Wrath had just completed the task he had set for him and was about to run back to the castle when his mind suddenly began pounding. It was a fierce headache that felt like someone was digging their fingers into his brain and caused him to take a moment to reorientate himself. In his mind, three sets of images started to form with unintelligible shouting accompanying it. The pictures began to become clearer until he could make out what seemed to be Blackdust soldiers charging at him with their weapons drawn. Such an image would have him ready to run away but the predator recognized that what he was seeing wasn't from his prospective.

He could see the soldiers' moves faster than they could complete them and knew exactly what each point of view planned to do. One decided to grab a sword swing before pulling the soldier in and going for the neck and with a rip, the poor soul's head was on the ground. Another jumped over its opponent then grabbed a leg then the soldier's midriff with clawed hands before pulling hard. The leg gave first and the Mystic Guard member was shrieking in pain for a short time before being slammed into the ground because his remaining leg was used as a flail. The third and final one rushed forward and grabbed its opponent by the middle before throwing him into the ground which left him at the mercy of the claws that made him unidentifiable.

The sight was gruesome, especially the view that Wrath had but he tried focusing more on what he was seeing and watched that one of the sets of eyes looked at the other two and his heart stopped.

He was looking through the eyes of half human copies of him.

They looked somewhat human but were taken over by some of his body parts. Their eyes were blood red with no sign of emotion of consciousness in them at all. The earlier shouting had quieted and he listened and hoped that maybe there was some trace of thought in their minds but all he could get was murderous instinct and the pull of anger that they all turned to. The three sets of eyes seemed to have found themselves a target and all three rushed off in that direction.

Wrath was about to rush back to the castle to warn them of the new threat but he got another whiff of a faint trace of anger from the direction those half human copies went. Normally he would've ignored it and continued on his way but something about this particular pull was familiar yet unfamiliar at the same time. Deciding to indulge in his curiosity a little, the predator focused on it and tried to get a read on the thoughts that accompanied it.

Piece of shit! Asshole brought an entire army just to settle a grudge with one guy?! All the men that died to hold off the invasion force to give the civilians time to escape…they had nothing to do with that! Hope the runt ain't about to go on some bullshit spiel on how this is his fault, my patience has already committed suicide.

…but that's ok…apparently these guys are really hard to kill…which means I can have all the fun I want without the pesky worry that he'll die on me before I'm done. Oh, Greed, or Ian, or whatever you call yourself, me and you are gonna have a hell of a time.

Wrath groaned out loud. Of all the times Stonewell could let him finally get a whiff of anger from the guy, he does when he could be tracked by three Wrath copies. The predator quickly made a beeline toward the old man's position hoping that he could get there in time.

Stonewell had his squad of guards moving toward their next rendezvous with the 'precious' cargo he had slung on his back. Greed had his arms and legs missing as they had been cut off after the Captain shot him in the head. Around his neck was a noose that the old man had tightened to the point that it would cut off blood flow to his prisoner's head but not enough that he couldn't breathe, a prelude to the fun times that Stonewell had promised the Sin after this was all over. The guards in his squad had given him varying looks at the rather gruesome treatment he was giving the enemy, but the Captain just couldn't bring himself to care.

Even Klein who was pissed that Greed threatened his little sister tried to avoid looking at the hanging corpse on his Captain's back.

The invasion had caught them off guard and quite a few of his men had died today but they had rallied and begun their counterattack. If everything had gone according to plan, the enemy's leadership should be captured by now. They already had Lust in custody and with them capturing Greed, that left two more Sins unaccounted for, assuming that the Lascivious Sin could be trusted.

Stonewell for the most part didn't really care if she was telling the truth or not, they were already in deep shit right now and the real enemy hasn't even moved yet. The Captain had hoped the ringleader on the clocktower would've come down so they could at least see what they were up against, but the bastard had remained where he was. It was possible he was waiting on the squad he likely sent after Elsa but if Lilian and those Blackdust guards she brought with her were in position, then the squad would've failed.

Walter had seen the smoke signals that all indicated that things were going according to plan, but his unease grew as time went on. The old man honestly didn't expect his plan to go as well as it has been when he came up with it. He expected the enemy to have something up their sleeve to knock his plan off course and force them to improvise but that hasn't been the case so far. The Captain could be described as arrogant, but he knew that he was a good strategist, while that is true he also didn't underestimate the enemy. Mr. Jorgen had pulled him aside and expressed the dangers of the enemy he was facing and the harbormaster all but guaranteed that Arendelle could not win.

While Stonewell would defiantly deny and fight that statement to his dying breath, he actually considered the gravity of the statement if someone as old and knowledgeable as Mr. Jorgen told him that they couldn't win. The harbormaster had asked when they could get Wrath in position for their plan so Arendelle would have a chance at victory. Stonewell had said that it was smarter to keep the Furious Sin available as he had multiple tasks in the Captain's plan so it would be after he finished his part. Mr. Jorgen wasn't pleased with that answer and Walter for once heard his heart hammering in his ears as the harbormaster remained silent while staring at him intensely.

After what seemed like an eternity, Mr. Jorgen nodded and went back to skulking around the main lobby of the castle. Stonewell didn't let go of the breath he was holding until he was in the courtyard. He knew that the harbormaster was running out of patience, if they didn't hurry, the old man might take action himself. Walter didn't want to consider that scenario, so he sent the runt off to carry out his part of the mission while the Captain spoke to Garret one more time.

The two of them weren't friends but they had known each other for some time and they both knew the pain of losing loved ones, both physically and emotionally. That created a modicum of respect for one another and an understanding of what each of them wanted. Sobel wanted his son back while Stonewell wanted to defend his home. Typically, those goals would have the Captain throwing Edward to the wolves for Arendelle's sake, but Stonewell had managed to work out different terms. Garret was reluctant to accept the terms but couldn't argue against the Captain's proposal so he promised his support and that he wouldn't go after Wrath while they were all in this mess.

Stonewell had elected to keep those two matters to himself as neither Elsa nor Edward needed to know about them just yet. He couldn't risk their emotions getting the better of them when it came to this. A shitty thing to do, he knew, but one of the harder decisions he had to make today.

One of his guards had alerted him that they had finally arrived at the rendezvous point where another squad of Arendellian guards were waiting for them. The squad standing guard at the site saluted him as he walked up to them while a few eyed what was on his back.

"Anything special to report?"

"No sir. Everything is going according to plan; Her Majesty has already prepared this stage of the plan and is awaiting you as we speak."

"What's the status on the runt?"

"Edward has taken his squad to carry out their mission after we replaced them. They left not too long ago so they either should be underway with their mission." Stonewell nodded in affirmation and was about to turn back to his squad to give them orders when something caught his eye. He saw a blur of movement from the buildings above them, narrowing his eyes he raised his hands to give silent signals to watch the rooftops.

The guards around him all did as they were told while Stonewell turned to the first guard he spoke with and dropped Greed without a care. Walter stared down at the Sin who began to wake up with bloodshot red eyes from the noose around his neck before raising his boot and savagely stomped on the bald man's head a few times. It didn't take him long to get his desired result which was a bloody smear on the ground with a caved in head that had the guard gag trying to keep his lunch down. "Take the prisoner down the underground passage. I want eyes on him the entire time he's down there until you meet up with the Queen. We'll be along when we can but if we aren't back in an hour, report to Bowman, he's in charge while I'm absent."

The guard shook his head as he reluctantly gathered up the corpse in his arms and motioned for three more men to follow him into the passageway while Stonewell turned to face their surroundings. His men had rifles aimed at the space between buildings and scanning the rooftops for any movement as they all strained their ears for any sign of movement. The Captain pulled out his blunderbuss pistol and readied it as he waited for the enemy he knew was out there to strike.

A blur jumped across a building toward their two o'clock and had all rifles aimed at that direction. Stonewell would've looked in that direction as well if he didn't hear the sound of something scraping coming from above them. His head shot up above them to see someone dropping down from a warehouse right in the middle of their formation.

"Scatter!"

A few of his men managed to heed his warning in time to move out the way but the rest looked back to see what spooked the Captain and left themselves wide open for the claws that were hungry for their blood. Two of them were helpless as they were ripped apart while the rest of them men scattered before taking aim with their rifles and opening fire all at once.

A symphony of gunshots went off and impacted the humanoid creature making it jerk in all directions before dropping to the ground. The guards took a breath before the Stonewell roared at them again.

"There's more than one!"

Two bodies similar to the humanoid creature dropped from the buildings and allowed their bodies to be taken in by the men who were still in shock. Their human like appearance mixed with the demonic appendages were disturbing to see. The Captain would've ordered his men into a firing line and had them open fire, but he knew they all shot their flintlocks and had a feeling that reloading was out of the question. Their adversaries focused on them with soulless red eyes before dashing toward them with their claws out for blood.

"Prepare for close combat! Draw swords!"

Walter drew one of his swords he had at his waist while his men did the same and braced for the incoming attack. They would've clashed had the creatures not changed direction entirely and zoomed toward the side of their formation. The Captain aimed his blunderbuss as one drew closer and pulled the trigger hoping to catch one with the spray of pellets. His target instantly jumped back to avoid the shot, but its partner continued and almost made it completely behind the formation.

Stonewell turned expecting to see the enemy trying to launch an attack from behind, but his eyes widened when he realized that the creature had another objective in mind. The assailant was making a beeline toward the door that led down into the escape tunnels that Greed had just been taken into. The Captain flipped the grip he had his sword into a reverse one before he threw it toward the creature as it reached the door.

As if having some kind of extraordinary sense, the creature leaned out of the way as the sword was embedded into the door, missing its head by inches. "They're trying to go after the prisoner! Secure the door!"

Half of his guards turned around to obey his command while the other have ran to engage the two creatures. Klein, who was carrying that special crossbow instead of a musket, was able to reload his ranged weapon much quicker than his comrades. Hefting it up with both hands he held on tightly before firing his weapon, the force of the crossbow bolt being released from the drawstring made his shoulder protest, but his aim remained true. The creature he aimed at was barely able to jump out of the way which led him vulnerable to the next bolt that came in quick succession.

The bolt's flight path would've taken it straight into the creature's head if not for the scaled hand that came up and blocked the bolt with its palm, piercing the appendage. Klein fired another bolt but missed as the creature once again jumped back before scurrying up the nearest building. Its partner had the pleasure of being attacked by several guards at once all with swords and had to dash out of a constant stream of attacks before following its partner's lead and scurrying up the side of a building.

Stonewell expected them to disappear from sight but to his surprise, both of them stayed where they were, hanging off a side of a building just watching the group of guards. The Captain quickly gave orders for his men to get reorganized and form a firing line with them firing only on his command. When his men were all ready and he raised his hand waiting for the creatures to move, time seemed to slow. Walter could tell by the way they moved that if his men fired right now, they would miss. He planned on waiting for them to make the first before ordering his men to fire to both maximize the chance of their ammunition finding its target and give more time for the detachment to get through the escape tunnel.

As he watched them waiting for their move, he noticed that the two of them both suddenly jerked their heads in a different direction. He was tempted to have his men fire as the creatures looked somewhat distracted by whatever was off in that direction but restrained himself as was still sure they would hear the flintlocks engaging and move to avoid the gunfire even though they were distracted.

"Stonewell!"

The old man slid his eyes over in the direction that his name was being shouted from and could see Wrath landing on a rooftop opposite to two creatures. The runt regarded the two predators with a measured stare before looking back down toward the Captain who was still focused on the enemy. The Furious Sin could see some guards' bodies being strung around dead but most of them were alive. He scanned for Klein and was pleased to see the guard was still alive and actually using the crossbow that Envy had used once before.

With his brief scan of his friend's wellbeing, Wrath turned his attention back to the two creatures who both stared at him with an intense yet vacant stare. The original predator could see himself in their minds and could feel the pull he exhibited. With the way they were staring and how much he could feel their minds being drawn to him, he wouldn't be surprised if they rushed in any moment from now.

If he wasn't sure before, he was sure now. These creatures were just like him before encountering Rahim. Mindless killer instinct with its sole focus being finding other sources of rage. Seeing the mirror images of him from way back when had Wrath consider for a moment if there was a way for them to gain some semblance of thought.

Forget Wrath, recover Greed.

Wrath heard a booming voice that sounded vaguely familiar ring out from inside both the creatures' minds as they hesitated for a moment before snapping their heads back toward the group of guards on the ground. Without warning, they leapt from their position which made Stonewell finally signal the first line of guards to fire. The first symphony of gunshots missed as the creatures had jumped toward a nearby surface and used it to dodge the projectiles while advancing. The second line of rifles quickly became ready and fired, prompting the creatures to leap above the spray of bullets.

One of the creatures grabbed landed on a guard while grabbing another by the head and slashing another with its free hand causing the others to scatter. Its partner saw the brief window of opportunity to rush through the guards' formation and leaped through reaching for the door, only to quickly jump back when Stonewell took a swipe at it and put himself in between the creature and the door with sword in hand.

Wrath quickly descended to street level and quickly closed the distance to the creature holding two guards in its grip. When he got within arm's length, his mind debated on what to do in that split second. He knew that the creature was going to kill the two guards unless he forced it to let go, whether that meant alive or dead was up to him. It would be logical of him to take his chance now to kill one of them, but he couldn't help but hesitate.

They were just like he was back when he didn't have a mind.

He had been just a caged beast that didn't know any better and now that he did, he considered that maybe they deserved to have the same chance. Edward had committed to a no killing rule as he didn't want to get black dust from his victims. Wrath got the concept but didn't pay much mind to it as he was still getting used to actually being able to have an opinion about whatever he wanted. The predator couldn't risk the hostages before because he resolved that he wasn't a weapon anymore which hinted that he had grown but seeing a mirror of what he used to be, he began to feel a vague feeling of pity.

If these creatures had a fraction of the pain he went through over the course of his life, then he would've consider trying to help them as Elsa did him. He didn't know when all of these thoughts had started but he knew that he first expressed them to the blonde when she broke down.

Wrath said he wasn't a weapon anymore but did that mean he shouldn't kill anymore? Do these creatures deserve to die for likely being tools the same as he was, what made the predator so special? Why was he allowed to meet people who don't think he's a monster and actually enjoy a semblance of peace while these mirrors remained mindless puppets?

With all those thoughts swirling around in his mind, Wrath found his right-hand clenching into a fist before throwing a heavy punch to the creature's abdomen. His fist made a loud solid impact that he was certain damaged his target's ribs. The impact made the creature let go of its captives and take a step back to right itself, which left an easy target for a left hook to the side of the face. Wrath saw his target and clenched his other hand before violently turning his hips and taking a swing at his opponent's head sending it sprawling to the ground.

The predator looked at his downed opponent with an analyzing stare as he knew that he pulled his punches enough to not kill them but to put any human out. His opponent lied still but he could still hear a heartbeat coming form the body in front of him, so he was sure they weren't dead. Taking his eyes off his downed opponent, he turned the other creature who had leaped at the old man and had started raining down a barrage of slashes that the old man had to step back to avoid each one. It wasn't long until the Captain's back hit the door and the creature sent one more strike aimed for the old man's neck. Wrath was about to run to assist when Stonewell smoothly pitched his right shoulder forward while also taking a shuffle step to the left and dropping his torso just under the swing that slid over his head.

It was all in a single motion that he finished by pushing off with back leg and the sword in his hand was embedded at the base of the creature's pelvic region, haphazardly close to the groin area. The old man kept a grip on his sword and looked up from his position on the side and under his opponent's arm with a calculating stare. He twisted the handle and dragged it down cutting deeper into his target who only responded by throwing a backhand which he ducked under.

So, they feel no pain…

Stonewell raised his leg and attempted a straight kick to get the creature off his blade, but his attack was caught behind the knee by a hand. Before his opponent had a chance to get another grip on him and tear him apart, the Captain jumped off his back leg and while getting a grip on his target's shoulders with his both his hands, sent a flying knee into the creature's face. The old man berated himself as his form was sloppy with one of his legs already being caught but he'd hope that even if they didn't feel pain, the impact would shock his opponent into letting go.

Unfortunately, the creature's grip remained firm and what made matters worse was that its other arm shot out and caught him by the throat while he was in the air. It didn't take long for the old man to realize the fatal position he found himself in with his neck and leg being in the creature's grip. It was when both those grips started to tighten did he begin to struggle. Black dots immediately started to dance in his eyes as he felt his windpipe being crushed.

This is ain't good. Well one good thing is that Jorgen is gonna be pissed when he finds out I died without giving him what he wants.

Before either his consciousness or his windpipe broke, both grips on his body disappeared and he dropped to the ground. The Captain started a coughing fit that seemed befitting of a heavy smoker such as himself as he felt a hand on his back. It was Cameron kneeling next to him in a supporting posture. Looking back at his opponent, he saw the runt having it in a full nelson with its arms being cut off at the elbows, likely by the Sergeant to the side with blood dripping down the blade.

Wrath clenched his fingers as he tried to solidify his grip completely to immobilize his target but was met with unending struggle the entire time. He had seen a few other guards immediately rush the other one that was down and pinned its limbs with several bodies. The predator was sure that he could wrestle his struggling opponent down and then restrain them so they could possibly interrogate them or give them the same chance he got.

He was so focused on subduing his target he didn't notice Stonewell taking intent strides until the old man was next them before he pulled out a pistol, placed it at the struggling enemy's head and pulled the trigger. The loud gunshot rang especially loud in the young man's ears as he didn't expect it and he was shocked by it. His target went limp in his arms as Stonewell lowered his pistol and walked over to the other creature and drew his sword before stabbing it into the restrained creature's head. With the two of them dead, he regained his posture and turned toward the other guards to give them a quick once over, ignoring the look of shock on the young man's face.

Wrath wasn't in shock that Stonewell had killed something, the old man had killed plenty of times, but the young man couldn't help but consider those creatures as victims. Victims that that they could help be something better the same way that they did for him. Even with their empty thoughts, there was still hope that they could be taught or grow their own conscious.

Now though, it could never happen.

"Why…"

The Captain heard the young man speak but said nothing as he continued to check over his men. After he had completed his checks, he went over to a guard and started giving him a new set of orders. "I want you to remain here and defend this exit in case the event we need to evacuate from the castle or need to seal the exit. Keep an eye out for flares that will determine your next course of action, Greed may be down now but there's no guarantee it'll stay that way. In the meantime, I'll be taking a few men to come with me and follow after the first squad that went into the tunnel." The guard nodded and stalked off to carry out his orders.

"Tell me why…"

Stonewell turned to Cameron ignoring the young man once again. "Klein, you're coming with me we'll take this tunnel back to the castle and regroup there. Hopefully the plan is going mostly according to plan and by the time we get there the forces at the castle will have an idea what's going- "

"LOOK AT ME!"

All the guards in the area jumped when Wrath roared at Stonewell who fell silent before finally turning to address the young man. "There something you want to say?"

The predator gestured to the three dead creatures on the ground. "You did not have to kill them all, we had two of them under control, perhaps we could've- "

"Could've what? They were monsters that had already killed some of my men. What point does it serve to keep them alive when all they care about is killing more of us?"

Wrath was aware of the few dead guards that were currently being taken away. He knew that the creatures were responsible for their deaths but if they were mindless and being controlled than was it really their fault? Anna and Elsa both had expressed over and over that it wasn't his fault what had happened in the past and he still had trouble fully believing them but would guess that they would feel these creatures could've changed like he did.

"They're being controlled, we could've captured them like we did Greed to get them out from under that control."

"We don't have time for that, nor is there any point in doing so." Stonewell's response was quick and cold as his eyes morphed into their cold certainty stare that held so much weight behind them.

"They were mindless monsters, we only faced three and it took us time to take them down. Imagine if we were ambushed by ten of them all at once from all directions, we'd lose more lives. Regardless of who they were and what they could be, all that matters is what they are now; mindless weapons deployed to kill us. Wasting our time on attempting to help them will take time away from getting out of this mess. You wasted time trying to take them alive which endangered every man here. That hesitation will get others around you killed as you waste your time and energy on pointless avenues when you could end the fight right then and there."

Rationally, Wrath could see the old man had a point, but he couldn't help but think that the same man who was speaking had done the opposite and had helped a monster, try to better himself. Saying it was pointless and a waste of time made the young man ask the next question that popped into his mind.

"If that's true then why waste so much time on me? I was a mindless monster, but you took time to teach me how I could be better."

"You were…and I've already tried to kill you." Wrath said nothing as Stonewell took a step forward until they were nose to nose.

"I am the Captain of the Arendellian Royal Guard Walter Gudbrand Stonewell, my mission is to ensure Arendelle's safety. ANY threat to that will receive no mercy from me, whoever or whatever that may be…" The old man walked over to one of the corpses and harshly stomped on one of its skull before he pointed at it.

"…these creatures, whether they be victims or masterminds, are a threat. They threatened Arendelle and have tried to kill my men. The asshole that likely sent them is watching our capitol burn and the people inside fight one another to stain the streets with their blood while he sits and congratulates himself. We are at war, a war with an enemy that comes straight out of a nightmare. We don't have the time nor the obligation to use our…" Stonewell made air quotes. "…higher selves to fight them because as you can see, they will not show us the same kindness. If we are to beat these monsters then we have to become even worse monsters, that's how humans win wars and survive life. We're weak that way…"

Stonewell put his hands down and his harsh cold expression melted off his face and he looked down at his feet. His face was weary and distant as if he looked up a mountain that he needed to climb but knew in his heart he couldn't. One would think he was looking at the corpse he just stomped on but anyone knowing the Captain knew he wouldn't waste such an expression on an enemy.

"We've already lost so many, so many of us have already laid down their lives to give us a chance to fight back. We're still in a war and can't afford giving the enemy any concessions, we've already established that surrender is not an option. We've already committed so many lives to this conflict that all we can do is move forward. Our enemy isn't human, they have no fear, sympathy, or even feel pain. All we have are guards who haven't been war tested and a Queen who doesn't know the horrors of war."

Stonewell looked up and faced Wrath with a tortured expression. "You told me once that you couldn't accept the way I lived, just continue forward with no regrets over any actions I've taken. I told you that you need to find your own answer, because that is my answer. That is answer of a weak human who knows that's all he can do. I don't have the power to create armies or force them to their knees, I'm one man that can easily be cut down. All I have are the memories of both my enemies and comrades dying all around me, fighting for trivial matters until it escalates to the point that no one wins. I don't want to have to see that again, everything I love falling apart all around me. If that means I have to become an even bigger monster than the enemy then I will because that is all I can do."

Klein as well as some nearby guards remained silent as the Captain's face grew fierce and his eyes showed no sign of hesitation or doubt. "My sole purpose is to give the people next to me a chance to make the most out of their lives so they can be better and the only way I can accomplish that is to become a monster. I will destroy the enemy by any means at my disposal because I am too weak to chance exploring other methods."

Stonewell then pointed to the young man with a challenging glare. "If you can't accept that then you must take action. Carve out a new path with whatever strength you have, to do that though requires you to give up something. You want to give all these creatures a chance to be better, then you must give up the tactical advantage you uniquely have against our enemy. Our enemy brought two armies along with four of your kind and your creator that is likely a match for any of you. They've prepared themselves for a scenario where the Wrath of the past slaughters a good chunk of their armies leaving them more than able to deal with you as you focus on the grunts. You still haven't figured out what you want, you think its to protect Elsa but that can't be all. If your sole mission was to protect her then annihilating the enemy by whatever means necessary would be an option, yet you chose not to. That in itself implies that there is something else that you want, what that is can only be determined by you."

The old man left his arm fall to his side as he turned back to his men and barked at them to go about their orders. After doing so, he returned to look at Wrath one more time. "If you want to give our enemies a chance at life then that is on you and whatever consequence that comes from that will be on your head. Hell, you might make a positive impact on their lives but to do that, it may require you give up the lives lost in your attempt to save the enemies' lives. Power isn't only measured by destruction; it can be measured by how much of an impact you can make on the world around you. Its time you thought long and hard what kind of power you wish to have and what you're willing to give up for that power."

Walter walked away toward the tunnel where Klein held it open for him. Wrath directed his eyes toward the creatures' corpses on the ground and for a split second, his mind imagined him lying their dead on the ground. Despite the regrets he had for his life, Wrath now knew that he was a tool. A tool used by those with little to no conscience for the lives of others.

How easy it could be for one of those poor souls and him to switch places and they could be looking at his corpse…

"What did you give up, to be able to help me?"

Stonewell stopped himself from letting out a bitter laugh; the runt's question was terribly ironic given the timing.

"Almost everything…"

Wrath scrunched up his face and was about to ask him to clarify but Stonewell turned around with a tired but accepting expression.

"…but I know you'll make it worth it. I can't tell you how I know but I can say you remind me of me, only much stronger. If only I were stronger, I could've done so much more than what I did in the past. I'm curious to see what someone like me can do when given the right chance."

Talib narrowed his eyes in irritation as he watched Gluttony be repelled by that meddling little Firestarter Lilian that forced him to use the prototypes. They were supposed to be used as a last resort for the Queen if she couldn't be captured by conventional methods. With Greed being exposed and the chain of command being all but captured, the Weselton and Southern Isles forces had been thrown into disarray. They were scattered throughout the capitol in standby since Greed hadn't lifted the ceasefire order yet and if General Julius was allowed to speak then they would lose the Southern Isles forces right there. The Duke of Weselton was also in the Queen's custody and his obvious fear of her as well as that Captain's methods would likely have the same result for the Weselton troops.

Soon, the armies they brought would be useless.

He didn't predict Arendelle being able to fight back this hard. They were on the brink of surrender yet somehow, they came back stronger than ever. The new Blackdust troops were a definite surprise that he was sure they hadn't been here when the invasion started. It was safe to assume Lilian destroyed the blockade and got the troops that came with her to aid Arendelle, so their sea power was likely diminished. That left the gate where the Southern Isles troops had set up a position there but if that large snowman had managed to get through then it was likely that the gate was no longer in their control. Which meant that the Queen had two feasible ways of escape if she was able to make it to the harbor or the gate.

Her escape would make this entire invasion pointless as she was the top priority. Talib was very reluctant to kill her as her death would inconvenience him for decades but he was also aware of the very real threat she constituted if she became anything remotely like him. Just thinking of that human from so long ago made Talib almost show his true face but he kept it at bay. Dissecting her and learning all of her secrets while turning her into a pitiful memory was something he greatly looked forward to, but he could see himself settling for her death after a few years.

Bottom line, she couldn't escape.

The alchemist grew more irritated that Lust had somehow managed to fail to capture the Princess and get caught herself and brought to the castle. If he had the Princess than he was sure the Queen would cave and give herself up to save her sister.

Wait…

How did Lust get to the castle?

He had last sensed her position outside the capitol in the forests near Arendelle. How could she be captured then snuck into Arendelle without encountering any resistance. If a skirmish with the Sin had broken out, she would've used that chance to escape. Even if she was unconscious the entire time and couldn't escape herself, a battle between her captors and their troops would've caught his attention, especially with the ceasefire.

The only way that they'd be able to safely transport Lust to the castle would be if they managed to avoid all of their troops and made it to the castle undetected. Such a feat would be quite difficult as Talib would've felt her in Arendelle before she got to the castle.

Unless, something blocked my senses.

As far as he knew, only someone who could influence another soul like he could was able to pull something like that off. The two people here who should be able to do that was him and that vaguely familiar soul that had remained in the castle the entire time. He assumed it was Father, but Wrath had been in the castle for a time and the Elemental had not been dealt with yet. Talib was sure if Father was there then Elsa would've been killed as the Patriarch of Sins did not care in the slightest whatever inconveniences her death would result in. Whoever was in that castle wasn't on their side. So, it was possible they managed to block his senses until Lust was safely in their custody.

That still didn't explain how she was smuggled into Arendelle.

Perhaps those underground tunnels that Greed mentioned in his scout report were used to transport her. The Avaricious Sin never could confirm how many tunnels there were or where they could lead. It was very possible that one of them led outside of the capital. Talib doubted that were the case as if there was such a tunnel, then Arendelle's Royal council would demand the Queen to use it and come back with an army to retake her home. Even with hostages, they would see her as more expendable and send her away to preserve the Royal line.

But…let's say there was such a tunnel and the Ice Elemental never used it because she wanted to save the hostages. Now that the hostages were saved and, in the castle,, now would be a perfect time to use that hidden tunnel. Let's say there were to use that tunnel, where would it lead? Arendelle was surrounded by high ridges on the sides, a body of water next to it with a mountain opposite of the main gate. No tunnel underground could feasibly be made under the ocean as it would be too deep and if there were a tunnel in the ridges behind and around them, they couldn't dig through without the heavy rock without structural collapse. Which only left a tunnel that went under the capitol and into the forest at the gate. With them now stuck defending the castle they could evacuate into the supposed escape tunnel and emerge behind their enemies' position making them almost impossible to capture.

Talib recalled the details of the mountain path that led out of Arendelle and came up with possible locations an exit tunnel could be before he got up from his seated position and walked into the clocktower. Sloth was still in her deep state of concentration as she continued with her earlier task. The alchemist raised his palm and his hand turned into black dust before he allowed it to flow into the Sin so he could relay his next instructions.

You can forget about the other kingdoms; you've had plenty of time to cause enough damage. I need you to scour the area outside the capital's main gate and look for any sign of troop movement.

He ripped his hand away breaking the connection and went back outside where he could see the still burning Arendellian capitol. He had almost lost his patience and it was time he got results before he decided to step in himself. He raised one hand and placed his thumb and middle finger together.

"It's time we ended this conflict."

He snapped his fingers and somehow the sound echoed through Arendelle with a subtle wave of black dust behind it, bringing with it a deep sense of dread.

Corporal Edmund was huddled at a checkpoint with few of his fellow Southern Isles soldiers as they were taking a brief moment to rest and eat. Half of them were patrolling the perimeter while the other half were taking a break and eating the rations, they had brought with them. Apparently, there was supposed to be a ceasefire or something so the chain of command ordered they all continued to hold the village. While the word was being spread, multiple messenger squads had been ambushed so the local commanders of each company had ordered their men to hunker down at the checkpoints and wait for further orders.

They had used the main roads they'd taken as supply routes so if any of their squads were ambushed, there would be little cover for the ambushers and more of their troops could move to assist one another. Some soldiers had come and gone relaying information and even some had decided to stay as their squad had all been killed.

One soldier that Edmund had noticed, had walked into their checkpoint with half his leg basically missing. This caused quite a stir that the guy had managed to walk on his mutilated leg with seemingly no pain and mind for the amount of blood that was trailing behind him before sitting down smack dab in the middle of the checkpoint.

The medics instantly rushed to stop the bleeding and treat the man's leg, but no emotion crossed his face while they worked. Edmund had thought maybe this guy was some type of badass but the vacant look his eyes was too unsettling to be just some tough guy.

Shrugging his shoulders, he tried to forget about the guy and just focus on finishing his food before rejoining the perimeter patrol when a vague snapping sound echoed. He almost thought he imagined it but everyone else looked up too at the same time to find the source of the sound. It was too quiet and short to be a gunshot, even a far off one but it was still unsettling nevertheless since it seemed to echo for an unnatural amount of time. It lasted a moment before everything was quiet once more.

Except for the grunting sounds that came from that weird soldier earlier.

Edmund looked back to see the guy clutch his chest as he hunched over and writhed in what seemed to be in pain. The medics quickly were off to his side to assist him but as soon as one touched him, he threw out both his arms and one medic's head was knocked clean off as the guy started roaring with his eyes and his mouth enveloped in a blinding red light.

The Corporal's eyes widened as he remembered seeing a vague set of red lights earlier but even he could tell that this one was much brighter than the others. Red lightning and the sound of something snapping accompanied the light that made it impossible to see what was going on. When the light subsided, Edmund's heart stopped.

In the middle of their checkpoint was a monster.

It looked like a cross between a red lizard and a human. Its legs weren't straight like human's but instead looked like someone had partially broke the rather long shin so the creature was in a perpetual state of bending over to maintain its balance. Its torse looked just like a human's torso except it had two red scaly arms that were tipped with viscously sharp claws. The monster's face was most terrifying. The top half of its face looked human but the bottom half was grotesquely structured as if someone ripped out a shark's jaw and swapped it with a human's.

The monster roared with its vacant red eyes and grabbed the medic closest to it and ripped him into pieces. Edmund's first instinct in response to this was to pick up his rifle and fire at the creature. When he pulled the trigger something extraordinary happened. The monster shook intensely and it looked like multiple images of itself started to appear in the same spot before they barely moved out the way of the bullet before becoming one complete image again. The Corporal had thought he was seeing things but he watched a few of the other soldiers shoot as well and saw a clearer picture this time.

Some black sand like substance followed the monster's movement as it ducked under the spray of bullets before covering the distance between them in what seemed to be a blink of an eye. It then proceeded to rip them apart one by one, moving fluidly with that cloud of black sand behind it, sliding out of the way of any and all bullets that were sent its way. He blinked and the creature had him by the throat and opened its large jaw, he couldn't even scream before the grotesque crunching sounds of this monster enjoying its snack, filled the now unmanned checkpoint.

Gluttony had heard the snap and could see the wave of black dust originate from the clocktower before multiple stronger red lights enveloped Arendelle. Each light was like a beacon that sucked in any black dust from the wave into it and the Sin knew why.

The earlier three prototypes he used only used their individual souls' power to undergo their transformation. That gave them limited strength and speed that made them much more dangerous but still manageable in small numbers. With Talib snapping his fingers and forcing all of the remaining prototypes transform while giving them someone the black dust that he himself possessed, Gluttony could see them being much more dangerous.

Looks like Talib is done playing, he wants this conflict to end now.

Gluttony knew that the Southern Isles and Weselton troops would be the first to be wiped out, then they would focus all their attention on the castle. Since the Elemental was free of her bindings, it was likely she would fortify her defenses in preparation for them. Which was what Gluttony would probably be needed to take care of himself.

An intense headache immediately formed as he heard Talib in his mind.

Level the village, I want them confined to the castle.

The headache ceased as soon as the message was understood. Talib wanted his prototypes to get rid of all the other soldiers while he destroyed all the buildings so there would be nowhere for them to hide or use as cover for an attack. A good strategy that would allow him to see everything from his high vantage point.

The Sin let his red eyes glow brighter.

Its time we ended this war.