"You're caught, intruders!"
Leon, Morgrim, and Elina flinched instinctively. They quickly turned around—dozens, no, hundreds of soldiers had filled the narrow corridor, glaring at them with furious eyes.
At the front stood a female dwarf in armor, pointing her sword at them. Her cold smile was directed at Leon and Elina.
"So you really are here," she said, her voice laced with murderous intent. "I didn't think you'd be bold enough to pose as one of us and sneak into the palace to rescue Prince Morgrim."
Elina squinted at the woman, then gasped. "Young Master… isn't that the waitress from the tavern?"
Leon's eyes widened. If Elina hadn't said anything, he might not have recognized her—she looked completely different from the woman they had seen at the tavern.
"So she really was a spy disguised as a waitress," Leon muttered, narrowing his eyes.
He had sensed sothing off about her the mont they entered the tavern yesterday, but at the ti, he had ignored his instincts.
Now it all made sense—his suspicion had been right. The woman had been hiding her true identity from the start.
Leon took a deep breath and was about to speak when Morgrim suddenly stepped forward, shielding him and Elina from the soldiers.
"Milda, don't attack them! They're my friends!" Morgrim shouted.
Milda narrowed her eyes, shooting him a cold glare. "Your Highness, are you seriously defending these intruders? Don't you realize what you're doing is considered treason against our race?"
But Morgrim stood his ground. "I have no intention of betraying the Dwarven race! Do you even know who he is? This human… he's the Fated One! The very figure our ancestors prophesied!"
The mont those words left his mouth, a wave of shock swept through the soldiers—Milda included.
"The Fated One"—a na etched into Dwarven legend for generations—was said to appear when the ti ca to break the curse that bound their kind to Mount Durnhak.
He was believed to be the one who would lead the Dwarves through hardship and guide them to glory.
And now, the figure who had existed only in legend stood before them.
Almost instinctively, every soldier turned to him—eyes wide with reverence and awe.
"Is he really the Fated One?"
"It seems so. No human has ever stepped into our lands—aside from that one who wandered in by accident long ago."
"Hiss… Then doesn't that an we've just offended the Fated One? This is bad!"
Whispers broke out among the soldiers. One by one, they began to accept Morgrim's claim.
Seeing their response, Morgrim breathed a quiet sigh of relief. He glanced at Milda, preparing to speak—but she shouted first.
"Don't be deceived by his lies! Have you all forgotten why this Prince was imprisoned by His Majesty?"
The soldiers flinched. Their expressions shifted, and their reverent gazes turned cold and suspicious.
The sudden turn left Leon and Elina bewildered. Elina looked at Morgrim and asked softly, "Prince Morgrim, why are they suddenly looking at you like that?"
Morgrim gave a bitter smile. "Because I was slandered. The one posing as my father spread rumors that I had committed treason and was plotting to overthrow him. Even if so don't believe it, the lie has spread so far that most Dwarves now accept it as truth."
With that, Morgrim turned to Milda, his expression solemn, and tried to reason with her.
"Milda, everything I'm saying is true. Please, don't attack them. If you go through with this, you'll be destroying our race's last hope for freedom."
But Milda's expression remained cold and unyielding.
"That's enough, Your Highness. You've already rebelled against the King, and now you're betraying our race by siding with intruders. Prepare to face His Majesty's judgnt."
She turned and commanded, "Arrest them for trial!"
The soldiers hesitated, but none dared to disobey. Steeling themselves, they began to advance slowly toward Leon and the others.
"Milda!" Morgrim growled, about to protest again, but Leon gently tapped his shoulder.
"Let it go, Prince. It's no use," he said calmly, stepping forward. "If kindness doesn't work, then I'll use force to make them listen."
He hadn't intended to resort to violence. Peace was always the better path, and he loathed unnecessary bloodshed.
But it seed these stubborn dwarves had no interest in his goodwill—they would rather witness his cruelty.
*Buzz!*
A surge of holy power erupted from Leon, slamming into Milda and the advancing soldiers.
In the narrow corridor, their bodies were violently flung into the stone walls on either side, shattering them on impact.
The underground prison, already dusty and grimy, now looked even more chaotic, its floor cluttered with fragnts from the shattered walls.
"Ahem!" Milda coughed harshly as she struggled to rise. Her eyes locked onto Leon, now surrounded by a radiant, holy aura.
His eyes glowed pure white, and a star-shaped symbol glead brightly on his forehead.
As Leon glanced at her, Milda felt an invisible force tug at her soul.
Before she could react, Leon's figure appeared right in front of her. He seized her by the neck and lifted her effortlessly into the air.
She kicked at Leon, her legs flailing in a desperate attempt to break free from his grip on her neck—but it was useless.
"Agh!" Milda gasped, growling in pain as his grip tightened, her face turning red from lack of air.
"Let Captain Milda go!" one of the soldiers shouted, raising his spear and charging at Leon.
Ten more followed, launching a coordinated attack.
But Leon rely glanced at them—and in the blink of an eye, all the soldiers were blasted away, as if struck by an invisible force.
*Boom!*
Their bodies slamd into the walls, shattering them on impact.
Leon flung Milda aside, sending her crashing into a prison cell and demolishing it.
Fortunately, her armor absorbed the impact—without it, her bones would have been crushed.
Leon turned his gaze to the remaining soldiers, who had surrounded him with weapons raised.
They were trembling. The will to fight was still there, but hesitation held them in place. The power Leon had just unleashed was simply too overwhelming.
Calmly, Leon deactivated his hero's destiny.
He reached into the pocket of his cloak and pulled out a black token—an item specially prepared by Amon Crimson and Luminus Troya to suppress dissenting mbers of the hidden races who opposed him.
In truth, he had been reluctant to use it—but the circumstances left him no choice. So don't bla him.
He raised the token high and whispered coldly, "Suppress them all."
The mont the words left his lips, sothing unexpected happened. All the Dwarf soldiers suddenly collapsed, writhing on the floor with faces twisted in agony.
"Argh! My chest... it hurts!"
"My head! It feels like it's going to explode! Help!"
"Argh! Stop it! It's... too painful!"
Groans and screams of pain echoed throughout the chamber. The atmosphere turned so horrifying that Elina and Morgrim froze in place, unable to move.
"Young Master..." Elina swallowed hard, staring at Leon in shock. "He's... terrifying. Thank goodness I never made him angry... Phew."
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