CHAPTER 555: A BATTLE AGAINST THE VICIOUS

The surroundings exploded into chaos the moment Noah’s order split the air.

Arrows rained down on Brone. He was the only target the knights could afford to strike without endangering Damon and Helen trapped within the encirclement.

Dark force erupted beneath the Bargesian leader’s charge as his monstrous arm swung outward, trailing an earth-shattering wake of energy.

Callis’s arrow reached him first, a streak of white light cutting through the air straight toward his chest. For a moment, confidence surged among the knights at the sheer power behind her shot, until...

’Thuk!’

Brone’s twisted, blackened hand shot up and caught the arrow just before it struck him. His long, gruesome nails clamped around the glowing shaft.

With a snarl, the Bargesian leader spun. Wind tore through the clearing as he whirled the captured arrow, and in a blink, he slipped through the rain of descending projectiles.

’Crack—cruck—crick!’

The arrows that clipped the whirling vortex around him shattered on impact, splintering into deadly shards that scattered back toward the knights. They leapt aside, narrowly avoiding the fragments slicing across the battle scene.

A shockwave surged out from Brone’s twirling motion, rippling through the ground and rattling every bone within its reach.

Meanwhile, seething with rage, Derek wrenched his dagger free from Helen’s grasp, who was still clinging weakly to his wrist after buying Anna a chance to escape.

Her breath trembled, and her knees nearly buckled from the earlier struggle, but her determination was strong, urging her to fight again.

"You worthless pest!" The mage spat.

Before she could recoil, he yanked his wrist free and plunged the dagger into her shoulder.

"A-ahh!"

Helen’s scream tore from her throat as the blade sank deep into her flesh.

She crumpled to the ground, clutching the wound as blood seeped hot through her trembling fingers.

"Helen!" Anna gasped. She twisted in Luke’s hold, eyes wide with panic as she saw her assistant collapse.

"Don’t go!" Luke tightened his arms around the princess as she struggled to break free, desperate to reach Helen.

Anna’s tear-streaked face swung back to the knights, guilt and fear tangled in her voice.

"Please save her and Sir McQuinn!" she cried in alarm.

"We will, my lady. Trust us!" Luke promised firmly, even as he tried to keep her from running towards danger.

He shot a quick look toward Eli, who stood only a few steps away.

"Take the lady to Dame Verns!" he commanded.

"Yes, Sir Parker!" Eli responded at once, rushing towards them and taking the distraught princess away from the chaos urgently.

By now, Brone’s gaze had locked onto Callis—the only one still standing.

The shield she’d cast just in time deflected the flying debris, sparks skidding off its surface. Regaining her footing, she tightened her grip on her brother’s bow, steady once more despite the chaos around her.

"Bold of you to think you can hurt me," he snarled. "I was going to take you alive... maybe even keep you warm at night since you are easy on the eyes. But you’ve ruined my mood. Now I’ll tear you apart!"

"In your dreams!" the Mederian princess snapped.

She drew three arrows, released them as in one shot, but Brone batted them aside with a casual sweep of his clawed hand, as if brushing away dust.

"Charge!" Noah, who was finally back on his feet, roared.

The knight stormed forward with his sword raised. Steel clashed with Brone’s monstrous arm.

Noah struck again, a hard, chopping blow, but Brone caught the blade with his bare hand and shoved him back.

The other knights rushed in simultaneously from both flanks—boots pounding, blades hacking.

The Bargesian leader met them with brutal efficiency: a backhand that cracked Drystan’s helm, a stomp that sent Alex crashing to the ground, and a sweeping strike that knocked Luke aside in one motion.

Callis fired again with an arrow aimed straight for Brone’s throat. He tilted his head, the shaft grazing past. He lunged at her, forcing her to dive aside as his claw tore into the earth where she stood, nearly ripping her body.

He was overpowering them—every hit from the knights and the Mederian Princess was met with a heavier one in return.

Brone wasn’t just fighting; he was dismantling them piece by piece.

Meanwhile, Derek, who had struck Helen, hissed to the assistant with hostile eyes.

"You think you can stop me? Huh! You’re nothing but a useless servant trying to play hero!"

Helen’s vision blurred as she pressed her shaken hands over the wound, crying through clenched teeth.

Not far from her, Damon, who was motionless since the knights’ arrival, stirred.

At the sound of Helen’s cry, something deep within him snapped awake.

His darkened, glassy eyes sharpened, a faint glint of consciousness returning as her pain hammered through his numbed senses.

His fingers twitched first... then curled. His hand dragged weakly across the cold ground, grazing dirt and snow.

’Helen...’ His heart whispered the name he longed to speak aloud.

Pain tore through him, every nerve alight, yet the instinct to protect the woman he loved dragged him back toward awareness.

She was hurt... beaten... bloodied... now stabbed...

Her cry of agony became the spark that reignited him, pulling him back from the darkness.

And amidst the chaos, none of the enemies noticed that the fallen knight was no longer entirely still.

In the meantime, Derek whirled toward the knights, joining his companion, Brone. The dark energy coiled violently around his arm, swirling like smoke ready to ignite.

"Kill them all, I’ll shield and feed your power with my spell!" ordered the mage.

Runes flared sickly along his skin as he lifted his hand. Shadows erupted beneath him, racing outward in jagged veins across the snow, reaching to the Bargesian leader.

"Consider it done!" Brone exclaimed with pleasure.

And then his gaze landed on Callis again, her glowing bow drawn, aura bright enough to burn his vision.

A vicious grin stretched across his lips.

"You," he hissed. "I’ll start with the little silver witch."

Dark magic surged from his palm, spiralling toward her like a lance of black lightning.

’Dumm!’

The blast erupted, ripping through the air like a cracked thunderclap.

The force slammed directly into Callis’s path. Her magic shield flared, then splintered with a sharp, brittle crack.

Before the explosion could swallow her whole, Alex lunged in with sheer instinct, slamming his shoulder into hers and shoving her out of the blast’s range.

"Argh!" he cried as the edge of the force caught him, tearing into his shoulder.

Both of them crashed to the ground, flung across dirt and snow in a tangled slide.

Meanwhile, Anna and Eli had been halfway to Clara, sprinting toward the knightess’s waiting hand, when the explosion lit up the clearing. The shockwave hit her like a freezing slap, and she stumbled.

The young knight reacted instantly, pulling the princess behind him and crouching to shield her with his body as burning debris shards rained down around them.

When the blast finally subsided, both lifted their heads, just in time to see where Callis and Alex had been thrown. Anna’s face drained of colour, her breath catching in her throat.

"Callis!" Anna screamed.

Clara rushed toward the young knight and the princess, limping through the snow.

"Your Highness! Come with me! You too, Sir Henderson!"

But Eli hesitated. His eyes swept the battle scene where the fighting had erupted in full force—Noah locked in brutal combat with Brone, Drystan struggling against the shockwaves, and Luke limping but refusing to fall. The knights were pushing back against the enemy.

Everyone was fighting. Everyone was bleeding.

Eli drew a sharp breath and turned to Anna.

"Your Highness, go with Dame Verns!" he said firmly, placing Anna’s hand into Clara’s. "Get her to safety."

And before she could protest, he pushed off the ground and sprinted toward the fray.

"Sir Henderson!" Anna’s voice broke, trembling with fear.

She knew exactly what he intended. But the young knight didn’t look back—not once. Sword drawn, he charged to join the line of knights advancing on Brone and Derek.

Anna watched him go, heart pounding painfully. Chaos swallowed the field. Her knights were battling the Bargesians with everything they had, and yet... despite their numbers, it was clear they were not winning.

Devastation, fear, and cold horror seeped into her bones. How did things get this terrible so quickly?

At the same time, Alex, who had fallen, gritted his teeth through the pain while Callis fought to steady herself beside him.

Though the blast hadn’t struck her directly, her ears rang, and her head throbbed. It took a few disoriented seconds before the world stopped spinning, and only then did she realise that Kiev’s bow had been flung far out of her reach.

The Mederian Princess turned to Alex, who writhed in pain, clutching his side where the assault had struck.

"Sir Jarr!" she cried in panic and hurriedly scooted to him.

As she knelt beside the sprawling knight, Callis’s eyes caught the jagged tear in his armour. Dark crimson seeped from the wound, slick against the metal and dripping onto the snow.

"Oh, God... you’re badly hurt!" the princess gasped in horror.

Alex’s lips trembled, fighting through the agony.

"I-I’m... I’m fine!" he rasped, struggling for his breath. "Just... just pull out my armour..."

"No! You’ll bleed even more if I touch it!" she protested, her hands hovering uncertainly.

She could heal him, but the fear gnawed at her. If the bleeding worsened the moment she pulled the steel free, her magic might not catch fast enough.

"Please!" Alex pleaded in strain. "I... I can’t breathe! Take it off... now!"

Callis knew instantly that the knight was suffocating. The armour hadn’t merely dented. It had folded inward, crushing against his ribs and digging into open flesh.

Every breath Alex drew shuddered like broken glass in his chest. If she didn’t free him now, he wouldn’t last another minute.

With all the strength she could muster, Callis seized the warped steel. She tore at the leather straps, unfastening them as fast as her fingers allowed.

From across the battlefield, Noah’s roar split through the chaos.

"Charge! We do not back down!"

He roared, forcing himself upright once more. Blood streaked down his temple, but defiance burned brighter than the pain as he rallied his men. Steel clashed anew as the knights surged forward.

The continuation of chaos gave the Mederian Princess the moment she needed.

When she finally tore the warped armour free, Alex let out a strangled grunt, his body jolting from the agony. Blood immediately poured from the torn flesh, and Callis pressed both hands against the wound.

Words of Ro’an slipped from her lips urgently. A pale white glow spread from her palms, knitting the ruptured flesh together just in time before the crimson liquid could spill any further.

The bleeding slowed, then stopped entirely, leaving only an angry red mark where the wound had been.

Callis gasped for breath. She had been drawing on her mana too often, too much and too quickly.

"Mrs Amares... are you all right?" Alex asked.

The pain had vanished from his body, but worry flickered across his face as he noticed the tremor in her hands.

"Don’t worry about me," she said, steadying herself.

She stood, forcing back the exhaustion creeping into her limbs.

"Get up. The knights need us."

Callis extended her hand; Alex took it, rising with a firm nod. Together, they got up and joined the others.

Noah now swung his sword in brutal, sweeping arcs against Brone. The Bargesian leader met him head-on, his dark limb hardened, clashing sparks when meeting the blade’s strikes.

The knights’ leader feinted left, pivoted, then aimed a vicious slash at Brone’s torso.

The Bargesian leader parried against him, the blow echoing like iron against diamond.

Noah stumbled back, screeching his feet on the ground as he steeled himself from falling. His breath panted as sweat and blood dripped.

Brone’s gaze snapped toward the two fleeing figures—Anna and Clara sprinting for the horses. With a vicious snarl, he thrust out his monstrous arm. A blazing fireball tore through the air.

It struck the ground beside the horses with explosive force. The animals screamed and bolted, their hooves kicking up snow and dirt as they scattered in all directions.

Anna and Clara dropped just in time, feeling the blast’s heat on their backs.

"No!" Noah charged to retaliate, but Brone was already on him.

The Bargesian leader pivoted and drove a brutal kick straight into his ribs.

The impact was thunderous. A choked cry ripped from Noah’s throat as he was hurled backwards, across the frozen ground.

Drystan lunged in to cover him, only to be met by a barrage of blows that cracked his bones. One hit drove the breath from his lungs, another nearly dropped him to his knees.

Noah gritted his teeth, forcing himself upright. Pain roared through his side.

’D*mn it!’

Brone was too strong and too fast. They couldn’t overpower him... not like this.

Then he saw it.

Behind the Bargesian leader, Derek stood exposed, his hands raised, dark magic pouring from him in a constant stream that fed the Bargesian leader.

They hadn’t been able to reach the mage or Helen nearby at any point. Even trying to pull Damon away from where he was lying proved futile; Brone blocked every attempt while effortlessly thwarting the knights’ advance.

At this, Noah’s obsidian eyes sharpened with new resolve.

Callis, Eli, and Alex now converged with him, forming a loose circle around the two Bargesians. Noah rose and studied the enemy’s rhythm before his next move.

His gaze flickered briefly to Luke and Eli. Both knights straightened up. They understood.

Then...

"Attack!" he roared.