Dragon of Endless Evil

Kristian felt his arms trembling. He’d already activated Steel Breath several times, and each activation drained a little more of his Chi core.

Kellen, across from him, showed no sign of fatigue, every spear strike landing at the same height, the same angle, as if he’d been fighting for hours without ever pushing himself.

’ He’s not tiring at all... He’s waiting for me to collapse first. ’

Kellen chained a low strike followed by a backhand toward Kristian’s face. Kristian dodged the first by leaping back, but the second grazed his cheek, leaving a thin line of blood running down to his chin.

" You’re starting to slow down, young master. "

" Shut up... "

Kristian counterattacked with cold resolve, his two blades striking in rapid succession. Kellen parried every one, redirecting each attack away from his body without ever stepping back.

" Not bad, but still far from enough. "

He seized an opening in Kristian’s guard to land a kick to his side. Kristian staggered back, coughing, one hand pressed to his ribs.

" I’m a little disappointed, Young Master Kristian, you’re not that hard to beat. "

’ I’ll just have to use the fated spear to finish you off! ’ he thought.

Kristian pulled himself up painfully, spat out a bit of blood, and took his stance again, legs trembling.

At the same moment, Katelyn was also starting to feel the fatigue. Gaus had just landed a hit on her forearm, a shallow but painful cut. She stepped back, quickly assessing the situation.

’ He’s stronger than I thought... ’

In the past the Sword Clan was always known to be stronger than its enemies, but after multiple generations, the clan’s leaders had studied their opponents closely and gained a notable edge over them.

Katelyn took advantage of the brief lull that always followed his third strike to land her own attack. Her rapier pierced Gaus’s shoulder, and he cried out in pain, staggering back.

" You bitch! "

" I told you I wasn’t here to chat, " she replied coldly.

" I was planning to kill you slowly because you’re Markus’s sister, but... "

" What? What does Markus have to do with this? "

But the wounded man didn’t back off any further. He activated a technique of his own, his Chi intensifying around his spear.

< First Sense of Spear: Range Reading. >

His movements immediately gained precision, his spear anticipating exactly where Katelyn would move before she even moved. She had to redouble her vigilance.

Meanwhile, Kellen was growing impatient. The fight was dragging on far longer than he’d planned, and he’d need to be at his best for Daemon.

’ This is taking too long. ’

He stepped back, watching Kristian catch his breath.

’ He’s running dry... A little more, and I can finish this without even drawing the spear. ’

Kristian, feeling Kellen’s assessing gaze on him, tightened his grip on his blades.

" You’re waiting for me to collapse on my own, is that it? "

" Not really, I’m fairly impatient, you see. I’ll kill you both and take Pandora’s Box! "

Kellen renewed his offensive, faster this time, chaining thrusts that forced a pale-faced Kristian back step by step toward the far wall. Kristian blocked, parried, dodged, but every movement cost him a little more energy. One point finally caught his forearm, another grazed his thigh.

" Damn it... "

< Blade Perception! >

His perception sharpened again, every one of Kellen’s movements becoming slightly easier to read. He managed to counter the next strike, deflect the spear, and cut Kellen’s arm, the first real wound he’d landed on him since the fight began.

Kellen stepped back, watching the line of blood bead on his forearm with an amused expression.

" Ah. Still had a bit left in him. "

" I’m not done yet, Kellen Strain. "

" No, indeed. But you won’t hold out much longer at this rate. "

Across the room, Katelyn had just gained the upper hand over Gaus. Taking advantage of a moment where he was repositioning his weapon after a missed strike, she activated her Second Sense.

< Steel Breath. >

Chi surged into her arm, hardening her skin and tendons beyond normal limits. She landed a direct hit that broke through Gaus’s guard and drove her rapier deep into his chest. The man collapsed without a word, eyes wide open.

" Kris, I’m coming! " she shouted, rushing toward him, stepping over the bodies already littering the ground.

’ Too bad. I’ll finish this fast, before she gets here. ’

But Kellen, seeing her closing in, understood the balance of power would shift if she joined the fight. He couldn’t afford to wait for Kristian’s natural exhaustion any longer.

’ I hope I won’t have to use it on him more than once. Since I can only use it twice a day, I wanted to save it for Daemon. ’

He stepped back and drew the wrapped spear from his back, sliding it out of its cloth sheath.

’ This weapon, it’s not something ordinary!! ’ the Sword Clan heir realized.

But Katelyn was only a few meters away now, and Kristian, despite his obvious exhaustion, refused to retreat any further. Kellen gritted his teeth.

’ Too bad. ’

The instant he injected Chi into the spear, an excruciating pain seized Kristian, who staggered without understanding why, one hand pressed to his temple.

’ Damn it... Not now! ’

An enemy spear, held by one of Kellen’s last men still standing, seized the opening and pierced his ribs.

" Kris!! "

Katelyn slit the throat of the nearest man in one fluid motion, slid under a second one’s legs, jumped behind him and snapped his neck with a heel strike, arriving just in time to plant herself in front of Kristian, collapsed on the ground.

Kellen’s spear pulsed with Chi so dense it warped the air around its point. Kellen hurled it at Kristian, lying on the ground and unable to react in time.

Katelyn threw herself in front of him and activated it in desperation.

" Steel Breath! "

Chi surged into her arm, hardening her skin and bones to absorb the impact. Her rapier met the spear’s point in a clash that echoed through the entire room.

Katelyn’s blade shattered... and blood sprayed across Kristian’s horrified face.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!