Chapter 68: Crunch

​Morghanna frowned before noticing another crucial absence.

​Grukhar.

​A deafening collision echoed across the valley.

​BOOM!

​Her head snapped toward the sound. There, her giant four-meter half-brother towered over the chaos like a mountain of muscle.

​Ordinarily, he dominated any field. Right now, however—

​BOOM!

​Another crushing impact sent the four-meter behemoth skidding dozens of meters across the dirt.

​Nyxara emerged silently from the shadows, her bleached white hair dancing wildly behind her as her violet eyes glowed with pure, murderous intent.

The colossal scythe in her slender grip moved like death personified.

​Grukhar roared in desperation, swinging his massive greataxe in a wide arc, but Nyxara simply vanished into thin air.

​A jagged shadow spike erupted beneath his feet, followed by another, and another.

The giant Orc staggered under the relentless, surgical assault, what should have been a clash of giants had degenerated into a completely one-sided beating.

​And unfortunately for Grukhar, he was on the receiving end.

​Morghanna’s brows furrowed deeply. She simply couldn’t comprehend it.

​Where had this army come from?

​It had barely been a day since the Starbound intruder appeared.

​And now, he commanded a legion capable of systematically dismantling her entire dominion.

​In that moment, Morghanna finally understood the weight of his earlier threat.

The promise delivered through those swarming, relentless worms hadn’t been a bluff, not even remotely.

​A cold, heavy realization settled into her chest. If she had executed the Umbral Mothkin instead of releasing her... what kind of absolute nightmare would this man have unleashed upon her settlement?

​The thought lingered for only a second before another question forced its way to the surface:

​Where was he? Where was the sovereign responsible for this carnage?

​Morghanna’s gaze swept across the chaotic battlefield, searching for the commander directing the invasion.

​Then, she found him.

​"..."

​The words died in her throat before they could escape.

​There, perched atop a collapsed stone archway near the center of the battlefield, sat the Starbound Intruder.

​One armored leg was draped casually over the other in a posture of complete relaxation.

A small wooden plate rested on the stone beside him, and held firmly in his right hand... was a freshly sliced apple.

​Morghanna watched in dead silence as he casually lifted the fruit and took a crisp bite.

​CRUNCH.

​The sound somehow reached her ears despite the roaring chaos of war around them.

​The young Lord chewed thoughtfully, surveying the blood-soaked battlefield with cool detachment, like a spectator watching a play, or a noble enjoying an afternoon show.

​Not someone leading a high-stakes invasion. Not someone fighting for his life.

​The sight was so utterly surreal that Morghanna genuinely didn’t know how to react.

​Around him, thousands of warriors bled and died, yet Cassian simply sat there eating apples, as though the total destruction of the Kragmar Dominion were nothing more than light afternoon entertainment.

....

Cassian watched his army tear through the Kragmar Dominion while casually eating an apple.

​The roaring sounds of battle echoed throughout the settlement: steel clashed, war axes carved through flesh and bone, and terrifying undead shrieks mixed with the dying screams of Orc warriors.

​Yet none of it disturbed his appetite.

​Truthfully, he hadn’t eaten anything since yesterday. Between conquering territories, organizing infrastructure, fusing units, purchasing bulk equipment, and preparing for war, he had completely forgotten about basic sustenance.

​Now that the invasion was proceeding according to plan, he finally had the chance to fill his stomach.

​CRUNCH.

​Cassian bit into another apple slice.

​As for the point-blank punch he had delivered to Morghanna earlier... that had simply been payback. Nothing more.

​The memory of the Umbral Mothkin being captured in chains flashed through his mind.

The Chief was fortunate she had released the summon when she did; otherwise, Cassian doubted things would have remained this restrained.

​At that moment, he felt a tremendous quantity of mana leave his body, flowing rapidly through every soul connection he possessed toward every summon under his command.

​The drain was immense, ridiculous, even.

​Yet it didn’t matter. His mana reserves remained as infinite as ever.

​Before the battle, Cassian had issued a simple, direct order: Draw upon my mana without restraint.

​The reaction had been surprisingly troublesome. Just like Nyxara before them, many of his summons had hesitated, some outright refused, while others thought they had misunderstood the command.

​Cassian still found the entire situation amusing.

The Deathmark Commander had subconsciously drawn upon his mana during the battle against the Immature Bone Devourer, not even asking for permission at the time because it hadn’t realized where the energy was coming from.

​Yet now, after receiving direct orders from its Lord, the commander had become stubbornly hesitant.

​Naturally, it wasn’t only the Deathmark Commander, the others had been just as resistant.

Cassian had eventually been forced to demonstrate repeatedly that his mana truly was inexhaustible, and only after seeing the truth with their own eyes had they reluctantly complied.

​Even now, thousands of summons were drawing upon his reserves simultaneously, yet the flow remained entirely endless.

​Cassian shook his head with a faint smile.

His summons were loyal, almost excessively loyal, but sometimes he genuinely wondered why they couldn’t simply follow instructions without arguing internally first.

​’I’m your Lord. Why is convincing you harder than giving the order itself?’

​The thought amused him.

​CRUNCH.

​He took another bite.

​"What are you doing?" a cold, raspy voice suddenly interrupted his thoughts.

​Cassian looked up.

​Morghanna stood before him atop the rubble, dust still clinging to portions of her leather clothing, while the faint bruised mark left by his earlier strike remained visible on the side of her face.

​Not far away, Nyxara noticed the Chief’s approach. The champion immediately abandoned her assault on Grukhar, her white hair whipping around as she prepared to rush toward the Chief.

​Cassian raised a single, making Nyxara halt instantly.

Though visibly reluctant, she bowed her head and returned her deadly attention to the giant four-meter Orc.

​Only then did Cassian turn his gaze back toward Morghanna.

His expression remained completely calm and casual, as though they weren’t standing in the middle of a warzone, and as though thousands weren’t currently slaughtering one another around them.

​He lifted another apple slice to his lips.

​"Can’t you see?" Cassian took a bite.

​CRUNCH.

​"I’m eating."

​"..."

​For the first time in her life, Morghanna genuinely had no idea how to respond.

​Around them, total war raged: her warriors were dying, her council elders were struggling, and her dominion was crumbling.

Yet the man responsible for all of it sat atop a collapsed stone building, eating apples as though he were enjoying a casual afternoon picnic.

​The sheer absurdity of the scene left her completely speechless.

​Cassian swallowed before glancing casually toward the main battlefield. "Your left flank is collapsing."

​Morghanna’s eyes instinctively shifted. It was.

​"The head shaman is about to lose his third protection totem, too."

​A distant explosion echoed across the courtyard, and moments later, the shattered, burning remains of a wooden totem flew through the air.

​Cassian nodded approvingly. "See?"

​Morghanna slowly turned her crimson eyes back toward him. "Are you mocking me?"

​Cassian considered the question for a brief second before shrugging. "Not particularly."

​Another bite. Another crisp sound.

​CRUNCH.

​His sky-blue eyes met her hardened crimson ones.

​"I’m simply enjoying lunch before our fight."