TING—! TUNK—! TAAAAANG—!!!
The screech of metal sliding against metal filled the air, high-pitched and relentless.
Verc and Kael clashed swords in a flurry of sparks, their movements becoming a blur to any normal eye. Their swings and exchanges were so fast that their weapons and arms were just streaks of gold and white light now, barely visible in the dark throne room.
SWOOOSH~!!!
A strong, violent surge of shockwaves was produced each time Verc’s mana collided with Kael’s holy power. The air between them seemed to warp and ripple with the sheer intensity of their opposing energies.
CRACK—!
The ancient stone ground underneath them began to spiderweb and crack at the sheer pressure coming from the two. They both had their feet deeply planted on the floor, their muscles bulging as they fought for every inch of space.
CLANG!
Kael saw an opening and went straight for Verc’s neck with a blindingly fast horizontal strike, but Verc blocked it just in time, tilting his blade to redirect the force down and away from his body. And without wasting a second, Verc spun on his heel and swung his blade at Kael’s left arm.
TINK—!
But Kael stopped the attack with his sword’s cross-guard. And after that, he immediately responded with a lightning-fast thrust aimed directly at Verc’s chest.
TSSSHHKK—!
Verc used his own cross-guard as a shield, catching Kael’s blade as it lunged toward his heart, and he jerked it upward.
The cold steel whistled past his left cheek, close enough that he could feel the biting chill of the energy.
SLASH!
With a swift, practiced swing, Verc countered with a horizontal attack aimed at Kael’s head. Kael had to lean back at a precarious angle, Verc’s sword barely missing his nose. Then, as Kael was falling toward his back— BAM!
He stretched his right leg and kicked upwards with surprising flexibility, aiming a heavy boot at Verc’s chin!
Verc managed to block the kick with his left hand, grabbing the boot, and as he held Kael’s right foot—FWIP! He tried twisting it to the left to snap the ankle!
But feeling the shift in weight, Kael jumped slightly with his remaining left foot. And while he was momentarily in the air— SWOOSH—BAM!
Kael spun his entire body to the right to avoid getting his ankle twisted, and using the momentum of the turn, he slammed his left foot straight into Verc’s temple!
"KEUK?!"
Verc stumbled heavily to his side upon being hit. The force of the kick was immense, and his head was shook by the impact.
Kael broke free at that moment and regained his stance, breathing heavily. Then, without any rest— FWOOSH!
He continued his relentless attack against Verc.
Verc recovered quickly as well, shaking his head as he gripped his sword tightly to meet the next strike—
TING! CLAANG! TINK! THUNK—!
The two of them started exchanging deadly, high-speed attacks once again, the throne room ringing with the sound of their battle.
*****
(Verc’s POV)
TAAAAANG—!
The sound of our metal clashing echoed throughout the massive throne room like thunder. It was absolutely ear-deafening.
But strangely, the rest of the place felt dead silent except for that one sound.
’My arms feel numb.’
I thought to myself. Every time I blocked one of Kael’s strikes, I could feel the vibration traveling deep into my bones.
Kael was incredibly strong, both in terms of his raw physical output and his refined technique. He didn’t waste a single movement.
So that’s why, as the seconds turned into minutes, I found myself wondering—
’Why are we still in a stalemate?’
That question had been circling in my head for a while now, nagging at me.
In terms of pure power, we were essentially on par— my raw vampire strength and new mana were clashing equally against his human strength and that powerful, trained holy power.
Though, technique-wise... I knew for a fact that I was way below Kael’s level.
It was showing in the way the fight progressed. After all, except for a small, shallow cut on his cheek from earlier— I really haven’t managed to wound him yet. He was reading my moves before I even made them.
"..."
Not only that—
Gibson, Stanford, Kelton, and Harper... They haven’t made a single move against me yet. The four of them were just standing near the entrance of the room, their eyes locked on me and Kael.
They weren’t even gripping their swords properly, their stances loose and hesitant.
But glancing at their faces, it didn’t seem like they were underestimating me. It wasn’t that they thought Kael didn’t need their help... It was more like... They simply didn’t know what to do. They looked lost.
I brought my full attention back to the man in front of me.
TIIING—!!!
Kael’s face was dead serious, his swings were heavy, and every strike looked deadly enough to end the fight.
But for some reason, I didn’t feel scared of them. My [Danger Sense] wasn’t even giving me a signal from any of his attack. It was quiet, almost dormant.
As a matter of fact, I realized something just now—
’I was distracted by the other four for several seconds. My mind was not fully in the fight... Someone like Kael wouldn’t miss an opportunity like that to end me or at least land a critical hit.’
TINK! TAAANG!! CLANG! TIIIIINGGG—!
The metal clashing was still echoing, a constant rhythm of steel.
"..."
But just as I had noticed earlier, the rest of the room was still so quiet...
’These guys are such idiots.’
I thought, a small, bitter smile appearing on my face... I immediately realized what was going on.
And to confirm that— TAP.
"..."
I suddenly stopped mid-fight. I lowered my sword and just stood there, staring directly at Kael. He had already started a wide swing, and his blade was heading straight for my unprotected neck.
"...?!"
Kael’s eyes widened at my sudden, suicidal action. And just as the edge of his blade was about to decapitate me— TAP.
He stopped as well...
He pulled back so hard he almost lost his balance, freezing like a statue right in front of me. His sword hovered mere inches from my skin.
Kael and the others...
’They had absolutely no intention of killing me from the start. They were still treating me like a friend, even after everything.’
FWIP—
I didn’t hesitate. I immediately reached out and grabbed Kael by the neck.
And using the sharp claws on my left hand— SLASH!
I made a very small, deliberate cut on his skin.
"?!!"
Kael’s eyes grew large as he tried to move his body to retaliate, but he found that he couldn’t— THUD!
He just fell onto the stone floor like a discarded ragdoll.
"W-What...?!"
He tried to scream, but even that was a struggle for him. His voice was a weak raspy whisper.
It was the effect of my skill, [Paralysis Touch]. I got it back in the cave. It’s an incredibly strong ability, but I really use it very rarely.
I usually only kill and never try to simply apprehend them, but for these guys, I had to make an exception.
"...?!"
Anyway, I saw the other four widen their eyes in total surprise as they watched their leader fall. They finally clenched their swords, their faces turning pale.
But before they could even do anything— SWISH~
I pointed the sharp tip of my golden sword directly at Kael’s head.
"He’s not dead— but he will be if any of you move."
I declared that loudly, my voice echoing with a cold authority.
The four of them flinched in their places and turned to look back at me, their expressions complicated. I looked at them straight in the eyes, then opening my mouth—
"I’m going to grab Onyx and leave this place. You four will move out of the way and you won’t follow me. That way... This will all end peacefully."
I followed up with that, my tone leaving no room for argument.
But after saying my piece... FWIP~
I slowly sheathed my sword back into its scabbard.
Tap- Tap- Tap—
I walked over to the corner where I had left Onyx and picked the little guy up. He wagged his tail, sensing the tension but trusting me.
I looked at Gibson and the others after that... They were looking back at me with a deeply confused and sad look on their faces. They look betrayed.
But without any further hesitation... I just walked toward them.
And with total ease— TAP.
I walked right past them, my shoulder brushing against Gibson’s.
"You’re so unfair... using a hostage like that..."
I heard Gibson mumble under his breath as I walked past him. His voice was low.
"I’m sorry."
I apologized, a bitter and weary smile on my face.
I didn’t say anything again after that. I didn’t stop walking or even looked back.
My swords were sheathed, and my "hostage" was now meters away from me on the floor. I was completely unguarded and my back was turned to four skilled fighters... But they didn’t attack me.
They just let me go.