Jackal Among Snakes

Chapter 687: Diplomatic Immunity

Though Argrave searched very hard for a clever solution to the god of time’s influence, he could find nothing. Neither the records of the past contained in Erlebnis’ wiki nor the happenings of the present gave any indication about how they might cripple the power of time. In the end, Argrave turned to Margrave Reinhardt’s force for aid. He requested the margrave punch a hole large enough in their forces to allow Argrave to strike at the god of time without risk of dying himself. Reinhardt, who’d ever been a loyal servant, agreed, despite the heavy toll it’d undoubtedly take on attacking forces.

His force of knights, partially supported by a few lesser gods, plunged back into battle against the terrifying force of assassins and berserkers as archers of all stripes bore down on them relentlessly. Argrave provided the same support several other spellcasters were, warding away the marksmen as best he could. It frustrated him immeasurably to be so unable to employ his power. The fight was dreadfully slow, and the whole while Argrave could only think of the clock ticking down on various other segments of the battlefield.

In the end, though, Reinhardt made good on his promise to provide an opportunity to attack. Seizing on it, Argrave pressed toward the center of their formation, fighting back the small few assassins and berserkers Reinhardt hadn’t distracted with the overwhelming power of his blood magic alone. Had he and Anneliese not built up reserves of vitality before this day, this would’ve been impossible. What he found was not at all like he expected. After eviscerating the countless guards with little more than a wave of his hand and a devastating pulse of blood magic, he found the source—a coffin. He threw it open to strike at the god of time.

This god, so high and mighty, was unconscious, pierced in a thousand different places by bizarre black needles. The needles pulsed in and out of his body, rejected in one moment and then forced back in the second. The deity frothed at the mouth and spasmed, clearly in agony. Looking around, Argrave could see that his healing roughly coincided with the needles. His divinity and its effects seemed to be manifesting by instinct rather than choice. It was a barbaric sight, but nothing that he wasn’t used to.

It did, however, suggest that this god of time wasn’t a willing participant.

Under different circumstances, Argrave might’ve tried to save this man and win another ally. With the margrave’s men dying all around, however, Argrave callously conjured a blade of his black blood and jammed it into the man lying in the coffin. It passed through easy, cutting him in twain moments before his body burst into spirits. Argrave finally felt new vitality, absent for so long, restored in bulk.

Finally freed of previous restrictions, Argrave rose into the air with the spell of flight [Absolute Movement] and began what he’d intended to do here in the first place. Spells composed of his black blood rained upon the enemy, and the margrave prudently disengaged as had been discussed long in advance. Every area that they fled from soon became destruction incarnate. The damage that Argrave had once caused using the Blessing of Supersession couldn’t even be compared to what he was capable of now.

Dark red lightning struck from storm clouds of fire that swept across the plains of the margravate, blown and twisted by malevolent winds that allowed no escape. The enemy hadn’t been a true threat to him before, but now that he could fight without worry of draining his and Anneliese’s shared vitality, he made that fact known. Argrave only stopped when he felt no more vitality coming from their demises—after all, that meant that nothing was alive. The trampled grass field they’d been fighting on moments before looked like nothing more than a spent fire—coals and hot embers alone. Even the corpses of the margrave’s knights had been reduced to nothing. He pitied their families, but he couldn’t afford to act on that pity.

This battle was over, but others remained. Though things had seemed to pass by in a moment, Argrave knew that he’d been stuck here quite a long while. He looked back at the Lionsun Castle, only to widen his eyes at the huge curtain of water bearing down upon it. The eastern mountains had been entirely buried beneath a wave of water that crawled forth like a slug—and just looking at it, Argrave could tell it’d be more than enough to flood the entire city of Parbon. The people knew it, too—they fled in droves, both from the castle and the city. He didn’t know how Durran had fought against this, but then his people had more experience against Fellhorn and his Vessels.

the water again. It collapsed down upon the mountain, and with the help of the gods shepherding the water, entire peaks broke off. The mountain

castle both were buried beneath clouds of dust, rubble, and water. Thousands of people who

pilfered from Royal Road. If

managed to evacuate, just as many likely didn’t have

an uneasy stop above the now-empty plains of the margravate. Elias, his

away, focusing instead on the gods who’d orchestrated

Elenore. “Jaray

matter. He sat on a disturbed rock in the midst of the carnage that Argrave

Stout Heart Swan. Despite all of that, Jaray is here. Lorena says she’s never seen him fight,

he landed on the ground, ceasing [Absolute

and defense, if need be. He called out, “If the god

table? Besides, both of us have gone beyond the point of no return. You

his point, Argrave quickly cast a lightning spell to probe his foe. It struck Jaray’s shoulder, and he jerked back slightly. Beyond that… nothing. Argrave felt nothing

his struck shoulder. “Lorena’s likely told you that she’s never seen me fight. There’s a very good reason for that, and it’s the only reason I

bolt. It hit Jaray right in the eye. Though his head did jolt back slightly,

easier to talk other people into doing the things I needed than to do them myself. Bring people together, give them both what they need by connecting them to help each other, and then they both want