What was the purpose of this battle? This was not a difficult question for those who perpetuated the battle to answer.
It was to kill the Kingmaker.
This was the number one priority of the Deviant Sovereign, who had existed since the ancient era, and he was determined to make it happen.
His priority remained unchanged even when an unbelievably talented woman, who had reached Origin Level 1 as a Sword Saint despite her young age, suddenly joined the battle and displayed incomparable strength.
The Deviant Sovereign knew that what was compelling the dying woman to overcome her limits and continue swinging her sword was the Kingmaker behind her. That was the source of her power, as well as the foundation of her faith. Should the Kingmaker die, she would wither along with him.
Moreover, as powerful as the Sword Saint was, the threat she posed to the deviants was much lower than that of Sia’s Crown’s Stones. This was evident in her fight with the Race Sovereigns.
The three-armed giant deviant let out a pained howl when its legs were severed, but that turned into a furious roar when flesh sprouted out of its wounds to regenerate its missing limbs.
The winged deviant went into a frenzy as it clad itself in lightning.
The sword-bearing deviant returned to its feet and grabbed the sword of a nearby deviant. Gleaming in its eyes were bloodthirst and the excitement from the opportunity to challenge the limits of its swordsmanship.
While the Sword Saint was a formidable adversary who could rival them, the Race Sovereigns didn’t fear her because they possessed comparable strength to hers. In contrast, the Crown’s Stones were manifestations of concepts beyond their existence; even their recovery would be hindered once they were struck by one. They would have to completely sever the damaged parts before they could heal.
Even though Wilhelmina didn’t pose as great of a threat to the deviants, her intervention was still an unwelcomed variable in this crucial battle. This left the Deviant Sovereign with no choice but to join this dishonorable battle to end it.
Under the concealment of the sandstorm, the Deviant Sovereign raised its hand and directed it toward Roel. An invisible mana pulsation started to extend, as its intangible bloodthirst quietly grew palpable.
Roel did notice the Deviant Sovereign’s movements, but it was too late. He was unable to move, and it was too late to scream for help. The enemy’s attack was already right before him.
It’s over.
Despair welled up in Roel’s heart.
He was already on the verge of surrendering when a familiar silhouette with ash-blue hair suddenly appeared before him, standing firm to protect him.
“!”
Roel’s mouth slackened in horror. He wanted to tell her to escape, but it was too late. Faced with the incoming attack of the Deviant Sovereign, she raised her sword and swung it down for a second time.
A flash of light sliced the Deviant Sovereign into two. A brief moment of silence followed before it was reduced to a gob of black fluid.
At the same time, Wilhelmina’s body trembled before she fell into Roel’s arms.
“Mina!” Roel exclaimed as he rushed forward to catch her body.
His voice was immediately silenced when he saw the front of her body.
Her body had sustained unimaginable damage from protecting him from the first attack, which was why she had refused to turn around all this while. There were gaping wounds all over her body. Her organs were scorched. Broken bits of her armor were lodged in her body. Her bones were fractured.
This was a sharp contrast to her unyielding back view. This was the true state she was in.
It was only at this moment that Roel finally understood why the deviants didn’t recklessly make a move after Wilhelmina’s first counterattack. Her injuries were so severe that she was in no condition to swing a sword—she should have already been dead, if anything. Yet, she continued to fight despite the tattered state she was in.
But it was all over now.
The Deviant Sovereign’s ability had dug out half of her heart. The sword she had been tightly clutching onto all this while slipped onto the ground, as her lifespan began to tick down.
Roel’s mind was a complete blank, as his body trembled uncontrollably.
Yet, Wilhelmina didn’t seem to be affected by her condition at all. She looked at him and gently apologized, “…I’m sorry. It looks like I won’t be able to safely bring you out of here.”
“!”
Tears trickled from Roel’s eyes when he heard her apology. He profusely shook his head, but no words came to him. All he knew was that this was not an outcome he could accept.
As a warrior, he could accept dying a heroic death in the enemy’s camp, but he couldn’t stand watching someone important to him dying right before his eyes while trying to rescue him. The pain and misery he felt surpassed even that of death.
He absolutely couldn’t allow things to end like that.
I have to change this ending.
Holding Wilhelmina in his arms, Roel’s golden eyes hardened with resolve like never before.
However, the enemy wasn’t planning to give Roel any breathing space at all. None of them had let their guard down just because the two of them were on the verge of death.
The lightning-clad winged deviant plunged from the sky with a piercing cry.
The three-armed giant deviant rose to its feet and began marching forth.
The sword-bearing deviant started to accelerate toward them with its sword in hand.
War was brutal, especially when it came to one between two races. There was no room for compassion or courtesy here. Deviant soldiers who weren’t too severely injured began encircling the duo. On their minds was the unshakable resolve to bury humankind’s two rising stars in their cradle.
After having displayed their talent and strength, both Roel and Wilhelmina had landed their spots in the deviants’ must-kill list. Even without the Deviant Sovereign’s orders, the three Race Sovereigns had already charged forth on their own initiative. They knew that those two mustn’t be allowed to return to their camps, or else the consequences would be dire.
Amidst the sandstorm, three powers surged toward the fallen Roel and Wilhelmina at the same time. By the corner of the desert, dark fluid slowly converged back into the Deviant Sovereign, and it, too, raised its hand toward Roel.
This would have spelled the end for the two of them.
Left with no other choice, Roel used the mana he had received from Wilhelmina as fuel to activate his final Crown’s Stone. An enigmatic fog started to seep out of his body.
Silver Devourer was a spell derived from Shrouding Fog, though Roel had never used it thus far because of its unknown side effect. It was a desperate move, but even that fell short. Not even the terrifying white fog could stop the Race Sovereigns’ attacks with the little mana he had left.
But Roel didn’t mind it, for he knew that was enough.
He first looked at the injured woman in his arms, followed by the surrounding white fog. His face was calm as if he had already come to an acceptance. He murmured an order that would be the greatest gamble in his life.
“Devour.”
Upon receiving the order, the billowing white fog opened its gigantic mouth and swallowed the embracing duo together.
…