******
"This... these bastards are rebelling!"
Kaelrik’s eyes burned with madness, his jaw clenched so tightly it seemed on the verge of shattering, his entire body trembling with molten rage surging through his veins as he watched the chaos unfold in the Square.
"How... how dare they?" he seethed, his voice low and venomous, each word heavily laced with murderous intent.
Without hesitation, he roared with madness, his voice reverberating across the square like a thunderclap.
"Gang up and take them down! Try not to kill them — I’ll make them suffer a fate worse than death!"
The guards flinched, but his words instantly jolted them back to their senses. Their hesitation evaporated like smoke, and their eyes burned with renewed aggression.
Without delay, they surged forward, their weapons gleaming, ready to tear into the frenzied mob.
With that, the true battle began — vicious, bloody, and all-consuming.
....
"This was your idea, wasn’t it?"
Kaelrik’s molten gaze locked onto Xylen, his expression twisted into a grotesque mask of wrath.
"You think you can turn my subjects against me?" he growled, his voice vibrating with rage. Then he clenched his fists.
"Seems I’ve been wasting too much time on you."
With this muttered, he took a final step toward Xylen, lifting his colossal blade.
In the following second, the air around the weapon distorted as if reality itself was cowering from the impending strike.
"With your death, let’s see if they still dare to rebel."
His fingers tightened around the hilt of the blade, his muscles rippling as he prepared to cleave Xylen apart.
But just then...
"You talk too much," Xylen muttered, his voice low and filled with disgust and a disgruntled growl, greatly taking Kaelrik aback.
Kaelrik’s eyes widened. Before he could react —
PHANTOM STEP!
Xylen, who had been slumped in apparent defeat, suddenly blurred like a specter and vanished in a swirl of shadows.
Then barely after he did this...
Boom!
Kaelrik’s massive blade smashed into the platform, directly shattering the wood and sending jagged debris flying into the air, a massive crater forming where Xylen had been.
"Where?"
Kaelrik’s face changed, and he spun around, his eyes scanning wildly. But before he could locate Xylen...
Infernal Wound!
Xylen appeared behind his towering figure like a wraith, his breath shallow but focused.
Without a moment’s hesitation, he plunged the Rusthorn blade into Kaelrik’s back.
In the following second, a tiny wound appeared, barely the size of a pea, but almost instantly, black veins spiderwebbed across Kaelrik’s skin.
-13.5 HP
A huge red, negative number popped up above Kaelrik’s head.
’What...?’
Kaelrik froze, unable to react for a moment and pondering what had just happened.
But before he knew it...
-13.5 HP
Another huge, negative, red number popped up above his head.
Finally, Kaelrik reacted.
His expression contorted into something feral and monstrous, his molten eyes burning brighter, his muscles bulging with fury.
"You dare?"
His voice boomed like an explosion through the Village Square, silencing the entire battlefield in an instant.
The rebels and guards alike stopped mid-fight, all eyes turning to the platform.
And the moment they saw Kaelrik wounded — actually losing health — disbelief rippled through the crowd.
But then—
"Hehehe. That’s my lord," Lilith’s voice rang out, brimming with pride and exhilaration.
The silence was instantly shattered and in the following second...
"Take these motherfuckers down quickly so we can go support our lord!" Venomspite bellowed, his blood-pumping roar reigniting the rebels’ spirits.
Their morale surged like wildfire in the next instant and without a shred of hesitation...
"DIE!"
They screamed, hurling themselves back into the chaotic, blood-soaked brawl.
...
"This... they’ve lost their minds!"
A villager, returning to her senses, suddenly stammered, her voice and body trembling hysterically as she watched the village square dissolve into utter carnage.
"We... we are doomed!" another gasped, her face ashen with fear and anxiety.
"Kaelrik will slaughter everyone once this is over!"
"Why did they do this?"
Their voices quivered with despair as they clutched their children and cowered, their hearts consumed by dread, all of them having zero trust in Xylen and his group.
____
At the same time...
Kaelrik stood dazedly on the platform, staring at the chaos and carnage erupting below, with his body trembling slightly all over.
Ever since he took control of the fief, almost eighteen years ago, the rebellion had only occurred once, and after he had made an example of the Demon who instigated it—along with his followers—there had been no further attempts.
He had ruled since then with an iron grip, instilling terror and depriving the villagers of the strength, time, and resources to rise against him. And yet now...
A scorching heat slowly radiated from his body, his molten eyes seething with wrath as the black veins of his Infernal Wound continued to spread.
-13.5 HP
-13.5HP
The relentless damage ticked away, the Hellblade fighter’s colossal frame trembling with uncontained fury.
He clenched his fists so tightly, his claws piercing his palms as molten blood dripped to the ground with a sinister hiss.
Then, finally, he turned his gaze to Xylen, who now stood a short distance away, his chest heaving and his short blade still gripped tightly despite his injuries.
"You... you dare to wound me and turn my fief into chaos, turning my slaves against me?" Kaelrik’s voice thundered through the square, sending a strong chill through the hearers’ spines.
His frame trembled once more as he advanced toward Xylen, his steps unhurried. His massive, heavy sword dragged across the wooden platform, carving deep trenches into it.
"I’ll tear you apart limb by limb today and make your death as excruciating as possible!"
Xylen’s chest heaved, and his vision became hazy. But even then, he smirked through bloody teeth.
Although he was still gripped by fear, knowing very well that he stood no chance against Kaelrik, he still stood tall, his face calm and expressionless.
"Like I said just now..." Xylen rasped, his black pupils gleaming like two endless voids. "You talk too much."
’This...’
Kaelrik faltered for a second. Then his lips twisted into a monstrous grin.
"Is that so?" He asked, not sounding offended...
But in the following second...
"Hellblade Cleave!"
He roared, swinging his heavy, colossal blade in a deadly arc at Xylen.
The mere force of the swing split the platform into two, sending a shockwave that blasted debris through the square.
Xylen barely dodged, his body flickering with shadows as Phantom Step activated again. He reappeared at Kaelrik’s side — and without hesitation...
INFERNAL WOUND!
He stabbed with full force, the corrupted energy searing Kaelrik’s ribs again and carving a deeper, blackened gash.
-13.5 HP
Kaelrik staggered but didn’t fall. Instead, he grinned, resembling a Demon who had completely lost his mind and descended into a frenzy.
"Is this the only skill you’ve got, insect?" He mocked, laughing loudly. "Keep struggling then, it makes it more fun. Moreover, I have the needed time and HP to deal with you."
Without warning, Kaelrik’s free hand snapped out.
INFERNAL GRASP!
He roared, and immediately following it, a spectral hand shot out of his body and latched onto Xylen, the claws digging into his flesh as he was dragged back toward the towering demon.
Kaelrik didn’t hesitate — he slammed Xylen into the ground with full force, the impact shaking the square.
CRACK!
-10 HP
A red, negative number flared above Xylen, and just then, his vision blurred.
He gasped, his ribs fracturing. However, his fingers still clutched his short blade tightly, refusing to let go.
Seeing this, Kaelrik’s smirk widened.
"You’re indeed a persistent one, just like my brother... I will give you that," he muttered, lifting his massive blade high again. "But unfortunately for you, that was what killed my brother!"
Finished roaring this, the blade came crashing down, and...
Clang!
Xylen rolled away, barely evading the blow, and he somersaulted to his feet.
He wiped the blood from his mouth, stared at Kaelrik for a moment, and then finally...
"Could it be that you have a radio in your stomach?" he asked calmly.
Kaelrik’s face contorted with even more murderous intent at the face of this ridiculing question.
"Let’s see how long you can keep your arrogance!" He growled and then...
EXECUTIONER DESCENT!
Kaelrik leaped high into the sky, then came crashing down like a meteor, shattering the wooden platform.
BOOM!
-20 HP