CHAPTER 270: THE ONE WHO BEARS THE BROKEN OATH [PART 2]

The Barbarian King’s smirk widened, as if amused by Alex’s bold declaration.

"A Queen, huh?" the Barbarian King scoffed. "Then you shall watch as your so-called Queen is taken from you, boy. You’re a fool who doesn’t know his place."

Alex spun the hammer in his hand, adjusting his grip.

His heart pounded not from fear but from anger. The fire simmering beneath his calm exterior had been ignited by the Barbarian King’s cruel words.

"Don’t you think you talk too much for a glorified goat?" Alex retorted.

"Dim!" Dim Dim chimed in agreement from atop Alex’s head, puffing its cheeks like a tiny, angry warlord.

The Barbarian King then took a single step, unleashing his aura at the same time.

The full power of a Rank 7 Barbarian burst forth, sending Alex flying as though he had been hit by a truck.

As that happened, Dim Dim jumped off at the perfect time and then threw a brittle vial at the Barbarian King, who reflexively sliced the battle in half.

The content of the vial scattered upon impact, sending an equally powerful shockwave at the Barbarian King.

Unfortunately, Dim Dim’s move only forced the Barbarian King a single step backward, and the latter quickly followed up with an Aura Slash, which the Dim Sum God quickly evaded using its Air Strider Skill.

Just as Dim Dim was about to clash with the Barbarian King, a scream reached its ears, making it glance in the direction of Latifa.

The young lady had been grabbed by a Minotaur who wielded a wooden club in its right hand.

Kara and Runa were both on the ground, desperately trying to prop themselves up.

In the brief time Alex had been blown away by the Barbarian King, the Minotaur had moved, intending to capture the princess.

Kara and Runa did their best to block the attempt, but the opponent was too powerful for them to fight, which resulted in them being blown away by their clash.

"Dim Dim!" Dim Dim immediately used its Air Strider to head towards Latifa’s direction, but the Barbarian King blocked its path.

The two clashed against each other, and another powerful shockwave erupted as they both used Auras to unleash their own powerful attacks to neutralize their opponent.

Unfortunately, the one who was on the losing end in that exchange was Dim Dim, who had been sent flying.

The Minotaur hurriedly retreated, protected by several Barbarian Thralls, as well as its own race.

"Let her go!"

A shout filled with anger spread in the battlefield as Alex charged forward.

The hammer in his hands was covered in golden flames, as if it had awakened some kind of power out of desperation.

"You will not take her from me!"

Blood spilled at the corner of his lips, but Alex didn’t hesitate to go all out in order to charge in the direction where Latifa was being taken.

He was like a War God who blazed forward to the biggest foe on the battlefield, ready to annihilate anything that stood in his way.

Unfortunately, while no one blocked him, the biggest threat on the battlefield was too powerful.

The Barbarian King clashed with Alex, forcing the latter to skid a few meters away.

The young man had still not recovered his balance when his sixth sense warned him that he was in grave danger.

Out of habit, he raised his left hand holding his cracked shield to protect himself from the Barbarian King’s follow-up attack.

"Die already!" the Barbarian King roared as he unleashed his strongest attack, intending to cut through Alex’s shield and the young man with a single sword strike.

A metallic clang spread in the surroundings as Everguard met with the Barbarian King’s sword.

Sparks flew as the two collided, followed by a pained cry as Alex was once again blown away by their clash.

The shield on his left hand shattered, and his arm was bent at a weird angle.

Everguard had managed to preserve his life. But in exchange, not only did it shatter, the momentum of the blow had also broken Alex’s arm.

But it didn’t end there.

The young man also suffered internal injuries as the remnants of the aura strike collided with his body, dealing serious injuries.

Just like a kite that had lost its strings, the young man fell and rolled several meters on the ground before finally coming to a stop.

He had suffered serious injuries and lost consciousness.

The only saving grace was that he was still alive.

The Chosen and the Champion of the Dwarves roared in anger and fury as they charged forward to reclaim their princess from their enemies.

"Dim Dim!" Dim Dim hurried to Alex’s side and poured a potion on his mouth until nothing was left.

The little bun also poured a healing potion throughout the young man’s body, but more on his broken arm, which had turned reddish black from its injury.

Alex’s body twitched as the potion started taking effect, but the injuries he had sustained were beyond what potions alone could mend.

"Dim Dim!" Dim Dim frantically slapped Alex’s cheeks with its tiny hands, trying to wake him up.

But Alex didn’t respond.

All around them, the battlefield raged.

Kara and Runa were back on their feet, rallying all the Dwarves they could gather. But the sheer might of the Barbarians and Minotaurs was overwhelming.

The Barbarian King sneered as he watched Alex’s broken body lying motionless on the ground before ordering his warriors to hold the line, so the Princess could be taken away to safety.

But in the middle of that chaos, something else stirred.

A faint, green glow began to pulse from Alex’s chest.

It was dim at first, like the heartbeat of a dying ember.

But with every passing second, it grew stronger, pulsing in rhythm as if it were being fanned by something that had laid dormant inside of him for many years.

———

Synchronization Rate: 65%... 70%... 75%

———

Images flashed in his unconscious mind.

Princess Yvraine, kneeling beside a dying Kael, her tears mixing with his blood.

Kael, reaching out, grasping her hand, swearing an Oath that defied even death.

"I swear... even if this body shatters, my heart... my Oath... will never break."

The scene shifted.

Latifa’s face.

Her tears.

Her voice called his name.

A moment later, he descended into the embrace of darkness.

A place where no light reached.

No sound.

No pain.

Just an empty, endless void.

But, within that place, a voice that didn’t belong to Alex stirred.

"I failed to protect the person very dear to me. Will you also fail to protect the one you wish to cherish all your life?"

No.

Alex moved his lips, but no words came. Though soundless, that was enough to relay his message to the dwarf who had died with regrets.

"Then what are you waiting for? I died, unable to fulfill my oath. Do you also plan to break yours?"

Kael’s voice then grew louder. His heart, filled with bitterness and pain, wished for a different ending than the one that happened in the past.

"Rise, Oathkeeper!" Kael shouted. "Rise and make your Oath!"

Alex’s body shuddered as if it had been electrocuted.

The green aura that emerged from his chest moved to his arm, snapping it back in place.

The injuries he received healed at a very fast rate, and the broken fragments of Everguard flew in his direction, rearranging themselves to reform back into a cracked shield.

His hammer, which lay a few meters away from him, also floated, covered in golden flames.

It then flew with determination, and a hand rose up to catch it.

———

Synchronization Rate increased by 10%

Synchronization Rate 85%

Note: Oathbreaker and Oathkeeper both said, "We’re done fighting with our inner demons. We’re on the same side now.".

———

Alex’s eyes slowly opened, and from the depths of his pupil, a purple flame burned brightly.

A single thought was on his mind, and that was to prevent the events that happened in the past from happening a second time in his own reality.