Chương 18: The Legendary Sword of Fire

Felicity resumed her assault with a series of swift, precise strikes. Ethan parried every one of them, but with a quick motion he unleashed a wave of fire. Felicity darted to the side, avoiding most of the flames, then launched several air slashes at him. Some were deflected, but one struck Ethan in the leg, causing him to stumble and drop to one knee. Exhausted, he pointed his sword at Felicity and unleashed a dense, menacing wave of fire.

She leaped sideways, barely avoiding the flames, though they scorched her trousers. With a quick roll across the ground, she extinguished the fire and was back on her feet in the blink of an eye. Ethan, now completely spent, collapsed to the ground. Felicity advanced with slow, determined steps, pushed the legendary sword aside with her foot, and leveled one of her own blades directly at his throat.

"Any last words, bastard?" she asked coldly. Ethan looked up at her, a tear running down his cheek. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

"Yes…I'm sorry for having failed, both as commander of the Golden Knights and as a representative of the Kingdom of Valeron. I should have become stronger…more worthy of my position. But dying at the hands of a valiant swordswoman like you is perhaps the most honorable end I could have hoped for. Go ahead and kill me". Felicity stared at him for a moment, the disgust on her face unmistakable.

"You're so pathetic", she said. Then she struck him on the temple with the hilt of her sword, knocking him unconscious without spilling a single drop of blood. Xia and Leah arrived shortly afterward.

"You didn't kill him…interesting", Xia commented with a faint smile.

"He's far too ridiculous to die by my hand", Felicity replied, tossing the legendary sword toward Xia.

"That makes two".

"Yes… five more to go", Xia replied with a slight smile as she caught the sword. At Camp 91, the destruction was absolute. The reinforcements sent by Oliver had been slaughtered. Soldiers and Golden Knights alike lay dead or dying across the battlefield. Captain Russ crawled along the ground, his legs gone, when an enemy mage approached and, with a simple gesture, blew his head apart.

The coalition of the Southern and Central Lands maintained control of the battlefield, once again demonstrating its overwhelming advantage over the kingdom's forces. The Seer Aelira, her eyes closed and her concentration absolute, tried to sense Xarath's presence, but he seemed to have vanished.

"Where the hell did you go, Xarath? Do you think the limiters will disappear if you move far enough away? That's not how it works", she muttered to herself. In a frozen wasteland, far from everything, a black portal opened. Xarath emerged from it, his hood shadowing his eyes. The devastating cold had no effect on him. He walked forward with a serious, focused expression, ready to set his next move into motion.