Slash.
The cold blade of Aristo's sword was warmed and painted red with the blood of the red goblins. He alongside Lance fought off the monsters that got through, or were let through, Luciana's barrage of attack around the glade.
As promised, Luciana let some goblins through so that Aristo could face them on. She did, however, make sure that her prince faced no more than a dozen goblins at once.
Slash.
With a single swing of his sword, Aristo decapitated three goblins at once. Another three came at him from an angle which made him impossible to perform the same attack, but the dark-haired prince maneuvered his blade and killed the new arrivals within three slashes.
With the mist out of the way and the monsters clearly visible, Aristo could finally fight the creatures properly. From the way he agilely moved around and mightily swung his sword showed how capable he was as a swordsman.
That being said, Aristo's style differed from Lance who was fighting right beside him. The guardian was taught the way of the swords by some instructor long ago, one who followed the strict rule of swordsmanship.
But the way Aristo moves had an unconventional feel to it. He would alternate handling his sword from his right hand to the left. He would occasionally pull a dagger from his belt and throw it to an incoming goblin in order to reduce their number. He would also straight up use kicks and punches to defeat the monsters instead of relying on the sharpness of his blade.
Aristo's style was mostly spontaneous, non-traditional, and resourceful. A way of swordsmanship that was so unique it could not be possibly passed down from someone. As if those moves were mostly self-taught. Acquired through his past experiences.
One would wonder how a prince like him came to develop such technique. But however it was, Aristo's way of fighting was enough to ensure his survival and victory against the dozen of goblins coming his way.
As Luciana dwindled down the numbers of goblins throughout the glade from the sky, Aristo and Lance worked to kill any monsters that passed through. They both could adequately handle twelve goblins at once.
But at times, one or two would get past their rank. That was when the 7th Division members came in. All six of them did their best to kill off any remaining goblins and protect their horses tied at trees at the center of the clearing they were all in. Though most of them were out of shape and unfit for battle, the 7th Division members managed to hold off the monsters on their own.
The Doomed Prince's party maintained their formation and kept battling the red goblins at the glade for several more hours. During which, nothing eventful happened spare for the small cuts and bruises some of the 7th Division members acquired while battling the few monsters that came their way.
The glade gradually turned quieter and quieter until it went completely silent. No more monsters coming for Aristo and his party. They wondered if they had finally cleared their part of the forest.
"Is it over? Did we kill them all?" asked one of the 7th Division criminals.
Aristo shook his head.
"Even though none are coming our way anymore, let's keep our guard up!"
"That's the right attitude to have, my prince!"
Descending down from above was Luciana. She waved her hand and performed a spell.
[Lacrima Arts, Blinding Torch]
An orb of light appeared above Aristo and his men and it illuminated their surroundings. The same kind of light which prevented the red goblins from getting closer.
"Miss Witch, are there still monsters in this part of the forest?" asked Aristo.
"We've killed most of them." replied Luciana. "But I could still sense some of them hiding here and there within the dark corners of the glade."
"How many would you say?" asked Lance.
"Less than a hundred. They're grouped in fives to tens and are spread all over." stated Luciana. "It won't be hard to track them down and defeat them."
"Well then, what are we waiting for?" sounded Aristo sheathing his sword. "Let's find the monsters, kill them, and finish the quest!"
"Actually, Your Highness," interrupted Luciana while blocking Aristo from going to his horse with her arm. "There's something I need to inform you."
"Is there? And what would that be, Miss Witch?"
Luciana stepped to the front of Aristo's face to ensure he could see how serious she was when she said her next words. For there was definitely a reason why she would think Aristo would find herself joking.
"My prince, other than killing the goblins," spoke the Witch of Eirene. "you still need to defeat the Mist Guardian."
Aristo and Lance quickly put on a huge frown on their faces.
"The guardian?" repeated the Doomed Prince. "You mean the huge monster that was creating this enchanted mist?"
"The very creature, Your Highness." nodded Luciana.
The prince's aide suddenly stepped forward in anger.
"Absolutely not!" objected Lance. "How could we ever hope of fighting such monster with our small number?"
"With my magic and His Highness's strength, we can defeat the creature." proclaimed Luciana. "I can assure you that."
"Miss Witch, I may be proficient with the sword. But I don't think I'm strong enough to defeat such huge monster." denied Aristo.
The silver-haired woman shook her head and smiled at Aristo.
"Sure you are, my prince!" reassured Luciana. "You are a Doulosaima, after all!"
"What does my blood have anything to do with my strength?"
"The kin of Doulosaima are known to possess enormous potential. Way more than the average men." explained Luciana to the Doomed Prince. "I'm sure you've noticed how you're somehow significantly stronger than the rest of your men, no?"
Aristo was silenced by Luciana's remark. Apparently she was spot on. The prince had been suspicious of his superior strength in comparison to Lance who had been by his side for years.
"I assume nobody ever bothered telling you that fact, Your Highness?" asked Luciana.
"No…" replied Aristo shaking his head. "I've heard hearsay from the people that the imperial family is special. But…"
The prince hesitated to finish his sentence. Seeing this, Lance stepped up to speak on his behalf.
"People always tried to convince the Second Prince otherwise. Saying His Highness doesn't possess any kind of talent despite being a royalty."
Luciana, of course, was not surprised by this fact. She knew how Aristo was raised. How his enemies made sure Aristo never grew to become the wonderful man he would be. All so that he would fit into the prophecy as the Doomed Prince.
"Well, worry no more, Your Highness." said Luciana with a warm smile. "For I am here and I'll be helping you to unleash your full potential and let you grow to become the brightest Little Sun of Terraluna!"