Keynes stood in the center of the square, amidst the clash of fire and ice, his body gradually returning to its human form.
His voice was hoarse, filled with a desperate yearning for survival.
"We've broken through Blackstone City… and we've taken the Blackstone Fortress.
In truth… we've already gained much."
He paused, coughing up blood, but the fire in his eyes did not dim.
"Now… the Blackstone Duke wants me dead, but… I don't want to die."
The Blackstone Duke halted his approach, standing silently a few steps away.
He watched Keynes with mild curiosity, as if this desperate struggle for life was an interesting spectacle.
Keynes raised his head, his eyes gleaming with a feverish intensity.
"I still can't die… not before I kill the Blackstone Duke. I need to break through, to escape… I have to run!"
He turned to face his soldiers, speaking with brutal honesty, making no attempt to hide his intentions.
"If I'm to escape alive, then you will have to die for me!
The more of you that fall, the greater my chances of making it out of Blackstone City!"
The soldiers' expressions shifted from shock to seriousness.
"Since I recruited you all, I've never abandoned any of you. But this time… I have no choice."
"I need you to hold the line for me, to pave the way with your blood and flesh so that I can live!
One day, I will return, leading ten thousand, twenty thousand, even thirty or forty thousand soldiers, and I'll take this place back!"
"For my brothers who fall today, I'll build monuments for each one! I swear I will avenge you.
I will kill the Blackstone Duke and offer his head as thanks for the lives you save today!"
Keynes stood between ice and fire, bowing deeply to his soldiers.
His silhouette, bathed in the flickering light, appeared both lonely and resolute.
"Please, my comrades, die for me!"
The Blackstone Duke watched this scene unfold with a mocking smile.
He had never seen a leader so openly demand that his men sacrifice their lives for his survival.
For the Duke, this was a laughable, absurd situation.
Throughout history, those tasked with covering retreats seldom knew they were doomed. Yet Keynes was walking down this path with no pretense.
With hands clasped behind his back, the Blackstone Duke observed the soldiers around him, intrigued by how they would respond to such a brazen call.
To his surprise, the soldiers' expressions hardened, shifting from initial panic to determination.
One by one, they set their faces in grim resolve.
Keynes remained in the center of the square, deeply bowed, unmoving.
Then, suddenly, all the soldiers raised their weapons and let out a deafening roar.
"Die for lord!"
The shout echoed across the entire square, shaking the very ground.
The Blackstone Duke's smile faded, his expression turning cold.
He hadn't anticipated that these soldiers would truly be willing to die for Keynes.
In the next instant, Keynes' soldiers launched a frenzied assault on the Blackstone Duke, rushing at him with no regard for their own safety.
They charged with reckless abandon, determined to buy time for Keynes to escape, even if it meant sacrificing their lives in the process.
The Blackstone Duke stood expressionless as flames erupted from his right hand.
The fire spread like waves across the square, consuming the soldiers as they rushed toward him.
Even as their bodies ignited, turning their skin and flesh to charred remains, the soldiers showed no fear or hesitation.
They continued their charge, their weapons raised high.
In their final moments, many of them unleashed their psychic powers, hurling freezing arrows, fiery projectiles, and fierce wind blades toward the Blackstone Duke.
"Useless fools."
The Blackstone Duke sneered, effortlessly raising an icy shield that blocked their desperate attacks.
To him, their dying efforts were meaningless.
His expression remained cold, devoid of pity or respect.
Keynes, without a backward glance, staggered toward the city gates, dragging his broken and battered body behind him.
His steps were slow and unsteady, but he pressed on, focused solely on escape.
The Blackstone Duke stood amidst the flames, watching Keynes retreat with cold, calculating eyes.
He made no move to pursue him.
…
That morning, the first thing Elric did upon waking was rush to the ruins of the tavern to check if George and Melissa had made it out safely.
Standing in the basement, Elric's gaze fell upon several hastily scribbled words on the wall, and he sighed in relief.
"If you're reading this, it means Melissa and I have left. Take care of yourself."
The handwriting was clearly George's, written in a hurry.
After reading the note, Elric's anxiety began to subside.
He had feared George and Melissa might have been trapped in the wreckage of the tavern, but the message assured him they had escaped.
"They made it out… good," Elric muttered, feeling a rare sense of peace.
He glanced down at the snowflake-shaped mark on the back of his right hand.
The events of the previous night were still a blur, his memories fragmented.
This morning, Calista had suddenly told him she needed to enter a deep sleep for a while, exhausted by the previous night's energy drain.
Elric recalled her parting words, where she asked him to officially become a sigilist.
Calista had always been his pillar of strength, especially after Toby's death. Her absence now left him feeling adrift, empty.
As Elric slowly emerged from the cellar, his eyelids twitched—a sign of an impending event.
Frowning, he wasted no time lingering and quickly departed.
…
Mia stood on the street, her gaze fixed on her elder sister, Sally.
Sally, with her golden hair flowing, looked stern as she held a map in hand. A white dot on the map marked their target location.
"We haven't found anything here."
Sally frowned, her tone heavy with suspicion and frustration.
The previous night, after Keynes had fled, the Blackstone Duke ordered the complete slaughter of Keynes' soldiers.
Mia had informed the Duke of the information she had obtained from the blue algae psychic soul.
The Duke, uninterested, merely tasked Sally and Mia with the follow-up investigation.
So, early that morning, Mia, Sally, and a squad of Blackstone guards had come to the marked location on the map.
The street had been cordoned off, but so far, they had found nothing.
"There's a basement here!"
A voice from one of the guards caught Mia and Sally's attention.
The two of them quickly approached and entered the basement, soon finding the writing on the wall.
After inspecting it, they exited the basement.
Meanwhile, high above on a rooftop, Elric carefully peeked through two small gaps, observing their movements.
Years of surviving on the streets had honed Elric's instincts, and his gut told him these two blonde women had come with ill intentions.
Especially with the Blackstone guards in tow, this was no casual visit.
Elric recognized the familiar face of the younger blonde girl and had a sinking feeling.
Could they have discovered what happened last night?
Not wanting to take any chances, Elric quietly slipped back into the shadows, holding his breath as he stealthily made his way off the rooftop and disappeared into the city, leaving the danger behind.