Chapter 22

Swinging his weapon Kane crushed the head of a fleeing soldier. The body fell to the ground and the warg that Kane was riding started to tear away more of the flesh from the man. Kane breathed out and used a piece of cloth to wipe the sweat from his face. Taking over a kingdom was. exhausting. It had already been several hours of fighting and Kane had finally taken the city. All that was left was the main castle where the king resided. All the survivors of the kingdom's military had already retreated inside and Kane's army had made its way to the doorstep. This would be the final battle to decide the fate of the Iron Rose Kingdom.

"Are we close to getting in?" asked Kane. "Yes they managed to reinforce the gate but it should still take us about 12 more minutes," said one of Kane's soldiers. A group of his men had been spending the time breaking into the castle while the rest hunted down the survivors. The battle had been tough but not as terrible as it would have been if the gate had not been opened. Kane was grateful to the group who had sacrificed their lives to open it. Now he would finish this battle and start the beginning of his empire. This would be the first of many battles and many kingdoms conquered. He would only be looking to the future from now on. No matter what stands in the way he will charge through it.

15 minutes had passed and the gate was not only opened but the serving Crimson Crusaders had regrouped to storm the castle. You could see a group of knights forming up from the other side lead by an older man with many scars. This was the general and the last surviving force of the king. They had big shields and pikes so it would be hard for Kane's forces to charge. He had ordered some archers to shoot arrows at them but they still held firm. This wouldn't stop Kane though. He gathered his troops and prepared himself for the final battle. They outnumbered the kingdom's force but an animal is most ferocious when back into a corner.

"Let's make history men!" Kane yelled as he lead the crusader into the castle to finish this fight once and for all. His men were motivated and their adrenaline was off the charts while the kingdom's knights looked nervous and worn out. Kane knew that he already won and the only thing he worried about was the general. He knew this guy was tough but did not know his exact skill. They charged and Kane put away his worry and focused on the enemy in front of him. He would deal with the general when he was able. Hopefully, the general would be killed off by someone else during the fight.

It was chaos and Kane was in the middle of it. When they charged it had disoriented the enemy. Kane had summoned several fireballs to burn the troops and get his men to finish them off. This would help more of his troops survive the charge. He swung his weapon back and forth and in the process killing many knights. The whole thing was crazy and blood could be seen flying everywhere. The loud sounds of clashing were almost as loud. as the yells of people being burned or stabbed. The kingdom's soldiers were on the losing side and it wouldn't be long until Kane and his men won the battle.

But Kane saw in the corner of his eye something unsettling. The general was killing many of his men and it seemed like he wasn't breaking a sweat. This man seemed more like a demon and his sword had been painted fully red. Kane was about to step in to face this general himself but before he could Osborn had launched himself at the general. His axes swung constantly trying to hit the general while the general easily evaded and parried Osborn's flurry.

"Fukin die already bastard!" Osborn yelled at the general. His face was full of anger and bloodlust. The general had no reaction to the comment and his facial expression could not be seen due to his helmet. He evaded another strike from Osborn before twisting his body and stabbing out with his blade. It struck Osborn direct through the heart giving Oborn no chance to say anything. All the reaction that was given was Osborns eyes full of shock and him falling to the ground dead. His head was then crushed when some other soldiers ran past him and one of their feet hit the man's face. Kane looked at this scene and he could feel sadness and anger boiling up in his heart. Osborn had been one of his first friends in this world and even the first man he fought with. This general was very strong as Osborn was no pushover. Kane needed to step in before he lost more of his friends. He could mourn Osborn later. Time to avenge his comarade.

Screaming at the top of his lungs Kane threw a fireball at the general while running towards the man. The general was strong and fast but he could not escape the fire. He was caught by the flames and would have died without armor. But he could not see. The next thing he knew he was hit by a heavyweight that broke several of his ribs and made him fall down. The pain of the hit and flames was unbearable. He yelled out in pain and fear was overcoming all his senses. He felt a dense killing intent and saw a man looking over him. Who was this man and how did he hit me? These bandits are weak maggots! I was not even able to hit him once!

"You will pay for Osborn's death. I will then kill your king and make this kingdom mine! You will no longer be in this world so tell the gods I said hello" Kane took off the general helmet and used his fire to set the face directly on fire. It melted the face and the screams of pain could make any man's blood freeze due to fear. The scene would have made even a goblin throw up. Kane's bloodlust had not been sated yet though and he went on a rampage.

Many other bandits had also seen Osborn's death and started to fight like beasts. The kingdom's side did not stand a chance and after many yells and cries, the battle had become completely silent. Corpses littered the ground and it looked like they were in the middle of a lake made out of blood. The battle was ended and victory was Kane's. The Crimson Crusaders cheered and Kane lifted up his weapon. "WE WON!" It was a joyous moment even with all the sacrifices that had been made. The kingdom was now Kane's and soon the king would be officially dethroned.