Michael Varkhal leapt into the air, raising his axe high above his head.
Cassian Valmere did not fully register the attack until Michael was close enough to cleave him apart.
At the final moment, Imperial Marshal Aleric Voss stepped in.
With his massive greatsword, he intercepted the blow and forced Michael backward.
The collision produced a violent shockwave.
Everyone nearby stumbled from the force.
Cassian steadied himself.
"What kind of brute strength was that?"
Michael smirked.
"How was my strength? Does it ring something in you? The power of Varkhal."
Cassian narrowed his gaze.
"Varkhals are known for hand-to-hand combat and overwhelming physical strength. They were never accustomed to wielding weapons. Since when did they learn to use them?"
Before the exchange could continue, Aleric Voss shouted,
"Squad Alpha! Protect the Archduke!"
One hundred soldiers advanced, surrounding Michael with drawn longswords. They rushed him together.
Despite wielding a massive axe, Michael moved with elegance. He dodged their strikes effortlessly.
Then, with a single sweeping slash—
He cut through them.
One by one, they fell.
Duke Edmund Harrington stared in disbelief.
"What is he… a monster?"
Suddenly, from behind him, a chain axe lashed forward from back to front.
Edmund reacted just in time, blocking with his dual swords. The strike was deflected, but the force made his hands tremble violently.
He turned.
Zeckie Varkhal grinned.
"What happened? Is it hurting?"
Edmund glanced at his shaking hands.
"So this… is Varkhal strength."
Zeckie twisted and danced with the chain axe, its blade extending and retracting unpredictably.
Each time it lashed toward him, Edmund deflected with his dual swords — but every block took a toll on his body.
"You can't keep up," Zeckie taunted. "Better be dead already."
If he keeps this up… I won't last, Edmund thought.
Elsewhere, Duke Lucian Montclaire struggled against Seth Varkhal.
Seth's agility defied human understanding.
He attacked from every direction — left, right, above, behind.
Lucian, shield and longsword in hand, deflected with precise timing.
Suddenly Seth vanished from his sight.
"For a second… where is he coming from?"
In the next instant, Seth appeared from below, slashing upward.
Lucian reacted within a fraction of a second, jumping and slamming forward with his shield.
Seth was pushed several feet back — but he landed steadily, silent as ever.
Lucian exhaled sharply.
"He's deliberately draining my stamina. I must finish this before he finishes me."
Not far away, Duke Theodore Rutherford endured the crushing blows of Lexus's giant war hammer.
Lexus spoke nothing.
He focused only on striking. Each swing grew heavier than the last.
Theodore's long shield absorbed blow after blow, but cracks were forming.
"He wants to crush me into the ground. At this rate… I will be smashed into it."
Watching all this unfold, Archduke Cassian Valmere and Marshal Aleric Voss waited for the right opportunity to strike Michael.
Then Aleric gave new orders.
"Squad Delta — reinforce Duke Edmund Harrington!"
"Squad Beta — assist Duke Theodore Rutherford!"
"Squad Gamma — support Duke Lucian Montclaire!"
Three more units of one hundred soldiers each rushed into their respective battles. And then battles started.
Behind the Manor of Count Viscon—
Olivia Varkhal dragged Yelena toward a waiting horse carriage.
Yelena resisted, struggling against her grip.
"My lady, don't make this harder for me," Olivia said calmly.
"I would rather die than go with you barbarians!" Yelena snapped.
For a brief second, Olivia released her.
Yelena rubbed her wrists in pain. Olivia's grip had been crushing — though from Olivia's perspective, she had not even held her tightly.
Then—
The atmosphere shifted.
Yelena felt it.
Something was changing. A strange sensation told her something not good was about to happen.
Olivia stepped toward her again.
Yelena stumbled backward.
"W-what are you going to do to me?"
Instead of answering directly, Olivia suddenly bowed to the ground.
"Forgive me, my lady."
Yelena froze, confused.
Within a fraction of a second—
Olivia struck the side of her neck.
Everything went black.
Yelena collapsed unconscious.
Olivia caught her, lifted her effortlessly, and placed her inside the carriage.
Without hesitation, she mounted the driver's seat and lashed the reins.
The horses surged forward at full speed, racing away from the manor.
Taking yelena's chance to reunite with Adrian—
Even though the army didnt come for her.
The battlefield raged without pause.
Michael's clash against Cassian Valmere and Aleric Voss was the most intense of all.
The two veterans gave him no opening.
Cassian attacked from the right with swift sword strikes.
Aleric pressed from the left with his massive greatsword.
They coordinated perfectly, striking at the same time, leaving no space for retaliation.
Michael did not seem bothered. He moved with calm precision.
Using his leg, he deflected Cassian's sword strike.
With his axe, he blocked Aleric's greatsword.
Both men were shocked by his reflexes.
Michael smirked.
"Still… you think of us as barbarians, don't you?"
More soldiers rushed in, surrounding him.
Their interference gave Cassian and Aleric a brief moment to step back and think of a counterstrategy.
Then—
With a single violent shake of his body, Michael unleashed a burst of force that sent the surrounding soldiers flying.
"Not in the past. Not in the present. You will not defeat a Varkhal with mere numbers."
He glanced across the battlefield—
And frowned slightly.
His comrades were struggling.
Seth Varkhal was locked in battle with Duke Lucian Montclaire. Though Seth's agility remained monstrous, he was being continuously distracted by soldiers intercepting his strikes.
Many blows meant for Lucian were blocked by the soldiers.
Lucian took advantage of every small opening.
He cut Seth repeatedly — none of the wounds deep, but none meaningless either.
"Millions of drops make an ocean," Lucian muttered, pressing the advantage.
Meanwhile, Zeckie Varkhal swung his chain axe wildly, slicing through soldiers in brutal arcs.
But Duke Edmund Harrington used the chaos cleverly.
Like Lucian, he used the soldiers as stepping stones.
At the right moment, Edmund threw one of his dual swords directly at Zeckie's head.
The sudden strike stunned Zeckie for a split second.
That was enough.
Edmund closed the distance instantly and, with his remaining sword, slashed at Zeckie's arm.
The cut was not deep enough to sever it — but it forced Zeckie to withdraw his chain axe.
Elsewhere, Theodore Rutherford endured Lexus 's relentless war hammer swings.
Lexus struck with increasing intensity, but his wide, powerful swings left slight openings.
Soldiers rushed in during those moments, slashing at him.
Yet each time their blades landed, the cuts were shallow.
Some were deflected entirely.
It was as if their swords were striking hidden armor beneath his clothes.
Theodore signaled one of his soldiers.
As the soldier rushed past and bashed him on his head, the sudden struck on the lexus's head with his shield, which makes him to feel dizzy but before he down he smashed that soldiers into dust.
Then Theodore stepped forward.
"For Valedyrn!"
He leapt into the air and brought his long shield down with full force onto Lexus's head.
The impact knocked Lexus unconscious.
Seeing this, Michael's expression darkened with frustration.
Cassian Valmere spoke firmly,
"Whether it is in the past or present, Varkhals have never been able to defeat anyone through strategy."
The words struck deeper than the blows.
Michael's eyes hardened.
With sudden fury, he slammed his giant axe into the ground.
The impact sent up a massive cloud of dust, swallowing the entire battlefield in a thick haze.
Everyone coughed, shielding their eyes.
When the dust finally settled—
Michael was gone.
Zeckie was gone.
Seth was gone.
Lexus was gone.
They had disappeared.
Duke Edmund Harrington exhaled.
"My lord… they fled after witnessing our strength."
Cassian's gaze remained sharp.
"No."
He shook his head slowly.
"Varkhals never yield their pride. If they retreated… then they have completely changed."
His eyes grew heavier.
"Especially their leader."
The weight of his words settled over the dukes and the marshal.
A silent understanding passed between them.
Cassian continued,
"From this moment onward, we prepare for an enemy far worse than any we have faced in our history."