"Woooo... Woooo..."
The intricate Tree Spear began to spin, resembling a golden vortex, and then she stomped heavily, leaping into the air to hurl the spear.
"Damn!"
Throne, having dodged the Comet Azur, had no time to brush off the dust and immediately used Bloodhound's Step to evade. Just as he activated the skill, he felt a blast of scorching wind knock him away.
He rolled on the ground a few times, slapped the earth to jump back up, and while in mid-air, turned his head. Seeing the knight flying towards him once again and feeling that heavy pressure, Throne didn't feel fear; instead, he burst into laughter.
"Yes, this is the feeling. No schemes, no tactical wits, just the purest, head-on collision!!"
Premia stopped a few meters away and took a deep breath.
A massive throat sac appeared beneath her jaw, sparks emerged, and then brilliant flames erupted from it. This was a type of physical attack; the Thopss Barrier was useless here. But Premia was stunned for a moment; the man who had been dodging everywhere like a fly did not retreat, but instead pulled out a shield from who knows where and charged forward with the shield raised.
In just a moment, the shield showed signs of melting, but Throne had already forced his way to her front and swung the shield to strike. Premia was unfazed; she leaned back to dodge the shield bash and raised her leg.
"Earthshaker!!"
Boom—
The ground within ten meters was shattered, causing a dizzying stiffness.
Throne bit his tongue, instantly clearing his head, tossed the shield aside, and lunged at the Crucible Knight with horns on her shoulders.
"Crucible Horns. Glintstone Pauldron!"
The two collided, creating a terrifying sonic boom. The stones that had just splashed up from the ground instantly turned to powder, and both retreated several steps. Thud, thud, thud... Each step cracked the ground.
Throne shook his dizzy head and glanced at the shattered pauldron. The few inches of glintstone inside were cracked, and his left shoulder, fully crystallized, was immobile. Holding his sword with one hand, he used Bloodhound's Step to lunge at the equally struggling Crucible Knight.
Premia's brain was also buzzing.
Looking at the azure magic blade and the wings sprouting from her back, she chose to retreat for the first time. This man was not some petty person who only knew techniques; he possessed the berserker heart of a true warrior.
However, just as the wings sprouted, a petite girl appeared behind her, her short blade releasing a massive cloud of golden fire mist.
Throne jumped into mid-air, saw the golden fire mist, and smiled to himself. "That's right, I may not be as powerful as you, but I possess a synergy that you could never reach!"
Sword in front, fire behind; Throne briefly created a two-on-one situation. Then he saw the Crucible Knight engulfed in fire mist, with a long tail whipping into the air, attempting to attack Melina.
"Moonveil!"
The meter-long magic sword wave sliced directly through the long tail, continued downward, shattered the arm armor, and embedded itself into her forearm. Premia felt the heat and pain, but her expression remained unchanged. She raised her hand to grab Throne, who was stuck in her arm armor, twisted her waist, leaned forward, swung her arm, and slammed him hard into the ground.
Bang—
A crater several meters wide instantly appeared on the ground. His armor deformed, but Throne bounced back up, swallowing a mouthful of blood. Then, he saw the Crucible Knight raise her leg.
Without a word, Premia stomped down.
"Earthshaker."
The force was like a mountain pressing down; even Carian Knight armor would be crushed into a sheet of paper.
Fortunately, Melina was already prone on the ground, supporting herself with one hand, and used all her strength to perform a sweep kick. Smack! Like using a small force to deflect a large one, Melina, whose strength was far inferior to the Crucible Knight, kicked the supporting leg, still managing to make Premia fall.
Throne, who was on the ground, also raised his leg, compressing it like a spring, with pale air currents swirling around his greaves.
"Storm Stomp. Thump!!"
Like a dragon's kick, it struck right on the Crucible Knight's helmet. That crown-like helmet instantly caved in. The knight skipped like a stone, bouncing up and down on the ground, flying straight into the distance.
Throne didn't pause either; he jumped up, grabbed Melina's slender ankle, and threw her out like a shot put.
Violent magic gathered around Oritis; he had no intention of slacking off. The moment the two sides separated, he was already preparing a powerful tracking Comet Azur. But before he could cast it, that woman came flying at him like a javelin.
It can be used like this?? He was instantly stunned. She was a human projectile. Because the speed was too fast, he only had time to retreat a few steps.
Bang! Melina slammed into the ground, instantly covering her head in blood. She endured the pain, rolled on the ground, leaped up like a gymnast, and stabbed directly at his vitals.
Oritis gathered a blade of light to fight back, but swordplay was only a course at the Academy; how could he be a match for Melina? He was forced to retreat constantly.
At this moment, the dying Red Wolf suddenly regained some spirit, pushing with its two hind legs to crawl over.
The situation took a sharp turn.
Premia had already climbed up, pulled the Tree Spear from the wall, and was about to rush over. If she really had the confidence to take down Throne alone, she wouldn't have intervened rashly. But just after taking two steps, she stopped. Someone was blocking her path, their body glowing with a purple light.
"Hey, your opponent is me."
Melina's sacrifice gave him a fleeting opportunity, a very important moment to catch his breath. He gripped the sword hilt with both hands; Moonveil had transformed into a massive spear of light, with maximum magic gathered upon it, resembling a rotating drill.
"Dragon Storm Pierce!"
Gravity Magic, Dragon Heritage, and Storm Art combined, transforming him into a straight-charging juggernaut.
That roaring wind had only one meaning.
"Decide the outcome in one strike!"
"Come!"
The taciturn Crucible Knight emitted a massive battle intent for the first time. Throne's choice was also her own. That mage was surely doomed. Long battles were disadvantageous; decide the winner in an instant!
Premia jumped lightly, spreading her golden wings again.
The spear turned into a golden vortex, and she met him without hesitation, with only that crazy expression. With the same determination, the azure and golden meteors flew across the ground, the whistling wind sweeping away the dust, and then, a moment later, they collided fiercely and rapidly.
Boom—rumble!!
Golden and blue light rose into the night sky, intertwining and entangling like a spiral of contradictions. The brilliant light illuminated the peak of the Academy. Everyone was watching this scene, from the Carian Knights to the mages. Everyone involuntarily opened their mouths, thinking: what kind of monsters are fighting? But this wasn't the aura of magic.
It dealt a devastating blow to the mages on the Academy side. Such heroic power appearing in the core area was like a blow to the heart. Once the Lunar Princess made a move, what was the point of fighting?
This wavering was also seen by the Carian Knights. They didn't really intend to wait nine hours.
"How much longer until dawn?"
"Five hours."
"Damn it, that bastard is too fast."
Allen didn't hesitate anymore and drew his sword: "Sound the horns, beat the drums, all troops attack the city!"
It was the middle of the night, and all eyes were on them. But the two in the center could no longer care about such things. The two 'spiral spears' brushed past each other, stabbing into each other's chests amidst brilliant sparks.
The one in Throne's hand was a variant of the Explosive Spiral. The magic condensed to the extreme melted the armor, piercing straight into the Crucible Knight's chest. The golden spear of light also pierced through the Carian Knight armor like paper, only—
Premia's eyes widened. She saw that inside the opponent's breastplate was another layer of shimmering glintstone.
That crystal, as radiant as a diamond, was also pierced, and the spear tip had stabbed into his chest, but it was stuck by the crystals. It didn't pierce deep enough, or rather, if it had been deep enough, the intricate Tree Spear could have split him in two, but conversely...
She turned her head and saw the azure light shining through from his back, blood flowing out like a fountain.
The two stood stiffly together. Throne raised his head, glanced at the deformed tree-stump helmet, and grinned, his pale teeth covered in bloodstains.
"Sorry, I'm a bit tougher than you!"
It wasn't meant as a mockery. Premia looked down at the spear of light in her chest and silently raised her hand. A fist the size of a sand pot slammed directly into Throne's face.
However, at this very moment, a layer of crystals spread from his neck, wrapping around his entire head. He only felt as if an iron hammer was pounding away, while that long spear was still desperately pushing into his chest. His entire vision, breathing, and perception were obscured, but he couldn't care about techniques or tactics anymore.
Thump, thump, thump...
The Dragon Heart beat without reservation. He strode forward, running wildly while pushing against the knight. No matter how many times his head was struck, Throne had only one conviction in his heart—
"Send her to her death!!"
The two retreated from the center of the plaza, following the simplest and straightest line.
Oritis turned his head to look, his entire face twisting.
What kind of monster is this, to be able to kill even a Crucible Knight?? The sound of war drums reached his ears. Perhaps the mages outside were still hesitating, but he clearly knew that this battle was already lost. Even if that Throne fought to a mutual destruction, he was no match for this young girl.
"Don't think about escaping!"
Melina chased after them directly.
Catching a glimpse of the two tin cans getting closer and closer, her calm heart began to beat rapidly for some reason. She roared at the Red Wolf.
"Stop him!!"
This low shout was filled with majesty. The Red Wolf did not hesitate, leaping up with its remaining two hind legs and biting onto Oritis, who was halfway there.
"Ah!"
The magic professor, caught off guard, felt a sharp pain in his thigh.
His staff released a Carian Piercer, piercing directly through the Red Wolf's head. But by this time, Melina had already jumped over. She ducked her head, feeling the blade of light graze her hair, rotated her body, and delivered an elegant back spin kick.
Oritis was kicked in the chest, feeling his whole body fly up. Even at this moment, he still hadn't stopped thinking.
Take the secret passage, go to Leyndell, expose this person; Morgott will surely come in person! But when he turned his head, he saw a brilliant spear of light.
"No—"
Puff! Like a kebab, another person was added to the spear of light.
Throne could see nothing, hear nothing, and continued to run wildly toward the abyss, but the feedback from the Dragon Heritage caused a strange thought to pop into his dizzy head.
"Did I just score a kill?"
The doubt lasted for an instant. He felt something wrap around his waist, and a slightly anxious low roar came into his mind.
"Throne, come back quickly!"
His entire being instantly sobered.
He cut off the magic output. Both he and Melina lifted their feet at the same time.
"Die!"
The kick shattered the crystals shielding his head. Throne's eyes snapped open. Below stretched a bottomless abyss, the endless expanse of Liurnia of the Lakes. Army camps dotted the horizon, their torches flickering like distant stars.
Incendiary bombs streaked through the sky, colliding with bursts of magic. The spectacle resembled festival fireworks. The fallen Crucible Knight coughed blood, her gaze icy and unyielding. Slowly, she raised her fist, as if to crush him from afar. The magic professor hurled curses, his words venomous.
Words didn't matter now. Gravity dragged them toward the abyss. Throne felt warmth cradle the back of his head, soft as a young girl's embrace. He tilted his head up. Melina stared down at him, her expression unlike anything he'd seen before—respect, admiration, even longing.
Throne grinned. He stuck his thumb down and roared silently at the Erdtree, so close he could almost touch it.
"The epic ends here!"
......
One battle decided everything. Throne slaughtered his core subordinates right before the Erdtree. Raya Lucaria Academy? Already irrelevant. When Throne planted the Carian flag atop the Academy, the beleaguered mages crumbled instantly. The man who'd caused this chaos hailed from Caria—and he'd won.
Why fight anymore? Without cannon fodder to shield them, the remaining magic professors surrendered.
Six hours. That's all it took. From the Dark Moon's descent to the end of the chaos, six hours to crush a fortified city and slay its heroes—including the Crucible Knight. A feat worthy of legend.
Iron boots clanged against stone. Allen and Moongrum led their troops up the stairs. The scene before them was apocalyptic. The plaza lay in ruins, littered with corpses and shattered trees. Broken puppet soldiers lay scattered, and craters pockmarked the ground like meteor strikes.
A massive Red Wolf corpse dominated the center. On the distant spiral staircase, two figures sat. Throne's eyes were closed, his head resting on Melina's lap. Empty flasks of crimson tears lay beside him. Above them, the Carian flag snapped in the wind.
Allen and Moongrum exchanged a glance, inhaled deeply, and strode forward.
Three meters away, they stopped. Right hands over their hearts, they saluted.
"Glory to Caria. Glory to you."
Seniority, jealousy—none of it mattered in the face of this devastation. The man before them was a legend.
The breeze carried the heavy stench of blood. Throne's eyes cracked open.
He had been too tired earlier; even the flag was planted with Melina's help. He'd seized every second to recover. Luckily, with the Erdtree's 'gift,' the flask of crimson tears worked miracles on his wounds.