Doomsday Pillars

"Our god is great! Kill the infidels!"

Thundering shouts resounded through the village as the desert sands rose up in the distance. Even though the one who made the shouts couldn't be seen yet, they certainly announced their presence.

Slowly but surely, hundreds of people were seen approaching the village from behind the small hills around it. Looking at their demeanor that emanated pure hostility, one could be definitely sure they were not coming with good intentions.

If someone was here, they would realize there were more than 2,000 people approaching, all geared to the teeth. Meanwhile, there were only 35 people defending inside the village. The sharp contrast between the two sides would have flabbergasted those who spectated it.

The crazy and fervent shouts of these people were usually enough to terrorize and intimidate those they were up against. However, those things weren't enough for these Star Army's fighters, who had followed Alex to fight against zombies, orcs, hellhounds and gargoyles. 

These fighters had already experienced even worse and more hopeless situations.. So, they just put an indifferent expression, as they calmly watched the thousands of people approaching them. Some of these Star Army's fighters were also members of Death Squad that had experienced even more of these kinds of battle before.

However, among these 'indifferent' people, there were two people who looked very worried about the current situation, Melissa and Rick. The reason was because, not only did they have less fighting experience compared to others, they were also victims of the atrocious acts the Heavenly Gate did on Java Island. The memory of people close to them being slaughtered by those fanatics made them incredibly angry and scared.

Meanwhile, Daisy clenched her fists tightly, as she was worried about what would happen to them this time. She was terrified of the possibility of them failing again, just like that time. While waiting for an order from Theo and for the enemy to come closer, Daisy noticed Theo looked worried too.

Approaching him, Daisy asked, "Brother Theo, are you worried?"

Hearing Daisy's words and seeing her concerned gaze, Theo smiled and said, "I'm not really that worried about their strength or numbers. It's just that this time we are fighting against humans, our own kind, not monsters. I just wish there was a way we could win this without taking too many lives. Most of these people are brainwashed and merely victims of circumstances."

After saying that, Theo slowly joined his hand and began praying. It looked like he was asking for guidance about what he should do.

Moments later, the thousands of people already surrounded the village, now not even a fly could escape unnoticed. 

Among the group that surrounded them, Theo could see a young girl who looked no more than 15 years old stepping forward and began walking towards the village.

The girl, who was dressed in a simple overalls, continued walking until she arrived at the front of the village and stood there. She then opened her mouth and shouted, "Dear sir, our leader wishes to speak to your leader. Will you agree?"

Upon hearing that, Theo said, "Tell your leader we agree to do so."

The girl then immediately ran back to her group. Not long after, a fat, bearded man stepped out of the group and walked over to the village accompanied by 5 people.

Seeing the approaching people, Theo beckoned Rama to accompany him. But before he could take a single step, Daisy immediately shouted, "Stop!!!"

Turning his head to the side, Theo asked, "What's wrong, Daisy?"

"Brother Theo, they do not wish to talk! Their so-called talk is just a way to lure you out and kill you. This is exactly what they did to us in Java Island!" Daisy anxiously said.

Theo smiled faintly when he heard that. "I know, Daisy. Don't worry, I know what I can do."

"No! I'm coming with you, brother Theo." Daisy said in a tone that indicated she would not accept the word no.

Thinking for a while, Theo nodded helplessly and said, "Well, if you insist. Let's go."

So, the trio of Daisy, Theo and Rama approached the six people who were already waiting outside the village, right between the middle of both sides. When they arrived, the fat man in a arrogant expression immediately said, "Who is the leader?

Seeing the arrogant look on the fat man, Theo just calmly answered, "I am."

"Are you really?" the man asked, while scanning Theo's entire body. "You look harmless compared to the guy next to you. This guy looks more suited to be a leader than you," the fat man said, while pointing at Rama.

"Well. I'm going to take your word as a compliment, then." Theo replied with a faint smile.

The fat man was not happy to see Theo being so relaxed and ignoring his taunt, as if it was nothing. So he decided to be straightforward. 

Looking at Theo haughtly, the fat man said, "You are surrounded. Surrender yourself to us and receive the mercy of our god, infidels, or die!"

Theo looked to his left and right, as if he was searching something, and then he said, "Ah… Actually, I was just about to say the same to you." Theo's gaze turned sharp, "Surrender yourself to reason and confess your sins and all will be forgiven... by God I mean, men not so much"

The fat man's expression turned livid when he heard Theo's words. With a wave from his hand, the five men who accompanied him immediately took out a small tube filled with red liquid and then drank it.

In an instant, the eyes of the five people turned red while the veins on their faces bulged and became visible to the eye. They then shouted loudly like they were enraged.

"Now you all can die!!!"

However, just when the fat man was letting out those words, he heard sounds from behind him.

*swish* *swish* *swish*

SPLAT!

Blood splattered as the five figures behind him simultaneously lost their heads. Turning his head around, the fat man could see there were 5 swords hovering on top of the dead bodies, devoid of blood. The sharp-looking edge of the swords were now pointing at him.

Since the beginning, Theo's five short swords had been hidden behind his back and were ready to strike at any time. Hence, when Theo saw the five men drinking the red liquid and transforming, he knew the situation changed and decisively took the initiative. It was pretty easy since everybody's attention went to the screaming men. As a result, the five of them died in just a split second.

"I'm sorry Lord that I have sinned…" Theo muttered. At the same moment, Rama dashed towards the man and struck his stomach, knocking him out. He then immediately lifted and put the fat man on his shoulder like a sack of potato.

"Let's head back. We got what we want."

Daisy was shocked by what happened in front of her. In a blink of an eye, the five fighters died, while the fat man was taken captive. Apparently, this was Theo's plan from the start.

Seeing that their leader was captured, the hundreds of troops behind immediately opened fire towards Theo and the other two. Fortunately, Daisy was here; she immediately casted [Halo], which fended off all the bullets as they ran back into the village. 

Gazing at the familiar dome, Theo smiled and said, "It's good that you came along, Daisy."

"How..? What..?" Daisy was still shocked by how fast Theo and Rama's actions went.

Rama quickly put the knocked man inside one of the houses and then, Theo immediately did what he was best at. He casted his spells and began to interrogate him to pry some information out from the fat man.

The still shocked Daisy, on the other hand, was puzzled as to why Theo had acted so easily before their opponent. It wasn't his usual style to do that kind of thing.

Seeing Daisy's confusion, Rama explained he and Theo already knew about the red liquid the men had drank earlier from their interrogation with Anas. The two of them had also studied the records of this group and their modus operandi.

Therefore, they agreed to capture their leader if there was a chance to do so. Even though the enemy didn't care about their leader safety, this matter could still buy them a fraction of time to organize and determine their approach.

There was also the fact they desperately needed information about their enemy from someone who understood the enemy's side. Just like what the ancient strategist, Sun Tzu, said, "Know thy enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles, you will never be defeated."

Not long after, Theo walked out of the room where he was carrying out the interrogation.

"So, what did you find?" Rama asked.

"The main troops are about an hour away. So, we only have that much time left."