Jackal Among Snakes

Chapter 702: Blackgard's Blackguard

“Are you sure you’re alright to do this?” Argrave asked as he stared at the last fort standing between the southern valley and the city of Blackgard. The last thing keeping out Gerechtigkeit’s present avatar—a terrifying force of nature.

Sophia watched ahead unwaveringly. “It’s what you’d do… right, dad?”

Argrave eyed her. He’d never actually heard her call him ‘father’ or ‘dad.’ He didn’t want to demand it of her—he had no right to force the title out of her, even if it was something he wanted her to feel comfortable saying. In the end, that long wait had been worth it. It carried far more weight than if he’d simply demanded it.

“Well, maybe not when I was your age.” Argrave inhaled deeply. “I’d be playing this scenario out with action figures instead of actually living through it. The reality is a lot scarier.”

As if to prove that point, a great destructive noise echoed over and above the fort, and Sophia tensed. Elenore fed him more information, but in truth he paid them little mind as he waited for Sophia’s next words.

“I don’t want this to end,” Sophia said simply. “If I can do that… I want to.”

The last fort burst wide open in a white inferno that turned stone, wood, enchantment, and even the closest parts of the mountain all to ash. Golden embers drifted through the air as that four-armed centaur automaton walked through, its body cracked and exposed in parts where Argrave had managed blows. It took in the city almost in awe, before focusing those terrible eyes it had on the pair of them.

Argrave put Sophia down, keeping his eye on this opponent. Inside the city, the restraints of the array upon their enemies would totally cease to function. Proving this point, in a blink of an eye the Zanti was upon them, his arms grasping futilely at Sophia. She stared up at the thing fearfully, yet unflinchingly. It was as if there was an invisible barrier around her. Argrave, meanwhile, thrust his hand out with a spell at the ready.

He used [Godkiller] up close. His arm burst into gore as it always had, yet before it could even strike its target all his flesh and blood returned to him. The Zanti only briefly diverted its attention away, slapping half-heartedly at the magic with one arm. Instead of the former outcome, its arm was utterly repelled, and the bolt of pure blood magic slammed into its body. The centaur automaton was sent flying away at breakneck speeds, propelled out toward the coast. It split the water before being lost in it, sending a great wave outward into the sea.

Raven had taught Sophia three things while Argrave did his best to hold back Gerechtigkeit’s final card. One, she’d learned to imitate Jaray’s power. She could no longer hurt anything, but nor could anything hurt her—the god of politics proved to be of some value to them in the end. Second, she’d been taught how to funnel her power of creation into the wellspring of Argrave’s vitality. Like this, he’d stacked another modifier atop his blood magic—the power of creation, of life itself. There could be no more potent fuel, as that one brief exchange had proven.

learned how to allow Argrave to pursue Gerechtigkeit through the wound in the world. All that remained was sending the calamity

okay?” Sophia asked urgently, having seen his arm explode. “Did

a bit,” Argrave lied, tousling her hair.

like back then.” She

Gerechtigkeit had been hit. “Then… time

magic and blood. Through the haze of pain such spells caused him, he found himself half-listening to all that Elenore told him—the people coming, the strategies. She understood, taking the burden as

the ocean itself began to boil, sending steam into the air and obscuring the distance in a dense mist.

the earth as the Zanti came back like a comet, dragging its blade upon the ground and leaving a huge emptiness in its wake. The automaton led a vanguard of white fire that ate all it passed by. The whole of the harbor vanished, and shortly after it countless homes.

from all the blood echoes he could conjure, Argrave’s blood soared to meet that seemingly inexorable cleansing flame. His body died and came alive again what felt like a million times a moment until the two opposing forces slammed against each other. The sheer might of their collision created a shockwave dispersing the energy in every direction. Nearby buildings simply shattered, great orchards flew up into the sky, entire fields were torn into wastelands, and countless great peaks of the

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white metal saber

arm and Argrave in what was obvious surprise. Gerechtigkeit’s black essence spewed out of the hole, coalescing into a tail-like lance that pierced Argrave through the chest before he could even

for another clash. Instead, the Zanti turned, galloping deeper into Blackgard. Argrave conjured more [Electric Eels] after they’d been expended in the clash, sending them after his retreated figure. Undoubtedly Gerechtigkeit intended to threaten him by going after Elenore… but if the calamity had taken the time to look back,

brandished in hundreds of arms that made the automaton’s three seem paltry by comparison. Empowered

began to fall away into the nearby river. There, Argrave’s bloody eels finally caught up with him. The red electricity blackened and melted the impeccable white metal of the automaton, sullying that savior’s shell the calamity sported. With no more eels to control and

Zanti looked like to either chase Raven or proceed to the parliamentary hall, but he never got the opportunity. The smallest cut of shadow appeared before it,

design empowered by spirits. A javelin intended to hunt whales slammed directly in the center of the horse like body of the creation. It was a particularly brutal blow, as if the man

neck and jammed an elbow straight through her chest, breaking her. Then, its third arm lashed out at the