The blow was devastating, but it wasn't enough to put Zarathas down.

He levitated back to his feet, his wings beating furiously as he summoned a barrage of bright red fireballs.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The balls of flame hurtled towards Lucas like deadly meteors, each one packing a punch that could easily incinerate a lesser opponent.

Lucas slithered through the air with a lithe grace that mirrored that of a serpent as he danced around the fiery projectiles hurtling towards him, all the while closing in on Zarathas.

In no time at all, Lucas was face-to-face with Zarathas, his sword poised for attack. The undead creature, however, was quicker than he expected.

"I am not going down so easily!" With a single beat of his wings, Zarathas conjured a shield that stopped Lucas's attack dead in its tracks.

"That won't be enough to stop me!" Lucas immediately circled around Zarathas's defense, his movements like those of a river that flowed effortlessly towards its destination.

Before Zarathas could do a thing, Lucas appeared behind him and delivered a powerful punch to Zarathas's back, his fist sinking deep into the undead's flesh. He immediately wrapped his fingers around the pulsing blood core and yanked it out.

Zarathas let out a strangled cry as his life force was violently ripped from every fiber of his being, the very essence of his existence crushed by the sheer force of Lucas's grip that demolished the blood core into red dust.

Zarathas's body disintegrated into a pile of ash that was a step away from Lucas.

Breathless and battered, Lucas stood over the remains of his fallen adversary, his chest heaving with exhaustion. He looked down at the remains of Zarathas with cold, hard eyes and spoke with a venomous voice. "That's for my people."

Lucas stood there for a few moments, catching his breath and looking around at the destruction that had been wrought.

The forest was scorched and the trees were blackened and charred.

The ground was littered with the remains of fallen soldiers.

Some of them were his close friends. They had grown up together. And one of them was the woman he had loved since he was young. Although she was just a commoner, he adored her more than his life.

And now, to stop the monstrous being from invading the county, she was dead.

All his friends and loyal subordinates were dead.

Only he was left alive.

This was their will, which was he was forced to follow.

One of them started the heartless formation by sacrificing himself and designating Lucas as the formation's master, and the rest followed his example.

It was quite ridiculous, honestly. Did they not, not even for a second, think what he would go through if they all sacrificed themselves for him?

historical

They were the most heartless people he had ever known, for they didn't hesitate to leave him alone, all by himself, but they were also the most selfish people he had ever known, for they gave up their everything for him and their friends and families.

He couldn't help but feel a sense of sadness and regret at the loss of life that had occurred. He knew that his fallen comrades would not have wanted this, but they had made the ultimate sacrifice in order to protect their home and their people. He shouldn't blame them.

Lucas wiped his sweat and walked through the carnage, surveying the damage and paying his respects to the fallen. He stored their remains in his spatial storage item, vowing to give them a burial after returning home.

He truly broke down when he knelt before the lifeless and contorted form of his fiancée, his heart weighed down by an unyielding sorrow and a haunting remorse.

Hot tears streamed out of his bloodshot eyes, and with a hand that trembled with agony, he caressed her face, his fingers tracing every line and curve as if hoping that by doing so, he could somehow feel her presence.

"I'm sorry, my love," Lucas leaned closer to her and whispered, his voice cracking with the weight of his emotions. "I failed you. I failed to protect you as you gave your life for me and for our home. If only I hadn't been chosen as the master of the formation, if only I had been stronger, maybe things would have been different. Maybe you would still be alive." He buried his face in her cold, lifeless hands, his shoulders shaking with the force of his sobs. The weight of his grief felt like an unbearable burden, crushing him from within.

"But I promise you this, my love," he said, his voice barely audible through his tears. "I will not let your sacrifice be in vain. I will do everything in my power to protect what you cherish. I will fight until my last breath, just as you did. And I know that wherever you are, you are looking down on me with pride, knowing that your sacrifice was not in vain. Right?" Lucas waited for a response, but none came.

The silence was deafening, broken only by his own sobs.

He knew she was gone. They were all gone, forever beyond his reach, and the realization was almost too much to bear.

He lifted her up, cradling her in his arms, and began the long walk back home. With each step, he could feel the weight of her absence, a void that threatened to consume him, but he knew he couldn't follow in her footsteps, not now. After all, he had a legacy to protect, and he must carry on, even in the face of overwhelming grief.

As Lucas was about to take his leave, a faint voice interrupted his departure, making him pause in his tracks.

"It's too soon to leave. I have a proposal to make. How about you hear me out first?" The voice was barely audible, yet it managed to grab his attention.

Lucas swiftly turned around and saw something shocking!