Ch. 471..480
Chapter 471
"Really?! You’ve got yourself a deal!"
Leodoro’s heart sank past his stomach and into his intestines. He was a man led by both logic and pride, but pride was always the bigger motivator for him.
"Doesn’t Trodar have a slew of gods? Is there some way that we could bring one here to--"
"Do you think we have the ability to order gods around? Just because they’re in Trodar and they’ve joined the Leisure Guild doesn’t mean we can order them around. They’re still deities far stronger than even Karronteel," stated Rydel. "We can, however, buy you some time to think and gather your people."
"Okay... Then give me some time to think..."
"Oh, know that Trodar doesn’t have kings, so that means you would become a council head," Trax added, making sure Rydel didn’t leave anything out.
"No royalty..."
The king was silent for the rest of the ride as Tridon couldn’t stop admiring Karronteel, as well as Ayden who had grown much stronger and larger since the time Tridon caught the roc.
When they reached the border, they landed and gathered the army to set up camp. As there was no telling when the next skirmish would be, everyone was on their toes, ready to defend or attack at a moment’s notice.
At the rear of the camp, the party had their own tent set up. They kept the flap open in order to let Karronteel join their conversations from outside.
"Are you seriously lv. 48? Weren’t you under lv. 30 last time?!" Tridon asked, struggling to believe he had been surpassed so easily.
"I’m lv. 48 and Ayden is lv. 50," mentioned Rydel. "Maynard has me beat though since he’s lv. 50 and his Thunder Cat is lv. 49."
"And I’m lv. 52," Trax stated, making sure his recognition was given. "I may not have a beast, but that’s only because I’ve yet to meet one suitable to fight beside me."
"Trax, help me out!" Maynard shouted as he rushed out of the tent.
"Help you with what?"
"I want to test my skills. I’m still struggling to phase my blade properly, so I need ya to help me," clarified the samurai.
"Oh... just don’t cut me by accident like last time."
Those two started their typical practice routine. One focused on the application of his unique phasing ability while the other sharpened his sword skills against a master. Though Trax was a ninja and could be called a master of many weapons, his skills with a single weapon weren’t as developed as true masters, like Maynard with swords or Rydel with bows.
"What level is he?" Tridon asked Rydel.
The hinter shrugged, "Ask him and find out. I’m not sure after the battle."
Given the okay, Tridon also stepped out and approached Karronteel. "Do you mind if I ask your level?"
"Lv. 77. Those weaklings made for decent fodder, but they’re too weak to grind now that I’ve grown stronger," answered the dragon, sensing Tridon’s natural curiosity and praise for his species.
Time passed slowly for everyone there. Noon passed and became evening, later becoming night as the sun disappeared from the horizon.
Tridon was still full of questions and praise for Karronteel, who proudly answered and relayed prehistoric tales about his people.
Maynard and Trax were still training due to Maynard’s determination to master his phasing skill. He could phase it through things but had no control compared to Jin, who had managed to cut only the skin of Maynard’s leg, avoiding muscles, bones, and even the clothes covering the leg. Until he had such control, Maynard would never give up.
Rydel had taken a nap and rested. He prepared for the other mission that Eedaj had assigned him. But before that, he paid a visit to King Leodoro.
Knocking on the wooden post, Rydel asked, "Can I come in?"
"Of course..."
Walking in, Rydel was surprised to find Leodoro sitting together with his wife. "Is she..."
"Yes, she’s expecting," King Leodoro answered, relieving Rydel of needing to ask such an awkward question.
"So, have you reached a decision?" Rydel asked.
The king swallowed some saliva and sighed. "I... I would like to try my hand at defending the kingdom. I’ve already sent messengers to the other nations that defected prior. Once I get a response, I might learn of a possible way out of this."
"I admire your persistence, but what if there is no other way?
"Then... Can I ask you to take my wife to Trodar?" Both Rydel and the queen were caught off guard by Leodoro’s words. "Then, at least I know that she and my child will be safe..."
"Leo! You can’t--"
"After this war, I’ll send for your return. Alright?" Placing his hand on her cheek, Leodoro caressed her face with his thumb. "Alright?"
"..." She didn’t want to answer, but she knew her husband too well. She understood that he couldn’t make such a decisive move without planning or thinking it through. That’s the way he always was.
"Alright?" Leodoro asked again, placing his other hand on the bump of her belly.
"... A-Alright..." The queen sniffled and threw her arms around her stubborn, thick-headed husband. "You better come to your senses soon... We’ll need you."
"Of course..." Looking back to Rydel, Leodoro pled, "Please, take care of my wife."
"That much I can do without worry," stated Rydel, not tarnishing the king’s pride. "She should hurry and join Tridon so she won’t get left behind."
"Thank you, Rydel... Thank you..."
Leaving the teary-eyed couple alone in the tent, Rydel heaved a long sigh. Rydel then walked back to his tent, finding the others still going at it. Rather than join them, Rydel climbed onto Ayden and flew away into the dark, night sky.
*****
Sitting around a table, many men were quietly waiting for the final seat to be filled at the head of the table. A few more silent minutes passed until the flap of the massive tent opened up for the final arrival.
All the other men rose to their feet and bowed. They promptly waited for that man to take a seat before returning to their own.
"Master Tyres, we’d like to apologize for forcing you to sully your hands against that dragon," the man just beside the head of the table stated loudly.
"It’s of no consequence. Since I did nothing but slap him, the gods of Trodar won’t be riled up," Tyres explained, allowing the other men to feel some relief. "There still may be a chance of a god coming to face me, though. Seeing as those reinforcements came from nowhere, a god may have tagged along as well."
"Then..."
"Should that be true, I’ll handle the other deity, rest assured. But as for the war, that’s something that I shouldn’t get involved in. That would only lead to the other gods attacking you while I’m away, hence immortals aren’t allowed to massacre mortals," stated Tyres.
"Then allow us to reorganize ourselves," stated that man beside Tyres. "We’ll be ready for that dragon and the others now that we know not to hold anything back. Since they’ve revealed their trump card, we shall reveal the one you graciously gifted us."
"It wasn’t I but my fellow holy god, Kylon that gifted you those beasts," Tyres corrected.
"Thanks to both you and Kylon, we’ll claim victory and resume our rightful place in the continent!" shouted the man.
"Emperor, please remain calm. This is only the first step toward greatness. There’s much more to come afterwards. And given your drive and passion, I’m sure that I or any other holy god would be proud to have you serving under us."
"Thank you, Master Tyres!" The Zuran Emperor stood and bowed again to Tyres, truly touched by those words. "For you and the holy gods, the Zuran Empire will stand proudly."
Chapter 472
As his claws tore apart another basilisk, Kori could hear the intestines of the reptilian beast sizzling as the foul stench of grilled, putrid meat had already filled the air. It was an aftereffect of Kori leaving the burning corpses scattered in every which way. They had no time to care for the bodies, nor would they care if they had time.
Lorwynn was also self-centered at the moment, frying all incoming basilisks from the inside out with lighting or shredding them to pieces with dancing swords created with holy energy.
"Not bad, Lorwynn," Kori commented. "You’re a lot better than I expected you to be."
"Just because the God of Time managed to kill me before doesn’t mean I can’t handle myself now. He had eight levels on me and I was mortal. If we were equal level, I would’ve floor him," stated Lorwynn, chuckling along with the former Fox God.
"Fair." Just then, Kori blinked and sniffed. "Oh... We’ve got us another big one..."
Lorwynn nodded. "Let’s nap after this one. Then we can try and make the final push through."
Racing towards the Hell-flame Fox was a gigantic basilisk, over thirty meters in length. But the Giant Basilisk’s appearance did little to affect the fox.
"How far are you?" Kori asked nonchalantly, not even looking at the charging beast.
"I’m almost three-fourths of the way."
"Ha! Then it looks like I’m in the lead!" joked Kori, still not looking at the lv. 85 Giant Basilisk. "Hurry up or you may not make it in time and Hadurt will beat you."
Shouting, Lorwynn smiled, "Shut up... It’s only been three days! After a good nap to replenish some energy, I’ll catch up and ascend before you!"
"Try me!" Kori laughed. "I even gave Hadurt something special, so if you don’t ascend now, there’s no way you’ll beat him later."
By then, the Giant Basilisk was less than fifty meters away from the fox. It opened its massive maw and gathered a murky, grey liquid at the bottom of its mouth.
Basilisks were known for their special saliva that could turn things to stone upon contact. It was a rare ability but took a few seconds to gather the fluids necessary, something that Kori had given the Giant Basilisk many times over. Irritated by the ignorance of its prey, the Giant Basilisk readied all of the special saliva it had to show the fox wrong for being so ignorant. It proceeded to spew out that liquid, aiming directly for the flame body it was charging.
That finally got Kori’s attention but not enough to warrant the fox’s intervention. Rather than dodge, Kori took off and barreled for the Giant Basilisk with little to no regard for that saliva.
The Giant Basilisk felt proud of its foe’s ignorance, waiting to see it turned to stone and become the Giant Basilisk’s meal.
"Tzzzzz..."
More sizzling rang out through the cavernous dungeon floor. The thick, murky saliva was evaporating too quickly to ever reach the black flame body.
Baffled, the Giant Basilisk didn’t know what to do next. The only thought that popped into its mind was to run. But it was too late to flee as Kori was already on top of the Giant Basilisk with hungry eyes.
Then, suddenly, Kori’s flame body dispersed.
It gave the Giant Basilisk some hope, which was dashed immediately as lightning fell upon its hulking body. The attack hurt but wasn’t fatal. However, that lightning was enough to stun the Giant Basilisk and allow the fox to begin eating the massive beast alive.
Kori was excited as his heated breath cooked the meat while he chewed it. Lorwynn rained more lightning down onto the basilisk while fileting the beast alive using his holy swords.
In a few moments, the still-living basilisk had two limbs removed and chunks of its torso carved away.
"As I thought! This meat tastes good!" Kori shouted with his mouth full.
"Anything will taste good after eating nothing for three days," commented Lorwynn, hypocritically using electricity to fry up his own portion of meat.
The Giant Basilisk cried and wailed with all its might but it was picked apart piece-by-piece by the party of two hungry demigods.
After the Basilisk finally died a painful death, Lowynn and Kori delightedly finished their meal. They were interrupted though by the arrival of two more Giant Basilisks, both at lv. 86. But now that they were done playing with their food and no longer hungry, neither of the two men cared for a prolonged battle.
Kori dashed toward the one on the left and Lorwynn soared toward the one on the right.
Both Giant Basilisks attempted to use their trump cards, both proving useless. The one on the left saw its putrid saliva evaporate despite its incredibly high boiling point while the one on the right had no way to hit the nimble mage, who could dance in the air if he wished. Each basilisk was forced to confront an enemy head-on without any help from their most notorious ability.
Kori’s reactivated flame body tore the Giant Basilisk apart and scorched the beast’s internal organs. There was no hope of the Giant Basilisk recovering, let alone winning the battle.
Lorwynn’s holy swords sliced into his foe with ease, first targeting the Basilisk’s eyes. After carving out the beast’s eyes, two holy swords dug into the hinges of the Giant Basilisk’s jaws. With its fangs and sight removed, the basilisk had no proper way to defend and fight back against the merciless mage.
When they finished their opponents, each of them sighed and found a seat nearby. Their clothes were splattered and painted with blood. You could see itty-bitty bits of basilisk flesh and intestines shriveled on their outer robes.
Now in his human form, Kori made himself comfortable and laid down. "It’s nap time, right?"
"Yup..." Lorwynn forced a yawn from his mouth and created a wide, light green barrier around them. "Should anything enter here, we’ll know right away. After three hours, it’ll break and wake us up with an alarm."
"Neat spell... Where’d you learn it?"
"My master... He taught me almost everything I know..." Sighing, Lorwynn readjusted himself and closed his eyes. "Goodnight..."
Kori chuckled, "Goodnight, kid."
While the leveling duo had nearly cleared all of the first floor, Jack was flying down the dungeon. With his mini-map’s new ability, his travels were made easier. When a particular dungeon floor permitted it, Jack would use his minokawa form to breeze through an entire floor. But that only happened about once every five floors, letting him clear at least five floors a day with hardly any rest.
Currently, Jack was heading down a vertical cavern in order to reach the sixteenth floor, impatient as ever.
Though Jack was traveling at a pace that would’ve beaten his old in-game record, Jack was now living according to Kartonia and not a videogame’s day-night cycle. At his best pace, Jack would clear the entire dungeon in around three weeks, which was more time than Jack wanted to spend away from the others.
Chapter 473
Walking back and forth with calm steps, a proud man in extravagant clothing pondered his new situation. Having created a barrier around the entire camp and a second barrier around his grand tent, he felt at ease to know that even if he couldn’t keep Sterfen out, he would at least know better if the Assassin God had entered the area.
With that worry no too present in his mind, he turned and walked back to the long table at the center of the tent.
"Come in!" shouted the man.
"It’s about time..."
"Don’t give me that look, Oosam. You and the others chose this of your free will."
"Sure, but it doesn’t mean you or the others need to harp on us so badly," Oosam stated.
Two more figures entered the tent behind the Illusion God. They wore matching, multicolored robes and their outfits were mirrored. Their physical features were androgynous, making it hard to tell whether they were male or female. Both had short hair that reached their shoulders on one side and the bottom of their ear on the other, but the slant of their hairstyles was also mirrored by each other.
The three of them sat at the table, making sure to sit opposite their host.
"So, what is it you need us for, Naparn?" Oosam asked.
"I just want to have some insurance, that’s all," admitted the Molten God. "We already know that Trodar has interfered in the Zuran-Reinolt war, so it’s practically guaranteed that they’ll be here as well. Since they took the bait, I want to make sure they don’t wriggle free while they’re in our grasp."
"Hence your orders for Tralbok... That makes sense, but what is it you want from us?" Oosam asked again.
Shaking his head, Naparn looked to the two on either side of Oosam. "I need the Twin Mage Gods more than you, Oosam."
"Oh? Are you afraid that you’ll lose too much credit for using so many gods?"
Smiling, Naparn replied, "I still want your help, Oosam, but you’ll be my insurance and my trump card. You don’t need to show yourself unless necessary. I know that Sterfen and Lunara wouldn’t dare face me alone, so I can only assume that they brought another god to better their odds. With the Twin Mages, however, I can keep them from running while also keeping the advantage. If you were to help out from the beginning, they would just flee."
"True..." Oosam shrugged, agreeing with the Molten God.
"So you need us?"
"Both of us?"
Each of the twin gods spoke up in a voice that wasn’t masculine yet not entirely feminine either.
Looking to the right of Oosam, Naparn smiled and asked, "Sybin, don’t worry, okay? I’ll be there to protect you."
"I’m Sybin!" the other shouted with an angry glare.
"I’m not my sister! How could you mix us up so easily!" Pounding his fist on the table, the one on Oosam’s right yelled, "We’ll help you, but don’t try and get in my sister’s pants!"
"My apologies, Sillo. I meant no disrespect," Naparn put up both of his hands in innocence, leaning back in his chair. "Forgive me, I should’ve clarified from the beginning."
"It’s simple, my brother’s hair falls to the right while mine falls to the left. How could you forget that? We already told who knows how many times!" Sybin shouted, not happy about the mix-up or her brother’s comment.
"I meant no offense, nor was I meaning any disrespect to you, Sybin," Naparn stated, looking softly at the androgynous woman. "Please, forgive me. I don’t want us to have any harsh feelings while fighting on the same battlefield."
"Fine... Just don’t forget like you always have..." Sybin rolled her eyes, not happy but not too angry. If anything, she and her brother were used to this happening all the time.
Sillo sighed, "Just don’t treat us badly... If not, don’t expect us to fight with you willingly."
"Thank you." Naparn bowed his head and looked back to Oosam. "Just remain at the side and wait to see if you’re needed."
"How do you plan to attack?" Oosam asked.
With a chuckle, Naparn revealed a cold smile. "Since they haven’t arrived just yet, I think I’ll give them a reason to hurry up. Some of my men will begin the attack at dawn. The same goes for Tyres with their war."
"I just hope you’re confident in this scheme. If not, then we’ll all be in trouble," added the Illusion God.
"Then just follow the plan. We’ll be fine," Naparn remarked. "What? Are you afraid of them? Which of them scares you the most?"
"Hmmm... Sterfen is the most threatening of them all, I would say," Oosam answered honestly.
"Why do you say that?"
"Well, isn’t that why you’ve created a barrier within a barrier?" Oosam reasoned, catching Naparn off guard. "Also, we’ve never seen him in a direct fight. That leaves us with no prior knowledge of his abilities in a battle scenario, whether they decline or increase. Knowledge is the greatest weapon and we have little to no knowledge about his true capabilities."
Since Naparn remained silent as Oosam finished, the twin gods blinked and were surprised by Oosam’s high opinion of Sterfen. Sybin asked, "What level is he?"
"I don’t know," Oosam added. "Do you know his level, Naparn?"
"... I don’t..." The Molten God hated to admit it, but he also agreed with Oosam in his heart.
"But if you don’t know his level, doesn’t that mean Halmut doesn’t know his level either?" Sillo asked.
Shaking his head, Naparn explained, "Sterfen has always been the biggest mystery. Even when ordered under contract, Lunara was unable to tell us what level Sterfen was because she didn’t know either, and she’s his wife... The reason Halmut and Skaryn never approached him about joining them was because they didn’t know what level he was or that he was ready to ascend.
"Then, he suddenly ascended out of the blue and eloped with Lunara, disregarding my threats or the threats of other holy gods... As a foe, he’s the most fearless and fearsome person among the neutral gods..."
"And that’s why you want both the Twin Mages to help you with me as insurance... To think that you, the second strongest of the holy gods, is so terrified of him... I never would’ve suspected that," reasoned Oosam, leaving the others speechless. "I’ll make sure to keep my eye on them and act when I see fit."
"... Thank you..." Naparn sighed, unable to admit that Oosam was wrong while they sat inside of the double barrier specifically designed to warn him of Sterfen’s appearance.
"Wow... Then we’ll be extra careful around him too!" Sillo added. "Don’t fight him, Sybin. We’ll fight someone else."
"Okay... Let’s do that..." Sybin agreed, nodding with her brother.
Standing up, Naparn retreated to his bed with one last statement, "Then rest now. At dawn, we strike."
Chapter 474
"Tralbok, are you in position?"
"Yes, I’m ready to act."
"Good, then I’ll make the first move." Putting his contact crystal away, Tyres returned his attention to the world around him. He stood high in the sky and overlooked the not-too-distant Reinolt encampment.
Two heads were poking out of the clouds behind him, staring longingly at the camp.
Tyres ordered, "Go ahead and eat your fill. But don’t forget to take down that tent."
Both of the giant heads nodded and immersed themselves back into the clouds. Seconds later one gigantic silhouette soared out of that same cloud and charged down at the front of the camp.
The Reinolt scouts spotted the figure but they couldn’t believe their eyes.
That figure had four wings, the front pair being longer than the second pair behind the first. The beast was covered in blue-green scales of many different shades. Its body appeared to be that of a prehistoric crocodile with a thin, long face and a tail that matched the rest of its body in length. But the beast also had some webbing between its digits and many gnarly horns jutting from its forehead and snout.
The monster terrified all who caught sight of it and was too quick to allow the scouts time to warn the others. It crashed into the two hastily-constructed watchtowers and left them obliterated while smothering half a dozen tents with the rest of its seventy-meter long body.
"DRAGOOON!!!"
Shouts filled the Reinolt camp as everyone was alerted by the appearance of one of their worst nightmares. They had just felt so much better after gaining the aid of a dragon, yet now a much larger dragon appeared against them.
While the camp was rousing up in alarm, everyone was barreling toward the great beast with all manner of weapons.
Yet, as they were rushing for the dragon at the front, another resounding crash was heard.
"Another dragon!"
More shouts filled the air as all hope was lost at the sight of another mythical dragon, which some thought was even larger than the first. And that second dragon rushed directly on top of the king’s tent. There was no hope of any survivors under the seventy-five-meter behemoth.
Just when all hope was lost and the Reinolt soldiers were ready to run, another alarming shout was heard.
"Zuran’s on the move! They’re coming straight for us!"
There was no sense of safety left in their minds. All Reinolt soldiers immediately felt overwhelmed, outmanned, and without any power to resist their demise.
*****
After saying his momentary goodbyes, King Leodoro decided to escort his wife to Tridon as he was sure to never see her again. They casually strolled through camp, heading east toward the back edge of the camp to the tent furthest from the front lines. As they neared the final tent with a dragon parked in the rear, the queen stopped.
The queen tightened her grip and sniffled. "You... Why can’t you just let go?!"
"Honey, it’s--"
"Just forget about being king! There’s no use in it if you’re dead!" shouted the queen, not caring who heard them as the only nearby tent was that belonging to Rydel’s party. "Please, come with me... Think of our child!"
"I am... That’s why I do this," King Leodoro stated, hugging his wife yet again. "No matter what happens, I want my child to know that I never gave up. I want them to know their father was a proud king that did all he could, leaving nothing to regret. Isn’t that how you would want them to live?"
"But..." the queen whimpered, having failed to convince her husband.
"Shhh... This is for our child. Let them grow and be whatever they want to be. I’ve always dreamt of being king and proudly defending my people. How can I let them get involved in more trouble and war? What kind of king would that be?" reasoned Leodoro. "I’ll make sure to care for my people, just as I’ve cared for you. I’ve made so many mistakes as a ruler, so it’s only right for me to try and fix those."
Amidst their heartfelt moment, a thunderous roar sounded out front the front of the camp. Following the roar was a multitude of shouts that brought the camp back to life in an instant.
"Dragon?!" Leodoro shouted in startlement. "Stay here! I must--"
"Please don’t do this!" The queen refused to let go of her husband, understanding what he would most likely do after seeing her off to safety.
"I must--"
A second crash and roar filled the air as even more shouts of alarmed cried about the destruction of the king’s tent.
"Stay here!"
Leodoro let go of his wife and ran off as more cries warned the camp of the incoming army. As he departed, the queen’s face dripped with tears as she witnessed her proud husband dashing into battle with no hope of victory.
Just then, another dragon flew overhead, only that was the dragon the queen already knew about. Karronteel rushed into action. He discerned which of the two dragons was the strongest and targeted the stronger of the two. Since the lv. 82 dragon was at the front, Karronteel chose to take on the dragon at the center of camp, which was too high-leveled for Karronteel to discern. But rather than fight in the center of camp, Karronteel tackled the larger dragon and teleported them both outside of campgrounds.
The invading army was all smiles as they charged ahead with full confidence. However, their confidence was rattled when they saw two dragons appear on top of them.
Karronteel decided that the best course of action was to fight the largest dragon amidst the enemy army. Though it could make things more difficult for himself should he get teamed up against, but Karronteel was sure that wouldn’t happen thanks to the presence of the behemoth Flood Dragon he faced. Anyone who dared join that fight would only get caught in the crossfire of two mythical, high-level dragons.
"What are you?!" the long-faced dragon roared, noticing the claw marks Karronteel left on its side.
"A Flood Dragon that can’t even remember the existence of us Spectral Dragons? How ignorant?!" Karronteel roared, charging again.
Opening its long mouth, a five-meter wide geyser of water erupted out of its throat. Yet it blew through Karronteel’s ethereal body without any effort on the Spectral Dragon’s part.
With the confirmation that his opponent was indeed a prehistoric dragon, the giant Flood Dragon got serious. It repeated the attack but infused his steaming-hot, watery breath with more magic than ever. This managed to make contact with the Spectral Dragon’s elusive physical form but Karronteel teleported the moment the attack made contact.
Both dragons were aware of their opponents and had effectively sized each other up. Neither cared about the army that they had landed on top of nor how the Flood Dragon’s attacks also damaged the army. They both understood that a battle between two powerful dragons was going to be brutal and bloody. Caring for those around them would only hinder them.
While Karronteel prepared for a gruesome grudge match with a dragon with a level more than five levels higher than his own, Maynard and Trax had already reached the front line where the other dragon was laying waste to Reinolt soldiers.
"What level is it?" Trax asked rhetorically, assuming that Maynard was just as clueless.
’It’s lv. 82,’ Eedaj’s voice suddenly and briefly filled Maynard’s and Trax’s minds. ’I would step in but I’m occupied with an even larger dragon at the moment. Instead, look behind you.’
Perplexed, both Maynard and Trax turned around to spot a spatial rift tear itself open. One man walked through with a beaming smile.
"Where’s the dragon!?" Hadurt shouted with eagerness oozing from his searching gaze. "There it is!"
Before either the samurai or the ninja could inform Hadurt about the situation, Hadurt charged for the Flood Dragon with his demonic halberd in hand. He was already missing out on the fun in Earthen Keep, so he was all the more anxious to kill a dragon.
Chapter 475
Tyres watched casually as the two dragons under his command barreled into the unsuspecting camp. As the second Flood Dragon nose-dived into the king’s tent, Tyres sighed.
"Finally! Are you ready to admit defeat?"
Turning around, Tyres showed a stern face to his one-time friend and companion. "Jin, why are you always so eager to die?"
"Why are you always so eager to hide?" Jin retorted, unfazed by the Sword God’s remark.
"I won the last duel, so it’s you searching for death.
"No, you and Torian won that fight, but I won the duel!" shouted Jin.
Shrugging, Tyres rolled his eyes, "Either way, I won in the end. You’re the one obsessed with death, not me."
"Coward!" Jin retrieved two katanas, arming himself and preparing for their imminent duel.
"Before we get to fighting, you should warn your reinforcements to come out now. Otherwise, there won’t be a duel or any time to save you," Tyres added with a cold smile.
Right on cue, another silhouette rocketed through the sky toward the two gods. It was beyond large or huge. The silhouette matched Lunara’s hydra form in length and it’s two expansive pairs of wings made up for the lack of additional heads. It came to a halt in the air, steadily flapping its powerful wings to maintain flight and look down on the small human gods before it.
"It’s not Torian this time? Will Kylon be fast enough to save you when you get in trouble?" Jin mocked his opponent.
"Jin, I admire your tenacity and discipline. Why must you face us and perish?" Kylon asked.
"I have standards too, just as you do Kylon. Don’t lower yourself by teaming up with him. Your noble reputation will be ruined," stated Jin.
"I understand your concern, but please know that I do this out of orders, not of my own will. I have the highest respect for you, Jin, much more than I have for many of my fellow holy gods. It’s too bad we find ourselves on opposing sides."
Sighing, Tyres added, "I heard that..."
"I don’t care," stated Kylon. "As a god with a level advantage, you’re too cowardly to face your old friend head-on while he, without advantages, has gained the better of you each time in the past, even escaping death when a second god aids you in attempting to kill him. As a warrior, he’s one of the best. If his level were even three levels higher, he’d be able to fight toe-to-toe with any of us more powerful gods as possible equals."
"I appreciate the high praise!" Jin bowed formally to his supposed enemy. "Why are you a part of the holy gods again? I always forget how such a respectable person is under the crafty, treacherous leadership of Halmut."
"Say what you must but Halmut has helped me in the past and I intend to repay that debt, even if I must act against my honor during occasions like this," Kylon commented.
"Then allow me to intervene." A fourth silhouette soared towards the group of gods, a smaller, humanoid silhouette.
"Eedaj... You’re the one who came to help him?" Kylon asked.
With a nod, Eedaj replied, "Correct. How about both of us back off and allow them to handle their own business? I don’t see a need in attacking you if you see no need in attacking me."
"Very well. I support that decision."
Both the colossal dragon and the short elf flew further than a kilometer away.
"Are you sure you’re okay with losing your security?" Jin asked. "Once I swing my blades, I’ll stop for no one, mortal or immortal."
Dual longswords appeared in Tyre’s hands. The Sword God inhaled and exhaled as he sharpened his gaze. "Come! I’ll show you why I earned the title Sword God and not you!"
*****
"Are you so confident in Jin’s abilities that you’ll allow him to face Tyres after knowing Jin’s at a level disadvantage?" Kylon had already reverted to her human form and nonchalantly stood in the air beside Eedaj.
Shrugging, Eedaj answered, "Even if I wanted to, Jin would never let me. And though Tyres has leveled up since their last match while Jin hasn’t, Jin has sharpened his skills all the more. He’s one that seeks mastery and not pure, brute strength that comes with leveling. I’m not sure if you dragons fully understand that, not without seeking to master a trade outside of battle."
"That makes a lot of sense..." Kylon nodded. "Just know that should you intervene, I’ll be forced to attack you, Eedaj."
"Thank you for the warning," The Mind God chuckled while focusing his attention elsewhere.
He was proud to see Karronteel take on the stronger of the two dragons and even teleport it into the charging army, slowing the invasion and hurting the Zuran forces while alleviating the Reinolt camp of some worries. But that left the Karronteel at a great disadvantage while there was still a second, albeit weaker dragon for the others to handle. With three unfair matches happening at the same time, four if you include Eedaj’s momentary standstill with the lv. 94 Kylon beside him, Eedaj contacted some help.
’Moranti, the situation has changed here. Kylon is keeping me from helping and two flood dragons are attacking the camp.’
’I can’t go myself. I’m busy here.’
Shocked to hear that, Eedaj asked, ’How so?’
’Tralbok and Torian decided to stop by and pay me a visit,’ Moranti answered, shattering Eedaj’s expectations. The God of Space continued, ’But I can open a rift to the same spot I did before and send someone through it.’
’Then do that, but open the rift a few meters from Maynard’s current position. That’s where they need it. Also, can Rikko--’
’Rikko’s also busy but I can send Guuro.’
’Why is Rikko busy?’ Eedaj asked.
’Sterfen cooked up a scheme and Rikko couldn’t say no. He’s on standby right now, waiting for his chance to act.’
’Alright... Then send Guuro through as well.’
’I’ll send help for the dragons first. Then I’ll convince Guuro to get off his fat butt and through the rift,’ Moranti added before ending the conversation.
Kylon remained silent as she thought Eedaj was also silently watching everything play out.
But no. Eedaj was now focusing on the duo heading toward the dragon inside the camp. He sensed their worry and contacted them immediately, answering their question and briefly joining their conversation telepathically, ’It’s lv. 82. I would step in but I’m occupied with an even larger dragon at the moment. Instead, look behind you.’
As Hadurt stepped through the rift, Eedaj sighed in relief. He then informed both Hadurt and Karronteel of the change in the situation.
’Karronteel, Hadurt has arrived. Can you teleport and swap opponents with him?’
’But--’
’That dragon you’re facing is lv. 86, Karronteel. It’ll be a terribly tough opponent for either you or Hadurt and I’m not denying your ability to face such an opponent. However, Hadurt will have a better chance of killing it while you may last longer in a fight against it.’
’Fine... Then I’ll kill the lv. 82!’
’You heard that, right--’
’Switch now or I’ll kill them both!’ Hadurt shouted, not containing his excitement in the slightest.
’Prepare a downward strike. Tell me when you’re ready,’ Karronteel abruptly stated, catching Eedaj off guard.
The Mind God and Kylon, the Storm Goddess, watched as Karronteel took to the sky and performed a nose dive directly for the massive Flood Dragon. Yet, just before the Spectral Dragon dove headfirst into the Flood Dragon’s watery breath attack, Karronteel vanished and was replaced by a human wearing black armor in a flash of purple light.
Hadurt, with his demonization active and his halberd arching downward, carved through the breath attack and landed a clean blow to the lv. 86 Flood Dragon’s face. At the same time, Karronteel’s nose dive connected with the lv. 83 Flood Dragon within the camp, tearing his claws into the Flood Dragon’s neck.
Both Flood Dragons roared and billowed in fury at the sudden change of opponents.
Chapter 476
It was well past midnight as dawn approached. Gilga was still filled with more traffic than most cities at midday but things were quite peaceful.
Moranti comfortably sat in his courtyard. The simple act of sitting and lounging freely was currently a great pastime for Moranti, as it felt so good to be without chains and to have unrestricted movement again. But during his lounging hours, Moranti reopened his eyes and sighed.
The God of Space frowned and grumbled as he teleported out of his chambers. Reappearing in the dark sky over Gilga, Moranti glared at the two men visiting him, annoyed.
"What do you want?" Moranti asked.
"Nothing. We’re just stopping by to check in on you, that’s all."
"As kind as that sounds, you’re no friend of mine. Friends wouldn’t chain each other up for half a millennium."
"But you’re free now, so why not let bygones be bygones?"
"Enough chat, Tralbok. Why did you come? I would think that you’re here to challenge me, but Torian alone won’t be enough help for you."
"Like he said, we didn’t come to cause any trouble," Torian spoke up for himself, standing proudly in his eye-catching yellow robes befitting of a king.
"Then tell me, why else have two trouble makers appeared on my doorstep?" questioned Moranti.
"We’re just here to make sure that you’re here," Tralbok mentioned. "Considering what’s going on elsewhere, we only need to keep you from going to help your friends."
"And what’s stopping me from leaving?" Moranti teleported, appearing behind each of the two gods and throwing his arms around their shoulders. "Can you two keep me from teleporting away?"
"No, but we can slaughter the city after you leave," answered Torian, looking back at Moranti without fear. "Even if you teleport back, I’m fast enough to eliminate your guild while you’re away."
"Hmm... That is troublesome..." Moranti released both gods and bobbed his head from side to side in thought for a few moments.
As Tralbok had implied, Eedaj’s telepathic voice soon resounded in Moranti’s head, ’Moranti, the situation has changed here. Kylon is keeping me from helping and two Flood Dragons are attacking the camp.’
The God of Space sighed in his mind, ’I can’t go myself. I’m busy here.’
’How so?’
’Tralbok and Torian decided to stop by and pay me a visit. But I can open a rift to the same spot I did before and send someone through it,’ Moranti added, thinking on his feet.
’Then do that, but open the rift a few meters from Maynard’s current position. That’s where they need it. Also, can Rikko--’
’Rikko’s also busy but I can send Guuro,’ Moranti stated.
’Why is Rikko busy?’
’Sterfen cooked up a scheme and Rikko couldn’t say no. He’s on standby right now, waiting for his chance to act.’
’Alright...’ Eedaj sighed, accepting all the help he could get. ’Then send Guuro through as well.’
’I’ll send help for the dragons first. Then I’ll convince Guuro to get off his fat butt and through the rift.’
Finished with Eedaj, Moranti turned back to his visitors and smiled. "Would you like for me to let you in for some tea or would that kill you with kindness?"
"I’m fine," answered Tralbok.
But Torian nodded. "I’d like some tea. Can we have some here?"
"Very well... Give me a moment." Moranti waved his arms as spatial energy gathered around them.
At the same time, Moranti contacted Hadurt hastily. ’Hadurt, I’m opening a rift. I need you to kill a dragon.’
’Say no more!’ shouted the former champion.
Doing just that, Moranti said nothing else as a rift opened and sent Hadurt to join the battlefield in Reinolt.
’Guuro, take the rift to Reinolt and I’ll give you some of my scales.’
’I’m on my way!’ Surprisingly, Guuro rushed through his rift even more quickly than Hadurt.
Then, Moranti finished waving his arms as a tea kettle and two cups appeared in the air. They floated as the kettle poured itself two servings of the most expensive tea Moranti could find. One cup floated into Torian’s hands while the other went into Moranti’s.
Annoyed, Tralbok asked, "And mine?"
"You didn’t want any, so there will be none for you," Moranti stated, taking a sip while hiding his crafty smile.
*****
"Where did he come from?" Kylon asked, turning to Eedaj.
"Who? Hadurt? Wasn’t he there the whole time?"
"Eedaj, I saw the rift open with my own eyes," stated Kylon as she took out a contact crystal.
"Wait, what’s the big deal about Hadurt?"
Not answering Eedaj, Kylon spoke clearly, "Tralbok, why is Moranti aiding them here?"
"WHAT?!"
"He just opened a rift and sent Hadurt through. Why did you allow him to use his powers?" Kylon questioned.
"Torian! It’s Torian’s fault!"
"Don’t allow him to intervene!"
While Kylon shouted at Tralbok via the contact crystal, she abruptly darted to the side and narrowly avoided a fireball.
"Since you’re impeding me from helping, then I’ll also impede you. Put the crystal away or we’ll have to get serious. I’ve already killed a dragon god once and I’d rather you not be the second, Kylon," Eedaj stated as fire danced around his palm.
Kylon blinked, taking Eedaj more seriously and putting the crystal away. She was confident that her raw power was greater than Eedaj’s, but Eedaj was crafty and could make up for a level advantage better than most. His experience outweighed hers as well. No matter how she, or Eedaj, thought about it, a battle between them could result in either of them dying should they fully commit to the fight.
"Good, now let’s enjoy the show. I’d rather share thoughts and commentary with you than attacks."
Nodding, Kylon resumed her calm demeanor and spectated the battle alongside Eedaj.
With both dragons occupied, that left Maynard, Trax, and Tridon with only the army to face. King Leodoro was already leading his troops and repositioning them to meet the advancing army as well.
Maynard and Trax turned to Tridon, who had followed them since the moment they left the tent. The samurai asked, "Will ya blame me if ya die?"
"If you’re to blame, then of course!" shouted Tridon.
Taking out Raiton, the samurai-ninja duo climbed on the Thunder Cat’s back. Pulling Tridon on as well, Maynard added, "Then hold on tight!"
With all of its strength, the Thunder Cat took off. It zipped out of the camp and passed all of the Reinolt soldiers. Apart from those that were teleported, they were the first to reach the invaders.
Once they reached the Zuran army, they split up while keeping relatively close. Together they charged the right side of the army that was traveling around the dragon’s grudge match against the battle-crazed berserker. With that fight taking place before their eyes, the Zuran soldiers were further caught off guard by the lightning-quick Thunder Cat and its party stealing the initiative.
Maynard wasted no time as he activated the bloodline skill and became the hybrid of a human and a Thunder Cat. Fur filled with static electricity covered his body while the rest of his body became more flexible and nimble. At the same time, though, Maynard’s fast-twitch muscles grew quicker and more explosive, drastically increasing his fighting strength.
"No fair!" Trax shouted as he took on the incoming soldiers in his normal form.
Laughing as he did it, Maynard cut down half a dozen soldiers in a second. "Then hurry up and choose a companion. Ya can only blame yourself!"
Tridon’s eyes were filled with admiration and longing as he witnessed Maynard’s transformation. As a beast tamer, it was impossible for Tridon to feel any more jealous and envious than he did at that moment watching Maynard fight seamlessly alongside his Thunder Cat. He didn’t know how the samurai had done it, but Tridon committed it to memory and determined in his heart that he would gain that ability also.
Chapter 477
"How much further?"
Shouting back to Sterfen and the others, King Wilheim replied, "We’re almost there! Give it a few more hours and we’ll see the campgrounds."
Snow and wind buffeted the party’s faces as they raced on the backs of the giant Glacier Wyrms. Like he had long ago, Dradich led his fellow wyrms while everyone road on his back.
Dawn was almost breaking and everyone was anxious to reach their destination. That’s when an alarming call reached King Wilheim via contact crystal.
"Sir! We need help!"
"What’s wrong?!" questioned Wilheim. "Calm down and--"
"There are dragons, sir!" the military captain stated, not wasting any breath. "Their army is approaching from the side as well! We’ll die if--"
"Sterfen!" Wilheim worriedly shouted and looked to the real man in charge.
"What’s wrong?" Sterfen asked, understanding that something urgent was taking place.
"Dragons are on the battlefield! If we don’t hurry, then..."
Not paying much attention to King Wilheim’s further ramblings, Sterfen immediately contacted Moranti, ’Moranti! We need to reach our battlefield now, or it’ll be too late. Moranti?’
’Give me a moment... Where do I open it?’
’The Desert Tundra, large enough for Glacier Wyrms.’
A reply didn’t come, replaced with a thirty-second pause. Sterfen then understood that the same scenario may be taking place elsewhere or the holy gods had laid a larger trap than he had anticipated.
But after those thirty seconds, a spatial rift appeared not even one hundred meters in front of Dradich.
The lead wyrm barreled into the rift, having already experienced travel in such a fashion. Those wyrms behind Dradich did the same without hesitation or question.
On the other side of the rift, the party found themselves in a strange place. The world was covered in sand, yet it was cold to the touch and soft blue in color, getting colder and looking more like grains of snow as the sand got closer to Aazoon. Overhead, the sun shone brightly but was covered by the thinnest cloud cover, allowing the area to remain quite well-lit yet at a constant cool temperature in part to the cold sand. It felt strange to those entering the Desert Tundra for the first time, as if such a place shouldn’t exist.
But no one’s attention was on the weather. Their eyes were all focused on the not-too-distant battle taking place.
On the side with the most snow-like sand was a large army of thousands. Amidst that army were three monstrous dragons, spewing lava from their mouths and leaving the army in ruins. Half of Aazoon’s forces had already been wiped out and the even larger, allied army on Maldor’s side hadn’t even reached them yet.
"Bowzer, I hate to ask you this but take on the largest dragon," Sterfen ordered within a second of spotting the battle. "He’s lv. 87. Can you take him?"
Not answering verbally, Bowzer leaped from Dradich’s back and rushed toward the battle at top speed. The lv. 81 Hell-flame Fox howled as he formed his newly upgraded flame body. His flames were now half white and half black, occasionally turning more black than white. Now standing at seventy meters in height, Bowzer jumped through the battlefield and instantly drew the attention of the three Magma Dragons.
The Magma Dragon’s had dark, dull scales that appeared to be made of hardened magma. When they spotted the raging fox, they roared and rushed toward the fox. Magma could be seen oozing and dripping from between their scales as they grew angrier and more enraged.
Bowzer paid no attention to the other two Magma Dragons rushing him, focusing on the fifty-meter tall Magma Dragon that Sterfen had pointed out.
Both of the slightly smaller dragons charged Bowzer but were suddenly swatted to the side. They both snarled and looked to see what had caused their fall only to grow quiet and let more lava fall from their bodies in silent anger.
"Lunara! How dare you attack mere mortals!"
Hearing the familiar, disdainful voice, Lunara rolled her eyes. "You call that an attack? If you want me to attack them, then that can be arranged."
Descending from the sky, Naparn kept his smug glare on her while Bowzer continued his charge. "So, you brought Dragas along? I’m surprised to see you two working together."
"What’s wrong with old friends making up?" Dragas stated as she joined the other two gods in the air over the battlefield. "Sorry Naparn, but just because I’m single doesn’t mean I’m desperate and hateful. Even if I was, I would turn you down again in a heartbeat."
Ignoring that comment, Naparn asked, "So, where’s Sterfen hiding now? Does he plan to play chicken like he always does?"
"He’s twice the man you’ve ever dreamt of becoming," stated Lunara.
"You say that yet his fighting style is so cowardly? He can only show his face when no one is ready to face him. Sure, I’ll admit he’s an intimidating foe while I’m unarmed, but which god isn’t?" Naparn joked. "Never has he accepted a proper duel or battle, so I have no reason to respect his fighting abilities, only his stealth skills."
"Are we just going to stand here and bicker all day or will you leave peacefully?" Lunara questioned, having heard enough slander about her husband.
"Oh, I’m so scared... Whatever will I do against two lv. 93’s and a coward?" mocked Naparn. "Maybe if Kori was still a god, then I’d be worried. But against you three? I guess I’ll have to teach you to respect your superiors!"
Withdrawing his sword, Naparn roared at the two women before him. His form took to a hybrid between a human and a Magma Dragon. Black, charred scales covered his body and his face squared off as his jaw became that of a dragon. Two wings and a tail sprouted from Naparns back, proving that, despite his playful tone, the Molten God was taking the fight seriously right out the gate.
Lunara acted similarly, taking to her hybrid form, which was almost identical to Maura’s transformation but as a fully matured beauty. Her tail and ice-cold scales were polar opposites to Naparn’s. And though she had no wings, Lunara’s neck grew longer and two more heads formed while her limbs grew longer also.
Dragas also transformed, not wanting to be left out. Her body didn’t grow larger or more bestial, but her appearance still changed quite a bit. Turning pale green, Dragas’s skin and feint veins mimicked a leaf while taking in the sun’s rays more abundantly. As her hair became emerald green, matching her lips and eyes, Dragas assumed her hybrid form of a human and a dryad.
Chapter 478
While gods bickered and ascended further into the sky with each second of their conversation, Bowzer tackled the fifty-meter dragon. However, the dragon flapped its wings to boost his agility momentarily and sidestep the charge.
Both towering beasts eyed each other as the rest of the Aazoon army was scrambling away.
At the other end of the fight, both of the other dragons were stopped by the Glacier Wyrms and Argyle.
"A lv. 81 and a lv. 79..." mumbling to himself, Argyle stood firm atop Dradich. "We’ll take the lv 81, have the others take the lv. 79."
"You heard him! Don’t touch our prey!" Dradich roared, commanding the other elven Glacier Wyrms to team up against the Magma Dragon stronger than all of them individually. Both armies were amazed to see those eleven huge wyrms suddenly appear out of nowhere, cover themselves in ice, and throw themselves into the lava-coated Magma Dragons.
Doing the same, Dradich activated his frost body to the fullest and barreled towards the forty-five-meter Magma Dragon.
Argyle tapped into Dradich’s bloodline, transforming and creating his own frost body as well. The duo of the lv. 75 Glacier Wyrm and the lv. 76 swordsman confidently charged the lv.81 dragon. Their stand riled the passion of the soldiers, stirring their hearts with the hope of victory.
"Men!" All Aazoon soldiers instantly turned their attention to their king as hope filled their eyes with each word King Wilheim spoke. "Now is not the time to retreat! Now is the time to stand for our country, to stand for our home, to stand for our families! If we turn back before the sun rises, then Aazoon will be finished before the day’s end! Will you stand with me now!"
"SIR, YES, SIR!!!"
A unanimous, resounding battle cry took over the battlefield. No Aazoon soldier dared turn their backs on the invading army, facing them and pushing to fight with a revived passion to defend their homelands. It was especially encouraging when King Wilheim was the one at the lead, unafraid of getting caught up in the battle.
Beside him were each of Jack’s wives, fully transformed with their companions out and fighting. Lina was also among, not hiding his large hydra form as she tore into the front lines of the Maldor forces. She was getting so wild that Maura had to call her back so that they could all keep close to each other in the event someone needed help.
Both Prince Willim and Princess Erina wanted to tag along but their father forced them both to remain in Frostburn City. There, they would wait for the moment Moranti opened a spatial rift for the citizens.
*****
"Tralbok, why is Moranti aiding them here?"
In a split-second, Tralbok retrieved his contact crystal and shouted, "WHAT?!"
"He just opened a rift and sent Hadurt through. Why did you allow him to use his powers?"
Glaring at Moranti sipping his tea, Tralbok shouted, "Torian! It’s Torian’s fault!"
"Don’t allow him to intervene!"
As Kylon’s shout was abruptly cut off, Tralbok sensed that the connection was canceled. Rather than shout at his new ally, Tralbok turned his attention to Moranti. "What did you do?!"
"What? I was thirsty and had been looking forward to my tea all day."
"What did you do in Reinolt?!" Tralbok rephrased his question.
"Oh, that? All I did was send Hadurt through a rift," Moranti answered, already knowing that the former chaotic champion would get spotted, keeping Guuro unmentioned.
"What else?!" barked Tralbok. "I know you! What else did you--"
"Knowing me, did you expect me to cooperate with only you two present to threaten me?" Moranti laughed. "If you want to try that, you should have Lyrun come out of hiding."
Called out, a long sigh was heard as an elf descended from a nearby cloud.
"It’s been a while, Lyrun. How’ve you been?" Moranti asked with an amiable smile.
Sighing and laughing at the same time, Lyrun replied, "Well... It’s been alright, I guess."
Torian remained silent but his gaze was sharper than ever as he kept his eyes peeled on Moranti, waiting for the moment the God of Space tried to act out again.
As Lyrun’s awkward chuckles came to an end, another voice sounded in Moranti’s mind.
’Moranti! We need to reach our battlefield now, or it’ll be too late. Moranti?’
Still smiling at the three gods there to pressure him, Moranti telepathically replied, ’Give me a moment... Where do I open it?’
’The Desert Tundra, large enough for Glacier Wyrms.’
Keeping Sterfen’s response in mind, Moranti’s smiled softened and faded. He asked, "Does this mean you three are facing me? If you’re gonna fight, then let’s fight. If not, head home before you get hurt."
Showing his teeth, Torian spat, "Does that mean you’ll--"
Before Torian could finish speaking, Moranti’s figure vanished in a blink of purple energy. The Storm Dragon prepared to attack but was alarmed to feel a mass of spatial energy behind him, just as Lyrun and Tralbok were.
They spotted Moranti behind them, already in midswing of his scythe. It’s purple energy sliced through all three of the gods but dealt no damage. Instead, all three of the pressuring gods felt themselves get pulled away with that spatial energy, being sent elsewhere forcibly.
All three of them reappeared in the air over an endless body of water. The remnant spatial energy of the slash attack finished passing through them and faded away. While Lyrun shook his head in disappointment, Torian was sparking with static electricity and Tralbok was fuming mad.
But before the three gods rushed back with Torian’s incredible speed, a second flash of purple light filled the air in front of them. Moranti appeared with a grim frown plastered across his face and spatial energy gathered around his hands, having just opened a spatial rift for Sterfen. Now, with the three threatening gods far from Gilga and Trodar’s borders, Moranti had no reason to play nice.
"Do you recognize this place?" Moranti asked, lifting an eyebrow in wait for a reply.
Lyrun nodded. "Kustram... Or at least what once was Kustram."
"Right..." Moranti continued while the Torian and Tralbok were growing angrier by the second, "The same place where Halmut and Skaryn once battled, sinking the island nation. Since the former civilization was wiped out long ago, we don’t need to hold back at all!"
Each god readied themselves before they could bat an eye. Tralbok retrieved his staff and doused himself in abundant amounts of wind energy. Lighting danced over Lyrun as he prepared his body and mind for the high-speed battle that was about to commence. Both Torian and Moranti reverted to their hybrid forms.
Green-yellow scales covered Torian as a pair of the thinnest dragon wings rushed out of his back. His claws and fangs were short, but Torian’s body became as speedy as a lightning bolt and as nimble as the wind. Lighting and wind energy heavily washed over the Thundering God as he roared and rushed Moranti.
With his purple, ethereal scales, Moranti stood firm in the air. His long claws, thinner than a cicada’s wings, protruded from Moranti’s hands. A crown of horns emerged from the God of Space’s forehead while he proudly flapped his purple wings and met Torian head-on.
Chapter 479
Blades clashed as the Sword God and the God of Discipline began their long-awaited rematch. Neither surrendered initiative, dashing into each other with full-force.
Their first few strikes were plain and simple. No energy or special tricks were showed. Both swordsmen wielded their swordsmanship in the purest form as they traded blows. It wasn’t common by any means among battles between gods but it was the common beginning to each of their duels.
"You’re too slow!" Tyres shouted, boasting his superior level while quickening his step.
The Sword God’s movements hastened yet remained perfectly balanced. He weaved through Jin’s attack and prepared a harsh slash against the samurai’s torso. But he never made contact.
For a moment, Tyres thought Jin broke the custom, something that Jin had always maintained till Tyres grew tired of the prolonged fight. But Tyres realized that Jin had effectively dodged the attack and was already preparing his own in response.
Jin’s reply was a similar slash attack, only it was even quicker than Tyres’s attack!
The Sword God was astounded and startled as he finally activated some energy to quicken his step and avoid the blow.
"Again... You lose again," Jin stated with a smirk.
Tyres eyed Jin in anger. "What was that? There’s no way you’re that much quicker than me..."
"Guess again." Jin repeated the attack, proving to Tyres and both of the spectating gods that he indeed had out-sped Tyres with no additional energy.
"Impossible..." Frowning deeply, Tyres released more energy and covered himself in wind. "I’m sure there must be some trick to your attack. You were barely quicker than me while at the same level, yet now that I have an advantage and you’re even faster?!"
"Say what you want but I don’t seek tricks. I seek results and will work hard to bring out my fullest potential without shortcuts," stated Jin.
"Then explain to me how you’ve gained so much speed."
"That’s the thing, I’m not the one who got faster."
"Huh?" Baffled, Tyres reasoned, "If you won’t explain your speed, then there must be a hidden trick. Why else would you not tell me?"
"Because I have my reasons. But like I said, I’m not the one who got faster. That’s my explanation." Jin readied himself to receive Tyres’s imminent attack.
"Then I’ll have to force you to share your secrets!"
Along with the wind around Tyres’s body, fire and lightning gathered around his swords. The Sword God lunged forward with incredible speed that could match Rikko’s nimbleness. One flaming sword and one electrifying sword each swung toward Tyres’s friend turned foe.
Jin kept his gaze fixed as both blades neared him. The God of Discipline used one of his katanas to lightly parry the flaming sword while he leaned to the side and allowed the shocking sword to whiz past his ear, almost giving Jin a haircut it was so close. He then slashed toward Tyres’s chest, still not using energy.
With his magic gathered around him, Tyres easily dodged the ordinary strike and counterattacked.
Jin focused on evasion as both of Tyres’s longswords narrowed brushed past his torso and neck. All the while, Jin refused to use energy until absolutely necessary. Due to his persistence in daily training, Jin was the first to discover his upgraded strength and abilities after Jack had purchased skill upgrades three days ago. And the moment Jin learned that his skills had grown stronger, he refused to be unaware of his new limits and trained to rediscover his newly heightened senses. Now, Jin was pushing those limits by remaining as close to Tyres’s attacks as possible while still avoiding any type of damage.
"You’re technique hasn’t improved at all..." Jin critiqued. "If anything, it may have gotten worse."
"That’s enough!"
Not taking kindly to Jin’s newfound abilities and taunts, Tyres added wind and lighting magic to boost his speed all the more. This finally forced Jin to use energy and forcibly deflect the strikes, the scenario that benefitted Tyres.
"How has he grown so much without leveling?" Kylon asked Eedaj.
Replying, Eedaj shrugged, "When all you do is train every day all-day-long for a thousand years, wouldn’t it make sense for him to get better?"
Kylon squinted and shook her head. "But such a drastic increase should be impossible without leveling... What has he done recently?"
"Jin spent the last two months searching for Tyres but ultimately failed. We came here because we knew Tyres had arrived, something that Jin could never ignore," mentioned Eedaj.
"But that doesn’t explain his growth..." Kylon added. "Though Tyres was the lowest leveled holy god, he has every reason to be stronger than Jin. Tyres is an astounding swordsman with three magic types that increase his speed and fighting power drastically. Jin is the only god with zero affinity for magic and relies purely on trained skills, standing an entire level lower than Tyres. Explain to me, how he could overcome such an overwhelming gap of potential?"
With a smile on his face, Eedaj replied, "Never underestimate the power of hard work. I know no other, mortal or immortal, that is as diligent and disciplined as Jin, hence his title. Though Tyres arose to godhood first while Jin was rejected by both Skaryn and Halmut, Jin never gave up and eventually joined us neutral gods. Even after ascending, Jin would rather miss meals and rest than to avoid his rigorous daily training."
"And?"
"And what?"
Insisting to hear more, Kylon asked, "And what else has transpired that allowed Tyres to grow stronger against the logic of the world?"
"His patience and diligence are what won out in the end. By remaining patient, he ended up joining us rather trying to impress either Skaryn or Halmut after their rejection, like what Tyres had done. Instead, Jin sought his own path. And now, even at lv. 91, you admire his skills and even compared him to a high-level combatant, didn’t you?" Eedaj replied.
Kylon smiled. "True... I believe he has earned his right to be a god and has proven himself. But that doesn’t explain anything new. Jin’s strength already defied common logic, yet now it seemingly defies how this world functions, by level. What has he found that can be better than leveling?"
"I see... So you want to understand him not for the sake of their duel but for yourself. Then you can attempt to gain that strength in hopes of pairing that boost with leveling," stated Eedaj, finally getting Kylon to admit to her own thoughts which he had read all along.
She eagerly nodded, waiting for Eedaj to say more.
"I’ll say this. As a holy god or even as a chaotic god, this boost in strength is impossible to gain," admitted Eedaj, not daring reveal its true nature or connection to Jack.
"No holy or chaotic god... Then do all neutral gods have this boost?" Kylon asked with a stunned stare.
Eedaj said nothing, only maintaining his typical smile. He kept Kylon in suspense as Tyres was forcing Jin to use more and more energy, a thoughtful strategy.
Since Jin had no magic affinities, his way of wielding energy was by using the raw mana within his body. Unlike using spells or skills that boasted magical properties, Jin’s skills weren’t aided by the use of the world’s mana. It was for that reason that Jin created his unique techniques that were low mana cost and easily sustainable with no flashiness whatsoever.
As Tyres was already hammering away at Jin with nothing held back, Jin was forced to give up practising his swordsmanship on Tyres and rely on his skills.
In comparison to Tryes’s relentless speed, Jin activated his illusory arms and now wielded twelve blades. This was his way of countering Tyres. If Jin couldn’t evade his enemy’s attacks, he would grow enough arms to deflect them all and keep up the hard way.
Chapter 480
With the godly duel heating up in the sky, the battlefield below did the same. Three dragons were fighting with their lives on the line, as well as a lv. 89 berserker that was possessed by the increasing pace of his battle.
Hadurt was all smiles while he continued to test his draconic opponent. His black halberd carved through the heated, vaporized breath attacks of the Flood Dragon. In Hadurt’s eyes, this was the perfect chance to test his skills.
’Karronteel, how about a race?’
’What do you mean?’ asked the Spectral Dragon, focusing on defending himself.
’I bet I can kill mine first.’
’I accept your challenge!’ Karronteel shouted telepathically, followed by his mighty roar.
Riled up even more, Hadurt’s smile turned demonic. The demonic energy started to seep into Hadurt’s character along with his body. His sanity was still fully intact but Hadurt had given in to his current emotions. He wanted to slay the dragon.
The Flood Dragon was amazed to see a human fight so daringly and manage to oppress him. It was outside of all expectations he and most all dragons had formed after entering isolation near the end of the Godly War.
"Come on big fella, give me everything you’ve got!" shouted the Hadurt, grinning devilishly. "If you don’t keep me entertained then I’ll kill you too quickly!"
Insulted, the Flood Dragon roared. It began amassing more and more steam within its gullet.
Hadurt patiently waited a couple of seconds while the beast charged its attack, startling the Flood Dragon. But the Flood Dragon disregarded the human’s insolence and spewed an explosion of steam.
All soldiers within the attack’s trajectory were blown away, even when they were more than a dozen meters behind Hadurt. The black-armored berserker, on the other hand, cleaved downward against the attack. At first, they were at a standstill. However, Hadurt still managed to slice the vaporized attack in two with great effort and the combination of wind and dark magic.
"My turn!"
Lighting and wind energy stormed around Hadurt and intermingled with the dark, corrosive energy. Before the Flood Dragon could blink, Hadurt appeared above the beast. With a single swing, Hadurt dove into the Flood Dragon’s neck.
A fountain of red blood sprayed all over Hadurt’s devilish smile. He was too fast for the massive-bodied dragon to evade.
The Flood Dragon was still plenty alive and rushed to the side. Tanking such a grave wound hadn’t left it incapable, but it did leave the Flood Dragon waiting for its life to gradually end due to blood loss without healing magic.
"I’m not done yet!"
Again, Hadurt dove into the long body of the Flood Dragon. And though the high-level dragon was obviously fast, it was too slow and too large of a target for Hadurt to miss.
Another cut appeared on the dragon’s shoulder. Then a slash carved into the beast’s side. Flesh parted as Hadurt sliced one of the dragon’s leg’s off.
Frantic, the Flood Dragon took to the sky to retreat. But would Hadurt let his prey flee?
He slashed again, making contact.
The dragon whined in pain as it plummeted back to the ground below. Losing a leg made it land all the more horribly, but that was mostly due to the dragon losing one of its two largest wings.
"Hmm... I can make all kinds of stuff from this!" Hadurt chuckled, feeling up the disembodied wing.
Snarling and roaring in a frenzy, the Flood Dragon targeted the Reinolt soldiers and the allies of the man threatening it. If it couldn’t deal with Hadurt, it decided to kill or threaten those that it could.
A plume of steam and heat rocketed out of its mouth. It took out plenty of Zuran forces to get there, but its targets were the party holding the invasion back.
’Maynard, Trax, watch out!’ Hadurt yelled within their minds.
Catching wind of the incoming attack, Trax hurried back while Maynard and Raiton flashed away in a show of their incredible speed.
At the same time, the Flood Dragon’s mouth suddenly slammed shut. Hadurt had run his halberd through the beast’s jaws.
In a new whine of pain, the Flood Dragon ceased its attack after hurting itself. Having holes in its mouth left the dragon unable to use breath attacks without consequence.
"I think we’re done here..." While his halberd was skewered through the dragon’s mouth, Hadurt sent absurd amounts of electricity through the halberd and into the beast.
The dragon thrashed, cried, scratched at Hadurt, but the berserker removed his halberd only to jab it into the dragon’s forehead. He then started to turn the halberd cruelly while sending more and more electricity directly into the Flood Dragon’s skull.
All the battlefield heard the dragon’s cries. They had no choice but to witness the demonic berserker torture the dragon to the brink of death, only putting it out of its misery so he could collect its limbs and corpse as trophies.
But when he finished that battle, four men arrived on the scene to confront the berserker.
"Huh? Oh, more association guys... That’s what you’ve been up to..."
Getting recognized was no surprise to the four men. They surrounded Hadurt as the lead man spoke up, "I’ve heard that Lorwynn is also alive. Tell us where and how you convinced him to turn traitor!"
"You’re confused," replied Hadurt. "It was the other way around. He’s the one that convinced me, and neither of us regrets it one bit. Now, I’ll warn you. Flee now or die. It’s your choice."
None of the men said a word, standing firm.
Hadurt sighed, "Fine... But I’ll feel like I’m bullying you when you’re so low-leveled... All of you, come at me!"
They took him up on that, swarming him as a single unit. At levels 80, 81, 82, and 84, Hadurt’s level was a major threat without relying on teamwork.
Still covered in lightning and wind, Hadurt evaded but found the duelist keeping up with him. The duelist thrust his rapier forward, also using wind and lightning magic. His role was to keep up with Hadurt and to not let him get comfortable while the others would corral the berserker and support their leader.