Chapter 406: Chapter 401: Occupying Starfall Islands (Part 2)

Duane’s expression darkened.

Barrett had joined Black Forest Island before the war. He was an Earth Tier Warrior whose performance in recent battles had been commendable. Duane had high hopes for him, so he never expected him to die here.

He was also the strongest of Duane’s men to have fallen since the fighting began.

"Gather the bodies of Barrett and all the fallen. Have the Mages freeze them to be brought back to Black Forest Island. We will remember their sacrifice!"

Duane ordered in a heavy voice, "Riley, arrange for personnel to treat the wounded."

"Yes, Commander!"

Although Duane had done his utmost to create an advantageous situation, death was inevitable whenever two armies clashed. He couldn’t control every single detail.

He took a deep breath and walked toward Freddy.

Freddy was currently being held by Kaelon and Cruz. Duane took out a pair of Meteorite Iron handcuffs and shackles and tossed them to Jick. "Put these on him."

Freddy frowned. "Duane, since I’ve already surrendered, I won’t cause any more trouble. Treating me like this violates the conventions regarding noble prisoners of war."

Duane gestured for Jick to ignore him. Jick no longer hesitated and began to put the restraints on Freddy.

"Kaelon, Conrad, Bertrand, Martin..." Duane rattled off several names in one breath.

"Your orders!" they replied in unison.

"Kill all of these flying bastards!"

Duane’s voice was incomparably cold, stunning everyone present.

Even Kaelon, who had been with him the longest, was taken aback. ’Killing prisoners isn’t Duane’s style. What’s gotten into him?’

However, Kaelon and Conrad were only stunned for a moment. They quickly gathered their men and began to slaughter the Skydivers kneeling on the ground.

Bertrand and the others also snapped out of it and immediately joined the slaughter.

The Skydivers let out terrified roars. A few who reacted quickly flapped their wings and flew into the air, only to have their bodies pierced by a blast from Duane.

Freddy’s face turned livid. "Duane, even if these men killed your subordinates, that happened on the battlefield! They have surrendered now. What are you doing?"

Duane shot a fierce look at him, and the immense crushing force of the Pupil of Collapse made Freddy’s bones crack and snap.

"I gave you a chance, but you chose to oppose me. Since that’s the case, don’t blame me for being ruthless."

Duane retracted his Pupil Power. At full strength, not even a Shooting Star Level could withstand such pressure.

Only then could Freddy gasp for breath, blood streaming from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. His entire body was wracked with unbearable pain.

"What do you want?"

He was starting to panic, having never expected to see this side of Duane.

"I can choose to treat prisoners with leniency, but not all prisoners are worthy of it. A treacherous man like you has no such right."

Freddy’s face fell. He knew Duane was referring to how he had broken their agreement. "Struggles for power and profit are normal among the Nobility. Did you really expect a paper agreement to mean anything?"

He sneered. "Duane, was it so glorious when you instigated the rebellion of Sharp Stone Territory and killed Baron Torre?"

The corners of Duane’s mouth quirked up. "Just as you said, struggles for power and profit among the Nobility are perfectly normal."

His tone shifted. "But unlike you, I don’t go back on my word."

Duane waved his hand. "Baron Cruz, take him away. I’ll personally interrogate him later."

"Yes, Commander!"

Cruz gave Freddy a shove and mocked, "Don’t just stand there, my Lord Viscount. If you walk any slower, I might have to use the whip!"

Duane waited quietly until Kaelon and his men had slaughtered all the Skydivers.

He did this not only to avenge Barrett, but also because these Skydivers were fundamentally products of Fel Energy. There was no need to keep them alive and waste food.

"Sir, they’re all dead!" Kaelon reported, returning reeking of blood.

Duane nodded slightly and continued giving orders. "Conrad, take a team to Scorching Wind Port immediately and take control. No ships are permitted to leave."

"Kaelon, Bertrand, Martin, take five battalions and seize Scorching Wind Castle. Additionally, Simone, Ross, Riley, take a team and blockade the exit to the Secret Realm."

"Yes, sir!"

The Secret Realm in Scorching Wind Territory was immensely valuable, even more so than the one belonging to the Star Sea Clan, so controlling it was a high priority.

With this series of deployments, the joint campaign by Black Forest Island, the Silent Shore, and Coral Island to conquer the Starfall Islands entered its final stage.

If the Akutas Kingdom sent no further reinforcements, this place would become their territory.

...

On the border between the Akutas and Pruck Kingdoms, King Tyron had arrived several days prior.

He wore a suit of red battle armor, and his entire being radiated the robust aura of a young man. No one would ever imagine this was the vigor of a man nearly ninety years old.

He was currently sitting in the main command tent, refining the latest materials he had collected.

To be honest, the war wasn’t a bad thing for him; at least it provided a large supply of human tissue for him to collect.

Suddenly, his concentration wavered. The flow of Extraordinary Energy in his hands faltered, causing a plume of thick, black smoke to rise from the blood-colored vessel before him, filling the air with a putrid stench.

Tyron paid no mind to the ruined materials, instead muttering in a state of dazed shock:

"Impossible... Veselar is actually dead?"

Among their group of four, Veselar was the fastest and had the strongest survival skills. Even if he couldn’t win a fight, he could always get away.

He couldn’t fathom how such a person could have died on a battlefield like the Starfall Islands, a place he utterly disdained.

"Ashman!" he called out.

Ashman entered from outside the tent. The putrid stench inside made him frown involuntarily, but he maintained his proper decorum.

"Your Majesty, your orders."

"How much do you know about that Duane Brian from the Starfall Islands?" Tyron asked.

Ashman was taken aback. He didn’t understand why the King would suddenly bring up Duane. Their current enemies were Severus and Kelvin of the Pruck Kingdom. Duane’s battlefield was in the Starfall Islands, which had nothing to do with them.

"Your Majesty, I only met that Duane once, and briefly at that. At the time, he claimed to the outside world that he hadn’t even reached the Shooting Star Level. Some time later, he suddenly transformed and was able to defeat a Shooting Star Level. A while after that, he defeated Chief Judge Thomsen of the Holy Radiance Court. Then came the battle at Fire Source Castle, where Severus cut off one of his arms."

He paused for a moment. "However, his arm miraculously grew back. It’s said he possesses a powerful bloodline."

Tyron frowned slightly. "How long is this ’some time’ you speak of?"

Ashman replied, "It’s been no more than five years since he became the lord of Black Forest Island. In that time, he went from an ordinary man plagued by illness to the top-tier expert he is today."

"There’s something not right about this Duane. Very not right!"

Tyron said, "No matter how much of a genius someone is, no matter how powerful their bloodline, it’s impossible for an ordinary person to become strong enough to slay an Ascension-level Warrior in just five years, right?"

Ashman’s heart skipped a beat. He said in disbelief, "Duane... slayed an Ascension-level Warrior? Was it... Lord Veselar?"

He knew of Veselar. To be precise, he himself was a member of the Sun Stealer Legion.

This Legion was commanded by four Extraordinary Realm Warriors. Besides King Tyron and Veselar, there were also Lord Magnus and Skullbreaker Gorgon.

Magnus and Skullbreaker had gone to the western front to fight against the two powerful Punishment Judges from the Holy Radiance Court.

Veselar, on the other hand, had gone to the Starfall Islands, intending to use Scorching Wind Territory as a foothold to completely absorb the archipelago into the Royal Family’s domain.

King Tyron didn’t answer Ashman’s question. Instead, he said, "Relay a message to Howard for me. Tell him something unexpected has happened in the Starfall Islands and that he is to strengthen the troop deployments at Twin Bay. Also, notify Gorgon in the southwest to be ready to assist in the defense of Twin Bay."

"As you command, Your Majesty!" Ashman accepted the order and left the command tent.

King Tyron glanced at the ruined materials to the side, thinking what a pity it was. They had contained the condensed essence of several Earth Tier Warriors.

’Veselar had the ability to devour. Did he not use it, or was it resisted?’

He was more inclined to believe the former.

This was because only a Mage at the level of a Saint Mage could resist the influence of the Power of the Ancient Gods.

In the entire world, there were only two or three such Saint Mages.

Besides, Duane’s strength was manifested in his abilities as a Warrior; his Mage Level shouldn’t be high.

But in any case, the secrets surrounding Duane were extremely alluring.

’Could it be... that he and I are the same kind?’

Tyron was desperate to find out.

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