Rain streamed down Grace’s face. The stench of blood was heavy in the air. She turned toward the wall, where screams echoed beyond the wooden gates, and drew the longsword at her hip. With one quick slash, the iron lock snapped in two.
“Open all the gates!” she shouted.
Her voice cut through the rain with absolute authority.
“Set up isolation areas now,” she ordered. ” Move the healthy to the clearing on the east side, and the infected to the west shelters. Move, now!”
Dustin conjured three beams of golden light at his fingertips and aimed them precisely at the wooden stakes lining the top of the wall. The sharpened stakes tumbled down in a rain of splinters, clearing the way for desperate climbs.
Medics pushed through the mud-soaked crowd, lighting the bundles of mugwort they had brought. Acrid smoke curled upward through the drizzle, but it helped mask the stench of rot lingering in the air.
“Is this… medicine?” the gaunt man whispered as he held the jar. A faint glimmer of hope flickered in his dull eyes.
The feverish child next to him had cracked, dry lips. But after swallowing two spoonfuls of the medicine, his body stopped shaking and his breathing steadied.
Just then, a flurry of footsteps echoed from the west. More than 30 soldiers in protective masks marched over aggressively.
The general leading them wore black armor with a tiger-head blade strapped to his waist. It was Harlan Creed, commander of the Iron Fang Battalion under Tristan’s command. 1
“Who dares trespass in the quarantine zone?” he barked.
He unsheathed his blade and stormed into the slums with his elite unit at his heels.
They stormed through the area with brute force, knocking over anyone in their path.
Civilians who didn’t move fast enough were shoved aside or kicked to the ground without mercy. 1
The commotion drew Grace’s attention. She slowly turned, rain trailing down her fair face.
“Are you one of Tristan’s men?” she asked coldly.
“How dare you speak His Highness’s name so casually?” Harlan snapped. “You must have a death wish!”
“You’re the one out of line,” Sadie shot back. “How dare you speak to the Princess of Ariella that way!”
He sneered. “Princess of Ariella? Don’t give me that crap. Why would a princess come to such a filthy dump?”
“You-”
Sadie was about to snap, but Grace raised a hand and stopped her.
Grace looked at Harlan and said coldly, ” General, who I am doesn’t matter. What matters is that these people are in danger. As a Dragonmarsh official, it’s your duty to protect them. We’re critically low on medicine. We need your help to get supplies.”
“I was assigned to guard the quarantine zone and stop the plague from spreading,” he replied indifferently. “Anything beyond that isn’t my concern.”
He added, “Since you’ve entered the quarantine zone, every one of you will be treated as plague patients. Stay where you are, and no one gets hurt. But if you try to break out, my men won’t hesitate to open fire.”
While they were talking, a panicked civilian seized the opportunity to try to break through the blockade and escape.
“Disobeying orders? Kill him!” Harlan barked, giving the execution order without a second thought.
Two soldiers behind him immediately charged forward, kicked the civilian to the ground, then raised their blades to strike.
But a sudden gust of wind burst through the air, and both soldiers were sent flying several feet back.
Dustin appeared in front of Grace in the blink of an eye. “Anyone who dares act out in front of the princess… dies,” he said coldly.
Harlan’s eyes narrowed slightly. A chill ran down his spine. He hadn’t even seen Dustin move, but just one glance was enough to confirm Dustin was an expert.
“You’re a Dragonmarsh military commander, yet you’d slaughter your own people? Do you even respect the law?” Grace snapped.
“The law?” Harlan burst out laughing. The bronze studs on his black armor gleamed under the rain. “Here in Harbortown, Prince Tristan’s word is law. Who the hell are you to lecture me?”
He snapped his arm forward. 30 soldiers fell into formation, shields locking as they began their slow, steady advance.
Behind the wooden walls, terrified screams rang out. The spark of hope that had just been rekindled seemed about to be snuffed out by this show of force.
Without saying anything, Dustin raised his hand. He released a shower of golden light that crashed into the shield formation.
The 30 elite soldiers were tossed into the air like leaves in a storm. They were instantly sent flying, crashing to the ground in a heap. They were no match for him at all.
“Huh?”
Harlan’s expression changed. He finally realized Dustin was no ordinary opponent. Seeing his men instantly defeated, his face twisted with fury as he swung his tiger-headed blade at Dustin.
The blade glinted coldly as it sliced through the rain. Dustin sidestepped to avoid it. A flash of golden light shot from his fingertips and struck the blade’s spine.
With a loud clang, the tiger-head blade flew from Harlan’s grip and embedded itself deep in the muddy ground.
His arm went numb. As he looked up and met Dustin’s cold gaze, a chill ran down his spine. “Who… Who the hell are you?” His voice trembled as he backed away.
“You’re not worthy of knowing my name,” Dustin said with an icy expression.
“You’ve oppressed the people and treated human life like trash,” Grace snapped. ” Guards, take him.”
Her personal guard stepped forward to tie up Harlan. Harlan’s face darkened as he struggled to break free. But in the blink of an eye, Dustin appeared in front of him and placed one hand on his shoulder.
A pulse of golden force surged into Harlan’s body. His internal energy immediately snapped like a brittle thread, and he crumpled to the ground.
Grace’s guards quickly moved in and bound him.
