"You insolent fool! You're not looking at your situation at all, are you?" the prince shouted.
"Honestly, you're not looking at your situation at all, are you?" Sonata shot back.
"You guys aren't assessing the situation well. Atezia has already lost since only the city is left. Even if the group that sneaked in to open the city gates succeeds or my friend and I are captured here, that won't change the outcome of this war. Sooner or later, you guys have already lost."
King Baldric and Prince Briden were stunned, unsure if it was just a hoax. However, Yaron, the Chief of Staff, had a sour facial expression. He thought the same way as Sonata in every aspect. They were entirely at a disadvantage. Even if they captured Sonata, the mysterious force leader, it could not guarantee that the rest would surrender.
While the controversy continued, Atezia's clerics and paladins were not standing around listening. They continued to heal the Chronicle Dragon until it neared full recovery.
"Are you going to break through?" Vanay whispered. She did not know where the confidence came from, but she truly believed she and her friends would circumvent and escape.
"Be careful with magic attacks. I'll lead everyone through with the infiltrators."
"Wait!" Sonata stopped everyone. "I want to test something."
He drew the black sword from its sheath. The pitch-black sword had always been carried but had never been used even once. Sonata knew that the sword had not accepted him, but he wanted to know what would happen if he used it.
Alto wanted to stop him because he sensed something wrong.
It was too late. The energy from the sword spewed out like a broken dam. In the blink of an eye, a dark force filled the room and spilled out into the palace.
"Hey! What kind of power is this?" Sonata shrieked. It was the first time he had encountered something like this. He saw the shape of the gigantic spirit sealed in the sword. Comparing its size to the Doom Angel, his colony spaceship looked smaller.
...That gigantic spirit was the Devil God Harbel…
Sonata learned the name of the gigantic spirit from the memories that were left within the sword.
He had never imagined that such a vicious and violent power was hidden within the sword he always carried, which brought excellent destructive power and other unique properties.
"This sword absorbs hate and turns it into power!" Sonata shouted, his voice echoing off the walls. "Retreat, I can't control it anymore!"
"Where are you going?" Vanay and the fairies in her staff cried out, not knowing what to do.
"Let go of the sword," Alto tried to intervene.
The darkness that emerged from the sword pushed him away. It was not just him, but the Atezian soldiers, King Baldric, Prince Briden, and their Chief of Staff were all moved back and rebounded by the force of darkness.
Some people lay on the floor, their condition appearing dire.
"If I could let go, I would!" Sonata gritted his teeth, struggling to maintain control over the sword.
His Steal Mind could imitate the power of the one who had once wielded the sword, but the sword contained a layer of traps that the creators had stipulated. It made it impossible for someone with an evil mind like him to control.
It's… extraordinary. The more people hate the sword user, the stronger the user becomes, but it forbids an evil person from using it...
Before the sword's power could explode out of control, Sonata decided to deflect it. He did his best to direct the surging energy in a single direction. A colossal wave emanated from the sword and engulfed everything in its path. In an instant, the basement walls and almost half of the castle grounds vanished as the power was redirected away from the sword.
"Sorry, but I can't move now," Sonata laughed dryly, struggling to stand as the sword slipped from his hand.
The sword slipped out of his hand, but he only had enough strength to stand.
"Shut up, it's my job to take care of you," Alto said, moving to support his friend.
"Wait a minute, don't just take care of your close friend. Please take care of me too," Vanay said, running over and grabbing Sonata's shoulder. Together, they ran past the soldiers who could not stop them.
The intensity of the sword wave lasted for a brief time. Although Sonata had let go of the sword, the wave from the black sword continued its ruthless path, obliterating everything in its way, including houses, ground, people, and Atezian soldiers, leaving not even a single piece of debris behind.
The remaining power surged through one district after another, causing a significant part of the capital to be lost entirely. The destruction beyond the city walls was visible to all.
"What was that?" Tales and his soldiers shouted in disbelief.
"It can't be true," Tina's face turned pale. She was on the battlefield, so shocked that she almost let go of the holy sword. After witnessing the devastating power, she worried about the number of people affected and whether her king was safe.
"One side of the wall just disappeared," Tales said, unsure whether to be pleased or dismayed. He wondered why he had struggled to open the gates when some power could blow the entire city and its walls to pieces.
***--------------------------------------------------------------------***
After the energy wave from the sword dissipated, chaos erupted on the battlefield, with both the Chaos and Atezia armies suffering some damage.
Fortunately, Cerise and the Alkaiser had sensed the power hurtling towards them like a ripple before it could do any damage. Their high-level fire spells combined to stop the weakened sword wave in its tracks, preventing it from claiming thousands upon thousands of lives.
With the threat averted, the conflict ceased to be a war and became instead a one-sided rout in Cerise's favor.
Sonata retreated to recuperate before returning to assist with army control, though there was little for him to do as Cerise had complete dominion over the battlefield.
"Any who wish to flee this conflict may do so, but those who persist today will be annihilated," Cerise announced to her generals, whose numbers had multiplied since only a few days prior.
In addition to Tales and Alkaiser, Cerise had gained new generals from the ranks of well-performing Chaos soldiers and the former general of Atezia, who had defected to her side.
"Today will be the end of a tyrant like Baldric Atezia," Tales declared. He seemed calmer than ever before, a stark contrast to his previously bloodthirsty demeanor. It was clear to him that the war was coming to an end.
"Let's clean up," Alkaiser said, turning to Sonata, who was sitting comfortably outside. The young man nodded in agreement, and together with Alto and Venee, they prepared to discuss and plan for the final closure of the war."