Chapter 27 – Soldiers and the General
Adrian gazed at the massive castle, shrouded in a dark aura that pulsed with power. The fortress towered above them, with three colossal gates stretching from the ground to the sky.
"What do you think?" Adrian asked, eyes fixed on the imposing structure.
Cordelia stared at the gates and replied,
"It looks like if we want to defeat that thing, we'll have to go through each one. But… Adrian, this feels like a trap, doesn't it?"
They looked up at the dark vortex swirling at the top of the tower.
"Even if the strongest presence is at the top, the others are dangerous too," Adrian said, analyzing the other auras inside the castle.
"Are you ready?" Cordelia asked, activating her divine possession. Her body shimmered with holy light. "From this point on, there's no turning back. Once we go in and the doors close, either we pass the test… or we die. Or worse—we're trapped here forever. Which is pretty much the same thing."
Adrian stared at the top of the castle, took a deep breath, and closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, they were filled with resolve.
"Yeah. Let's go."
They approached the first gate. Adrian pressed his body against it and pushed with all his strength. The ancient wood creaked as if resisting time itself, until it finally opened. The two stepped inside cautiously, scanning the silent and dark environment.
"Where are the monsters?" Cordelia asked, confused by the empty space.
Adrian pointed to a shadowy spiral staircase made of iron.
"I think we have to go up."
Step by step, they climbed. As they neared the top, the sound of armor clanking echoed around them. Reaching the upper chamber, they were met with a horde of monstrous knights—and at the center, a towering general. Behind him stood the second gate.
"Looks like we'll have to go through them to reach the next floor," Adrian said, taking a fighting stance.
"Yeah… then let's do it!" Cordelia replied.
Adrian charged forward. A collective roar filled the hall as dozens of enemies stormed toward him like a wave.
"Sonic Punch!" he shouted, spinning his fist through the air with such force that a shockwave exploded forward, disintegrating ten enemies in an instant.
Cordelia followed close behind.
"Kick of the Divine Lamb!" she cried. Her foot struck the ground, releasing a burst of divine light that exploded outward, launching twenty creatures into the air in pieces.
"How many left?!" Adrian yelled, dodging a flaming sword.
"Seventy!" Cordelia shouted back, rolling on the ground to avoid a spear.
Adrian flipped high into the air, spinning as he rose.
"Sonic Guillotine!" he roared, slamming his heel downward like a blade of sound. The impact hit the floor with a deafening boom, tearing through enemies in a single vibrating blast.
Smoke filled the chamber, and Cordelia used the cover to dash forward. Her fists glowed with pure light as she ran between the enemies.
"Punch of the Divine Ram!" she shouted, slamming her fists into the ground. A wave of light burst outward, vaporizing the nearby monsters in golden beams.
At that moment, Adrian froze. His eyes narrowed.
"The general… he's gone."
In the blink of an eye, a shadow appeared behind him. The general's colossal sword came crashing down like a thunderbolt. Adrian turned, surprised.
"Damn it! I won't dodge in time—"
Instinctively, he raised his fist.
"Sonic Punch!"
The collision shook the entire room. The impact launched Adrian like a missile, smashing through pillars until he hit the wall with a crash.
Cordelia, still finishing off the last enemies, heard the explosion.
"Adrian!" she cried, running toward him.
Groaning, Adrian forced himself to stand.
"If I hadn't used the punch as a shield… he would've cut me in half. He's way too strong. Last time, we only beat him with a final, direct blow through his defense."
He shouted to Cordelia:
"Keep him distracted for a moment!"
She nodded and rushed at the general, her quick strikes keeping him occupied, giving Adrian time to circle around.
Adrian sprinted, gathered momentum, and leaped.
"Cordelia, move now!"
He crashed down.
"Sonic Quake!"
His fist slammed into the ground, unleashing a devastating vibration. A deep fissure opened beneath the general's feet, swallowing him in a cascade of cracks and rubble.
"Cordelia! Now! Hit him with everything you've got!"
Cordelia gathered all the energy she had left. A golden aura enveloped her entire body.
"Divine Lamb's Double Strike!" she cried, launching both fists into the chasm.
The explosion was like a bottled sun. A pillar of light shot upward, and the ground trembled violently. The blast filled the hall with heat, brilliance—and silence.
The general was gone.
---
Exhausted, Adrian and Cordelia collapsed to the ground, their bodies covered in sweat and dust.
"That fight was brutal…" Adrian said, breathing heavily.
"Yeah… I almost ran out of energy," Cordelia replied, lying beside him.
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Scene at the Orphanage
Meanwhile, at the orphanage, Theo and Noa looked up at Maria with curious eyes.
"What's a heir?" they asked, remembering hearing her talk about it with Adrian.
Maria smiled warmly.
"My dear ones, a heir is someone who carries the power of legends from the past. People who accomplished incredible feats—so great that we can't even imagine them. That's why they call them miracles. With those powers, anything is possible."
She continued smiling as she explained, sitting with the children.
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Back at the Castle
"How about we rest here for a few hours?" Adrian suggested, still lying on the floor of the chamber.
"Rest here? What if more monsters show up?" Cordelia asked, surprised by the idea.
"We're spent. I'm injured, and you're almost out of energy. If we go through that second gate like this, we'll die. Besides… the door hasn't opened yet, even after we won. That means we still have some time to recover."
Cordelia took a deep breath.
"You're right… Let's rest. And then, we keep going."
"Yeah," Adrian replied.
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