Meanwhile in far away Kingdom...
The survivors trudge along the moonlit road. The rumble of Maiju howls rises from the forests. The Omega Division forms a circle, weapons ready. Redhardt dismounts, cloak fluttering in the night breeze. His eyes sharpen—no longer just a weary king, but a warrior entering Flowstate
---
Redhardt (steady, calm, voice cutting through the fear):
"Steady your hearts. Fear is the current that drowns men… but I am the river that carries us forward. Omega Division, with me!"
---
[The Maiju charge from the treeline—hulking beasts of twisted mana. The Omega Division engages, their Arcanes flaring in sparks of light.]
Alpha (raising her hand, her staff blazing):
"Arcane Convergence—Radiant Bind!"
[Chains of searing mana lash out, pinning two Maiju to the earth.]
Epsilon (sliding forward, glyphs glowing under her feet):
"Arcane Shift—Blink Edge!"
[She vanishes, reappearing behind a beast, carving deep with her twin blades.]
Beta (darting between shadows, voice cold):
"Silent Culling."
[She disappears into the Maiju swarm, and bodies collapse before their roars even rise.]
Gamma (slamming her shield down, mana erupting like a fortress):
"Arcane Guard—Bulwark Storm!"
[A barrier bursts outward, halting the Maiju rush and giving the survivors precious seconds.]
---
[Amid the chaos, Redhardt closes his eyes. His breathing steadies. His form loosens—like water spilling across stone. A Maiju lunges, claws descending.]
Narration (or onlookers' perception):
He doesn't resist. He flows.
[The claws slash through empty air—Redhardt's body bending unnaturally aside. His hand brushes the Maiju's arm, and in an instant the beast is hurled aside by its own momentum.]
---
Epsilon (gasping, mid-battle):
"His Majesty… he's weaving through them as if the battle itself bends for him!"
---
[Another Maiju roars, spewing mana flames. Redhardt steps into it, palms meeting the torrent—absorbing the energy, flowing backward like a tide. Then—CRASH—he hurls the flames back in a tidal surge, obliterating the beast in one motion.]
---
Beta (with a sharp grin from the shadows):
"Tch. That's no king… that's a storm in human form."
---
[The Maiju regroup, circling. Redhardt lowers into stance, his aura shifting—one moment oppressive, the next vanishing like mist.]
Alpha (eyes widening, awe in her voice):
"His presence… I can't read him at all. He's everywhere, yet nowhere."
---
[Then it begins—his signature state. Redhardt enters Infinite Flow. Each attack he evades without pause, flowing into counters. Each counter flows into crushing strikes. Every motion builds into the next, a seamless, unbroken dance of inevitability. The battlefield bends around him as if he were the current itself.]
---
Redhardt (calm, voice resonant with purpose as he moves):
"I am Redhardt Von Molinhurst… king of Zaiglep. And so long as I draw breath, no Maiju shall claim the light of my people."
---
[The Omega Division watches for a brief moment—before rallying, their faith in their young king ignited. Together, they carve through the night, their unity like a symphony of destruction and hope.]
[ The battlefield is covered with dead Maiju. Survivors hold onto hope after seeing Redhardt's Infinite Flow. The Omega Division stands bloodied but unbroken. Redhardt's chest rises and falls, sweat dripping from his face. His aura flickers—still flowing, but weaker.]
---
Gamma (panting, spear pressed into the ground):
"We did it… we actually—"
[The ground shakes. The forest trembles. A sound rises—like thunder mixed with animal screams. Dozens, then hundreds of glowing eyes appear in the dark. An endless wave of Maiju.]
---
Beta (clicking her tongue, her dagger shaking in her grip):
"…You've got to be kidding me."
Epsilon (voice cracking, stepping closer to Redhardt):
"Hundreds… we can't hold this line, Your Majesty. Not even with you."
---
[Redhardt stares at the horde. His body feels heavier with every breath. Flowstate flickers, barely holding. He clenches his fists.]
Redhardt (low, almost to himself):
"…So this is the weight of inevitability."
---
[The Maiju roar and charge, the ground rumbling like a stampede. Redhardt steps forward, voice strong despite his shaking frame.]
Redhardt (to Omega Division):
"Hold formation! If I fall, then let it be with my back to the people, not to the dark!"
---
[He surges back into Flowstate—dodging, redirecting, striking. For a moment, he's unstoppable: sending beasts flying, turning fire back against them, smashing waves of Maiju with Crash Releases. But each movement grows slower. Each redirection weighs him down. His eyes burn with exhaustion.]
---
Alpha (screaming as she fires radiant blasts):
"Your Majesty! Enough! You'll burn yourself away!"
---
[A giant Maiju, twice the size of the rest, breaks through. Its claw slams down. Redhardt intercepts, redirects the force—but the recoil hits him like a hammer, blood spilling from his mouth.]
Redhardt (stumbling, defiant):
"Even if my body breaks… the river must flow!"
---
[But his stance falters. Flowstate shatters—the seamless rhythm broken. A Maiju slashes across his chest, hurling him into the dirt. His crown falls, sinking into the mud.]
---
Epsilon (horrified, rushing toward him):
"Redhardt!"
Beta (fighting desperately, fury in her voice):
"Damn it—he's just a boy, not a god!"
---
[The horde closes in. Redhardt forces himself up, shaking, aura flickering weakly. He looks at his people—terrified but still alive behind the Omega Division.]
Redhardt (voice hoarse, but steady):
"If this is prophecy… then let history call me a king who stood until the river ran dry."
---
[He rises, swaying but unbroken, ready to fight once more though his defeat is certain. The Omega Division forms around him, shields and blades raised, shouting in defiance as the horde crashes closer.]
That night, the boy-king tasted defeat. The river broke—not from weakness, but from the flood that even rivers could not carry.