Dungeon of Pride, Laplace

"Nothing much, since he was just another annoying obstacle blocking my way, I simply took care of him"…

"I-Is.. he alive?"…

"Dead"…

"That... can't be" Duke Montford, took a couple of steps back. The winds around his feet became unstable causing him to almost fall down.

"There is no way he can die. That child is strong, he is as talented as I am; no, even more. There is no way his fate is to fall down here. You are lying, how can he die from the likes of you? Besides, I also sent all of my most powerful men with him, that's right Benny Beckeman is alos with him. There is no way, he can be defeated"

Duke Montford stated, though his statement sounded more like yell and a self satisfying proclamation rather than anything else.

"It is up to your grace to believe me" In response, Cynthia simply shrugged her shoulders and replied "However, if you are as witty as they say, you will be abel to realise that I am more than capable of handling the like of Benny Beckerman. He was never a challenge for my forces to begin with. I not only defeated him, but I also took your grace's Air engine and am now using it to raid your city".

She explained with a cheeky smile "Oh! By the way, if you want to collect their corpses, you can find them in the Northern Outlaw Forest".

"You Dare!!"

killing intent flooded his body and Duke Montford was finally serious. The existence of Lucas Blackwood was like his reverse scale, anybody who touched it, would incur his wrath.

Although it has been kept secret from the whole world, a few individuals in the kingdom were still aware of the scandalous event regarding the wife of Marquess Blackwood and Duke Montofrd.

Duke Montford had no child of his own, his wife was unable to sire him any offspring. However, it didnlt mean that he didn't have any child, Lucas Blackwood or as it should be stated, Lucas Montford was the child that was born between Duke Montford and Marquess' Blackwood's wife.

An event that couldn't be spoken out loud. It was also because of this reason that Duke Montford favoured Lucas so much to the point where he even declared him as his successor.

Lucas dying meant that his one and only son dying. How could Duke Montford not be mad after hearing this? His rage caused him to completely forget that he was trying to buy time for prince Alstin who was probably trying to activate the teleportation formation installed in the emergency shelter at this moment.

In the state of rage, Duke Montford was a force to be reckoned with. His attacks carrying the destructive force of the wind and the highly trained skills of a warrior, was extremely berserk and powerful. It took all Cynthia had just to defend.

"[Illusory Beast Steps]"

Her figure divided into multiple afterimages as she quickly dodged the attacks and opened some distance from the Duke. Now that the latter was coming at her with the intent to kill, the playing board had been evened out, she could also go forth and use her killing move without any regrets.

"Leo, how long can we maintain our partial beast state if we use that skill?" Cynthia asked in her head.

"At my current strength, it won't be a problem to maintain that state for a couple of hours. However, if you use that skill, you have to make sure that it count or else, if even after the skill ends and the enemy is still standing, you will fall at a disadvantage" The sacred beast's soul living in her soul ring, replied.

"In that case, let's go"…

"Yeah"…

"[[Ancient Beast Manifestation]]"

Two voices interlaced together and a spectacular visual marvel occurred. The sky across the entire city and even accross the entire expanse of land turned grey. Dark clouds loomed over out of nowhere and a big swirl appeared at the centre.

Then in a fashion as if the very fabric of space was being twisted and torn, an image appeared from the swirl, dominating the skyline with an overwhelming presence. The visage of a lion, larger than the city it overlooked, materialized in shades of grey and silver.

Its eyes, primal and fierce, glowed with an intensity that sent shivers down the spines of any onlookers. The environmental upheaval was immediate. The mana in the surroundings rebelled, swirling in chaotic patterns, and an oppressive pressure descended upon the land.

It was as if the very essence of something ancient and formidable had been awakened, causing the ground to shudder in trepidation. Every soul present in the city, from the bravest to the most timid, was swept by a wave of terror causing them to freeze in place, unable to find the courage to move.

It wasn't just a physical restraint; it was as if the very essence of their being recoiled in the face of a power that transcended mortal understanding. The streets, once filled with commotion, fell into an eerie silence as if the city itself held its breath in deference to the ancient beast's manifestation.

Even the elite warriors from Cytnhia' side, accustomed to facing all manner of challenges, felt a chill crawl down their spines. The Intimidation the felt, wasn't just merely fear; it was a primal recognition of their own insignificance in the presence of a power that could reshape the very foundations of their understanding.

No fingers dared to twitch, no voice dared to speak. The city stood as a collective witness to the awe-inspiring spectacle that unfolded before them. And then, in an almighty fashion, the colossal lion in the sky opened its mighty maw, revealing a set of teeth that seemed capable of rending anything and issued an otherworldly roar that thundered across the city.

ROOARRR… the roar transcending the physical realm, carried with it not just sound, but concussive force that rippled through the air. It carried a pressure that attacked ones soul, instilling an instinctive fear and causing your consciousness to shut down.

The people of the city, who were exposed to this roar, experienced a sudden overwhelming surge of pressure. As if an invisible hand had pressed upon their very souls, their bodies unable to withstand the sheer force, succumbed to a momentary lapse of consciousness.

Even Blake, Wyot and the others, who were inside the secret underground chamber, felt their consciousness waver for a brief second and their surroundings became a blurry dreamscape.

The only ones still remaining standing and unaffected were perhaps Annette, Emma, Theodore, Maybell and the group of demihumans. Other than them, every single person in the city passed out, becoming a sea of collapsed bodies.

The roar had that much of an impact. What's more, the aftermath of the city was just an unintended consequence, the target of the roar was not even them, yet they fainted just by getting exposed to a part of it.

From this, one could imagine how powerful the roar was. The actual target of the roar, Duke Montford was in a state multiple times worse than the rest of the people of the city. Not only did he fall down on the ground, the Zephyrus Armour disappeared from his body, and he was also bleeding from his seven orifices.

However, to mention those were comparatively just minor injuries. One cannot fathom the degree of damage he suffered simply by looking at hos outward body. The roar attack from the sacred beast was purely a non physical attack as such, it was the mind and interior of his body that suffered all of the damage.

His Eyes became dim losing all sight permanenetly, his mana lines had been disintegrated casuing him to unable to muster any mana and he was quickly losing all of the stats he worked hard all of his life for.

Like a balloon quickly deflating, Duke Montford was also quickly losing all of his strength.

Whoosh… Cynthia slowly flew over and stood in front of the duke who couldn't see anymore. With the damage he suffered, forget fighting, it would be a momentous task to even get up.

Cough… as if sensing her presence, Duke Montford tried to say something. However, all that came from his mouth was blood and foam.

"You have lost Duke Montford. On account that you have been loyal and faithful to the kingdom all this time, I have decided to end your life swiftly. Do you have any last wish before you die?"

Cynthia had given up convincing the duke to join his side, she knew that the man would never go back on his won words no matter what she said at this point. As such, it was better to take out a potential risk rather than letting him live and hamper her plans.

"Lo…n…" Duke Montford opened his mouth to speak something. However, much of it became garbled due to the blood that accumulated in his mouth every time he opened it.

"Lo..ng… Li..ve… the..Ki..ng..dom". Novel Fire - novelfire.net

With those final words, even the slight twitching of Duke Montford's body stopped.

.

.

Back inside the underground chamber, in front of the huge mythril doors. Adventurers who had fallen unconscious from that roar, slowly regained consciousness and picked themselves up.

"Unngghh… dammit what happened?" they rubbed their still slightly dizzy head and groaned.

"My head feels heavy, what is going on?"…

"The heck I know, the last thing I remember is hitting those doors and then I suddenly fainted. Did somebody do anything?"

The adventurers questioned one another, confused by the recent event.

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