Chapter 270: My Brother... Take Care

A wave of thundering magic consumed the outermost ranks of men protecting the women and children rising into the sky. Their shields shattered beneath the impact, and the bodies behind them twisted and broke as the attacks tore through their formation.

Blood poured toward the ground, mixing with the crimson rain already soaking Blackspire’s crystal walls, while the survivors desperately spread their magic across the gaps left by the fallen.

“Hold on! Use everything you have to stay alive until they escape!” William roared from the middle of the protective formation they had created with their bodies and magic. Blood ran over his lips as the pressure threatened to crush him, but he kept his arms raised, forcing more power through them even as his shoulders began to tremble.

“William!” Rosalia shouted from above, her breath catching as she recognized him among the defenders. He was still young enough to join those fleeing, to have a future beyond the slaughter surrounding Blackspire, yet he had chosen to remain with the men who would never leave.

He did not respond. His bloodshot eyes remained fixed upon the distant horizon, though another impact forced his body backward and sent a fresh stream of blood down his chin. The warrior beside him suddenly fell, and William gritted his teeth as he stretched his magic farther to cover the empty space.

“Come here! That is an order!” Rosalia roared again, reaching toward him, but her voice disappeared beneath the cries of the women and children ascending around her. Below them, the defenders answered the next wave with their own desperate roars, pouring their remaining strength into shields that were already beginning to fail.

At the gates, the men who had charged onto the plains threw themselves against the Imperial Court soldiers, driving their claws toward exposed throats before the enemy could bring their weapons around.

Blood spilled between the armored ranks, and fierce cries of triumph rose from the Voidstarians as they dragged several soldiers into the mud. The sight drove them forward with renewed fury, their hatred burning like a volcano at the moment of eruption, even as enemy blades struck them from both sides.

“Kill them! Kill them all!” Valeria screamed, her face twisted with rage as she watched the escaping formation climb higher.

Golden light engulfed her two short spears as she swept them through the air in a crossing motion, releasing waves of magic toward the dragons overhead. Each strike cut through several defenders at once, tearing apart their shields and sending their bodies tumbling toward the army below.

Before the survivors could close one opening, her spears flashed again, forcing them to watch another section of their formation collapse while the women and children were still struggling to get clear.

Valeria’s eyes desperately searched for someone important, someone whose death would hurt Maximus the most. A wicked smile spread across her face as she spotted an incredibly beautiful silver-haired dragon among the fleeing women. Even the others within the formation circled around her, protecting her as though losing her would mean the end of Voidstar itself.

Golden magic fused Valeria’s two short spears into one as she drew her arm back, her muscles tightening beneath her armor. Her gaze remained fixed upon Rosalia while she gathered her power, preparing to launch her strongest attack.

——

“Damn it! Damn it all! Why won’t this ice break? Even my void cannot cut through it!”

Meanwhile, Max was still desperately trying to escape the golden ice prison Henry had trapped him within. His remaining strength barely kept him on his feet, yet he refused to stop, striking at the frozen walls even as his arms trembled beneath the strain.

A sudden system message appeared before his eyes.

[Danger: Your mate Rosalia is in immediate danger.]

[Chance of death: 99%]

Max froze, his hearts skipping a beat as fury and fear consumed him.

“Rosalia…”

Magic exploded from his body as his hearts began beating in unison, as though the thought of losing her had finally forced them to act together. All of his powers rushed outward in a violent circle, striking every surface of the prison at once. Cracks spread through the golden ice beneath his strength, but the walls refused to break.

Valeria launched her spear, and the magic surrounding it took the shape of a golden falcon as it soared toward her target. It broke through the sound barrier with a deafening crack, leaving a powerful shockwave behind as it tore through the defenders’ magic.

For those who saw it coming, time seemed to stop.

Rosalia noticed the danger and tried to move, but by the time her eyes found the falcon, it had already reached the men protecting her. Purple ice flames erupted around her as she desperately prepared to block it, only for a figure to rush in front of her and shove her aside.

William felt the spear tear through his chest and crush his heart the moment he stepped into its path. Blood spilled from his mouth, and his eyes began to lose their light as the weapon passed through him without slowing.

It continued into the sky, killing hundreds of women and children caught in its path before tearing through the defenders on the other side of the formation. Bodies fell through the opening it left behind, while the golden falcon disappeared into the distance.

“William, no!” Rosalia screamed, tears spilling down her cheeks as she reached toward his falling body.

She tried to rush after him, but Marcus and Sigmund had already broken away from their positions, racing toward Rosalia and Agnia after seeing the attack tear through their protection.

“Take her away, now!” Sigmund roared at Agnia.

She looked from him to William, the desire to turn back and fight burning within her, but she could not refuse him this time. Agnia caught Rosalia and pulled her away by force, struggling against her as Rosalia continued reaching toward the man falling beneath them.

Marcus and Sigmund exchanged a nod before diving toward Valeria, their magic gathering around them as William’s body slowly tumbled from the sky through the bloody rain.

“Max… you must protect her. All of them,” he whispered weakly, blood gathering on his lips. “If you fail me again, I swear I will haunt you even in death.” A smile rose on his lips. “My brother… take care…”

His body slammed against the hard crystal below as waves of enemy magic continued tearing through the remaining defenders. Those who could still raise a hand waved farewell to the people they had protected, watching them climb higher and flee toward the distant horizon while tears fell from above onto the bodies they were leaving behind.

——

[Mate Rosalia – Safe]