A monstrous explosion erupted as the two titans shed, their struggle echoing throughout the Goblin Vige.


    The madman''sughter, rife with twisted satisfaction, shed against the Kraken''s defiant roars, creating an eerie harmony of chaos.


    "Hahahahahaha! How long can you withstand it? Tell me! Tell meeeee!!!"


    The Kraken''s colossal form lurched, recoiling under the assault of an unending barrage of spells.


    Fire and ice, lightning and earth, all forms of destruction descended upon it.


    Each impact left marks, scorched skin or frostbitten limbs, evidence of the madman''s relentless onught.


    Yet, the Kraken fought on, its cries of pain transformed into resonating roars, echoing the defiance of a creature pushed to its limits.


    "Enough!" the madman roared, a manic grin stretched across his features.


    "You will obey me…" His eyes burned with a maddening light, his voice trembled with a feverish excitement.


    Raising his hand, he cried out the name of his Arcana, "[The Emperor]!"


    An imposing wave of energy exploded from the madman, rushing towards the Kraken like a tsunami.


    The raw power of [The Emperor] washed over the Kraken, itspelling force irresistible.


    "I''ve chipped down all your vitality, and I''ve confirmed [The Popess] is no longer active in you. You can''t resist me any longer."


    Just as the madman prophesied, the once defiant roars of the Kraken died down to pitiful whimpers. Its eyes, glowing with a primal fury, dimmed and dulled, the spark of defiance extinguished.


    Under the influence of [The Emperor], the Kraken was no longer a beast of the Dark Waters, but a puppet under the madman''smand.


    "Hahahahaha! You''re mine! You''re finally mine!"


    The madman''sughter echoed throughout the battlefield, a chilling melody of victory.


    Hisughter carried the chilling satisfaction of a man who had just gained control over a beast of unimaginable power.


    A cruel smile yed on his lips as he regarded the now subdued Kraken, an ominous gleam in his eyes as he reveled in his triumph.


    "Haa… I can''t wait. I can''t wait to—"


    ~VWUUUUUUSSSSHHHHHH!!!~


    An intense re of light suddenly broke through the scene''s grim aura, instantly drawing the attention of both the madman and the subdued Kraken.


    "E-eh? That is…!"


    The source was Lewis, cloaked in a denseyer of scintiting energy, his visage barely discernible through the blinding radiance.


    "How did you—?" The madman gasped, his eyes widening in sheer horror.


    Baring his teeth in a snarl, Lewis wasted no time. As if he''d been shot from a cannon, he hurtled himself towards the still-reeling madman.


    ~WHOOOOOOMMM!~


    His right fist, encased in swirling energy, was pulled back, braced for a devastating blow.


    "W-wai—!" The madman barely had time to register the iing attack.


    Caught off guard, his eyes widened in shock as he saw Lewis rocketing towards him. It was toote to evade.


    The madman could only brace himself for impact.


    "Haaaaaaaa!!!"


    With a thunderous roar, Lewis unleashed his pent-up energy. His fist connected with the madman, an eruption of power following the impact.


    ~BOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMM!!!~


    The sheer force of the blow sent the madman hurtling backwards, a hum streaking through the air before he crashed into the ground, sending up a cloud of debris.


    The entire battlefield seemed to tremble as the madman''s form skidded across the earth, hisughter abruptly cut short by the unexpected assault.


    A trail of destruction marked his course, a testament to the raw strength Lewis had just disyed.


    Lewis stood in the air, panting heavily, his fist still extended.


    The aura of energy around him pulsed, shimmering under the dim light. His eyes, however, were solely fixated on the fallen madman.


    A silent promise echoed in his gaze, a vow of defiance and determination.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "You… you went too far this time." He whispered, the energy around him climbing rapidly.


    "I''m going to make sure you never make your sickeningughter again."


    ***********


    "Haa… haa…"


    As I stood there, panting heavily, the glow of my energy shrouding me, a realization swept over me like a tidal wave.


    The hold of the madman''s [The Emperor] on me had weakened substantially when he turned his control onto the Kraken.


    It wasn''t a coincidence. It was because the madman had split his attention, split his power between controlling both of us.


    With this realization, I knew I had to make a choice.


    A hard one.


    I couldn''t protect the vigers and fight him simultaneously. Every ounce of energy and concentration I had was necessary to defeat him.


    Reluctantly, with a heavy heart, I undid the barriers around the vige and also the shields that had kept the Goblins safe.


    A shudder ran down my spine as I considered the implications. The madman might decide to employ the vigers to do his bidding with [The Emperor].


    I couldn''t afford to let that happen. I had to act fast. I had to end this.


    ''But… something is off…'' I scrutinized the madman.


    Despite wielding a powerful Arcana, he hadn''t takenplete control of the Kraken from the start.


    Even when he did control the Kraken, his hold on me had weakened.


    ''I also noticed the same for me. If he had the power from the start, he should have controlled me from the beginning to.''


    That had led me to the unfortunate assumption that he couldn''t use it. But now, I realized that my position wasn''tpletely wrong, albeit notpletely urate.


    ''It''s somewhere in the middle.''


    This signified that he hadn''tpletely mastered the Arcana.


    It seemed to take considerable time and energy to use [The Emperor], and he couldn''t maintain his control over multiple beings simultaneously… especially taking ount of their strength.


    With these deductions, a glimmer of hope sparked within me.


    If I could break the madman''s concentration, disrupt his control over [The Emperor], then I could take advantage of thepse.


    ''Using Spellcraft, I can use the remnant energy from my undone barriers and the leftover energy from his battle with the Kraken…''


    With those, I could turn the tide of this battle.


    Gathering my resolve, I took a deep breath.


    ''I don''t n on holding back this time…''


    Victory was within reach. I just had to seize it.


    *


    *


    *


    [A/N]


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