Simon met no resistance as he and the Hurricane hurried through the streets of the capital city.

He'd expected at least a couple of Helmund's diehards to try obstructing them, but even the Duke's most stalwart, loyal soldiers seemed to have realized that this situation was well above their pay grade. And like a canary in a coal mine, the locals had taken one look at the fleeing guardsmen and decided that they should get the hell out of dodge too.

It had turned the once-bustling capital city into a veritable ghost town. Everyone had barricaded themselves indoors, hunkering down as they waited for the storm to pass, praying that any errant lightning bolts would strike their neighbors instead of themselves.

Simon was acutely aware of the many pairs of eyes staring at him as he ran. Partially from the city-goers peeking outside their shelters, and partially from the mob of armed warriors following behind him. One-third of the Hurricane had refused to continue working with him, thinning their ranks down to eighty-something rebels. He was directing them to Helmund's location using Eavesdrop's tracking effect, boldly leading the charge.

...Sort of. Simon was also aware that the Hurricane had ulterior motives for letting him go first. The sight of his back presented a tantalizing target for most of his 'allies'. A good number of them were probably deliberating if they could get away with taking a shot at him.

They were welcome to try. Whatever would help them vent their frustrations – get it out of their system – so they could concentrate on the bigger fish that still needed to be fried.

He nodded to Katarina as she caught up with him. The Arcane Rogue had a thick pouch tied to her waist. She sent a worried glance over her shoulder, seeming far less comfortable with the glares being aimed at them. "If looks could kill...I take it they weren't so forgiving of the sacrifices you made?"

"Would you have been, if your father was among those sacrifices?"

"Not at all. I would already be plotting your demise; a way to ensure that you and Helmund somehow slew each other at the same time."

Thought so. Simon exhaled. "The Hurricane's support should still be a net positive, but I'll keep an eye out for any sudden-yet-inevitable betrayals. If it helps, they were much, much angrier at me than you. Was definitely a good idea for you to make yourself scarce during the big reveal."

Katarina gave him an odd look. "You shouldn't sound so relieved about that."

"It's an appropriate distribution of resentment." She held some culpability in Simon's plan, as she'd distracted the rebels guarding the mana-container storage room, but the vast majority of the blame belonged to him. "And I would prefer they target me over you. I'm a tad more robust."

Earlier on, before everyone set out, a Hurricane mage had very reluctantly agreed to tend to his injuries, casting spells with the demeanor of getting their own teeth pulled. Thanks to Transmigrator's Body, healing magic once again proved to be highly effective on him – his right arm and HP regenerated almost immediately.

But he hadn't tested if the same would be true for Kat now that she was connected to the system. He doubted that losing an arm would be a minor inconvenience for her. An ambush from the Hurricane might leave her with permanent lifelong injuries, whereas Simon could always just sleep it off, or kidnap a healing mage and force them to fix him.

A complicated frown pinched Katarina's face. "I...am tempted to thank you for the sentiment, but it feels like I would be encouraging habits I shouldn't." After a moment, she sighed and pressed on. "What of Duke Helmund? Has he moved?"

Simon double-checked just to be certain. "Not an inch. He's still stuck under the ruins of Castle Helmund."

Strange behavior. Simon had been watching in case Helmund made a break for a Waystation, attempted to escape – but the Duke hadn't even bothered to free himself from the enormous pile of rubble parked on top of his head.

Is he licking his wounds? Biding his time? Would be nice if he was just straight-up unconscious, but I'm not *that* much of a gambling man.

Katarina went silent for a few seconds. "Have you given thought as to how we'll actually defeat the Duke? If you believed that it would be a simple matter, you wouldn't be relying on the Hurricane for assistance when they're liable to stick your head on a pike."

"Depends on how much the blast hurt him. Best-case scenario, he's weak enough that it'll be like putting down a rabid animal. Otherwise?" Simon tried not to imagine pillars of mana obliterating him in an instant. "We'll have to play it by ear."

Kat fell silent once more. Her face rapidly shifted through a variety of expressions – consideration, surprise, panic – before finally reaching a resolution, ending with a determined look that was carved from stone.

"Well," she began, steeling her resolve. "If you're open to suggestions...I have an idea."

--

Even without Eavesdrop guiding him, Simon would've known they were nearing ground zero when dust started to choke the air.

The area surrounding Castle Helmund had been utterly demolished. Buildings lay in pieces, filling the streets with fragments of wood, stone, and metal. Navigating his way across became a struggle to avoid stepping on jagged-edged safety hazards.

Every now and then, red splotches could be seen staining the debris; splashes of grim vibrance painted against a canvas of destruction. Worse still were the arms or legs sometimes poking up from underneath. A scent of death was gradually infiltrating the premises, subtle for now, yet growing stronger and more insistent by the minute.

The city's quiet of anticipation had been replaced by the quiet of a cemetery – the absence of life.

Simon repeatedly cast Identify as he went, checking every feasible location for buried people. His efforts yielded two grievously-injured survivors and several dozen corpses. The Hurricane healers quickly stabilized the few they could, wasting invaluable time and mana in the process.

Improper triage system, he thought, observing the rebels digging up another corpse. They had refused to believe his claim that it was a corpse – that this person was beyond help. Each moment we spend here is a moment where Helmund is allowed to recuperate. No life we save is worth the possibility of failing to kill him.

He knew that, yet he couldn't stop himself from pointing out a third buried survivor that the Hurricane would've missed.

It felt like eons before they reached the ruins of Castle Helmund. Simon kept waiting for a mana pillar to erupt from the wreckage, or for the Duke's unearthly voice to boom across the city, but his worst fears never materialized. Tension crept into his shoulders and took up residence there, serving as a constant reminder that this transitory peace was a lie.

Calm as the city may be right now, a monster more ravenous and inhuman than any Fell Beast still lurked within its walls.

Their group stopped short in front of what remained of the castle's entrance. A grand, opulent stone archway had been pulverized to pebbles. Hundreds of tons of debris lay ahead, the pile stacked higher than most buildings.

Simon turned to address Bastian, Cyna, and Marlene as they stepped forward. He eyed the three of them with an analytical gaze, cataloging their impressions of him.

Marlene genuinely hated him now. Oh, she was doing a commendable job at hiding it, but he'd seen that exact same look far too many times to confuse it for anything else. While it wouldn't prevent her from working with him in a professional environment, she would be the first to celebrate if a meteor dropped out of the sky and landed on his skull.

Bastian just seemed...profoundly disappointed. But not in a patronizing or condescending manner. It was the kind of disappointment that arose when you thought someone had lost their way. As if he wanted the best for him, yet was losing hope regardless.

Simon was a bit too familiar with that look as well.

Cyna's expression was of greater interest to him. Though she appeared deeply conflicted, her emotions a mess of contradictions, the most prevalent one he could spy was – somehow – sympathy. In a 'better him than me' sense, but it was there.

She didn't have family held hostage, and she sought to slay Duke Helmund no matter the cost...yet she also wished to live, if possible. Is Cyna wondering what she would've done in my shoes? Or if she should feel relieved that I pulled the trigger and left her blameless? Does she not like the answers to those questions?

"So here we are." Marlene spread her arms wide, a humorless grin slotting into place. "At the very least, I can't say I'm displeased to find Helmund's garish abode reduced to a shadow of its former self."

Bastian stared carefully at the castle ruins, searching for signs of...anything. "I'd like to say that we should start excavating immediately," he said. "It hasn't been an unduly long time since the explosion – if we act with haste, those who still cling to life may yet be saved. But..."

"Finishing off Duke Helmund before he recovers takes priority," Cyna finished. "How, though? Do we just tunnel our way to him? Moving chunks of debris that heavy will deplete our mana."

Simon didn't have an easy answer for her. He'd figured that the Duke would've freed himself by now – especially when he sensed a Demon sprinting through his city. Helmund's sensitivity to Fell mana was why Victoria had needed to craft an Artifact to hide the transmigrator's presence.

"If we're lucky, he's bleeding out as we speak." Simon turned back around. He raised his right arm, intending to use Landmine to help clear a path forward. "Suppose we should just take it one step at a time. Move what you can, but conserve your energy. We'll check for survivors along the w–"

Like a flare blazing bright, he felt mana surge.

Instincts took over. If Simon hadn't already been in the middle of channeling his essence, that might have been the end of things. He hurriedly shifted his cast of Landmine to Barrier, constructing a translucent shield in front of himself and his allies.

MP: 530 / 630

A thin beam of mana shot out from the ruins of Castle Helmund, carving past stone and steel like a hot knife through butter. In the blink of an eye, it had impacted the section of the Barrier directly beside Simon's head, attempting to pierce through and lobotomize him.

One brief split-second was all the leeway his shield granted him. The *crack* of it shattering rang in his ears as he leapt to the side. A small part of him whispered that Bastian was standing behind, so he grabbed the Swordsman by the arm, pulling him as they tumbled together.

Heated mana sliced forward, the beam barely missing where they'd been standing just a moment ago.

Others weren't so fortunate. Several people in the Hurricane were bisected as the beam continued onward. No blood was spilt, the two halves of their bodies instantly cauterized. Some distant buildings got caught in the crossfire as well, crumbling after their structural supports were damaged.

Panic ensued. Screams filled the air. Simon tuned it all out, eliminating unnecessary distractions from his thoughts as he jumped to his feet and cast a precautionary Barrier.

Targeted attack. Precise. Unlike what I've seen before. Piers didn't do this. He was sloppy, frantic. Helmund more experienced, composed. Can–

A thin mana-beam lanced up from underground, bypassing the Barrier entirely as it drilled through Simon's left foot. He threw himself backwards as the beam adjusted course, feeling the air sizzle with pure energy as it missed his face by millimeters. The two smaller toes on his foot had been sliced clean off.

–Can exhibit finer control over mana. Doesn't need big, wide-sweeping energy blasts. Looking to kill, not showboat. Isn't monologuing or prematurely declaring his victory. Which means–

Simon pushed his 78 Dexterity to the limit as the mana-beam chased him. He ducked under a second beam that shot forth from the ruins, awkwardly contorting his body to avoid both attacks at once.

–Which means I'm a threat. He's wounded. Has to be. Hiding under the castle ruins. Using it like a turtle shell. Because–

The first beam flickered, then disappeared. A savage grin climbed up Simon's face.

–Because he doesn't have a choice. Would actually go for a big energy blast if he could. Can't.

Something's wrong with his mana.

To their credit, the Hurricane weren't idle during all of this. After they recovered from the initial shock, offensive spells began raining down on the ruins of Castle Helmund. It seemed a fruitless effort at first – until the added pressure destabilized the precarious heap of rubble, causing numerous mini-collapses as it gradually sagged downward.

The second beam vanished as a muffled screech of pain resounded.

Too much weight crushing him. Simon readied his arm, torn between not wanting to be caught off-guard and not wanting to waste MP. He hoped to kill me before extricating himself. Not an option now. I'm on high alert, and that debris isn't getting any lighter.

What next, then? Multiple possibilities for–

Simon blinked as a circular section of the ruins started glowing a vivid, furious red.

Realization struck a moment later. "OUT OF THE WAY!" he bellowed. "MOVE OUT OF THE WAY!"

His warning reached the Hurricane just in time. They fled to safety right as a cylindrical stream of mana poured out from the rubble. It was about ten feet tall and wide, nowhere near what Helmund could've accomplished if he was in prime condition – but still powerful enough to make the hairs on Simon's neck stand on end, even at a distance.

The mana-stream only lasted a few seconds before abruptly dissipating. In its place, a makeshift tunnel had been opened at the base of the debris pile, its internal 'walls' scorched and hardened.

Simon was debating how to proceed when a figure slowly emerged from the darkness of the tunnel. The transmigrator froze mid-motion, arm halfway raised. He should have attacked immediately, seized any opportunity he could to gain an advantage...but what he saw took the breath away from him and every member of the Hurricane.

Duke Helmund was melting.

His tattered, threadbare clothing revealed a body coming apart at the seams. Flesh sloughed off like dripping candle wax as he moved, bits and pieces of him sticking to the ground with each laborious step. Guttural moans of pain echoed across the street, sounding as if they were uttered by a creature that was more beast than man.

Flashes of healing mana repeatedly sparked underneath the Duke's skin, desperately attempting to replace what had been lost. They were fighting a losing battle. He left a trail of discarded meat in his wake, his flesh continuing to bubble and burn even after it had already fallen from him.

One eye was gone. The other that remained swiveled around wildly – before halting when it found Simon. If Helmund still possessed any eyelids, they would have widened.

"...You..."

That word, so distorted that it was barely recognizable as speech, broke Simon from his reverie. He strafed sideways as summoned bolts of mana flung themselves at him.

"YOU DID THIS!"

The thing titled Duke let out a harrowing screech as a localized whirlwind of mana radiated from his body. Most of the Hurricane was knocked back, unhurt but unable to approach. While some tried, they struggled to take even one step forward, like they were swimming against the tides.

If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

Simon focused on defensive maneuvers, fleeing from a hailstorm of mana-bolts that ravaged the ground in pursuit of him. He was forced to cast two simultaneous Barriers to cover himself, deflecting some bolts, evading the rest – only to be clipped by a surprise beam of mana that severed his left hand with contemptuous ease.

HP: 436 / 540 MP: 332 / 630

He's mixing attacks, Simon thought, staring dully at the stump on his left arm. Throwing what he can at me. The transmigrator's heart raced, blood surging, adrenaline coursing, death nipping at his heels as he ran. Doesn't have the energy for a giant burst of mana. If he did, we would all be dust in the wind by now.

Even this much appeared to be taxing the Duke's failing body. More and more flesh was falling from him, collecting into a macabre heap around his feet. He was trapped in a cycle of rot and regeneration, his self-healing pushed to its breaking point; no better than pouring water into a bucket full of holes.

Can we outlast him? Whenever he attacks, he hastens his own death. He could probably recover if left to his devices, but we forced his hand, made him–

A mana-beam skewered Simon's heart, then expanded within, popping the organ like a balloon.

188 Damage Incurred!

HP: 249 / 540

It honestly wasn't so bad. While triple-digit damage was nothing to sneeze at, the pain felt bearable compared to some other sensations he'd endured. As long as I'm above 0 HP, I can still win.

Simon was about to keep running when the summoned mana-bolts ceased firing, hanging in mid-air. Duke Helmund paused his onslaught as a victorious grin stretched across his face.

...Was that...supposed to kill me?

Losing just one major organ wouldn't have brought down Piers or the Duke. Their bodies consisted of more mana than meat. For an ordinary Demon, however, it likely would've been debilitating. Helmund knew that Simon was strong, but strength didn't make someone's biology fundamentally abnormal.

The worst that people ever saw me injured was at the bar. Every witness of that incident who was affiliated with Piers is now dead. Helmund would've needed to scrounge up testimony from the civilians who went into hiding, and I doubt he respects their opinions much. Their tall tales of an 'invincible' Demon could've easily been dismissed as hyperbole from the impressionable, ignorant masses.

Key word: could. Helmund wasn't a fool. He feared what Demons were capable of. He would've kept the possibility in the back of his mind.

Which was why his mana-bolts were still hovering in mid-air, awaiting their signal.

Donning a mask of agony, Simon fell to his knees, coughing up a storm. He collapsed forward, eyes-half closed and limbs twitching. To further sell the effect, he bit his tongue hard and spat out flecks of blood – unfortunately, that was all the bleeding Transmigrator's Body allowed for.

He should be launching more attacks at me, double-tapping...but he has to conserve his energy. Will be in trouble if he uses too much.

An alarmed "No!" rang out from among the Hurricane. Simon gave private thanks to them for the assist. He held his breath, stopped blinking, suppressed his mana, and erased his movement, emulating a soon-to-be-corpse that was scarcely clinging to life.

It wouldn't have been enough. Duke Helmund would've simply waited for the last dregs of light to fade from his gaze, then resumed firing when it became apparent the Demon was faking. That was fine – Simon didn't need to fully convince him.

I just need one single moment.

The Hurricane provided it for him. Enraged rebels unleashed a volley of arrows and spells at Helmund, raising their voices in a united outcry. Not that many of them particularly cared for Simon right now, but he was still their best shot at victory. None of their attacks landed, rebuffed by the Duke's whirlwind of mana...

Yet he still peered over at them, his focus diverted. Was it a look of surprise? Annoyance? Simon couldn't tell, and he wasn't going to spend mental energy on analyzing Helmund's temperament.

He was too busy casting Landmine.

Duke Helmund's head whipped back around, drawn by the upsurge of Fell mana. If he hadn't been momentarily distracted, he could have responded with more finesse – perhaps utilized a way to disrupt Simon's casting.

Instead, he was forced to expel a huge burst of energy that propelled him sideways. Royal mana overlapped with Fell mana as a 150 MP Landmine erupted from the ground. Helmund evaded its blast radius with room to spare, his smile morphing into a grimace. Offensive mana-bolts thundered down once more, tearing the street apart as they hunted Demonic prey.

MP: 182 / 630

The ambush had missed – yet Simon grinned, covering his retreat with another Barrier as the dance resumed. Missing didn't mean failing. Injuring Helmund would've been a fantastic bonus, but making him waste a hefty chunk of mana to escape was always priority #1.

Already, the pressure surrounding the Duke had lessened from a whirlwind to a harsh gust as he was forced to conserve his energy further.

Most of the rebels still couldn't approach. But some of their higher-Level warriors...Bastian, Cyna, Marlene, a few others...

They were finally able to press forward.

"When's the last time you got into a real fight?" Simon asked. His voice was calm and curious as he tilted his head to dodge a mana-beam that would've scrambled his brains. "Not a one-sided slaughter – a fight. Have you forgotten that they can be decided by the tiniest shift in momentum?"

Helmund responded with a feral snarl, dipping into his waning reserves to begin a renewed onslaught against the Demon. He paid little attention to the human rebels fast approaching. The aura surrounding him amplified, obviously meant to send the nuisances flying back. Which in fairness, it did, their advance stymied as they met with fierce resistance.

All except for one. Cyna, whose Boon had skyrocketed her to Level 42. Cyna, who had dumped an inordinate number of stat points into Strength. She muscled straight through the mana-whirlwind, teeth bared, gaze shining with murderous zeal as she neared Helmund and lifted her greatsword into the air.

If there was any doubt as to which Class Advancement she'd chosen, it was dispelled when she cried out "BE JUDGED!" Simon wasn't intimately familiar with the Executioner Class, but from what he'd been told, it granted the user power based on the intensity of their conviction.

And he couldn't imagine a more intense conviction than one fueled by a lifetime of hatred.

Duke Helmund realized a second too late that the woman attacking him was a wrecking ball in human form. The despot amplified his aura once again, spending mana that he couldn't afford to spend, flesh evaporating to show bone underneath. Cyna was knocked back this time, her towering Strength outmatched–

But not before her greatsword *crunched* down, demolishing the Duke's left shoulder.

A stunned hush fell over the battlefield. Helmund, the Hurricane – nearly everyone was at a loss for words. The Duke's wound wasn't healing. His left arm hung limp, a useless appendage that continued to drip flesh onto the ground.

It was the first time an injury dealt by human hands had stuck. Visible, tangible proof that all the effort and sacrifice of their decades-long journey hadn't been in vain.

...Made possible by the Boon that I bequeathed to Cyna, Simon mused, as he ran from another round of mana-bolts. Though I probably shouldn't split hairs. They could use the morale boost.

The newly-minted Executioner landed near Bastian. Without missing a beat, she grabbed her lover by his torso, then threw him forward at a frankly absurd speed, tossing him like a person-shaped javelin.

By the look on the Swordsman's face, he definitely had not been anticipating this little maneuver, yet he adjusted with the serene resignation of someone who was accustomed to Cyna being Cyna. His longsword flashed out, slicing the Duke's cheek as he flew past and landed on his feet.

Helmund was so befuddled that he didn't shove Bastian away with an aura burst. Or maybe he's so low on mana that he simply can't. Please be that. The Duke haphazardly fired a shotgun blast of small mana-bolts at the Swordsman, as if it was the best he could do on short notice.

Simon would have struggled to dodge that up-close, even with his heightened Dexterity – but Bastian flowed around the bolts like water, displaying not an iota of wasted movement. His face was impassive as he struck again, almost disquieting in how emotionless it was; the expression of a merciful man who couldn't find a single reason to stay his blade.

A matching cut appeared on the tyrant's right cheek. The Swordsman had been aiming for his neck, but the inherent gap in their speed was a bit too wide for Bastian's skill to bridge. Nevertheless, despite how shallow the wound was, Helmund...paused. His eyes sparked with an ugly realization, a truth he could no longer deny:

He was being overwhelmed.

By commoners.

With an incensed growl, Helmund searched within himself, scraping the bottom of the well as he let loose yet another aura burst. Bastian was thrown back–

And the Duke promptly keeled over and vomited. Blood, meat, and unidentifiable substances splattered onto the ground. His legs trembled with the strain of standing upright.

When he raised his head, Marlene was waiting just fifteen feet away.

The other rebels began a forward charge – only to stop as their leader held out her arm to forestall them. She took a long moment to examine Helmund, her gaze sweeping up and down, soaking in the sight of him practically on his knees.

"That look suits you." Marlene folded her hands together, exhibiting remarkable restraint considering the sheer, unadulterated loathing that was radiating from her every inch of her countenance. "For as long as I can remember, I have yearned to see you brought to this state – weak as a child, wracked with pain, and facing your end."

Her eyes narrowed. "My only regret is that it isn't nearly enough. You drove this world to the brink of ruin. You murdered and tortured with impunity. You took the very rain from us. I wish that I could inflict on you a sliver of what you've done to so many others."

Duke Helmund sneered at her. "And you are...?"

Marlene was about to respond, then hesitated. "No one. If I'm lucky, history will forget my face and name. Achieving infamy was not why I fought so hard to reach this point."

Why isn't she...right. Helmund might still have something up his sleeve. Time is his enemy, so it's safer to keep him busy as his body deteriorates.

Simon couldn't fault her caution, although he wasn't a fan of how he needed to keep dodging mana-bolts as the two leaders had a chat. The Duke was persistent – he hadn't let up his assault, even while running on fumes. Guess I should take it as a compliment that he views me as the biggest threat here.

"How humble. Am I meant to form a grudging respect for you?" In spite of how frail his voice sounded, Duke Helmund injected an astonishing degree of venom into his tone. "Oh, hark, the gutter trash is attempting to rise above their station! Let us compose a play extolling their bravery! Sing songs of the infestation that joined hands to tear down their betters!"

He spat milky blood at his feet. "You disgust me. However low the depths of your revulsion for me are, I assure you that mine runs far deeper. The Severed Isles have seen hundreds, thousands of your like throughout the years, and it will see thousands more. You can't even comprehend the extent of your own insignificance! The only wise words that have ever left your lips was to admit that history should and would forget you."

Marlene didn't flinch as she endured the tirade, shaking her head slightly after it had finished. "I would pity you if you weren't so abhorrent. All that power, yet you've never experienced the true joys in life."

"Joy? I take what I want. I take who I want. Nothing is unrestricted to me. What banal definition of 'joy' could possibly exceed that?"

"Friends and allies. Call it quaint if you must, but sometimes the simplest answer is best."

She extended her arm forward. "Observe my proof."

Marlene gave two quick hand signals. On cue, the Hurricane's archers and mages prepared to fire, while their short-range melee fighters rapidly encircled Duke Helmund. The latter kept their distance from him, weapons drawn but feet planted.

A look of horrified understanding dawned on Helmund's features. The rebels weren't going to charge at him. Why would Marlene sanction that when it could just lead to unnecessary casualties? It was far more prudent to box him in, then repeatedly bombard with him projectiles.

He wouldn't be allowed the chance to pull off a last-minute miracle, or even to pretend that he'd gone down fighting in a glorious last stand. Unable to escape, he would gradually succumb to ordinary, mundane attacks, felled by the arrows and spells of the commonfolk.

An ignominious end for the man who called himself Duke.

"NO!"

The ground shifted as a tremendous earthquake cracked the street. Mana-pressure swept out in a wave, like the final gasp of a dying man. Simon almost stumbled, barely maintaining his balance, ducking low as a searing beam attempted to part his head from his neck. The rest of the Hurricane weren't so fortunate, most of them knocked aside and sent wholly off-balance.

Helmund acted with the urgency of a cornered beast. He couldn't run – not with his legs already stripped to the bone. With the single arm that was left to him, he lashed out at Marlene, sending a bolt of mana at her. She managed to avoid it, but the bolt continued on, piercing a nearby rebel through his stomach.

Like a fish on a hook, the mana-bolt dragged the luckless man right into Helmund's grip. A strange, unearthly tenor entered the Duke's voice as he spoke his judgement.

"Reap."

Simon's veins ran cold as he watched the rebel...wither. Flesh shrank, skin tightened, blood vanished, and hair slid off his scalp. In a matter of moments, the man had shriveled to a cadaver that appeared as if it'd been decomposing for weeks.

Duke Helmund's missing eye opened up, revealing a freshly-regenerated orb of hatred.

"Do my crops seek to rise up against me?" The aberration's voice didn't sound remotely human anymore. "No. You are mine. Mine to subjugate. Mine to harvest. MINE AND MINE ALONE."

He released his grip, letting the rebel's desiccated body fall to the ground. "But you aren't even worth reaping, are you? One life for just one eye. Useless. You maggots have never been of value as individuals – only as a teeming mass did your existence have merit."

The Duke clenched his teeth – a ghastly sight, what with his lack of lips. "Fine. FINE! IF THIS IS WHAT YOU WRETCHES HAVE PUSHED ME TO, THEN SO BE IT!"

Joints creaking, he pointed his arm down at the ground. "I INVOKE THE CLAUSE OF REMITTANCE!"

...The what?

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.