Tiana's palace still stood tall in the east, and behind the walls of its garden, chaos had erupted. The clash was intense, and it seemed Yarum's soldiers had started to lose their numbers. Many had already fallen, outmatched by the sheer size of the allied army. Yet no one surrendered—they all fought with everything they had.
"Damn it, why did we have to split our forces? What's the point of being here?" one Yarum soldier muttered as he blocked another soldier's strike with his sword.
"Quit whining and focus!"
They kept fighting—a brutal melee like any other. But away from the soldiers and their skirmishes, Laos was surrounded by enemy troops. He looked around and saw no gap to escape through. Lumis had fled and left him alone, and since that bespectacled mage was his only target in this battle, he had to find a way out of this cage.
"I'll have to kill you all with a single decisive strike, then," Laos said as he switched his sword to the fourth form.
He raised his blade, and rain started to fall—not ordinary rain, but sharp, piercing rain. However, this time the allied troops were ready. Their armor held strong, unpierced by the rain. Some of them even smiled at Laos with sly, smug grins as they advanced toward him, weapons in hand.
They rushed at him fast. Laos launched quick slashes, but he couldn't hit them all. The encirclement was tight. Then some soldiers stepped in to help him block a few of the enemies, giving him a brief chance to retreat. He quickly launched a massive Water Ball, which sent most of the surrounding enemies flying, then resumed his hunt for Lumis.
His ambition was clear—to kill that mage. He wasn't paying attention to anything else—not the enemy soldiers, not the battle—just Lumis, who held a high rank in their army. But would this really help him surpass Tom? Tom, who at that moment, was far away facing Oxort, the commander of the enemy warriors.
"You're fast, boy. Not bad for someone your age," Oxort said as he parried Tom's swift strikes.
After several failed attempts to decapitate Oxort, Tom pulled back, panting. But the giant warrior didn't let up. He charged at Tom like a wild minotaur. Tom failed to block the attack and was sent tumbling until he hit a nearby tree. Oxort approached, gripping his long sword. His expression was serious, though a slight grin played at the corners of his lips.
"You fucker," Tom muttered as he got back up.
Oxort rushed him again, but Tom pulled his sword back and activated the Cutter skill. Oxort was caught off guard and didn't know how to react. All he could do was try to shield himself with his sword, but it wasn't enough—he got injured. Tom darted forward, trying to cut his head off. Oxort swung lightly at Tom's hand, but the blond boy swiftly dodged to the big man's right side.
Tom landed at Oxort's right, then jumped up, pretending he was about to slash at his neck. Oxort dropped to the ground, thinking he was being tricked, and at that moment Tom kicked him hard in the back and jumped back. Before Oxort could fully react, Tom launched Blades at him. But at the last second, the dark-skinned knight managed to dodge and repositioned himself far away.
"Your agility is insane, kid. That really pisses me off."
Oxort charged again, and this time Tom did too. Both rushed at each other, blades drawn. Just before they collided, Tom dropped low and tried to sweep Oxort's legs. But when he kicked him, the man didn't budge an inch. Tom quickly pulled back, wary of a counterattack.
"Your toughness is insane. That pisses me off too."
"Looks like we're even then."
"Not even close," Tom muttered and charged once more.
This time, Oxort stood his ground, waiting for his opponent. As Tom reached him, he didn't dodge or fall back like before. He aimed his strike directly at Oxort's neck. The commander simply tilted his head and dodged the blade with ease, then landed a solid punch straight to Tom's face. Tom stumbled back, nose bleeding and cheek turning blue from the blow.
"Tell me—since you have these legendary powers, what do you think of mine? I don't use magic or rune. Just a man with a sword fighting the natural way. Doesn't that make me special?"
"Shut your fucking mouth."
"Well, I was raised by an orc hunter, so my strength isn't that strange. Ever since I was a kid, I had to go out and hunt at least a rabbit. And if I didn't? You know what happened? I didn't have anything to eat. I had to chew on grass and climb trees for fruit—only to find they weren't ripe yet. Still, I ate them. Maybe that's the kind of life you're missing, mister hero… You need experience."
"I don't give a fuck as long as I have all this power."
"Then let me teach you a little humility," Oxort said coldly.
In that moment, the knight released his aura—a terrifying pressure that was felt by everyone on the battlefield. But no one felt it more than Tom. He tried to stand, but it was nearly impossible. Struggling to move, he watched as Oxort slowly walked toward him, not rushing the kill—even though he could easily do it. He gave the paralyzed teen a cold stare and said: "What do you think? I could kill you right now. Sure, this aura won't last long, but how about this—why don't you join us?"
"Sir Tom!" a voice called out from afar.
A young knight with wet black hair dashed toward Oxort and landed a powerful strike. The dark-skinned knight blocked it and backed away. It was Venior, and he had arrived just in time. Oxort's aura faded, and Tom could finally move again. He looked furious—humiliated by what had just happened. As he prepared to charge in again, Venior stopped him.
"Leave him to me. Go help the soldiers," the young knight said.
"Never. Go back where you came from and leave him to me."
"I'm the commander here."
Tom was annoyed, but he eventually backed off. That left only Venior and Oxort alone in the green area, which had a few scattered trees. Farther away, near the palace and in the middle of the clash, Yarum's soldiers had already been defeated, with only a few remaining. The battlefield in that area clearly showed that the alliance army had claimed victory once again.
Fuck, where is that mage? This is really pissing me off. I've searched for him for so long and still haven't found him. Maybe I should head back to the battlefield. Damn, I really wanted to find him—this is so fucking frustrating. It's my last chance to surpass Tom. As I kept moving and scanning around me, I finally reached the battlefield. And then... What the fuck! We're going to lose again!!
We were few in number, just like the last battle. Tom was slaying soldiers, and I just stood there staring at the battlefield like a dumbass. God, all I want is to kill that mage. Suddenly, as I was lost in thought, I heard the sound of many fast footsteps. When I turned, the first thing I saw was Yarum's banners rising and fluttering in the wind. It was Vinnel!
"Attack!!!" Vinnel shouted as he charged forcefully toward the garden gate.
Another clash erupted. In that moment, I spotted that mage inside the palace. I couldn't hold back—I blasted open the garden wall with a Water Ball and dashed in. I had escaped from this palace once before, but never imagined I'd end up storming it. As I pushed forward, he launched a barrage of rocky balls at me. I dodged some of them, then quickly summoned the Blue Moon and kept moving forward.
"You finally found me," he said, standing at the palace gate.
"Water Slash!!" I yelled loudly.
The slash surged toward him. What now—was he going to summon another stone wall like usual? No, he didn't. Instead, he launched a massive ball. But my slash cut straight through it, splitting it in two. I ran at him, and once I got close, I kicked him hard in the stomach. He fell down and reached out his hand toward me, but I quickly sliced it off and looked down at him.
"What are you gonna do now?"
"P-please... don't kill me," he suddenly pleaded.
What? He's begging me? What the hell? Right then, I started to feel something strange—something that didn't feel good at all. I stood next to him. One stab would end his life, but... I didn't feel like doing it. What's happening to me? What is this? All this time, my goal was to kill him, but... Aaargh!!! Sorry, but I need this. I have to kill you to beat Tom. I need this!!
"Aaaaagggghhhhhh!!!!" I screamed as I thrust my sword into his chest.
His blood splashed on my face. He was trying to say something, but he couldn't. His mouth just moved like he was paralyzed. Then he started flailing, like he was fighting to say something. After a moment, it was over. He closed his eyes like a lifeless corpse... I did it, but at what cost? I achieved what I was aiming for in this battle, but... where's the joy that's supposed to come after accomplishing something?
"Storm the palace!!" a voice shouted from behind.
Our soldiers entered the palace—it looked like we'd won. I stepped outside to see what was going on. There were still a few enemy soldiers fighting, but their numbers were low. I couldn't believe Vinnel turned the tide so quickly. Then, as I scanned the area, I spotted Sabrina. Wait—was that really Sabrina? Yeah, it was her. I ran toward her, and she started running too.
"Sabrinaaa, you won't get away from me!!!" I shouted as I chased after her.
I looked over to the other side of the palace where the red roses were blooming. It brought back a lot of nostalgia. I stopped there, but she didn't do anything. I stepped closer to her, holding the Astral Sword. Damn, why doesn't she just retreat? Does she want to fight me? Whoa, I started feeling a bit scared. This was crazy. She gave me a cold look, and it was a little terrifying.
"So, here you are, White Bee. What did you gain now? No upgrade, nothing," she said.
"What do you mean? Who said I want that?"
"Then you're just a pawn with the mind of an absolute follower, happy to carry out orders. You couldn't shut your mouth and ran to expose me. That's the mind of a follower or a pawn. Everyone who follows orders is just a pawn."
"Fine, so you're a pawn for Deryal too, right?"
"Sabrina!!" a voice shouted as it approached us. It was Vinnel.
"What do you mean?? Whoa, I don't understand anything. Of course, you're a pawn for Deryal," I said, surprised by how she was talking.
"Let me tell you, you're wrong," she whispered.
At that moment, a violet aura surrounded her. It was terrifying. Suddenly, it changed into fire. The flames wrapped around her, and after they faded, a completely different creature appeared. It was a beautiful woman with sharp eyes and fine features. Wait! Suddenly, horns started growing from her forehead, and her ears stretched until they became pointed. Is this really Sabrina?!
"Damn, you're an elf??!!" I said, shocked.
"She's a demon, you fool!"
"A demon… What the…??!!"
"Thank you, Laos… Thank you for being the perfect pawn in my hands," she said.
Then, two wings like those of a raven burst from her back. They were large wings with black feathers. She gave me a cold glance, her face emotionless, then flew away into the sky until she disappeared. What the hell is going on in this world… I don't understand anything anymore. She was a spy at first, and now she's a demon?? How is that even possible?! No way!
"Crazy!" Vinnel whispered, shocked like I was.
"We made it!!!!" a soldier suddenly shouted.
"Victory to Yarum!!!!"
"Sir Vinnel, the remaining alliance soldiers have retreated, and the palace has been successfully retaken," a soldier said as he approached us.
Well, the battle was finally over. I killed that mage, the palace was retaken, but what I feel now is not the usual feeling I get after every victory. This is really strange. What happened tonight is madness. The sun began to set. I stared at the orange sky above me, thinking about everything that happened so fast. Insane...