Chapter 122: Where's Willem
Chapter 122: Where's Willem
"Yolo bitches!"
As this battle cry not known in this world descended upon the battlefield it caused a lull in the fighting. This cry was made using a trick Kyle had discovered; he didn't call it a skill because it was simply enhancing your voice with mana so it could be heard clearly over a wide area without having to be louder.
A young child, who was being carried by their mother while running from the cultists and gangs, looked around trying to find the source before talking to their mother who had also paused in her escape.
"Mommy who or what was that?"
"I don't know dear but if you see who it is don't get anywhere near them, someone like that can only be a bad influence."
Returning to Kyle and his group who had also disengaged from their fight for a moment once the voice was heard. Kyle's father looked at him with an accusing gaze while Kyle was pinching the bridge of his nose as if he had a migraine.
"Kyle who was that?" Landon questioned but it seemed as though he knew who it was.
"Look it's not my fault she heard my plan and wouldn't stop bugging me about it so I thought that would be the best place for her."
Kyle responded while everyone near them was looking at them, there was a knowing look in their eyes as there were only a few people who could cause them to act like this and Elena was already with them.
"Here comes Suzy!"
Yes it was of course Susan Alvarez, Maria's master and newly appointed general in charge of battlefield chaos and crazy. She was on the back of her falcon followed by another 2 falcons being ridden by members of 'steel lotus', but they seemed to be trying to disappear into their falcons because of embarrassment.
If it wasn't for Susan this would have been a really bad ass moment with 3 giant falcons descending from the clouds with ninja maids riding them but of course the image was ruined now. As they were sweeping down they closed in on the rear ranks of the group of gangs which were blocking in Kyle's group and preventing the civilians escaping.
Susan reached into a small bag on her side and took out a handful of stones with arrays etched over them; her actions were mirrored by the 2 members of 'steel lotus'. As they were above the rear of the gangs all three charged mana into the stones before throwing them out.
These stones fell to the ground around the gangs and as they hit the ground there was a sudden series of *BOOMS* wherever they struck. This was something Kyle had been working on since the rescue of the women of the Miles family from their incarceration.
By specifically creating a flawed self charging array Kyle had essentially created a grenade. These one were specifically made so that they could be thrown and would detonate on impact. He chose to use them for what was essentially a bombing run rather than using magic as the distance dropping these mana grenades could be greater than if they fired spells at the enemy.
The result was immediate and impressive; while the explosive force wasn't all that powerful the concussive force disrupted and disoriented the nearest people. There was very little in the way of shrapnel due to the explosive being on the surface rather than within but it meant there was little chance of collateral damage.
With the lines of the gangs being weakened Landon led the charge to breakthrough followed closely by Kyle with everyone else following in a loose wedge formation. As they moved they pulled the civilians behind their line so they could follow them out.
The cultist were still trying to catch up to them but after making her first run Susan and her team swung around to begin a bombing run against the cultists. Edith and the overseer were standing away from the main battlefield and undercover to avoid Susan's attacks.
"What is happening? Where did all these people come from and why are there people mounted on flying beasts?"
The overseer was furious after years of careful planning and conniving they had finally decided to make their move but everything they had attempted was falling apart in moments. They still had a few cards to play but he didn't want to show everything he had until he had to.
Edith was also shocked by this development, he had no idea the Powell and Black families had this kind of force at their disposal. With the cultists and gangs on their side they should have been able to defeat them with sheer numbers but the tables hadn't just been turned, someone had instead picked up the table and smashed it over his head.
Raith was approaching them while avoiding the crowd and the various fights which were still occurring. Even if the civilians were not as strong or as vicious as the gangs or the cultists almost everyone was a cultivator at one level or another and would fight to protect themselves.
This battlefield was a beautiful mess with no organised lines or plan it would just a crush of people with the only semblance of order being with Kyle's people. The gangs were all operating independently of each other and the cultists just seemed to be going wherever they could see some juicy prey.
There were only a few gangs and merc groups which were directly in the control of the Miles family the rest had caught wind of potential looting and slave opportunities and had simply turned up. The miles family hadn't included their merc forces in this battle as they needed them for the aftermath but it looked as though the fighting would take longer as the Powell family was about to break free.
"Raith are you injured and where is your brother?"
"I'm fine father but I don't know where Willem is, I don't remember seeing him since before my fight."
"Hum you're right where is he?"
Edith began to survey the battlefield looking for his youngest son. He was a in a stone atrium which was a little higher than the general grounds so he had a bit of an overview of the whole area. Looking around he finally spotted Willem with a couple of guards heading towards the rear of Kyle's group.
"Look there he is. Is he planning on attacking them with so few guards?"
Edith looked aghast at this because if his youngest son died in this battle he would only have Raith left to helm the family. Edith hadn't told anyone this but he believed Willem would be more suited to inherit the family as Raith was too caught up in his debauchery to lead. Raith also saw this and a slow grin spread on his face, if his stupid brother got himself killed he would definitely inherit his father's title.
Back to Kyle who was pushing through the lines and was only a little away from getting clear. Sensing someone approaching from behind Kyle swung around with his blade held at shoulder height and laying flat ready to stab forward into an enemy's throat.
Willem was standing there with a strange curved sabre in his hand with 2 young guards flanking him. Kyle's people also noticed the situation, Clara and Bruno disengaged from their fights ready to back up Kyle if he needed it while the rest continued to push their way through.
Kyle didn't seem surprised to see Willem behind him and simply said to him.
"Is it time?"
"Yes let's get this done."
With that Kyle approached Willem; Edith who was watching from the distance gripped the pommel of his sword as he knew his son couldn't win this fight after seeing his strength during the tournament.
Once they were close everyone was expecting the swing of a blade and burst of blood, instead what they saw was Kyle grip Willem's hand in a handshake before Willem joined his group to almost everyone's surprise.
Edith was shocked on seeing this and shouted out in a voice boosted by his mana making the volume loud unlike Kyle's trick.
"You traitor why would you do this."
Willem looked back to his father before using the same trick Susan had used when she entered the battlefield.
"Because of how you treated my mother and sister."
The relationship between Willem and Kyle started just after their first argument in Mike and Kelly's store. Willem was out in his family's territory, he didn't have any guards with him on this occasion as he had snuck out. He had been thinking about the things Kyle had said and felt there was something he was missing.
While he was out he had noticed Kyle from the distance, why was a child of the Powell family alone in his territory? Deciding to follow him Willem had tried to remain unnoticed but with Kyle's abilities he had picked up on him in mere moments so while going around a corner Kyle had leapt up to a shuttered window and hung there waiting for Willem to approach.
When Willem came around the corner Kyle caught him quickly and moved away with him. Once he reached a safe area Kyle had begun to question him, it quickly became apparent that Willem was being manipulated by his father and his personal perversions hence why Willem said the things he did.
Kyle wanted to help this kid who was for all intents and purposes being abused, so what followed was regular meetings between the two with Kyle getting details about the Miles family and Willem learning a different perspective which showed him how screwed his world view was prior.
Eventually the knowledge of his sister, mother and the other women of his family came to light. This filled Willem with righteous anger but Kyle persuaded him to be his inside man. Willem spent his time with the other youngsters of his family teaching them to look at things from his perspective but the other members of his family believed he was indoctrinating them to his camp for the fight between heirs.
Finally Willem had managed to gather enough information about his mother's prison to stage a breakout. If it wasn't for his father being so focused on his plan Willem wouldn't have been able to get these details from the array masters within his family.
When Kyle and Willem meant at the match Kyle hadn't insulted, instead what he had whispered to him was.
"They're safe now look angry and take a swing at me."
Back to the present Kyle had Willem join Ash on his side while they continued the battle. Kyle had decided he had enough of this and turned back to Edith with a visible smile on his face and took a larger signal stone from his pocket. Edith had seen him use these before the other forces had joined and feared what would happen now.
"What are you going to do?"
"Surprise mother fudger."