Chapter 408: Beheading

All members of the Soul-Witch tribe collapsed and died after contributing their energy. In the blink of an eye, across the entire battlefield, only one enemy remained—Olsen—besides the people from Wushan Fortress.

"Toru, retreat with everyone!"

Rulans commanded, "The battle ahead is no longer for you to take part in."

Toru obeyed, leading the knights and foot soldiers backward, clearing the central battlefield for the Marquis and others.

From this moment on, they would be mere spectators.

"A clash between Silver Moon ranks—how thrilling!"

Ronin approached Karlos, casting Featherlight and Haste spells upon him, then transferred over three hundred points of refined energy essence into his body.

"Fly to the Marsh Town at your swiftest, bring Elron here—and have him cleanse the brand upon you."

For so long, neither Ronin nor Karlos himself had noticed the lingering Soul-Witch energy clinging to him. Otherwise, Elron could have purified it long ago.

"Yes, Master!"

Karlos shot into the sky without delay. He couldn’t bear another second with that filth clinging to his body—he needed Elron to wash it away, now.

Olsen glanced up at the departing dragon and sneered, "Seeking reinforcements? I hope you live long enough to see them arrive."

But Ronin hadn’t summoned Elron for combat aid. Even though Olsen now wielded late-stage Silver Moon power, Ronin himself stood at Silver Moon rank (8196/10000)—also late stage.

And he wasn’t fighting alone.

Rulans stepped forward. "In your pursuit of power, you’ve forsaken yourself. Can I still call you *Olsen Hyde*?"

Olsen ignored the question. "You should feel fortunate. If time hadn’t been short, Lord Mephisto wouldn’t have had time to transform only a few Soul-Witch tribesmen. You wouldn’t be facing me at Silver Moon’s peak—but a Sunflare-level version of me!"

Mephisto—the name surfaced for the first time in their ears.

They could guess: the robed figure who moments ago dissolved into energy and merged with Olsen must have been Mephisto himself.

"How pitiful," Rulans mocked with a cold smile. "Ever since losing to me and becoming a vassal of Wushan, you never once called me 'Lord.' Yet now you grovel before a demon as 'Master.' Olsen, you disappoint me deeply."

Olsen felt no shame. On the contrary, deep within, he truly *wished* to call Mephisto 'Master'—a result of the Soul-Witch Pearl’s taming effect.

"Enough talk—Frenzied Dark Surge!"

He roared. His bare body swelled, muscles writhing like living serpents, strength and speed surging anew.

Whoosh!

Olsen became a phantom, appearing behind Rulans in an instant, aiming to sever the Marquis’s head from behind.

"Clang!"

A shrill ring—the blade met steel. Rulans barely parried in time, staggering back several steps from the force.

"Hah! Is this all you've got?"

Olsen laughed wildly, pressing close with relentless assault. "Try your Flame-Dance Thunder Slash now!"

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

His attacks grew blindingly fast, overwhelming Rulans. Though unwilling to admit it, the Marquis was beginning to falter under the pressure.

"We join in!"

Seeing the Marquis at a disadvantage, Melonika charged forward into the fray. Broar followed suit.

Only Dorn and Miloslav remained back—both mages. They needed timing. Poorly cast spells could hinder allies more than help.

Three against one.

Rulans’ searing sword aura crackled with violet lightning as he led the offense. Melonika and Broar flanked from both sides.

They formed a triangular formation, enclosing Olsen at its center.

Olsen focused on Rulans, deflecting his strikes while dodging Broar’s blows—yet failed to evade Melonika’s slash, which cut open his skin.

He snorted. Dark aura exploded from his body. With a sweeping arc of his blade, a massive ink-black crescent surged upward, hurling Melonika back with a spray of blood.

The shockwave carved deep gashes into the earth around them.

A hand caught Melonika mid-flight, steadying him.

"Heal yourself first."

Then Ronin stepped into the battle.

"Hah! A mere ant dares intrude our fight? Arrogant beyond reason!"

Olsen’s eyes burned with killing intent as he saw Ronin approach. "Rulans holds you dear? Then today, I’ll kill *you* first!"

He lunged straight at Ronin.

Ronin remained calm, layering buffs upon himself even as he met the charge head-on.

Their blades clashed—shockwaves sent both staggering back.

Olsen’s expression shifted. What? How could a young whelp possess such strength?

Whoosh—

A gust of wind from behind. Olsen sensed danger, twisting aside—but too slow.

*Splash!*

Rulans’ blade severed his arm.

"You—!"

"Die!"

Broar’s voice rang out beside him. A jade-green blade thrust straight for Olsen’s heart.

At the last moment, Olsen split into two—a shadow clone technique used earlier, *Shadow Pursuit*. He narrowly evaded, using the opening to leap back.

Though death was avoided, the loss of his arm drained his strength rapidly.

Again and again, he had overestimated himself. Again and again, he found himself cornered.

"Pity… just a little short. If I’d had seven or eight more days, this power could have briefly elevated me to Sunflare Knight!"

Olsen’s dark gaze swept the encircling enemies. "If I must die—then someone dies with me!"

Ignoring Rulans and Broar rushing in, he lunged straight at Ronin.

"Die!"

A torrent of darkness surged forth, laced with tidal force. The world dimmed as if eclipsed. Where the expanding energy passed, earth cracked open, grass withered instantly, turning yellow and lifeless.

Ronin felt a bone-deep chill envelop his entire being.

"Inferno Flame!"

He channeled his qi according to the *Secret Scripture of Burning Heaven*. Fire-elemental energy reached ultimate purity, erupting from his body and coalescing above him into a vast crimson cloud.

"Slash!"

At Roland's thunderous cry, the crimson cloud transformed into a thirty-meter-long scarlet sword shadow. Its extreme speed left behind what seemed like a bloodstained trail across the sky, as though slicing heaven itself in two.

Pfft!

Like a needle piercing a balloon, the Flame of Burning Heaven pierced through Orsen's attack—and his very body.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Uncontrolled dark energy erupted violently in all directions, forming a ferocious storm. Roland, drained to emptiness after unleashing that final strike, had no time to evade. He was hurled backward by the blast.

Miroslav reacted swiftly, guiding the Earth Bear to catch Roland safely and retreating to the storm’s edge.

Inside the maelstrom, Orsen stared down at his chest in disbelief—a gaping hole torn through it, flames still licking at its edges.

"Aaagh!"

His eyes bulged wide; searing pain lanced through his very soul. Cracks spread inch by inch across his body, igniting with fire, until—pop—he exploded into ash.

In his final moment, Orsen could have targeted Broll or Melonika, or even sacrificed himself to take down Dawn and Miroslav together. But he chose instead the strongest among them—Roland—and met only a fruitless end.

With Orsen’s death, the knights who had watched in breathless silence now erupted into thunderous cheers.

Black Serpent Fortress was not yet taken, but they knew—the war was won.

At the same time, a familiar line of text appeared before Roland’s eyes:

["King of Slaughter" achievement attained: +3000 attribute points, +6000 energy essences.] (End of Chapter)