The Grand Duke's Son Is A Heretic-Chapter 209

Dust spiraled in the wind as the sun dipped behind the stone walls of the crumbling stronghold. The air reeked of blood, smoke, and something older—something darker.

Within the collapsing ruins of the hideout, a single masked warrior stood with a black blade in hand, gleaming with a crimson aura that shimmered like heat waves.

Kael's breathing was sharp and fast, sweat streaming down his temples, yet his grip on the sword remained steady. Across from him stood four figures—Verno, Jax, Marn, and Garro—each exuding an ominous presence that seemed to make the very walls tremble.

Kael had charged first.

Jax, the one-armed brute with a rusted ship hook in place of his forearm, had just smashed into a stone pillar and was rising from the dust when Kael struck. With a roar, Kael closed the gap, sword raised for a lethal slash—but before the blade could fall, wind howled around him.

BOOOOOM!

A shockwave burst from Jax's position. Sword slashes infused with aura and glowing punches surged from both sides. Kael's eyes widened as he twisted mid-air, narrowly evading a crushing blow from Marn's giant fist and a precise blade arc from Verno.

The attacks collided in the air, exploding like thunder. The force sent Kael crashing backward through the wall. Rubble followed, and within seconds, the entire side of the stronghold collapsed in a thunderous quake, sending dust clouds across the nearby slums. Townsfolk screamed and scattered. Chickens flapped into the sky. Stalls crumbled as the tremor spread.

The Four Fangs stood together now.

"You alright, Jax?" Marn asked, his voice like rolling stones.

"Just a scratch," Jax coughed, grinning as blood trickled down his lip. "Didn't expect the brat to be this quick."

Verno's sharp eyes scanned the settling debris. "He's strong… but let's see how long that lasts."

A creaking groan broke the silence. A figure emerged from the cloud of dust. Kael, cloak tattered, limped forward. A twisted smile played under his bloodied mask.

"Haaa... Taking down four of you might be troublesome but..." He stepped toward the pile of wreckage and pulled out a black sword that glowed faintly. Aura crackled.

Crimson energy burst from the blade, scorching the ground beneath.

"It's gonna be a fun fight."

Kael charged once more, slicing through the air with a diagonal slash. Garro moved first—vanishing with a blur and reappearing behind Kael, daggers drawn and laced with poisonous aura. Kael spun, parrying just in time, but Jax was already in motion. His hook screeched as it swung, tearing stone and air alike. Kael ducked, but Marn followed up with a monstrous leap, both fists slamming down.

CRACK!

The ground caved in beneath Kael, a crater forming where he stood. He had managed to block the brunt, reflecting some of the force back into Marn using his Reflection Aura—Jax staggered from the backlash—but it was taking a toll. Bruises bloomed under Kael's skin.

Verno, ever the tactician, hadn't moved much yet. He stood just behind the chaos, eyes tracking Kael's habits. Every feint. Every delay. When Kael blinked to the left, Verno struck—not with brute strength but a precision blade strike at Kael's blind spot.

Kael barely deflected it, grunting.

"Damn… they're moving like a unit."

He jumped back, landing on a shattered pillar. His eyes darted between his opponents. The difference in rank was beginning to show. Kael was on par B+ a formidable warrior—but each of them, individually A-, had trained and fought together for years.

Their synergy, their rhythm, their battlefield awareness it was like facing a living machine.

Jax charged first again, his body twisting as he used the hook like a whip, aiming for Kael's midsection. Kael sidestepped, countered with a thrust—but it was a trap. Marn grabbed his arm mid-strike and flung him like a ragdoll into the rubble. Before Kael could recover, Garro's daggers rained down, each laced with disorienting aura pulses.

Kael roared and spun, activating Reflection. The pulses rippled and reversed, forcing Garro to stumble, but Verno's command rang out like a bell.

"Form Four! Rotate!"

They moved like wind and flame. Jax switched to defensive, absorbing strikes. Marn cut Kael's escape. Garro harassed him from behind, while Verno dictated the timing.

"What the hell?" Kael growled, sweat flying from his chin as he dodged another blow. "Why does this group of bandits work so skillfully?"

From his elevated position, Verno finally spoke.

"Separated we might be weak, but together we are quite strong."

A flash of movement. Marn's shoulder barreled into Kael's ribs. Bones cracked. Kael gasped. Before he could recover, Jax's hook came flying, carving a bloody gash across Kael's side. Garro appeared above with an inverted kick, and Verno's blade followed like a serpent.

Kael's aura flared wildly, trying to block in every direction. The black sword whirled. A massive crimson wave repelled the group briefly, sending debris flying and cutting a tree in half outside the courtyard. People screamed as chunks of stone fell over rooftops. Horses panicked in the market. Alarm bells rang.

Kael's knees trembled as he fell to one side, blood dripping from his chin.

The bandits watching from afar were stunned.

"Thiss..?" one whispered.

"He's still alive?"

Kael pushed himself up, his breathing ragged.

"I… I won't go down so easily."

He slashed again, and the blade expanded with aura, forming a spiral shockwave. Jax stepped in, blocking the strike with his hook and aura coating his shoulder. Verno deflected the remaining edge of the strike, while Garro slipped under and stabbed Kael's thigh. Marn followed with a rising uppercut.

Kael flew through a stone pillar.

"Enough!" he shouted, mid-air, twisting his body and hurling a volley of reflection-aura shards from his blade.

Each shard exploded in midair, forcing the group to scatter.

But they were ready.

Jax hurled his hook like a chain weapon, catching Kael's shoulder and yanking him mid-flight. Marn rose like a wall and drove his foot into Kael's back.

BOOOOOM!

The masked warrior was smashed into the ground, creating a deep hole that cracked the earth.

The dust rose slowly. The ground still shook. The city guards began assembling at the outer walls, unsure if it was a battle or the wrath of some ancient god.

Kael lay at the bottom of the crater, unmoving. His sword had fallen just inches away. Blood coated his fingers.

Garro stepped forward, brushing dust off his shoulder.

"Is he done?"

Marn exhaled deeply. "Not sure. Man's tougher than a mountain bear."

Jax crouched by the crater's edge, tapping his hook against stone. "Should we finish it?"

Verno didn't answer immediately. He stared down at Kael.

"We'll give him ten breaths. If he doesn't rise... he dies."

Below, Kael's fingers twitched.

His vision was blurry, heartbeat in his ears like war drums.

"This isn't... over," he whispered.

The sword pulsed.

Crimson's aura flickered back to life.