"I do what I must to protect the throne," General Maxwell responded, inclining his head in a bow of deference despite the searing pain coursing through his battered body.
"Indeed. You have my thanks. That last battle form of yours. I must admit, it’s out of this world. Consider impressed," Desirus comnded further, his tone laced with genuine admiration amid his calculating deanor.
"You honor ."
"Then allow to honor you further. Pledge your absolute allegiance not to the throne, but to directly."
"Pardon , my lord. But you know my standing on this subject. I can’t change my decision. I will only pledge my allegiance to the throne and nothing else."
General Maxwell upheld his principled stance unwaveringly, his voice steady despite his physical frailty.
"That’s sad, but acceptable. But you see, I won’t be able to rest easy if soone as strong as you isn’t loyal to . I worry over being betrayed and having you as my enemy at any mont," Desirus confessed, his words dripping with underlying nace.
"You don’t need to worry, my lord. I will never betray you as long as you remain the true king accepted by all," General Maxwell reassured him earnestly, his conviction shining through his fatigue.
"And that lies my problem. You are too powerful to not be mine. I’m not a fan of leaving loose ends."
"What do you an, my—"
From behind Qin Luo, a jiangshi lunged forward with blinding speed, its razor-sharp claw hands outstretched nacingly toward General Maxwell’s exposed neck.
General Maxwell, utterly drained of energy, found himself incapable of mounting any defense, resigned to accept the treacherous fate unfolding before him.
"Co now. I didn’t work so hard only to lose you," Aaron’s playful voice interjected unexpectedly.
He intercepted the jiangshi’s claw re inches from General Maxwell’s throat, his grip unyielding and effortless.
"You. How? You should be dead."
Desirus gaped at Aaron in sheer disbelief, the sight of him alive and unscathed flooding him with a wave of shock that twisted his features.
"I’m impossible to kill. You are not the first to be disappointed by that truth," Aaron replied nonchalantly, his tone carrying a hint of amusent.
"Now, what do we have here? What exactly did you change the fallen knights into?" Aaron scrutinized the jiangshi, noting its retained knightly armor juxtaposed against its grotesque, undead visage.
General Maxwell examined the jiangshi more closely upon Aaron’s observation, his expression shifting to one of profound surprise and, more poignantly, heartbreak at the sight of his forr comrades twisted into such monstrous abominations.
"What did you do?" General Maxwell demanded in stunned outrage, his eyes locking onto the horrors arrayed before him.
"Gave them the opportunity to be more useful toward my cause. Don’t worry. You will join them soon enough and be completely loyal to ," Desirus stated without a trace of remorse, his face impassive.
"Bastard. I will kill you for disgracing honorable knights," General Maxwell vowed fiercely, attempting to rise to his feet in defiance.
Yet, bereft of any remaining strength, he only succeeded in collapsing further, dropping back to his knees in humiliation.
"No need to worry. I will take it from here," Aaron assured him, placing a reassuring hand on General Maxwell’s shoulder, his touch conveying solidarity.
"After that, we can have the conversation you have been postponing over and over again," Aaron added, giving General Maxwell’s shoulder a gentle tap.
General Maxwell nodded in silent acknowledgnt, his head dipping in weary agreent to Aaron’s proposition.
A satisfied smile tugged at the corners of Aaron’s lips upon receiving the affirmation from General Maxwell.
Now, his desire to secure General Maxwell’s loyalty extended beyond the re fulfillnt of the system’s quest; it had evolved into a personal imperative, fueled by newfound respect.
Facing the pinnacle of General Maxwell’s technique had profoundly altered Aaron’s perspective on the general.
[That last form of his]
"Could easily destroy a solar system without even trying. Now I wonder just how strong he will be if he awakens a third elent."
[Scary]
"And then if I grant him a bloodline as well. He might beco the strongest man under , not counting Dracula of course."
[Dracula isn’t under you]
"Yet. But soon enough. I have plans for him."
Boom!
Aaron sidestepped fluidly, evading a powerful strike from one of the encroaching jiangshis, the impact cratering the ground where he had stood monts before.
"It’s a bit rude to attack soone that’s absent-minded, is it not?" Aaron quipped, directing his gaze toward Qin Luo with a mischievous smile playing on his lips.
"I just want you dead as fast as possible," she retorted coldly, her eyes narrowing with lethal intent.
"Kill him. All of you," she ordered the jiangshis imperiously.
From every shadowed corner of the devastated city, jiangshis erged in droves, their numbers swelling into the thousands, shambling inexorably toward Aaron with mindless obedience.
Even those Aaron had felled earlier in the fray now stirred, needles embedded in their forms reanimating them as jiangshis, joining the horde in their advance.
Aaron rely smiled broader, embracing the prospect of yet another intense skirmish with undaunted enthusiasm.
[These jiangshis should fall under the creatures of the night as well. Do you really have to fight them?]
"Yup. I need to show a bit of care and sincerity to win even more of General Maxwell’s favor. Plus, where’s the fun in just crushing the enemy from the onset?" Aaron replied inwardly, his grin widening.
The black sphere morphed once again into the legendary form of Excalibur, its blade gripped firmly in Aaron’s hand, radiating an aura of unassailable power.
"Nether flas," Aaron intoned softly.
Ethereal nether flas, capable of purifying and obliterating the undead with rciless efficiency, wreathed the black sphere in a srizing dance of violet and black fire.
"There will be no need to co to . I will be the one taking the initiative in the hunt this ti," Aaron proclaid boldly, his voice carrying across the battlefield like a challenge.
His eyes ignited with a golden luminescence, coarse fur sprouting across his skin in patches.
His muscular fra expanded dramatically, as Aaron partially transford into his werewolf state, augnting his physical capabilities to monstrous heights, his claws lengthening and his senses heightening to superhuman acuity.
"Let’s wrap everything up quickly," Aaron murmured, planting his foot for the initial leap.
The planet itself jolted slightly off its orbital axis from the trendous force Aaron exerted as he propelled himself forward, the ground fracturing beneath his launch in a web of deep fissures, heralding the onset of his relentless assault.
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