Myron was at the forefront, brandishing his massive sword which had absorbed the crystal's energy, leaving streaks of blue lightning in its wake.
Myron (Screaming maniacally as he shatters the gate of the first fortress):
"Advance! Feel no pain! Pain is for the weak! Today, we bathe in the blood of kings!"
A Faction Leader (In a trembling voice):
"Sir Myron, the left wing is collapsing! Our men are dying—not by enemy blades, but because their hearts cannot withstand the Dose!"
Myron (Turning to him, eyes wide with madness):
"Those who die are sacrifices for freedom! Anyone who retreats, I shall kill with my own hands! Look at the palace—it trembles in fear of us!"
Meanwhile, as the battle scorched the surface, Ortinus and his companions were carving a path through the dark sewers, diving into the filth of the city and its secret history.
Nirar (Panting while holding a torch):
"The stench here kills faster than the King's swords... Are you sure about this path, Ortinus?"
Ortinus (Examining a torn, ancient map):
"Myron said this tunnel leads directly to the throne room. If we reach Ajax now, we can end this farce before everything is destroyed."
Picus (Stopping suddenly):
"Wait... do you hear that?"
Everyone froze. There was the sound of rushing water—and a metallic crash. When they reached the end of the tunnel, they found a massive wall of reinforced steel, blocked by boulders that had fallen during an old explosion.
Nirar (Punching the wall):
"Blocked! They rigged the exit! Ajax knew someone might try to infiltrate from here."
Romelius (Sighing deeply):
"He lured us here to keep us off the field. He wants us to suffocate in the dark while our comrades are slaughtered above."
Ortinus (His eyes burning with rage):
"We won't suffocate here. If Ajax wants a show, we'll give him one. Going back is the only choice. We return to the field; we fight alongside our men—but not as tools in his hand, but as the voice of reason amidst this madness."
When the companions emerged from the tunnels and returned to the battlefield, the scene had shifted entirely. The Royal Army, which everyone thought had collapsed, reappeared in new formations led by high commanders who had regained their footing after the traitorous advisor was slain.
Ortinus (Shouting as he draws his sword):
"Nirar! Picus! Do not kill the royal soldiers unless absolutely necessary! Our goal is to reach Myron and neutralize the effect of those doses!"
Nirar:
"Look there! Myron is facing the Royal Elite Guard alone... He's killing them like insects, but his body is beginning to crack!"
At that moment, the Royal Guard's trumpets blared a different hymn. From behind the fortified walls emerged the "Volcano Squad"—warriors clad in heavy armor resistant to crystal energy, carrying spears dipped in salt-water to nullify the alchemy.
The Royal Army Commander (In a thundering voice):
"Soldiers of Medonia! Show no mercy to the monstrosity! Defend your homes! These are not revolutionaries; these are monsters forged in the laboratories of treason!"
The royal counter-attack began with sweeping force. Long pikes kept the rebels at bay, and flaming arrows fell like rain, detonating the crystal flasks carried by the insurgents and turning their ranks into deadly blue shards.
Picus (Parrying a blow from a rebel soldier who had lost his mind):
"Ortinus! The insurgents are retreating! The Royal Army is crushing them! Myron refuses to withdraw; he'll die there!"
Ortinus (Cutting his way through the crowd):
"Myron! Stop! They are annihilating us!"
Myron (Turning to Ortinus, his face covered in bulging blue veins):
"Ortinus? Have you come to witness my victory? Look... I feel no fear!"
Ortinus:
"You are dying! Look at your men—they are falling like autumn leaves! Withdrawing now is the only way to save what remains!"
Myron (Laughing hysterically):
"Withdrawal? That is for cowards! I'll kill you too if you stand in my way!"
The Royal Army pressed forward with all its might. The palace cavalry pierced through the exhausted rebel ranks, and the "insurgents" began a chaotic retreat, trampling one another in sheer panic.
Nirar (Grabbing Ortinus):
"We must retreat now! This square will turn into a mass grave within minutes! The Royals won't distinguish between us and them!"
Ortinus (Looking sorrowfully at Myron, who was fighting ten soldiers at once):
"Ajax won this round... He has destroyed both armies at once."
Romelius:
"It isn't over yet. Today's defeat is the harsh lesson that will open the eyes of those who survive. Retreat to the forests; we will regroup."
Amidst the screams of the wounded and blue crystal explosions, Ortinus and his companions were forced to drag Myron away by force—who had collapsed after the dose drained his body—escaping through the dust as the King's banners fluttered once more over the blood-stained walls.