Chapter 60: Corrupted End

Alma clenched his teeth as he recalled the princess's instructions: "Alma, remember not to use your mana or auras, just fend the beast off and buy Adrian as much time as you can." The words echoed in his mind, but they left him with nagging doubts.

Why must they avoid using their auras and mana against the monstrous beast? Wouldn't it be more efficient to unleash their power and attempt to slay the creature with it? These thoughts swirled in Alma's head, but he couldn't voice his concerns. The princess had been abruptly whisked away by the troublesome foreigner, who had become an unexpected catalyst for chaos in their once-peaceful city.

From the moment Alma laid eyes on Adrian, he knew the man would bring nothing but trouble to Faerielight. Sadly, his prediction had come true, as an unprecedented calamity had descended upon their realm. Alma surveyed the destruction wrought by the monster, and he couldn't help but be awed by the extent of the damage.

While the infrastructure of their city remained relatively intact, the devastation the beast had wrought upon the surrounding natural beauty was horrifying.

The putrid stench of blood hung heavily in the air, exacerbated by the oppressive black mist enveloping the atmosphere. The foul odor made some of his comrade's retch, their faces contorted in disgust.

Alma shifted his gaze to the monster in the distance, playing with the guards.

A part of him longed to rush to their aid, but the overwhelming danger the creature posed gave him pause. It was far too perilous for the elven army to charge recklessly. Alma watched helplessly as the beast effortlessly sliced through his comrades, their lives extinguished like candles in the wind.

He signaled his men to fire their arrows, though his heart ached at the sight of the brave guards meeting their tragic end.

As a general of the elven army and a member of the royal knights, he was duty-bound to follow the princess's orders without question.

Trusting her judgment was paramount, and he could only hope her unorthodox plan would yield the desired outcome, she hoped from him.

The barrage of arrows reached the beast, but it seemed almost indifferent to the rain of projectiles. With astonishing agility, it casually caught and sliced through any arrows that posed a genuine threat to its well-being. Alma couldn't help but be awed by the creature's incredible reflexes and its near-invulnerability.

The arrows they employed weren't ordinary. Crafted from the finest materials, the metal used in their weapons was sourced directly from the roots of the world tree.

These arrows and weapons were renowned as some of the sharpest in the entire continent, only rivaled in quality by those of the empire and the frost elf tribe residing in the northern reaches of the land. It was an impressive testament to the elven craftsmanship, but against this nightmarish adversary, their finest weapons seemed almost futile.

All of a sudden, the monstrous beast vanished from sight, its form a dark blur that raced straight toward them at incredible speed. Even though they were still about 500 meters away from the creature, it was clear that its swiftness would bring it upon them within seconds.

Alma quickly adjusted his battle strategy, ordering his men to shift their weapons and focus on close-quarters combat. Meanwhile, he directed a quarter of his forces to maintain distance and assist with a relentless shower of arrows.

With a resounding clang, a gust of wind formed as Alma deflected the beast's menacing claws.

"Hah!" he grunted as his sword slashed through, catching one of Kaksan's arms and effectively severing it, though it regenerated rapidly.

Alma clicked his tongue, realizing he'd used his aura for that powerful slash unconsciously. He swiftly reminded his troops, "Remember, do not use your aura or mana against this monster!" His men echoed his reminder, and they collectively screamed, determined to take on the beast.

....

"Why are we here?" Elowyn inquired as we stood atop the castle roofs, watching the battlefield below.

"To get a better view, your highness," I replied, my eyes fixed on the ongoing battle in the town. A low whistle escaped my lips as I observed the intensity of the combat.

'That Alma guy really is strong, huh? I hope he meets his end in this fight. He'd make quite the offering'

"Now then princess if you could please"

Elowyn still didn't fully trust me, but considering the dire situation at hand, she had no choice but to follow my guidance. With determination in her eyes, she gathered her mana and began chanting, as I had instructed her before our ascent to the castle rooftops.

"By the depths of the endless sea, where the flames of life dance free, in the heart of the fiery waves, where secrets of the deep blaze, with reverence and honor, we call your name. Oh, Lason, heed my call and answer my summon," she recited.

Suddenly, a gigantic flaming magic circle appeared above us, and from it emerged a massive flaming eel. This was Lason, the high-ranking spirit that Elowyn had contracted.

Lason surveyed the situation and quickly assessed the gravity of the threat. "That thing is not something we can defeat, Princess," he warned, concerned for his own safety.

The sheer darkness that shrouded the beast was far from ordinary, and he understood the dangers it posed. Yet, Lason was bound by his contract with Princess Elowyn, and he had his own will to consider as well. He was willing to risk his existence as dictated by the contract's rules.

"Don't worry, Lason, I didn't summon you here to defeat it. I want you to assist this man" Elowyn explained as she pointed at me. I responded with a warm smile and a small bow while greeting the high-ranking spirit.

"Greetings, oh great Lason. My name is Adrian Vulter Tellus," I introduced myself, my demeanor having changed quite suddenly.

Elowyn seemed taken aback by my sudden change in tone and made a weird face while looking at me.

Kaksan's agonized scream echoed through the battlefield as Alma, like a shadow in motion, danced around the monstrous entity, his blade slicing into the beast's flesh. The cuts weren't deep, but they inflicted a pain that was disconcertingly tangible. Kaksan, with his eerie perception, observed an aura of divine blessing enshrouding Alma's weapon, a realization that fueled his ever-present rage.

In a fit of wrath, Kaksan slammed his titanic fist into the earth with devastating force, causing a seismic explosion that sent shockwaves rippling through the elven army nearby.

Alma, however, remained a serene figure in the chaos, his agile form gracefully dodging debris and projectiles hurtling toward him. The ground-shaking impact couldn't disrupt his focus, and he maintained his relentless assault.

Kaksan's grotesque tentacles, which had once been a source of terror, lashed out like malevolent whips, attempting to ensnare Alma in mid-air.

But Alma's resolve was unshaken, his spirit, Shill, a human-sized falcon a Mid-ranking wind spirit, swooped in to rescue him, carrying him above Kaksan's menacing reach.

"Good job, Shill" Alma commended with a hint of gratitude as he affectionately petted his loyal spirit. It was this partnership that allowed him to perform such astonishing feats on the battlefield.

With the cunning of a seasoned leader, Alma swiftly ordered his troops to unleash restriction spells, one after the other.

The incantations created a lattice of magical constraints, immobilizing Kaksan where he stood. The monstrous entity was caught in a nightmarish stasis, unable to move or retaliate. Yet, Alma knew that this was a temporary respite. Kaksan's capacity for adaptation was as formidable as it was terrifying.

Alma's acute perception noticed something deeply unsettling. The beast, despite being momentarily restrained, was relentlessly inching toward the castle, and this alarming revelation set off warning bells in his mind.

Even as Kaksan toyed with them on the battlefield, Alma understood that the creature harbored a sinister purpose and a cunning intelligence.

Alma's eyes widened as he observed the grotesque transformation unfolding before him. Four massive, dragonfly-like spikes protruded from Kaksan's back, each a foreboding omen.

"Damn it" Alma muttered, recognizing the gravity of the situation. Kaksan's evolving form suggested an escalating threat, and it was a race against time to decipher the true nature of the beast's intentions before it was too late.

With a sudden and deafening swoosh, Kaksan seemed to evaporate into thin air, his presence vanishing as if he had never been there at all. Alma's senses were honed to their utmost, his eyes darting around in search of the lurking menace, but it was too late. In the blink of an eye, Kaksan's enormous fist emerged from nowhere, violently impacting Alma's face with a bone-shattering BOOOM!

Alma was hurled to the ground, his senses filled with the cacophonous aftermath of the strike. Amidst the disorienting explosion, he heard the anguished cries of his loyal spirit, the human-sized bird, as Kaksan mercilessly severed it in two. The malevolent entity's grotesque wings hummed ominously, sending a dark miasma billowing in their wake.

Alma, though battered and broken, summoned his inner reserves, lightning crackling around his battered form as he steeled himself for the looming specter of death. His resolve to protect his people burned fiercely, and he braced for the final confrontation.

The rallying cry of his subordinates, a chorus of determined voices united in their plea, filled the air as they surged forward to engage the monstrous adversary. Kaksan's gaze locked onto Alma, a malevolent smile curling upon his twisted visage. The elven general screamed in defiance as he braced for the inevitable onslaught.

Kaksan, however, vanished like a dark blur, reappearing with blinding speed to slice through every elf in his vicinity, a symphony of violence that spattered the air with blood, severed heads, limbs, and the gory remains of his victims raining down upon Alma.

Alma recoiled in horror at the grisly carnage that surrounded him, his cries of anguish melding with the anguished wails of his comrades.

"MONSTER!" he bellowed, a palpable rage and despair in his voice as he surged toward Kaksan's silhouette. His blade radiated sparks of green lightning, and his body pulsed with the intense density of his green aura.

With a furious swing, a slash of vibrant green hue cleaved through the battlefield, a torrent of energy unleashed with unparalleled force. The emerald shockwave traversed from house to house, tree to tree, leaving devastation in its wake before culminating in a deafening explosion.

Alma, gasping for breath, observed the aftermath of his attack. The black beast's form had been severed vertically, only to mend itself together once more. Kaksan's arms and claws, now imbued with newfound menace, grew even sharper and more deadly with each transformation, leaving Alma with a sinking realization that their battle had reached a terrifying new level of intensity.

"Haha"

Amidst the chaos and the impending doom, Alma couldn't suppress a disbelieving chuckle. It was a moment of grim acceptance as Kaksan ominously approached, and Alma braced himself for the end.

Yet, in this dark hour, a streak of brilliant purple light pierced the bleak scene, illuminating his surroundings with an eerie aura of magic.

Alma's heart raced with confusion and hope, for he couldn't discern the source or nature of this unexpected intervention. All he knew was that the radiant projectile was soaring straight toward Kaksan, its trajectory aimed unerringly at the beast's heart.

Kaksan, momentarily stunned, stared at the approaching projectile, a smile of dark delight twisting his grotesque visage.

Kaksan's twisted lips uttered a single word, "F... A... tHer" before the projectile found its mark.

The impact struck the heart of the monstrous beast, and in that fleeting moment of agony, Kaksan's malevolent form began to crack, purple energy seeping from the wounded heart.

With a final, whispered word, the beast stared in the direction from which the shot had come.

"O..ff.E—"

Then, with a shattering release of energy, Kaksan disintegrated into countless shimmering particles of purple dust, dissipating into the air.

The malevolent presence that had once haunted their world was no more, leaving behind an eerie, unsettling stillness on the battlefield. Alma stood, stunned and breathless.