68: Hope

Chapter 68: Hope

As the **Death Knight** tightened his grip on **Mynstar's** neck, Mynstar's body went limp, the fire in his eyes extinguished as he lost consciousness. With a sneer, the Death Knight carelessly tossed him into the back of the ranks, motioning to his troops.

**Death Knight**: (coldly) "Put him in a cage. He'll serve a higher purpose soon."

Without hesitation, the demon soldiers grabbed Mynstar's unconscious form and dragged him away. The Death Knight turned to his army, raising his massive sword into the air as his dark aura flared with malevolent energy.

**Death Knight**: (shouting) "Go, my army! Destroy everything!!"

The demon forces surged forward with renewed vigor, their morale bolstered by the fall of Mynstar. The **Lathunia knights**, already struggling against the overwhelming odds, began to falter. Their shields wavered, and their formation crumbled as panic spread through their ranks.

**Lathunia Knight**: (despairing) "We can't hold it anymore!"

Another knight, his voice trembling with fear, glanced at the fallen Mynstar and shook his head.

**Lathunia Knight 2**: (hopeless) "If even our strongest has fallen, what's the point? This is useless! Better to retreat while we still can!"

Despite the desperate efforts of the division captains—**Donn**, **Aria**, **Elizabeth**, and **Roy**—to rally the knights, it seemed like nothing could shake them from their despair. The morale of the Lathunia forces was shattered, and the captains struggled to restore order as the knights started to retreat.

**Captain Donn**: (shouting) "Hold the line! Don't give up now!"

**Captain Roy**: (calling from the wall) "We've faced worse odds before! We can still win!"

But their words fell on deaf ears as the knights continued to falter, fear overtaking them. Just as all seemed lost, a sharp gust of freezing wind swept across the battlefield, followed by the unmistakable crackle of ice spreading through the ground.

Suddenly, **Princess Akane** stepped forward, her presence commanding and powerful. Her hands glowed with frosty magic as a massive wave of ice burst forth, freezing everything in a wide radius around her. Demon soldiers were halted in their tracks, their limbs encased in thick frost. The entire battlefield fell into stunned silence as Akane stood in the center of her icy magic.

**Lathunia Knight**: (stunned) "Who… who is that?"

Another knight, wide-eyed, whispered in awe.

**Knight**: "That's… that's **Princess Akane**. The **Ice Princess of Arcel**!"

Akane stood tall, her icy aura radiating outward as she gazed over the battlefield. Her eyes, sharp and determined, locked onto the wavering knights of Lathunia. With a firm voice that cut through the chaos, she began to speak.

**Akane**: (commanding) "Knights of Lathunia! Will you let fear conquer you? Will you let despair steal your future? No! We will fight, for our home, for our kingdom! For **Lathunia**!"

Her words pierced the hearts of the knights, reigniting the fire in their spirits. Her ice magic gleamed in the moonlight, a symbol of hope amidst the chaos.

**Akane**: (raising her hand) "We are not broken! We will not retreat! Together, we will stand and fight—and we will prevail!"

The knights, once on the verge of defeat, erupted in wild cheers. The cold grip of despair melted away as Akane's powerful speech filled them with renewed determination.

**Lathunia Knight**: (shouting) "For the Ice Princess! For Lathunia!"

The knights, now revitalized, surged forward with new energy, their battle cries echoing across the battlefield. The demon army found themselves pushed back as the tide of battle shifted once again.

The Death Knight watched from the distance, his dark eyes narrowing as he observed the sudden turn of events.

**Death Knight**: (intrigued) "Interesting… very interesting."

But before he could react further, a flash of movement appeared in front of him. **Synoh**, silent and swift, had appeared out of nowhere, his sword already drawn and gleaming with deadly intent.

Synoh stood before the Death Knight, his face calm and unreadable. His eyes locked onto the towering figure before him, not a hint of fear in his expression.

**Synoh**: (quietly) "Your game ends here."

The Death Knight grinned, his dark aura flaring up once more.

**Death Knight**: (grinning) "Ah, so you've finally shown yourself. Let's see if you're worthy of becoming my next toy."

The battlefield grew tense once more as the two warriors prepared to clash, the fate of the war hanging in the balance.