HUGO LIECH'S POV:

"Flame crash!" I roared, letting out another burst of flames that shot toward one of the wyverns annihilating the Dwarven ranks. The flames consumed the monster, shrieks of pain echoing across the valley.

I smiled, realizing just how powerful my spells really were in comparison to these 'legendary beasts.'

My eyes suddenly noticed Ares backing away from a figure. I concentrated on the individual, realizing it was Asthia Darck. The girl had multiple arrows implanted behind her, and I could see tears streaking down her face and onto the course ground as an entire platoon of human soldiers stormed her position.

I let out a sigh of accomplishment, a small grin beginning to appear on my face.

That was easier than I thought.

I had heard so many stories about the power that the Dragon Princess and her Supreme Commander possessed, but everything had come from terrified Dwarves who were powerless against them. It was clear to me how exaggerated those stories had been.

"Mr. Liech!" cried out a soldier. My eyes shot to the oncoming source of energy. My hand raised subconsciously in the direction of the attacker, the black armor of a Dragon soldier reflecting in my eyes.

I unleashed a blast of flames, disintegrating the soldier immediately. I looked down at the dead body, the excitement I felt from my successful plan vanishing.

"Disgusting," I muttered, continuing forward and into the frontlines. All I hoped was that Jay would make it in time to see his beloved Princess die before him. It seemed like that first girl wasn't enough... maybe he needed a little reminder of death?

I raised my arm, opening my palm as flames began to swirl around it. My eyes locked on Asthia's kneeled body, her sword trembling from the pain she was experiencing. I was still a few hundred mels out, but it never hurt to get some target practice in before my confrontation with Jay.

A Dwarven soldier suddenly froze next to me, his face turning blue with fear as he simply stared into the distance. I stood perplexed, realizing the same thing was happening to soldiers all around me.

What the fuck?

"!!!!"I lost all concentration, feeling the bind in my palm die out in an instant. It felt as if I had been covered in a blanket made of glacial spikes, all of them incapacitating my ability to move or think straight.

This feeling... this desire to kill...

I began laughing, the timing of the event so miraculous I couldn't have asked for anything better. I turned to face the direction of the source, seeing a small silhouette standing alone on a hill in the distance.

"Welcome, Jay Cadmium!!" I yelled.

My words were drowned in the rumble of footsteps coming from the West. Jay remained silent on the hill, his velvet cape that matched Asthia's fluttering wildly behind him. His right arm glowed multiple colors as all the basic elements swirled around it, his other arm sparking with bits of yellow lightning.

He simply eyed the battlefield, his stance unchanging. Multiple figures emerged behind him; their outlines were clearly non-humanoid. My expression morphed into one of horror as more and more silhouettes appeared, each one of them seemingly monstrous.

Was that... an army of monsters!?

Jay Cadmium was minuscule when compared to the towering black minotaur beside him, and yet all I could see amongst the mysterious army was him. His presence dominated the entire area, bringing the conflict to a halt momentarily as everyone shifted their gaze.

I looked down at my own hands, noticing that I was shaking. Was this excitement... or was this fear?

Jay swung his right arm outward, his palm open as a massive torrent of ice erupted from his location. The ice crept toward the Dwarves, instantly killing them as they were frozen solid. Icicles shot forth from the ground, impaling the giant lizards that had been massacring the Dragons.

In one blow, Jay had eliminated ten percent of the entire Dwarven army...

I was unable to contain my joy, my eyes bulging with passion as I laughed at the thousands of frozen corpses that lay in front of me.

"Spectacular... who would've thought you had grown this much, Jay?!" I roared.magic

The boy was unable to hear my monologue. Flames surrounded his hand as they began to grow and take the form of a sword. The fire suddenly vanished with a small burst, leaving only a crimson blade in its place.

Jay pointed the sword at the horrified Dwarves, not a shred of pity or emotion visible on his face. Three words echoed forth from the boy's mouth, his voice ringing across the area like a fog of death."Kill them all."

A wave of monsters rushed forth as a chunk of the Dwarven army split apart to stop the oncoming enemy. They had managed to attack us from a side that we had believed to be impossible, and because of this, we were completely vulnerable.

Cries of war filled the area once more as the bloodshed continued. Jay remained stationary, observing the overall battle and attempting to understand the situation before jumping in.

I ignited both of my hands, the exuberant look on my face still lingering.

"Adventurers, with me!" I ordered.

The other adventurers followed my lead, understanding that my position as an AA-rank gave me the authority to command others.

"We have only one goal: kill Jay Cadmium. Do you understand?"

"Yes..." they responded, but I was unable to tell if it was an answer or a question.

"Anyone who backs out now," I growled, turning to face the other members, "I'll kill them."

The adventurers nodded, valuing their lives. I noticed a single individual who remained terrorized by Jay's silhouette, refusing to obey me.

"C-Compared to that monster, you're nothing," he said, beginning to back away and return to the backlines of the army.

"Torturous Flame," I announced calmly, trails of fire exiting my hand as they surrounded the man. The flames took on the form of snakes, coiling up around him.

"W-What are you doing?! Stop! Stop!"

His shrieks bathed the area before coming to an abrupt stop, his body going limp as he tumbled onto the ground. I briefly glanced at Ares, relieved that the S-rank was still too fixated on the Supreme Commander of the Dragonkin to have noticed my action.

I eyed the rest of the adventurers, looks of dread covering their faces. They were trapped between dying to an AA-ranked adventurer or fighting an individual that was considered an S-rank together.

"Does anyone else want to back away?" I asked politely. Nobody responded, all of them accepting their fates. Even if there were AA-ranks amongst the group I was commandeering, it was clear that the pressure they felt from Jay's presence was enough to keep them in check.

I looked at Asthia, checking whether or not the girl was still breathing. I scowled at the realization that all of the human archers were unable to move, all of them frozen solid. Had Jay immediately noticed Asthia was on the verge of dying? Or had he attacked his own men?

The sixth S-rank of Auroria had finally arrived... and his death was something I looked forward to immensely.