Frontline Empress-Chapter 83: Gloomtaur Queen Mabbel vs Bandit King Bhanun

(A few minutes ago)

Mabbel stood firm, staring up at the massive figure before her. The Bandit King, a towering wall of muscle and steel, gazed down with empty sockets where eyes should have been. He didn't move, didn't react, just observed.

She gripped her scythe and swung, aiming for his neck. In a single motion, he raised his greatsword, its sheer size making it seem effortless. The scythe's blade stopped inches from his throat, caught against the massive weapon.

Lowering her weapon, Mabbel shifted her stance. The moment she did, Bhanun swung down, his greatsword cleaving through the air. She reacted instantly, using the handle of her scythe to deflect his strike downward. The force of the impact sent a deep tremor through her arms.

They weren't fighting yet. They were testing each other.

And one thing was clear—Bhanun was stronger. Much stronger.

A direct contest of strength would be suicide. Mabbel knew that. But brute force wasn't her weapon. Speed was.

The surrounding armies took notice, stepping back to form a loose circle around them. The fighting didn't stop—it just shifted. Clashes of steel and screams of the dying echoed from beyond the ring, creeping closer with every passing second.

For a long moment, neither moved. Then, Bhanun spoke.

"I believe this isn't the first time we've met."

Mabbel's frown deepened. "It's not."

His stoic expression twisted into the hint of a smile. "My name is Bhanun. Unfortunately, I don't remember yours. Care to remind me?"

She didn't hesitate. "Mabbel."

They moved at the same time, weapons rising—

A deafening CRACK ripped through the battlefield.

Mabbel froze. She felt it before she heard the screams. Gloomtaurs howled in agony as their mana was torn from them. Ophelia.

She snapped her head toward her leader. Ophelia stood with her hand raised, golden light radiating from her body. Then the world itself shifted.

Chunks of land—each about half a mile wide—rose from the ground, breaking free as if gravity had been cast aside. The chunks hovered, suspended in the air for a breath, then split apart.

Half shot toward Ophelia's side of the battlefield. The other half came crashing down.

Mabbel barely had time to process it before she saw where the land would fall.

Over her army.

Over Bhanun.

Over his men.

The first impact sent shockwaves through the ground. Bodies vanished beneath the falling earth. Screams cut off in an instant. Snow turned to rubble. Soldiers who had been fighting seconds ago were now nothing but crushed remains beneath slabs of land too massive to comprehend.

At the front, Bhanun moved—backing up, desperate to save as many of his men as possible. Yet, Mabbel couldn't take advantage of such a blunder as she if she moved any further up, she could risk her life being taken.

When the final piece settled, only two hundred of his already cut down five hundred men were left standing.

Silence fell over the battlefield.

Then, slowly, Bhanun turned toward Ophelia, eyebrows furrowed. His grip on his sword tightened, muscles tensing—

Mabbel moved.

She swung her scythe, her speed unmatched.

Bhanun barely dodged. The blade carved through the air, missing his skull by mere inches—but not completely.

His left ear flew off.

He snapped his head toward her, face darkening.

Mabbel exhaled sharply. "Your fight is with me, trash."

Bhanun's lips curled into something between a snarl and a smirk.

"You annoying pest."

Mabbel lunged first. She shot forward like a shadow cutting through the dim light, her scythe elongating mid-swing, the blackened blade curving toward Bhanun's throat.

Bhanun didn't flinch. He planted his feet and brought his greatsword up in a sharp, precise arc. The sheer force of his movement sent a shockwave through the ground. The scythe's blade crashed against the greatsword's edge, sparks and black mist erupting from the clash.

Mabbel didn't stop. The moment the weapons connected, she let the momentum carry her body around. Twisting mid-air, she used the shaft of her scythe as a pivot, flipping backward as the weapon shrank back to its normal size. Her foot lashed out, aimed directly for Bhanun's face.

He caught her ankle.

His grip was like iron. With a snarl, he swung her like a ragdoll, hurling her toward the ground.

But Mabbel was already reacting. Her scythe melted into shadow and reformed in an instant, stabbing into the dirt to halt her momentum. She flipped again, twisting her body as her foot planted against the scythe's handle. Using it as leverage, she launched herself right back at him.

Bhanun barely had time to raise his sword before she was on him again. She spun, her scythe trailing behind her like a flowing ribbon of darkness, then lashed out with a horizontal strike aimed at his ribs.

This time, he didn't block.

He stepped forward into the attack.

The blade cut into his side but barely deep enough to matter before his fist drove into her stomach. The impact sent her skidding backward, boots digging trenches into the dirt.

She coughed, but even as she staggered, she flicked her hand. The shadows beneath Bhanun exploded upward, tendrils of darkness reaching for his arms and legs, aiming to pull him down.

Bhanun exhaled sharply and slammed his greatsword into the ground. The sheer force dispersed the shadows in an instant, a burst of energy knocking them away like dust in the wind.

Mabbel used the moment of distraction. She was already behind him.

Her scythe arced through the air, faster than before, a blur of darkness cutting toward his exposed back.

But Bhanun had been waiting.

The instant her weapon got close, he dropped his sword and spun. His hand caught her wrist mid-swing. His fingers clenched, crushing with enough strength to break bone.

Mabbel gritted her teeth.

Then dissolved into shadow.

Her body reformed behind him, scythe already swinging downward.

Bhanun ducked—not back, but forward. The blade passed inches over his head, and as he rose, his shoulder crashed into her gut, lifting her off the ground. With a single, powerful step, he slammed her into the dirt.

Mabbel's back hit hard. Her vision blurred for half a second, but she reacted instantly. She shoved her hand into the ground, and the shadows swallowed her whole.

She vanished.

Bhanun's eyes flicked around. He knew she was moving, but the battlefield's chaos masked her presence. He kept his stance low, muscles coiled, senses sharp—

Then he felt it.

From above.

Mabbel descended like a phantom, her scythe expanding mid-fall, the blade stretching into a massive crescent. The moment she reached him, she slashed down with all her momentum, aiming to carve him in two.

Bhanun didn't move.

He simply raised his hand.

A pulse of raw strength in the form of an orange glow burst from his body. The shockwave met Mabbel's descent, slamming into her like a wall. She was sent spiraling through the air, flipping twice before landing on her feet, sliding backward to a stop.

They stared at each other.

Neither had landed a decisive blow.

Bhanun rolled his shoulders, gripping his sword once more.

Mabbel spun her scythe, shadows swirling around her.

Then they moved again.

Bhanun roared. His voice blasted through the battlefield, a concussive orange wave that rattled Mabbel's skull. Her vision blurred for an instant, her muscles stiffening as if her own body had betrayed her.

And in that moment, he moved.

A fiery orange glow burst to life around him, flickering like an inferno. His entire form—bulk, blade, and raw force—became an unstoppable force, surging forward with terrifying speed. He wasn't slow anymore.

He was using Aura. Also known as the Warrior's Mana.

Mabbel barely managed to tilt her head as his sword screamed through the air. It grazed past her, the sheer force of its passage splitting the ground open in a jagged trench. She tried to counter, twisting her scythe for a diagonal slice, but Bhanun's free hand shot out.

She barely yanked herself back in time. His fingers brushed against her throat. A half-second slower, and he would've crushed her windpipe.

She vanished.

Reforming behind him, she thrust her scythe forward, aiming to impale him through the back. But his sword whipped around faster than she expected, forcing her to flip away as it nearly took her head.

However, Bhanun pursued. He charged straight at her, his sword dragging against the dirt, sparks flying as he swung upward.

Mabbel reacted on instinct. She let her legs collapse beneath her, dropping into a controlled slide, the tip of his sword missing her by inches. As she passed beneath him, her scythe extended, wrapping around his ankle like a serpent.

She pulled.

Bhanun's footing buckled as her blade began to slide through his boot.

But instead of falling, he twisted, using the momentum to turn his stumble into a downward crash, his fist hammering into the ground where Mabbel had been an instant before. The earth shattered, a crater forming beneath him.

Mabbel had already reformed in the air. Shadows gathered beneath her feet, solidifying mid-jump. She kicked off the makeshift platform, launching herself straight down toward him.

Her scythe was no longer a weapon. It became a flood—a maelstrom of darkness, the blades twisting and shifting into dozens of tendrils, each one whipping toward Bhanun from every angle.

He didn't retreat.

He met it head-on.

Bhanun spun, his aura flaring brighter. His greatsword became a storm, sweeping through the tendrils, severing them before they could close in. Mabbel retracted the darkness before he could follow through, reforming them into her scythe just as her feet hit the ground.

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For the first time, she was breathing hard.

Bhanun exhaled, steam rising from his skin as his Aura flickered.

And then they rushed each other again.

Mabbel became a blur. She appeared at his side, slashing at his ribs. He pivoted, his greatsword swinging low to knock her legs out from under her. She leaped, twisting mid-air to avoid it, then lashed out with a shadow-forged dagger from her free hand.

Bhanun deflected it with his forearm, closing the distance in a single step. His knee slammed into her stomach, sending her flying backward.

But Mabbel wasn't done. Even as she tumbled, she extended a hand.

The shadows beneath him rose.

They coiled around his legs, locking him in place for the briefest moment—just enough time for her to reappear beside him, scythe arcing straight for his neck.

Bhanun roared again.

The force of his aura exploded outward, shattering the shadows, and breaking his restraints just before the scythe could connect. He threw himself back, the blade grazing through his chest plate, a thin line of blood appearing upon his armor.

Mabbel clicked her tongue.

This wasn't working. If she gave him space, he'd adjust. If she rushed in blindly, he'd counter.

She had to break his rhythm.

Her form dispersed into shadows again, but this time she reappeared—not behind him, but above.

And she wasn't alone.

Dozens of shadow clones rippled into existence around her, each wielding their own scythes, each poised for an attack.

Bhanun's eyes narrowed.

The air tensed.

And then, all at once—they struck.