The Grand Duke's Son Is A Heretic-Chapter 483

"Look. Just look carefully, you dimwit," Kael shouted.

"Stop!"

The sudden scream startled him. Kael turned his head and saw Seraphina running toward him, her expression sharp and angry.

"Stop it.That's animal abuse."

"Animal?" Kael frowned and looked down.

The Black Lion was acting pitiful. It squeezed out a few tears and weakly swung its paw toward Seraphina, as if asking for help.

"That's not an animal. It's my spiritual beast," Kael replied stiffly.

"Then it's spiritual beast abuse," Seraphina snapped with a pout. She jumped forward, snatched the Black Lion from Kael's hands, and hugged it tightly. Her palm gently stroked its fur again and again.

The Black Lion's expression instantly turned blissful. It nestled into her embrace and let out a soft sound.

"See?" Seraphina said softly. "You shouldn't treat them so harshly. It's such a cute little thing."

"Why torture it like that?"

A thick vein bulged on Kael's forehead. He opened his mouth to reply, but no words came out. He looked around, searching for help, almost wanting to ask who even allowed her to come here.

In the end, he gave up and turned his gaze forward.

BOOOM. BOOOM. BOOOM.

The ground resonated as clashes and explosions continued in the distance.

BOOOM.

Moments later, Melvin appeared. His armor was scratched and his breathing was heavy, but he stood upright.

"Are you alright?" Kael asked.

"Yeah. Nothing bothersome," Melvin replied calmly.

"Let me heal you," Seraphina said. She stepped forward and extended her hand. Gentle light flowed from her palm and wrapped around Melvin's body. The scratches faded quickly.

Kael looked around the battlefield. "It's over here, right?"

Melvin nodded. "Yes."

"So now only the main fort remains?" Seraphina asked.

"We managed to reach this far, so we will surely win," she added with confidence.

Kael did not comment. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Something felt strange. It had been much easier than he expected.

Quite easy. Yet he was certain the main stronghold would not be like this.

"When will the Duke arrive?" Kael asked.

Melvin glanced around before replying, "He is on the move."

"We will meet him at Creole."

Melvin then stepped forward and raised his voice.

"Soldiers, you have fought well!"

Cheers slowly rose.

"Now only the last barricade remains, and that is Creole!"

"To Creole!"

"To Creole!"

Loud cheers erupted and shook the battlefield. The soldiers raised their weapons high, their morale surging.

...

"All other regions have fallen."

"What the hell is going on?"

"I didn't sign up for this. You said we would win, so what the hell is happening?"

A man screamed at the top of his lungs, his voice filled with panic.

He was Ryan Serpentine, the younger brother of the Duke.

Jealousy had eaten away at him for years. He wanted the title of Duke, but he had always lived in his brother's shadow. When the chance came, he jumped ship without hesitation.

He was certain the Nightstar would win and rule the Eastern region. But now—

"We have more troops. More people. More firepower. So why?" Ryan screamed as he grabbed his hair.

He was losing his mind.

"Calm down."

A cold, eerie voice cut him off.

Ryan snapped his head up. A cloaked man stood near the balcony, hands folded calmly behind his back.

"How do you expect me to calm down when all this is happening?" Ryan shouted. "We are at the end of the rope. We are going to die."

The cloaked man turned his head slightly.

"Do you think they didn't suffer any casualties?" he asked coldly.

"Or do you really think they won without losses?"

"What does that have to do with this?" Ryan shouted.

"This is the last place standing," the cloaked man replied.

"And it will keep standing."

His voice cut through Ryan's panic. A strange, eerie light flashed in his eyes.

The cloaked man tapped the railing gently.

"Sacrifice."

"All of this is a necessary sacrifice. Sacrifices that will become the reason for our victory."

Ryan froze.

"The pieces are moving to their places," the man continued. "All that remains is for the puzzle to settle correctly."

"Hahahaha."

"Do not worry. Everything is going according to plan."

He slowly turned his head toward the horizon.

"Creole."

"It will be their graveyard."

His words echoed like distant thunder, spreading far and wide.

Deep within the shadows, unseen figures stirred. Shapes crawled forward quietly, waiting for the perfect moment to descend.

......…

The march toward Creole began before the cheers had fully faded.

Steel boots crushed broken stone and dried blood as the army moved forward in long, disciplined lines. Smoke still rose behind them from the cities they had taken, and the sky above slowly darkened as the sun dipped toward the horizon. The air felt heavy, thick with something unseen, as if the land itself was holding its breath.

Kael rode at the front.

He

did not raise morale with words. His presence alone was enough. His eyes stayed fixed on the distant silhouette of Creole, a massive dark shape resting between cliffs like a wound carved into the earth.

The closer they got, the worse the feeling became.

"This place…" a soldier muttered quietly. "It feels wrong."

Another swallowed hard. "Like something is watching us."

Kael heard them but said nothing.

The ground around Creole was scorched black, and the soil felt brittle underfoot. Ancient runes were carved into the rocks along the path, half-buried and glowing faintly with a sick crimson light. The wind carried a low hum, not loud enough to hear clearly, but enough to make teeth ache and skin crawl.

From a distance, the city looked almost normal. Silent. Still.

But as they drew closer, the entire army slowed and then stopped.

"What's this?" someone whispered.

"Damn… now what is this bullshit?" Vic shouted in frustration.

Everyone's eyes focused on the city.

A heavy, dark mist surrounded Creole, swirling like a living thing. It crawled along the walls and seeped into the air, thick enough to blur the outlines of the towers.

"From far away it looked fine, but now…" Handle frowned deeply.

"This might be an illusion," he added.

"Isn't it?" He looked around, seeking confirmation.

At the edge of the battlefield, the Duke finally arrived.

Duke Serpentine sat atop his horse and stared at Creole in silence. His face hardened as he took in the sight.

"So this is it," he said quietly.

Melvin rode beside him. "Our scouts report massive mana fluctuations inside the city. Whatever they are doing, it has already started."

Seraphina tightened her grip around the Black Lion, which trembled slightly in her arms. Even it senses danger coming from inside.

"This city," she whispered, her voice tense. "It feels like a ritual ground."

Then she looked around.

"The fog," he said calmly, "it's miasma. It acts like a buff for those with dark elements."

Kael then turned his gaze toward Seraphina.

"Can you take care of it?"

"Partly," Seraphina answered honestly. "If I had people to help me, I might be able to clean it properly, but clearing it alone will be difficult."

Duke Serpentine rubbed his chin and spoke after a brief pause. "Then can you open a slope? Just enough for us to move in."

"I can do that," Seraphina nodded.

Duke Serpentine raised his voice.

"Everyone, listen."

His voice was calm, but it cut through the air like a blade.

"This is not going to be a normal siege. Once we step inside, there is no retreat."

"Show no mercy and kill everyone."

"Don't give in to the pleas to surrender.We are dealing with the Abyssal Cult who might have controlled people's minds."

"They mind act to surrender and then kill us."

"So kill!"

The soldiers raised their weapons and shouted.

"KILL!"

"KILLLL