Chapter 10, Annihilation

Modalu remained in an upright position, seemingly having moved not an inch. His heavy armor was already stained with numerous spots of blood. He appeared to be quite fond of cleanliness, as he was using a handkerchief to wipe his body, his brows slightly furrowed. In front of him, Kamrei stood swaying, a large blood hole in his chest, his fiery aura completely dimmed, leaving only a multitude of mottled cracks, the situation exceedingly grim and terrifying.

The last glimmers of magical illumination flickered and dissipated among the gaps in the treetops, extinguished silently. The vast, dark expanse impatiently reclaimed this lost ground, quietly enveloping everything. In the midst of this transformation, the new recruits stood rigidly in place, resembling a group of puppets devoid of souls. When the fierce specter of the edge cloud finally appeared before them, they all trembled in helplessness.

Boom! Kamray's arms crossed in a horizontal position, bracing for the impact. A tremendous force surged from his arms, pushing back against the attack. Blood arrows shot out from his body, and he staggered back over 3 meters, already on the verge of collapse

I must say, I greatly admire your courage to disdain everything. The reason you will die is that you stand against me, which is quite unfortunate. However, I can promise you one thing: I will never make things difficult for your son. " Modalu's face was partially hidden in the shadows, making it impossible to discern any expression. "The question is, where is he?"

The sudden ambusher was none other than Kamray. At this moment, the thorny disguise draped over him had completely fallen away, and the fiery aura that had erupted had also returned to its dim state, as he darted through the dense forest like a ghost, swiftly eliminating the surrounding pursuers. Although the mage's attack was partially obstructed by the surging flames that erupted in an instant, it still left two deep penetrating wounds on his chest and abdomen, with a large amount of blood continuously gushing out from within, flowing like a spring.

When Matisse arrived at the edge of the clouds with Kamray, he was merely a frail big child. On some homesick nights, he would even cry in secret. Just like every taciturn yet warm-hearted older brother, Kamray silently taught him everything bit by bit, including how to use a knife, how to ride a horse, and even the most efficient angle to strike down an enemy's head.

Matisse respectfully bowed until the footsteps of the major general gradually faded away, before slowly straightening his body. After hesitating for a moment, he bent down to pick up Kamray's head, instructing the two new recruits to carry the body back to Bianyun, while dispersing with the others into the forest

Although reluctant to admit it, Mendita was still acutely aware of a fact—just like all the people of Bianyun, he held a deep reverence for Kamrei. And now, lurking in the shadows around him, silently extending its sharp claws, was this captain who had lost all his subordinates. He had already transformed into a wounded, bleeding beast

The mages of Team Matis sensed an unusual fluctuation of magical energy and rushed into the sky, swiftly heading towards the site of the fierce battle. As they drew closer, they were astonished to find that the magical traces of two companions had completely vanished. The raging fury almost boiled over these proud and arrogant court mages, as countless tiny fire elements rapidly gathered from all directions, coalescing in the air into a massive, flowing fire cloud. This time, they were determined to incinerate everything beneath them into ashes.

With all his might, Kamrei, who was unleashing the military's fiery energy, resembled a statue of a demon erupting with flames as he sped through the air. Even his face and neck were gradually swelling and cracking, with golden-yellow fiery energy radiating fiercely. After several undulating movements, he suddenly leaped into the air, tracing a long and graceful parabola like a great bird, landing in front of Mendita

The light filtering through the gaps in the canopy brought a brief silence back to the jungle. Mendita looked up in astonishment, feeling a wave of despair rise within him. Just as he hesitated over whether to risk being discovered and dash out of the range of the fiery cloud's attack, a pair of crimson eyes suddenly glimmered coldly less than three yards in front of him.

Save me! Save me! A spark of fiery light in Mendita's eyes is rapidly expanding, causing him to curl up into a ball, desperately screaming into the air.

Now, the child who used to cry has grown up. He is strong and powerful, wielding his sword with the swiftness of the wind, understanding how to live better and longer. The head of his elder brother hangs at his waist, swaying with his movements, constantly striking against the scabbard. From the corner of the split eye, a trickle of deep red slowly flows down, resembling a tear stain.

"Captain, there are not many who can withstand my strike, yet you have surprised me, and, to a small extent, brought me some pleasure." Modalu's towering figure slowly emerged from the thicket, resembling an unmovable wall.

In the realm of Bianyun, there is no distinction between superiors and subordinates; the relationships among the soldiers resemble that of brothers born of the same mother. Within this large family, Kamrei is regarded as the elder brother, and everyone calls him "Big Brother"

The battle was brief yet intense. The dark forest was momentarily illuminated by a golden radiance, as sturdy trees crashed down with a thunderous sound, causing the very ground to tremble slightly. The mages floated expressionlessly in the air, and when the fiery light below faded, returning the forest to silence, one of them raised a hand and cast a large illumination spell

The "Rain Arrow" referred to by the previous Major General is a powerful archery technique unique to the Elven race. However, what the members of the Border Cloud possess is a killing skill developed long ago by an old soldier from Border Cloud. Under the strict orders of Kamray, both the new recruits and the death row inmates who escaped from the swamp have mastered this extremely profound collective archery technique. Living on the edge of the swamp is a highly toxic toad, whose venom from the poison sacs on its back was later used by Kamray to counter the beasts of the Gobi Desert. In the eyes of Mendita, this Border Cloud officer utilized all available resources around him, relentlessly battling against the heavens. He is extremely loyal to his country but holds all deities in contempt; he can slaughter an entire merchant convoy without flinching, yet cannot bear to see any of his soldiers die. With the strongest power of Border Cloud, Kamray has saved every subordinate from the hands of the merchant convoy's guards and the jaws of the beasts, at the cost of his body being covered in overlapping scars, the deepest of which is on the left side of his chest. To this day, there remains a bowl-sized dent there, with only a thin layer of skin covering the chest cavity.

The protective barrier of the court mages glimmered with a faint blue light in the darkness. Kamrei seemed oblivious to the subtle glow flickering between the gaps in the treetops, as he continuously surged forward, directly lunging at the twisted and broken arms of Mendita

"Kill him," Modalu said somewhat regretfully

The broad double-edged sword, upon making contact with the edge of the military's fiery aura, immediately shattered inch by inch, turning into fragments that scattered across the ground. Kamrei's fist advanced unhesitatingly towards his opponent's chest, fiercely striking against the crossed arms that were guarding in front. The fiery aura dimmed slightly, then suddenly blazed brightly! With two crisp sounds of "ka ka," Mendita was sent flying backward like a kite with a severed string, crashing heavily into a nearby black rhinoceros tree trunk, and with a wail, fell to the ground.

The fire clouds in the high sky gradually dissipated and transformed into the most primitive forms of fire elements, disappearing without a trace in the wind. Several wizards who had ceased their incantations slowly descended with the later arrival, hovering above the forest, their robes billowing, coldly observing the two border dwellers engaged in a life-and-death struggle. Like deities looking down from a height, they gazed upon the most humble conflicts of the mortal world, their silence subtly tinged with a hint of disdain.

In shock, Mendita abruptly twisted his body and hurriedly darted to the side. Kamrei let out a low, sinister laugh, raised his arm, and clenched his fist, as flames erupted from his arm like a tidal wave. "Are you afraid? Do you feel regret now? Hmm?!"

Two individuals, one pursuing and the other fleeing, had already covered several dozen zhang in a brief moment. Meanwhile, a slender figure swiftly approached from mid-air, heading directly towards several mages.

The second blue-robed mage was unable to escape the summons of the Lord of the Underworld. Kamrei, after deliberately enduring two of his attacks, lunged forward and forcefully tore through the protective barrier, snapping his neck. Until he took his last breath, the mage's eyes remained wide open in confusion. He could not comprehend whether it was the "God of War's Death Pact" that had stirred such formidable power in these border cloud people, or something else hidden deep within the soul, unknown to others. In Kamrei's eyes, burning with a fierce crimson light, the mage seemed to sense that he was seeing something, but the encroaching darkness mercilessly consumed him.

Matis rose swiftly, his sword's edge coldly sweeping through the air, instantly severing Kamray's head. In the air, the arriving mage Kana furrowed her brow slightly, quietly retracting her delicate hand from the sleeve of her robe. Although Kamray had personally killed two of her companions, strangely, as she witnessed his death, she felt no sense of satisfaction. Under the flowing night wind, she simply felt a deeper sense of desolation.

Sandstorms often rage for extended periods in the Great Gobi, sometimes lasting a week or even longer. During the days when raiding merchant caravans is not possible, the distribution of rations among the border troops is governed by an extremely strict system. The still-growing Mathis often finds himself hungry, while Kamray frequently shares half of his own portion, citing the monotonous reason of "not hungry." At times, Mathis feels that having such an elder brother by his side makes even a lifetime trapped in this ghostly realm seem insignificant.

A mass of golden radiance, almost tangible, suddenly burst forth from behind him, from the dark and *illustrated* book, shooting directly towards Kamrei's chest and abdomen. Before it made contact, the fierce wind generated by the light had already forced the fiery aura surrounding him to dim, stirring restlessly.

Flames continuously erupted from Kamrei's body, flesh and blood splattering everywhere, with several areas of his upper body faintly revealing the stark white of bone. He slowly surveyed the crowd around him, his expression one of melancholy: "But unfortunately, I can only choose one target. Mendita, you are quite lucky!"

Mendita held his breath and concealed himself behind a thick black rhino tree, the veins on the back of his hand bulging as his entire body was drenched in cold sweat. When he saw Kamray reach out to grip the throat of the second mage, he immediately shifted to the side and hid among the dark, foreboding thickets. The young royal dark faction was acutely aware that once their strongest support was lost, Kamray's next target would be himself. This situation was precisely what he feared the most. As a scheming infiltrator, Kamray, the highest official of the border cloud in recent years, had naturally become his primary focus. Mendita's conclusions were complex—ruthless, meticulous, loyal, rebellious, and deeply emotional.

The surrounding sound of "rustling" grew louder as Matisse led another search team to encircle the forest from all directions. When he looked at Kamray, there was not a trace of emotional fluctuation in his eyes, as if he were gazing at a corpse

The major general laughed heartily, seemingly wanting to say something more, but the humanoid light mass formed by the erupting flames rushed towards him, instantly enveloping him within it

Modalu glanced at Mendita and let out a low grunt: "If you’re not dead yet, then get out of the way! Useless thing!" The latter struggled to lift his body, swaying as he stood up at a distance. It felt as if millions of greedy black ants were incessantly gnawing at the severed arm, and the excruciating pain nearly suffocated him at any moment. However, the immense psychological pressure had vanished without a trace the moment the major appeared. He even began to feel a vague regret that the panicked cry for help he had just uttered should never have escaped his lips. But the immense psychological pressure had vanished without a trace the moment the major appeared. He even began to feel a vague regret that the panicked cry for help he had just uttered should never have escaped his lips

Kamrei was breathing heavily, the flow of blood from several deep wounds gradually slowing, and his heartbeat becoming increasingly faint, as if it might stop at any moment. He looked at the major general with a hint of confusion and hoarsely said: "I love my son far more than my own life, so how could I possibly hand him over to someone who has destroyed Bianyun? If you wish to eradicate the roots of this issue, you are welcome to seek it out yourself, but I advise mhetushu.com that it would be a futile effort..."

"Leave his body here. So many new recruits have died; the military must provide a proper explanation for this." Modalu turned and walked away, casually adding, "Go, find that child for me."

The air was filled with a sudden crackling sound, as Kamray roared fiercely, his hair bristling as he unleashed a powerful punch! Mendita's escape route was completely blocked by this giant, resembling a deity, leaving him no choice but to grit his teeth and swing his sword, cutting through the oncoming golden torrent with a fierce, howling wind!

Menditatan's soul suddenly surged forth, his knees slightly bent as he leaped to the side with great speed. A massive explosion of fire erupted immediately, and Kamrei no longer forcefully suppressed the restless flames within him, but instead allowed them to fully evaporate and be expelled. He knew that the time left was extremely limited, and he only hoped to eliminate this dark faction, whose hands were stained with the blood of his brothers, before his death

Kamei wiped the blood that had spilled from the corner of his mouth and raised his eyebrows coldly: "My lord, being able to see you once more before my death is truly the most perfect ending for me."

Modalu waved his arm nonchalantly, and the pure golden military flames hissed and expanded, forming two extremely long blades of light. "So many people are here to see you off, Captain. You should feel honored"

Almost every attack on the trade routes and procedures was orchestrated by Kamray. His familiarity with the terrain and detailed reconnaissance made the plundering operations consistently successful. When robbing large caravans, Kamray would even deploy a tactical formation resembling an open bag, allowing a small force to confront a larger one. His objective was straightforward: to seize all goods and leave no survivors. Any command from Kamray would be executed immediately by the border soldiers, without a hint of doubt. Everyone knew that without such a leader, there might no longer be a border force. Sometimes, Mendita couldn't help but think that if Kamray chose to defect with the border people, they would become the most formidable band of horse thieves the continent had ever seen

Mendita wondered when he would be able to self-destruct. He couldn't help but feel a bit regretful for having pursued too hastily. The muffled sounds from the surrounding thickets continued to echo, and Mendita knew that was the sound of bodies hitting the ground. There were no cries of agony, no moans, just the simple act of collapsing and dying. The Border Cloud people were particularly skilled in their concise and ruthless methods of killing, and Kamrei was undoubtedly a master among them. Even in the absence of the horse-slaying technique, the Border Cloud people excelled in their concise and ruthless methods of killing, and Kamrei was undoubtedly a master among them. Even in the absence of the horse-slaying technique.