The battlefield was a maelstrom of steel and blood, with cries of agony and war drums reverberating across the valley. Smoke curled into the darkened sky as fires raged where the Proton Cannon had struck, leaving nothing but charred remains and shattered siege engines.
Tiberius stood amidst the chaos, his black armor gleaming with the eerie glow of Dreadnought’s runes. A crimson mist clung to him, a manifestation of the artifact’s dark power. His eyes, sharp as a predator’s, swept across the battlefield, assessing the carnage. Then, with slow, deliberate movents, he raised his great sword.
"Dreadnought—Nightmare’s Embrace."
A pulse of malevolent energy erupted from the blade, spreading outward like a wave of death. The air thickened with an unnatural darkness, and every soldier within its reach felt their limbs tremble, their hearts seize with an overwhelming dread.
So fell to their knees, unable to fight against the crushing fear. Others turned and ran, their screams joining the cacophony of battle.
Victor, still atop the battlents, clenched his jaw. "Damn it... He’s using the sword’s aura to break their morale." His golden eyes darted across the battlefield, assessing the failing ranks of Valtieri soldiers. "If we don’t do sothing fast, we’ll lose before the real battle even begins."
He took a deep breath, then bellowed, "All troops, fall back! Do not engage him! I repeat, fall back now!"
The remaining Valtieri knights hesitated for only a mont before obeying their commander’s orders. They turned and retreated, regrouping behind the stronghold’s defensive line. Their fear was evident, but their loyalty to the commander held them together.
From his vantage point, Keira gritted her teeth. Hovering above the battlefield, she held the Veilbreaker Staff tightly, her grip firm despite the exhaustion creeping into her limbs. She had already fired the Proton Cannon once. She could risk a second and a third shot, but it would drain her mana reserves dangerously low.
She shook her head. "I can’t afford to waste my mana. Tier 3 spells will have to do."
Raising her staff, she casted her spell quickly, weaving a spell into existence. A gust of razor-sharp wind howled through the battlefield, cutting down Gregor’s archers before they could take another shot.
Alice, still floating beside her, nodded approvingly. "Efficient."
Keira smirked. "No need to waste effort on grunts."
Below, Victor unsheathed his twin swords, Nightsbane and Dawnbreaker, their Voidsteel edges glinting ominously. He leaped from the battlents, landing gracefully on the ground. Rolling his shoulders, he strode forward, eyes locked on the towering knight commander who stood amidst the sea of corpses.
Tiberius watched him approach, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "Brave," he murmured, resting Dreadnought’s tip against the ground. "Or perhaps foolish."
Victor chuckled, spinning his swords with practiced ease. "You tell ."
Then, without warning, he lunged.
Blades clashed, sparks flew, and the force of their impact sent shockwaves rippling through the battlefield. Victor moved with deadly precision, his swords a blur of steel as he launched a flurry of rapid slashes. But Tiberius was faster.
Dreadnought t each strike with bone-crushing force, effortlessly parrying and countering with sweeping blows that forced Victor on the defensive. The sheer weight of the greatsword made every impact feel like a hamr striking an anvil.
Tiberius grinned. "You’re fast. Skilled, even. But—" He stepped forward, feinting left before delivering a brutal overhead swing. "You lack power."
Victor barely had ti to raise both swords to block. The impact sent him skidding backward, his boots digging trenches into the dirt. His arms ached from the force.
Tiberius chuckled. "Is that all you got?"
Victor exhaled sharply. "Not even close." He reached inward, drawing upon the reserves of his twin mana cores. Energy flared around him as his swords pulsed with renewed vigor.
"Nightsbane—Shadow Surge."
Darkness coiled around the Voidsteel blade, and in an instant, Victor vanished. Tiberius’s eyes narrowed as he pivoted just in ti to parry an attack from behind. Victor reappeared, delivering a rapid slash with Dawnbreaker.
Tiberius smirked. "Better."
He retaliated with a sweeping arc of Dreadnought, forcing Victor to duck. Then, with a burst of mana, Tiberius surged forward, slamming the hilt of his sword into Victor’s chest. The impact sent him flying backward.
Victor grunted, bracing for impact—
But before he could hit the stone wall, a pair of strong arms caught him mid-air.
Alice.
Her expression remained impassive as she gently set him down. "You don’t stand a chance."
Victor sighed. "Yeah, I got that part."
Alice put her arms down, her expression unwavering. "Then stop wasting ti. You do not have to engage him alone."
Victor wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, the taste of iron sharp on his tongue. "And what’s your plan?"
Alice did not give him a response. Instead, her spirit crystal started to glow as she invoked a transformation sequence.
"Initiating transformation sequence..." Alice’s voice was calm and asured, a stark contrast to the chaos around them.
"Huh?" Victor’s eyes went wide as he caught a glimpse of Alice’s body. Her clothes disintegrated in a burst of steam, and her form began to change.
Alice’s eyes glowed faintly, heralding the transformation that was about to unfold. Her body began to shift and reshape as plates of enchanted tal erged from beneath her skin, sliding into place with a series of chanical clicks and whirs. The tal ford a sleek, armored exoskeleton that encased her entirely, each piece intricately designed to provide maximum protection and enhance her physical capabilities.
Her spirit crystal, a mystical artifact housed in the center of her chest, pulsed with a brilliant blue light, casting an ethereal glow over the battlefield. The crystal’s light grew brighter with each passing second, synchronized with the rhythmic thrum of her rapidly beating heart.
From the sidelines, a soldier gasped. "Is that...even possible?"
"Incredible...I’ve never seen anything like it." Another spectator, an older knight, murmured.
A young recruit, eyes wide with awe, whispered, "She’s like a living weapon..."
She took a deliberate step forward, her movent smooth and precise despite the weight of her new form. Her voice, calm and steady, resonated with newfound power. "Golem Mode—activated."
Tiberius raised an eyebrow, intrigued by the display before him. "Interesting," he muttered, his curiosity piqued.
Alice’s response was imdiate. She vanished in a burst of speed, a blur of motion that left a trail of shimring light in her wake. In an instant, she reappeared directly in front of Tiberius, her armored fist hurtling toward him with the force of a battering ram.
Tiberius barely had ti to react. He raised his greatsword, Dreadnought, in a defensive maneuver, but the impact of Alice’s strike sent him hurtling across the battlefield. He crashed into a half-destroyed siege engine, the force of the collision reducing the ancient war machine to splinters and rubble.
For a brief mont, the battlefield fell silent, the warriors and spectators alike frozen in awe.
Then, from the wreckage, a sound erged—laughter. Tiberius’s voice, rich with amusent and tinged with a thrill he hadn’t felt in years, echoed across the battlefield. He pushed himself to his feet, rolling his shoulders as if shaking off the dust of ages. His armor, though dented, remained intact, a testant to its craftsmanship.
"A golem, you say?" Tiberius mused, a smile spreading across his face as he cracked his neck. "This just got interesting."
Alice remained unfazed, her eyes locked onto her opponent. "Target acquired. Termination protocol—initiated."
Tiberius grinned, his grip on Dreadnought tightening. "Then co and try."
And with that, the battlefield erupted once more, as two forces of unimaginable power clashed beneath the burning sky. The air was filled with the sound of clashing tal and the crackle of magical energy, a symphony of chaos that marked the beginning of an epic confrontation.
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