"All of this surprises me..."
Adonis was kneeling on the ground when he heard those words from the being above.
It was the Dragon General, Kar'en.
Her single flapped above as a distorted spatial barrier surrounded her. She looked down on everyone with her crimson eyes, and her red hair danced with the wind.
Despite the powerful explosion that just erupted, there didn't seem to be a scratch on her. Perhaps there was a few moments ago, but accounting for her defenses, and the superior regenerative capabilities of a Dragon General, her unharmed appearance wasn't too much of a surprise.
Even Adonis, after hearing her voice, didn't seem too shocked.
He didn't have the mental capacity to wonder about the million ways she could have escaped the blast or recuperated from its effects.
He was simply on his knees, completely downtrodden.
As for his allies, they weren't faring any better.
Justin, Billy, and Trisha had lost consciousness already. Clark was still struggling to cling on to life, and Alicia was completely out of it.
Sure, the Dragon side had also suffered heavy losses, but the most troublesome foe still remained.
Her condescending gaze and overwhelming presence told Adonis that there was no way out.
They were done for.
"Humans with such capabilities... I never would have imagined they existed." Kar'en went on to say.
Adonis didn't respond.
"To think you could resist my Curse Magic--something on the Absolute Tier--and the rest of your comrades could put up such a decent fight..."
The reason Adonis was only mildly affected by the Curse Magic--which soon faded away--was due to one of his Class Privileges.
As the Hero, he was immune to most negative Status Conditions, and his body was to remain healthy at all times.
Even in the case of curses and debuffs that were immensely powerful, their effects would be mitigated by this Privilege, and their duration would be cut short.
If Adonis wasn't the Hero, he too would have fallen unconscious at this point.
"It's too bad all your actions are for naught. In the end, no matter how hard you struggle, you can not win against the might of the Draconic Empire."
Adonis gritted his teeth as he heard that. He wanted so desperately to reject the General's claims and charge towards her, but what was the use?
He would lose.
Even with [Limit Transcension], he couldn't possibly win against her.
The variety of Skills that Kar'en possessed, as well as her Stats, made it an impossible task.
'I made a mistake. We shouldn't have come here...'
Adonis recognized his wrongs at that moment.
But... wasn't it too late?
His goals--everything he worked so hard to achieve for sixteen years--was evaporating before his very eyes.
'I failed...'
Adonis felt his grip on the Divine Blade loosen, and his will to fight began to dwindle.
His old self began to emerge, and his body began to shake. The burden that he carried for so many years became too much for him to carry.
He couldn't stand. He couldn't move. He could only wait... for the death that was coming for him.
"I was ordered to capture you all, but you're too dangerous to be kept alive." Kar'en said with a decisive tone.
A brilliant glow of crimson began to flash from her outstretched hand.
"I'll simply capture that broken girl and the barely alive man over there and kill the rest of you."
The orb of bright red was done, and the ray of destruction was complete.
"Now then, let's start with you. " She set her aim on Adonis, a sadistic smile on her face.
"Di--"
~WHOOOSH!~
A silhouette suddenly appeared right behind Kar'en at that moment, causing her senses to instantly detect it.
'Huh...?!'
Her eyes widened as she felt the blur's emergence from seemingly out of nowhere.
Still, since she was much faster than whatever went after her blind spot, she easily evaded the slash of the blade that would have hit her.
However…
~SWISH!~
An invisible slash sliced off her wings at that very moment.
'… What?!'
As her mind struggled to comprehend what just happened, the brilliant blast that she was beginning to prepare suddenly began to spiral out of control.
It no longer listened to her command.
Instead, it began to expand and grow in power… almost as if it was about to—
"The he—?!"
~BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!~
This blast of crimson decorated the sky as two figures appeared on the ground, almost at the same time.
"Looks like we made it in time… thank goodness." A gruff voice murmured out loud as the buff owner took a couple of steps forward.
Behind him was a much smaller lady, with long white hair and crimson eyes.
"What in the world happened here…?" She whispered.
As Adonis heard those two distinct voices—especially the latter—he raised his head and gazed upon the two people who made their sudden entry.
"B-Brutus… Lucielle…?" As he whispered those words, they both looked in his direction.
The Grand Mage of the Alliance, as well as the Head Warrior—
the two strongest humans in H'Trae—now stood amidst the chaotic outskirts of the Capital.
A place that was once smooth had become a site of devastation.
With everyone out of commission, Adonis was the only one to witness their return. The moment he set his sights on them, the overbearing weight suddenly began to dwindle.
"My goodness, is that…?"
Lucielle swiftly rushed to the scorched and bloody mess that was Clark, while Brutus walked towards the kneeling Hero.
"Adonis… can you stand?" He stretched out his hand, not saying much else.
The current battlefield was not a place for needless questions or pointless conversations. They could have all of that after the crisis had been averted.
Right now, there was only one matter of concern.
Adonis gave a slight nod, reaching out for Brutus' outstretched hand while smiling.
"Yeah!"
Staggering a little, he finally found his footing and stood upright. His Divine Blade instantly flew into his grasp and he wielded it with both hands, alongside the Head Warrior who also had his blade unsheathed.
"Good." Brutus smiled, casting his gaze on the dwindling explosion in the sky.
"Let's save the small talk for later. Right now, we have to beat that thing, right?"
Adonis didn't know when the rest of the burdens vanished. The sorrow and pain in his heart remained, but they seemed stifled—like distant echoes that had been blocked off by the walls of responsibility.
Right now, he had no right to mourn or dawdle in regret.
He had one duty and one duty alone.
"Yeah!"
—To be the Hero!
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Thanks for reading!
Well, it seems like we are gonna have ourselves another fight.
How do you think this one will play out?
