The Monster King's Legacy

Serena followed Grimnar's assault with a leap, her seemingly divine blade shimmering with golden energy. She swung down with immense force, causing the ground beneath Lance to crack violently as the shockwave from her strike rippled outward, dislodging loose rocks from the mountainside.

Lance tilted his head slightly, watching the blade pass inches from his shoulder before he stepped aside, still calm. The force of her missed attack shattered the ground, sending chunks of rock flying in all directions.

"Stand still!" Serena growled, her frustration mounting as Lance continued to avoid her blows with ease.

Above them, Eryndor raised his staff, his voice ringing with incantations, the skies darkening, swirling with black clouds as lightning crackled overhead. The scene resembled the one from moments ago, but this time it was going to be the real deal, not just flaunting.

With a flourish, he pointed his staff toward Lance, and a colossal bolt of lightning struck down, illuminating the mountain in a blinding flash, followed by two more, the sound of the lightening's collapse booming all over.

The air burned with the acrid smell, and the force of the strike sent a shockwave that flattened trees in the distance, but when the smoke cleared, Lance stood unharmed, having moved with a speed that left the bolt to scorch only empty ground.

Eryndor's eyes widened for a short moment, and then narrowed. "Is dodging all you can do?" He taunted, though, he was in shock of the outcome of his attack, as Lance had actually managed to avoid it completely.

'There's no way he can move faster than lightening… did he read the trajectory? Perhaps, he moved just before the lightening bold descended…' He thought to himself. No matter which option he chose to go with, they all pointed to the fact that their opponent was not at all an ordinary one. 'Seems like we might have something more exciting than I originally thought.'

From the shadows, the mysterious fourth delegate launched forward with staggering speed, closing the distance between them in an instant. His strikes were almost a blur, each punch and kick hitting with the force of a battering ram, causing the very air to ripple. Lance weaved between the attacks, his movements precise and efficient, and mostly minimal. The ground quaked under the force of the physical strikes and movements, splitting in places and sending small avalanches cascading down the mountainside due to the generated shockwave.

Lance was surprised that this one in particular would get this physically close, as he had thought he would be more long range focused.

The once-stable mountainside was rapidly transforming into a chaotic battlefield. Every blow from the god-blessed delegates left its mark, rivers of molten lava from Grimnar's hammer snaked down the slopes as the fight took them all over, carving deep scars into the rock. The residual shockwaves from Serena's swings toppled massive boulders, sending them crashing into the valleys below as her slashes carved them out.

Eryndor's magical assaults tore through the air, each spell unleashing catastrophic destruction. Because of the destructive power, he was perhaps the most effective out of them all.

The fourth delegate's attacks continued to amaze Lance, as they were raw, an unrelenting physical performance, as he hadn't at the moment, used any ranged attack. His punches were powerful enough to crack the earth and shattered boulders into way smaller chunks, and even blow little craters into the mountain side. With each strike, he appeared to push Lance back, not through impact, but through sheer ferocity.

Despite the intensity of these attacks as mostly felt by the environment, Lance remained unscathed as he effortlessly moved through the chaos, his steps light yet deliberate.

"Stop running!" Grimnar bellowed, slamming his hammer into the ground again. A shockwave rippled outward, massive spike growing from the face of the mountain, headed towards Lance who simply avoided them by jumping backwards out of range, vaulting smoothly over cascading debris with ease, landing lightly on the unbroken ground as though he were weightless.

Eryndor's voice echoed as he unleashed a barrage of fireballs that shot with the speed that could be considered as a missile, each one scorching the ground as they detonated in rapid succession. Once again, Lance darted between them, his movements precise, avoiding the attacks with an almost mocking ease.

As soon as he came to a stop, before he even balanced properly, the mysterious fourth delegate suddenly appeared behind him, his movements nearly imperceptible as everyone watched. He aimed a devastating kick at Lance's back, the air whistling like hot air through a narrow hole. Before his kick made contact, Lance ducked and spun, narrowly avoiding the strike. The force of the missed kick sent a shockwave rippling outward, flattening a small ridge behind them as Serena who was in front of Lance moved out of the way…

The mountain range now bore the deep scars of their battle.

Despite the sheer devastation around him, Lance's demeanor remained composed. His golden eyes following every movement, analyzing the rhythm of his opponents' attacks.

"Are you even going to fight back?" Serena demanded, as the dust settled a bit, her voice strained with effort. She wiped sweat from her brow, glaring at Lance with a mix of anger and disbelief.

Lance smiled faintly. "Why should I? None of you have even come close to landing a hit. Fighting back would be bullying you four."

His calm remark sent a ripple of irritation through the group. Drawing out varied reactions.

"He's toying with us," Eryndor muttered under his breath.

"We'll see how smug you are when you're buried under this mountain," Grimnar growled, raising his hammer high.

…

By now, the battlefield was unrecognizable. The once-majestic mountain range had been reduced to rubble by half, its towering peak obliterated by the sheer scale of the god-blessed's power. Molten rivers from Grimnar's hammer scorched the landscape, creating a fiery labyrinth of destruction. Serena's energy blasts carved deep trenches into the earth, while Eryndor's storms left patches of ice and steam-covered craters in their wake.

The fourth delegate's physical onslaught had shattered the ground, leaving jagged fissures and broken stone scattered across the battlefield, creating shallow craters under relentless strikes.

Perhaps, the only evidence to show that where they stood was once a mountain, were the other four nearby.

Despite the overwhelming destruction, Lance remained untouched as now, a giant literal orb of destruction hurled its way towards him, mirroring his calmness. It was an attack from the mysterious fellow after seeing no other way forward, and it was his first ranged attack.

"You're persistent, I'll give you that," Lance said, his voice calm. "But I think it's time we end this circus."

Without even moving a single step, he raised a single hand, making a quick and sharp horizontal cutting gesture through the air, his movement so fast that no one caught it. The movement was simple, almost subtle, but the effect was anything but…

A ripple of energy erupted followed from Lance's gesture, its properties so precise and sharp that it seemed to split the very fabric of reality if only for a fraction of a split second.

The orb of destruction froze mid-flight, then split cleanly in half. Its chaotic energy dissipated harmlessly into the air, leaving the god-blessed and most especially, the mysterious figure, stunned, as an immense weight pressed against them towards the ground, a product of the destroyed orb's energy, threatening even, to break apart their very body. While they looked to be struggling, with Eryndor already forced to his knees, being the weakest when it came to physique, Lance seemed unaffected.

With their delayed reactions, the ripple from Lance continued outward, expanding across the battlefield. The four remaining mountains surrounding them stood tall for a moment longer before each was severed cleanly in half, at an angle. Unlike their own destructive attacks that had shattered peaks and caused chaos, Lance's cut was almost surgical, precise, and close to impossibly clean… that was, if it didn't take out a considerable chunk with it, causing the top halves of the mountains to fall back on the lower halves.

The top halves of the mountains slid slowly off their bases, crashing to the ground with a thunderous roar that echoed for miles. Dust and debris filled the air, obscuring the entire landscape. As he cut had been at an angle, this result was impossible to avoid.

The god-blessed remained still, realization dawning on them slowly, wide-eyed.

When the dust cleared, they rose slowly, their eyes wide with shock as they took in the devastation.

Eryndor clutched his staff tightly, his hands trembling faintly. "This… this isn't possible," he stammered. "Who is this human? I can't believe there's a second one."

Grimnar's usual bravado was already gone as he stared at the severed mountains. "By the gods," he muttered. "He didn't just destroy them. He cut them clean through."

Serena's sword stayed limply at her side, her expression a mix of fear and disbelief. "What… what are you?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.

Lance lowered his hand, his golden eyes locking onto the representatives. His expression was calm, but there was an unmistakable edge to his voice as he spoke.

"You wanted to see my strength," he said, his tone carrying quite authoritative. "Now you have. Consider this your warning."

"Next time you bring your arrogance here," he continued, "remember this moment. If you test me again, your heads will replace those." He said, looking at the mountains, noticing that the last one still hung on, the cut only going halfway through.

The representatives exchanged uneasy glances, their earlier confidence shattered. They had come to subdue The Ruler of the Monster Kingdom, certain of their superiority, but now they were faced with a power that far exceeded their expectations.

For a moment, no one spoke. The battlefield was eerily silent, save for the faint rumble of the collapsing mountains in the distance.

Finally, the hooded delegate stepped forward, his voice calm but edged with tension. "You've made your point, King Lance. We'll relay your message to our leaders."

Lance nodded, his posture relaxed but still exuding an undeniable pressure on them. "See that you do." He said.

Without another word, the delegates activated a teleportation spell, vanishing from the battlefield in a flash of light.

As the dust settled, Lance stood alone amidst the ruined landscape, scanning the horizon. He exhaled slowly, his expression thoughtful.

"I definitely messed it up… there was almost no control in this strike…" he muttered to himself before turning to head back to his kingdom… "Those bastards… they should have at least brought me back before running away… which way leads back now?"