Archduke Laren ignored the terrible injuries all over his body. He didn't care about the pain from his broken bones and torn muscles. Heck, he didn't even care that his entire left arm was about to break off from his body.
He only cared about pulling air into his lungs and shouting. "Hold them back at any cost!"
Saying so, he ordered. "I order you as the Archduke of Mirage Abyss, Bless The Protectors!"
Among the rubble of the castle, a few pieces glowed brightly and a brilliant light fell on the two Abyssals, including the Archduke.
The auras of the Abyssals rose and reached the range of Archduke Laren.
The Archduke's aura rose further and he became something akin to a Pseudo Sovereign.
Seeing this, the faces of the human warriors paled.
Laren smiled viciously as his plan finally succeeded. The castle wasn't just a mere decorative item. It was a great treasure with many functions. But only Mirage Queen could use them.
Since he wasn't the owner, he had to bypass a lot of restrictions and it took a lot of time.
Even then, he could only use a limited amount of power since the castle was already destroyed.
Still, with the reinforcements in sight, this much was more than enough!
The human warriors made a decision without hesitation and they all charged their auras to retreat.
They weren't afraid of these two Abyssals, but if they engaged in a battle now, they'd surely be delayed for a few more seconds. By then, reinforcements would be here.
"You're not going anywhere!"
"Every one of you will die!"
The two Abyssals growled as their bodies emitted a red glow.
Their power indeed rose, but it had a heavy burden on their bodies. If it was a normal time, they'd only be bedridden for a month.
But taking the power increase, now, they'd be dead in a few seconds. In fact, their bodies were already burning up.
"Get back! Don't engage in any fight!" Varian urged the human warriors.
If only it was that easy.
The psychic Abyssal pulled five level 9s into an illusion.
The telekinetic, on the other hand, created a barrier around the remaining four.
Then, their bodies shriveled up and they turned into dust.
Archduke Laren grinned at their sacrifice as he controlled his mind power and finished weaving the huge web with his strings.
The fourteen old men and women that were about to retreat found themselves within the confines of the web.
The strings started to move at high speed as they tried to slice the humans into pieces of flesh.
Facing those fatal attacks, the fourteen level 9s could only dodge desperately to avoid being killed.
But in just a second, there were countless small and big injuries on their bodies.
Even worse, none of them were able to escape from the confines of the string web.
As they were struggling, more than fifteen auras locked onto the capital!
The reinforcements were almost here!
"Arghh!"
"Damn it!"
The level 9s trapped in the illusion were trying their best to break out of it and control their bodies. The illusion was already breaking, but it'd take a few more seconds.
Seconds that they didn't have.
"Fuck this shield!"
"I don't fear dying, but this death is too pathetic!"
The level 9s that were confined in the invisible barriers cursed helplesnessly.
Even though the invisible barriers cracked under their desperate attacks, they were still a few seconds away from breaking them.
The same could be said about the fourteen warriors facing the Archduke.
The auras of the reinforcements grew closer and Laren's face distorted into a smile.
Even though he too would die in a few seconds, he was damn sure he could survive to see the scene of reinforcements encircling the human bastards!
"Ahahaha! That's it! It's over! You pests can die! We will kill your families to accompany you later! Don't worry, they will be tortured by Shadow Order before that!"
The twenty-three brave men and women of the human race felt their hearts grow heavy.
By the time they broke out of their confines, it'd already be too late.
Even if half of them escaped through ghost ship, their casualties would be fifteen.
Counting the archduke who's about to die, the number of Abyssals they killed in this mission would be thirty-three.
Relatively, they made a gain of only eighteen level 9s.
It's nowhere enough to change the situation of Mars around.
That's why they're reluctant to die!
Archduke Laren knew their worries and he only felt his heart pound as a sense of crazed joy coursed through his body.
"Even with all the losses you caused, we have forty more level 9s than Mars! We'll conquer that damn planet in a few days.
Women, Children, and the Elderly, no one will be spared.
You already tried the best you can, but here you are, about to die a dog's death!"
The human warriors gritted their teeth as they gave it their all to break the confines.
Yet…
"Your actions certainly created losses for us, but know this! You are losers! This is a war you can't win! It's over!" Laren's legs turned to dust.
Blood flowed out from the lips of the old men and women who risked their lives for the human race.
Their hearts burned with fury as they realized none of their actions were going to change the unstoppable tragedy!
"Pray as much as you like, but your Heaven's Will can't save you this time!" Laren's torso also turned into dust and only his head remained.
The reinforcements also reached the distance just enough to start attacking the warriors.
A relieved, but vengeful smile remained on Laren's face that was now starting to vanish.
Laren sighed as he felt satisfied with his final moment. So, he left the last words before he would breathe his last.
"Your race will become history, a glorious conquest of Abyssals, a tool for our rejuvenation! This is your fate!"
The human warriors closed their eyes in pain, seemingly accepting the inevitable future.
Laren burnt this sight into his memory. Undoubtedly, this was his life's greatest achievement.
But before he could close his eyes and die peacefully, a domineering voice shook the sky.
"Fuck Fate!"
Carrying six blades on its body, the ghost ship shot toward the fourteen humans that were trapped in the string web.
Even though the ghost ship wasn't strong, it traveled at such a ridiculous speed that when its blades made of celestial metal touched the strings, the strings broke like threads.
The fourteen injured humans were pulled into the ship without any gap.
As if waiting for that moment, the fourteen quickly attacked the telekinetic barriers trapping four of their comrades.
Ghost ship reached them in the blink of an eye and took them in. Then, it also grabbed the humans under the illusion.
The reinforcements that were about to attack the level 9s realized their targets disappeared!
The twenty level 9s that reached the city locked their senses onto the ghost ship and were about to attack when Varian's voice reverberated throughout the broken city.
"Archduke, Mars won't be conquered." Varian declared, almost like he was announcing a prophecy.
Laren, whose face was slowly turning into dust, glared at the ghost ship with bloodshot eyes.
He thought he could die peacefully.
He believed that those humans would definitely die!
But this bastard!
He destroyed his plan single-handedly!
If Laren could sell his soul to kill Varian, he would do so without hesitation. Even if he had to suffer the worst torment for eternity, Laren wouldn't bat an eyelid.
He hated Varian more than anything! Even more than Fairies and Zions!
As Laren struggled with his everything to stop the inevitable death, Varian's words continued.
"Didn't you ask us to pray? Then, as a human, I pray. I pray for your Abyss Race to have a good afterlife if it does exist. Because I'll be sending you, your family, and every goddam thing related to Abyssals in this solar system to the Otherside."
Laren's eyes trembled. "N-Neve—"
"And you told us to accept our fate, right? Then, I'll tell you what is the fate of your race. It's just like you." Varian's intimidating laughter caused Laren terrible fear.
He wanted to die. He didn't want to hear those ominous next words. But—
"Just like you, your race is on the verge of death and is desperately trying to stay alive. But neither you nor your race can escape death."
Laren opened his mouth to shout in protest, but no words came out as his face turned to ashes.
Death…finally devoured him.
