Flambo observed the ensuing battle from a safe distance at the Grasslands. Before the artillery strike was called in, he was seen running around the base asking questions about Finn's whereabouts. None of the troops gave him a solid answer however. Some of them said Finn might have left during the evacuation prior to the war's beginning, while others just ignored the flambit's question. The conflict was escalating too fast for anyone to sit down and chat that Flambo had no choice but to seek the answers himself. His best shot at progress was to find Pheobe or her brother, but neither of them were apparently seen at the moment.
The monarch and the Supreme General fought together side by side against their lone adversary. When the smoke settled from the recent explosions, Finn was mowing upon dozens of flame knights who rushed before their leaders to protect them. Swords could be heard clashing audibly throughout the battle along with the men uttering a collective battle cry. In time, Finn was alternating between his sword and fists as he pushed on the offensive. Helmets were dislodged, limbs were severed, and weapons were shattered. Despite being outnumbered, Finn continued to advance in one direction slaying everyone who got in his way.
When Finn reached the two elementals, he left behind 40 troops in his wake. The rest of the infantry division prepared themselves to intervene, only to be signaled at the last moment.
"All units, stand down," SG ordered. "The princess and I will take it from here!"
"Targets acquired," Finn's mind registered. Through his eyes, he had an internal heads up display that scanned his opponents. After a few seconds his mind said, "Facial recognition complete. Confirmed positive ID on Princess Phoebe Flame and Fire Supreme General. Threat levels: moderate. Mission directive: termination."
Phoebe and her brother took defensive stances as they conjured their own swords. She tried to identify this mysterious warrior as she eyed him from top to bottom, but nothing came to mind. He didn't look like a typical soldier from the Candy Kingdom and his strength seemed outmatched like any other. Very few people in history have withheld their own in overwhelming odds and this man was no exception. She tried to meet her gaze with his but was suddenly stumbling backwards when Finn lunged forward to attack.
SG moved forward for the flank as the human focused his sights on Phoebe. As he swung his blade from the left, Finn blocked it with his sword facing down. The three parted to give each other space and the human twirled his blade momentarily before going on the offensive again. SG and Phoebe took turns alternating between slashes as Finn recovered from his moves, but neither of the elementals were able to damage him in the slightest.
The duel looked like a dance as Finn was graceful with his movements. One moment he was twirling his body to block a follow-up strike from Phoebe, and the other he was leaning backwards to evade a strong horizontal slash from SG. Finn used the same momentum to evade and quickly prepared himself to perform a counter. Once SG finished the swing, Finn pivoted into side-step stance and kicked forward with his right foot.
SG let out a pained grunt as he was flung backwards a few feet and collided with five men that broke his fall. Afterward, his left hand touched the area where he was hit and noticed there was a dent on his large chest plate. The general was relieved that the armor protected him but at the same time bewildered that his life was on the line.
"I need to be more careful," SG thought to himself. Unfortunately for him, his body was still stunned from the impact to quickly recover.
Meanwhile, Phoebe swung her sword with a right uppercut but was blocked as Finn slammed downwards with his own from up high. Their blades gridded against each other as the elemental eyed the man's gaze but nothing came to mind. All she saw from within was anger and determination. He wasn't there to reason and talk about peace, he was there to kill them.
The monarch's weight on the blade shifted downward as Finn gained the upper hand. When Phoebe was about to lose the power struggle, she quickly used Finn's weight to twirl away and backpedal. She then stepped forward to slash her blade downwards diagonally with three alternate strikes only for Finn to block with ease. After the attack, Finn started swinging his blade downward with his own series of diagonal and horizontal strikes, gradually gaining ground as a result. Phoebe was tense under the moment as her reflexes protected her from certain death but her defense was quickly faltering. When Finn forced her to lose more ground after a while, he delivered a left sweeping kick that threw the princess backwards off her feet. Phoebe was paralyzed with shock as she felt helpless being suspended in midair. Her sword instantly reverted back to her right hand and the only thing she could do was watch her rival perform a follow-up attack.
Finn watched the Fire Princess fly backwards in agony as he fired a purple plasma blast with his off-hand. Although the projectile did not kill her, Phoebe sustained multiple injuries as the momentum caused her to collide with a group of bystanders. SG barred his teeth in anger as he struggled to get up and yelled, "Take him down!"
Hundreds of automatic crossbows went off as Finn stood alone in the field. His face underneath his mask showed indifference, however as he rapidly deflected all of them with his blade. After a few moments, he decided to leap towards the closest trooper and delivered quick slash across the chest. The next person he faced fell forward as the blade pierced through his stomach. Finn then snatched a spear that was flung in midair with his offhand and continued to slaughter an additional 80 troops.
With renewed strength, SG jumped back to his feet and rushed towards the Candy warrior. He growled as he relentlessly delivered smash-based attacks with his sword but was unsuccessful as Finn dodged and weaved accordingly. His strength was beginning to tire out once more and Finn took the chance to grab SG's right wrist mid-swing, knee him in the stomach, and then pivot quickly to push him backwards with a left palm strike. Blood ran from SG's mouth as he sustained more injuries and soon he became helpless before his adversary. Right when he thought he faced certain doom, his sister lurched out at the last second tackling Finn several feet away in a fiery blaze.
The two duelists tumbled in the dirt momentarily as the crowd dispersed to safety. Finn was finally damaged as suffered pain from his back and side, but the moment was short-lived. As the pain subsided into anger, Finn recovered fast to the point where he stood back on his feet lifting Phoebe up high by throat in his right hand. A split second passed as he eyed her with malice before he abruptly slammed her onto the ground. Phoebe was breathless from the impact and her flames dimmed significantly which startled the surrounding troops.
"Protect the princess!" One of them shouted.
Finn's hardened gaze shifted back towards the surrounding army as they rushed at him again with swords and spears. The attack proved to be futile once again as he swiftly zipped through countless guards, claiming 2-3 with each swing. Twenty to thirty men were easily lost in seconds and soon Finn's killings struck overwhelming fear to the rest of the army.
"Fall back," a sergeant ordered. "Regroup at the Grasslands!"
SG noticed the army around him started a massive retreat and protested with an out-stretched hand, "..No!"
A trooper ran to his side as he lifted him up under the shoulder, "We're taking heavy losses, sir! This guy's too much for us!"
"W-we can take him!"
"What we need is to get you safety," the trooper countered.
"Where's my sister?" SG asked as he frantically surveyed the chaotic battlefield.
"She's being secured, sir."
Another trooper rushed towards SG and supported him from other shoulder. He pressed two fingers on his own headpiece and nodded, "Flambo reports that the high-value target is heading further inland towards the garrison base!"
SG took on a panicked expression, "We have to warn them!" He searched for his communicator and discovered it was destroyed in battle, "Private, can you lend me your comms?"
The grunt complied without question.
The superior quickly nodded in gratitude as he adjusted the frequency, "SG to base, SG to base. Do you read? You got hostile activity converging on your location!"
There was static for few moments before the elemental repeated the call. No one responded again until there was a distorted reply.
"Base," SG said. "Repeat your last?"
"(static)...We're under..(static) att-ack!"
A large boom was heard from the distance followed by a couple more as SG and his company casted glances to the east. "Crap," SG said with a pained expression. "We're too late already..."
The Fire Army was in disarray as Finn engaged the surrounding troops. Like the outskirts, the ground surrounding him was piled with countless bodies and weapons. Everything was set ablaze such as the barracks, the mess halls, and the command post tents. The massive crowd was split apart as one group rushed to stop Finn, while the other fled. Ironically, the men who tried retreating towards the Grasslands were inadvertently pursuing the lone warrior. As soon as they encountered him, they quickly dispersed in opposite directions, with fear apparent on their faces.
Finn looked over his left shoulder as he withdrew his sword from a dead golem's stomach. His eyes narrowed towards his newcomers and he swiftly twirled his blade before charging into a sprint. Screams were heard everywhere as the men cried for help and mercy. Medics were seen in the background transporting wounded with handheld gurneys, but even they were not safe. One moment Finn was apparently far away focused on one thing, the next he was suddenly right in their faces.
Flambo watched in horror as he witnessed the warrior's onslaught. He was mingled with the fleeing crowd as they dispersed aimlessly in multiple directions. Without any present leaders to assume command, the massive Fire Army quickly became disorganized. Anywhere was safe as long as it was away from the madman.
Taking out his phone, Flambo recorded the battle on video. He adjusted the zoom settings and screen momentarily before he finally captured a clear visual of the Candy warrior. Through the lens, Finn was seen throwing his sword like a frisbee cutting eight troops in half. As the blade flew back to his right hand, Finn immediately used his off-hand to drag six troops towards him in midair through what appeared to be telekinesis. Their screams and shouts of protest were then silenced as Finn slashed all of them in one swift motion.
"Yup, I'm outta here!" Flambo said as he started to pick up speed with his legs. The screen then showed Finn scowling directly at the camera as he flicked his blade clean. "Eeep!"
Finn watched the flambit disappear into the crowd as he gripped his sword. In the end, he decided to stand down as the Grasslands became vacant. Hundreds upon hundreds of elementals lied dead at his feet with a mixture of magma and ashes. His eyes surveyed the rest of the area but he couldn't find the princess or the Supreme General among the corpses. He sighed in self-disappointment. "Too many distractions," he berated in his thoughts. "Next time, they won't be so lucky!"
His phone went off as he sheathed his sword and answered, "Yes, princess?"
"I saw what you did today," Bubblegum complemented. "You've done well driving the elementals back!"
"I lost my main targets though," Finn solemnly said.
PB comforted, "They'll turn up again. Soon this world will be freed of a destructive, violent race."
"Should I pursue the remaining forces?"
"No," PB considered. "Let them take in what has transpired today. If we are fortunate, they might come to us and ask for terms of surrender. If they don't, we can cleanse the last remnants all in one swoop."
Finn nodded, "Understood. By the way, shall we set up defense emplacements on our territories?
"Leave the fields as a constant symbol of their failures," she said smugly with satisfaction. "And I'm proud of you, hero. Return to castle for debriefing."
"As you wish." His voice resonated like a ghost.