Chapter 474 474: 474
At the center of the town, inside a large stone room, a man tilted his head back and lifted a jug high, pouring wine straight into his mouth.
"I have warned you enough. You shouldn't drink this much, Sir Gyno," someone said in a tired voice.
"Waahh!"
The man called Gyno gulped down the contents until his throat burned. Wine spilled from the corners of his lips as he lowered the jug.
"Gurryaaa!" He shook his head hard, then broke into a wild grin as he looked toward James, who stood nearby smoking quietly.
"You don't understand the beauty of chugging wine," Gyno said loudly. "That feeling of escapism is exactly what we need in this war."
James narrowed his eyes slightly but said nothing.
"This euphoria," Gyno continued, waving the empty jug, "this rush in the blood, the guts to take over enemy land and stand there proudly. This calls for celebration, right?"
He laughed, then suddenly paused and smirked.
"Ohhh, I forgot," Gyno added mockingly. "It's your land, and you defected. Kurraaaaaaaaa!"
James bit down on his cigar, his eyes turning cold.
"Sorry, sorry," Gyno said quickly, laughing hysterically. "I was joking. Take a chill pill, man."
James did not laugh. He wondered how he had ended up stuck with a man like this in the middle of a war.
Just then, a loud warning bell rang through the town.
Both of them froze.
"An attack!" someone shouted from outside.
Gyno and James jumped to their feet and rushed out of the room.
The moment they stepped outside, both of them stopped in shock.
Dense flames rose into the sky. Thick black smoke rolled over the town like a dark cloud.
"What the helllllll?" Gyno roared.
"Which shithead did this?" he shouted, his face twisting with rage.
James stared at the spreading fire, his expression darkening. He could already tell that if this was not controlled quickly, it would not only burn the entire forest but also choke the town itself.
He turned sharply toward the soldiers who were running around like headless chickens.
"Stop running around," James shouted. "Go and extinguish the flames."
"We are trying," one of the soldiers yelled back desperately. "But it's getting out of control."
Gyno cursed loudly, spitting on the ground.
"We need a mage," James said, taking another puff from his cigar.
"A mage?" Gyno turned toward him. "Do we even have a mage here?"
James shook his head slowly. "No."
A heavy silence fell between them.
"Then why are we even standing here?" Gyno shouted in frustration. "Hell, let's go slash this thing apart. Maybe our attacks can push the flames back."
James nodded. There was no better option.
The two of them shot toward the forest, moving fast.
...…
James landed in the middle of the burning area, heat washing over him. Flames crackled all around, and smoke stung his eyes.
He drew his sword and swung.
Slash! Slash!
Sharp arcs of wind burst from his blade, cutting through the flames and blasting parts of the fire away.
"It's working," James shouted. "Not effective, but it's working."
"It's working," a calm voice echoed behind him, "but you won't be living."
James felt a chill crawl up his spine. That voice.
He turned sharply. "Who?"
He slashed his sword behind him in one clean motion.
The sword light tore through the smoke, ripping the thick screen of fire and ash apart.
But there was no one there.
"Who… who is playing this pra—"
His words cut off halfway.
A strange thought struck his mind.
'Why can't I sense the presence?'
Before he could finish that thought, the air around him suddenly compressed, pressing down on his body like invisible hands.
James snapped his head back.
A man stood right behind him.
One hand had already grabbed the hilt of James's sword near his waist.
"Sorry," the man said calmly. "I don't have much time, so I have to make it swift."
"Shut up!" James roared.
He didn't waste time acting shocked or afraid. James grabbed his sword with both hands and burst forward, closing the distance in an instant. His body appeared right in front of the man as he raised his blade to slash down with full force.
But before his sword could fall, a cold, clear phrase struck his mind.
"Dimensional Slash. Second form."
The man's figure blurred.
In the next moment, a crimson arc of light flared across the burning land.
The world itself seemed to split.
From the horizon, it looked as if someone had drawn a straight line across a massive painting. Everything in that line was cut apart without resistance.
Flames parted. Smoke was sliced cleanly. Even the air trembled.
When the crimson light faded, silence followed.
A head slowly began to slide down from a standing body.
Before it could hit the ground, a hand reached out and grabbed it by the hair.
Kael stood there, holding James's severed head, his expression calm and unreadable.
"Devour."
...
BANGGG!
Gyno slammed into the ground with his full body weight, sending rippling shockwaves across the burning forest floor. Ash and dust leaped into the air as the ground trembled beneath him.
He pushed himself up, gritting his teeth hard as his eyes darted around.
There were many ways to fight a war, but he had never imagined someone would dare to burn farmland and forests like this. It was plain madness. Even if one side won, the losses would be beyond repair.
"Which son of a bitch started this?" Gyno roared.
"I swear, if I get my hands on him, I'm going to tear him apart."
"Are you talking about me?"
Gyno's ears twitched.
His instincts screamed danger.
He instantly shot toward the voice, smashing through thick smoke with his fist and clearing a path through it.
"Who is it?" he shouted.
BANG!
But there was no one there.
His heart started pounding. He spun around, scanning the area, his breathing growing rough.
"Who is it?" he screamed again.
"Where are you, bastard!"
Something suddenly flew toward him.
Gyno raised his fist to punch, then stopped halfway and twisted his body, barely dodging it. The object slammed into the ground and rolled a short distance before stopping.
When Gyno saw what it was, his blood froze.
"James…"
It was James's severed head, his expression still twisted in shock and pain.