Chapter 26: The Ultimate Joker
"Burning Passion, Scorching Flame!"
Verna, the second sword Knight, brought her blazing weapon down. The monster, anticipating the attack, spun, and launched a brutal thrust kick—a copy of Edward's technique—sending the attacking male Knight flying backward and down to the ground.
The male Knight with the blue, blazing sword, Verna, landed her strike, slicing a deep, smoking furrow down the monster's back.
RRROOOOAAAARRRRRRRR!
An ear-splitting, thunderous roar erupted from the creature. The sheer intensity of the shockwave instantly extinguished the flames on the knights sword and violently buffeted her backward. She braced her stance, using every ounce of her trained strength to resist the gush of wind that threatened to toss her aside.
While the monster roared in pain, the Commander's battle axe came flying in from the distance, covered in vivid yellow lightning. It tore through the air, burning surrounding trees and grass as it flew toward the monster.
BOOM!
A direct hit. The axe struck the creature in the chest, causing a massive explosion of light and force that sent the entity flying backward like a black torpedo. It shattered every tree in its path before finally impacting and sliding to a stop on the ground.
The adventurers were stunned by the Knights' coordinated performance. They stared with looks of both awe and surprise.
"They did it!"
"They were incredible!"
"That was truly amazing!"
Murmurs of relief and praise swept through the small crowd of onlookers. It was a sight to behold—elite warriors winning against overwhelming odds.
"An interesting turn of events," Cassian commented from above, his expression thoughtful.
"But I can't really say the Commander contributed much to that fight."
He scoffed softly.
"Spacing out in the middle of a battle, putting his whole unit in danger for the sake of pride... pathetic. Do they just give anyone the rank of Commander these days?"
Then, his gaze drifted back toward the smoking crater.
"It was disappointing that the creature lost. How disappointing. So I can't keep it as my joker after all."
Even after that apparent victory, Cassian still wore a sad expression, and boredom was about to reclaim him. Then, something happened that caused his blood to boil with genuine excitement. That deep, passionate urge to fight lit up once again.
The Commander's large, lightning-charged battle axe flew back and landed neatly in his hand. He wore a satisfied look on his face, a triumphant smile briefly replacing the earlier despair. From his position, he could clearly see the ruined shape of the monster's 'corpse,' some distance away, burned, torn apart, and emitting heavy steam.
SIGH.
He let out a sigh of profound relief. "It's over."
He turned to Verna, the Knight standing beside him. She was panting hard, looking tired and utterly exhausted.
"Quickly, let's check on the others," he said.
She nodded in agreement and turned instantly to check on their fallen comrades.
In the blink of an eye, a dark, shady figure materialized directly behind her.
The Commander's eyes widened in horror at the sight. Before he could react, before he could even scream a warning—
BOOM!
A massive sound erupted from their position, followed by an intense shockwave that blasted the Commander backward, forcing him to raise his arm to protect his face from the debris.
"Wow, incredible!" Cassian exclaimed, slowly applauding from his safe distance.
"I'm hooked! To face four Magic Knights and a lighting axe head-on, and still be standing, is incredible," he said, shifting his attention back to the Commander, who was now alone.
"Now that you are truly alone, let's see what the Commander can actually do."
The dust clouds cleared quickly. The monster stood proud and victorious with the three Magic Knights—Verna included—lying scattered and motionless at its feet. The Commander was now alone, facing this monstrosity. To the watching adventurers, he was already a goner.
The Commander's eyes widened in renewed shock. His blood boiled with rage, but beneath it, the old, terrible fear flashed—the memories of the demon war returning unbidden.
BOOM!
He returned to reality instantly, not from the memory, but from a sudden, searing pain in his belly. He looked down, horrified, to see a giant black hand buried in his armor, and dark blood spilling from his mouth. He slowly raised his head, and his furious, bloodshot gaze met the creature's own terrifying red eyes.
Staring at its monstrous face, which seemed to be grinning at his despair, the Commander had finally had enough.
The battle axe in his hand instantly gave off a powerful yellow shine. Without hesitation, he spun the axe so fast it resembled a spinning, incandescent disk. A bright flash momentarily caught the monster off guard, and the axe severed the creature's invading arm, sending it flying high into the air.
A fierce, retaliatory punch from the monster slammed into the Commander. He twisted his axe instinctively and blocked the fist, but the force was overwhelming.
CRASH!
The intense pressure from the block released a shockwave that sent the Commander flying backward.
But surprisingly, after taking such a devastating hit, the Commander landed on his feet, spitting blood, a deep, defiant frown etched on his face as he stared at his monstrous opponent. The creature's severed hand quickly regenerated, faster than anything he had ever witnessed, its arm whole again within a few short seconds.
The Commander wiped the blood from his lips, gripped his axe tightly, and took a deep breath, settling into a focused, powerful fighting stance. He was ready to give everything he had left.
"Let the massacre begin," Cassian said, now leaning forward with excitement