Dorodamenro fought as he retreated. Though he had sustained several wounds and been forced to draw upon the Magic Mark's power several times, his achievements in battle were still remarkable. By the time he retreated to the Ravenwood Town soldiers, he had killed at least several dozen enemies.
Dorodamenro no longer attempted to kill Lase, instead maneuvering around him and his men. But the situation grew increasingly unfavorable for Ravenwood Town. They could retreat no farther; behind them stood the doors leading to the underground hall.
Lase no longer tangled with Dorodamenro either. He had his subordinates keep Dorodamenro occupied while he targeted the ordinary soldiers. Those soldiers were no match for Lase. Though their determination to protect their families sustained them, the Ravenwood Town guards' morale was nearing collapse under Lase's relentless attacks.
Dorodamenro knew this could not continue. If they did not make a change, Ravenwood Town would be destroyed before Shadowkeep's reinforcements arrived. Lase would never show mercy in his search for his target, and the fate of the townspeople in the basement was easy to imagine.
Dorodamenro had no choice but to activate the Magic Mark again. He spat out a mouthful of blood, and his speed abruptly surged. Breaking through the encirclement, he rushed straight toward Lase. He had decided to kill Lase at any cost.
Elves were born with magic power, but Dorodamenro was not a mage. He could only rely on the Sword Dancer's specially crafted Magic Marks to wield magic power and strengthen his body. Dorodamenro's magic power was limited and had long since been exhausted in the earlier fighting. At this moment, he was burning his life force to activate the Magic Mark.
Lase was bringing his greatsword down toward a soldier's shoulder. Had the armor not blocked it for an instant, that immense force would have nearly cleaved the soldier diagonally in two.
As Lase drew his sword back, Dorodamenro stabbed directly into his upper arm. Then, pushing off forcefully, he flipped into the air behind Lase. Both swords plunged down with all his strength, sinking into Lase's back until only their hilts remained, their points piercing through his chest.
Lase let out a roar and spat blood. His knees gave way, and he dropped to the ground, bracing himself with both hands as blood continued to pour from his mouth. Dorodamenro drew his swords, about to stab again, when he suddenly sensed danger. He swiftly turned, crossing his swords before him, but was immediately blasted away by a shockwave.
The hunchbacked orc mage was running over with several soldiers, quickly reaching Lase's side.
"My lord, Shadowkeep's reinforcements have arrived. The soldiers are doing their best to hold them back. I searched that Priest's mind—the girl is no longer in town. She left with a merchant caravan a few days ago, headed for Sinterland. I'll heal you now!"
Lase raised a hand to stop the hunchbacked mage.
"Don't waste your magic power, Guldan. I'm done for. Take the soldiers and pursue that caravan immediately. You must capture her. This is our tribe's only chance to rise again. You must catch her!"
Lase gripped Guldan's arm tightly as he spoke, then spat out another huge mouthful of blood. Dorodamenro, who had been blasted away, struggled to his feet. Upon hearing their conversation, he realized they already knew Daisy's whereabouts. He hurriedly picked up his twin swords and ran over, intending to kill Guldan.
"Use the Blood Burn Technique on me. I'll hold him back. You all go!"
Guldan let out a low roar. He could only cut open his palm and scatter his blood over Lase's body to cast the spell. Empowered by the Blood Burn Technique, Lase's muscles rapidly swelled as though he had been granted a final burst of life. His bloodshot eyes turned crimson, and with a deafening roar, he charged at Dorodamenro. Guldan led the nearby foreign soldiers out of the church.
Dorodamenro activated the Magic Mark, intending to speed past Lase and pursue Guldan. But Lase, empowered by the Blood Burn Technique, could actually keep up with Dorodamenro's speed. With one stride, he blocked Dorodamenro's path, then threw a heavy punch at him. Dorodamenro raised his swords to block. Their blades sliced directly into Lase's fist and struck bone, yet Lase seemed unable to feel pain. His punch did not slow in the slightest and sent Dorodamenro flying. The blade forced down by that blow slashed open Dorodamenro's chest, drawing blood.
Several Ravenwood Town guards charged forward with spears. Their spearheads plunged deeply into Lase's body, but he neither dodged nor evaded. He simply reached out, seized two soldiers, and smashed them together with brutal force.
At that moment, shouts of battle suddenly rose from outside. More than a dozen foreign soldiers fled inside in panic, with Laxus and the others close on their heels.
The moment Laxus saw the berserk Lase, he drove his sword into Lase's spine without hesitation. With his spine damaged, Lase could no longer move. Dorodamenro seized the opportunity, leaping up and plunging both swords into Lase's eyes. The burly orc corpse slowly toppled to the ground. Dorodamenro's knees also gave out, and he collapsed onto the ground. His sky-blue hair had begun to faintly turn gray.
Laxus hurriedly crouched beside Dorodamenro and caught him before he could fall. "Sorry, I came too late. I failed to see through such a pathetic scheme—it was my fault! I'll have someone treat your wounds immediately!"
"There's no need, Laxus. My wounds are not too severe. I merely forced the Magic Mark too many times in succession, and my life force has been exhausted. This is my fate, Laxus. It isn't your fault. My selfishness brought such terrible harm upon Ravenwood Town. It is all my fault. As Ravenwood Town's Bishop, I failed to protect the town." As he spoke, the light gradually faded from Dorodamenro's eyes, and he breathed his last.
"Teacher!" Laxus cried out as he held Dorodamenro's body.
"That's enough, Teacher. You protected this town for forty years. Without you, this town could never have developed this far. Without your guidance and recommendation, I could never have become a Knight, much less been promoted to Knight Commander. Rest in peace. I will restore this town for you!" Holding Dorodamenro's body, Laxus swore silently.
"Kill every last piece of scum in town! Argus, take men and pursue the ones who escaped immediately. Don't let a single one get away!" Laxus roared at his adjutant.
The battle ended. The townspeople emerged from the church basement. With the help of Shadowkeep's soldiers, the men carried corpses and repaired damaged houses, while the women tended the wounded and lit fires to cook.
Laxus stood on an open stretch of land outside the town with the Shadowkeep Knights and the remaining Ravenwood Town guards. Some townspeople and Shadowkeep soldiers were digging graves. The soldiers who had fallen in battle would soon be buried here. They had found Warren's body atop the town wall. Looking at the former colleague who had been ostracized for being too upright, Laxus remained silent for a long time.
Dorodamenro, Warren, and the other fallen soldiers were all buried here. A stone monument engraved with everyone's names was erected, bearing the words: "In honor of all brave warriors who died defending their homes and loved ones!" Warren's armor was buried with him, while Dorodamenro's twin swords were taken by Laxus. He knew someone would come to claim them.
In this battle, the Allied Forces left behind 789 corpses, including their commander. Nearly one hundred of them had died by Dorodamenro's hand. The Ravenwood Town guards and the mercenaries stationed there also suffered grievous casualties. The Ravenwood Town guard formation had ceased to exist, with only 48 soldiers surviving and fewer than ten left completely uninjured.
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