CHAPTER 124: SURPRISE SHOT

Austaire and Mardonio clashed with the transformed Aurelus, giving everything they had. The ground quaked beneath each strike, while the Dark Fate roared with cruel laughter, circling like vultures savoring death.

Side by side, the two stood bloodied yet unbroken, fending off Aurelus’s crushing power like riders trying to tame a raging bull.

Each swing of his blade split the air, shockwaves ripping through stone and earth, but they held their ground together, protecting one another in desperation.

[SHIELD ROAR]

Austaire braced herself, shield raised as radiant energy surged through her frame.

The roar thundered out, tearing across the battlefield like a lion’s cry, blasting stone pillars into dust.

But Aurelus did not falter. He strode through the storm of light, untouched, fire still dancing along his frame.

"Disappointing," he said coldly, and his sword flashed in a triple slash too fast for the eye to follow.

BLOCK!BLOCK!

SLASH!

The last strike broke through.

"Aghrg!" Austaire cried as her shield shattered, fragments scattering from her numb hand.

The impact jolted up her arm, forcing the shield to slip and clatter onto the broken earth. She staggered back, chest heaving, her face twisted in pain.

Before Aurelus could finish her, Mardonio surged forward, rapier meeting the tyrant’s blade.

CLANG!~

The impact rang in his skull. His jaw clenched, sweat streaking down his face as Aurelus’s sheer power drove him down. The ground cracked beneath his boots, his knees buckling until he was forced low, yet he held firm.

"You monster," he spat through gritted teeth, "you would even kill your own daughter!?"

Aurelus smirked, voice calm, cruel. "Do you think I would have reached this height if I clung to something trivial as family?"

The words pierced Austaire’s heart, but she bit her lip and stayed silent.

"Then I should kill you here and now you freak!," Mardonio growled.

"Feel free," Aurelus said, almost amused.

[FINAL EDGE]

Mardonio’s aura flared red, flames racing across his limbs. Mana bled into his blade until it shone like a shard of pure lightning, his body pushed past its limits.

His breathing sharpened, every heartbeat a hammer fueling his fury.

Aurelus’s eyes narrowed, yet his smile lingered. "Come on, old man. Give me your best shot."

With a burst of speed, Mardonio vanished into a streak of crimson light. The crowd gasped, unable to follow his movement.

"W-where did he go!?"

But Aurelus’s glowing eyes tracked him, watching the blur circle with terrifying speed.

In a blink, Mardonio struck, seven afterimages closing in like phantoms. Blades flashed from every direction, slashes raining down in a storm of steel.

SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!

Dozens of cuts landed, sparks bursting, his rapier splitting into a blur of crimson light. Each strike carried his burning will to kill.

Then—

CLANG! CLANG!

Wings of fire erupted from Aurelus’s back, feathers of flame unfurling like a phoenix’s embrace. They shielded him, solid as iron despite their glow. Each impact rattled Mardonio’s bones, numbing his arms.

"What... what is this!?" he gasped, trembling. "Flame, but harder than stone?!"

Aurelus chuckled darkly. "Not bad, but not strong enough."

He spun, his blade sweeping wide. The air split with the force as both Mardonio and Austaire were hurled back, their bodies crashing into stone with a thunderous crack.

POW!

POW!

Their bodies hit the ground, groaning under the weight of pain. Their health bars dipped to a critical level, their movements sluggish, their vision blurred.

"Argh..." Mardonio forced himself upright, staggering toward Austaire. His chest burned, blood dripping down his lips.

His eyes widened as he saw her buried beneath rubble, her body limp, her breathing shallow.

Rage boiled inside him, but his body betrayed him. His limbs grew heavy, his aura flickered, and his strength finally waned.

Pwoeh~

A thick spray of blood burst from his mouth. His legs gave out, collapsing him onto the rubble-strewn ground.

Every wound screamed—broken bones, internal bleeding, mana shock ripping at his veins. He coughed violently, his hands trembling as he tried to reach Austaire, but his body refused to move.

Austaire’s condition was no better. Her breaths were shallow, her once-bright eyes dulling as she drifted in and out of consciousness.

"Alright," Aurelus muttered, his voice calm as though swatting flies.

He stepped toward them with a cold intent, the tip of his blade dragging sparks against the ground. He was ready to end it.

But before he could deliver the finishing blow, another figure entered.

A shadow stepped forward, calm and resolute, planting himself between Aurelus and the broken warriors.

Robert.

He bent down and pulled the Divine Rapier from Mardonio’s unconscious hand.

Though his body lacked the aura of a great warrior, he stood tall, eyes locked on Aurelus without a trace of fear.

"Well, well," Aurelus sneered, mocking laughter rolling off his tongue, "if it isn’t my good friend, Robert the herbalist!"

His voice echoed mockingly across the battlefield, drawing the jeers of the Dark Fate members.

"I heard it was you who stole away my third child,"

Aurelus continued, his eyes narrowing with dangerous interest, "and hid him in Runewood. Tell me, is the child still alive?"

Robert did not answer the question. Instead, he raised his chin, his face grim. His voice carried firm conviction.

"Stop this madness, Aurelus. How can you sacrifice your own people and sell yourself to the Dark Fate? What have you become?"

Hahaha!~

Aurelus’s laugh boomed, loud and unrestrained. His shoulders shook with amusement as if he had just heard the most absurd jest in the world.

"A puppet? Me? You mistake me gravely, Robert." He jabbed a finger at his chest, pointing toward the glowing insignia of his Divine Frame.

"You see this? I am the fated Son of the Dark Fate. And soon, I will be the new emperor of the Wha-lah Empire!"

His declaration rang across the ruined battlefield, and the Dark Fate erupted in chants.

"Long live Emperor Aurelus!""Long live!"

Their voices shook the ground, the cheers of fanatics praising their chosen tyrant. Aurelus basked in their devotion, circling Robert like a predator circling prey.

"Normally, I would have cut you to pieces already for daring to stand before me," Aurelus said, his grin sharp, "but answer me truthfully, and perhaps I will let you live."

Robert’s eyes never wavered. His face was pale, his hands trembling slightly, but his resolve shone brighter than fear.

Aurelus lowered his sword until the tip hovered before Robert’s face. His voice dropped to a cold whisper.

"Tell me, where is my child?"

"..."

Robert’s lips curled, his eyes dark with scorn.

"Your child? After everything you did to him, you still think you have the right to call him your child?"

For a moment Aurelus stilled. Then his laughter cracked the air.

"Hahaha! Such an amusing herbalist."

SMACK!

Aurelus’s backhand landed with bone-cracking force. Robert’s head whipped to the side, blood spraying from his mouth.

He crashed into stone, his body bouncing before collapsing to the dirt. Pain exploded across his body—his neck nearly snapped, his arms and legs shattered, his wounds reopening violently.

Before Robert could even lift his head, Aurelus’s boot pressed down hard against his skull, forcing him into the dirt.

"Do not test my patience while I am being merciful. Answer me, where is the child!?"

Robert coughed, blood pooling beneath his lips. His voice came ragged, yet defiant.

"O-over my d-dead... body."

Robert closed his eyes and remembered that day he got Auren on his hand. That small young child that was covered in blood had grown well and strong. He could not help but feel proud of what he had become.

He smiled.

’I may day today, but at least I have done my best.’

Seeing the peace in Robert’s eyes, Aurelus sighed.

"I see... so you have made up your mind, huh."

Aurelus inhaled slowly, his jaw twitching as he fought to contain his fury.

His eyes closed briefly, recalling the haunting memory of his defeat at the hands of the mysterious Frameless warrior.

’I will not fail again. I will find that child, no matter the cost.’

His eyes snapped open. He turned to the crowd.

"Emeru," he called.

From the shadows stepped a robed woman in her mid-forties. Her skin was pale, her hair streaked with gray, her eyes dark and unsettling.

Her nails looked like talons, her aura dripping with malice. Emeru, a level 45 Mentalist, bowed slightly.

"You know what to do," Aurelus said, tossing Robert’s battered body at her feet.

She examined him coldly. "I can retrieve his memories, but the strain will kill him."

"Do it," Aurelus ordered, lips curling into a cruel smile.

"I do not care if he becomes a corpse. I want the information."

Emeru grinned faintly. "As you wish, my lord."

She gripped Robert’s head, forcing his face toward her palm.

[MIND REEL]

AAAAGH!

Robert’s scream tore the air as the spell ripped through him. His body convulsed violently, as if set aflame from the inside.

Mind Reel was no simple probing spell. It seared memories from the victim’s soul, ripping life force away piece by piece.

Robert’s vision blurred, his mind shredded, but still he fought to hold on. He held on by remembering the smile of his families. He will fight until his last breath.

Aurelus watched, arms crossed, eyes fixed with cold satisfaction. Yet suddenly his instincts screamed.

A tremor of danger surged through him.

"hmp?"

ZZZT-BOOOOOM!

TAAANG!

The impact split the air like thunder. A bazooka shell exploded against Aurelus’s fiery wings, forcing him back several paces.

He skidded across the cracked ground, sparks flying as his boots carved trenches into the earth.

From the smoke emerged a boy, a weapon still smoking in his hands.

It was none other than Auren.

He tossed the bazooka to his ring, switching fluidly to his Magnum Krakaboom. His face burned with rage, his eyes blazing with fury.

"Get your filthy hands off him!"

BANG! BANG! BANG!