............"Captain, what's the situation on the battlefield?" Aarav asked, his voice cutting through the distant sounds of conflict.Captain Ramesh Chauhan's expression grew more serious. "My lord, the Everglen Family launched a surprise attack. They hit the heart of the city before we could fully mobilize. We've managed to push them back a bit, but it's cost us a lot. Many civilians were caught in the crossfire."Aarav clenched his fists, anger rising. "This shouldn't have happened. We need to restore order immediately. Where are their main forces concentrated?""To the north of here, near the old market district," Ramesh replied. "They're heavily fortified, and there are a lot of them. Our scouts report they have some new kind of pet beasts that have been tearing through our defenses."Aarav nodded, his mind racing. "We need a strategy to break through their lines and deal with those beasts. Gather your best men, Captain. We're going to hit them hard and fast."Ramesh saluted. "
............Eirik's words hung heavily in the air, his anger obvious. The Elders shifted uneasily, their faces pale with a mix of pain and fear."We don't know, Master," one of the Elders said, his voice shaking. "We had full control, and then suddenly... nothing. It felt like a powerful force cut our connection."Eirik's eyes narrowed. "A powerful force, you say? Are you suggesting that someone in the Chauhan family has gained such strength?""That seems to be the only explanation," another Elder replied, wiping blood from his mouth. "We must investigate further."Eirik turned sharply, his cloak swirling around him. "Very well. Double the guards around the perimeter. No one enters or leaves without my permission."He moved away and walked back to their temporary command office inside an intact building."How is the situation? How much longer are those useless fools going to take?" As he entered a room filled with cool air and a comfortable feel, a lady in a red dress with a regal b
............"Whooosh....Zappp...Boommm...!!" Suddenly, dark clouds gathered ominously above him, swirling and churning with otherworldly might.With a swift motion, Aarav raised his hand towards the sky in a commanding gesture."Zappp...Craaack....!!" As if answering his call, a bolt of lightning crackled from the dark clouds, resembling hungry dragons."Zaaappp....Booommn....!!" The bolt rushed towards the oncoming beasts with ferocious intensity, striking them with precision and force."Howl...Boommn...Thud...Thud...!!" With each strike, the beasts howled in pain and confusion, their once formidable charge now quelled by the power of Divine Retribution."Hahaha... this is fun. I never thought I'd be able to wield Thunder itself," Aarav muttered to himself as he lowered his hand. The thunder stopped, and the dark clouds receded."What a roasted scent... but these should not be edible, right?" Aarav joked as he looked at the street, where the bodies of dozens of beasts lay charred b
............"Hmm... who are you? How dare you intervene when I am trying to punish a sinner!" Aarav noticed Eirik's body was missing after the dust cleared. He also sensed another presence, which had interrupted his punishment and saved Eirik from his wrath."Fufufu... What do you mean, My Lord? You were just about to send my son to meet his maker, and you expect me not to intervene!" Elowen Everglen appeared a distance away from Aarav, her laughter echoing with a chilling tone as her son, Eirik, lay unconscious on the back of a beast resembling a large eagle."Ohh... You are the mother of this sinner. That means you are the root of sin itself!" Aarav directed his gaze at Elowen Everglen, his voice cold as he confronted her, his pressure bearing down on her, causing her to flinch but hold her ground."Fufufu... How scary, but I am not your opponent," Elowen Everglen laughed before stepping back, and suddenly, black tendrils like limbs attacked Aarav."Whoosh...!!""Now who is this..
............The air was thick with the sharp smell of burning energy, and a dense cloud of dust and smoke rose from the large crater where the dark ball had exploded. Debris rained down around him, clattering noisily to the ground."Whoosh... Bam...!!"Isolde Moonshroud and her men lay scattered across the battlefield, some groaning in pain, others completely still. The ground beneath them was scarred and cracked, showing the immense power that had just been unleashed. Aarav's Blade of Light still shimmered with an ethereal glow, though it had dimmed slightly after the intense clash.Aarav looked over at Isolde, who was struggling to push herself up from the ground. Her face was pale, and her eyes were wide with shock and fear. The confidence and anger she had shown earlier were gone, replaced by a look of helplessness."Is this the extent of the Moonshroud Family's power?" Aarav asked, his voice cold and mocking. "I expected more."Isolde's hands trembled as she tried to summon m
............"Cough... cough... not... good. It's not good. We need to run right away... we have no future... it's totally bleak!" Malik coughed, his voice filled with horror. He had seen something that made him despair and feel dread deep in his heart."What do you mean, bleak? Let me see!" Celestius Starcrest didn't believe Malik, even though he felt in his heart that Malik might be right. He decided to see for himself and performed the divination personally."Pufffff... cough... cough...!!" It didn't take a minute before Celestius coughed up blood, looking pale from the dread and despair. He understood why Malik said they had no future and needed to run."So, we really angered someone we shouldn't have and have no way to salvage our situation," Celestius muttered with a grim face, all color drained from his face.Both Malik and Celestius saw a vision of their men and themselves lying in a pool of blood. A man stood over them, radiating a divine presence like an ocean, deep and hea
............"Yes, now they won't be able to escape unless they strike the barrier with double the force needed to break it!" Thaddeus Lumara said with a smug smile, pride evident in his tone."Good. Let's tighten the noose," Rajendra Chauhan said, his eyes narrowing as he watched the chaos unfold. "We can't let any of them escape."Thaddeus Lumara nodded, signaling his men to advance. The barrier shimmered faintly, slowly closing in on the Starcrest Family grounds.The Holy Knights, emboldened by the barrier's protection, pressed their attack harder.Inside the Starcrest grounds, the Starcrest men were struggling. Despite their fierce resistance, they were being overwhelmed."Vice Head, we're surrounded!" one of his men shouted, desperation in his voice."We have no choice but to hold our ground!" Malik barked back, refusing to show any fear. "Keep fighting! Reinforcements will come!"But deep down, Malik knew the situation was dire. The Starcrest grounds were their last refuge, and
............Thaddeus's Divine Tool had already lost four petals, leaving only a single petal."Swiish... Bammm... Swiish... Boomnn!!""Boommmn... Craaack!"In a decisive moment, Celestius found an opening. With a swift, powerful strike, he brought his weapon down on Thaddeus. The powerful aura shield Thaddeus had dissipated as he blocked the attack, losing its last petal."Thump...!!"Thaddeus fell to the ground, drained of all his energy.The battlefield fell silent, all eyes on Celestius as he stood victorious. His presence radiated hope and strength, and the Starcrest men rallied with renewed vigor."Fight on, Starcrest!""Hooooohhhh!!" The remaining Starcrest men shouted with zeal, despite being tired and injured, or coughing up blood.Malik shouted, his voice filled with triumph, "Victory is within our grasp!"Meanwhile on the Everglen Family grounds,"Bammmnn...Booommn...Ahhhh...!!"Aarav arrived at the mansion after decimating several dozen beasts on his way through the fores