The battle was inevitable. The sacred underground chamber instantly turned into a chaotic battlefield.
However, bitter reality soon struck.
The attackers, the hostages, were merely ordinary civilians. Meanwhile, their enemies were magic-wielding nobles, high-ranking officials, and army generals disguised under cult robes.
"Disgusting insects." hissed an old noble. He raised his magic staff. "Burn them!"
A blast of fire swept through the front line of hostages, turning screams of anger into screams of agony. On the other side, an army general easily beheaded two men who tried to attack him with bare hands.
With ease, the cult followers slaughtered the attackers. Fresh corpses fell, piling up around the altar.
However, amidst that one-sided slaughter, there were anomalies.
Alrain moved like a storm. His speed was unreasonable. He dodged bursts of fire, jumped between soldiers, and with bare hands coursing with lightning, he struck a mage's chest until the ribs shattered.
And he was not alone.
A brown-haired man, one of the hostages Alrain had freed, also showed extraordinary fighting abilities. The man went on a rampage, his skin hardening like rock, withstanding enemy magic attacks.
Of the dozens who were bound earlier, only two remained standing amidst the sea of corpses: Alrain and the brown-haired man.
They were the only ones who had just undergone an awakening due to the pressure of extreme death.
King Dalvanel still hadn't moved an inch from his position atop the altar. He stood calmly beside Yonna's corpse, as if the chaos below was merely a form of entertainment. His cold eyes observed Alrain and the brown-haired man who had just managed to kill the remaining nobles protecting the altar.
Blood soaked Alrain's face, his breath ragged, but his gaze never left the King.
"Amazing!"
A single clap broke the tension. King Dalvanel smiled broadly, his eyes sparkling with interest.
"I never expected the two of you to be this strong." King Dalvanel praised casually. He stepped down from the altar, his clean robes contrasting with the blood-flooded floor. "Such extraordinary potential... a pity it must end here. But..."
The sentence hung in the air.
Alrain blinked once.
In the blink of an eye, without warning, without a sign, King Dalvanel's figure vanished from his sight.
"What?!"
Before Alrain could turn his head, King Dalvanel had already appeared right in front of the brown-haired man standing a few meters beside Alrain.
"You two will never be able to defeat me!" King Dalvanel whispered.
Thud!
The sound of the impact was heavy and painful, like a large tree trunk slamming into meat.
An incredibly fast and hard knee strike landed squarely on the brown-haired man's stomach. The man didn't even have time to block. His eyes rolled back, his mouth vomiting fresh blood.
Whoosh! Bang!
The man's body was launched backward like a cannonball, shooting past Alrain before finally crashing into the room's stone wall with a terrifying sound. The stone wall cracked, and the man's body slid down, motionless amidst the rubble.
Alrain froze. Cold sweat trickled down his temple. He was shocked. The King's movement just now was not human speed.
King Dalvanel turned slowly toward Alrain, a mocking smile still etched on his face.
Fear momentarily seized Alrain's heart. However, when the corner of his eye caught the sight of Yonna lying stiffly on the altar again, that fear evaporated, replaced by a scorching wave of deep-seated vengeance.
"AAAARRGGHHH!"
Alrain roared, discarding all logic. He charged forward. His body was once again enveloped in arcs of green lightning. He threw his right fist, cloaked in sharp wind, aiming for the King's arrogant face.
Tap!
King Dalvanel merely raised one hand, brushing Alrain's punch aside as if shooing a fly.
Alrain didn't stop. He spun his body, launching a kick, then a flurry of punches.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
Every one of Alrain's attacks, which were strong enough to crush stone, was parried, blocked, or dodged with minimal movement by King Dalvanel.
"Too slow." Dalvanel taunted.
"You damn King!" Alrain cursed loudly. Tears of frustration mixed with sweat on his face. "Die! Die!"
He continued his relentless assault. Lightning flashed, wind roared cutting the King's robes, but not a single attack could wound Dalvanel's skin.
The one-on-one fight was heavily lopsided. The difference was like heaven and abyss. King Dalvanel was too strong for Alrain, who had just awakened his powers.
No wonder he hasn't moved an inch. Alrain said in his heart, his breathing becoming heavy, yet his hands didn't stop striking. It turns out he possesses unreasonable power. What kind of monster is he?
Dalvanel grew bored. He caught Alrain's wrist as it flew toward him, gripping it tightly until the sound of cracking bone was heard.
"Enough playing around!" Dalvanel said coldly. He pulled his fist back, ready to deliver a punch that would end Alrain's life.
Alrain's eyes widened. He couldn't break free. He saw death approaching.
But suddenly...
A shadow shot from the side, far faster than anyone expected.
Thud!
A flying kick coated in a brown aura slammed solidly into King Dalvanel's waist.
The force of the impact was so great that Dalvanel's grip on Alrain's hand broke. The King, who had stood as sturdy as a fortress, was flung sideways, dragging a few meters before digging his feet into the ground to stop.
Dalvanel patted the waist of his robe which was slightly dirty, his face showing genuine surprise for the first time. He stared at his attacker.
There, standing with ragged breath but sharp eyes, was the brown-haired man who had previously been thrown into the wall.
Blood flowed from the corner of his mouth, and he clutched his waist where his ribs were likely broken, but the killing intent in his eyes was no less than Alrain's.
"You think a kick like that is enough to kill me?" the brown-haired man growled, spitting his blood onto the stone floor beneath him.
Alrain let out a long breath, a strange sense of relief infiltrating the deadly situation. The brown-haired man was still standing. Although blood flowed from the corner of his lips, the look in his eyes still burned, as wild as the lightning flashing across Alrain's body.
"You..." Alrain hissed, wiping away the blood obstructing his vision. "You're still alive."
The man grinned, revealing a row of red-stained teeth. "It takes more than a knee strike from that guy to kill me."
King Dalvanel, who had just risen after being pushed back, patted his royal robes casually. The smile on his face widened, but this time there was no false warmth in it. There was only a thick, suffocating aura of killing intent.
"Interesting." the King murmured. "Very interesting. Two sewer rats who just obtained meager powers dare to challenge the strongest?"
Without warning, an immense pressure of mana exploded from Dalvanel's body. The stone floor beneath his feet cracked instantly.
"Watch out!" the brown-haired man shouted.
Woosh!
King Dalvanel shot forward. This time, he didn't hold back.
Alrain reacted on pure instinct. He channeled all his lightning elements into his legs, accelerating his movements to the absolute limit. He leaped to the side just as the King's fist slammed into where he had been standing a second ago.
Crash!
The floor where Alrain had stood shattered into pieces, creating a small crater. Stone debris flew like bullets.
"Don't just dodge! Attack!" the brown-haired man yelled.
The man stomped his foot on the ground.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Layers of stone from the floor crept up, encasing his arms and legs like sturdy natural armor. He charged forward, swinging his giant stone fist at the King's head.
Alrain saw an opening. While the King was busy parrying the man's heavy attack, Alrain darted to the blind spot behind Dalvanel.
"Die!"