Chapter 488: The Battle Begins
*Click*
Dupravel snapped the vial cap off the strength regeneration potion and downed its contents in one gulp, feeling the familiar surge of strength begin to crawl through his veins, as he slowly regained his true prowess.
Just below him, the fools tasked with guarding the new Dragon remained oblivious to his location, their eyes darting frantically from rooftop to rooftop, alley to alley, sweeping the entire market square with disciplined urgency, but never quite locking onto the precise spot where he crouched in wait.
“We must get the Dragon and the Elder to safety. Move, move, move… we’re a sitting duck here. We need to relocate to an area we can fortify better,” one of the security guards aboard the chariot barked, his voice sharp with urgency as the others fell into formation with practiced instinct, forming a living wall of muscle and armor around the Dragon and the Elder, as they moved as a unit and gradually inching toward the chariot’s edge, their posture clearly preparing for a coordinated disembark to a safer zone.
However, unfortunately for them, that was exactly what Dupravel had planned for, as:-
*Slash*
*Slash*
Two more poisoned daggers flew from his fingers, his posture fluid as he moved swiftly to a new vantage point using a high-speed traversal technique that blurred his silhouette like a smudge of ink on canvas.
*Thud*
*Thud*
“Oh shit! There seems to be more than one opponent—” the lead guard called out, misreading the trajectory of the daggers and assuming, incorrectly, that multiple assassins were launching simultaneous strikes from different directions.
*CHAOS*
Meanwhile, amongst the commoners, panic erupted like wildfire.
All around the chariot, the crowd devolved into screaming confusion, unable to grasp what was truly unfolding.
Rogue firecrackers were still going off in sporadic bursts, igniting sections of the market street, while at the same time, the Dragon himself appeared to be under siege by invisible enemies.
“Who dares attack the Dragon? Coward! Show yourself!” an old man on the roadside shouted defiantly, standing tall even in fear.
*Splurt*
A heartbeat later, a dagger pierced through his forehead, his body collapsing like a marionette with its strings cut, as Dupravel silenced him without a second thought, simply because he could.
“Stop crowding me… I can’t see jackshit with you guys blocking my line of sight,” Veyr snapped, his voice clipped and irritated beneath the cloak of calm he usually wore.
“I appreciate the concern, but if a poisoned blade slips through a small gap in your formation, I’m finished. I would prefer you allow me to fight for myself. I am more than capable—”
He pleaded, however, his protests fell on deaf ears.
“Cover the Dragon! Protect him at all costs!” The lead guard barked again, louder this time, ignoring Veyr’s words completely, as he and the rest of the Twelfth Elder’s detail tightened their perimeter around him.
Shields overlapped and eyes scanned all directions as they finally reached the edge of the chariot, preparing to leap.
“Lord Dragon, Twelfth Elder, please prepare to jump at my command,” the guard instructed, his voice steady despite the chaos, as he raised one fist in the air, then dropped it in one sharp motion.
“Now!”
He urged, as with synchronized precision, the entire entourage vaulted from the chariot to the cobbled street below.
However, unfortunately for them, that jump was the exact moment Dupravel had been waiting for, as the second he saw them leap, he too sprang into motion.
*Slash*
*Slash*
*Slash*
*Slash*
*THUD—*
Four guards fell mid-descent, their bodies slamming into the ground like meat tossed from a butcher’s hook, which left only two: the lead guard and one other, as the last line of defense between Dupravel and Veyr.
*Step*
*Step*
It was at this moment, that Dupravel finally revealed himself, as he chose to descend from the rooftop with unhurried menace.
*Land*
Dupravel landed before the crowd like a specter born of nightmare, dressed in the signature robes of the Black Serpent Guild, which fluttered faintly under the wind.
A curved short sword gleamed in his hand, its black edge soaked with the blood of countless enemies, as he eyed Veyr with the gaze of a hungry predator.
“It’s him… it’s Monarch Dupravel! The Black Serpent Guildmaster!” the lead guard shouted, his voice cracking as the words left his throat.
As a chill swept the market street.
Everyone within the Cult had heard of Dupravel.
Everyone knew what he had done.
This was the man who had slain the previous Dragon, Noah, and walked away without consequence.
This was the man the Cult hated as one of its worst enemies.
*Shing*
*Shing*
*Slash*
*Dodge*
*Slash*
Dupravel moved like a shadow, eliminating the final two guards in a brutal flurry of blade and smoke, clearing the path to Veyr with ruthless efficiency as he blinked between short-range spatial points, his body dissipating and reappearing in clouds of black mist that confounded the eye.
‘What the hell is that movement technique? He’s right in front of me, yet I can’t tell where he’ll appear next…’ Veyr thought, his jaw clenched tight as he clenched his sword tighter, muscles flexing beneath the tight ceremonial robes, as the fabric tore along the seams.
*Block*
*Parry*
*Slide*
Their blades clashed.
And to Veyr’s surprise, despite the lethal speed of Dupravel’s assault, he somehow managed to intercept the first wave of strikes without a hitch.
It seemed as if due to the effects of [Parallel Processing], his mind had split the sensory load across multiple channels, allowing him to read Dupravel’s attacks just fast enough to react and defend, as he somehow managed to stand his ground for now.
“You will not harm Veyr! You coward! Now that you have entered Cult Territory, you’re going to pay with your life!” The Twelfth Elder said, as he launched himself into battle, unleashing two powerful [Wind Slashes] that forced Dupravel to take a step back.
The Twelfth Elder felt the dam of his suppressed fury finally crack upon seeing Dupravel’s face, as a flood of buried rage surged to the surface.
He too had history with Dupravel, for he had been there on the day Noah was slain, forced to flee as his closest friend stayed behind, choosing death to ensure their escape.
Noir had been weak back then, he had been unable to protect Noah, but ever since that incident, he had been praying for the day when he would get a chance to face Dupravel yet again, for in his head, he had already played this scenario a hundred times over, and had a plan to counter the Monarch.