(Meanwhile, back on planet Juxta, Dumpy’s POV)
Dumpy had been completely oblivious to the planetary invasion, up till the moment the planetary shield shattered, as it was at that moment, when a screeching sound spread across the planet, that he finally became aware of his surroundings.
"Which mongrel dares disturb my training? I must teach them a lesson in respect!" Dumpy groaned, as he stepped out of his training arena, only to see thousands of ships descending on to the planet, which immediately caused his stomach to rumble in panic.
"RIBBIT?"
He said, as he rushed back inside the training arena and began digging a hole to bury himself underground, as he prayed that he wasn’t blasted to oblivion.
"Dear heavens, forgive me for all the flies I stole from other frogs, forgive me for eating that worm that was clearly not mine, forgive me for kicking that snail shell down the pond slope for fun... I just want to live long enough to see Lord Father have eleven children," Dumpy muttered, his body trembling as muffled explosions shook loose clumps of dirt that sprinkled down over his head.
*BOOOOM*
*CRASHHHH*
*RUMMMBLE*
Each sound made him sink lower, his bulging eyes darting in panic as he hissed to himself.
"Stay calm, Dumpy, just breathe, in and out, in and out... oh who am I kidding, I am going to croak for real today!"
For several minutes he sat buried, clutching the hilt of his twin swords like holy relics, until suddenly the rumble stopped, replaced by heavy boots stomping closer and closer, until the door to the training arena burst open with a crash.
*SLAM*
A squad of enemy soldiers stormed inside, their armor gleaming, their blades raised, their eyes sharp with anticipation.
Yet all they found was silence, the arena empty save for a muddy patch in the ground.
"Huh? Why are there no enemies in here, I swear I felt the presence of a powerful Transcendent. But all I can see is a cute frog," one of them muttered with a chuckle, as Dumpy’s head slowly poked out of the hole, his face smeared with dirt, his eyes narrowed dangerously.
"MONGREL! How dare you call Lord Dumpy Cute..... Only Lord Father calls me Cute! You will pay for this!" Dumpy roared, his voice shaking the walls as the veins on his forehead bulged like rivers of fury.
Before the soldier could even blink, the little frog was gone from sight.
*SHHHK*
*SLASH*
*SPLAT*
In the blink of an eye, Dumpy’s twin swords carved the squad apart, blood spraying the walls as their bodies fell in pieces too clean to believe a frog had made them.
"You think Dumpy will be flattered by compliments from other men? You think Dumpy is a labrador dog? You think Dumpy is a plush toy on the shelf?" he screamed, his words punctuated by another violent slash that reduced the last soldier to ribbons.
*THUD*
Their corpses hit the ground as Dumpy stood tall in the center of the carnage, his chest heaving, his eyes still twitching from rage, before he spat into the dirt.
"Cute, he says... I am an ancient swamp, a harbinger of death, scourge of snails, terror of tadpoles! The universe literally trembles when I hop, but he called me cute.... RIBBIT!" Dumpy declared proudly, as he raised one of his bloodied swords high into the air.
Then he froze, tilting his head, his eyes darting nervously toward the still-roaring sky outside.
"I wonder if the smoking man is okay....."
"I wouldn’t mind if he dies, he tortures me too much to live a happy life, however, it would be a tragedy if he falls before Lord Father becomes stronger than him.....
Afterall, Lord Father needs a good sparring partner." Dumpy muttered, as despite his beastly instincts yelling at him to not go out, he decided to go out against his better judgement, just to check in on Charles.
—---------------
(Meanwhile Charles)
Entrail and Streak tried their best to push Charles back, however, to their surprise, even though the two of them worked in tandem, they still couldn’t land a single blow on the Cult Monarch.
*CLANG*
*CLANG*
*FSSHHH*
A flurry of exchanges saw Charles being pushed back a few feet as the two of them combined their strength to drive him back, however, his guard remained as tight as ever, as despite the pressure, there appeared no holes in his defence.
"Is that all?" Charles muttered, his voice calm as his blade whipped upward, deflecting Streak’s void slash before turning on its heel to parry Entrail’s elegant downward arc.
*SHIIING*
*BOOM*
The ground split beneath them as the three Monarchs collided again and again, dust spiraling into the air, mana rippling out in waves that made the very walls of the base tremble.
"Fucking bastard won’t break," Entrail hissed, teeth bared, as his blade shimmered with another [Heaven Sundering Arc], only for Charles to tilt slightly, his detection of the attacks incoming arc, allowing him to dodge the slash, before launching a counter of his own.
*FWOOSH*
"You two fight like children tugging on a man’s cloak," Charles spat, forcing them both back with a [Mountain Splitting Slash] that cracked the concrete beneath his boots.
*RUMMMBLE*
Entrail and Streak exchanged a look, frustration heavy in their eyes as they circled once more, sweat beading along their foreheads, while Charles stood tall in the center, blade steady, breath unbroken.
The two of them realized at this moment that they were no match for Charles individually, and that even together, they could barely hold their own.
Charles could very well be the Strongest Monarch alive, just like the rumours suggested, and having fought him firsthand, the two of them understood this now.
"It’s exactly like Lord Mauriss predicted.... In the end, the two of us can’t take him down with just our own strength." Entrail said, as he looked towards Streak who nodded in agreement of his assessment.
"You think we should use it now?" Streak asked, as Entrail nodded back in confirmation.
"Yep.... It’s time, I’ll hold him back, you use it first." He said, as Charles raised an eyebrow in confusion.