The Devil’s Cage

Dilder arrived at the gate of the camp while being clustered by a crowd. He stood on top of the camp walls and looked down.

He recognized Walloon, however, he wasn’t overly fond of the stubborn old bastard that shamed him multiple times.

Therefore, when Dilder was presented with the chance, he ordered the kill on Walloon using his own aide.

However…

“A bunch of useless trash!”

Dilder was commenting on the aide, Blairefolk while the smile on his face got more natural.

Although Walloon escaped his death once, this time he would be dead for sure and it would come from the hand of Dilder himself.

Once he thought about he could kill Walloon himself, Dilder couldn’t help but feel joy in his heart. With the lingering joy, Dilder looked down at Walloon and Kieran who stood beside him.

Dilder frowned.

He heard countless rumors about the Burning Family’s eldest peasant son.

Although Dilder was situated in the North camp which was around Supreme Road, he showed exceptional care regarding news from Dawn City since he was just another typical noble lord.

Even more so since Kieran was a well-known figure in Dawn City.

“Outstanding physique, skilled in swordplay, has mastery in medicine and knew a thing or two about astrology. Despite all his knowledge, the Burning Family’s eldest peasant son had such a common appearance?” Dilder couldn’t help but shake his head.

Kieran whose face was normal and not overly handsome wouldn’t fit the criteria of the beauty of a noble lord.

While Dilder who was exceptionally skilled in judging a person based on his looks had lost his last bit of interest in Kieran.

“Whatever, he is a dead man anyway. I wondered since you know a thing or two about astrology, do you know when you’ll die? His lordship is really looking forward to hanging your head on his wall!” Dilder’s malicious thoughts filled his mind.

Then, with his pretentious manner, he said, “Welcome Envoy 2567!”

“Welcome Envoy 2567!”

The command soldier repeated.

Voice after voice, they sounded like waves overlapping each other and spread down the mountain peak.

A group of soldiers raised their shields and hit them with their swords rhythmically.

Bang!

Bang Bang!

Bang Bang Bang!

As if it was a war song playing rhythmically on the walls.

Then, a group of twenty soldiers with crossbows silently appeared behind the soldiers with shields and with extremely hidden movements, they aimed the crossbows at the cradle beneath the wall.

No doubt when Kieran entered the lift, he would be greeted with a rain of arrows.

“Not really an appropriate way to die but enough for a son from a peasant mother!”

Dilder looked at Kieran who was getting closer to the lift, his mind was already picturing the image of Kieran’s horrible death.

Then within a blink of his eye, Kieran who was walking towards the lift vanished from his sight.

“Huh? Where is he?” Dilder was stunned but soon enough, he located Kieran again as… he turned around.

Crack!

As neck-snapping noises sounded, two more agonizing cries followed.

“Aaaaaaah!”

“Aaaaaaah!”

The South camp general and his deputy were kicked off the battlements by Kieran and as they crashed on the ground, their cries stopped abruptly.

The infected bodies would undergo huge property changes, their speed, power, and body would surpass common soldiers by a lot but it didn’t mean they couldn’t die.

Once the impact went over a certain threshold, they were no different than common humans.

The sudden scene struck silence over the camp battlements.

The soldiers hitting their shields with swords stared at Kieran blankly; the soldiers with crossbows were at loss of what to do.

Weren’t they supposed to ambush Kieran?

How did the three generals die so easily?

Automatically, the swords and bows were aimed at Kieran on top of the wall.

As the blades and arrows were pointed at him, Kieran stayed calm. He glanced over the infected soldiers and said each and every word loudly, “Warrior Kenda, you once faced a group of twenty robbers alone and by suffering severe wounds, the robbers were killed and the merchant group being robbed was saved.”

“Scout Edmond, you once faced the enslaver army of a slave trafficker from Golden City. He was calm, and decisive, not only did he sent the message back, he bought enough time for the main troops to fight off the enemies.”

“Lieutenant Reese, you are the most talked about because you are not afraid of the higher authorities. You are willing to stand up with your comrades when they are being unreasonably scolded by the noble generals.

“And…”

Kieran’s tone was almost flat and not too loud but each and every word he uttered was clearly heard by the soldiers on the battlements. The mentioned soldiers were stunned, they looked at Kieran with an astonished gaze because they never thought the things they themselves had forgotten a long time ago would be mentioned by a stranger.

“Your merits, your honor, will not be forgotten! The one who forgets is you! Time is a scary thing, it makes you forget about the vows you made when you joined Burning Dawn! It makes you forget the very first time your blood boiled! It will also make you run in the opposite direction of the convictions in your heart!”

“But some, will not be affected! At the outpost further away from here, the soldiers there were not like this. Even in death, they stood their position firmly, they upheld their responsibility, they fought the robbers with the weapons in their hand, they shielded the merchants and travelers with their shields, why? Because they knew they were bearing the honor, the duty of… Burning Dawn!”

“Amidst the blazing flame, the light of dawn will come and Saint Cyanda will never be dark!”

“Did you all forget about this? Look at the emblem on your armor, touch the tattoos on the back of your necks! The sun that rises up from the blazing fire! It is branded on your neck to tell you, BURNING DAWN WILL NOT BOW!”

He started off slow and steady and eventually turned sonorous and powerful. Kieran’s words struck the soldiers’ heart like rocks, making them unconsciously look down at the emblem on their armor, shields, and weapons.

They also unconsciously touched the tattoos on the back of their necks.

Their eyes felt heavy.

“B-But… the wolf plague…”

One soldier muttered almost instinctively.

His voice wasn’t loud at all but the others heard him. Kieran turned his eyes at these particular soldiers and the soldier got nervous right away.

“You are Perdal of Shatterstone?” Kieran asked in a mild tone.

“Yes, sir!” The soldier answered.

“I am now the sheriff of Shatterstone, a pitiful guy who gave up his family name in exchange for some chances that the noble lords think nothing of. They think that I am crazy, they made me out as an idiot but I did it! Because I wish to see where my ancestors’ fought! I wish to use my own strength to regain the glory of my ancestors! Are you willing to stand by me?”

Kieran raised both his hands up as he talked; his left hand was burning with flame while his right hand was shining with a white brilliance.

“Burning!”

“Dawn!”

The soldiers instantly replied with their cry of shock which sounded in succession after one another.

However, the real shocking thin came after that.

They saw Kieran’s body turned bigger, his hands turned into claws and mouth bulging out; the black crow mantle behind him turned into white fur.

A werewolf with flame and light on his left and right hand respectively stood tall in front of the crowd.

“You all are infected with the wolf plague! So am I but I am not willing to become the sacrifice of these noble lords in their game of fighting over wealth and power! I will save myself!”

Now, soldiers, are you willing to stand by me?”

Kieran in his werewolf form shouted loudly.

The soldiers looked at each other in hesitance and a while later, Perdal stood out.

“I am!”

The soldier from Shatterstone Town replied loudly.

“I am!”

“I am!”

“I am!”

More and more soldiers stood out, voicing their willingness.

As they looked up to werewolf Kieran who didn’t conceal his true form, each of them started to release the infected wildness and rage in their body.

Then, one after another, half-man half-wolf monsters filled the battlements of the camp.

They laid down their weapons, surrounded Kieran as if he was their king and howled towards the sky.