The Royal Airship, a sleek vessel adorned with glowing Clout Crystals, skimmed over the Aesthetic Mountains and descended upon the Flow Spire Nexus.
The Spire itself was breathtaking: a massive, ancient tower of pure, white mana crystal, humming with the continuous, vital energy of the nation's Flow. But the area around its base was already scarred by the presence of the Chadgardian suicide brigade.
Three massive, heavily armored Generals—crude, bulky figures named General Brutox, General Girth, and General Scowl—stood at the base of the Spire, surrounded by demolition charges and enough C4 to shatter the entire nexus. They were the epitome of Cringe and brute military finality.
"General Scowl, General Girth, General Brutox!" Felix announced, stepping off the ramp of the airship. He was clad in the Digital Dawn ensemble, his aura flaring with the concentrated power of his entire kingdom. "Your journey ends here. You will not desecrate the heart of The Flow."
General Brutox, the largest and dullest, merely snarled. "The time for your pretty words and ridiculous outfits is over, little King! We came here to end your degeneracy, not to be canceled!"
Felix knew he had moments before the Generals reached the Spire's core. They were too armored and too focused on physical destruction for the Aesthetic Vortex alone to work instantly. He needed to make their surroundings betray them.
Felix channeled a massive surge of his refined DF into his core. He would use the Ironic Inversion not on the enemy themselves, but on the very ground they stood on.
He executed a sweeping, dramatic movement with his hand, perfectly capturing the lighting on his Clout Crystal jacket.
Kingly Skill Activated: The Ironic Inversion (Cost: 5,000 DF)
The King targeted the barren, rocky terrain immediately surrounding the Generals and the Spire base.
"You came to destroy our Flow using your heavy, uninspired equipment," Felix declared, his voice magically amplified. "I will turn your very foundation into a monument to your stupidity!"
The rocky terrain instantly shimmered, then warped. It didn't turn to foam rubber; it transmuted into something far more dangerous to their aesthetic: perfectly polished, frictionless, high-AI runway glass.
The three massive, lumbering Generals, clad in tons of heavy, ungraceful armor, found their feet planted on a treacherous, hyper-aesthetic surface.
General Girth tried to take a step, but his heavy, blocky boots offered no traction on the mirror-smooth glass. He slipped, arms flailing, his massive body skidding across the ground and slamming into General Brutox.
[CHADGARDIAN GENERAL STATUS: MOVEMENT IMPAIRMENT: 90%. AESTHETIC TRAUMA: HIGH. TERRAIN INTEGRITY: FLOW-COMPATIBLE.]
The Generals struggled, their dull metal scraping uselessly on the beautiful, unforgiving surface. The ground, now a perfect reflective glass, made their ridiculous struggle a humiliating spectacle, broadcasting their ineptitude back to the Chadgardian Generals watching via battlefield satellite.
"You see? Your strength is useless without grace," Felix noted, walking across the inverted glass with impossible, balletic ease, his platform boots gripping the surface as if by magic. "Your final attack has become my runway! Your destruction is now my Flow content!"
Felix turned to the airship, where Rhea was already filming the Generals struggling like newborn calves on the ice.
"Rhea! Zoom in on General Scowl's face! The sheer look of defeated Cringe on his features is a goldmine!"
[SYSTEM ALERT: Cringe-Based Disbelief (LOCALIZED) INFLUX DETECTED. META-FLOW ENERGY RISING.]
General Scowl, blinded by rage and humiliation, managed to raise a heavy, non-aesthetic grenade launcher. "You're too distracted, boy! Die!"
He fired. The projectile was a massive, armor-piercing shell aimed directly at the King's head.
Felix didn't even need to dodge. He simply channeled the newly generated Meta-Flow energy into a small, targeted activation of the Ironic Inversion.
Kingly Skill Activated: The Ironic Inversion (Targeted, Low-Cost)
The incoming shell instantly transformed mid-air. It became a beautiful, harmless cluster of holographic, heart-shaped confetti. The confetti exploded over Felix, showering him in shimmering light, turning the assassination attempt into a celebratory parade.
"Such lovely special effects," Felix cooed, brushing the iridescent confetti from his shoulders. "Is that all you've got?"
The Generals were defeated before the physical battle even began, utterly humiliated by their inability to navigate the King's aesthetically hostile terrain.