Meanwhile, at the front of the village, the gates swung open. Kal Thor and Lot Har stepped out, flanked by five hunters. Atop the wooden palisade, rows of village archers lined the battlements, their bows drawn and aimed directly at the opposing force. The enemy ranks parted to create a path, and the knight commander rode forward on his horse. As he reached the front, several soldiers moved to shield him with their bucklers.
"I won't waste words with demons. Hand over the Saint from the Esvana Monastery immediately, and we will spare your village," the knight said arrogantly, looking down at the two men before him.
"As the village head, I have no idea what you are talking about. There is no Saint from the Esvana Monastery here. Please leave," Kal Thor replied.
"Impossible. Our spies tracked them fleeing to this location. If you refuse to cooperate, we will search the village ourselves," the knight shouted.
"There is no need for a search; what you seek is not here. Please return to the continent of Libelia at once. Do not start trouble here," Kal Thor said.
The knight narrowed his eyes at Kal Thor and Lot Har. Neither man showed a hint of fear; they remained perfectly composed.
"Fine. If that is your choice, we will be more than happy to tear your village apart," the knight sneered.
He turned to his soldiers and raised his hand, but suddenly—[klang]—an arrow flew from the village battlements, striking the shield-bearer in front of the knight. The knight watched as his soldier collapsed; the arrow had pierced the shield and buried itself in the man's chest. He turned back to see Kal Thor and Lot Har with their hands on their hilts, ready to draw. Looking up at the battlements, the knight could see the archers positioned behind the sharpened wooden stakes.
He glared at the two men with a face twisted in rage. Despite his anger, he realized he was outnumbered by the villagers who were undoubtedly waiting behind the gates.
"I will give you twenty-four hours. Hand over the Saint and her guardians, or I will raze this village to the ground. Deliver them to our camp by the shore. If no one arrives, my two hundred men will march here and slaughter you all," the knight barked, pointing a finger at Kal Thor's face.
The knight wheeled his horse around and ordered a retreat. The troops turned and marched away in formation, leaving the dead soldier lying in the dirt before Kal Thor and Lot Har.
"We shouldn't bother with them for now. They'll be back tomorrow with two hundred men. We need to be ready," Kal Thor said.
"Agreed. I'll mobilize my mercenaries to assist," Lot Har replied.
The two men turned and entered the village as the gates were opened from within, followed by their five hunters. Meanwhile, from the rooftops, Leon, Lucia, and Livia—possessing senses far beyond those of normal humans—watched the enemy line retreat toward the coast.
"Judging by how stubborn they're being, they're probably just regrouping. There's no way they'd give up that easily, especially not after taking a casualty," Leon noted.
"Hmm... want to tail them?" Lucia asked.
"Yeah, we have to," Livia answered.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go," Leon replied.
The three of them leaped down and vanished into the forest, heading toward the coast. They moved with incredible speed, jumping through the canopy from branch to branch. When they reached the shore, they were stunned to see two massive Imperial warships anchored in the distance and a camp of over two hundred men pitched right where the woods met the sand. They watched as the scouting party from the village finally entered the camp.
"Why would they bring this many troops just to find Mariana?" Livia wondered.
"It looks like they have an agenda beyond just bringing Mariana and Isabel back," Lucia replied.
"Hmm... if you ask me, it doesn't even look like they want to take them home. They're planning to kill everyone here, including Mariana and Isabel. It's a total hit job," Leon said.
"So, what's the move?" Livia asked, looking at Leon.
"How about we just go ask them?" Leon suggested.
"Wait, what?" Lucia and Livia blurted out.
Leon didn't wait; he dropped from the trees and started walking casually toward the enemy camp. Lucia and Livia scrambled down and hurried to catch up.
"Hey, Leon! What do you think you're doing?" Lucia hissed.
"Yeah, why are you just charging in by yourself?" Livia added.
"I just want to ask a question. Just watch," Leon replied.
The three walked right up to the front of the camp. A sentry spotted them and shouted an alarm. Within seconds, dozens of soldiers poured out and surrounded them. Leon raised his hands, his expression completely bored. Seeing him, Lucia and Livia raised their hands as well. The armored knight commander stepped out of the camp and froze. He looked shocked to see three teenagers who looked identical and clearly originated from the Central Continent. He squinted at them, eventually popping his helmet open to make sure he wasn't seeing things.
The commander turned to his men. "Grab them," he ordered.
As the soldiers closed in, [blam]—Livia summoned her twin axes and slammed them into the sand.
[Grreek]—the ground shattered, forming a deep circular crater around the triplets. The tremor sent the surrounding soldiers stumbling as they lost their balance. The commander, clinging to a soldier to stay upright, stared at the weapons in Livia's hands. He went pale, his hand trembling as he pointed at her.
"T-Terranus's twin axes... who are you?" the commander shrieked.
"Well, there goes the secret. And honestly, did you have to make a crater? I was just trying to ask a question," Leon said, glancing at Livia.
"I'm not letting them touch me. Don't forget, I am a queen," Livia snapped back.
"Haha... agreed. If it's come to this, we might as well go all in. Livia is right—common soldiers have no business touching us," Lucia added, summoning her massive greatsword.
"You guys are a lot... but fine," Leon sighed, calling forth his trident.
The soldiers stood frozen in terror. Not a single man dared to step forward. The commander was so white it looked like the blood had completely drained from his face.
"The Trident of Cronus... the Greatsword of Soranus... Y-you... you're the triplets we've been looking for?" the commander stammered.
"Oh, so you weren't just here for Mariana and Isabel," Leon realized. "You were hunting us too. Finding them was just a cover—you followed them to lead you straight to us."
"Oi, why'd you have to mention Mariana's name? Rookie move," Lucia teased.
"You've always been reckless. Some things never change," Livia added.
"Enough! Our mission was to kill you and the Saint who led us to you! Attack! Kill them now!" the commander screamed.
"Oh, so that's how it is? Well then, bye-bye," Leon said.
Leon raised his trident high, spun it with practiced ease, and pointed it directly at the commander standing at the front of the camp. "Brrrrsh!" In an instant, a massive tsunami surged in front of Leon, completely sweeping away the camp and dragging everything back into the deep sea. It happened so fast the soldiers didn't even have time to react.
All that remained were a few troops who had been flanking the rear and now stood circled around Leon, Lucia, and Livia. Once the wave receded and the camp was wiped clean, the three of them turned to look at their surroundings, and the remaining soldiers flinched in terror.
"So, what's it gonna be? Do you jump in yourself, or do we do it for you?" Lucia asked.
"W-we'll jump! We're leaving!" the soldiers cried.
They threw down their spears, bolted for the water, and started swimming for their ships.
"Smart choice," Leon muttered, resting his trident on his shoulder.
The three watched as the remnants of the two-hundred-man army bobbed in the waves, struggling toward their vessels. Leon held out his hand, and Lucia and Livia immediately stacked theirs on top of his.
"It's time to take back our world," they said in unison.