''Foolish. Courage is meaningless in the face of true power. You should have fled while you had the chance.''


    Others were less fortunate, their courage failing them. They fell to their knees, begging for mercy that would nevere, their pleas cut short by the merciless des of the Awakened.


    "Please, no! I have a family!" one soldier sobbed, but his words were silenced as an Awakened''s sword pierced his heart.


    Theodor''s eyes scanned the battlefield, always alert. He could see the enemy ranks breaking, their formation copsing under the relentless assault. The screams of the dying and the wounded were deafening, a testament to the sheer power of the Awakened.


    ''This is how it should be, he thought, his heart pounding with exhration. We are superior. They are nothing but vermin, deserving of extermination.''


    "We can''t win this! Fall back!" a voice cried out, a desperate attempt to save what remained of their forces. But retreat was not an option. The Awakened had their orders, and they would not stop until their mission wasplete.


    With each swing of his de, Theodor carved a path through the enemy, his movements precise and calcted. The fear in the eyes of his foes was evident; their morale was shattered.


    "Gods help us…," whispered a soldier as he saw Theodor approaching. But the gods offered no respite. Theodor''s sword shed, and the soldier''s life ended in an instant.


    The battle was over almost as quickly as it had begun. The ground was littered with bodies, the once proud soldiers of Loria reduced to a heap of lifeless forms. Theodor took a moment to catch his breath, his eyes scanning the horizon for any signs of a counterattack.


    This is the fate of all who oppose us, he thought, a sense of pride swelling in his chest. ''The Arcanis Empire will crush all who stand in its way.''


    "Kurghk-!"


    –THUD!


    The sound of another person coughing blood entered his ears. It was something he had already gotten used to, something that he was now familiar with.


    And maybe he even liked it a little bit.


    "Kurghk-!"


    –THUD!


    But then another sound echoed, upied by the sound of someone falling to the ground. And he sensed something.


    Why was the order to fall back not given? Weren''t they supposed to return?


    Something that he somehow missed before. As he turned to look at what that feeling was, he saw a scene that made him widen his eyes.


    "Huh?"


    A lone soldier stood; his long, thin sword pierced hisrade''s neck.


    With cold, pitch-ck eyes locked onto him.


    –SHIVER!


    For the first time on the battlefield, Theodor shivered.


    He looked into the eyes of the enemy, seizing him from top to bottom. In that split second, he saw that the enemy was a young man with a lean build. The young man had a scar going over his right eye. There was an aura of stillness surrounding him, pitch-ck eyes and a pitch-ck aura covering the sword.


    His sword was thin and long.


    Theodor recognized the weapon instantly. "An Estoc."


    The young man did not move, his eyes boring into Theodor with an intensity that sent chills down his spine. The pitch-ck aura around the Estoc seemed to pulse, a living darkness that promised death with every flicker.


    ''Who is this?'' Theodor thought, his confidence momentarily shaken. ''How could someone like this have gone unnoticed?''


    The young man pulled his Estoc from the neck of the fallenrade, the body copsing to the ground with a dull thud. He took a step forward, his movements deliberate and measured.


    Theodor tightened his grip on his sword, trying to steady his nerves. ''This isn''t just any soldier. He''s... different.''


    Something.


    There was something different about this man that he had never felt before.


    It felt eerie.


    "Burghk-!"


    Suddenly, he heard someone else''s voice. Looking at it, he noticed therades that he thought were his own.


    Yes, his ownrades.


    They were lying on the ground, blood scattered around.


    An immense amount of anger surged through Theodor at the sight. The pride that he had cultivated all this time, the sense of belonging and superiority that he felt towards the Arcanis Empire, was now being challenged by this lone soldier.


    ''This lone kid dared to do something like this! He dared to go against us and is now trampling down on myrades. How dare he do such a thing!''


    Theodor''s eyes burned with fury. He felt his grip on his sword tighten to the point where his knuckles turned white. The air around him seemed to crackle with his rising anger.


    "You," he snarled, his voice low and dangerous. "How dare you!"


    The young man remained unfazed, his expression cold and unyielding. He merely tilted his head slightly as if considering Theodor''s words to be insignificant.


    This only fueled Theodor''s rage further. He charged forward, his sword aimed straight at the young man''s heart, his battle cry echoing across the battlefield.


    "I''ll make you pay for this!"


    –SWOOSH!


    But the young man moved with an almost supernatural grace, sidestepping Theodor''s attack with ease. The Estoc flicked out, striking Theodor''s side and drawing blood. The pain was sharp, but it was nothingpared to the burning hatred Theodor felt.


    "You think you can stand against the might of the Arcanis Empire?" Theodor spat, his voice dripping with venom. "You are nothing!"


    The young man''s eyes narrowed slightly, the dark aura around his Estoc growing denser.


    "Power isn''t absolute," he replied, his voice as cold as ice. "And you''re about to learn that the hard way."


    Yet, while his voice was somehow distant, there was a weird sense of tranquility in his eyes.


    And that made Theodor feel even more angry towards him.


    He felt his anger boil over.


    「Sword Aura」


    He activated his sword aura, coveting his sword with mana. Being a stage-two Awakened, he was able to coat his weapon and extend his mana outside of his body.


    「Arcanis Magic Sword: Ten Pedals」


    Using the Mana umtion Art that is given to special soldiers like him, he channeled his energy all across his body, feeling the strength surging through him.


    SWOOSH!


    Heunched himself at the young man again, swinging his sword with all the strength he could muster, with the power surging.


    The attack that he was using was a special attack consisting of ten moves. It was something that he was proud of as he mastered it a lot faster than any others. Any other men in the military were way behind him in terms of this technique.


    CLANK! CLANK! CLANK! CLANK! CLANK!


    But each strike was met with a precise parry or dodge, the young man moving like a specter on the battlefield.


    CLANK!


    Theodor''s attacks grew more frenzied, his vision red with rage. ''I can''t lose to this... this bastard!'' He thought, each blow bing more desperate.


    Five.


    Four.


    Three.


    Two.


    One.


    SWOOSH!


    Theodorpleted the final move of his attack sequence, his sword arcing towards the young man''s neck. He smirked, confident in his victory. "This attack will end you!" heughed, sure that the technique, which put his enemy into a predetermined state, would make it impossible for him to dodge.


    As he swung his sword for thest time, certain of his sess, the young man''s sword suddenly turned pitch ck. In a fluid, almost elegant motion, the young man stepped back, making Theodor''s attack miss by a hair''s breadth.


    Theodor''s eyes widened in disbelief. ''How did he dodge that?''


    Before he could react, the young man lunged forward, his long Estoc piercing Theodor''s neck with lethal precision.


    STAB!


    Theodor felt a burning sensation in his chest, his breathing growing harder and harder.


    "Grughk!"


    He struggled, rising for his arms, trying to fill this emptiness in his lungs. But, strength left his body, and he was not able to do anything.


    "Kurghk!"


    He tried to gasp for air, his hands instinctively reaching for the de lodged in his neck, but his strength was fading fast.


    This can''t be happening... Theodor thought, his vision blurring. ''I am an Awakened of the Arcanis Empire... How could I... lose...''


    The young man withdrew his Estoc, allowing Theodor to copse to the ground. As the darkness closed in, thest thing Theodor saw was the young man''s cold, unyielding eyes and the tranquil aura that surrounded him.


    "A life as trivial as foam in the sea." He saw the young man looking into his eyes. "That is what you amount. Never forget that next time if you exist to see."


    For some reason, those words pierced Theodor more deeply than the Estoc ever could. His eyes widened, and tears began to form, streaming down his face. Whether it was from theck of oxygen, the sheer emotional weight of the situation, or some profound realization, Theodor couldn''t tell.


    But in that split second, Theodor felt an emotion he had never experienced before—an overwhelming sense of insignificance.


    The pride, the arrogance, the unwavering belief in the superiority of the Arcanis Empire all seemed to evaporate in the face of this young man''s serene disdain.


    It was as if he were being judged by a force beyond his understanding, a force that saw through his facade of power and found it wanting.


    The young man turned and began walking towards the Lorian Empire''s camp, his form blending into the shadows of the battlefield. The tranquility that surrounded him seemed to swallow the chaos, leaving an eerie calm in his wake.


    As Theodory there, his life slipping away, he couldn''t tear his eyes away from the retreating figure. In those final moments, he felt a strange mix of emotions—fear, despair, and an inexplicable sense of rity.


    The young man was not just an enemy; he was a harbinger of a truth Theodor had refused to see.


    ''I was wrong...'' Theodor thought, his tears mingling with the blood on his face. ''We are not invincible...''


    -----------------------


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