.

.

.

"Oh Ares ! We're supposed to do this on the very first day you lot has arrived. If it isn't for you to make us aware of your overwhelming strength when my warriors visited Mindoro asking for aid in battle."

"And if Mindoro didn't show us that they are training villagers to wield weapons to fight us, this would have happened long before on the first day itself, heh." Nero chuckles with c.o.c.ky voice and groans at Ares and Mindoro like an eccentric.

Ares belong to the nation called Aztec, Aztec's foe is Agartha. Both the Nations have been at war for more than a decade. The war being fought was not for resources or food. But for the war for power struggle, supremacy, democracy and religious feelings.

The soldiers from the battles.h.i.+ps of Agartha have stationed at the sh.o.r.e and the captain of the two s.h.i.+ps walks up to Nero with 10 soldiers following his lead, trailing behind like loyalists .

"We are almost done cleaning them here. It's just like you said hahaha! They are weak when we make them guard us at nights for five days straight." Nero narrates how he tricked them in order to pave way , to captain Zoilas who just arrived there with his jury .

It was all the plan of Zoilas from the start to send Caracus to Mindoro asking for help and drawing out wounded Ares to war along with the villagers of Mindoro sleeplessly guard Caracus at nights.

"The captain of their's, is it Ares? I have been told by my higher ups to not take him lightly. But seeing him in this shape, we are ashamed that we brought an entire battalion of 500 soldiers and battles.h.i.+ps to wipe him out." Captain Zoilas chips while mocking at Ares's current condition. And sarcastically eyeing him.

"Nero, please spare me. I have two daughters waiting for me at home, I will run away with my family. I won't ever show up in front of you, please let me go." Edward pleads Nero for mercy half yelling with a crying face, fear settling in heart while on his knees-begging.

"Hm, kids huh ? I can understand if you have a family but everyone here have a family of their own. Everyone would ask me to forgive them won't they? Hah! hah! hah!. However, you are the best fighter in your village and I wanted to have you in my army since I first saw you. So let's say, if you swear loyalty to me and help me slaughter Mindoro then I will consider letting you go. How's it ?" Nero challenges to Edward testing his loyalty which was perhaps already lost somewhere.

Edward became confused as he rapidly have many thoughts crossing through his mind, many colors coming and fading on his face. He was being asked to kill his friends and family and burn the village he grew up in, but for him his life was also important. He wanted to see his daughters grow up, he wanted to provide them with a good living rather than leaving them alone for the rest of their lives in misery. So he made a very selfish decision to survive.

"I pledge you my loyalty, please let me fight with your soldiers and spare my life for that." Edward surrenders lowering his head with eyes full of regrets. He shamelessly switched.

"Then prove it to me" Nero smiled evilly. "cut both of your thumbs from your hands, so you won't be able to swing the sword you are known for and become an errand boy in my army for the rest of your life." Nero orders Edward with the most psychotic look on his face as eyes bulge out in hunger for blood.

Edward is rained with insult one after another and he was treated like the most useless human and now he is asked to cut off his thumbs which means he can never hold the sword in his hands which he loved, growing up with.

"Edward don't do it, you wanted to become a swordsman from your childhood. It was your ambition and dream to serve the village and protect it as it's guard."

"Please don't do it Edward, it is better dying a honorable death than living such a plight."

"Don't give up your talent for such a life Edward."

All the villagers of Mindoro started shouting to stop Edward and to make him realize what was right, in desperation.

For Edward however, watching over his two daughters growing up happily was more important than his dreams, he cuts off his thumbs wincing in pain while people continued telling him what was better. He shut their concerns and looks up at Nero with determination.

"Eehahaha, awesome Edward, you really wanna live badly don't you hahaha. Ok you are free now. Let him out of those barricades." Nero says with excitement as if this is the best entertainment he ever saw.

A narrow way opens up for Edward to walk out from the soldiers and Edward starts walking his way out slightly feeling happy that he is going to see his daughters from here on out. His thumbs are bleeding. It's as if his heart had been crushed completely yet he felt happy because he was doing this for his family.

Nor does Ares say or do anything. Until last week, he hasn't been able to move his limbs freely if it's not for nanoresucts. Yet he kept pus.h.i.+ng himself for the village. And now he is in even worse state with no sleep and high fever. He just keeps looking down helplessly and keeps breathing heavily.

A spear suddenly struck and pierces Edward's Adams apple from the side and out of nowhere. Edward falls down to his knees hard on the ground going limbless. He couldn't even prepare himself to die in this horrible way, but he seems to be still alive while his body whispers with all the blood gus.h.i.+ng out

"The blood from your decapitated thumb has dirtied my shoes, so this is your punishment! DIE! you worthless piece of s.h.i.+t." Gideon yells happily to the lifeless Edward on the ground. Gideon's face clearly grimaced with disgust and everyone of Caracus and Agartha starts laughing loudly. The old man Nero never intended to let Edward go free, he just want to see him struggle like a fish without water and strangle while his heart was filled with hope to live.

"My wif....e and daughters.." Edward leaves his last breath while tears rolling off his eyes regretfully.

"Hahaha you deserve it you worthless sc.u.m!. I hate your village to the core of my body!. And don't you worry about your wife. We will rape her over n over until she dies." Nero yells with a most evil pedophile face as he licks his lips like some pervert was ready to catch their prey and at same time his eye b.a.l.l.s are gauging out and his crooked teeth show up as he laugh insanely like a crazy person.

All the villagers are triggered instantly and rushes to the soldiers with their weapons. Albert and the rest also runs forward with rage filled faces. All the barricades are closed and the soldiers started to Pierce the flesh of villagers with the spears through the gaps between barricades. Mindoro people were getting slaughtered mercilessly.

One of the spear was shove into the gut of Ares, multiple spears pierces through Alex's body as he tries to save Ares s.h.i.+elding him, and the same happens with every villager that are trapped in the barricades. The ground is soaked wet with blood like a sacrificial ritual is being taken place.

"Ahhhh! this is so fun to watch!. Now let's go slaughter all of Mindoro and erase them from the island now!". Nero orders his motive out loudly as his eyes glint dangerously flickering with hunger.

Yes.These five are our responsibility."

"We will rebuild our village as many times as we can than letting these five go."

"Please soldiers, help us fight for our lands and our lives."

The words pleaded by the villagers echoed in the ears of Alex, his subconscious mind could hear people screaming, woman crying, children wailing. His eyes are closing slowly but yet glaring upon a body lying lifeless in front of him.

Alex with the last strength gathered in his body reaches out to his bag on the hips in desperation, extracts an injection and injects It into Ares who was lying unconscious in front of him, not dead yet.

"Ares, I've always wanted to ask you for your help to train me and make me stronger. But I felt like I don't deserve to ask you of a favor, hehe." Alex chuckles gently as saying his last words. "Ares, can you do me one last favor of keeping the villagers alive? I want to pay them back somehow for being very kind to us." Alex muttered while he holds the hand of Ares with little strength left in his.

The face of Alex displayed a sign of relief and hope as he realised that Ares is gaining his consciousness and feels that the villagers will be in good hands now and they will be protected. He smiled as his eyes were closing slowly into a deep silent never-awakening slumber.

Ares thought he was in a dream and is shocked by what Alex is asking from him. And he struggles to open his eyes and feels like his body has been put through lot of scissors as if he was. .h.i.t by the thunderous rain of arrows and spears right through himself.

He slowly gets up on his knees, without having a single clue of what has happened. The sight in front of him is unrealistic to him but undeniable . The whole ground is red in color as he looks around him recognizing the faces of his companions and friends.

"Alex.x.x!!! What ha...." Ares halts while uttering and roots frozen in thoughts, he gets the glimpses of everything that happened that he forgot for a moment, the ma.s.sacre that happened when he was pa.s.sed out came back into his memory like a cloudy mist.

Ares forgot previously the tale of bloodshed that has happened while he was pa.s.sed out due to the stress on his head and injuries.

He bursts into tears and wails loudly as he sees the dead bodies in front of him. His friends and villagers all dead -gone .

The cries of Ares p.r.i.c.ked the ears of one of the Caracus warrior, who then called out for his chief and captain Zoilas and informed them of this situation.

"He was up and unscratched? It must be the nano resucts." Captain Zoilas tells to a soldier who came to report to him, predicting the possibility.

*"But we were informed that they doesn't have any more nanoresucts left with them by our person from Mindoro. How can they possess one? Anyway it's just one weak captain. We can take him down easily."* Zoilas thinks to himself as he joins hands with Nero without letting one mere soldier stop him from showing off his own pride moment which could earn him medals and promotion for what he has done for today.

Ares is still looking at the ground while on his knees and sobbing frantically.