The Duke's power had fallen below rank 5. Yet, he was able to overwhelm Lord Jorand who was at the peak of rank 4.
The Duke's four rank 4s were Prime Minister, Grand Admiral, Duke's eldest son, and Akira.
With Akira defecting and killing Cassius' eldest son, the Duchy had two rank 4s.
Barix Province also had two. In addition to Akira, there was a fierce bald man over eight feet and a ripped physique. He's a peak rank 4 that Jorand used the life strand to enslave.
After years of training, he had now become a shell of a man but an impossibly loyal servant.
Without any regard for his own state, the bald man took on both the Prime Mister and Grand Admiral.
The Duchy certainly was matched by Barix in rank 3s. But in rank 2s and rank 1s, Centaurus heavily outnumbered Barix Province.
It should've been a game-changer and ended the battle by now.
But unexpectedly, a lot of these soldiers suddenly felt an unknown force bursting out right from their bodies and injuring them internally.
"What's happening?"
"I-It's the medical material from the pills we took!"
"And the potions!"
The panicked screams of the rank 1s and rank 2s filled the air as their Barix counterparts exploited the situation and brutally slaughtered them.
"AKIRA!"
A thunderous roar shook the entire planet. Millions living within a hundred miles of the palace fainted on the spot. Even many rank 1s fighting fiercely felt dizzy.
"Hahaha, yes, thanks to the help of Akira, I was able to mix some things into their potions." Lord Jorand wrung his hair and dried off the sticky blood.
Compared to Jorand who had injuries all over his body, Cassius was in a much better state. Except for a few gashes here and there, he looked alright.
"Don't be so angry, my dear duke," Akira threw away the treasures she used to cripple the soldiers and entered the barrier to face the Duke.
"This is between you two and me. They're all innocent." Cassius spat and pointed to the thousands fighting around them outside the thick barrier.
"Innocent?" Jorand laughed. "Following a scum like you is a sin in itself."
"They were given an option to switch sides, my dear duke." Akira's reply was calm but taunting. "They made the wrong choice."
Looking at the madman and woman, Cassius clenched his fists and his chest heaved up and down.
He might've fought them desperately if he was still young. But with age, he had many things to consider.
Even if he won, it'd be a tragic victory. The loss of a rank 4 was already damaging, but they'd lose many rank 3s and rank 2s.
There were signs that a war would kick off in the near future. If Centaurus was so weak, then it'd be finished under the hands of the brutal Jai Empire.
These were all under the premise he won. What if he lost?
He was able to suppress Lord Jorand so far. But if Akira was added into the mix…
"Is there no other way? Even if you win, you'll end up in a worse state than before." Cassius said in an earnest tone.
Jorand fell silent for a few seconds before crossing his arms. "Admit every horrible thing you've done over the years. Not just to me or Akira, but every damn family you've ruined, every fucking child you orphaned, and every city you left to the wolves. Admit everything in front of everyone and kill yourself."
"W-What are you saying?" Cassius looked at him in disbelief.
"Enough talk! I want to hear him scream and writhe in pain." Akira's hands glowed and she shot forward in a blur.
A blinding light flashed and a fierce shockwave swept the palace complex despite the thick barrier.
Even the strongest rank 3s outside could only see three blurred figures clashing endlessly in the barrier.
As time passed, more and more people began to die off. The battles grew slow and less intense. As injuries piled up and aura reserves depleted, the fighters simply couldn't exert the power they first did.
Everyone's powers were down by almost a rank. The Duke had it the worst and was just lingering above rank 3.
Akira and Jorand were a tad better and were managing to display the strength of a low rank 3.
Compared to earlier, the Duke was now covered in dire injuries. Akira and Jorand were better, but just relatively. They too had several deep cuts that'd have caused them to scream at other times.
But now, with vengeance-filled souls, they forgot to even scream.
All they could and did was fight.
— — — — —
"That fucking son of a…" Varian rubbed his head and slowly opened his eyes. It hurt like hell and he still felt like a sharp blade was just slicing away his insides to paper-thin pieces.
He'd have really died this time. The life strand Akira fed him forcefully was ironically what pulled him back from death.
"I'll kill that bastard," Varian said with a harsh tone under the rubble. But despite sensing the two presences inside the treasury, he teleported out of the main palace and sat on the stairs with a tired expression. "But I can't kill him now. I'm too weak. Fuck it. You have two years at most and six months at least."
'Status'
[Mystic Rank 2: 225/250 (+75)
[Destruction of your body to such a basic level turns out to be one of the most productive ways to grow stronger. Who could guess, eh?]
Famine Rank 2: 200/250 (+75)
[Reconstructing your entire body and filling its life force is also one of the best ways to improve your Famine powers.]
Spirit Rank 2: 150/250 (+75)
[Your soul dissolved.]
Matter Rank 2: 150/250 (+50)
Energy Rank 2: 150/250 (+50)
[Your body is an orderly system with its own chaos. Deconstruction and reconstruction is a very good learning session. Try it a few more times.]
Space Rank 2: 249/250 (+149)
[You should've reached rank 3 but you hit a bottleneck. It's not hard but you need to experience space properly to break it.]
Time Rank 2: 150/250 (+50)
PS: If it wasn't for that life strand, you'd have been a goner. So, realize how weak you are. Do not get complacent.]
"…I still have to go down there and get that thing from the treasury." Varian stood up and looked down, his gaze piercing through the endless stone and floors underground and locked onto the figure in red robes.
But to do that, he'd better be as strong as possible. It'd be a comic tragedy if he died after surviving miraculously.
It's in his best interest to be as strong as possible to increase his survivability.
"Now, this is a golden opportunity." Varian looked at the fierce battle in the distance with a scorching gaze.
