Dungeon of Pride, Laplace

The General who had been laughing at the pitiful strugle of the people and soldiers of this kingdom to reverse their fate, was starting to feel uneasy. And the source of all of this was the woman in front of him.

"It looks like my side is about to win on that front" A violet and white glow flashed and the figure of Cynthia appeared in between the General and the direction where the blazing golem was.

"Hmoh, do you think you can stop me if I want to go there?" the General sneered.

Facing his contempt, Cynthia simply arched her brows, a cheeky appearance on her face "Whether I can stop you or not, I believe our battle so far has proven it".

Her counter made the former's face twitch.

"Hmph, don't think that I can't do anything. Even if I am not physically present there I can still turn the battle there upside down"

Saying so, he once again made some peculiar seals. Blood flowed from the tip of his fingers, painting it bright crimson. At the same moment, his face became pale and the greyish black miasma around him visibly dropped.

Facing him, Cynthia made a solemn face. Although she did not know what he was trying to do, she felt a sense of foreboding well up inside her heart. Whatever it was, she had to stop him; however, the general was simply too fast.

"Haha, it's useless. Even if you attack me now, you can't stop your teammates from dying. A Perfect Tainted Commander is the most complete and flawless product. Although this one has only gone through only one tainted baptism, it is still an impeccable soldier. With me here, it can become much more stronger"

The general's wanton laughter rang in the air. His laughter just sounded out when it suddenly got stuck in his throat. The weakening miasma around him became stronger once again as if it had returned from wherever it had gone off to.

"This can't happen, this is impossible!!"

Before anyone could question the scene, he turned around and looked at the blazing giant who was about to self destruct with undisguised surprise and disbelief in his eyes. If one looked carefully, his eyes were not staring at the giant but at its fist that was holding the Perfect Tainted Commander in a vice like grip.

"You half dead person, you are still trying to resist me even at this point? You are nothing but a remnant consciousness" The general yelled.

Cynthia also looked in the direction where he was staring at. Although she did not know what had happened, it was clear to her that his plan had failed.

"It appears to me that he was trying to send some of his strength to that puppet soldier over there. My guess is that they can be made further strong with borrowed strength" Leo spoke inside her head, assessing the situation.

"What?!!"…

"Don't worry though, he ultimately failed. From his words, it seems that the remnant will of the previous person inside that body is trying to resist him at this moment"

When Cynthia heard Leo's last words, her eyes shifted towards the Knight Captain in the grip of the giant as a complex emotion flashed within them. if she were to believe him, then it meant that the original knight captain was still alive and was trying to help them even at this point.

"Leo, can we do something about the Knight Captain?"

As someone who had grown up looking at the wide and reliable back of the knight captain who protected their family, how could she have the heart to see him being used like that? He was more of a big brother figure to her than her actual brothers were.

"It is impossible to save him at this point. His soul and consciousness have completely been corrupted by that energy. Even if we somehow manage to salvage his soul, he won't be the same person as before"

"That energy is capable of destroying all lifeforms, I have seen it many times. Once one is invaded by that energy, their only option is to kill themselves before they are completely taken over or…" Leo's voice which was in mid explanation, suddenly halted.

"Or what?"…

"Nothing, the second rule does not apply to him. His body has been completely corrupted by that energy. There is no hope at this point".

"I see"

Cynthia did not insist any further. Since Leo told her that it was impossible then it meant that there was really no hope for the Knight Captain. At this point, all she could do was give her condolences to this once powerful knight who had been loyally protecting their kingdom all this time.

"I hope you are able to find peace in the afterlife, Sir Cyrus".

.

.

In the distance, as the raw energy emanating from the golem's core reached its' peak a catastrophic explosion of flames and energy was unleashed.

BOOOMM… what followed after the blinding light that was like a pillar connecting the sky and earth, was a thunderous deep rumbling that shook the very foundation of the earth.

The blast enveloped the Perfect Tainted Commander and the giant in a blinding inferno, consuming them in a maelstrom of destruction. The shockwave rippled through the battlefield, sending debris flying in all directions.

Soldiers from both armies were thrown back by the force of the shockwave, their bodies battered and bruised as they struggled to maintain their footing amidst the chaos. The ground trembled beneath their feet, the land itself groaning in agony as the raw destructive energy unleashed by the explosion altered the topography forever.

"What kind of monstrous power does one need to possess to unleash that kind of strength?"…

"This not the kind of battle we can intervene in. Just the remnant energy carried by the shockwave is enough to kill us"

The soldiers muttered in dread as they looked at the pillar of flames in the distance. The aftershock from the explosion disturbed all the battles going around the battlefield and for a moment, the battlefield came to a strange standstill.

All eyes were drawn towards the centre of the pillar of flames, they all wanted to see who came out as the victor of that battle.

As the flames subsided and the smoke cleared, a destruction filled area with desolation heavy in the air, appeared in front of everyone. Land for dozens of kilometres in every direction was scarred and marred by the damage that was wrought by the explosion.

A huge crater where the blazing giant previously stood pockmarked the earth, its depths unfathomable displaying the awesome power of the inferno crucible's self-destruct.

The sky above the area was obscured by dust and ash and the air was thick with the berserk sparks of mana. A stunned silence descended upon the battlefield as soldiers on both sides stood in shock at the destruction.

"Who won?"

It was unknown who said those words; however, the thought quickly spread through all the people as they searched for the victor. After a while, they saw a couple of figures standing amidst the destruction, their bodies battered and bruised but their spirits unbroken.

The couple of figures were none other than Alvara and the others. As for the Perfect Tainted Commander, he was nowhere to be seen.

"OHHHHHH!!"

At this moment, all the soldiers of the kingdom erupted in joyous shouts. There was no need to say it out loud, everything was clear from the scene. The battle between the former knight captain and the team led by the guard commander Alvara, the latter was the one who stood standing at the end.

That is to say, the victor of this battle was Alvara and her group.

"Marba are you alright?"

On the battlefield, Burg ran up to the mage and supported her figure which at this moment appeared extremely frail and exhausted.

"Yeah, I am alright, just a little tired. Thankfully, I didn't let all of you down" Marba muttered with a pale face.

"What are you saying? You can never let us down. That magic was extremely powerful and it arrived at just the right time"

Burg tried to console the girl; however, he was forced to shut his mouth by her next words. Novel Fire - novelfire.net

"No, I'm still powerless. If only I could conjure the magic faster, Brett wouldn't have to…" Marba couldn't complete her sentence as tears started streaking down her face.

"You two, the battle isn't over, don't let your guard down. After we rest for a while, we shall be joining the others to clean up the rest"

Alvara spoke from the side. Given the fact that they had just lost one comrade who had been thick and thin with them for a long time in this battle, her words sounded extremely cold and detached.

Nevertheless, Burg and Marba didn't feel like that. Knowing her, they knew she was going through a lot on her own but did not display it. In this battle, she had lost many things.

After Alvara and the others recuperated for a while, they joined the battle once again. Time flowed by amidst the constant warring noise filling the battlefield.

It was not long after that the tide of the battle took another critical turn. Under the relentless attacks of the warrior Blake who at this moment looked like the god of the battlefield, covered in blood and a pure ruthless aura, Marshall Cavalier lay broken and defeated at his feet.

He who was once a formidable opponent now looked extremely miserable with a body covered in scars and a limb missing.