Chapter 156: Burn your heart
Luke hurled the fireball at them without thinking twice, and before the guards could even react, the heat melted them. Only the leader of the guards there was left standing because he had used mana to shield himself at the right moment.
He looked around and saw the melted bodies of his partners—rage, sadness, fear—it all filled his heart. He gritted his teeth, looked Luke right in the eye.
"If I go down, I go down in a blaze of honor. As a Royal Guard of Vermillion, my flames will burn like the flames of the Phoenix," the man roared. It was a chant, a chant said by knights who were about to sacrifice themselves for the kingdom.
And when those words left their mouth, it meant there was no turning back for them. This Royal Guard understood that, and he understood the gravity of the situation he was in. He was alone, the last man standing between Luke and the civilians.
His solemn duty was to ensure the safety of Vermillion. The majority ran forward, his sword erupted in a bright red flame—a flame so hot it began to burn him.
He leaped into the air and slashed at Luke. Luke attacked the man with tendrils; three shot through the air and headed for the man. He gritted his teeth and blocked the first and second, but the third wrapped around his leg and began twirling him around.
Blood rushed to his head, but he refused to stop. Not here, not now. He slashed the tendril; he was lunged through the air and slammed into a building, breaking through the wall.
"You believe you can stop me? I’ll make you suffer for that," Luke said. Tendrils chased after the man into the building. He got on his feet and saw four tendrils coming for him.
He disregarded his bleeding mouth, his aching body, his fuzzy head, and he slashed—he slashed and he slashed. He blocked all the tendrils, his sword erupted in flames, and then he gave one more slash.