Divine Beast Ascension

619 Entering A Losing Battle

Clenching his sword and his lower lip, Lambier stood still for a moment. He stared at the ground with an uncertain expression.

“... Lizbeth, thank you for coming all this way and still agreeing to my selfish requests,” Lambier sighed.

Rakan smiled again, eager to continue without Lizbeth’s added pressure.

“You’re welcome. But I’m just doing as my fiance ordered,” Lizbeth replied.

Lambier shared a hollow smile, raising his head. “Still, thank you… Now… Let’s finish him together.”

“WHAT?!” Rakan blurted, raising his saber toward Lambier and his hammer toward Lizbeth. “That wasn’t the deal?!”

Lambier simply shrugged. “And why should I honor a deal with a member of the lying and cheating Prodson Family, who was both the sponsor and the executioner of Flaming Gale?”

Rakan wanted to shout more, but there was no time.

With a heavy coat of wind, Lambier bounded forward with his fastest possible thrust. And a second Lizbeth appeared with both copies of her already attacking from the other side, shrouded in wind and darkness.

.....

Suddenly, Rakan rushed to adjust his footing to acquire more momentum for his hammer and saber. But he couldn’t do it. Rakan only managed to take half-steps, harshly throwing off his rhythm and balance.

Wrapped around Rakan’s legs were tendrils of darkness. They clung to his knees and ankles to keep Rakan from evading the combo charge.

“LIZBETH!!” Rakan yelled, instantly realizing who was the cause. But, still, there was no time to readjust Rakan’s strategy for defense.

CHT-RRIP! Frrrrsh…

Both Lizbeth and Lambier appeared on opposites of Rakan, stopping to glance back at their enemy. Lambier’s broken arm dangled at the side after blocking Rakan’s hammer. And Lizbeth pushed her hair back behind her ear, uninjured from the clash.

Rakan had managed to break some shadow tendrils while trying to counterattack. However, that didn’t save Rakan from his gruesome injuries.

In exchange for devastating Lambier’s arm, Rakan received a deep stab into his side, which Lambier slashed out of in order to keep his sword in hand. And, from attacking the wrong copy of Lizbeth, Rakan was left with a wind blade slicing his throat.

Thump…

Lizbeth dispersed her Shadow Puppet art as soon as the corpse slumped over, hitting the ground face first.

Staring at Lambier, Lizbeth sighed, “... Thank you for not breaking protocol.”

“Thank you for being patient,” Lambier replied. “... At least I finally got the confession.”

“Do you need immediate aid?”

Shaking his head, Lambier bowed his head to Lizbeth. “No need. I’ll be fine after visiting Ceela. She’ll chew me out, but she’ll also heal me in the process.”

Lizbeth chuckled and sped off. “A wife has a right to worry.”

Now alone, Lambier dropped to his knees and stared back at Rakan’s corpse. Lambier spat, but he was too exhausted to reach the body.

“Damn…” Lambier sighed with a self-mocking chuckle. “We were right to side with Iron back then. They somehow got rid of that sneaky king during the war, the bastard guild master of Blood Moon… And now, Blood Moon Order is done for. Along with Prodson… I can’t wait for what’s next…”

Far from Lambier’s finished battle, two hundred Prodson soldiers were racing through the back tunnel, determined to evade the passage’s expected collapse.

At the helm of those two hundred troops was the final perennial under Prodson’s command. A proud captain among captains who had the full respect of his subordinates, and of many other soldiers as well. The captain wasn’t calm, but he kept his cool. With a level head, the captain was eager to exit the tunnel and see exactly how many beasts they were up against.

“... I can see the exit!”

“Follow Captain Khas!”

The men rallied behind their savior, who kept them from a crushing death within the underground chamber.

Even then, Captain Khas kept pondering how Prodson could possibly win the battle with so many unexpected yet successful attacks by Iron. And just the thought of an Iron Territory beast army was enough for the Khas’s realistic way of thinking to hit a wall. Especially if that beast army was large enough to send some beasts to destroy the underground camp.

From a deductive point of view, everything the Prodson Army wanted to accomplish was being dashed away with little to no hope of recovery.

Regardless, Khas and his two hundred men reached the tunnel’s exit without any boulders threatening their leave.

Finally, the captain and the first soldiers to exit the tunnel got a glimpse of the outside battle. And, right away, Khas wanted to groan with discomfort.

Khas’s mind hastily pieced the situation together, thinking, *That’s why the tunnel didn’t collapse. Because those wildebeests are on their way back to the battlefield. And the rest of our army… is in chaos!*

“Men, form your ranks and prepare to charge!” Khas shouted.

Though Khas’s immediate thoughts determined this to be a losing battle, he wanted to keep the soldiers moving. But Captain Khas also didn’t want them rushing to their deaths without more time to think and assess the situation.

*An even smaller force is facing the Forells Army, and General Ocker must be occupied,* Khas speedily deduced while his marching men regrouped. *And, if that’s the case, then perhaps the archer camp is already done in. Then, immediate surrender should be the only option in order to save lives… But I can’t give that order with my bastard superiors in the way!*

In the heat of battle, both armies noticed the appearance of more Prodson soldiers. The Prodson Army was overjoyed to have reinforcements. And the Iron Army was indifferent. Because Iron already had another trap set in motion.

It didn’t take long for those two hundred troops to sprint out of the tunnel everyone thought would come crashing down. And the remaining captains, under Khas’s guidance, rapidly formed their ranks. In a matter of minutes, the two-hundred-man force was ready to move out.

But Captain Khas still hesitated to give the order.

“... Khas, we need to move!” one captain yelled.

Khas raised his hand to that captain and turned to face his men. “Sorry for the delay. I’m merely trying to assess whether we want to die in battle or if there’s a way for us all to stay alive–”

Before Khas finished his statement, keeping the respect of his men and their morale intact, Khas noticed something appear behind his men.

Khas’s eyes bulged as he shouted, “The Shadow Drake!”