The Duke's Passion



857 The end of the legend

"If you're saving someone, do it properly!"

SPLASH!

Stefan heard Kristina's annoyed voice before he landed in the water along with the severed tentacle. Her Mace was strong enough to sever the tentacle. Fortunately, Stefan dodged the tentacle before it could land on him underwater.

Stefan immediately resurfaced, floating in the water. As soon as he did, the Kraken unleashed another piercing shriek. Stefan and everyone who heard of it winced in pain.

"Ugh... damn it!" Kristina covered her ears, gazing at the monster just right beside Stefan. She could almost see the sound waves as the ground she was standing on shook. If this hurt her from this distance, she could imagine the damage Stefan had been enduring since the beginning.

The small casualty in their troop was all thanks to Stefan for keeping the Kraken distracted. Everyone was almost certain this ocean would be their grave if Stefan wasn't with them. She had to give Stefan the credit.

Kristina let out a sharp huff, shifting her attention to Claude. Claude was hanging upside down with the tentacle wrapped around his ankle. He was still unconscious despite the Kraken's wild movements. It didn't look like Claude was hurt, but the longer he was being held captive by the Kraken, his life would still be in danger. Especially after the Kraken revealed it could morph its tentacles into a sharp weapon.

"This is not good." She shook her head, gazing at the Kraken while she dropped her hand ever so slowly. "Something must be done..."

Kristina trailed while her train of thoughts trailed off upon catching a figure catapult into the Kraken's head. Stefan's powerful and aggressive attack silenced the Kraken's screams, surprising Kristina with all the assaults that followed.

"He... is insane," came out a murmur, barely blinking. Kristina was equally amazed and shocked at how fast Stefan attacked, despite being at a disadvantage.

Stefan was already strong even back then, but there was an obvious difference between how he fought before the regression and now. Back then, everything Stefan did was calculated and

planned. It was an entirely different case now.

"That..." was because of him, Claude.

Kristina moved his eyes in Claude's direction and then back to Stefan, who was now carelessly using the Kraken's tentacle as a ramp to reach his nephew. Just then, she realized one thing. Stefan cared for Claude.

He would put his life at risk, not afraid if he had to sacrifice a limb to save Claude. Yet, there was an apparent determination to emerge from this battle in one piece. Not for the reason Stefan couldn't live without an arm or a leg, but because losing a limb equates to a guilt Claude might carry forever.

"How cheesy." Kristina clenched her teeth, gripping her divine weapon tightly. She shut her eyes by force, took a deep breath, and then turned around.

'I don't need to worry about it, was what she told herself, reopening her eyes. Kristina huffed sharply, dragging her feet away.

To her, Stefan already succeeded. I lis determination was enough to put her heart at ease, making her trust him, even just for now.

Kristina turned her head in Alphonse's direction. The man was still unmoving, like a statue. However, she didn't dwell on it, peeling her eyes from him to the soldiers before her.

"Men!!!" her voice thundered until it shook slightly. "To the capital!!!"

"Yahhh!!!"

The soldiers' uniformed shout almost made the ground shake, ignoring their wounded ears. With high morale, Kristina led the last troop to the capital, where they were tasked to assist Lilou and Samael.

"Arrrrgh!!!" Along with the echoing shouts from the soldiers, Stefan also shouted from his chest whilst running on the Kraken's tentacle. The creature's skin was slippery, but that didn't hinder him from dashing to where Claude was.

When the Kraken moved its limb, Stefan also took a high jump. He somersaulted in the air; his lancelot's dark blades glinting. He thrust his sword toward the Kraken as he flew its way at it like a tornado. Ever since he started fighting the Kraken, Stefan had realized the Kraken's skin was not only soft and slippery but also thick with a little bit of rubber element.

Piercing through it had a high chance that it would simply bounce back. That was why he studied it first.

His pair of crimson eyes shone brightly as soon as the tip of his sword made contact with the Kraken's skin. He clenched his teeth, making his jaw tighten. Stefan channeled all his inner strength into his sword, putting all his weight into it.

"Ahhh!!!" His mouth fell open as another loud yell came out of it as if that would add more strength to his attack.

The tip of his sword pressed into the Kraken's skin. Looking at it, one couldn't tell if it would pop like a balloon or repel the sword. However, Stefan kept putting his weight into his weapon, drilling it into the Kraken until its flesh tore open.

Another roar slipped past his mouth along with the Kraken's shriek, holding his sword with his two hands. Since Stefan was stepping into the Kraken, he quickly changed his grip as he repositioned himself. Ilolding it, he raised his head.

"Ahhh!!!" Regardless of the Kraken's wiggling and struggling, Stefan's sword was stuck deep into the Kraken. With a determined heart and decided soul, Stefan ran up while dragging his sword, leaving a huge slash into the Kraken.

SHRIEEEK!

Stefan was unfazed as the Kraken unleashed another car-splitting scream. Instead, his eyes shone with excitement upon reaching the tip of the tentacle. The moment he was close, Stefann/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

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into its skin before jumping up.

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As he flew in the air, he cut his palm across before shouting, "blood field!" and in a flash, red thick mist appeared around him. From the distance, it was like a gigantic red sphere, but up close the red mist had slowly turned sharp like big needles.

Time slowed down for Stefan and the gravity inside the blood field lightened. He flexed his

fingers up, and without thinking twice, he swung his flexed fingers down.

"Infuse." The second that word rolled out of his lips, the red needles faced the Kraken's direction and flew into its open cut unannounced.

SHRIEEEK!

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