Battle of Liguang: Sacrifice (1)
She could end this futile battle in an instant by saying 'we surrender'. That was what she should do as the heir apparent of the Alzar Kingdom. It was her duty to do what was best for her people! She knew that and yet… the words stuck to her throat. No matter how much she tried, she could not bear to say those words herself. Why was that? Elizabeth knew that this was the best choice for everyone involved, but some part of her was unwilling. Her heart pained. As she looked down, she realized why. Sir Winstin, Humming Swordsman, Blind Snake, Spider Seven, Mingyu Loon, the Ten Dawns, and even her friends, Benedict and Shirley, were fighting desperately. Everyone was doing their best! Everyone fought to win! That was right. If she surrendered now, would the Imperial Council spare any of them? No, she would only be saving herself. Everyone else had no choice, except to fight! Elizabeth exhaled and reaffirmed her resolve. She would see this to the bitter end!
Projecting her voice with magic, she shouted, "My name is Princess Elizabeth Etuvel Reindel, heir apparent of the Alzar Kingdom. I am acquainted with Elder Ludin and Crus of the Featherwind Sect. My master, a Rank 3 King, requests an audience with the Featherwind Sect!"
The sudden sound propagated throughout Liguang and beyond, entering everyone's ears, but it was in the common tongue, so no one understood what she said. Elizabeth stared up expectantly. This was the same trick that she used before: by threatening them with the presence of a Rank 3 King, she deterred them from attacking. And that was not a lie either. Her master was on par with a Rank 3 King, the Alzar Kingdom had the Sword King, and the Zino Kingdom had Protector Avin. As far as she understood, the Xingyuu Empire did not have a Rank 3 King yet. In terms of apex combatants, her side was stronger. However, the Featherwind Sect did not respond to her call. She half-expected it but a chilling aura rose from her regardless. This confirmed that the Featherwind Sect was hostile to the Alzar Kingdom now. In that case, it was time for a change in strategy.
"Attention, soldiers from the Alzar Kingdom and the Li Family! The time has come to execute the final phase of our strategy! Enter formation twenty-two! We will break through in one strike!" she confidently declared, much to her embarrassment. Her cheeks flared up reddishly because it sounded like something a kid would say.
Understandably, her allies were confused. What final phase? What strategy? There were twenty-two formations? They wondered what nonsense she was muttering with question marks floating above their heads. Even Freon, who was floating beside her, was filled with questions, but realization soon dawned on him. The more perceptive people caught on too as Imperian Qiang grinned. He thought that this girl was truly surprising. To their allies, her words might be gibberish, but to their enemies, it had an entirely different connotation. It suggested that they had a plan and an ace up their sleeves to reverse the situation! The bolder the lie, the more effective it was. Their enemies would grow wary of a strong counterattack and hesitate. That could be the deciding factor in a life or death battle!
Then, as if stepping on the dragon's tail, the attacks on Elizabeth and Freon suddenly intensified by several times. Perception Realms could detect the most minute details, even from afar, so they could notice any abnormalities. Although Elizabeth tried to mask up her awkwardness and put on a steady face, her body language said it all. They could no longer let Elizabeth to do as she pleased. No one looked at her like a helpless little princess anymore as their killing intent spilled out. They entered a frenzy! They aimed to remove this threat as quickly as possible, and the entire sky briefly filled with flying strikes! Ten Dawn Krogan's barrier was already close to its breaking point and when this happened, cracks inevitably appeared. Elizabeth and Freon were in danger!
A flying strike came in and sheared off part of Freon's ear, causing him to grimace in pain and shed blood. Another narrowly missed decapitating Elizabeth and she gained a deep cut wound above her eyebrows instead. The third one slashed both of their legs and forced them to their knees. The fourth… As the attacks intensified, Ten Dawn Krogan's barrier shrank in response. This concentrated the defensive power, but also shrank their safe zone. Elizabeth and Freon were forced into awkward contact as flying strikes flew around them. Their wounds rapidly piled up too. Since they were too preoccupied in casting their own spells, they could not defend themselves as they would have liked. The other Arcanists lacked the ability to step in and help, so they could give no assistance.
This left Ten Dawn Krogan in a truly wretched situation. Less than half a minute passed since they started, but it was clear that Ten Dawn Krogan had reached his limit, even though he was using World Energy haphazardly. His Magic Aura weakened like a dying flame in the wind. It slipped from Low Condensed Drop to High Gaseous Fog and was continuing to plummet. His backlashes were amplifying! What did an extreme backlash look like? Everyone knew that it ultimately resulted in death, but the cases were so few and far in between that they became mere stories and no one in the current generation had gone to that point yet. It was not just because World Energy was difficult to control, and thus few could manipulate it, but because it was an unbelievably painful ordeal that tested the limits of one's sanity. It was hard to describe how painful it really was. It was worse than any torture imaginable! Very few people could stand it, so cases of extreme backlash were rare. That is, until now.
"Ten Dawn Iris, please… take care of my parents for me," Ten Dawn Krogan said with a heavy heart.
The woman closed her eyes in resignation because she knew what this meant. "…I will tell them that you sacrificed yourself to protect everyone."
The edges of his lips curled into the tiniest of smiles. "You have my thanks."
Ten Dawn Iris was stunned. They worked together for years, and although she would not say that she knew him inside out, she still had a very strong grasp over his personality. To put it simply, Ten Dawn Krogan's emotional range was practically zero. He was never angry nor jealous, never sad nor happy, and never curious nor expectant. He just did as he was told. That was all. Always the expressionless and solitary character, Ten Dawn Iris thought he resembled a machine more than a human. He was the shining example of the 'perfect soldier'! That was why Ten Dawn Iris was stunned to see a smile emerge on his face, however small it was. This man was capable of showing emotion? No, that was a given. That showed how dire the current situation was. This was Ten Dawn Krogan Jermon's legacy!
The man drew in a deep breath, closed his eyes, and relaxed his body, despite the pain. His Magic Aura then slipped from High Gaseous Fog to Medium then Low before finally disappearing entirely. He uttered a short prayer, tightened his fists, and snapped his eyes open again. Boom! His Magic Aura erupted with unimaginable power, exploding right back into Low Condensed Drop! He blasted the wind away from him and created a small tempest. A pillar of World Energy shot out from him and pierced into the skies like a tower of light, as if it aimed to take down the heavens! The sudden infusion of World Energy strengthened the barrier around Elizabeth and Freon by several magnitudes and gave them complete protection. It widened again and shone like a miniature sun! Everyone saw it and marveled at its majesty. It was awe-inspiring!
At the same time, with every passing moment that he drew out his lifeforce, his lifespan shrank at a meteoric rate and his appearance reflected that. Ten Dawn Krogan had always placed an emphasis on his physical health, so he trained his body more than any of his peers. In doing so, he gained a body packed with lean, but powerful muscles, a body that sang of his rich vitality and strong lifeforce. Therefore, anyone would be frightened to see his current state. His cheeks sunk in, his hair whitened, and his skin sagged as his body wilted. His muscles visibly deflated, as if the air was sucked out of them, and turned him into a decrepit sack of bones. He turned into a living skeleton in a matter of seconds! But despite everything, Ten Dawn Krogan stood strong, and his eyes stayed sharp. He did not falter once! He would do his duty!