The Crown's Seduction
Chapter 197: The Dark Energy

Chapter 197: The Dark Energy

In a flash, Nikolai disappeared from Mineah’s side, making himself appear right by his men’s side as he brandished his fists. He then remembered his wife’s words, making him consider his current ways of fighting as he grabbed the nearest sword he could get his hands on.

"These are no ordinary rouges," Nikolai growled as he held onto his weapon in a two-handed grip. "Don’t let them touch you! There’s no telling what they can do!"

At his warning, his royal guards switched their tactics. Those that were being up close and personal all drew their swords, the others using bows as they did their best to fight the rouges. There were only five of them, so it should have been an easy task, and yet for some reason...

"They’re too fast!"

"How are they this strong!"

"Right behind you!"

Right before Nikolai was about to join in, he noticed how unnatural their enemies moved. Moving ever so swiftly, it almost looked like the laws of physics didn’t apply to them; zipping to and fro across the battlefield as if they were teleporting.

Hissing through his teeth, Nikolai ignored whatever fear was trying to grip him as he launched himself forward. Using his sword, he cleaved through one rouge, only to then turn around and cleave the other with a sidewards swipe. Likewise, his men were doing their best to keep the others busy, and it almost looked like they were about to win without too much of a problem.

But then... something sinister happened.

"W-What’s happening to me?!"

"No! I-It can’t end like this!"

Nikolai found himself stepping back as he felt the presence of his men behind his back. In front of them, their own allies were turning their backs on them, a black aura seeping from what looked to be minor wounds as they began shambling towards them.

And what’s worse, the rouges that he was sure he had cut in half had all seemingly regenerated, their two halves magically floating back together as a glue made of dark mist rearranged and reanimated them back into the fight.

"There’s no end to them..." one of his men shook his head in denial. "How can we stop this?"

"They’re even using our allies against us now," another worryingly stated. "I can’t... Should we kill them?"

"Y-Your orders, Your Majesty?!" a frightened guard asked him, his grip on his sword tightening as the shambling bodies of their former allies neared them.

Nikolai cursed under his breath. This was torture. To think that such meager wounds were able to somehow... infect them with this darkness... Is there still a way to save them?

"Try to subdue them," he shakily ordered, hesitation still gripping his words. "We might still save them yet."

Brandishing his sword once more, Nikolai jumped right back into the fray. However, instead of simply cutting them, he used the butt of his sword to knock most of their former men unconscious. There were others that he had to cut down, unfortunately, but to the people that he could still save, he could only hope that they’d be able to-

"ARGHHH!"

Nikolai was quick to turn his head. To his surprise, one of the former men that he just knocked out had somehow gotten back up, his bleeding head seemingly doing nothing to stop him as he bit down on one of the few healthy men he still had.

"T-They’re getting back up!"

"No! Is there really no end to this?!"

[Lai, don’t bother trying to spare them,] Mineah darkly remarked through their bond just as he was starting to hear his men’s distress. [They’re already dead.]

[So is there really no way to save them?] he asked, hoping that his wife had a better answer.

[No...] she morosely replied. [The dark magic had already seeped into their bodies. Their minds are gone... The best we can do is to put them out of their misery...]

Nikolai gritted his teeth as he came to terms with what he just heard. To think that a mere wound from these undying rogues could kill this quickly... To think that he would have to kill his own men like this...

"Cut them down!" he announced, his anger swelling as his grip on his sword tightened. "Put them out of their misery!"

With a swing of his sword, Nikolai renewed their attack. Having gotten rid of their defensive ways from earlier, their casualties lessened as they began lopping off head after head of their former allies. It wasn’t a pretty sight, but it was a necessary one as he did his best to make their deaths as quick as possible. While the rogues were still out there, his men at least managed to cull the numbers against them while he himself made sure that the rogues wouldn’t at least add more enemies to their ranks.

"Watch out!"

A familiar shout echoed from behind him. Worry immediately washed over Nikolai’s being as he turned around. True enough, Mineah had somehow entered the battlefield, her arms outstretched towards what looked to be a crying little girl approaching one of the rogues he lost track of.

"Mine!"

With a shout, Nikolai pumped his legs as fast as he could. He didn’t even know how fast he was going by the time he appeared right in front of his wife.

Unfortunately, he was too late. One of the rogues had their claws reaching out to his wife, its dark energy flowing toward Mineah’s bare arm.

"No!!!"

His sword outstretched, Nikolai prayed as he hoped he would at least somehow stop the infection before it was too late. However, something unexpected happened...

His eyes widened as the dark energy seemingly flowed with more energy, all of its being practically sucked out of the rogue before going straight into Mineah.

His wife gasped as she held onto the crying girl, the dark energy now gone as it appeared to have been absorbed by whatever it was that was within her. Beside them, the rogue had gone limp, its lifeless corpse unmoving as if it was finally and truly dead.

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