins!"
Aedrick' voice thundered across the place shaking almost as if it were the decree of a higher entity.
"It burns!"
In an instant, half of them passed out, foam bubbling from their mouths as their eyes rolled white. Those were the lucky ones.
"Please! End it!"
"Kill us!"
"Mercy..."
Blood escaped from their eyes and ears, their turned grey before falling off their heads as their cries increased.
"Mercy?" Aedrick's voice was as cold as a grave. He raised his hand, and red electricity hissed around his fingers.
"Don't make me laugh. You showed them no mercy."
He stepped forward, his eyes glowing.
"Now, be devoured by the raging thunder of the burning abyss... Ashen Judgment!"
Red lightning exploded, tearing through the air with a scream. It hit the first soldier and chained to the rest in a heartbeat. The electricity burned them where they stood, leaving only piles of grey ash behind.
Aedrick's eyes locked onto Rhogar.
"Now... you're the only one left to burn."