Chapter 343: Control
Chapter 343: Control
"How could he fight like that?" Jean Hydran shivered as she looked at the Duke of Wugari as if he was death himself. Next to him were two other people. A man with grayish hair and a woman with a scar on her face. Both were perfectly capable of fighting just like the Duke of Wugari.
"The tide" Brinley Fleur who stood next to Jean uttered in a low voice. "I think they are starting to slow down."
"Impossible."
"That man is not human!" Martin spoke. In fact, this was not their time to fight. They were supposed to rest, to recover their strength, but none of them wanted to miss this fight.
When they had heard that the Duke arrived, everyone's exhaustion seemed to vanish and they immediately rushed here.
The man did not greet them nor called for everyone else's attention. He just arrived and started fighting as if his life depended on it.
"How could he kill demonic beasts so easily?" Brinley asked. Right now, the only ones fighting with the Duke were Lachlan Blaize, Douglas Quarris, and Ena Thun. Those three were considered the strongest Blessed Individuals.
However, one glance would easily reveal that the Duke's fighting style is much more suited to win against the beasts.
Right now, the Duke of Wugari was only using a blade. Yet, he was very quick, his actions almost looked like a blur. He faced the beasts without saying any other word.
Black and scarlet blood mixed with severed beast parts lay strewn behind him, a gruesome trail of destruction in his wake. The sight was enough to make even the bravest of warriors recoil in horror.
It was a macabre scene. Limbs and organs lay scattered about, the air thick with the stench of death and ruins.
As he moved forward, his footsteps squelched in the sticky mess beneath his boots. He didn't bother to look back, his eyes fixed firmly ahead.
But the sight of the carnage behind him was unnerving, even for someone as hardened as the soldiers behind him. It was a reminder of the true cost of war against the beasts, of the lives that were lost, the blood that was spilled.
The man looked like the specter of death just descended to give his final judgment.
Duke Lucas Rothley was completely in control of the situation. He was the one who held the power, he was the one who had the final say.
Seeing him like this made everyone on the walls speechless. Almost all of them refused to take their eyes away from him. And all of them had a mixture of both horror and amazement on their faces.
This was the first time that they had witnessed something so amazing and frightening at the same time. This was a scene that they would never forget.
"What is that?" Jean Hydran suddenly turned around. She could sense something behind them. Something dark and heavy.
Soon enough, the others turned in the same direction.
A wave of heavy, oppressive energy washed over the Blessed Individuals who stood by the walls. It was a sensation that left them reeling, a weighty presence that was full of grief and anger.
For a moment, they stood frozen in place, caught in the grip of the overwhelming emotions that flooded their senses. Some clutched at their chests, gasping for breath, while others stumbled back against the walls, their eyes wide with shock and fear.
"What is that?" Martin Lux was one of the Blessed Individuals who stumbled back. He was physically weaker than the rest so he had to use the walls to support himself.
His chest rose and fell as the very air around them thickened, grown dense and suffocating with the weight of the emotion that now hung heavy.
And then, as suddenly as it had come, the sensation began to dissipate, leaving the Blessed Individuals shaken and disoriented in its wake. It vanished as if it was never there in the first place.
They exchanged looks of confusion and concern, each one trying to make sense of what had just happened. But there was no denying the power of the emotion that had washed over them, leaving them feeling vulnerable and exposed.
For the Blessed Individuals who stood by the walls, it was a stark reminder that even their divine protection was not absolute. At that very moment, all of them felt powerless against the energy.
"Who was it?" Jean asked. "Was it a sorcerer?" Grief and anger was something connected to darkness. Because of this, she immediately thought that this was a sorcerer's action.
"We need to check" Martin spoke but Jean quickly interrupted him.
"Do not move your eyes from the Duke! Whoever it was, we will find them soon!" Jean said. She turned towards the Duke's direction but realized that the man was no longer there.
He simply vanished.
"Where is he?" she asked, confused. She looked at the others. Ena and Lachlan were still there as well as the two other people who fought with the Duke.
But Lucas Rothley was no longer there.
He was nowhere to be found.
"What is happening?" Martin asked, confused.
First, that energy that felt suffocating, and now the Duke vanished!
"Where is he?" Brinley asked.
Unbeknownst to them, the Duke was already next to Rosalind.
He stood there, hugging her, slowly stroking her back.
Without saying a word, Rosalind rested her head on his chest where she could hear his calm heartbeat.
"You did great," he said.
"I I almost lost control." Rosalind blinked, tears streaming down her face. She had never felt that free before. However, a part of her was also frightened. The anger almost consumed her and she was powerless against it.
Luckily, he arrived just in time.
She stared at Lurea's unconscious body.
"We need to leave," Rosalind said. They could not stay here for too long.
As if on cue, Atior arrived. She quickly handed the relics to Rosalind.
"I will take care of her," Atior said.
"Do not kill her" Rosalind said. "Yet."
"I understand," Atior said. She avoided the eyes of the Duke before she picked up Lurea's body as if it was nothing, then she vanished into thin air.