Silence hangs between us for a brief moment.
But the battlefield around us is anything but quiet.
BOOM!!!!
Another cannon erupts in the distance while dragons roar overhead. Steel clashes against steel throughout the outpost, yet neither of us moves.
His blue eyes remain fixed on mine, almost like he’s studying me.
"What’s with that look?" I ask while tightening my grip on my sword.
"You remind me of someone," he replies calmly.
"Who?" I question.
"A slayer I killed years ago," He answers without any hesitation.
My grip tightens as he slowly raises his sword until the tip points directly toward me.
"He also believed he could overcome impossible odds," He continues on.
Dash!!
Without another word I burst forward.
CLANG!!!!
Our swords collide once again.
The impact travels through my arms, but this time he doesn’t budge an inch.
He’s planted like a mountain.
I immediately twist my blade and slash toward his shoulder.
CLANG!
Blocked again.
Clang!
Another slash that’s met by another block.
Every strike is met perfectly.
He’s reading every attack. I did not expect to have this much of a challenge so early on...
~His experience far exceeds yours.
I already figured that much out!
I jump backwards before immediately rushing in from another angle.
SLASH!!!!
The captain tilts his body just enough for my blade to skim across the iron plating integrated into his clothing.
Sparks scatter.
Before I can retreat—
WHAM!!!!
His elbow crashes into my ribs and pain shoots throughout my side.
I grit my teeth and slide backwards across the dirt.
Damn...
He’s landing attacks with almost no effort. I’m already starting to learn how far behind I truly am.
"You’ve got decent instincts," the captain says while lowering his sword slightly.
I don’t see a reason to speak to him right now when my intent is to kill.
"You announce every intention before acting," The Captain continues to speak.
There’s no point in me responding to my enemy over and over again. I shouldn’t even be talking with him to begin with.
Instead I lower myself into the Valtor stance again.
Breathe in, Breathe out.
Focus.
The battlefield begins fading away from my thoughts.
Only the dragon captain remains.
He smiles faintly.
Dash!!!!
I explode forward again.
This time I don’t attack immediately.
Instead I circle around him before suddenly changing directions.
SLASH!!!!
The captain blocks but before he can recover I pivot.
SLASH!!!!
Another strike.
Then another.
CLANG!! CLANG!! CLANG!!
Our swords continue colliding as sparks scatter around us.
He’s still blocking but he’s moving now.
At least I’m forcing him backwards.
The captain suddenly disappears.
Where—
CRACK!!!!
Pain explodes across my back.
I stumble forward before barely managing to turn around.
He stands several feet behind me.
He is a lot faster than I anticipated. I need to find a way to pick up speed.
He never even made a sound.
~Movement skill.
That makes sense... But I didn’t expect him to have that. Haven’t I picked up some speed myself?
~Not enough for you to keep up with him.
Blood begins dripping from a shallow cut across my back.
Not deep enough to cripple me, but deep enough to remind me that he could’ve aimed somewhere worse.
"If I wanted you dead, you would’ve already joined the others," He says with a serious tone.
I glance around.
Broken bodies of slayers and dragons alike.
He’s talking about all of them. The ones I noticed on my way towards the outpost.
He slowly walks toward me again.
ROARRRRRR!!!!!
A wounded dragon crashes nearby, interrupting us for a moment.
A couple of slayers immediately rush toward it.
The captain doesn’t even look, instead he just slowly raises his hand.
The wounded dragon immediately freezes.
What’s it doing? I don’t understand what’s happening all of a sudden.
It forces itself back onto its feet despite one of its wings hanging uselessly by its side.
"No..." I mutter.
It shouldn’t even be able to stand.
The dragon lets out another roar before charging toward the approaching slayers.
"What did you just do?" I question with confusion in my voice.
"I gave an order," The Captain calmly answers.
The wounded dragon obeys, even while it is dying right now? I really am learning more and more about how the dragons work.
~The hierarchy among dragons is far more absolute than humans realize.
Meaning that captains can command other dragons.
I guess that does make sense since I saw something similar the day I fought against multiple in the ambush. One dragon appeared to be in charge that day but I don’t think he was a captain.
My attention shifts toward the wounded dragon just long enough to watch it slam into two slayers before finally collapsing again.
Its body doesn’t move as it is finally dead.
All it did was buy time before dying. Hmm.
"So that’s how you use your own kind," I say with a bit of disappointment in my voice.
"Our duty comes before our lives," He replies with a small shrug.
His voice doesn’t change in the slightest.
"If sacrificing one dragon saves fifty others then that is a worthwhile exchange," He explains with a cold tone.
I tighten my grip until my knuckles feel like they are about to start bleeding.
Dash!!!!
I close the distance once more.
This time I channel every bit of strength I have into a single overhead strike.
The captain raises his sword.
BOOM!!!!
The impact sends dust erupting beneath our feet.
For just a moment I notice that his knees bend.
His eyes widen ever so slightly.
"Impressive," He says quietly.
Before I can capitalize—
A deafening roar shakes the battlefield.
ROARRRRRRRR!!!!!
Both of us instinctively look toward the sky.
More dragons.
Far more than before.
The dark clouds are almost completely covered by their wings now.
The cannon fires desperately.
BOOM!!!!
One dragon falls.
Another immediately takes its place.
"This battle is only beginning," the captain says quietly.
His gaze returns to me.
I slowly raise my sword again despite the blood running down my side.
A small smile forms on the captain’s face.
Not one of mockery, but one of genuine respect.
He points his sword toward me once again.
"Show me how strong you can truly be," He says with a calm tone.
The pressure coming from him feels heavier than before.
I steady my breathing.
It doesn’t matter how strong he is... I’ll find a way to win the fight against him.
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter