Chapter 537: 600 VS 300
Chapter 537
"AHHHH!" A man roared as he bolted to the side, narrowly avoiding a sword strike. Without hesitation, he leaped forward and slammed his spear into his attacker’s chest, the steel sinking in with a sickening crunch.
Quickly glancing past the body, he spotted more enemies charging his way. Gritting his teeth, he twisted his spear that was still lodged in the man, yanked it sideways, and roared.
"For the Noxarian faction!" His voice rang out fiercely. Using his dead opponent as a meat shield, he pushed forward with a surge of raw strength, bulldozing his way through the crowd of ashen-clad warriors who came at him with their weapons raised.
With a grunt, he ripped his spear free, channeled Ki to his feet, and smashed forward. His spear drove directly into another man’s abdomen, the impact sending the body flying through the air and colliding with others in the enemy ranks.
But before he could take another step, pain seared through his spine. A sword pierced deep into his back, blood spurting from his mouth as his body trembled.
He struggled to turn around, but before he could even catch a glimpse of his attacker, a blade swept cleanly through his neck. His head fell with a heavy thud, rolling across the blood-soaked earth.
"Victory is ours!" an ashen warrior bellowed, raising his arm triumphantly.
In the next instant, his raised hand was severed, sliced clean off in a spray of blood. He froze in shock, his eyes wide, before a shadow appeared in front of him.
Killian.
Without hesitation, Killian delivered a bone-crushing kick to the man’s abdomen. The force sent the warrior’s body flying like a ragdoll, crashing down with a thunderous bang that shook the battlefield.
’Damn it. I had promised Dame,’ Killian cursed inwardly, his teeth gritted as his eyes swept the chaos. He saw another ally about to be cut down and his body moved on instinct. Ki surged violently to his legs, the ground cracking beneath him as he shot off like a cannon.
’No time to think. Just kill, kill, kill!’ The mantra thundered in his mind.
Leaping high into the air, twin swords in his hands gleamed under the blazing sun. His figure cast a deadly shadow as he descended with merciless speed.
"Kill!" Killian roared, his voice carrying over the clash of steel. His blades blurred, tearing through the enemy ranks, leaving streaks of blood and steel in his wake.
He moved like a reaper, cutting down foe after foe, intercepting every strike that threatened his allies. Each movement was fluid, each kill precise, his momentum unstoppable.
Beatrix, meanwhile, had not moved an inch. She stood rooted, arms crossed, her long braids swaying slightly as she observed the battle. A deep frown creased her face.
’Who the hell is that?’ she thought, eyes narrowing on Killian’s rampage. ’The information we gathered said Dame’s men were nothing but cannon fodder. Yet this one warrior is tearing through my forces as if they are paper. Just who is he? This isn’t supposed to happen... I need to move, now.’
She was about to take her first step when...
BANG!
The ground exploded in front of her, dust shooting upward.
"No way."
The words were cold and sharp, spoken right before a fist swung toward her face at blistering speed. The air cracked from the force. Beatrix’s eyes widened, but her reflexes were faster. She leaped back just in time, the fist missing her by a hair’s breadth.
"Dame!" she hissed, her voice low and dangerous as her glare locked on him. "You’ve grown slower, haven’t you?"
"Enough yapping. More punching!" Dame thundered as Ki exploded under his feet. His figure blurred, and in the blink of an eye, he was right in front of Beatrix.
His fist shot forward, aiming straight for her face with such terrifying speed that weaker men would not even be able to see it.
But Beatrix was no ordinary foe. In one smooth motion, she unsheathed her sword and raised it in the path of his strike. The blade gleamed, cutting through the air as steel and flesh prepared to collide.
And then...
Bang!
BOOOM!
The gauntlet connected with the sword in a thunderous crash, the impact splitting the air like lightning. The ground beneath their feet cracked viciously, fissures spreading outward while a massive cloud of dust and debris shot up from the force. The clash of power rattled through the battlefield, making even the distant soldiers pause.
"And weaker," Beatrix added coldly, her eyes narrowing as she stared deeply into Dame’s own. Her calmness only sharpened the humiliation in her words.
But Dame gritted his teeth, veins bulging along his neck as rage flooded him. He swung his second gauntleted hand straight at her skull with a roar, the movement wild and furious.
Yet Beatrix was like a blur. With fluid precision, she ducked under the punch, her movements too swift for his eyes to catch. In the same instant, her knee shot forward like a cannon, slamming brutally into Dame’s abdomen.
"Guhh!" Dame staggered, his body skidding backward several inches across the dirt as pain lanced through his midsection.
"Let me do you the honor of showing you what real speed and strength looks like," Beatrix muttered icily, her voice sharp enough to cut steel. Then, in the blink of an eye, she vanished.
Fwiiiish!
Her sword sliced through the air in a clean, almost soundless arc, its edge flashing toward Dame’s head with deadly precision. Dame’s instincts screamed and, with every ounce of strength, he spun, Ki surging violently into his arms. He crossed his gauntlets in front of his face at the very last instant.
CLANG!
BOOOM!
The collision sent out a shrill ringing sound followed by a deafening blast that rocked the earth. Dame’s body was hurled several meters through the air like a cannonball, his boots gouging trenches into the ground as he fought to stop his momentum.
"Shit!" he spat, stabbing one gauntlet deep into the dirt. Sparks flew as he dragged himself to a skidding halt, muscles straining. But before he could even raise his head, Beatrix was already upon him.
She descended from above like a hawk, her white robes fluttering in the wind, sword aimed downward with merciless precision.
"You should have taken me up on my offer," she hissed as she came crashing down.
Dame had no choice but to grit his teeth and brace.
KA-BOOOM!
The impact tore through the ground, blasting up a colossal wall of dust and rubble that swallowed both fighters. Even Killian, mid-slaughter in the distance, halted with a sharp glance, his brow furrowing. He could see nothing through the haze.
’Crap! Beatrix isn’t on his level. Damn it!’ Killian thought grimly, tightening his grip on his blades. For the first time, unease seeped into his chest.
WOOSH!
The heavy cloud was blown away as if by an invisible gale, revealing the clash once again. Dame was kneeling, arms crossed above his head, his gauntlets braced firmly against Beatrix’s descending blade. His teeth were clenched, sweat dripping down his jaw, but he held her strike.
"And you surprisingly hit softly," Dame mocked through bloodied lips, crimson dribbling down his chin.
"Yet I stand unhurt," Beatrix retorted with a smirk, confidence radiating from her.
"You sure about that?" Dame replied, his voice low but sharp enough to cut through the din of battle.
Her eyes flickered in confusion, her brow arching ever so slightly. That brief lapse was all he needed. With a sudden burst, Dame shoved her blade aside, forcing her to stumble back.
In a blur, he was on her. His hands reached toward her face, fingers curled like claws. Beatrix recovered quickly, raising her sword to block, but Dame twisted his body mid-charge. His movements were sharp and unpredictable.
In one fluid motion, his foot shot upward, laced with Ki. The kick ripped through the air with devastating speed, a deafening bang echoing as it smashed into Beatrix’s midsection.
The strike was so powerful that her body lifted off the ground, hurled backward like a ragdoll. She crashed through the air, her figure slamming into the dirt with brutal force.
"Oh look! And she’s hurt," Dame grinned widely, blood still dripping from his lips but his eyes burning with triumph.