Spiral of Madness: Ascension of the Villainous Dragon Prince-Chapter 78: The Aftermath [3]

"Precisely. We will destroy all opposition and execute all traitors," Louis said without remorse or hesitation. "Verdant Bellflower will pay for his sins. I shall personally cut his head off in front of his people, making an example to never dare insult, scheme, or betray the Kingdom. He was free to create his own country by leaving, but he dared to plan stealing everything from my family. Unforgivable!"

Noticing how furious Louis was, Mirai tried to calm him. "Louis, calm down. We understand. I will help you do that. I am eternally grateful to your family... If I can be of any help, I would burn an entire city in your family’s name."

"...Thank you," Louis smiled bitterly. "I apologize for my sudden outburst. I was rather shocked by what that man had been planning, especially since the Gardener—that aberrant thing that tried to take over my body—is likely scheming its own plans and will betray him eventually. The fool is an imbecile to think a Grievance is trustworthy just because he worships it as some kind of god... However, I don’t have time to wait for the Gardener to make his move. We will trample both Verdant and the Gardener at the same time and end this ridiculous scenario as quickly as possible."

"Then this is it, huh?" Catrise asked. "We will go to war... or well, a small war. Depending on how many men Verdant has accumulated... We’ll have to be strategic about this."

"Don’t worry. The agents my father sent all specialize in strategies, special gadgets, and combat," Louis said. "They will know the best methods to stop Verdant and his army from fulfilling their delusional dreams. I will honor my mother and slay this garbage of an elf before she wakes up, so she doesn’t have to clean up his mess. That fool, to waste his second chance because of greed—how repulsive. My mother was too kind."

"She indeed was, unfortunately," Clarise sighed. "Nonetheless, it is that kindness that has brought us together. Even if Lady Benladra is in deep slumber, her actions, her legacy, and her bloodline unite us here. We will make sure to protect the country she built with kindness, love, and honesty. Right, Your Majesty?"

"...Yes," Louis nodded. "For the time being, while the Agents arrive, let us quickly cleanse the Corrupted Field. Who’s ready to fight right now?"

Louis decided to clear that area quickly before the main confrontation. He brought the same team as before, as everyone had fully recovered: Mirai, Zorba, Anastasia, and Catrise. They equipped special uniforms, bracelets, and rings imbued with magic veils to protect them from miasma more effectively while strengthening their physical and magical power—custom-made to help them conquer the Corrupted Field.

"Selene wants to go too..." Melisa begged Louis as he approached the barrier. "And me...! We can fight and be useful!"

"Not yet," Louis shook his head, patting her head. "Stay behind. Juliette, Lady Red Leaf, Agustina—please watch over them."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Juliette said.

"Of course," Lady Red Leaf replied. "And regarding your weapon, I’ve managed to imbue it with Spirit Silver Alloy. I’ll continue the process now. It might be ready by tomorrow."

"Oh? You work fast. Thank you," Louis said. "Agustina, keep training. Perhaps you cannot do much in this mission, and maybe even less in the war to come, but I’m sure that if you keep working hard, you will make a difference in the near future."

"...I will. Thank you," Agustina said. "It’s never too late, as they say!"

Louis walked forward with his team. The spirit barrier opened with Lady Red Leaf’s key and closed once more. The group was immediately greeted by a vast field of clean swamps and nutrient-rich soil. The entire area the Pillar had purified was beautiful, and even the spot where Louis’s attack had struck was growing healthy vegetation.

"Wow, plants have grown so fast here," Mirai said.

"Yes, it has to do with the purified Miasma, which turned into rich Mana and Spirit Energy that the plants absorb to grow much faster," Louis explained. "Let’s move. We don’t have time to waste."

The group quickly advanced, riding on Hecatoncheires’ back. The giant titan zombie sprouted numerous bone wings and flew through the skies at rapid speed. Zorba had modified his favorite zombie into an all-terrain creature capable of flight, swimming, climbing, and more. It was his ultimate masterpiece.

While overlooking the countryside from above, Louis soon spotted the remaining Corrupted Field—a roughly 600x700 meter area completely submerged in a miasmic swamp.

"Now that we’re in the skies, I wonder if we can cleanse everything from high above and avoid risks below? I know real combat is good practice, but..." 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

"You’re right. I was planning the same thing. Let’s finish this quickly. Zorba, hover slightly lower, but not too low."

"Yes."

Zorba controlled Hecatoncheires as the zombie hovered dozens of meters above the swamp. Then everyone charged their weapons with Auras, unleashing long-ranged attacks that bombarded the area with explosions of flames and light.

Many Entities began emerging from the surface, only to be targeted by Louis. He descended and quickly split them apart, freezing and shattering them into countless pieces one by one. Mirai followed closely, flying with her demonic wings and burning them. Her Incarnation assisted as well.

Catrise and Anastasia, lacking efficient flight like the prince and Mirai, remained atop Hecatoncheires, providing support with long-ranged magic and weapon attacks. Zorba sent his zombies—now covered in hard skeleton armor and wielding bone weapons—to lure out hidden Entities.

While slaying Entities and purifying the swamp, the Corrupted Field rapidly lost territory. Louis planted Purification Pillars as he advanced, pushing the Miasma and Entities into a corner.

"We’re almost done. Keep pushing!"

As the sun set, Louis and Mirai continued slaying surging Entities, moving further into the corner of the Spirit Dome. The Entities shrieked in agony, unable to propagate as freely anymore.

However.

RUMBLE!

A gigantic hand made of dark red vines suddenly emerged from the swamp’s depths, attempting to grab Hecatoncheires. The zombie evaded in time, flying higher.

The hand followed, and to everyone’s shock, a humanoid giant over twelve meters tall rose from the depths, composed entirely of vines and black miasmic mud, covered in gleaming red eyes and golden spikes.

Louis knew, this was no mere Entity.

"A Grievance’s Vessel! Be careful. This must be the Corrupted Field’s Core! Once we slay it, we’ll finally be done!" Louis rallied his allies.

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