Boom!

The flames exploded on impact, sending body parts of unfortunate knights and debris flying in gruesome arcs, the blasts ripping through armor and flesh alike in a symphony of destruction and screams.

With his actions, chaos ensued. The commoners ran away from the battle in a bid to save their lives and avoid being caught up in the escalating violence, their panicked flight creating a stampede of desperation through the streets.

The captain skillfully dodged every blast, his movements precise and evasive despite his bulk, his path unchanged as he continued steadfastly towards Aaron and Nexus, determination fueling his advance through the inferno.

Nexus remained focused, creating a wave of water in front of him, the liquid surging from nothingness into a towering mass that rippled with controlled power, ready to overwhelm.

With a simple control, he sent the wave towards the knights still surviving, the aqueous force crashing forward like an unstoppable tide, threatening to drown and crush all in its path.

"Jump!" The captain yelled, leaping to the sky with explosive force, accompanied by other knights who reacted on time, their bodies vaulting upward to escape the watery onslaught below.

"Earth swordsmen! Create a foothold for the rest of us!" The captain instructed while still in the air, his voice cutting through the roar of the wave, directing his forces with tactical acumen born from battle-hardened experience.

The knights that controlled the earth element followed the captain's instructions, their actions swift and coordinated amid the airborne chaos.

They threw their swords towards the water wave, the blades hurtling downward with elemental intent, embedding themselves to manipulate the terrain.

The swords struck the ground, creating elevated footholds of rocks that erupted from the earth, providing makeshift platforms that defied the flood's grasp.

The captain landed on one of the footholds, his balance steady as stone, his eyes fixed intently on Nexus with a predator's focus.

"Cover me!" He commanded, moving ahead of the other knights, advancing with renewed momentum across the improvised battlefield.

Obeying his instructions, the knights with water elements controlled the wave, parting it to create a clear path for the captain, the liquid yielding to their command like a servant to its master.

Those with wind elements released soft winds with their swords, generating gentle gusts that increased the captain's speed, propelling him forward with enhanced agility.

While the earth and flame swordsmen were ready to release attacks to counter any assault aimed at the captain, their weapons poised and charged with elemental fury.

With the assistance of several knights, the captain's confidence surged, his concentration focused sharply on Nexus, every sense attuned to the impending clash.

With his speed doubled, the captain appeared before Nexus in an instant, his lightning-coated sword thrusting forward with lethal precision, aimed directly at the clone's chest.

"Fool," Nexus said, a knowing smile spreading across his face, his expression one of amused certainty as he anticipated the trap's activation.

The captain's eyes opened in shock, his instincts sending several warning bells ringing through his mind, a sudden realization of impending doom gripping him.

The ground beneath his feet opened up abruptly, hot compressed flames shooting from the fissure where the captain used to stand, the eruption a geyser of searing heat that scorched the air.

"Urgh," the captain groaned, the pain assaulting his brain with overwhelming ferocity, every nerve alight with agony from the brutal assault.

"You forgot your sword," Nexus called out, prying the sword of the captain from his severed, burnt arm with casual indifference, the weapon still sparking faintly.

The captain had dodged the attack in a split second, his reflexes preserving his life, but not without sustaining grievous harm that would forever alter him.

He lost his entire right arm to the attack, the limb charred and detached, and half of his face blistered and disfigured by the intense flames.

"Captain!" The knights cried, most of them rushing towards the captain to assist him, their voices filled with alarm and loyalty as they converged on their fallen leader.

"To finish this," Nexus said calmly, creating a great tornado that whipped into existence, winds howling fiercely as it gathered debris and threatened total annihilation.

"Enough, Nexus. Let's go," Aaron said, stopping Nexus from controlling the tornado towards the knights, his intervention firm and timely, halting the vortex before it could claim more lives.

Nexus stopped at Aaron's command, dissolving the tornado into nothing, the winds fading away as if they had never been, leaving only stillness in their wake.

Aaron walked towards the captain, after retrieving the damaged arm and sword of the captain from Nexus, his approach deliberate amid the wreckage and groans of the injured.

"Relay what happened here to your higher-ups and tell your king that this is just the beginning. We will be coming for him until he is deposed and the princess sits on her rightful throne," Aaron said calmly, his words a chilling proclamation that echoed with inevitable promise, sowing discord in the hearts of listeners.

With the message given, he disappeared from sight, along with Nexus, their forms vanishing in a swirl of shadows, leaving the battered captain and knights behind in the smoldering ruins.

"Captain! Are you fine? You need to see a doctor and receive treatment," one of the knights came before the captain, his voice laced with deep concern as he knelt to assess the gruesome wounds.

"My condition can wait. Relay everything that happened here to the general. We might have the biggest threat yet before us," the captain said, recalling the battle planting a seed of fear within his heart, his resolve unbroken despite the torment.

----

"That was really bold of you and your partner openly tearing the knights apart," the voice of an enthusiastic young man commended Aaron, his tone buzzing with admiration and a hint of awe, as if witnessing a legend come to life.

"Enough of the little talk. Tell me who you are," Aaron asked the young man directly, cutting straight to the point with his characteristic impatience for unnecessary chatter.

While Phantom was battling with the knights, Aaron had received a signal from the young man, a subtle yet unmistakable cue that pierced through the din of combat.

The signal had been the reason Aaron put a stop to the battle, recognizing its significance amid the clash of elements and steel.

"I'm Midas. A member of the rebellion against Desirus. I was sent to lead you to our safe stronghold before the arrival of the generals and elite knights," the young man said, his introduction straightforward, revealing his role in the underground movement with a sense of urgent purpose.

"Rebellion?" Aaron asked, surprised that there were rebels actively operating, but thinking about it more, it only made sense that there would be people opposing Desirus's rule, hidden factions simmering with discontent.

"Yes. Those that fight to have the rightful heir sitting on the throne. Or is that not the cause and reason you fought with the knights?" Midas asked, trying to ascertain Aaron's goal, his eyes searching for confirmation of shared objectives.

"It is," Aaron affirmed, his response concise and affirmative, aligning himself with the cause without elaboration.

"Thought as much. Follow me quickly, before they track us down and find us. It will be certain death if we are caught by an elite knight," Midas cautioned, his warning urgent as he glanced over his shoulder, aware of the relentless pursuit that could follow.

Phantom scoffed at the words of Midas, finding them insulting to his formidable abilities, a derisive sound that carried elemental undertones.

The group continued the journey in silence afterwards, their path winding through shadowed alleys and concealed routes away from prying eyes.

Well, not silence, but the one-sided and ear-numbing yapping of Midas, his incessant commentary filling the air with trivial observations and stories that grated on the nerves.

"We are here," Midas finally said something that Aaron and Phantom were willing to hear, his announcement a welcome break from the verbal torrent.

"Finally. I was almost about to die from his constant talk," Phantom exhaled in relief, his form stabilizing as he released a breath of exaggerated exasperation.

"A thousand coins, you won't be able to find the hidden location," Midas made a challenge to Aaron and Phantom, a confident smile spreading across his face, certain of the forest's deceptive camouflage.

They had left the outskirts of the city, finding themselves in the middle of a forest with similar trees towering overhead, and the sounds of animals rustling in the underbrush, creating an illusion of untouched wilderness.

There was no visible trace of a hidden area for people to reside in, the dense foliage and uniform landscape masking any signs of habitation.

"Instead of a thousand coins, I'd rather we wager you remain silent for the rest of the day," Phantom counter-offered, hoping Midas would accept his wager, the proposition driven by a desperate need for quiet.

"Agreed. In return, you owe me a thousand coins," Midas bargained, confident of his victory, shaking on the deal with unshakeable assurance.

"When you are a jinn, my friend, the elements whisper to you," Phantom said to Midas, a knowing smile on his face as he walked towards a normal-looking tree, his senses attuned to the subtle secrets of nature.

He snapped one of the tree branches confidently, the action unveiling the concealed entrance with a soft rumble, winning the bet easily and reveling in the triumph.

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