Chương 547: Chapter 546: Battle In The Forest II

Torug Yregh Bang Rip!

'Eleven,' I counted, giving another cut across his stomach. One was all I took to deal with 90% of the enemies I had used the artifact against. Five was the highest. All those enemies were stronger than me. It's the reason I used the artifact against them. Killing them all without exception, but here, despite cutting him eleven times, he is still alive. The reason is aura. It made things harder last time and is making them harder now. I didn't think he would be able to survive for so long, but he is.

I am in a precarious situation, teetering on the edge of failure. Time was slipping through my fingers like sand, and I needed to capture him—now. Every second wasted was a step closer to losing my chance to deliver him to the designated spot before it was too late. The contract is rigorous. I have read it a hundred times, and there is no exception. I will have to do what it had asked or suffer death. I moved again, and he retreated, using the thick trees around us. Bang Rip!

I cut through them before attacking him. Giving him another cut across his stomach. Anger surged through me, hot and blinding, as I watched him still standing. My attacks, which should have torn him apart, barely scratched him. This artifact had split others clean in two with a single swing—yet against him; it was as if I were striking stone.

"Resistance is futile. Just give up, Silver," I said. It is clear that it is futile. He might be resisting now, but he won't be for forever. I could see in his face how hard it was for him to dodge my attack. If it hit him, his difficulties would increase further as he had to deal with the artifact's energy.

"I will give up IF you will defeat me; you haven't yet. You haven't yet!" the young man replied defiantly. I didn't say anything to that and attacked again. He dodged it and then another before I touched him again, bringing his injuries to thirteen, and attacked again without wasting any time. I have to deal with him fast before diving into the battle to kill all of his entourage. It will be troublesome if I leave them alive. Besides, the employers added extra benefits to the contract with the death of each one.

So, there is another reason for me to kill them. There are a few tricky ones among the enemies, but once I joined my people. They will all be burned to ashes without any exception. Especially that ice elemental spell blade. This time, three mages and spell blades are dealing with her, and she is still giving them trouble. I pushed those thoughts and attacked again, going for his chest. Clang! He defended it. Something he didn't manage to do since I increased the power.

His power didn't increase, but he defended it with a smile appearing on his face.

"A fluke," I told myself, gripping the weapon tighter. With a snarl, I launched another attack, determined to prove that he wouldn't escape unscathed this time. He moved his blade, and its speed did not increase. It was at the same speed as before. Hun! This relieved me, but a moment later, I noticed something. His blade moved according to mine, which it does every time, but it followed my saber eerily accurately this time. Soon, my saber reached his blade, and I activated Weaving Evasion despite my strain. Clang!

To my surprise, his blade stopped it. He seemed to know where my saber would move and adjusted it accurately. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Anger rose in my heart, and I stepped forward and attacked while he retreated to absorb the force. Clang Clang! He defended once again and again when I decided to try a different strategy and suddenly attacked to his left. He moved as I moved, with his eyes never leaving mine. Clang!

His blade clashed with mine, and anger rose in my heart. I controlled it and appeared behind him before attacking. He deflected the blow infuriatingly, and the anger in my chest surged, burning hotter with every heartbeat. Clang, Clang, Rip! He defended again and again before finally allowing me to pass the evade and give him a cut. My rage flared as I watched him twist, narrowly evading the strike. He didn't just avoid the attack—he completely outmaneuvered it.

The blade of the saber didn't even graze him, let alone draw blood, and that realization only stoked the fire in my veins. It only made a scratch.

"Bastard!" I cursed and attacked. Pushing my skills as hard as I could. Clang Clang Clang He defended the attack and then another and another. His eyes are always on my blade. He moved according to my attack. The more I attacked, the more I noticed his precision. He moved only when absolutely necessary, his steps were calculated, his shifts were economical, and he wasted not a single ounce of effort.

I struck from every angle, my blade a relentless flurry of fury, yet the bastard deflected each strike with maddening efficiency. It was as though he danced on the edge of chaos, always a step ahead, always in control.

'Yregh, I need help!' said Hortu. Breaking me out of my thoughts.

'Wait for a few seconds,' I replied and immediately asked others, but all of them were busy. We have learned about the enemies, but the enemies have also learned about us, as well. Making things difficult this time. I had warned them about it and told them not to hold back against them, but they still ended up underestimating the enemy, seeing our advantages against them. I focused on the enemy in front of me. I need to deal with him first before I can help my men. Clang, Clang, Rip! He defended my attack.

I attacked repeatedly, and he defended and continued to defend five times before I could cut him. I wouldn't stop and push myself against him harder and harder. Every one of my attacks forced him to retreat, but no matter how relentless I was, he defended with a tenacity that defied reason. Worse, he seemed to be improving with each clash, his movements sharper and more precise, even though he looked like he could collapse at any moment. He had turned pale and started bleeding out from his nose and ears.

The same thing happened last time, but then he continued fighting as he was doing now. I needed to finish him, but he resisted with everything he had. He should know by now that it was futile. This wasn't like last time—there was no escape, no miracle waiting for him. At that moment, I unsheathed the saber, its edge gleaming with purpose. His fate was sealed the instant it left its scabbard. He might think his defiance means that he's buying time or turning the tide. But he's wrong.

All he's doing is delaying the inevitable. And even so, I couldn't let him stall for much longer. Fate waited for no one. Seeing that, I begin to swing my saber hard. Sending arcs after arcs of fire at the enemy before following behind. I didn't attack like this before because I didn't want to kill the man mistakenly, but seeing how he was resisting. He didn't leave me much choice. Seeing the attack coming. He did something surprising.

He took the short sword from his waist and moved toward the fire arcs defending against them. Bang Bang Bang! It surprised me to see how efficiently he is defending the diamond fire attacks with it—not awkwardly, as I had expected from the non-dominant hand. Clang! His rapier stopped my attack before taking a step back. I didn't immediately follow and sent the arcs, bigger ones with greater power, before following behind. Bang Bang Rip! He defended the fiery arcs again but couldn't defend against my saber.

I cut him across his waist, and this time, the cut isn't small. I could see him turning even paler. It is not just this cut, but all the cuts, and, most importantly, the strain he is feeling must be extreme pressure. I read about aura and even talked to a few who have it. They have described its power but also the strain it put on them. It could be reduced with practice and experience. This man, however, was a novice—he had barely wielded it for two months.

His inexperience was evident, the strain already starting to show in the way he moved, how his grip faltered, how his breath came in ragged gasps. Bang Bang Rip! I once again released the arcs and attacked; this time, I touched him again. However, after I attacked him again, he defended and defended again. I kept attacking, and I could see him getting paler and paler with each attack. Soon, he had become even whiter than last time. He might defend, but for how long?

I don't think he will be able to do this for long. I just need to keep pushing. Increase the pressure until it becomes so great that he will fall dead. Still, I would prefer to deal with him first before that happens. I need to help others. I kept attacking from every side, taking advantage of my speed. He reacted fast, defending against all my attacks so that I couldn't cut him. Every moment of it was maddening, and the anger simmered just beneath the surface.

But I forced myself to keep it in check, focusing all my energy on the task at hand. I couldn't afford to let frustration cloud my judgment—not now. Letting my emotions get wild wouldn't be wise, especially when I am holding the thing in hand that had killed its previous owner. Using the artifact isn't without a cost. It is powerful but straining-like aura. Using it, I need to keep my emotions under control, or it will make them burn like the fire it has within.

The man who owned it before let it consume him, and the artifact fed. I still remember its destructive power. It had wiped out everything in its path, including the man holding it. When I reached the place of destruction, I saw nothing but charred bodies, including the person holding the saber. He had turned ashes when I removed the saber from his hand. I pushed those thoughts and focused on attacking the man before me. Seconds passed and turned into a minute, and he was still defending.

He looked like a dead body, but he was still fighting. Hun! I had appeared behind him and was about to attack when I sensed something.

'Hortu is dead!' informed Fodulir. He did not have to tell me. I had sensed it. The enemy looked at me while I took a deep breath.

"You have forced me!" I said, and the next moment. The strain on me increased while the fire on my saber exploded wildly. I did not want to do this because of this strain and backlash; I would suffer, but seeing one of my core people die, I have to do this. Finish him and rest, or we will join Hortu in the afterlife.