Mist Valley – Central Zone. Noon – Duel of Giants.
The battlefield fell silent.
Thousands of Valerius soldiers stopped moving. The remaining Sudrath forces held their breath behind the rocks. All eyes were fixed on a single point in the middle of the open field, now pockmarked with explosion craters.
Two figures stood facing each other.
General Kael "The Human Tank" atop his massive warhorse.
Duke Lucian Sudrath standing on the ground, looking small, yet his shadow seemed to swallow the sunlight.
"Sudrath..." Kael's voice was heavy, muffled behind his bull-skull-shaped iron helm. "I heard you had become a soft old man. Getting off your horse was your biggest mistake."
Kael spun his 50kg Warhammer with one hand as if twirling a twig.
"I will grind your bones into dust."
Lucian did not answer.
He closed his eyes for a moment. Accessing the muscle memory of his original body. Accessing the Mana Core in his heart—something that did not exist in Mr. Sanusi's body back in Bandung.
Thump-thump.
His heart beat slowly but with immense power.
When Lucian opened his eyes, his black irises had turned into Glowing Sapphire.
"Soft?" Lucian murmured.
VWUUUNG!
The air around Lucian exploded outwards.
A transparent blue aura enveloped his body, forming the silhouette of a three-meter-tall giant wolf behind his back. Pebbles on the ground floated up, defying gravity.
Rianor, peeking from behind a rock, gaped. His imaginary glasses slid down his nose.
"What... what the hell is that? Super Saiyan?"
Riven, beside him, was trembling too. Not from fear, but because his knightly instincts were shivering. "That's Aura Manifestation, Nor. Master Level. I... I can't do that yet."
Kael's warhorse whinnied in terror, backing away despite its master's spurs. Animals were more sensitive to apex predators.
"Quiet!" Kael barked at his horse. He channeled blood-red aura into his hammer. "DIE!"
Kael spurred his horse. DUM DUM DUM.
Like a steel train hitting a wall. Kael swung his hammer downward, aiming for Lucian's head. An attack capable of shattering fortress gates.
Lucian did not dodge.
He raised his greatsword with both hands. Low stance.
"House Sudrath Technique: Fang of The North."
As Kael's hammer descended, Lucian swung his sword upward (Uppercut Slash).
CLANG!
The sound of metal colliding was so loud it created a Shockwave that blew away dust in a ten-meter radius.
The result defied logic.
Kael's giant hammer bounced back.
His warhorse was forced to a halt as if hitting an invisible mountain.
And in the midst of the clash, Lucian's blue-aura-clad sword cleaved the iron head of Kael's hammer in two.
"W-what?!" Kael's eyes went wide behind his helm. His legendary weapon was destroyed in a single clash.
Lucian gave no pause.
He jumped. Not a normal human jump. He shot up to the height of Kael's head as he sat on the horse.
Lucian's left hand (clad in a steel gauntlet and blue aura) grabbed Kael's throat.
"Get down," Lucian ordered coldly.
Lucian slammed the 120kg General (plus 30kg of armor) from the horse onto the hard ground.
BOOOOM!
The ground cracked, forming a small crater.
Kael coughed up blood inside his helmet. His ribs were crushed instantly.
Lucian landed gracefully beside Kael's writhing body. He pressed the tip of his sword against Kael's neck.
"You said I was old?" Lucian asked flatly. His aura slowly dimmed, but the pressure of his Killing Intent grew thicker.
Kael tried to get up, but his body was paralyzed by pure fear. He looked into Lucian's eyes. Those weren't human eyes. Those were the eyes of the King of the Jungle staring at prey.
"M-mercy..." Kael whispered, his pride shattered.
Lucian raised his head, staring at the 3,000 Valerius troops watching with trembling knees.
"Your General has fallen!" Lucian's voice, amplified by the remnants of his aura, echoed through the valley.
"You have two choices!"
Lucian pointed to the valley exit.
"One: Pick up your feet, run back to your pigsties, and never set foot in Northreach again."
Lucian stabbed his sword into the ground beside Kael's head.
"Two: Take one more step forward, and I will make sure your corpses become fertilizer for this land."
Silence for a moment.
The wind blew, carrying the smell of blood and gunpowder.
Clang.
A Valerius soldier in the front row dropped his spear. He turned and ran.
It triggered a domino effect.
Clang. Clang. Clang.
Hundreds of weapons were dropped. Their morale was utterly destroyed. They weren't cowards, but fighting a monster like Lucian combined with Rianor's insane traps was suicide.
"RUN! SAVE YOURSELVES!"
Thousands of troops turned around, pushing each other to escape the Mist Valley. They ran for their lives, leaving their General, leaving their honor.
Absolute Victory.
Behind the Rocks.
Rianor slumped to the ground. His legs were jelly.
"Crazy..." Rianor muttered. "My strategy... my bombs... were all just a warm-up for Dad."
Riven laughed, a loud, proud laugh. He slapped Rianor's back.
"That's why he's the Duke, Nor. Strategy is important. But Absolute Power... that is the law of nature."
Roland and Rhea came down from the cliffs, joining their siblings. Their faces were dirty, exhausted, but their eyes shone.
They walked toward Lucian, who stood tall in the middle of the battlefield.
Lucian looked at his children. His blue aura vanished, reverting to the father figure they knew. He smiled faintly, then staggered slightly.
"Dad!" Riven quickly supported his father's body.
"Are you okay, Dad?" Roland asked in panic.
"Just... back pain," Lucian winced, holding his lower back. "This body isn't used to outputting that much power yet. And I rarely did cardio in Lembang."
Everyone laughed. A laugh of relief breaking the tension of death.
However, Rianor didn't laugh for long. He looked at General Kael, who was still alive (barely) on the ground.
Rianor walked closer.
"What do we do with him, Dad?" Rianor asked. "Kill him?"
Lucian shook his head. He had returned to wise leader mode.
"If we kill him, Varkas will make him a martyr to fuel the fires of revenge. No."
Lucian looked at Roland.
"Sir Roland. We have the most valuable hostage here. General Kael is worth at least 20,000 gold in ransom... or territorial concessions."
Roland's eyes sparkled with Dollar Signs.
"I like the way you think, Father. We will bleed Varkas dry."
That day, Mist Valley bore witness.
The Lion of the North had not just awakened. He had just roared, and the entire kingdom would soon hear it.