Chapter 41: Chapter 38 - the battle (2)

John stood his ground as the beastman, Caelum, pulled off his robe to reveal his massive mane. The sight was intimidating, but John tried not to show it. He glanced at Caelum's black steel plate armor and wondered how someone like him came into possession of such a rare and valuable item.

"Seeing as you are not human, I doubt that you are one of my brother's men," John said, trying to size up his opponent.

"Well, you aren't wrong," Caelum replied, a sly grin spreading across his face as he removed his robe. His fangs were on full display, and John could sense the danger emanating from him.

"So who are you?" John asked, trying to keep his voice steady despite his nerves.

"As I have said, I am someone who would greatly benefit from your death," Caelum replied, his eyes glinting with malice.

"Yeah, and I am saying that you are not narrowing the list down," John retorted sarcastically. "There are several people who would benefit greatly from having me dead, so I need you to be a little more specific."

Caelum's bloodlust was becoming increasingly apparent, and John could feel the pressure building. He knew he had to be careful with his words.

"Right, well let's just say I don't belong to the empire, and I am afraid that is where our conversation ends," Caelum said, gesturing for John to come at him. "I need to take care of you now, and I have to take care of that bastard over there as well."

John hesitated, knowing he was outmatched. He could hear the voices of Kostas and Pallas in his head, warning him to run. But he couldn't bring himself to do it. he knew he had to stall for time.

"I know I'm going to regret it later, but fuck it," John said, reaching for a spear from a pile of corpses nearby. He lowered his posture, preparing for the fight ahead.

"Don't do it, kid. Your body can't handle it yet," Kostas warned.

"Run the fuck away, you fool. There is no point in holding onto your pride," Pallas added.

"Pride my ass," John thought to himself. "The guy knows my characteristics, and he wants to kill me. Given how much stronger he is than me, I have no real chance of running away. I have to stall for time right now, for someone to notice what is going on here."

Caelum smirked, seeing the fear in John's eyes. "Come at me, kid. I will give you a chance since I will kill you anyway."

John tightened his grip around the spear, feeling his heart pounding against his chest. With a deep breath, he spoke, "Heavenly Spear Dance: First Technique - Star Fall!" The moment the words left his lips, John's body vanished from the beastman's sight, only to reappear directly behind him. Without hesitation, the young prince launched a series of thrusts that resembled a meteor shower, hoping to catch the beastman off guard.

"Fuck, kid! You're pretty good," Caelum exclaimed, as he gracefully dodged every attack thrown his way. Although had the attacks contained any form of mana, and had John been stronger, they would have had some effect on the beastman. Unfortunately, John was no match for the seasoned fighter, and he knew it.

"Cough…cough…fuck," John coughed up blood, his body struggling to keep up with the intense physical exertion.

"Now, it's my turn," Caelum said, with a grin. In a flash, he vanished from John's view and reappeared right in front of him.

*BAM!* Caelum's fist landed on John's stomach, sending him hurtling through the air and crashing into a group of barbarians. "Aghhhhh!" the barbarians screamed as they fell, creating an opportunity for the duke's soldiers to strike.

*THUD!* John's body slammed into a nearby tree with a sickening thud. "Blehhhhh," John vomited, his body convulsing in agony.

As the light cavalry on the right flank rode through the battlefield, they left a trail of destruction in their wake. The screams of the barbarians filled the air, their bodies torn apart by the sharp blades of the horsemen. Blood sprayed everywhere, splattering the ground and the riders' armor.

Alphonse charged forward, his spear glinting in the sun. He sliced through a barbarian's throat, the man's head flying off and rolling on the ground. The sight only fueled Alphonse's bloodlust, and he urged his horse to gallop faster. His men followed suit, their horses trampling over the barbarians' bodies.

The barbarians fought back, swinging their crude weapons and throwing spears at the riders. But the light cavalry was too fast, too skilled. They easily dodged the attacks and retaliated with swift and deadly strikes.

One barbarian managed to get close enough to Alphonse to swing his ax at him. Alphonse deftly parried the blow and rammed his horse into the man, knocking him to the ground. He then brought down his sword on the barbarian's chest, splitting him in half.

The light cavalry continued their assault, cutting through the barbarians like a hot knife through butter. The ground was soaked in blood, the stench of death filling the air. "Kill them all, leave no quarter" Alphonse screamed as he made his way to the center of the barbarian's formation.

The left infantry division of the barbarians lay in ruin, their corpses strewn across the battlefield like discarded toys. As the grand duke's heavy cavalry moved in, their cataphracts charged straight into the unguarded rear of the barbarian riders, sending a hailstorm of death and destruction raining down upon them.

Artoxares was caught off guard by the grand duke's superior strategy. "You didn't think our fight would be the only thing that mattered, did you?" Dante smirked, his eyes glinting with malicious glee.

"No, of course not. I just didn't think your army would move in so quickly," Artoxares replied with an annoyed expression on his face.

Dante cocked his head sideways. "What do you mean?"

"START THE BEAST TRANSFORMATIONS!" Artoxares bellowed, his voice echoing across the battlefield. The remaining barbarian cavalry began to undergo a terrifying transformation, their bodies morphing into grotesque, bestial forms.

"Oh, you're finally pulling that out?" Dante chuckled, looking up at the sky. "Start casting wide-scale trap spells!" he ordered his mage division.

"Roger that! Initiating large-scale trap formations!" the mage commander replied, and the wyvern knights left combat to take to the sky, allowing the mage unit to initiate their grand spell.

"I was prepared for this. Your troops should not have given me a week to strategize about your little plans with beasts," Dante said, his voice dripping with confidence and arrogance.

As the grand duke's mages unleashed their spell, the air filled with a chaotic burst of energy. The barbarian beasts, now locked in place, were left vulnerable to the grand duke's cavalry charge. The cataphracts thundered forward, their lances impaling the beasts with brutal efficiency.

Artoxares glared at Dante, his eyes filled with malice. "You know there was one thing I think you were unprepared for," he said, his voice laced with annoyance.

Dante raised an eyebrow. "Care to enlighten me?"

"That little prince of yours," Artoxares said, gesturing towards John. Dante turned to see the young prince launch an attack at Caelum, the beast man.

"You…is that bastard from the same organization that has been helping you?" Dante asked, his expression darkening as he watched John get punched in the gut by Caelum.

"You picked…" Artoxares managed to mutter out before Dante swiftly swiped his sword horizontally, letting out a loud *SHINGGG* as it sliced through the air.

"Fucking bastard, you could at least let me finish what I was saying," Artoxares laughed, dodging the attack with little difficulty. But Dante's focus had already shifted from the barbarian chief towards John, who was now wholly engulfed in a black sphere.

"John?" Dante muttered, his eyes wide as he watched the black sphere slowly shatter

**************************

As John was engulfed in the black sphere, his consciousness plunged into a completely isolated region where he was surrounded by an endless void. The deafening sound of ringing filled his ears, leaving him disoriented and confused.

"What's happening to me?" John murmured, attempting to turn his head, but his body wouldn't cooperate.

Suddenly, a voice broke through the ringing. "Let me out," it whispered. John recognized the voice, but he couldn't place it.

"Who's there?" John called out, his voice echoing through the void. "What do you want?"

The voice repeated itself, louder this time. "Let me out!"

"Stop it!" John yelled, feeling his frustration rise. He tried to cover his ears, but his arms wouldn't move. It was as if he was bound in chains.

"LET ME OUT!" the voice screamed, piercing John's eardrums.

"STOOOOOOOOOOOOOPP!" John roared, feeling like his head would explode.

Meanwhile, within the depths of John's consciousness, chaos reigned. Kostas gazed at the black sphere surrounding the motionless prince with great concern, while Pallas looked on quizzically.

"What the hell is happening here?" Pallas demanded, eyeing the titan lord.

"How the hell should I know, you shitty lizard?" Kostas snapped back, irritation written across his face.

Before Pallas could retort, a faint chuckle broke the tense silence.

"Heh," the sound echoed through the darkness.

"Hehe," it came again, a little longer this time.

"Hehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehe," the laughter grew louder and more maniacal with each passing moment.

"Who the fuck are you, and how did you get in here?" Pallas demanded, his eyes locked on the black figure that looked like John, but darker. The figure's jet-black eyes and strange aura made Pallas shudder.

"I am John, of course," the figure replied, his creepy grin never leaving his face. "I've always been here. You just never noticed me. Hehe…hehehe."

"Of course?" Kostas questioned, his brow furrowing.

"By all means, I am John," the figure replied, the grin slowly fading from his face. "It's just that I'm not the John you know."

Pallas and Kostas exchanged a worried glance as the figure's black aura grew more intense, suffocating them in darkness. He continued, "You see…"

CREATORS' THOUGHTS
themusicaddict

Ahhhhhh feels good to be back...I think I revised this whole thing twice, and I'm super happy with how it looks now, anyhow if you see any mistakes or have any questions leave a comment, or you can message me on my discord, the link is in the synopsis.

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