Vynn alongside the group gathered around, discussing their plan to escape the clutches of Ryujin's dungeon.
"So how are we going to get out of that insignificant piece of shit's hands..." Vynn said, leaning back against the wall.
"Patience young man, a true strategist doesn't rush immediately with one's plan, they must plan carefully or else the enemies will triumph!" Hannibal replied to him, putting his hand on his shoulder.
Vynn sighed and listened to what they had to say.
"Ok let's see what we have got to work with...for starters, we can have Spartacus lead the frontal breakout, charging through the soldiers..." Hannibal said, pointing at Spartacus.
"I will accompany him using my ability..." Hannibal scoffed, feeling proud of himself.
"This geezer seems strong..." Vynn said to himself, still not impressed.
"Then we'll have you, Julius and Nero as the ones who'll handle the rest...seems like a piece of cake to me..." Hannibal said, standing up enthusiastically.
"Well...this might seem a great plan...but somehow...I feel like...there might be something that might make this whole plan...go wrong..." Vynn muttered to himself.
"Well then...let us commence this breakout!!!" Hannibal exclaimed.
As the prison guards made their rounds, Vynn, Hannibal, and the rest went along with the plan, waiting for the moment to strike.
The guards entered inside the cell and then Spartacus seized the opportunity and tackled them, knocking them to the wall, causing a loud sound to echo throughout the dungeon.
"Haha...you are feeling quite ecstatic Spartacus!!!" Nero said as he sliced down the guards.
Spartacus continues to lead the front charge with Spartacus and Julius Caesar accompanying him.
Vynn followed them on suite, although he feels happy that they all managed to escape, he feels like something bad is going to happen.
"Hey, stop there!" A Roman Guard shouted at them.
"I don't think so! Haha!" Hannibal said as he summoned war elephants that knock the guards away.
"You can summon war elephants?!" Vynn exclaimed.
"Hehe...well...truth be told kid...we may have the same name and come from the same legend we are from, we are a little different from our counterparts...you see...we're something that you can call as a Historical Guardian..." Hannibal said.
"Historical Guardian?" Vynn asked him, his head was still trying to process what he had just said.
"Well...we Historical Guardians are people based on our own historical or mythological legend, we retain the memories of our historical selves, and we are reincarnated again in the next life, with all of us having our own motivation..." Hannibal said, as he trampled on the Roman soldier.
"And you...Vynn are the mage that was brought upon this event...you are someone who would lead the rise and win this everlasting war..." Hannibal continued.
"Old Man Hannibal is right, we owe our existence to mages like you..." Nero said, as he sheathed his blade.
"Come now, let us rejoice as we are about to escape from this hellhole!!!" Julius Caesar said.
The loud sounds have echoed loudly that it reached the attention of Ryujin, who was downright irritated.
"What in the universe is causing that irritating and ear piercing sound, don't they know that a king like me needs some rest..." Ryujin scoffs, as he was busy relaxing.
Suddenly, a group of Roman soldiers arrive at Ryujin's throne room, which alarmed Ryujin.
"What happened now...what sloppy mistake have you idiots have done?" Ryujin sighed, feeling annoyed.
"Emperor, I don't know how to say this, but..." The Roman Captain said, he was feeling nervous to finish his sentence.
"But what? Come on, finish your sentence!" Ryujin scoffed.
"The prisoners...they somehow managed to escape." The captain said.
Ryujin hears this and smirks.
"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" He laughed.
The captain, along with the soldiers, his laugh echoing throughout the palace, which makes the guards confused.
Ryujin stopped laughing, his smile was changed to a more serious demeanor, he stood up from his throne and the guards started to tremble in fear.
"All of you had one simple job and yet all of you failed, how could any of you act so sloppy, careless, reckless and brain dead...I shouldn't have much high expectations for mongrels like you lot..." Ryujin said as he pulled the Captain's collar.
"Emperor, go easy on your men..." Elexer said as he entered inside the palace.
"Are you here to mock how I'm handling this situation Elexer?" Ryujin sighed.
"Well not really, I'm here to assist you obviously, duh...." Elexer said, crossing his arms.
"Also Skull is here, currently inhabiting a homunculus as his vessel..." Elexer says as he glanced over at him.
"Well then...if they're making an escape... we're just going to have to get all the help we're going to get..." Ryujin smirked.
The damp cold air of the night seeped into their bones as they emerged from the darkness of the prison's depths. As they looked back at the stone walls behind them, that once locked them, which served as a reminder of their confinement.
Vynn Wiccaspell, along with Julius Caesar, Hannibal Barca, Nero Claudius and Spartacus made their move, an act of rebellion against the tyranny of Ryujin.
Although they had made it out, Vynn's instincts screamed that things are far from over, the heavy metal bars of the prison may have been behind them now, but their true battle had yet to occur.
"Huzzah, we have managed to triumph and escape this wretched area!!!" Julius Caesar exclaimed, with his sharp gaze scanning the horizon, his presence felt truly commanding.
"The empire is now ours to conquer!!!" He declared, his voice was rich and filled with authority.
"We fight for freedom now!!!!" Spartacus nodded, his voice echoing his delight.
"Freedom, ah yes....truly something to be worth fighting for...but to what end?" Nero, ever the opportunist, chuckled darkly.
Vynn had his focus remained, his instincts remained high alert. "Truly, this whole shebang isn't over..." He muttered, his voice barely audible.
"I sense something bothering you, you feel something don't you?" Hannibal replied, his sharp-eyed as ever, noticed Vynn feeling a little uneasy.
"I don't know what it is..." Vynn said as his hand instinctively rested on the hilt of his sword.
"But I can feel it...it's coming, it's only a matter of time before word had spread out that we managed to escape...and only a grain of rice for them to find where we are..." Vynn sighed, feeling uneasy.
And Vynn was indeed correct with his statement.
All of a sudden, a flash of unnatural light began to suddenly cut through the sky, bright enough to momentarily blind them. It rippled, like lightning, yet the night remained still. A rumbling shockwave could be felt from the ground beneath their feet, deep and truly foreboding.
Caesar's brow furrowed as he gazed upon the light. "Is that-?"
But before he could finish his sentence, a shape emerged from the shadows, a figure cloaked in black, the distortion of their presence palpable in the air
Vynn's eyes narrowed. "We are indeed not alone..."
From the darkness stepped Ryujin, his face was partially obscured by his hood, the atmosphere around him was thick, with the crackling power of his immense mana . His arrogance was evident in every movement, the weight of his presence remained oppressive.
"I guess by now, you have realized the consequences of your mistake..." Ryujin said, his voice was low and filled with arrogance. "You think you have truly escaped from your suffering?" "You are sadly mistaken...you just left the door open for endless torment!!"
A chill seemed to fill the area, as Elexer have followed with Ryujin, surrounding the group, his scythe ready for gathering blood. His eyes remained hollow and haunting, his sight remained onto them. As the air surrounding started to become thicker, with the presence of death growing stronger by the minute.
Vynn's grip tightened on his sword, the coldness began dreading through his skin. "What do you want?"
Ryujin laughed at him and the rest of his comrades until he finally spoke.
"What do I want? I want to ensure that you continue to suffer. Skullspawn made sure of that. But now..." His eyes began to gleam with wicked intent. "Now we have unfinished business and it's time for us to settle the score..."
Before Vynn could react, the air began to shift once again as a twisted figure appeared alongside Ryujin and Elexer. It was a homunculus version of Skullspawn, a warped reflection of the mage that brought him here, his presence was unsettling, his eyes burning with a strange, almost mechanical intelligence. The distortion around him made the world feel like it was starting to tremble.
Vynn realized that his prediction was right. And that things had only begun to worsen. He knew that there was something else: reinforcements.
From the darkened horizon came forth, a group of silhouettes bearing resemblance to four legendary figures: Romulus, Constantine the Great, Attila the Hun and Herod the Great. Each of them stood tall, their presence was as overwhelming as their legends. The night seemed to darken further, the weight of their power began to press down on the group.
Romulus, the founder of Rome took the first step. "We've been waiting for you." He said, his voice was commanding and filled with authority.
Constantine the Great stood behind him, his regal armor glinting bright even in the dimmest light, looked at them with disdain. "You think the freedom you have now is a gift to be given?" "You've been chosen for a different fate."
Attila the Hun, his war-hardened frame towering over them, grinned maliciously. "No one escapes me." He growled, he raised his axe in anticipation.
Herod the Great, with a cruel smile, swept his hand through the air. "Escape?" "You are carving down the path that will lead to your pathetic demise."
The realization hit Vynn like a calamity, the odds were undoubtedly not in their favor. Ryujin, Elexer, the homunculus Skullspawn and the amount of historical figures in their group were more than he and his allies can handle.
They were outclassed, outnumbered. It was no longer a fight for escape, it was a fight for their survival.
Vynn's grip on his sword tightened, he was a retiring adventurer, but maybe that was all he could be in that moment. He wasn't facing an army of monsters like in his adventures, he was facing legends and a broken remains of a god's will. Deep down, he knew...he wasn't going to go down without a fight.
Ryujin's voice sliced through the tension. "Run now, that is if you can....and even if you do run, remember this, there is nowhere for you to hide, no house, no kingdom, no time period is safe for you to seek salvation! You are the slave to the Horsemen!"
Vynn's pulse raced, but despite the fear starting to weigh on him, he held his ground. There was no time to retreat in that situation. There was only one choice- fight.