Chapter 39

"Tell the soldiers to gather in front of the bridge, we'll greet Lord of Death and his Phelegethon Guild before they come here!! I don't want Payon to be a battlefield!! We'll fend them off before they reach Payon area!! Now, move!!" Fiorentin ordered his close comrades to prepare for the upcoming war against Phelegethon guild. Alphard, Felicia, and George were quick to make their moves and informed their leader order to the soldiers and gather them afterwards.

"Frea, tell your soldiers to gather with Sagramore. And before I forgot, do you know anything about Phelegethon? Anything would be fine!" The former princess asked the soul linker with hopes in her eyes.

"Well, if I'm not mistaken. Phelegethon Guild are the fourth strongest of the five guilds and they have more than 80,000 soldiers. That makes them fourth biggest among the five guilds" Frea carefully recalled for her answer.

Frea half-smiles when Elraven, Clyde, and Sasha approached her. "We're set! And ready to go!" Elraven cheerfully told him but Fiorentin returned his words with her eerie glare. "Your two guys named Clyde and Sasha, right? They'll come! As for you Mr. Insensitive, you'll stay here in Payon! You got me, Elraven?!!" A surprising statement from the lord knight which managed to made Elraven dropped his jaw. Frea, Clyde, and Sasha didn't drop their jaws, but they were close to it.

"What?! What did you say, Alexandria?!! I'm staying?!! What the?! Why?! If this is some kind of punishment?!" Elraven heavily protested the decision of the grinned princess. "Chill out, Elraven! I have a reason, you know? I put you here so you can guard the town!" The lord knight cunningly replied.

"Guard the town? What does that suppose to mean?" Elraven still protested, but not as heavy as the first protest.

"Listen. You have mentioned that based on your two underlings' information, Valdomir are currently trying to apply their newest form of technology in the battlefield, which we down here in Midgard, don't have slightest bit of idea what kind of technology is it, that's why I asked to have Sasha and Clyde come with me. Since I'll take the entire 60,000 soldiers to fight Phelegethon's 80,000 soldiers. That pretty much means this town will have no security at all. With no security on this town, Payon will be prone to any attack from Valdomir, and I don't want that. That's why I put you here. You're trustworthy, I must give you that. That's why I trust you to protect this city while we're going for Phelegethon. Don't worry, I'll also leave Olivia here. In case something happens and the civilians will need to evacuate, at the very least you can buy them some time, right? Do I make myself clear?" Fiorentin happily explained to the purple glassed gunslinger.

Elraven grunted at first, but slowly nodded after that. Frea seemed to noticed something behind Fiorentin's order, but chose not to speak her mind for now. She was afraid it would not only make the atmosphere gloomier. Elraven turned his attention to his two underlings, and slowly spoke, "Do whatever she says, don't put Ropera Squad's name to shame, alright? And one other thing, don't forget to watch each other's back. I want to see you two return here alive, safe, and sound. You dig!?".

"Yes, sir!!" Clyde and Sasha answered in unison as they head outside joining the soldiers. Elraven approached Frea and then hugged her.

Fiorentin muttered seeing the couple, "Love birds!", but the two seemed enjoying their time. "And as for you, Alexandria. Do your big bro a favor and put Phelegethon out of their misery, alright?" Elraven teased the lord knight after breaking the hug.

"Big bro? Who's my big bro?" Fiorentin asked with an annoyed face when Elraven happily pointed himself. Too bad, Elraven is insensitive and didn't seem to be a good learner as Fiorentin gave him another uppercut, knocked him to the floor again, much to the surprise of the sweat dropped Frea, Clyde, and Sasha. "You go to hell!!! You go to hell and you die!!" The lord knight shouted as she quickly goes outside with a red face, joining the soldiers who've been waiting to depart.

Clyde and Sasha quickly helped Elraven to stand. "Vice-Captain, you need to stop killing yourself like that" Clyde advised the purple glassed gunslinger. "Clyde's right, vice-captain. Princess Fiorentin is thousand times scarier than Martina. Why did you tease her like that, vice-captain?" Sasha continued his brothers comment.

"Cause it's fun seeing Alexandria got annoyed like that" Elraven answered with smile as he finally rose back. "She might kill you one day, Elraven. It's not going to be fun when that time really comes" Frea jokingly warned Elraven of the consequences teasing the former princess.

Elraven grinned listening his lover. "Look at me, Frea" He said as they locked eyes and he slowly recited,

In anguish we uplift
A new unhallowed song:
The race is to the swift;
The battle to the strong.

Of old it was ordained
That we, in packs like curs,
Some thirty million trained
And licensed murderers,

In crime should live and act,
If cunning folk say sooth
Who flay the naked fact
And carve the heart of truth.

The rulers cry aloud,
"We cannot cancel war,
The end and bloody shroud
Of wrongs the worst abhor,
And order's swaddling band:
Know that relentless strife
Remains by sea and land
The holiest law of life.
From fear in every guise,
From sloth, from lust of pelf,
By war's great sacrifice
The world redeems itself.
War is the source, the theme
Of art; the goal, the bent
And brilliant academe
Of noble sentiment;
The augury, the dawn
Of golden times of grace;
The true goals,
And blood-bath of the race."

We thirty million trained
And licensed murderers,
Like zanies rigged, and chained
By drill and scourge and curse
In shackles of despair
We know not how to break --
What do we victims care
For art, what interest take
In things unseen, unheard?
Some diplomat no doubt
Will launch a heedless word,
And lurking war leap out!

We spell-bound armies then,
Huge brutes in dumb distress,
Machines compact of men
Who once had consciences,
Must trample harvests down --
Vineyard, and corn and oil;
Dismantle town by town,
Hamlet and homestead spoil
On each appointed path,
Till lust of havoc light
A blood-red blaze of wrath
In every frenzied sight.

In many a mountain pass,
Or meadow green and fresh,
Mass shall encounter mass
Of shuddering human flesh;
Opposing ordnance roar
Across the swaths of slain,
And blood in torrents pour
In vain -- always in vain,
For war breeds war again!

The shameful dream is past,
The subtle maze untrod:
We recognize at last
That war is not of God.

The sudden poetry chant from Elraven surprised Frea, but didn't surprise Clyde and Sasha. "Is that a poem, Elraven? You could make poems?" The soul linker enthusiastically asked the smiling black haired man.

"Of course he could, Miss Frea. Vice-Captain Elraven is a Six time national champion in poetry competition in The Republic of Schwaltzvalt" Clyde politely explained as Elraven smiled even more and nodded proudly. "Well, Frea. Promise me one thing, when you return here, recite me another poem to match mine. And I want you to get back in one piece, OK? Because if you don't, I'll follow you right away", Elraven passionately said to Frea before they shared another kiss, which nearly make Sasha fainted had Clyde didn't hold her.

"Good luck on guarding the town, honey" Frea said to Elraven after they broke the kiss and leaves the hallway, followed by Clyde and the jealous Sasha.

Inside the town, the soldiers have been waiting in the city, bridge, and even the forest. The large number of soldiers made Payon somewhat crowded. In the festival ground, Fiorentin meets with her close comrades (Felicia, George, Olivia, the two Generals, and her fiancé) before preparing to take off. "I have some important news for you all. Elraven will not participate in this war".

The news pretty much shocked anybody listening. "What?! Why?!" George represented the group on expressing their mind.

"Two reasons. First, because we need someone powerful to guard this town while we're gone, and we pretty much known what he capable of doing. For that reason, Olivia, you will also stay here in case he failed and the civilians need a warp portal to escape. Sorry for saying this, but it's true. You got me, Olivia?" Fiorentin strictly answered as Olivia slowly nodded.

"But, we need him for this war, right? He will make our works easier!!" George protested again, but Fiorentin's glare pretty much shut his trap.

"Your reasoning, George, is pretty much the reason why I refused bringing him with us for now. Since his coming to Sagramore, we pretty much depended on him to win the war we engaged. Alberta, and lately Lethe Guild. It's not that I do not trust him, but we can't count on him continuously. Sagramore are feared not because of one man, but as a whole. We were great before he came, and I will make it so after he comes. This time, Sagramore will win without him, by showing our true powers to Valdomir. To defeat Phelegethon Guild is a must! We need to regain our faith on ourselves!!" Fiorentin's reason made the whole group fell silent for a moment.

"I...kinda agree with Fio. We won't win this war if we keep counting on others. Not more than that" Felicia was the first to give a comment. "Well, if the leader said so, it's on" General Hagi was the second to give comment. The others slowly nodded as the sign of approval for the witty order.

"And on top of that, I need to regain my faith on Sagramore" Fiorentin though to herself as the group dismissed.

Not long after that, the soldiers gathered and ready to go. Fiorentin and Alphard lead the soldiers in the front line. Elraven and Olivia looked at them from the bridge, until the last single soldiers left Payon. Thousand chants of supporting were voiced out by the people of Payon as Sagramore marched. "Come back safely", "Long Live Sagramore", and many other else.

Meanwhile, in Thanatos Tower....

Thanatos Phantom was seen walking in the dark hallway, alone by himself. He arrived in the Throne's Room door and entered. There, Beelzephir the Chaos was seen playing chess with Albert Gahn, again.

"My lord, Sagramore have left Payon. They will most likely confront Phelegethon Guild at Sograt Desert. And Erebus guild have made their moves toward Alberta" The undead knight informed his two superiors.

"Good news. Shall I visit Payon, then?" Beelzephir The Chaos replied as he rose from his seat.

****

Again, sorry for the late update. I made this chapter pretty much as the sign of things to come, and the war chapter will be done soon. God, I hope I can describe it as good as I could!! ^^

The poem Elraven recited to Frea is War song by John Davidson. Thank you for reading, see u next chap!!!