The scene before me was a nightmare, one that I never imagined I’d be living in.
It was a battle I knew we were going to lose, no matter what Artemis had planned or how much she tried to hide her fear. For the first time, I saw a look on her face that I never thought I’d see—fear. Real, genuine fear.
The rest of the group wasn’t much better. Trembling hands, sweat dripping down foreheads, their attempts at bravery were pitiful at best. It was obvious now. The Baron’s true power was far beyond any of our wildest estimations. I couldn’t begin to fathom how strong the others really were, but one thing was painfully clear to me—my role in this upcoming battle was going to be insignificant.
'We can’t win this.' The thought hit me like a dagger in the gut. No matter how many ways I tried to play this out in my head, there wasn’t a single scenario where we walked away victorious.
‘Nonsense! Do you want to shatter your dao heart?! What kind of warrior cowers before a stronger opponent?! Die a coward or a hero—what will sound better on your gravestone?!’
Hadeon’s voice rang through through my fear, but his words didn’t reach me. The gravity of the situation outweighed any amount of scolding he could dish out.
The Baron, standing tall amidst the carnage she’d already created, raised her bloodied finger, pointing it directly at us with a smirk of pure disdain. Her voice was low, but carried the weight of seething hatred.
“Oh? Where is your confidence? Where is your pride? Your ego? The ego that made you believe, even for a second, that you could lay a single finger on me or my people?” Her voice dripped venom, each word filled with an almost palpable disgust that made my skin crawl.
My gaze shifted to Artemis, desperately seeking a lifeline. Her head first turned to Suiko, but when our eyes met, I saw the same uncertainty that weighed on my own heart. No matter how angry I was, no matter the fire that burned in me, it meant nothing if we were dead. And in this moment, death seemed like the only outcome.
‘Should I run? If I’m fast enough, maybe she’ll be too busy killing the rest to chase me… But… what about Suiko?’ My mind raced, scrambling for any chance at survival. But even my fleeting thoughts of escape were dashed in an instant.
“I can smell the coward on you,” the Baron’s voice cut through my thoughts like a blade, her finger still pointing at me. “Don't even think about running. I would disgrace myself by striking you insects first. Come at me, if you dare.”
The weight of her words crushed any sliver of hope I had left. My face dropped, and I chewed myself out for not better hiding it.
“You bastard!” Artemis snapped, her voice shrill and furious as she jabbed an accusatory finger at me. “You were thinking of running away!”
“Shut the fuck up, you hag!” I couldn’t contain the rage that boiled over. It exploded out of me, uncontrollable, profanity laced with raw fury. “I’m sick of your bullshit! You think I’m gonna die here without getting a word in? Go fuck yourself!”
I couldn’t stop. The floodgates had opened.
“You shut up too, you maniac! You walk around with this delusional sense of superiority like you have some kind of moral high ground! You don’t! You’re just a terrorist! You’ve killed more people in the last few months than I’ve met in my entire life! So don’t give me this ‘my people’ crap!”
“This isn’t my life! I wasn’t supposed to be here! I was supposed to be training in some underground fighting ring run by a gnome, getting beat up by his paid fighters, not risking my life playing assassin and spy! I didn’t ask for any of this! I’m just a pawn in all of your sick, twisted games!” My chest heaved as my voice broke, trembling with pent-up fury.
I regretted the words the second they left my mouth, but it was too late. They were out. Every buried emotion, every frustration from the past few months spilled out in a whirlwind of anger.
Silence hung in the air for a moment, the weight of my words sinking in. The Baron’s sneer deepened, her eye narrowing with newfound hatred. Why the hell did I say that? The amount of small people that ran fighting rings were abysmal, and that’s if there were any beside Enzo. Even if I managed to flee now, my identity was revealed, and Enzo definitely wasnt going to cover for me in the face of the Baron.
“You… you rat!” Her voice was low and seething, the air around her crackling with murderous intent. “I’ll kill you first, you sniveling coward! I’ll mount your head on a spike as a warning to the rest of these traitors!”
Oh, god.
The thought barely registered before her fist connected with my body, and I was sent flying, crashing through a wall with bone-shattering force. The world blurred around me as pain surged through every inch of my being—my bones cracked, my muscles tore, and I was sure half of the blood in my body had just shot out of me as I slammed into the ground.
Stars danced in my vision, the world spinning wildly. But I barely had time to process the agony before the wind of a second fist whooshed past my face, narrowly missing me by inches
Or had something blocked it? Had to be. No way she simply missed.
‘How… how is she this strong?’ My mind screamed in disbelief. ‘She’s at most the fourth-stage, maybe fifth! How could she hit like this?! If she’s this monstrous, what are the people at the eighth stage like?!’
Seconds passed, and no sign of the Baron. Did she think she’d killed me? I looked at the massive crater I had crawled out of, considering just lying back down and playing dead.
“Still alive? You’re a tenacious little pest, aren’t you? That only makes me more eager to kill you!” Her voice slithered through the air like a death sentence.
The outline of four figures dashed behind me just as the Baron came into view, blood streaming from a fresh wound on her forehead, adding to the terrifying image she painted. But I couldn’t feel more fear—my body was already saturated with it.
I turned to see Artemis, the duo and Suiko standing behind me, but instead of charging in, they were trembling, unwilling to move.
“Why the hell are you hiding behind me? I’m only in the first stage! The best I can do is run away!” My voice was hoarse, frustration spilling over. I was supposed to be the weakest here, and yet they were looking to me?
“We…have…a…plan.” Artemis finally spoke, her voice weak, each word falling between gasps of breath.
I turned and pointed at the approaching storm that was the Baron. “You have a plan? A plan to beat that?! Please, enlighten me.”
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
“Stop whining like a child and listen!” Artemis still stuttered with her words, but she nearly manage a shout, surprising me with the sharpness in her voice. “If it’s enough to make you shut up, I’m sorry! But if you don’t listen, we’re all going to end up with our heads on spikes.”
“Fine!” I shouted back, “Just make it quick! We don’t have time!”
Artemis took a deep breath, her voice steadier now. “Klein and Kent will draw her attention. They’ll use their clones to keep her busy. I’ll charge in from the front. But you—” she jabbed a finger at me, “—and Suiko need to sneak up behind her. Your job is to get Suiko close enough to touch her. No matter what.”
“What? Why do I have to go with Suiko?” I shot a glance at her, feeling uncomfortable.
“Because you’re the only one weak enough for her senses not to notice, and you can’t take her head-on anyway,” Artemis explained with a cold, cutting tone. “If something goes wrong, you need to keep her eyes off of Suiko long enough for her to do her thing.”
“What’s Suiko going to do?” I asked, my gaze flickering between the two of them.
“That’s for us to know, and for you to follow. Now move!” Artemis growled, leaving no room for further questioning.
As the Baron approached, her steps slow and deliberate, the final pieces of our plan fell into place. I tightened my grip on Suiko’s wrist, steeling myself for what was to come.
The Baron stopped a few meters away, her eye glinting with amusement. “Are you all done writing your wills? Should I expect any of you to leave me something?”
We all exchanged a final look, silent but understood. This was it. Do or die. And honestly, I wasn't feeling too sure about the "do" part.
Artemis raised her bow, the tension in her muscles almost palpable as she prepared herself. The duo beside her finally threw off their cloaks, revealing identical faces.
Twins. I knew it.
The word flickered through my mind, but there was no time to dwell on it. Artemis shot forward with startling speed, gripping her bow high like a short-range weapon. The twins split, darting in opposite directions to encircle the Baron. Their footsteps were as light as whispers, but the Baron—unfazed, unmoved—lowered herself into a fighting stance that seemed all too calm.
I grabbed Suiko’s hand, a gesture that under any other circumstances would have set my heart racing. But now? Now there was only the crushing weight of the moment, the tension pulling me taut as a bowstring. We sprinted forward, the sharp sound of our feet hitting the ground drowned out by the din of the twins' clones tearing apart as fast as they were made.
Flame-spears shot from one of the twin’s hands, hissing through the air, aimed straight at the Baron’s face. My chest clenched, not in fear, but in something else.
‘That should’ve been my power!’ The thought hit me with a bitter pang. I’d dreamed of it, fantasized about it—now someone else wielded it like it was theirs to command. Whatever, that’s not important right now.
Artemis, meanwhile, was a blur of desperation. She kept getting knocked back, her lithe body slamming into the ground, yet she kept coming at the Baron, relentless. Pathetic, yet oddly admirable. I caught myself before that admiration could bloom any further. Now wasn’t the time.
We veered sharply, pushing past the other twin. He was surrounded by clones, their bodies ripped apart one by one, a distraction so effective it gave us the precious seconds we needed. The Baron’s attention flickered in our direction, but was quickly pulled back by the torrent of flame being hurled her way. I pushed myself harder, feeling my body screaming in protest, bones grinding under the strain of every step. But I couldn’t slow down. Not now.
Suiko struggled beside me, her feet dragging, her breath ragged. She was slowing, but I didn’t have time to wait for her to catch up. We were close. So close.
Two meters.
One.
A foot away. I could have reached out and grabbed the Baron, but that wasn’t the plan. My grip tightened on Suiko’s wrist. I curled my free hand into a fist, feeling the bones strain beneath my skin.
“Hey, you ugly bastard!” I yelled, my voice raw, unnecessary, but I needed to grab her attention. Her body showed no movement, still face away from me, reaction failing to match the movement of her body as I released Suiko. My fist swung forward, the momentum carrying my entire body into the punch.
I hit her square in the face.
She didn’t flinch. But I felt my bones shatter on impact, the pain so sharp it was almost blinding. And yet, it worked. Her attention was grabbed. Suiko flew from my grasp, using the brief opening I’d created. She slapped the Baron’s head with a quick, deft motion as she soared over her, a taunt as much as a strategy.
The Baron snarled, eye flaring with fury as she leaped after Suiko, but she was too slow. Flame-spears from the twin rained down on her arms, blocking her movement.
“What now?!” I screamed, breathless, the plan coming together and fraying all at once.
“Suiko! Do it now!” Artemis shouted, her body flat against the ground, struggling to rise.
Suiko landed unsteadily, stumbling forward before regaining her balance. Her hands flew to her temples, eyes clenching shut as she let out a strained cry. The Baron, mid-attack, faltered. Her limbs jerked uncontrollably, fists swinging wildly, but she was no longer in control.
“W-what is… h-happening?” The Baron slurred, her words a mangled mess. Her voice was thick, like she was choking on her own confusion.
But even as she fell to her knees, the world around me started to blur. My legs gave out, and I collapsed to the ground, face first into the dirt. My body refused to move, the exhaustion hitting me like a tidal wave. I’d pushed too far.
“Kent, now!” Artemis's voice rang out like a beacon, and I forced my head up just enough to see her and the flame twin charging forward, weapons gleaming in the dim light.
The Baron unleashed a final burst of power in defiance. A pulse of energy that rippled through the air like a last roar. But it wasn’t enough. Even the strongest lion will fall if it underestimates the pack. Maybe being a poet wasn’t a bad career option.
Artemis’s bow came down with a sickening crack, the sound of the Baron’s skull breaking beneath it echoing like a thunderclap. The flame twin followed through with a precise, merciless slice. Blood sprayed through the air, and the Baron’s head rolled to the ground, her eyes empty, her power gone.
I wanted to smile. I wanted to feel victorious. But I still couldn’t move. I lay there, the dirt cold against my skin, my body unresponsive. My recovery ability should’ve kicked in by now, but something wasn’t right.
Artemis picked up the Baron’s severed head, spitting on it as she swung it by the hair, her lips curled in disdain. She glanced at the others, nodded, and turned to leave.
“Wait! Where are you going?” I called, panic surging through me. They couldn’t just leave me here! They wouldn’t. I’ve done so much for them. They can’t.
“Oh, sorry. I don’t answer to anything other than ‘hag’ now,” Artemis responded, her smile splitting her bloodied face like a cruel, jagged cut.
“I can’t get up. Help me back to the ship.” My voice cracked, and I hated the desperation that clung to it.
“Klein, Kent, what do you think?” Artemis asked, not even sparing me a glance. “Should we take him with us and risk getting caught, or leave him here as a trophy for the Ukorin?”
“Leave him,” they both said in unison, their voices cold, detached.
Artemis crouched down next to me, so close I could smell the iron tang of blood on her skin. She dragged her fingers across my lips, smearing them with blood.
“You liked that kiss, huh? Mr. Romantic?” she whispered with a twisted grin. “Was it your first?”
How did she know? My heart pounded in my chest as my eyes darted to Suiko, but her back was turned. There was no spark. No attraction. I was nothing but a pawn to them. A throwaway.
Suiko was an Eris. That’s how she’d paralyzed the Baron. That’s how she’d paralyzed me.
“After everything I’ve done… after everything I’ve gone through, you bastards are going to leave me here to die.” I tried to push out a scream, blood spilling from my mouth, my throat raw. My aura wasn’t responding. I had no strength left. My body was run rampant with rage, but no way to let it out.
“You bastards, will regret this.” I threatened in a voice too low for them to hear, but just enough for me to remember. Even if I died a hundred times, I will never let this go.
They didn’t look back. Not once. I watched as they disappeared into the distance, my vision fading in and out. And then, from the corner of my eye, I saw them. An army of Ukorin, their scarlet armor gleaming in the dying light. Their leader’s decapitated body lay between us.
Their eyes burned with fury as they turned to me.
I knew that look.
The same look I had seen before—back in the illusionary field, on the faces of the guards who had torn me apart. The same fate awaited me now.
But this time, I wouldn’t survive.