"I do what I must to protect the throne," General Maxwell responded, inclining his head in a bow of deference despite the searing pain coursing through his battered body.

"Indeed. You have my thanks. That last battle form of yours. I must admit, it's out of this world. Consider me impressed," Desirus commended further, his tone laced with genuine admiration amid his calculating demeanor.

"You honor me."

"Then allow me to honor you further. Pledge your absolute allegiance not to the throne, but to me directly."

"Pardon me, my lord. But you know my standing on this subject. I can't change my decision. I will only pledge my allegiance to the throne and nothing else."

General Maxwell upheld his principled stance unwaveringly, his voice steady despite his physical frailty.

"That's sad, but acceptable. But you see, I won't be able to rest easy if someone as strong as you isn't loyal to me. I worry over being betrayed and having you as my enemy at any moment," Desirus confessed, his words dripping with underlying menace.

"You don't need to worry, my lord. I will never betray you as long as you remain the true king accepted by all," General Maxwell reassured him earnestly, his conviction shining through his fatigue.

"And that lies my problem. You are too powerful to not be mine. I'm not a fan of leaving loose ends."

"What do you mean, my—"

From behind Qin Luo, a jiangshi lunged forward with blinding speed, its razor-sharp claw hands outstretched menacingly toward General Maxwell's exposed neck.

General Maxwell, utterly drained of energy, found himself incapable of mounting any defense, resigned to accept the treacherous fate unfolding before him.

"Come now. I didn't work so hard only to lose you," Aaron's playful voice interjected unexpectedly.

He intercepted the jiangshi's claw mere inches from General Maxwell's throat, his grip unyielding and effortless.

"You. How? You should be dead."

Desirus gaped at Aaron in sheer disbelief, the sight of him alive and unscathed flooding him with a wave of shock that twisted his features.

"I'm impossible to kill. You are not the first to be disappointed by that truth," Aaron replied nonchalantly, his tone carrying a hint of amusement.

"Now, what do we have here? What exactly did you change the fallen knights into?" Aaron scrutinized the jiangshi, noting its retained knightly armor juxtaposed against its grotesque, undead visage.

General Maxwell examined the jiangshi more closely upon Aaron's observation, his expression shifting to one of profound surprise and, more poignantly, heartbreak at the sight of his former comrades twisted into such monstrous abominations.

"What did you do?" General Maxwell demanded in stunned outrage, his eyes locking onto the horrors arrayed before him.

"Gave them the opportunity to be more useful toward my cause. Don't worry. You will join them soon enough and be completely loyal to me," Desirus stated without a trace of remorse, his face impassive.

"Bastard. I will kill you for disgracing honorable knights," General Maxwell vowed fiercely, attempting to rise to his feet in defiance.

Yet, bereft of any remaining strength, he only succeeded in collapsing further, dropping back to his knees in humiliation.

"No need to worry. I will take it from here," Aaron assured him, placing a reassuring hand on General Maxwell's shoulder, his touch conveying solidarity.

"After that, we can have the conversation you have been postponing over and over again," Aaron added, giving General Maxwell's shoulder a gentle tap.

General Maxwell nodded in silent acknowledgment, his head dipping in weary agreement to Aaron's proposition.

A satisfied smile tugged at the corners of Aaron's lips upon receiving the affirmation from General Maxwell.

Now, his desire to secure General Maxwell's loyalty extended beyond the mere fulfillment of the system's quest; it had evolved into a personal imperative, fueled by newfound respect.

Facing the pinnacle of General Maxwell's technique had profoundly altered Aaron's perspective on the general.

[That last form of his]

"Could easily destroy a solar system without even trying. Now I wonder just how strong he will be if he awakens a third element."

[Scary]

"And then if I grant him a bloodline as well. He might become the strongest man under me, not counting Dracula of course."

[Dracula isn't under you]

"Yet. But soon enough. I have plans for him."

Boom!

Aaron sidestepped fluidly, evading a powerful strike from one of the encroaching jiangshis, the impact cratering the ground where he had stood moments before.

"It's a bit rude to attack someone that's absent-minded, is it not?" Aaron quipped, directing his gaze toward Qin Luo with a mischievous smile playing on his lips.

"I just want you dead as fast as possible," she retorted coldly, her eyes narrowing with lethal intent.

"Kill him. All of you," she ordered the jiangshis imperiously.

From every shadowed corner of the devastated city, jiangshis emerged in droves, their numbers swelling into the thousands, shambling inexorably toward Aaron with mindless obedience.

Even those Aaron had felled earlier in the fray now stirred, needles embedded in their forms reanimating them as jiangshis, joining the horde in their advance.

Aaron merely smiled broader, embracing the prospect of yet another intense skirmish with undaunted enthusiasm.

[These jiangshis should fall under the creatures of the night as well. Do you really have to fight them?]

"Yup. I need to show a bit of care and sincerity to win even more of General Maxwell's favor. Plus, where's the fun in just crushing the enemy from the onset?" Aaron replied inwardly, his grin widening.

The black sphere morphed once again into the legendary form of Excalibur, its blade gripped firmly in Aaron's hand, radiating an aura of unassailable power.

"Nether flames," Aaron intoned softly.

Ethereal nether flames, capable of purifying and obliterating the undead with merciless efficiency, wreathed the black sphere in a mesmerizing dance of violet and black fire.

"There will be no need to come to me. I will be the one taking the initiative in the hunt this time," Aaron proclaimed boldly, his voice carrying across the battlefield like a challenge.

His eyes ignited with a golden luminescence, coarse fur sprouting across his skin in patches.

His muscular frame expanded dramatically, as Aaron partially transformed into his werewolf state, augmenting his physical capabilities to monstrous heights, his claws lengthening and his senses heightening to superhuman acuity.

"Let's wrap everything up quickly," Aaron murmured, planting his foot for the initial leap.

The planet itself jolted slightly off its orbital axis from the tremendous force Aaron exerted as he propelled himself forward, the ground fracturing beneath his launch in a web of deep fissures, heralding the onset of his relentless assault.

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