Marquis Percy was shaken inside to find himself against such a terrifying opponent, but he tried to hide he was affected and spoke with a mocking smile. "I heard the King of Megaris believes in fair fight, but with these powers…"
"My sword skills are enough to wipe out this entire fortress," Drayce countered as he signalled him to be ready to fight.
"Is that so? Then first, you have to go through my soldiers to reach me," the marquis smirked, and on his signal, his soldiers stepped forward to face Drayce. Meanwhile, Marquis Percy had cleverly hidden himself behind his men.
Drayce's red eyes looked bloodthirsty. The soldiers didn't know what they were about to face. It happened in a blink of an eye.
Drayce moved with fluid steps, hacking and slashing each and every soldier along his way like he was merely cutting grass, not human lives. Those who tried to stop him from reaching the marquis fell after receiving a single attack. Some even died without being able to raise their swords.
It was a beautiful yet deadly dance.
Two crown princes happened to step out of the castle only to witness what could only be considered an elegantly bloody massacre.
"I told you, the devil is out," Arlan told Cian who could not pull his gaze away from the scenario in front. One man was diving deep into the enemy ranks, yet he was pushing forward with ease. Cian could see that man was far from ordinary. Such a merciless man was on their side.
He already had an idea of that man's identity.
Cian's sight followed where Sir Berolt was fighting the enemies with his knights. They stood circling a man lying on the ground. It looked like they were protecting that injured man.
"Let's help them out," Cian said as he stepped towards the group.
However, Arlan had other plans. "You can go ahead. I have something important to do."
It shocked Cian. "Are you running away?"
"Since that devil is here, there is no need for us to do anything. My sword is waiting to cut a few nasty heads which are sadly not here," Arlan explained. Without saying more, he turned around to fight his way back inside the castle, casually cutting short the lives of the soldiers making their way out.
Cian turned away from him and fought his way to join Sir Berolt and his knights.
"Your Highness!" Sir Berolt laughed in relief upon seeing the Crown Prince of Abetha unharmed. The Abethan knights in the group looked visibly thrilled to see their prince back as well.
Sir Berolt then realized something was amiss. "Your Highness, how come the Crown Prince of Griven is not with you? Did you not see him? General Losio will be arriving soon to pave a way for us out of the fortress."
"You don't need to worry. He's probably enjoying himself paying back some grievances. He will be out soon," Cian replied. He gestured towards the injured man and asked, "Who are we protecting?"
"The guardian knight of the King of Megaris. His Majesty King Drayce ordered us to protect his knight for him," Sir Berolt informed.
Although they were both royals, Cian had never personally met King Drayce Ivanov. Megaris was a kingdom from the east, and its young king had never stepped out from the eastern region ever since his coronation. On the rare times when Cian joined the envoy to Megaris for formal occasions, it just happened that King Drayce was always on official business away.
Cian could only help slay the soldiers attacking Sir Berolt and his group, but from time to time, his curious gaze flitted towards the powerful dual-sword wielder who had charged all by himself deep within the enemy ranks.
One of the knights with better eyesight suddenly exclaimed, "Your Highness, Commander, reinforcement is here!"
From where they were standing at the Marquis' castle grounds, Sir Berolt and his group had a high vantage point allowing them to see the rest of the fortress below them, more specifically the sole gate leading out of the walled city. It could be seen that a group of people were also fighting their way towards the castle grounds.
Because of the earlier earthquake, Abetha's military general had noticed the chaos inside the fortress and no longer waited outside the wall to wait for the signal; instead, the experienced general decided to bring his men to fight their way in.
Although Drayce fought with ease towards Marquis Percy, a part of his attention remained with the group protecting Slayer. As part of the chosen elite squad, Sir Berolt and the rest of the knights might have top notch fighting skills, but inside the fortress, they were greatly outnumbered. With each passing minute, weariness could already be seen from the way some of the knights were defending more instead of actively attacking.
When a certain young swordsman in white clothes joined them, it didn't take him time to understand who it was. He looked around, and his forehead creased when he realized that the Prince of Abetha was all by himself.
'Did they not meet up…?' Drayce thought and felt worried for his beloved friend.
More of the newly-arrived enemies flooded towards the group protecting Slayer. Drayce was irritated, and those close to him saw his red eyes emit a peculiar shine. Suddenly, the enemy soldiers around Slayer's group were repelled, as if there was an invisible force hitting them away. It was a repeat of a power they had seen earlier.
Though it helped the ones protecting Slayer, that strong invisible force of energy made the elite knights lose their ground too.
Just in time, General Cavrois Loiso reached the castle with his men. They quickly joined the group protecting Slayer, relieving some of the tired and injured knights from fighting.
At the same time, Drayce also reached the marquis who didn't expect him to kill these many soldiers in such a short time.