CHAPTER 78: SIGIL OF LOYALTY.

[You have received the aspect, Emperor.]

Sylus was quite familiar with his system already, so he knew if he had gained a new aspect, it was very much active.

And he was right.

Starting with Alfred and Zani, they were both surprised to see a blue glowing sigil appear on the back of their hands.

It was a symbol of what looked to be a falling angel.

"A sigil?" Alfred uttered, surprised as to how he got one.

In this world, only those who serve the gods are blessed with a sigil as a means of identity; for that, they were named the Outcasts.

It was unheard of for normal people to get a sigil; neither has it ever been written in any books.

Not long after Zani and Alfred made this discovery, a loud gasp echoed from the gathering of soldiers.

At first, it was just a single person who was shocked to see the markings appear on his arm, and then everyone began seeing the same things appear on different parts of their bodies.

While no one truly understood the power of the markings, they were sure to notice a few changes.

There was a collective connection passed through one another. Those who were weak understood they were weak and could instinctively tell which role they were meant to carry out in a squad. There was also a deep understanding of their colleagues, more than humanly possible.

It was as though they were sharing the same mind, connecting as one singular being.

To top it off, their strength was boosted by a large margin, and they were able to use the power of the sigil, which was the blue energy dancing around their bodies.

What truly surprised the masses was that they immediately knew this was the doing of their prince.

Sylus watched from the top of the stairs, taking note of every single sigil he could spot on the soldiers.

’I see, the size of the sigil is based on their loyalty towards me. No wonder Zani’s and Alfred’s look like they were drawn by a different artist.’

Sigh.

Clears throat~

That single act made the entire place go silent, as the soldiers immediately paid attention to Sylus.

"We will split into a group of three. Since we are outnumbered, the mission is quite simple: there are five factions, one of which is the main base and the current location of the leader.

Each group will attack a single faction—a distraction, rather—giving my subordinates the chance to kill the faction leader, rendering the rest of them to surrender. We will keep this going until we have taken all of them out of our city."

Every soldier was etched with determination.

"For the second group, you will work on evacuating the civilians into the Upper City in order to reduce casualties. My bird will accompany you, making the journey faster. As for the third group, you will be with me, as we are going to kill the leader. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sire!!!"

Sylus smiled, proud of their enthusiasm.

He then raised his hand, "For Linye."

"For the Prince, Astrodial!"

A glowing, massive crest formed over the heads of every soldier as they were holding up a banner.

That was the symbol of the Prince of Fate.

...

As planned, every soldier was split into three different groups, although not by an equal margin.

The first group, considered an attack unit of 60 men, was led by Alfred. They took down the major factions, hitting them by surprise.

Most of the soldiers focused on causing commotions—like burning down their buildings and raining arrows on their gatherings, killing most of them.

While Alfred, using the distraction, would then enter the enemy base, going toe-to-toe with their leader. Considering none of them were anywhere close to Sylus’s strength, it was basically a walk in the park for the Ripper of Men.

The second group was constituted of less than 20 men, who rode atop the giant bird, soaring through the sky and evacuating civilians away from the ongoing battle.

Zani’s mother was among them, but the soldiers found it strange to see about six members of the Red Vipers dead inside her house.

The third group, which was the main squad, consisted of 100 men, charging through the western region in search of the leader.

With Zani there, the battle was anything but difficult. Her blade sliced through the enemy like butter. She raged, killing them off before they could go anywhere near Sylus.

Giving Sylus the chance to track down where the leader of the Red Viper was hiding.

He pulled the reins of the horse to halt it and then stared at the barn just up ahead.

"He is in there..." Sylus said out loud before leaping to the ground.

Zani pulled up next to him.

"Be careful, there might be a trap waiting for us in there. I should go in first, and then—"

"That won’t be necessary. Assist the rest of the soldiers. If they watch you fight, I am sure their morale will increase."

Zani didn’t try to hide her disapproval.

"Going in there alone is dangerous; I can’t let you do that. If I die, I’ll die doing my duty. If you die, there are a lot of peo—"

"Go, boy..."

Sylus slapped the horse behind, and without a moment’s waste, it charged forward at full speed.

"Prince Sylus!!!!" Zani cried as she zoomed off with the horse.

’She can be such a worrywart.’ Sylus shook his head, then turned his gaze back to the barn. ’Now then, let’s have a look.’

He moved closer to the barn, grabbing the handle.

Attempting to open the door, he suddenly sensed something from the inside.

{Master, they are already expecting you. I advise caution.}

’Ah, you’re awake. Good. I have nothing to worry about then. You are free to kill everyone except the man I am looking for.’

{Understood.}

He opened the door.

...

[A/N: If you’d like some additional Chapters, please see below incentives:

200 power stones: 2 additional Chapters.

100 Golden Tickets: 3 additional Chapters.

100 privilege unlocks: 1 additional Chapter. (89/100)

Castle and above: 5 additional Chapters.]