Chapter 289: The Ravaged Graham Empire
Pink and black lights collided within the towering spire, erupting into a cataclysmic shockwave. The ground beneath them shattered instantly, bricks and stones exploding outward as countless soldiers were hurled through the air.
She licked the corner of her lips, the taste of blood sending a shiver down her spine. A crazed excitement bloomed across her face.
"Ah… how beautiful…"
Her voice was soft, like a lover's whisper, yet laced with a sickly sweetness that sent chills down the spine.
Franz knelt on one knee, panting heavily. He wiped the blood trickling from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand, but his gaze remained locked on the girl before him. She stood there, radiating an oppressive aura so intense it seemed to distort the very air. Too powerful. Absurdly powerful. Her mere presence was a walking catastrophe upon the battlefield.
The Supreme Commander's face was deathly pale, his eyes wide with fury and terror. He spun around, glaring at the frozen soldiers who stood paralyzed by fear.
"What are you waiting for?! Kill her!!"
His roar shattered the soldiers' paralysis. Awakened from their fear-stricken trance, they raised their weapons without hesitation. Swords and spears slashed through the air, weaving a cold and deadly net of steel. At the same time, the ability users launched their spells—blazing flames, slicing wind blades, and crystalline ice spears—an onslaught of lethal force aimed directly at Afreya.
At that moment, Afreya slowly floated above the Graham Empire. She twirled mid-air, her dress fluttering like the delicate wings of a butterfly.
Afreya tugged down the front of her qipao, revealing smooth, porcelain skin. Her chest rose and fell slightly, as though the battle was fueling her growing ecstasy. She licked her lips, her smile deepening into something twisted. A dangerous light flickered in her blood-red eyes. Blades of energy and beams of light struck her body—droplets of blood scattered across her pale skin—but she seemed intoxicated by the pain. Even as her dress remained miraculously untouched, it was as if she deliberately preserved its perfection amidst the carnage.
She leapt effortlessly into the sky above the Graham Empire, the hem of her dress fluttering in the harsh wind. Franz and the others looked up at her, jaws clenched and nerves wound tight, the fear and rage in their hearts boiling into an unyielding will to fight.
"Heh… hehehe…" Afreya licked her lips again, her bowstring glowing with an increasingly intense pink light. It pulsed and throbbed with life, growing more violent with each of her breaths.
Slowly, Afreya drew back the bowstring, the pink radiance between her fingers intensifying until it nearly blinded everyone below. Her voice was as soft as a lover's whisper, yet laced with the promise of absolute annihilation.
"Mark of Love."
Her whisper was gentle, but the sky instantly spun out of control.
A barrage of pink arrows erupted behind her, surging into the night sky like a meteor shower of destruction. They were endless—so dense that they blotted out the stars. The arrows screamed through the air at terrifying speed, their friction against the atmosphere igniting a chorus of sharp sonic booms.
A blinding pink explosion tore through the sky as the arrows descended, like a broken sky unleashing an endless storm of death.
The hail of arrows was relentless—like a violent storm that spared no corner of the battlefield. The sheer speed of their descent made the air whistle with a piercing shriek, a rain of devastation that swallowed everything beneath it.
Franz's pupils contracted violently as the catastrophic arrows filled his vision. His chest tightened painfully as he roared, "Defense! All units, raise your defenses!!"
The general's army immediately adjusted their cannons. Beams of light, artillery shells, and blazing firepower erupted toward the sky, attempting to intercept the incoming storm of arrows. But the pink arrows were unaffected—piercing through the oncoming attacks without even a ripple.
"What—?!"
The soldiers' eyes widened in horror as their counterattacks were swallowed whole by the pink light, dissolving into nothing before impact. Not even an explosion remained.
These arrows were not weapons that could be blocked by ordinary means. They were a force of nature—a relentless storm without mercy or flaw.
The arrows pierced through steel armor like paper. Buildings crumbled upon impact, the earth torn apart beneath their assault. Soldiers didn't even have time to scream before they were reduced to crimson mist, their remains splattering across the shattered streets of the imperial capital.
BOOM—!!!
The next wave of arrows struck the ground, shaking the entire Graham Empire like a bombardment of meteors. Palaces collapsed, streets split open, and desperate screams filled the air.
The earth trembled, the palaces crumbled, and the proud banners of the Graham Empire—symbols of its unyielding glory—were shredded to pieces, their tattered remnants scattering in the bloodstained wind.
Blood bloomed across the ground, painting the land in shades of crimson.
Afreya floated in the air, gazing down at the scene of destruction below. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, her eyes hazy, and her delicate lips parted slightly as if intoxicated by the cries and the sea of blood beneath her. Her trembling hands slowly released the bowstring, and then she pressed her fingertips gently against her chest, as though savoring the wild beating of her heart.
"Ah… what a beautiful melody…"
She hugged herself, her voice trembling with a sickly sweetness, as though she were tasting the most exquisite pleasure. Her eyes slowly closed as she took a deep breath, immersing herself in the tragic beauty of countless lives being devoured. Her cheeks flushed deeper, and her body quivered as if lost in the height of ecstasy.
Franz's face was pale. His hand gripped the sword tightly, his knuckles turning white from the pressure. His body trembled—not from fear, but from rage. He knew—if they didn't stop Afreya now, this battle would become nothing more than a one-sided massacre!
"Felix! Brownie! Follow me!" Franz roared, leaping into the air as black ink-like energy exploded around him, surging like a furious storm toward Afreya, who hovered in the sky like a goddess.
Beneath the crimson night sky, the streets of Graham Empire were already filled with corpses. Blood seeped into the cracks of the cobblestones, forming chilling streams of deep red. Afreya remained suspended in midair, her pink arrows continuing to rain down like a relentless storm, mercilessly harvesting lives.
A young soldier collapsed amid the rubble, his fists pounding the ground as bloodshot eyes filled with despair. He screamed toward the heavens:
"If Prince Fred were here… this wouldn't have ended like this!!!"
His voice was heart-wrenching, carrying anger, grief, and helplessness—shaking the hearts of the few remaining survivors on the battlefield.
An old soldier standing beside him trembled violently. The spear in his hand shook, his lips quivering as he gazed at the blood-drenched sky with empty eyes. His heart felt as though it had been torn open, and memories surged like a flood.
Prince Fred…
The one they were so proud of. The prince who once stood alone on the battlefield, unyielding in the face of overwhelming armies. Back then, they followed him into battle with burning blood, and wherever his sword pointed, victory followed. But now, the once-high morale and unwavering faith had long since been crushed beneath the weight of reality.
After Fred's mother died—they had abandoned him.
They had betrayed Prince Fred.
Tears mixed with blood and dirt rolled down the old soldier's face. His trembling lips struggled to form words as he choked:
"We… we betrayed you… Fred…"
Thud—!
Before his voice could fade, a pink arrow pierced through his skull like a thunderbolt, taking that broken memory with it.
In an instant, a barrage of arrows descended like a merciless tide, pulverizing the remaining soldiers into a mist of blood. Bones, flesh, and armor—everything was shattered beneath the storm of arrows. Their bodies couldn't even collapse fully before being torn apart and reduced to dust, scattering across the already desolate battlefield.
BOOM—!
The next second, countless arrows struck the ground, and the entirety of Graham Empire's capital was consumed by explosions. Buildings collapsed, streets were torn apart, and desperate screams echoed through the night.
The earth trembled. The palace crumbled. The once-proud banner of Graham Empire was torn to pieces by the storm of arrows, fragments drifting in the night breeze.
Blood blossomed across the land, staining the ground deep red.
It was over.
Afreya hovered in the air, overlooking the hellish battlefield beneath her. A satisfied smile curled her lips. She spread her arms gently, closed her eyes, and basked in the pleasure of annihilation.
"Mm… this is how it should be," she murmured, her voice soft as though singing a requiem.
But then—
BOOM!
Black ink-like energy exploded from the rubble below, and a surge of powerful sword energy shot toward the heavens!
Franz's roar tore through the air, filled with overwhelming fury and murderous intent. Felix and Brownie flanked him, their figures streaking through the dark sky as they charged toward the demon in the air!