Sorcerer… Cyborg???

Those in the houses in the outer city cowered in fear, they wanted to flee, but they were frozen in place by the sheer pressure emanating from Anteris.

Anteris let out an inhuman scream, his voice echoing wildly through Aznur, his halberd raised high, his aura forming around him, the flames all around rising so far up that they could be seen from over the wall, in the Inner City.

Anteris grasped the halberd with his other arm, ignoring the stabbing pain in his shoulder, and his aura surged toward his arms, and the flames that had risen sky high all flooded towed his halberd.

He let out a roar as he swung down, an enormous pillar of flame forming around his halberd as he swung down at the shining wall.

Kothar, watching from nearby, ducked behind a wall, as did the other Nighthawks, all covering their ears.

Boom! The pillar of flame exploded as it slammed into the wall, the shockwaves shaking the earth itself, the houses all around shaking, roof tiles falling loose and cracks forming in the walls.

The flames  roared against the walls, burning white hot. But they did not spread beyond the edge of the walls and instead spread out all across the circumference of the wall, as the wall began to shine.

As the flames faded away, the true appearance of the wall could be seen, an intricate mesh formed of pure mana appeared, forming a dome that covered the Inner City, the flames slowly burning away.

The Imperial soldiers atop the wall rose from under the parapet, and cheered, for although the tales of the strength of the wall were many in number, it had never been truly tested.

They all gazed up in wonder at the complex patterns that radiated all over the Inner City, the flames dissipating, leaving the wall seemingly unharmed.

But Anteris grinned beneath his helmet, for he stood outside the wall, and even as the dome absorbed his attack, he could see the black scorch mark left on the wall in front of him, and how the shining patterns had deformed around where his attack had first struck.

Just like anything in this world, the wall was not indestructible.

Those in the houses nearest to the wall peeked out, now that the shaking had stopped, but upon seeing Anteris, they threw themselves back down, covering their ears.

An inhuman scream sounded out, yet again, ringing out through Aznur. The Imperial soldiers atop the wall sought cover, as they saw the flames around Anteris rising once again.

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As explosion after explosion echoed through Aznur, Anteris venting his fury against the Empire against the wall that served as an icon of its might, a group of about a thousand riders were currently crossing the wastelands that served as the border between the Empire and its vassal states.

The riders all wore the red and gold of the Empire, and each of them had the Imperial lion emblazoned on the front of their breastplates. About half the riders had turquoise colored crests atop their helms, while the other half had purple crests. 

At the head of the column of riders, rode two men. The first, the larger of the two, sat atop an enormous black colored horse, with bright white fangs that curved up from its jaw, and wild staring red eyes. 

This  beast could only be ridden by the man sitting atop it, the Burning Storm General, Regis. 

Regis sat atop the horse, his gray eyes furious, urging his horse to go faster and faster, as it slowly inched away from the column behind him.

"Regis, I know you want to rush back to Aznur, but going any faster won't help right now. None of the other horses can keep up with your beast, and from the sound of the report we received, it'll take both of us and all of our elite troops to repel these invaders." The other man spoke, his smooth voice calm yet with an undertone of unbridled fury. Nevus, the Galestorm General, sat atop a far more slender beast, with patches of green scales on its hindquarters. 

"Alright Nevus, but you can sound as calm as you want, but don't think I don't see you tugging away at your braid." Regis replied gruffly, though the two often bickered and fought, they had known each since they were cadets in the Imperial Army.

"I can't believe we all fell for such an obvious ploy. Of course, none of the fools that rule the vassal states would have the cunning or motivation to pull something like this off." Nevus' voice was terse, and in his head, once again he ran over the conversation that had happened in the Imperial Court all those days ago.

"******* **** Nevus, we should have listened to Piatt!" Regis growled, remembering how he had berated the scholar.

"It's all in the past now, Regis, don't beat yourself up over it. All things considered, we received a command from the Emperor to head north." Nevus consoled Regis, even though he didn't believe the words he was saying himself. He should have been more adamant about remaining behind, Nevus thought.

"Alright, Nevus. But those ************* who dared invade our home have a reckoning coming to them. I'll grind them to dust. Even if they retreat, I'll follow them to the ends of the earth. How dare they!" Regis' voice rose, and red and blue sparks began to fly all around him, his horse becoming agitated from the mana and swinging its head wildly.

"For once Regis. I'm of the same mind as you. Ursten, huh? I'll be paying it a visit before the year is done." Nevus said in a chilling tone, his voice dripping with menace.

From afar, if one looked toward the column of men riding south, before they even saw the dust rising from the horses' hooves, they would see the enormous bank of dark storm clouds, sweeping to the south. Nevus, the Galestorm, was riding to war.