Chương 50: The Night Shaken by Presence

The night trembled under the shock of Maalai's death. The turquoise grass burned where my blood had spilled, while soldiers desperately fought against their own comrades who had been turned into mindless puppets by the Blood Worms. Suddenly, a powerful surge of wind exploded from the direction of the ruined tavern. Even from where I knelt in agony, I could feel the immense pressure sweeping across the battlefield.

A dark hooded figure shot through the air with his back to me, eyes locked onto his true target the Princess. A few moments earlier… When Bloodpather Arus emerged from the bloody puddle of goo that had once been Baarus, he knelt and gently touched the remains. In a low, reverent voice, he whispered in the ancient tongue: "Dziękuję za twoją ofiarę w Jego imieniu. Przyjmuję tę Oblację i będę nieść twoją wolę dalej."

"Here I thank your sacrifice in the name of Him. I accept this Oblation and will carry your will forward." Red droplets slithered from the goo onto his arms and disappeared beneath his robe. He then turned his gaze toward the injured Galer, but the overwhelming presence above him made him look up. His eyes met the Princess's. In a flash, he floated backward at terrifying speed, gliding over the massive city wall and out into the open fields. The Princess gave chase without hesitation.

Fifteen kilometers away, on a lonely patch of wild grass, Bloodpather Arus finally landed. The Princess touched down right after him, her scimitar already drawn and gleaming under the moonlight. He let out a low, mocking laugh that sent chills through the air.

"Oh my… the great Princess Alecoprta of Aegyptus…" His voice suddenly dropped into a cold, venomous tone.

"And now the Wyrms Squadron are about to join us. But that… simply won't do."

"HIYAAAAAHHHHHH!" The scream that tore from his throat was filled with fanatical rage and dark joy. The very moment it left his lips, the ground erupted into violent quakes. The earth itself trembled in fury, shaking everything within a hundred kilometers. Buildings rattled, people screamed, and even the Herzog in his palace felt the terrifying tremor. He rushed outside, face pale with alarm.

From the soil around sixteen kilometers from the city walls, thick crimson threads burst forth like the pulsing arteries of an ancient, wrathful beast finally awakening after centuries of slumber. They shot upward with terrifying speed, weaving and intertwining at blinding velocity into a colossal dome that soared two hundred meters into the sky.

The threads thickened and hardened with sickening wet sounds, forming an unbreakable, living Cage of Blood that completely sealed off the entire battlefield in a nightmarish prison of crimson veins. The air inside grew heavy, thick with the metallic stench of blood and raw malice. The Princess stared at the massive, pulsating Cage of Blood that now trapped them together. Her eyes burned with righteous fury. Arus spread his arms wide, his voice dripping with dark satisfaction.

"This way, we can fight without any interruption," he declared.

"It cost me a fair amount of Animo… but it will be worth it for the greater cause. Your blood will replenish it in the end anyway." He raised his left arm, slowly rubbing his chin with eager, almost lustful anticipation. His eyes gleamed from beneath the hood like a predator savoring the kill. The Princess answered with a fierce, excited grin, cracking her knuckles loudly.

"Well, this suits me perfectly," she said, her voice ringing with royal confidence and battle hunger.

"I always welcome a worthy challenge... especially when it's to protect my nation from filth like you." She raised her scimitar, the blade singing through the air.

"So… shall we show each other what we're truly capable of?" Arus laughed again, a deep, chilling sound full of madness and certainty.

"Way ahead of you." The moment the words left his mouth, a new batch of much thinner red threads only 0. 25 centimeters thick erupted silently from the ground. They moved with eerie, ghostly precision, slithering toward the Princess like living serpents hungry for her life force. They needed only the slightest touch to begin draining her. The Princess's eyes widened in genuine surprise. These new threads were far quieter and deadlier than the quaking ones that had formed the cage.

She dodged with explosive grace, barely avoiding the first few. The man revealed a wide, predatory smile, his clear white teeth gleaming beneath the hood as he watched the Princess dodge his relentless threads. But the attacks grew smarter. Every time she landed, new crimson threads erupted from branches, roots, and the ground itself, forcing her into constant aerial movement. It soon became nearly impossible for her to touch the earth.

"You're fast, Princess… but you cannot dodge forever. This cage will be your tomb." With a fierce battle cry, the Princess held her scimitar vertically in front of her body and descended from 28 meters in the sky like a falling comet, burning with royal fury. Right before impact, she overflowed her blade with her own water attribute, creating a shimmering layer of water across the ground. The liquid waterlogged the threads, temporarily blocking their ability to drain her.

Arus, however, simply released an omnidirectional wave of power from his aura, evaporating the water in a 20-centimeter radius around him with a hiss of steam. He finally lifted one leg, his voice calm yet curious.

"How did you know the threads came from my feet?" The Princess landed gracefully, breathing steady, eyes sharp.

"When you made that arrogant display and formed the cage, you didn't move a single millimeter afterward. I realized then, they are extensions of your own body. But honestly… that move was just me testing the waters. I can feel you still have much more hidden in your arsenal." The robed man chuckled darkly.

"Indeed…" He freed his legs, revealing simple rugged leather sandals with crossed straps and open toes. His arms remained crossed as he began to move. His heavy black pants, adorned with red dots and strong vertical zig-zag lines flowed with him. What followed was a terrifying display of inhuman flexibility. The Princess stayed on the defensive, barely able to keep up. Arus used his body in ways that defied human limits.

He delivered high vertical kicks, then twisted his back leg with impossible precision, slamming his heel repeatedly into her ribs without ever moving his upper body. Each strike landed with brutal force. She felt the pain shoot through her side. In a desperate counter, she slashed her scimitar and cut away part of his robe. The fabric tore. Arus casually ripped the rest off and revealed his true form. He stood at 1.

81 meters tall, deep red-skinned, with a striking white mohawk, 18 centimeters high, 12 centimeters thick, cut perfectly straight with no tapering tips. The rest of his head was buzzed to a crisp 3 mm. A short, well-groomed beard, mustache, and upward-pointing sideburns framed a surprisingly youthful, almost baby-faced appearance. There wasn't a single scar on his body or face. He wore black dungarees with silver vein-like patterns running across them.

Strapped to his back was a monstrous 300 kg bastard sword with no sheath. The blade looked forged from ironcoal with diamond-finished edges and a terrifying monster-face carving on the guard. The Princess narrowed her eyes, gripping her scimitar tighter. Arus rolled his shoulders, the massive sword shifting slightly on his back, and gave her a calm, terrifying smile.

"Now… shall we begin in earnest?" Arus reached behind his back and drew the monstrous 300 kg bastard sword in one fluid motion. With a terrifying roar, he swung it down at the Princess. She blocked it with her scimitar, but the sheer power behind the blow was overwhelming. Her knees buckled instantly. She was driven deeper and deeper into the ground until she was forced into a full kneeling position. For the first time, genuine shock flashed across her face... she realized she could not block this strike head-on.

With a desperate cry, she released a torrent of water from her back, using the force to blast herself sideways and escape the crushing pressure. The moment his sword finally slammed into the water layer she had created earlier, a massive chunk of it evaporated into steam with a deafening hiss. The Princess took a wide stance, stabbed her scimitar into the ground, and opened her palms toward herself.

"VESTUTO!" she screamed with every ounce of her soul. Her body erupted in brilliant turquoise light. She transformed into her Aqualinera Form which was elegant, regal, and terrifyingly beautiful. Shimmering living water crystals formed her armor, constantly rippling like a flowing river. Gold and bronze accents glowed with royal authority. A majestic cobra crown with glowing aquamarine eyes sat upon her head, while her long white-grey hair flowed beneath it like a waterfall.

A translucent water mantle trailed behind her like a living river. She gave Arus no time to admire the transformation. From her lotus-shaped shoulder pauldrons, she unleashed devastating water jet beams at 350, 000 PSI, 25% of her compressed water power. The jets were strong enough to strip flesh from bone, yet Arus simply tanked them, slowly walking forward through the onslaught. Her eyes narrowed. She pushed harder, increasing the intensity to her current maximum 27. 3%, 381, 000 PSI.

The scorching compressed water burned the air itself. Arus was finally forced to dodge, unable to advance any further. The Princess seized the moment. She summoned a colossal 40-meter-high water wave and rode within it, slamming the crushing pressure straight into him. Arus responded by raising his Animo even higher, completely nullifying the wave in a violent explosion of steam. The Princess realized she had to go all out.

She activated Aqua Mirage, creating multiple perfect stationary copies of herself across the battlefield. She began instantly swapping positions with them, trying to catch Arus off guard. Yet he adapted with terrifying speed, keeping up with her high-speed movements. On her sixth approach, he shattered her scimitar with a single devastating strike. The Princess retreated, breathing heavily. She raised her hand and summoned Water Judgment, transforming the water beneath her into a deadly, ethereal scythe.

This weapon could bypass external armor and strike directly into internal organs. She attacked relentlessly. Even when Arus blocked the scythe, the water would un-solidify, pass through his weapon, then instantly harden again inside his body, slicing his organs. For the first time, Arus spat blood. On the fourth successful internal cut, he finally admitted the truth. He had reached his limit.

"…Tch. I didn't want to use this yet," he growled.

"Krwawa Infuzja — Bloody Infusion!" Red threads erupted violently across his entire body, wrapping him completely. His form began transforming into something far more powerful... a true monster awakened for the greater cause. But the Princess did not hesitate for even a second. She charged forward, solidifying her Water Judgment scythe and striking Arus twelve times before his transformation could fully complete. Each brutal cut tore into his body from within.

By sheer luck, he was forced to sacrifice his dominant arm to endure the final blows. He crashed to one knee, roaring in agony as the transformation finally finished. He now stood fully transformed, clad in majestic golden-brown-red knight armor with a gladiator-style helmet that completely hid his face. A terrifying pressure exploded outward from him. His Animo had doubled hers. It felt like an entirely different horizon of power. He moved like lightning. The Princess tried to dodge left, but he was already there.

His knee slammed viciously into her stomach, followed by a devastating downward pound with his remaining hand that drove her straight into the ground. The impact was so powerful that screams could be heard from outside the Cage of Blood. The trapped Wyrms and soldiers desperately tried to break in, but every dent they made healed instantly. The cage was alive and unforgiving. Outside, the Herzog felt his youngest daughter's pain like a knife to the heart. With a furious roar, he activated his Vestuto.

His armor evolved into a regal, luminous green masterpiece etched with swirling wind patterns. Small vortexes spun around the joints, and a massive glowing hieroglyphic mandala rotated on his back, drawing in surrounding air. He spun the circle 1, 000 times... far beyond his usual limit of 800. Sweat poured down his face as the air itself screamed in protest.

"Wind Plosion!" He unleashed everything. The concentrated wind power erupted with continent-shaking force. The Cage of Blood cracked and trembled. Ten thousand soldiers and twenty-nine Wyrms inside the storm were ripped apart and reduced to nothingness. The price was devastating, the Herzog's glowing mandala shattered completely. He could barely stand, let alone move. Yet he refused to stop.

He summoned his Air Vessels, two towering 2-meter-tall Spirit Hawk humanoids made of pure wind energy with majestic hawk heads and wings. They would fight independently, allowing him to support his daughter in a 3-vs-1 battle, even while he could barely take a single step. Sweat streamed down his face as he slowly, painfully forced himself forward toward his daughter. The two Spirit Hawks arrived just in time to witness the nightmare. Arus had driven his massive bastard sword straight through the Princess's body.

He lifted the blade, letting her blood drip down the edge, and licked it slowly with visible pleasure, drinking deeply as if it were the finest wine using it to heal and replenish himself. Arus's lost army was already beginning to slowly regrow, but the two Spirit Hawks attacked him relentlessly, wings slicing through the air, spears thrusting in perfect unison at blinding speed. Yet the Bloodpather barely cared. He was too busy savoring the Princess's blood as it dripped from his massive sword.

Even as the hawks stabbed into him repeatedly, he simply ripped the blade free from her body with a wet, sickening sound and turned his attention toward the new threats. For a brief moment, his mind was consumed entirely by bloodlust. With her last shred of willpower, the Princess activated Self-Heal Mode. A stream of turquoise healing water poured from the top of her helmet, rapidly regenerating her wounds as long as she remained still. I found her lying on the ground, the healing surge already working.

My own arms were still useless, burning and limp at my sides. Using only my teeth, I grabbed her clothes and desperately dragged her across the ground, pulling her away from the heat of the battle and into the safety of the nearby branches. The fight between the Spirit Hawks and Arus was moving at a speed I could barely comprehend. They looked almost stationary, yet they were striking so fast it made my head spin. I was too weak, too broken to follow their movements.

More soldiers and Wyrms poured in, joining the fray. Generals in full Vestuto leaped into battle. Yet Arus still stood tall, cutting down multiple foes in single wide swings of his monstrous sword. He was losing ground, but only slowly. He knew time was against him. After regenerating his dominant arm, he realized he was burning through too much Animo. He couldn't stay here much longer if he wanted to reach the Pyramid and complete the mission.

So he began absorbing the blood lying on the battlefield even if it made him slower and heavier. His body swelled, growing fatter and more bloated with every gulp of stolen life force. He destroyed one of the Spirit Hawks in a brutal counterattack. Then he turned and started to run. I couldn't let him escape. Ignoring the agony in my body, I staggered after him. My pants had already been pulled down earlier with my teeth, leaving me naked from the waist down. I didn't care.

I ran straight toward him, wiggling my bare ass in the most insulting way possible, and shouted at the top of my lungs:"I killed your precious Maalai! She kept talking about following some guy… Man, he must be a real shitty leader… sending trash like her out here!" I kept shaking my naked ass at him provocatively. Arus's head snapped sideways. A thick vein bulged on his temple. His pressure skyrocketed in pure rage. The remaining Spirit Hawk used that opening to step back and recover.

The soldiers instinctively moved aside as Arus's rage reached its peak. He trembled with fury, then exploded into a deafening roar:"HE IS NOT A GUY! HE IS OUR ANOINTED ONE, THE ONE CHOSEN TO CLEANSE THIS FILTHY WORLD! HE WILL USHER IN A NEW ERA WHERE BLOOD SEES ALL, BLOOD BECOMES ALL, AND WE ARE ONE! YOU DIRTY, NAKED BABOON! HOW DARE YOU SPEAK OF HIM LIKE THAT?! I WILL SKIN YOU ALIVE AND BURN YOUR WORTHLESS BLOOD! IT IS NOT EVEN NEEDED, YOU HEATHEN!!!" His small steps turned into thunderous strides.

He had completely lost focus on everything else, now locked onto me alone, just as I had hoped. I turned and sprinted into the dense branches. The bloated, blood-swollen Arus was slower than before, but he was still gaining on me terrifyingly fast. I followed the path Michaelanius had once shown me and leaped into the hidden hole, plunging deeper into the cave system, where i fought the Bandits recently. Arus followed without hesitation. Inside the narrow tunnels, I finally had the advantage.

He laughed maniacally, dragging his massive sword along the stone.

"This is your end, heathen! You should have stayed hidden in your pathetic little corner! Granting you death will be my greatest pleasure!" Every second he wasted chasing me bought precious time for the others. When we reached the end of the cave, he cornered me. He beat me mercilessly... blows I had never felt before. I truly believed my end had come… But the time I bought was perfect. The remaining Spirit Hawk shot through the cave like a bolt of wind, spearing Arus through the back.

With a roar, Arus hurled it upward, smashing a massive hole through the ceiling. As he emerged into the open sky, the elite Wyrm Squadron, over a hundred strong unleashed a perfectly coordinated barrage. Arus was slammed downward. At the bottom stood the Herzog, cradling his wounded daughter. With her remaining strength, she fired everything she had left scorching water jets from her pauldrons straight into Arus's face.

Generals and newly arrived reinforcements combined their ultimate techniques, pouring everything into him. Still… it wasn't enough. Then the Herzog's wife arrived. Seeing the carnage, she transformed into her Vestuto the Arcvesta. Elegant dark armor glowed with green impulses. She swiped both hands left and right, releasing ghostly green auras that invaded Arus's mind, burning through his Animo like a drain pipe, rapidly weakening him from within. That was the final blow.

As Arus reached his absolute limit, blood poured from his armor, forming a red goo at his feet. He tried desperately to summon the Bloodifier Istiainus the 12th Purosangue… But it was too late. His body began disintegrating. With his last breath, he whispered brokenly: "I will join the World… sooner than predicted… My Anointed One… my all… my…" His voice faded into nothingness. The battle was over. The Herzog collapsed to the ground, completely exhausted. His daughter, still weakened, fell beside him.

The night that had begun in terror and bloodshed had turned into a hard-fought victory. … Or so it seemed. Battle Report: Total Forces Joined: 230, 000 Died: 22, 121 Remaining: 207, 879 Generals: 10 → 3 Died → 7 Remaining