Drayce held Seren's hand and walked away from the river shore, entering the area covered with trees as it would provide more protection from enemies than standing in the open. Soon, many hooded figures appeared in the forest, their presence exuding an ominous aura.
"King Drayce, there are more of them than we expected," Yorian spoke. "It seems like they plan to target your servants and knights as well."
"You go with Slayer and protect the others. I will take care of Seren," Drayce replied as they settled into a secured place.
"Are you sure?" Yorian asked, sounding skeptical. "I sense something different about these wizards compared to the last time we faced them."
"I can handle them," Drayce said as he eyed the distant hooded figures scattered in the forest and slowly approached them. "The safety of my people is important as well. They can't fight these wizards."
Yorian agreed, "If there is anything, call for me immediately."
"Dray..." Slayer wanted to say something, but Drayce interrupted him. "Do as I told you. Their powers won't work on you, so you can act as a shield for them."
Slayer reluctantly agreed and left with Yorian, while Azer and the other knights marched with the servants. Seren's grip tightened on Drayce's hand. "Dray, they seem more malicious than before."
"Do not worry. I won't let them touch you," he assured her, his red eyes narrowing as he watched the figures closing in quickly.
"They seem to be more in number," Seren said worriedly. "If something happens, make sure to protect yourself first."
"Protecting you first is like protecting myself," he said, and drew a circle on the ground around her with the tip of his sword. "You are not allowed to step out of this circle, whatever happens."
Though puzzled, Seren nodded and watched as a shield of energy formed around her from that circle. He turned around to face the approaching wizards while standing between them and his wife.
Seren felt protected and watched him with pride in her eyes. That was her husband, who would protect her from any harm.
'I wish I could use my power to help him, but all I know is giving new life to plants and creating greenery,' Seren thought. 'Even if I try to use it now, the power of the fire element could trigger and destroy everything here. I worry it might end up harming Dray if I can't control it. I should just wait for him to handle this.'
On the other side of the battlefield, Slayer proved to be the most formidable of all. The black magic of the wizards couldn't touch him, and he continued to easily dispatch each wizard, much to their utter surprise. They couldn't fathom how this human was immune to their magic.
Yorian continued to combat the increasing number of wizards, using his powers while vigilantly scanning the surroundings. He recognized a troubling pattern. 'Has she planned to use the entire army of her wizards today? What exactly is her plan?' Yorian pondered, recalling his past acquaintance with Zaria Lynx, who seemed to be orchestrating the attack.
"Slayer, something is not right," Yorian spoke, while continuing to channel his magic.
At these words, Slayer's first reaction was to check on Drayce, who was at a distance, skillfully handling the wizards.
"He seems to be doing fine," Slayer observed.
"I want you to go by his side," Yorian commanded. "I will handle things here. At this moment, you are the strongest among us three to deal with these wizards. They can't harm you with their magic, and you are skilled enough to prevent them from harming you with any weapon."
"Will you manage here alone?" Slayer asked, after dispatching a wizard in front of him who was shocked to see his magic fail against this knight.
"I will. For now, protecting those two is important," Yorian responded, his gaze shifting to the leader of the wizards who was quietly observing the battle. It appeared he was waiting for the right moment or assessing the situation before making his final move.
"Alright," Slayer agreed and started to march towards Drayce's side, clearing any wizards in his path with decisive ease but it was not easy to reach Drayce as more of them kept coming.
When everyone was busy, there was a sudden change in the air that Seren realized sooner than anyone else due to her sensitivity to the presence of any kind of energy. Her gaze followed the essence of malicious darkness which felt powerful and frightened her senses. It was the leader of the wizards, his body now enveloped in a different and stronger kind of darkness, his gaze fixed on Drayce.
'What is he?' her eyes widened with fear and shock, and the next moment she shouted out a name, the name of the person she cherished the most.
"Drayyyy."
When her loud shout stopped, everything around had stopped, and no one moved as all their eyes were fixed on one scene. The King of Megaris was pinned against a tree with the sharp end of the wizard leader's staff pierced in his chest, a strong dark energy from the wizard's body covered the shaft, turning it into a powerful weapon laced with undefeated power.