Ren bolted forward and snatched up one of the spears from one of the two headless corpse.
Soren picked up the other.
Nox blinked, trying to guess what either of them planned to do with it.
Ren adjusted his stance mid sprint. As he neared the formation line, he gripped the spear by one end and slammed it forward with monstrous force.
Bang!
Soldiers were flung into the air like rag dolls, some falling helplessly onto the upright spears of their own allies, others crashing into comrades and tearing the formation apart down the center.
Soren and Nox darted into the opening Ren had carved.
Nox threw a fierce punch into the next line of soldiers, the shockwave sending men flying, but he held back, careful not to kill.
The soldiers staggered to their feet almost instantly, the glow from their Iora rings fueling their bodies.
Getting to the children at the rear wasn't going to be easy.
Not in this sea of armored flesh.
"Launch me forward!" Soren commanded.
"Understood, Your Majesty!" Nox shouted back as he hurled Soren upward with a single hand, flinging him deep into the crowd.
Soren plunged his spear downward, skewering five soldiers clean through.
Nox froze amazed at how Soren didn't even hesitate to kill.
Still in the air, Soren twisted his body, then dove headfirst into the horde. A breath before hitting the sea of heads, he unleashed a gravitational punch.
THOOM!
The impact flattened every soldier within eight feet, compressing the ground into a crater littered with mangled bodies.
The path to the children was open.
Ren who was watching From behind,whistled,amazed at the brutality.
Nox's stomach churned at the sight. He wanted to throw up, but he forced it down. The children needed saving.
But he just stood still in shock.
More soldiers surged in. Soren smacked Nox on the back of the head.
"This is war," he said coldly. "Kill or be killed. If you can't kill, then you're going to die."
His tone was sharp enough to freeze Nox's breath. Was this really the same Soren he'd carried on his back not long ago?
Nox understood what Soren meant. But could he really take a life?
He wasn't a soldier.
He was just a village boy who grew up in a little quiet town where everybody knew everybody, where death was rare and sacred.
When someone died, the whole village mourned.
Could he really cause that kind of pain for someone else?
"I'll hold this line," Soren said, clenching his fists. "You get the children."
"Right!" Nox slapped his cheeks to focus and sprinted toward the back lines.
Twenty guards stood around the children, armed with whips and swords, keeping them in tight chains.
One little girl, barely seven, panicked at the horror unfolding before her and tried to run. The chain yanked, and a lot of other exhausted children fell to the ground.
A huge soldier, six foot five, bald, and built like a wall, snarled.
He cracked his whip and lashed toward the girl.
Before Nox could reach them, a boy about his age shielded her with his body.
The soldier kicked him, whipped him over and over, but the boy wouldn't move.
Then the soldier grabbed him by the neck, lifting him off the ground.
The boy's eyes were tired, but fearless.
He spat in the man's face.
Nox broke through the last line just in time to see it happen.
"Stupid brat." The soldier grinned and snapped the boy's neck.
The little girl screamed.
"Brother! Wake up! Wake up, brother!"
Her voice tore through the chaos, raw and piercing, her screams were endless.
Nox froze. His legs buckled.
All around him, soldiers shouted, Soren's gravitational strikes thundered, Ren's laughter echoed, but all Nox could hear was the girl screaming for her brother.
His hands trembled. Then Soren's words echoed in his head.
This is war. Kill or be killed.
Something inside him broke.
Something deep.
Something that he had kept caged ever since the night his mother got taken away.
Something snapped.
Nox stood upright, wiping tears from his face.
He clenched his fists and launched himself forward.
The soldier loomed over the girl, laughing.
"Shut up, brat! If you don't stop crying, I'll do you next!" he barked.
Him and the other soldiers around him laughed.
Until one of them turned, eyes widening.
"Watch out!"
The huge soldier turned just as Nox came flying at him, fury blazing in his eyes.
The man smiled. "Come on then!"
Their fists collided.
BOOM!
A shockwave tore through the field, shaking the ground and sending dust spiraling into the sky.
Nox was thrown back but landed on his feet.
The battlefield fell silent for a breath.
Even the war cries paused.
The soldier flexed his hand, rubbing his wrist.
"Not bad, boy," he growled. "If I'd been a second slower, that might've taken my head clean off. You've earned my respect."
He smirked and pointed at Nox. I am Gran the Grand. What's your name?"
Nox exhaled slowly, fury blazing behind his eyes.
"My name?" he said. "The only thing you need to know about me…"
He stepped forward, fists tightening.
"…is that I'm the one who's going to end your life."
Gran grinned, settling into his stance.
"Ohhh, really? Let's see you try."