Richard scanned the enemy with his eyes, and a chill ran down his spine.
They were stronger.
At the front stood a Magister-Delta Earth Warrior. Beside him, a Fire Magister and two Lord-Gamma Wind Warriors protected the flanks. A Shadow Lord-Beta remained several steps behind, while the rest of the swordsmen and mages completed the formation.
On the royal side, only Richard and Edward could face the highest-level combatants.
Everyone else would have to endure as best they could.
At the center of the formation stood Prince Andrew.
His magical power was extraordinary.
His ability to fight, however, was not.
Richard breathed slowly.
They could not afford to waste even a single second.
A figure emerged from the mist.
His presence seemed to swallow the light of the forest, and every step caused the earth to tremble slightly.
—Names are unnecessary —said the Earth Magister—. Hand over the prince and the rest of you will live.
Richard raised his sword.
—You will have to go through all of us.
The man smiled.
There was no anger on his face.
Only the calm of someone who already considered himself victorious.
—That can be arranged.
The silence lasted barely an instant.
The shields collided.
Clang!
The guards closed ranks around Andrew. The mages stepped back and began gathering mana behind them. Richard activated a small communication artifact.
A blue flash crossed the forest.
The distress signal.
The smell of wet earth disappeared beneath the scent of metal, sweat, and compressed mana.
—Attack!
The Earth Magister disappeared.
Richard's eyes barely managed to follow him.
CLANG!
Both of Richard's swords blocked a greatsword strike that would have split any Lord in half. The shockwave traveled through his arms and forced him several steps backward, leaving deep marks in the ground.
—Now!
The enemy swordsmen charged at the same time.
Steel collided again and again.
Shields creaked.
Sparks illuminated the forest.
Behind the first line, Andrew's mages completed their spell.
A blue barrier surrounded the formation.
The enemy Magister struck with a fist covered in stone.
BOOM!
The entire barrier trembled.
A second blow opened small cracks.
The third shattered it into thousands of fragments of light.
—Fall back! —one of the mages shouted.
The defensive line faltered.
On the right flank, Edward drove his sword into the ground.
Ice spread like a wave beneath the feet of the two Lord-Gamma Wind Warriors.
One lost his balance.
The other did not even slow down.
He jumped across the frozen surface as if he had predicted the move from the beginning.
Richard frowned.
They were not improvising.
Every attack found the exact point in their formation.
They avoided the strongest defenders.
They pressured where the line was weakest.
They knew the prince's guard formation.
They knew exactly where to strike.
The enemy mages raised their staffs at the same time.
Darkness poured from their hands like a thick mist, covering the battlefield.
Richard felt the weight of the spell pressing against his mind. His arms seemed slower. His thoughts heavier.
—Do not lower your guard! —he roared.
That was enough.
Two swordsmen took advantage of that brief hesitation and charged the flanks.
Clang!
The shields shook.
Clang!
Another impact.
The defensive line stepped back.
At the center of the formation, Andrew breathed heavily.
Each lightning spell consumed an enormous amount of mana. His muscles burned and his breathing became increasingly irregular.
But he did not stop casting.
A bolt of lightning crossed the forest and struck a swordsman attempting to circle the formation.
The man fell, surrounded by smoke.
The battle became a whirlwind.
Steel.
Fire.
Ice.
Wind.
A royal guard fell after being pierced by a spear of stone.
Another lost his footing when a wind blade opened his thigh.
Two enemies were thrown into the trees by a rushing wave of water.
Richard could barely distinguish one battle from another.
He only knew that every second they were losing ground.
Two minutes later, the clearing had completely changed.
The grass was stained red.
The trees carried deep scars.
Crater-like holes created by magic covered the ground.
Five of the prince's guards had fallen.
Three attackers also lay motionless on the earth.
The protective barrier shone again.
A crack appeared on its surface.
Then another.
The blue glow began flickering.
—It will not hold! —one of the mages shouted.
The enemy leader unleashed another strike reinforced with earth mana.
BOOM!
The barrier exploded into thousands of luminous fragments that scattered through the air like crystals.
The two surviving mages exchanged a glance.
They nodded.
Both extended their hands.
The water accumulated on the ground began spinning violently.
A pressurized current tore across the battlefield and struck two enemies directly.
Their bodies were thrown backward until they crashed against the tree trunks.
Andrew looked up.
The vapor.
The humidity.
It was enough.
He gritted his teeth and gathered the mana he had left.
—Aaah!
A bolt of lightning descended from the sky.
The strike traveled through the humid air and hit a third attacker.
The smell of burned flesh filled the forest.
Andrew fell to his knees, gasping for breath.
His arms trembled.
Edward was in no better condition.
He drove his sword into the ground to keep himself from collapsing.
Each breath sounded heavier than the last.
The enemy leader raised a hand.
—Stop.
His men immediately halted.
Silence returned to the forest, broken only by the breathing of the survivors.
The Magister slowly walked among the bodies.
He was in no hurry.
He knew victory was close.
He stopped in front of Richard.
—Surrender.
His voice was strangely calm.
—No one is coming. Everything has been prepared so that the prince dies today.
His eyes shifted slightly toward Richard.
—Step aside, Bourlance... and I will spare your life.
Richard spat blood to the side.
Even so, he raised his sword.
—If I abandon my lord... I stop being a knight.
His gaze remained firm.
—What value would my name have then?
For a moment, the enemy leader watched him in silence.
Then he smiled.
It was not a smile of happiness.
It was the smile of someone who admired an enemy before killing him.
—Then I will grant you a quick death.
He disappeared.
Richard reacted instinctively.
CLANG!
The swords collided with brutal force.
The impact shook the ground.
A few meters away, Edward intercepted the second Magister.
His ice sword blocked the first strike.
The second.
The third.
Each clash stole a little more of his strength.
Richard deflected another greatsword and shouted without taking his eyes off his opponent.
—Andrew! Your affinity gives you an advantage! Use it!
Andrew widened his eyes.
He understood.
While the Magisters kept Richard and Edward occupied, the remaining attackers advanced again.
—Finish them! —the leader ordered.
A wall of flames crossed the clearing.
Edward responded by raising a wall of ice.
The collision released a cloud of steam that covered the battlefield.
Before the mist disappeared, several wind blades tore through the trees.
Nearby trunks were cut apart as if they were dry branches.
Richard spun around.
The water gathered on the ground responded to his mana and began rising, forming a vortex around his body.
The magical swords collided against the current one after another.
One.
Two.
Three.
Each impact destabilized the spell.
They were not trying to break through his defenses.
They were forcing them to move.
Edward drove his sword into the ground.
Several ice spears emerged in front of him and crossed the battlefield.
Three enemies retreated to block them.
But the knight's expression remained tense.
His breathing grew heavier.
Every spell consumed what little strength he had left.
Richard blocked another attack and observed the battlefield.
Then he understood.
They were not trying to defeat them directly.
They wanted to separate them.
Every attack had a purpose.
Every movement forced a defender to abandon their position.
They were opening a path toward Andrew.
—Maintain formation!
But his voice no longer carried the same strength as before.
The knights were exhausted.
Each one was fighting more than one enemy.
The sound of steel filled the forest.
Cries mixed with explosions of mana.
One guard fell.
Another took his place.
A third died protecting one of the mages.
The formation weakened with every second.
Five royal knights were already on the ground.
Three enemies had fallen as well.
But the difference remained obvious.
They could replace losses.
The prince's guard could not.
Then the enemy mages found the moment they had been waiting for.
—Now.
A spear of darkness crossed the battlefield and struck the elemental barrier.
The impact shook the entire structure.
A crack appeared.
Then another.
Richard felt his chest tighten.
The next offensive would be enough.
—Hold the line!
The enemy leader advanced.
His arm became covered in stone.
One strike.
BOOM!
The barrier exploded into thousands of fragments of light.
For an instant, the prince was exposed.
Andrew's two mages could barely remain standing.
They looked at each other.
They did not have enough mana.
But they had no other choice.
Both raised their hands.
The water scattered across the battlefield began moving.
Slowly at first.
Then violently.
A compressed current tore across the clearing and struck several enemies, throwing them against the trees.
—Now, Your Highness!
Andrew breathed heavily.
His arms trembled.
His body begged him to stop.
But there was still one thing he could do.
The humidity.
The water.
The mana-filled atmosphere.
Everything was on his side.
He raised his hand toward the sky.
—Punishment Lightning!
The clouds answered.
A lightning bolt descended with devastating force.
The strike traveled through the wet ground and pierced the enemy advancing toward him.
The Lord barely had time to react.
Light engulfed him completely.
The explosion shook the forest.
When the glow disappeared, only a charred body remained.
But that spell consumed the prince's last reserves.
Andrew breathed heavily.
His vision began to blur.
Then he saw Edward.
The knight was on his knees.
A spear of fire had pierced his chest.
Even so, he held his sword with both hands.
Richard was no better.
His armor was destroyed.
Blood dripped down his arm.
Each breath seemed like an unbearable effort.
Andrew understood the truth.
There were no reserves left.
No reinforcements.
This could be the last battle of their lives.
The enemy leader knocked away the last defender standing in his path.
Then he began walking forward.
Step.
After step.
His sword slowly lowered until it pointed toward the prince.
There was no hurry.
He knew they could no longer stop him.
He raised the weapon.
And brought down the final blow...