Balden was quite surprised by the reaction speed and accuracy of the telekinesis magic that could move another person's body so swiftly and precisely.
"Hahaha." the burly man's laughter shattered the tension, his voice deep and booming. Then, his eyes glared sharply, piercing straight at Calverd. "So... your power is telekinesis magic, huh? Interesting and truly impressive!"
The commander's tactical mind spun rapidly.
I must kill this telekinesis boy first! Balden said in his heart, a cruel smirk adorning his scar-riddled face. His responsive telekinesis power will be incredibly troublesome if I let him keep assisting that Larde brat's sand magic!
Without wasting a single second, the commander moved again, channeling high-level wind magic into both of his legs to manipulate air friction and exponentially increase his muscles' explosive power.
Whoosh!
Balden charged forward, shooting straight toward Calverd like a raging storm.
That utterly illogical movement for such a burly man instantly made Calverd jolt stiffly. His pupils shrank. Right in front of him, in the blink of an eye, the commander was already towering over him, raising his greatsword, ready to cleave him down.
The indigo-haired youth had absolutely no time to react. His body felt locked by the incredibly dense murderous aura. The sword blade reflecting the moonlight began to swing down, aiming straight at him.
Clang!
An extremely loud and resonant metallic clanging sound suddenly echoed deafeningly, sending sparks flying into the air.
The fatal slash never reached Calverd. An incredibly thick wall of sand, instantaneously reinforced and compacted to its absolute limit by extreme gravity magic, had flawlessly blocked the commander's sword swing.
The density of the sand magic rivaled the hardness of thick steel, such that the greatsword swung with full physical strength could not pierce it at all. The vibration from the impact even made Balden's hands go slightly numb.
What? A sand wall this hard? Balden thought in astonishment, his eyes widening as he saw his blade halted in mid-air.
Balden immediately turned his head to the side, glaring toward Kaydan, who was currently extending one hand forward with a piercing gaze.
"Insolent slave!" the man cursed with a clenched jaw, feeling incredibly annoyed because his attacks were thwarted consecutively.
Balden quickly pivoted his massive body to face Kaydan. He assumed a sturdy offensive stance, then swung his sword high above his head.
Whoosh!
He aimed the sword swing straight down with terrifying speed. The motion compressed the surrounding air until a visible slash of wind magic element was created.
"Die!" he roared ferociously.
The air blade, as sharp as a giant razor, shot forward, tearing through space, heading straight toward the gray-haired youth.
Clang!
The sand wall shifted swiftly, barricading Kaydan's body and blocking the air slash until it shattered apart.
However, Balden did not stop in the slightest. He continued to swing his greatsword in a relentless barrage, producing a multitude of air slash blades that shot toward Kaydan like a deadly rain.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
The clanging sound of clashing metal from the wind slashes striking the gravity-reinforced sand wall rang out repeatedly without pause, creating a terrifying rhythm of battle.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the palace courtyard, the chaos was intensifying.
Boom!
The explosive sound of a fireball was heard again, shaking the night. The other prisoners, inspired by Kaydan's bravery, continued to blindly attack the royal soldiers with scavenged weapons and whatever magic they had.
The war claimed victims from both sides. On the grass of the royal palace courtyard, now stained red, lay many corpses of soldiers and the bodies of fallen prisoners.
On the other front, seeing Kaydan constantly pressured and only able to defend behind his sand wall, Calverd naturally did not stand idle watching the commander attack relentlessly.
He immediately concentrated his mana.
And right then, the barrage of air slashes ceased. The body of the commander, who was preparing to swing his greatsword, was suddenly lifted and floated helplessly in the air, completely losing his footing on the ground.
These two are a truly troublesome combination! Balden thought, now suspended in the air, gritting his teeth in annoyance. I need to get out of the range of this telekinesis magic immediately before they—
Thud!
Balden's thought was left unfinished as the commander's massive body violently jerked downward, crashing into the rocky ground with tremendous force, creating a small crater and billowing dust. His bones creaked under the suddenly multiplied weight.
What is this? Gravity magic?
While enduring the tightness in his chest from the impact, Balden struggled to lift his head from the ground. Ahead of him, through the thinning dust, he saw Kaydan stretching his hand straight forward, applying a crushing gravitational pressure upon him.
Damn it! It turns out that gray-haired brat doesn't just manipulate sand, but he can also use gravity magic! No wonder the two of them tactically kept their distance from each other. the commander thought, his combat mind analyzing the cross-formation of his two opponents who were covering each other's weaknesses. A good strategy... But... what a pity...
A condescending smirk formed once again on Balden's dust-covered face.
Whoosh...
Slowly but surely, a whirlwind began to form and spin fiercely, enveloping the entire body of the prone commander.
The wind element acted as an upward thrust, constantly countering the downward pull. The terrifying gravity magic that had been pinning Balden's body down slowly began to have no effect.
With a casual movement, the burly man was able to rise and stand upright amidst the intense gravitational pressure, as if the tons of weight were nothing but a gentle breeze to him.
Kaydan and Calverd were utterly shocked. Their eyes widened seeing the elite commander still able to stand tall and roll his neck as if nothing had happened to him.
Without letting his opponents process their shock, Balden concentrated all of his wind magic at the explosive point on his feet.
Whoosh!
He shot forward, piercing through the remaining gravitational pressure toward Kaydan with a pure speed multiplied many times over from before.
What?!
Time seemed to slow down, yet Kaydan's body could not keep up. He had absolutely no time to react. His hand, still outstretched to cast gravity magic, felt frozen upon realizing the man was now right in front of him at point-blank range.
The greatsword radiating a silver glint was swung horizontally, aiming with deadly precision right at his neck.
Slash!
A sword strike so swift, silent, and unstoppable sliced cleanly through the youth's neck.
Time seemed to stop ticking.
The gray-haired youth's head detached from his body, falling and rolling across the ground. A second later, accompanied by the rustling of clothing, the headless body followed suit, collapsing stiffly onto the ground.
Fresh blood began to gush out wildly, soaking the grass and pooling on the ground right beneath the severed neck wound.
Calverd was beyond shocked. The breath seemed to be snatched from his lungs upon seeing the person he was supposed to protect and help brutally decapitated right before his very eyes.
His body trembled violently, his rationality shattering to pieces at the sight of that pool of fresh blood.
"Hey, you!!!" Calverd screamed with all his might, his voice cracking as he called out to the gray-haired youth who now lay stiff in a desperate tone. "You must be kidding me! You couldn't possibly die just like that, right?! HEY!!!!!"