"Get up, you sc*mbag!"
A powerful kick landed squarely on the King of Ardel’s body, eliciting a groan of pain from him. His nose and mouth oozed crimson blood as he lifted his face.
The king struggled to reach for his sword on the ground, his hands trembling. Swells and marks of the beatings were beginning to show on his reddened countenance.
Kyren scoffed at the sight of the helpless king.
"I haven’t even drawn my sword against you, and you’re already in this pitiful state? I didn’t know the arrogant betrayer of Ardel was this weak and useless!"
Using only his fists and hardened boots, the grand duke had landed several blows and kicks on the king.
It was evident that Kaizer was no match for his formidable opponent. He was nothing more than a selfish and greedy traitor.
"Please! Please, don’t kill !" the king begged once more.
Kyren’s response dripped with sarcasm.
"Why wouldn’t I? You hurt my wife so badly that she lost everything... her family, her kingdom, and her people. She nearly beca a slave because of you! You showed no empathy when you and your Bargesian accomplices raided her castle and killed everyone she knew! Because of you, she lives in trauma and fear! Do you think what you did to her was fair?"
The king crawled towards Kyren, pleading for rcy, "I’m sorry! I’m sorry for what I did! Please, I can’t do this anymore! I beg you!"
"Never! Blood shall be paid with blood! For those who died because of you, your pathetic life no longer has any value in this world," Kyren declared. "As I said, since I owe you a thank you for being the reason for my union with Anna, I shall grant you a swift death now. Prepare yourself to die!"
The grand duke unsheathed his sword, aiming it at King Ronan’s neck. The king closed his eyes, resigned to his fate.
Suddenly, the sky darkened, and a powerful gust of wind blew, drawing Kyren’s attention upwards.
’Dumm!!’
A beam of ethereal light shot from the heavens along with a loud thud, its luminescence illuminating the surrounding area. The light converged upon Kyren, enveloping him in its radiance.
As the light surged through his body, a magical golden cord beca visible, snaking across his form and pulsing with an inner energy. The cord appeared woven around his body, creating a shimring protection of power.
Kyren was petrified as the radiant light from the sky held him, rendering him immobile. The power surging through his body felt like a terrible force siphoning the very energy from his soul. A surge of agonising pain erupted as the light suddenly turned black.
"Aaaaaa!!" the grand duke scread in agony, the pain akin to having his guts and other organs wrenched from within.
The shimring golden cord around his form began shattering, and as it broke apart and ceased in the air, Kyren’s entire body turned a searing crimson as if being consud by an intense burn.
In a fleeting mont, the black energy withdrew, taking with it the inner golden light emanating from his body and ascending back to the sky beyond the clouds.
Kyren struggled against the powerful suction, the force causing him to collapse to the ground, rendered unconscious by the sheer tornt.
The sky imdiately reverted to its usual state after the cataclysmic event.
Kaizer Ronan, crouching with his head in his hands, slowly raised his gaze, dazed by the unprecedented occurrence. His eyes darted around, taking in the serene surroundings as if the trendous cosmic disturbance had been nothing but an illusion.
The king’s gaze settled on the unmoving figure of the grand duke, lying prone on the ground with his eyes closed.
At first, Kaizer considered seizing the opportunity to escape, but he feared that if Kyren suddenly awakened, the powerful commander would easily track him down and finish him off.
Gathering his courage, the king approached the grand duke’s still body and kicked him once. He quickly recoiled in trepidation, half-expecting the grand duke to wake up and grab him suddenly.
But there was no movent from Kyren. Kaizer approached him again and proceeded to kick the unconscious prince several tis, yet there was no response.
"Is he dead?" the king pondered, kneeling to check Kyren’s breathing.
He put his finger on the grand duke’s nostrils and could detect a faint but steady exhalation of breath.
"Hah! Still alive!" Kaizer exclaid as he stood up.
He had seen Kyren stroked by a bizarre, ethereal light. At first, he thought it was lightning, but the pattern of the light was so different that it didn’t resemble one.
The king pondered the strange phenonon, trying to make sense of what he had witnessed. The light that had enveloped the grand duke was unlike any natural occurrence he had seen before—it possessed an otherworldly, almost mystical quality.
Kaizer’s gaze shifted to Kyren’s prone form, the grand duke now lying helpless at his feet. The tables had turned, and the king could scarcely believe his luck.
After enduring the grand duke’s wrath and facing certain death, fate unexpectedly intervened, leaving the once-mighty warrior in a dire state.
Despite the pain throbbing from his busted lips, the king couldn’t help but let a grin spread across his face. This was an opportunity he could not afford to squander.
"St*pid d*mn prince! Do you think you can kill ?" King Ronan cursed as he kicked Kyren’s body over and over again.
The king’s face contorted with rage. Bending down, he unleashed a flurry of punches, striking the grand duke’s face with all his might.
Driven by hatred, the king’s dark heart felt a twisted sense of triumph at being able to counterattack the helpless Kyren. Blood began to trickle from the grand duke’s lips.
"Haha... Now you’re not looking so high and mighty, you f*cking *sshole!" Kaizer sneered.
The king’s thirst for vengeance was not yet quenched. He spotted Kyren’s sword lying on the ground nearby.
A vicious smile crept across his lips as he snatched up the blade, rising to his feet. Gripping the sword firmly in both hands, the king aid the tip at the grand duke’s exposed neck.
"Die, you b*stard!" he roared, raising the weapon to deliver the killing blow.
"No!!"
A desperate scream rang out from behind just as a sudden impact struck the king’s back.
"Argh!" Kaizer cried, the sword clattering from his grasp.
Glancing down, the king saw the sharp blade protruding from his own body, the tip having pierced clean through him. Before he could react, the sword was thrust deeper, tearing into his flesh.
Kaizer groaned, a rain of blood trickling down from the gaping wound as the blade was pulled out from his body.
Turning, he spotted a young girl standing behind him.
"You... you b*tch!" the king choked out, raising a shaky hand towards her.
But the fatal blow had taken its toll, and his eyes rolled back, revealing only the whites. Kaizer’s body slowly crumpled to the ground, floundering as more blood spilt from the mortal wound.
Athillia stood in fearful awe, this being only her second ti taking a life - an act she was still unaccustod to.
The king struggled, his movents growing weaker by the second. His mouth was agape as he gasped for air. The light of life began to fade from his eyes, and after a mont, his body ceased moving altogether.
The obnoxious traitor had t his end at the hands of the Bargesian princess.
Athillia’s breaths were ragged with panic. She had been tracing Kyren and the King of Ardel, only to be caught in a sudden shift in the weather that had briefly delayed her.
When she finally reached the beach, she saw the grand duke lying unconscious on the ground, and the vicious king was about to kill him.
Seeing Kaizer no longer moving, she rushed to Kyren’s side.
"Lord Kyren! Lord Kyren!" she cried, shaking his broad shoulders anxiously.
Tears stread down her face as she feared the worst.
"My Lord! Don’t die! Please! You promised you would take to Cassian!" she exclaid, shaking him again as her cries grew louder.
Suddenly, a faint gasp escaped Kyren’s lips. Hearing it, Athillia’s expression shifted to one of relief.
"Oh, thank goodness! You’re alive!" she breathed.
The Bargesian princess’s sad features quickly transford. Heaven had heard her pleas.
The grand duke slowly opened his eyes. His body felt so weak that he could hardly move. Through his blurred vision, he heard the sniffling and cries of a young girl.
At first, he thought it might be Anna, but as his sight cleared, he recognised Athillia’s face.
"A... Athillia..." Kyren called out to her, stamring.
"I’m here, My Lord!" the Bargesian princess quickly responded, her tears continuing to fall. "I thought you were dead! I knew sothing would go wrong, but the admiral didn’t believe . That’s why I followed you!"
Kyren swallowed his saliva, tasting the iron tang of blood in his mouth. It seed soone had dealt him a heavy blow while he was unconscious. As he regained his senses, mories of the confrontation with Kaizer ca flooding back.
He had been amid their duel when suddenly, he was struck by a strange, blinding light. Kyren’s forehead creased in concern.
"Kaizer Ronan..." he murmured, his gaze darting about as he tried to rise, intent on facing the king again despite his weakness.
Athillia held him down.
"He’s dead! I stabbed him before he could attack you! He was going to sever your head! Do you know how dangerous it was?!" she cried.
Kyren breathed a sigh of relief upon learning his opponent had been defeated. He saw the form of the man lying on the ground, lifelessly, not far from him. His lifted head sank back to the ground.
Though he felt a twinge of disappointnt at not being the one to kill the king, he was grateful that Kaizer Ronan had died.
"Thank you... Athillia," he said weakly.
Athillia wiped the tears from her cheeks with the back of her hand.
"Don’t speak anymore," she urged. "I’ll go get help! Whatever happened, don’t close your eyes!"
Kyren almost wanted to laugh at her concern. He knew he was worn out as if all his energy had been drained, but he was sure this was not the day he would et his end.
"I won’t," he assured her. "This is... not over yet."
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