Chapter 58 - Be Grateful

The thunderous sound of hooves pounded against the earth as the Malekith warriors rode their armored rhinoceroses toward the battlefield.

One of the leading riders, a tall Malekith with a jagged scar running down his cheek, gripped the reins tightly. His deep voice rumbled over the stampede, “Rayan! Are you certain about those metal puppets? They are overwhelming those humans easily.”

Rayan hesitated for half a second before nodding, “Yes, Elder Ehsan. They’re just some weak puppets. They managed to defeat us because of their numbers.”

Beside him, a smaller Malekith scoffed, adjusting the scimitar strapped to his back, “Tch! Those humans are worthless! They begged for our help and swore they could hold their ground. And now? They’re already falling apart!”

“Farhan, focus. Although they’re just several metal puppets, we must always hunt with our full might,” Ehsan scolded the Malekith named Farhan, though his golden eyes flickered with arrogance.

Looking past the dense woods and the grasslands, Ehsan saw everything, from how their human ‘allies’ were struggling to the strange energy beams fired by those metal puppets. He raised his hand and ordered, “Sound the horn! We will charge now!”

“Yes, sir!” someone from the cavalry shouted, and the sound of a horn echoed.

At the sound of the blowing horn, all of the rhinoceroses snorted, their eyes turning bloodshot.

Suddenly, as if possessed by a violent frenzy, the beasts roared and surged forward, their speed doubling in an instant. The force of their charge sent tremors through the ground, leaving deep craters in the dirt where their hooves struck.

Ehsan grinned, feeling the raw power beneath him. Pumping his fist into the air, he roared “Good! Let them know the consequences of offending us, the Malekiths!”

Every warrior howled in unison, drawing their weapons as they prepared to crash into the battlefield. Meanwhile, only Rayan was sweating bullets on his forehead and his body shivered.

Then, all of a sudden, a thick, bright blue pillar ripped through the night sky, scorching the ground and searing the middle of the rhino cavalry!

A deafening explosion followed as the blast tore through the charging formation, sending charred bodies flying and kicking up a massive cloud of dust and debris. The heatwave that followed forced the remaining riders to pull hard on their reins, their beasts howling in agony as they reared back, their armored hides burned from the blast.

Ehsan barely managed to keep his rhinoceros under control, his golden eyes widening in disbelief as he cried, “What in the-?! Where did that come from?!”

Farhan, still gripping his scimitar, squinted through the clearing dust. His eyes suddenly locked onto a lone figure floating high in the sky, silhouetted against the moonlit clouds. “Elder! Up there!” he cried, pointing his scimitar toward the sky.

On the other hand, Rayan, who had instinctively shielded his face from the blinding light, coughed as he struggled to regain his senses. His heart pounded, and his body trembled as he realized the true identity of the blue beam. “I-I-it’s him!”

Ehsan followed Farhan’s scimitar and clenched his jaw. There, hovering effortlessly in the air, was a man clad in thin, dark metallic armor with wisps of blue light flickering from his back. He unsheathed his sword as his expression darkened. “Speak! Who are you?!”

However, the figure ignored Ehsan and the other Malekiths’ curses and howls as strange chambers popped open on his shoulders.

Seeing this, Ehsan’s instincts as an elder and a veteran screamed at him. “Scatter!” he roared, kicking his heels into his rhinoceros’s sides.

But it was too late.

Countless strange projectiles erupted from his shoulders, hissing and streaking through the sky like falling stars. The Malekith warriors barely had time to react before the projectiles slammed into them.

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BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

Explosions bloomed across the battlefield, engulfing riders and beasts alike in violent bursts of blue fire and concussive force. The once-imposing stampede turned into pure chaos as rhinoceroses shrieked, some tumbling over, others bolting wildly in fear. Their riders were thrown off, some crushed under the weight of their own mounts, others flung through the air like ragdolls.

Ehsan barely managed to brace himself as his rhinoceros twisted to avoid a direct hit, but the force of the blast still sent him skidding back, his body trembling from the impact.

Farhan was less fortunate. A projectile detonated just behind him, the shockwave ripping his weapon from his grip and slamming him face-first into the dirt. He coughed and hacked, ears ringing as he struggled to push himself up. “W-what kind of monster is that?!”

Rayan, eyes wide with horror, scrambled to his feet and shouted, “Elder Ehsan! We can’t fight this! We need to retreat!”

However, Ehsan gnashed his teeth, his body trembling with fury and disbelief. Never once in all his years had he seen a single foe unleash such destruction so effortlessly. His pride burned at the thought of retreating.

Above them, Lucas hovered with his arms crossed. His voice rang out, calm yet mocking, “Hey, Rayan! Good job! Thanks for leading these scums here! I’ll make sure to keep my end of the promise!”

When the other Malekiths heard Lucas’s words, all of them were stunned before their gazes turned sharp, locking onto Rayan with growing hostility.

“Rayan, you traitor!” someone from the group bellowed, their voice laced with fury.

Choking in astonishment, Rayan widened his eyes before panic surged through his veins. He immediately shook his head, crying, “N-no! He’s lying! I would never-!”

“Lies!” Farhan roared, his face twisted with rage as he staggered to his feet. “Then why does that thing know your name?!” He spat on the ground and pointed at Rayan. “You led us into an ambush!”

Ehsan, still steadying his rattled rhinoceros, cast Rayan a piercing glare. His golden eyes burned with suspicion and anger. “Speak, Rayan,” he uttered softly. “What did you do?!”

“I-I didn’t-” Rayan stammered, his mind racing for a way out, but his thought was interrupted.

“Come on, Rayan! Don’t play dumb!” Lucas shouted from the sky. “Since things have gone to this point, it’s pointless to keep up the farce, right?”

Ehsan’s golden eyes narrowed further, his voice cold. “I’ve mentored and fought beside you for years, Rayan. You could have been the next elder, and never once did I suspect betrayal. Yet here we are.”

Farhan staggered forward. Although bloodied, he scoffed, “Coward! Rayan, you’ve led us to our demise for your own gain!”

Rayan gasped for air as he took a step back. His eyes darted from one enraged face to another. His mind raced for a sentence, a defense, proof. “I swear! I didn’t betr-!”

“Pfft!” Suddenly, Rayan’s plea was cut off by a muffled laughter.

All of the Malekiths snapped their heads up and saw the figure slapping his metallic head.

Seeing how the Malekiths crumbled in mere seconds because of a sentence of his, Lucas couldn’t resist bursting into laughter. Their rage had completely consumed them to the point they were oblivious to their surroundings.

What was even more amusing was the fact that they were ignoring him completely—the one who bombarded them with numerous explosives and focusing all their attention on Rayan as if he were the only problem to deal with.

“Yeah, right,” Lucas laughed, his voice echoing across the battlefield. “Sorry about that. I just want a couple of you only.”

Without waiting for the Malekiths to respond, Lucas soared across the sky above their heads while several grenades were ejected from his hips, falling toward the Malekiths.

The moment the grenades hit the ground or made contact with the Malekiths’ bodies, a muffled explosion erupted, followed by a thick cloud of green gas that billowed into the air. The gas was pungent and acrid, immediately assaulting the Malekiths’ senses.

Their eyes began to water uncontrollably, and their throats tightened in response. A few of them staggered back, hacking and choking as they desperately tried to breathe through the choking fumes.

Gasps echoed across the battlefield!

But no matter how hard they tried to inhale, the air was burning their lungs. Some of them clawed at their throats, scratching frantically as if their skin were being torn apart. Eventually, the Malekiths began falling one after another. The first one to fall was Farhan, as the gas immediately poured into his body through his grave wounds.

Ehsan, struggling to maintain his composure, wiped tears from his eyes as he rasped, “Get away from the gas! Move!”

But it was too late. The gas had already infiltrated their lungs, and the Malekiths were caught in the throes of panic, coughing, gagging, and making desperate movements.

Lucas couldn’t help snickering, enjoying the spectacle. “Hey, guys! If you’re going to haunt someone, haunt Rayan! We let him go even though he tried to mooch us, yet this is how he repaid us, with people to come and rob from us. So, blame him, haunt him, or do whatever you want, because Rayan is the one who killed you! If you didn’t come here, you wouldn’t be dying in agony.”