The Emperor Class

Dreu rubbed his head until the pain went away. Last time he had such a headache, he drank too much at the Adventurer Inn in Berkton. He sat up trying to recall what happened after he fell asleep. He returned to the wide open plains where he met someone familiar. Like most of his dreams, he couldn’t recall anything from it. He knew he would soon forget all about it later in the morning. He was also disappointed that he had no recollection of this familiar person. As Dreu tried to stand up, his knees buckled beneath him. After a few tries, the young man stopped to catch his breath. He couldn’t understand why he would be this fatigued after sleeping all night. Only after he calmed down did he sense his body telling him something was wrong.

Could it have been the lightning spell?

After hearing about the elements Rowan excelled in, Dreu concluded he was hit by a lightning spell that made him go in and out of consciousness. Despite surviving the spell, he suspected he was experiencing the common side effects like paralysis throughout his body. Even common healing spells had limited effect due to the internal injuries inflicted by lightning spells. To fully recover, he would need to see someone with advanced healing spells that could heal internal injuries too. Given that he had no healing spells of any kind and calling for help might draw Rowan’s attention, Dreu chose to close his eyes and rest some more. He trusted that Ulzrag and the others could handle their own a while longer. Dreu drifted into sleep as soon as he closed his eyes and, when he woke up next, he felt rejuvenated.

The side effects of lightning spells are no joke.

Dreu didn’t know how long he slept but something told him that he woke up the following morning. This time, he cautiously stood up and was overjoyed when he could control his limbs. There were no longer aches throughout his body. After a deep breath, the young man slowly made his way towards the battlefield. He zigzagged through what was left of Lullin’s buildings until he got a clear sight of the combat. Upon seeing the combatants, memories of his dream flooded back.

It’s good to have you back, Bayard.

Dreu couldn’t suppress the smile he got from the scene. Bayard fought as the frontline against Rowan with him preoccupying most of Rowan’s attention. Zhao and Axichis were the opportunists who struck whenever the demi-god allowed an opening. Guiot was using a spell similar to the goats’ stone shards, targeting Rowan’s legs. Rohese simply waited until her chance appeared before her arrow lodged inside of Rowan’s body. There were half a dozen arrows stuck inside of the demi-god. An ordinary man would be dead upon receiving one of those arrows. Ulzrag then landed next to Dreu, shaking the ground itself.

You have some strong allies, young Dreu. Why didn’t you send them here sooner?

Dreu explained that he thought he lost them due to Azorius. The demi-god used a spell that rendered his emperor class useless. If he had known how to summon Bayard and the others sooner, he would have done so without hesitation. His odds of winning generally improved drastically when they were present.

Azorius? As in King Azorius?

He gave up his position to become the Left Arm of Xemir. I believe he's a monster like Rowan.

Sounds like a problem we’ll have to deal with one day.

When the young man asked the dragon why he didn’t participate in the combat, Ulzrag shared that he couldn’t fight well when others were fighting his foe in close combat. His attacks and approaches would result in collateral damage which he hoped to avoid. Given how the battle was going, he was confident victory would be theirs. He could at least make himself useful by serving as Dreu's bodyguard.

That Bayard guy seems like a perfect counter to Rowan. He had devised a counter to every single one of the demi-god’s abilities. At this rate, we may see Rowan defeated before the sun sets.

Did I…sleep through an entire day?

Dreu wanted to know what happened after he slipped away from the battlefield. As he suspected, he slept two nights and an entire day. Luckily for him, Bayard and the others joined the battle on the previous day. Their additions turned the stalemate into a battle greatly favoring his side. Yet, the young man still struggled to believe that they were facing a severely weakened version of Rowan. He couldn’t fathom how powerful the Right Arm of Xemir would be if he was fighting at his full strength. In addition, he noticed that the weakened Rowan also had a lot fewer spells in his arsenal. The spell that disintegrated his summons and the demons was the first to come to mind.

It’s over!

Upon hearing Ulzrag’s comment, Dreu snapped out of his thoughts to see an arrow going straight through Rowan’s helmet. After taking the hit, the demi-god stumbled onto one knee. Next, Zhao inflicted a nasty wound that saw his spear penetrating through Rowan’s body around his heart. Bayard then delivered the finishing blow by beheading the Right Arm of Xemir. The head went rolling and, several seconds later, the body fell to the ground. There was no blood that came from the body but, shortly after Rowan’s defeat, the head and body disintegrated into light that circled around Dreu.

What’s happening?

Dreu tried to break out of the light but a barrier kept him in. He tried calling the names of the others but none of them responded. Dreu initially used his entire weight as he tried over and over to break the barrier. Next, he remembered his blade and spear so he used those on the barrier. Yet, nothing he did even made a dent. The barrier got brighter and brighter until he couldn’t keep his eyes open.

“Damn it, Rowan! We defeated you fair and square! How dare you use this spell of yours to take me with you! Why don’t you just die!”

The light then hit Dreu like a horse drawn cart and the young man blacked out.