SSS SKILL: DUPLICATE

"You have an empire to protect, but I have people to protect in BOTH WORLDS!!!"

IMPERIAL SWORD: IMPERIAL SLASH

WENNG! A thick, sharp forty meters white aura blade moves. The white aura blade is too big. It extends to the ground, causing gullies to appear as it moves.

The golden beam that has direct contact with the huge aura blade scatters into small golden lights.

The white aura blade is moving forward rapidly.

Bartos is shocked. He doesn't understand how the young king's attack could be so powerful. He quickly mobilizes the aura in his body and the giant. He also mobilizes the aura in the air to increase the power of the beam.

The golden aura that covers the giant flows into its right fist. The aura that covers the giant became thinner. Threads of golden aura are also forming in the air.

Huff-huff Bartos is panting inside the giant as he uses a large amount of aura. His eyes are closed while his arms are stretched to his sides. The earth that surrounds his whole body has shining yellow runes and circuit-like lines.

Bang! The golden beam became thicker and stopped the huge white aura blade.

Bang! The golden beam failed. The white aura blade still continues to move.

The threads of aura in the air haven't flown to the beam. It's too late to strengthen the beam.

"Noooo!" shouted Bartos.

"Ahhhh" shouts Bartos as he tries to accelerate the flow of aura to the golden beam.

The white aura blade is still unimpeded, but its power is being consumed. Its size is getting smaller as it moves forward.

Bang! "Ahhh!" screamed Bartos as the white aura blade hits the giant and is pushed by the aura blade. It crossed its two arms in front of its body and protected Bartos inside. Some power from the aura blade is consumed by the beam, its size is turned to thirty meters.

The giant keeps being pushed. Dust forms as the feet of the giant create gullies on the ground.

Crakk! Some cracks appear on the left arm that block the aura blade.

Crunch! The left arm is cut.

Bang! The right arm blocks, but it is also cut.

Boom! The huge aura blade hit the body and sent the stone man flying to its back.

Threads of golden aura and earth element rotate on the arms of the giant. The arms are forming.

Bang! The palms of the giant try to squeeze the huge aura blade as it puts pressure on its palms.

"Ahhhh!" shouts Bartos as he tries to crush the aura blade. White light floats from the aura blade, and it starts getting smaller as the giant puts pressure.

Crakk! A crack appears on the earthen armor of the giant.

Bartos' face changed when he saw it.

Crunch! The giant is cut into two.

"Acck!" Bartos coughed out blood as the aura blade hit him. His arms, still clad in aura, are crossed in front of his body. He is being pushed back in the air by the twenty-meter aura blade.

Bang! He and the aura blade hit the artificial wall used for ambush by Edgar and his army.

A crater and blade mark appear on the wall.

The power on the aura blade is consumed. The aura blade slowly scatters in the air as white lights.

Bartos came out of the crater while heavily panting. His right arm has a deep wound. It looks incapacitated. His body also has a long and deep vertical wound. His wounds are bleeding too much. A wound from a true concept cannot be closed by simply contracting the muscles. Healing magic cannot easily heal it.

"Marshal!" the soldiers shouted when they saw the state of Bartos. They rapidly run toward Bartos, especially the Tundra King. It flexibly runs over many obstacles. More lightning flashes on its hooves, then it runs on the slope of the wall below the crater. It ran toward the crater. It jumped over the crater and rotated its body in mid-air. Bartos reached out to the reins on the tundra king and pulled himself up. 

Boom! The tundra king's hooves landed on the wall, and Bartos sat.

The tundra king runs, then jumped and landed on top of the wall. It starts running away from the top of the wall.

Bartos is breathing heavily. He grits his teeth as he feels the pain from the wound. He looks at the soldiers below the wall.

"Retreat!" ordered Bartos. He looks at Edgar. He is severely injured, and it cannot be healed easily. No one can stop Edgar from wreaking havoc on the Maginev army. Bartos grips the reins tightly. He underestimated the young king. He brought shame to the empire. He doesn't know how to face the emperor.

They lose the war.

Huff huff, Edgar is panting heavily. He is kneeling on the ground, supported by his blood dragon sword. He cannot maintain the king's sword. 

"Your Majesty!" Baynard's soldiers shouted as they approach Edgar. 

"Your Majesty, Bartos is severely injured. We can communicate using the crystal, and we can set up encirclement to bury him here in our kingdom," said a soldier of a special force. All the soldiers feel excited.

Edgar shakes his head when he hears the soldier. The soldiers are confused about why the king does not agree.

"If Bartos die here, Morowind Empire will pick peaches. Once Bartos die, they will invade the east and swallow the territory of Maginev empire. We are not ready to swallow the territory of Maginev. We had just included two big kingdoms in our territory. There will be many problems with governance if we swallow a territory of Maginev Empire. Our successful defense will give us time to develop until we are ready to swallow their territory. For now, let Maginev block the ambition of Morrowind to move to the East. They probably strongly wish that we both suffer a lot in this war."

The soldiers are shocked. Their king's vision is far wider than theirs. They only see what is in front of them.

At daylight, the news of Bartos' loss reached the emperor.

The emperor's eyes are bloodshot. His ministers are sweating. They are in a meeting room. Only the emperor and trusted ministers are in the room.

The tea cup on the emperor's right hand crumbles and turns to powder as he grips it.

"How can Bartos lose?! That damned king is just twenty-six years old! Bartos has been in that stage for a much longer time! Did he become senile?! The majesty of the imperial court will be severely impacted!" Gustav furiously shouted.

"Your Majesty, all of us did not expect that Van Flameworth has so much strength. The urgent thing to do now is to order a retreat. We cannot allow Marshal Bartos and the soldiers to remain there. Even if moths muddy the water of the imperial court because of our loss in the war, as long as we tightly hold the military, they will still be squashed like an ant." the old prime minister reminded the emperor.

The emperor is gritting his teeth, and he tightly grips his fists.

A hurried footstep came to the meeting room. A soldier came in and passed a small paper to a minister. The minister opened the paper and looked shocked. He approached the emperor and passed the paper.

The emperor crumpled the paper after he read it. His eyes became very fierce.

"Baynard gave us a signal of a temporary truce."

Inside a stronghold in a meeting room, Edgar is sitting in a private room. Beside him is Marshal Frey and a grand healer applying grand healing magic. The healer is wearing a white robe with a hood. Her long hair and eyelashes are golden. She is a beautiful lady. She looks calm as she focuses on her magic.

Edgar is surrounded by a golden sphere, and small lights are raining toward him, slowly healing his injuries. His injuries will also not heal easily as they are caused by Bartos' concept, but the Marshal's injury is a lot more severe than his.

There is a large crystal ball in front of him, broadcasting him to several commanders and ministers.

"As we planned earlier, two strongholds at the border in the northeast, closest to Sunshine City, are abandoned. Citizens in that territory are evacuated. Maginev should be able to read our signal. We will let them have a face for their imperial court in exchange for a temporary truce.Now, it will be much easier for them to decide to retreat," said Edgar to the people that are currently watching right now.

All the people watching are happy, especially Elena. She has tears in her eyes. She feels very relieved that Edgar is fine. She always watches the moon in the evening, wishing for his safety.

All commanders of the Maginev army received an order. Some retreated back to their border, but some are assigned to stations on two strongholds abandoned by Baynard. Commanders look at the territory of Baynard with fierce eyes as they retreat.

They will be back with the full force of the Empire.