As Castiel ran, a storm of emotions—anger, sadness, worry, and regret—raged within him. Each step felt heavy, burdened by his conscience. Tears streamed down his face, blurring his vision as he ran aimlessly.
Suddenly, he stopped, taking a deep, shaky breath.
[Master.]
[Why did you stop?]
Einstein's voice cut through the haze in his mind.
Castiel didn't respond. Instead, he turned and sprinted back the way he came.
[Master]
[What are you doing?]
[You need to ascend]
Einstein's voice was firm, but Castiel ignored him, quickening his pace. Soon, he returned to the battlefield where druids clashed with the combined forces of the Mahargical Kingdom and Sanctia Gratia.
The sight of the fallen druids—once his close allies—stoked his rage. Thistlebranch's killing of his parents replayed in his mind, but his final actions left him puzzled. He knew something was off.
With a roar, he released his aura, sending shockwaves through the enemy ranks. Soldiers stumbled, their formation breaking apart under the force of his power.
Driven by anger and grief, he leaped into the fray and activated Astral Bind. Massive roots burst from the ground, slamming into enemy soldiers, crushing some and flinging others into the air. The roots snaked through the battlefield, breaking shields and tearing through armor.
The soldiers, taken by surprise, scrambled to defend themselves.
"Hold the line!"
Alaric, one of the Heroes of the Mahargical Kingdom, shouted, but his voice was nearly drowned out by the chaos. Castiel, not missing a beat, activated Astral Vortex.
The ground trembled as the vortex formed around him, a violent mix of elemental forces. Pillars of fire erupted from the ground, spiraling upward and merging with torrents of water, gusts of wind, and bolts of lightning.
The vortex expanded, pulling everything into its swirling maw—ground, debris, and enemy soldiers alike. Screams filled the air as the vortex tore through the battlefield, leaving a path of devastation.
Lucius, a Champion of Sanctia Gratia, watched in horror as the vortex decimated his troops.
"Do not falter! Fight!"
He roared, rallying his men. But even as the words left his mouth, he could see the fear in their eyes. The combined forces of the Mahargical Kingdom and Sanctia Gratia were being torn apart, their ranks in disarray.
The vortex continued its rampage. Castiel's eyes burned with cold light as he reached down and picked up a sword from the ground. It was heavy in his hand, but he barely noticed the weight as he activated Infinite Strength.
The blade sliced through the air with deadly precision, cutting down any soldier who dared to approach. He moved with lethal efficiency, each swing of the sword accompanied by the crunch of metal meeting flesh.
The battlefield was a storm of chaos and bloodshed. Soldiers who had once fought with confidence now found themselves fleeing in terror. Those who tried to stand their ground met a swift and brutal end, their bodies crumpling under Castiel's attacks. The combined forces were being decimated, their numbers dwindling with each passing second.
In the midst of the carnage, Lucius and the other leaders of the enemy forces realized they were facing an opponent far beyond their expectations.
"Form up! We need to contain him!"
Lucius commanded, but his voice was tinged with desperation. The remaining soldiers scrambled to obey, forming a defensive line, their shields raised high.
Castiel's breath came in ragged gasps as he fought, his body pushed to its limits. But despite the exhaustion gnawing at him, he refused to stop. He couldn't stop. The faces of his fallen comrades, of those he had once called friends, flashed before his eyes, driving him forward. With a roar, he swung his sword, the blade cleaving through shields and armor as if they were paper.
A burst of elemental magic erupted from the enemy ranks as the five Heroes of the Mahargical Kingdom and the three Champions of Sanctia Gratia launched a coordinated attack. Fireballs, ice shards, and lightning bolts rained down on Castiel, but he was ready.
With a flick of his wrist, he activated Boron Barrier. The protective field shimmered into existence, absorbing the magical attacks with a bright flash of light. Smoke billowed around him, obscuring his form.
For a moment, the battlefield was silent, the soldiers holding their breath as they waited to see if their assault had succeeded. Then, with a surge of power, Castiel dispersed the smoke, revealing himself unharmed. His eyes glowed with an unnatural light as he activated Telekinesis, lifting massive chunks of debris from the battlefield. With a grunt, he hurled them at the enemy forces, the projectiles tearing through armor and flesh.
"Barrier! Form a barrier!"
Alaric shouted, his voice cracking with urgency. The soldiers hurried to comply, raising their hands to summon a magical shield. The barrier shimmered into existence, deflecting some of the debris, but the force of Castiel's assault was relentless.
"Push forward! Don't let him break through!"
Hermosa, one of the Champions of Sanctia Gratia, ordered, her voice steady despite the chaos around her. The soldiers, bolstered by her command, renewed their efforts, pouring their energy into maintaining the barrier.
But Castiel was undeterred. His aura flared again as he summoned swords from the sky using Infinite Creation Magic. The blades materialized above the battlefield, hovering ominously before descending in a deadly rain. The magical barriers cracked under the onslaught, the sheer number of swords overwhelming the enemy's defenses.
"Hold the line!"
Lucius bellowed, his voice straining with the effort of maintaining his own magical barrier. The other leaders joined him, their combined power bolstering the soldiers' defenses. But even their might was no match for the sheer ferocity of Castiel's attack. The barrier shattered with a deafening crash, and the soldiers were left defenseless.
The swords struck with lethal precision, cutting down enemy soldiers left and right. Blood sprayed across the battlefield as the blades found their marks, leaving a trail of carnage in their wake. The five Heroes and three Champions fought desperately to rally their forces, but the tide of battle had already turned against them.
Castiel's attacks were relentless, his movements fueled by a mixture of anger and desperation. He had no time to think, no time to feel the pain in his muscles or the exhaustion weighing down his limbs. All he knew was the need to destroy his enemies, to make them pay for the lives they had taken.
But as the battle wore on, Castiel began to feel the strain. His vision blurred, his breaths coming in ragged gasps. His body, pushed to its limits, was starting to give out. Even with Infinite Strength, the toll of using so much mana was catching up to him. His movements slowed, his attacks losing their force.
The enemy leaders noticed his weakening state and redoubled their efforts. Their attacks grew more coordinated, their spells striking with deadly accuracy. Castiel's Boron Barrier flickered, struggling to withstand the barrage of magic. Each hit sent shockwaves through his body, the pain nearly blinding him.
[Master!]
[You have to retreat!]
Einstein's voice echoed in his mind, but Castiel ignored it, his stubbornness keeping him in the fight. He couldn't retreat—not when his comrades had died for this battle.
But the truth was undeniable. Castiel's body was failing him. His knees buckled, and he collapsed to the ground, his sword slipping from his grasp. He struggled to stay conscious, to summon the strength for one final attack.
[Master]
[You need to stop!]
Einstein's voice was filled with urgency, but Castiel could barely hear him.
With a final, desperate cry, Castiel attempted to unleash a Celestial Vortex. But his body, drained of energy, couldn't muster the power. The spell fizzled, the weak vortex bouncing harmlessly off the enemy's barrier.
The enemy forces, sensing victory, moved in for the kill. Their weapons glinted in the dim light as they approached Castiel's fallen form, ready to finish what they had started. But before they could strike, Castiel's eyes suddenly glowed with a golden light, and in a flash, he vanished, leaving behind only a large mark on the ground where he had fallen.
The soldiers stopped in their tracks, confusion and disbelief etched on their faces.
"What happened?" Darius, one of the Heroes, asked, his voice tinged with shock.
"This can't be happening! We'll be in trouble with the Archbishop and the King," Lucius muttered, wiping the sweat from his brow.
"We need to find him! He can't have gone far," Hermosa insisted, her eyes scanning the battlefield.
The leaders quickly regrouped, ordering their forces to spread out and search all of Eldoria. They couldn't return without the mysterious child in their grasp.
Meanwhile, Einstein, controlling Castiel's unconscious body, moved swiftly away from the battlefield, his senses on high alert. But as he fled, he detected a swift figure trailing them. His speed increased, but the pursuer closed in rapidly, the presence impossible to ignore.
Einstein finally decided to stop, the figure now too close to outrun. He turned, ready to confront whoever was following them.
[What do you need...]
Before he could finish his sentence, the figure lunged at him.