Chapter 300 - 295 — Charge
It felt unreal. One second, the southern and northern armies were clashing relentlessly against each other, and the next, the entire battlefield was drenched in biting cold.
Every cadet’s attention was instantly drawn to one person; petite in stature, cute beyond reason, yet with eyes cold enough to send chills down every spine present.
The cadets, both south and north, had gone still, but Lumi hadn’t.
Strings of Liquid Metal danced chaotically around her, their ends sharpened into blades that carved through the air as she tore through the northern army. Blood splattered in her wake, accompanied by the agonized screams of northern cadets as the blades ripped through their bodies.
But by the time bursts of light whisked them away, Lumi was already gone, moving on to her next targets.
From a distance, Kaelion smirked. For once, he actually appreciated the fact that the monster girl was on their side. Beside him, Gordon wore arguably the ugliest expression Kaelion had ever seen on him.
Not only had Lumi defeated their third strongest so swiftly, she was now cutting down the northern army at a speed that dwarfed any of them!
’I have to stop her.’
Gordon took a step forward, but immediately froze as Kaelion moved into his path.
"And where exactly do you think you’re going?"
Whitish armor had already begun spreading across Kaelion’s body as his aura steadily climbed. Soon, his entire body was encased, and the atmosphere around him abruptly shifted, becoming so heavy and oppressive that the air seemed to tremble.
Kaelion swept his blade to the side, his eyes cold.
"Your fight is right here."
The second strongest of the northern fortress, huh? Good enough. After everything that had happened, Kaelion had a mountain of steam to blow off, and Gordon had just volunteered himself.
Despite this, Gordon’s attention remained fixed on Lumi. Now, though, Kaelion noticed a trace of fear in his eyes.
"You’ve got some nerve."
Whoosh!
Gordon’s eyes widened as Kaelion vanished from his sight. He hastily raised his blade, barely managing to block before the boom of metal crashing against metal echoed across the battlefield, followed by a violent blast that shattered the ground beneath them and sent debris billowing into the air.
"You think you have the luxury of looking somewhere else while you’re fighting me?" Kaelion’s eyes were cold. An opponent refusing to give him their full attention was an insult of the highest order, and he would see to it that Gordon paid the full price for it.
Gordon’s expression darkened. "I don’t have time for this. She’s tearing through everyone. I can’t... I can’t lose this battle."
There was fear in Gordon’s eyes, one that confused Kaelion. This wasn’t fear of the monstrous Lumi currently tearing through their army. No, it was different. It was the fear of something, or rather, someone, not here, but watching.
’What the hell is he so afraid of?’
Before Kaelion could speak, Gordon suddenly shot backward, putting some distance between them before straightening and meeting his gaze.
"I’ll finish this quickly. Total Enhancement."
His arms blurred before him at furious speed, carving one runic sign after another into the air. The runes shattered into countless fragments that shot into Gordon’s body, and in an instant, he erupted in a blinding light that flooded the battlefield with radiance.
When the light finally dimmed, Kaelion took in his new form. Gordon hadn’t changed much, except for the runic light now flowing across his skin like rivers of gold. His aura, however, was a different matter. It had become far heavier, far more oppressive. Even from where he stood, Kaelion had no doubt Gordon’s power had touched upon Mark Seven.
This level of enchantment, capable of boosting a Mark Six to such an extent, was usually closely guarded by the Sarakhel House, reserved for members of their primary line and those most loyal to them.
Kaelion had little doubt Gordon was closely connected to the primary line. If that was the case, then their Prime, Malach, probably possessed an even stronger version.
"Good." In response, the Titan Armor around Kaelion trembled as his aura surged. A grin slowly spread across his face. "Now we’re talking."
He prepared to move, but froze when Gordon’s expression suddenly twisted in horror.
’What now?’
Kaelion followed his gaze and barely caught sight of Lumi bursting through the last line of northern cadets. Blood, carnage, and screams were all that remained in her wake.
But that wasn’t even what caught his attention.
It was the fact that, even after breaking through the last line of the northern army, Lumi hadn’t stopped. Instead, her speed seemed to have increased as she tore across the terrain.
’Don’t tell me...?’
Kaelion almost cursed out loud. Judging by her direction and the focus of her gaze, she was clearly heading straight for the northern fortress!
Lumi’s actions sent a wave of shock through both the southern and northern cadets. But they weren’t the only ones watching.
Standing atop the southern wall, Zephyrion narrowed his eyes. The others reacted in their own ways behind him, but he could barely care less.
’What is she doing?’
Lumi wasn’t supposed to attack the northern fortress alone. She was supposed to follow Kaelion’s instructions throughout the battle. Zephyrion hadn’t bothered giving her any specific orders himself because he hadn’t seen a reason to. Apparently, ’don’t charge an entire fortress by yourself’ should have been one of them.
Zephyrion felt worry beginning to creep in and immediately crushed it.
’No. Not now. Rule three.’
Emotions cloud judgment.
A moment later, his eyes calm once more, he gave a slight nod.
’The situation has changed. So I change with it.’
His mind immediately began to work.
...
On the battlefield, several cadets had stopped fighting entirely to watch Lumi’s charge. To many, what she was doing seemed downright suicidal. It was to the extent that Kaelion, who had long since disengaged from Gordon, had already begun gathering a force to go after her just in case.
Most thought she had to be insane to charge an entire fortress alone.
Well, except Draven, who was still cheering for her at the top of his lungs.
Before long, Lumi crossed into the five-hundred-meter range of the northern fortress.
Standing atop the wall, Malach watched her approach with both hands clasped behind his back, his expression completely impassive.
"Fire."