Kael had been observing the battlefield closely when his eyes suddenly lit up with realization. He leaned toward Arjun and whispered urgently, "This encampment is a relic left by the Water Dragon, as are these thousands of puppet soldiers. Their sole purpose is to guard against intruders seeking the secrets of his domain."
"In other words, to reach the heart of the Water Dragon's legacy, we must pass through this camp," Kael concluded.
"Through this camp?" Arjun frowned. "Forget those damned black-armored bastards—just the thousand-strong puppet army alone makes that impossible!"
"Look at the stele," Kael pressed, speaking rapidly. Time was of the essence.
The stele?
Arjun's gaze shifted to the massive stone monument—the one inscribed with that blood-red character: 'Command'.
The stele's oppressive aura remained overwhelming. Arjun immediately felt his mental energy strain under its weight, forcing him to avert his eyes from the glyph itself. Instead, he focused on its surroundings—and noticed something peculiar.
Not a single puppet soldier stood near the Command Stele.
The entire undead legion seemed to harbor an instinctive reverence for it, maintaining a wide berth as if repelled by an invisible force.
"What's going on here?" Arjun muttered, baffled.
"That stele was likely inscribed by the Water Dragon himself to suppress these puppets. They're hardwired to fear it," Kael reasoned. Though speculative, the puppets' avoidance was undeniable.
"So if we get close to the stele, they won't dare attack us?" Arjun's eyes gleamed.
Kael nodded. The Command Stele bore the Water Dragon's own hand—and these puppets, once his loyal followers, would never defy his authority.
Kael's gaze swept across the battlefield—first over the sea of puppet soldiers, then toward the black-armored figures. A glint of cold calculation flashed in his eyes.
The black-armored men watched Kael like a pack of wolves biding their time, poised to bare their fangs at any moment.
"We need to break through the puppet formation quickly—and keep an eye on those black-armored bastards," Kael said, his plan already crystallizing.
As he spoke, Kael suddenly activated Soaring Sky Art!
His body levitated, one hand seizing Arjun as they darted through the air, evading the puppets' attacks with agile precision.
"Damn it! That brat's escaping! How the hell is he flying?!" Number Three gaped at Kael's airborne figure, disbelief twisting his features.
"Number Three, this Idris is exactly as you said—no ordinary prey! Cut him off!" The apparent leader of the black-armored group gestured sharply.
This was Number One—their undisputed commander.
His authority was absolute. The moment he spoke, Number Three moved without hesitation, chanting a spell with rapid-fire urgency.
Complex, drawn-out incantations filled the air. Kael's brow furrowed as he sensed the gathering magic.
Though his flight kept him at a safe altitude, a Level Nine mage's spell range was nothing to scoff at. The threat was very real.
Arjun threw up a wind barrier in front of them, and with Kael's Darkmoon Godplate, magical attacks weren't their primary concern. But the black-armored faction's aggression had crossed a line.
Kael wasn't one to turn the other cheek when provoked.
Still gripping Arjun with one hand, he drew the Arcane Crystal Cannon with the other. Fortunately, the weapon's operation was intuitive.
He leveled it at Number Three—and fired!
Number Three had witnessed the cannon's devastation firsthand. After seeing Number Two obliterated moments prior, he'd been especially wary of Kael's trump card.
Number Three had already layered multiple magic shields around himself. When Kael's cannon blast struck, the impact reverberated with a thunderous BOOM, forcing a grunt from the black-armored mage. His Level Nine spellcasting was abruptly disrupted, and a trickle of crimson blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.
Though the injury wasn't severe, the message was clear: Kael's retaliation was lethal.
"That lunatic!" Number One steadied Number Three, his gaze never leaving Kael. What stunned him most was Kael's audacity—charging deeper into the camp, aiming to breach its heart. Sheer madness.
"Idris! And you, nameless whelp! You're digging your own graves! Once we're out of the Water Dragon's domain, I'll rally every mage under my command. Your heads willroll!" Number Three snarled, voice dripping with venom, eyes ablaze with killing intent.
Kael's expression turned glacial. The threat registered—but fear had no place here.
"Ha! My brother and I are unstoppable together. If we butcher you rats here, who's left to chase us?" Arjun shot back, his own fury igniting. He wasn't one to cower, and his gaze mirrored the promise of violence.
Their aerial dash brought them perilously close to the stele—when suddenly, the air itself trembled.
The Level Ten Puppet General had taken notice.
A titan among these ruins, the general's eye sockets blazed with undying flames, its massive greatsword gleaming. The moment it spotted Kael and Arjun airborne, it launched itself skyward!
"Damn it all—!" Kael's entire body tensed, adrenaline spiking. Yet, paradoxically, his mind sharpened into ice-cold clarity.
The general's assault was faster, fiercer than anything he'd anticipated.
The Puppet General's strike carried enough force to cleave even a Level Nine powerhouse like Lucian in half. Its greatsword tore through the air, battle energyerupting in a maelstrom that seemed to fracture the sky itself. Space trembled as the shockwave hurtled toward Kael.
Kael wrenched his body sideways with every ounce of Soaring Sky Art's agility. The blade of energy grazed past him, missing by a hair's breadth—its residual force distorting the atmosphere like heat haze.
A cold sweat drenched Kael's back. Only by pushing his limits in that life-or-death instant had he narrowly escaped.
Even then, it was his Darkmoon Godplate that absorbed most of the glancing blow's impact. Without it, the Level Ten energy alone would've left him severely wounded.
"Too close…" Kael exhaled shakily. The sheer terror of a Level Ten entity surpassed anything he'd imagined—this being his first direct confrontation with one.
That suffocating pressure alone could crush a man's will before combat even began!
"Intruders… die!" The Puppet General's voice grated like rusted metal, yet its command brooked no defiance.
"Fools. They actually think they can breach the forbidden zone? That Level Ten general will grind them to dust," Number One sneered, relishing Kael and Arjun's desperation.
If only they were still within spell range—he'd have gladly struck while they were vulnerable.
As the general prepared another attack, Kael and Arjun dove toward the stele!
Another slash of battle energy pursued them—but Kael angled his descent sharply, Soaring Sky Art flaring as they finally reached the base of the Command Stele!
The stele's oppressive aura weighed heavily, yet paradoxically, the Puppet General's looming pressure abruptly lessened.
"Idris, you were right! These puppets dare not approach this thing!" Arjun panted, deliberately avoiding the glyph's gaze.
Just as Kael had predicted: the area around the stele was a dead zone. The moment they landed beside it, the puppet soldiers froze—their assault ceasing entirely.