As soon as the duel began, Lourel and Jagid charged towards Varrik. He too rushed forward to meet them, a smile playing across his face as the clash erupted.
The moment their attacks met, Lourel and Jagid struck from either side. Varrik countered Lourel's blow on his right with his spear, then dropped suddenly into a split, letting Jagid's strike sweep harmlessly above his head. As Jagid's sword passed by, Varrik pushed himself upward in a fluid turn, his aura surging to quicken his movements. In an instant, his right leg snapped up with explosive force, slamming into Jagid's side. The impact hurled Jagid into Lourel, just as Varrik had intended.
"Is this all you have? This feels rather boring," Varrik complained, finding their attack clumsy and unrefined.
Jagid, having crashed into Lourel, forced himself back to his feet. Regaining his stance, he steadied his weapon and charged once more.
Varrik raised his spear to meet the attack.
'Endless Sword Art: Severance Storm Slashes,' Jagid declared in his mind as he swung with calculated precision, his sword wreathed in darkness. Each movement unleashed a torrent of relentless strikes, a storm of darkness cutting through the air.
Varrik watched the flurry with a smile, already preparing his counter.
'Thunder Spear Art: Thunder Rampaging Strikes,' he declared in his mind as he thrust his spear forward. A thunderous aura surged along the spearhead as he met each slash in turn, parrying with flawless precision. Every movement was controlled and exact, the crackling energy of his weapon turning aside the storm of blows with unyielding force.
The soldiers and beastmen watching could hardly follow the fight, for the strikes were far too fast for the eye to catch. Still, one thing was clear. The King of Howlfen was toying with the knight, his spear meeting the sword with ease. Each clash rang out with a heavy boom that echoed across the field, the force of every blow shaking the ground.
It was a storm of darkness against a storm of thunder, both crashing together with great power. Sword and spear struck again and again, but to those who knew the King's strength, the truth was plain. The knight was being pushed back. This was not a fight between equals. The storm of thunder was not only holding back the storm of darkness, it was showing it its place, for thunder ruled the storm.
As the battle wore on, it became clear that Jagid, once pressing the attack, was now forced onto the defensive. Much of his strength had been spent in his earlier assault, and the king wasted no time in turning that weakness into an advantage.
Varrik soon parried one of Jagid's strikes, leaving the knight exposed. He seized the moment, channelling more of his aura into the spearhead as he prepared to unleash a crushing blow.
'Thunder Spear Art: Thunder Piercing Thrust,' Varrik declared in his mind as he drove his spear into the opening in Jagid's defence.
"Guardian Art: Guardian's Protection!" Lourel cried, raising her right arm as a golden aura surged towards Jagid.
The aura wrapped around him, forming radiant armour that overlapped his own. It caught Varrik's strike, and the impact erupted with a resounding boom. Jagid was hurled backwards, the force tearing at his armour and burning his skin beneath, yet he lived, saved by the golden shield that had absorbed much of the blow. Varrik too was driven back, his own attack rebounding against the radiant defence. The golden armour shattered under the strain, breaking apart in a burst of light as the shockwave rippled across the field.
Varrik laughed, his voice filled with excitement. "Hahahaha, not bad. Now show me more, or I might end this duel far too quickly." The thrill of battle had reignited his hunger to fight.
"He is very strong," Jagid said firmly as he pushed himself up, having been knocked back and left lying close to Lourel.
"Do you have any idea how to fight him? You were the one clashing with him not long ago," Lourel asked as she cautiously watched the King, Varrik Howlfen. From what she had seen of his exchange with Jagid, it looked as though Varrik had been toying with him rather than fighting seriously.
"All I can say is that his strength and speed are overwhelming. I never told you before, but I am a dual user and can use both mana and aura. When I attacked him, he simply overpowered everything with his aura. After clashing with him for a while, I can only say that he is still holding back a lot. It feels as if he could end this duel in an instant if he wanted to," Jagid said honestly, leaving nothing unsaid.
After listening to his words, Lourel raised her hand to her chin and paused, thinking for a moment as she cautiously watched Varrik.
"I have an idea," Lourel said after a moment of thought.
Lourel then moved close to Jagid's helmet and whispered to him.
"Alright," Jagid said after hearing her, settling into his stance.
Lourel said nothing and settled into her stance as well.
Varrik, who had been patiently waiting for their next attack, watched them closely. A smile played on his lips as he sensed that their next move would entertain him even more.
Both Lourel and Jagid began their attack, dashing towards Varrik. Seeing them, Varrik took his stance and moved forward to meet them. As they drew near, Jagid separated from Lourel, and Lourel's sword glowed with her golden aura. She confronted Varrik alone. He did not comment and met her strike head-on, while Jagid moved around, likely aiming for Varrik's sides or back.
Varrik's spear was coated with a swirling aura of dark blue and blinding white, ready to clash with Lourel's golden light.
"Guardian's Sword Art: The Sword of Vowing Protection!" Lourel shouted as her sword, coated in a golden aura, transformed into a massive golden sword. She clashed it against Varrik's spear.
"Thunder's Rampaging Wolf King Spear Art: Howling Wolf Charge!" Varrik shouted as he saw the massive golden sword coming at him. The magic runes on his spear glowed, and a wind began to form at its tip, growing into a powerful gust that seemed capable of destroying anything in its path as Varrik charged towards the golden sword.
As both their attacks clashed, a powerful shockwave erupted, filling the battlefield with smoke. The beastmen army could not see anything, and even the human soldiers at the fortress could not see anything, though there was one thing they could see, the golden sword shining in the smoke.
After the smoke cleared, Lourel was some distance from the clash, having been thrown across the battlefield. She was heavily injured, but she still managed to stand. Meanwhile, Varrik was kneeling, feeling a warm sensation in his chest. There was a huge wound, caused by the golden sword. During the clash, Lourel's sword had sliced through his spear attack. The sword had struggled to maintain its form, but it had held long enough to leave a massive wound on Varrik's chest.
"That human... injured the king..." a beastman muttered to himself in surprise, unable to believe what he had just seen.
"She managed to cause a wound, a huge wound, to the Thunder Rampaging Wolf King... Who is she?" another muttered.
All the beastmen murmured in shock, unable to believe that their king had been injured.
Meanwhile, the humans in the fortress watched in disbelief.
"She injured Howlfen's king... Amazing. Who is that knightess? I had no idea knightesses could be this strong," a soldier muttered in surprise.
"She is incredible. Strong and beautiful. Who is she?" another whispered.
"If she stands and fights again, they might win, and we could survive," someone else added.
All the surviving humans murmured in astonishment, discussing Lourel's feat.
'Who is she? Judging by her armour, she seems to be a guardian. I never expected a woman to be this impressive, yet she caused a serious wound to Howlfen's King,' the general thought, reflecting on Lourel's remarkable display.
Varrik, kneeling and feeling the pain from his wound, was smiling.
'This woman is interesting. I thought she was just a support knight, but to think she could cause such an injury. Hahaha, perhaps I should not have underestimated her from the start,' he thought, smiling at Lourel's feat against him.
Varrik stood up, and as he did, he rotated his spear to block an attack coming from behind. The sword was coated in darkness. Though injured, Varrik struggled to defend against it, exerting extra strength to hold the strike.
As he managed to defend against his attack, Jagid readied his stance, adopting a familiar posture. Varrik also assumed a poised stance, preparing to counter the sword's relentless assault.
'Endless Sword Art: Severance Storm Slashes,' Jagid declared in his mind as he swung with calculated precision. His sword, wreathed in darkness, unleashed a torrent of strikes, a storm of shadows cutting through the air.
'Thunder Spear Art: Thunder Rampaging Strikes,' Varrik thought as he thrust his spear forward, ready to meet the assault.
As their attacks clashed, the fight was even at first, with Varrik successfully defending against Jagid's slashes. But as time passed, the outcome began to shift. Instead of Jagid losing ground, Varrik started to lose momentum due to the wound in his chest. Soon, a slash struck his body, and he felt the impact. Varrik gritted his teeth and tried to ignore the pain, continuing to defend, but it became clear that his resistance could not last. More slashes soon began to land, each one cutting into his body. Though none were as fatal as Lourel's golden sword strike, their sheer number began to take a toll, and blood spilt across the battlefield as Varrik started to weaken.
Realising he could no longer play around, Varrik began channelling his aura through his body. The effort intensified the pain from his wound, but he ignored it, focusing solely on countering the knight before him.
His strikes grew faster and stronger. Jagid, who had gained the upper hand, suddenly lost his advantage and was forced onto the defensive. He tried to deflect each blow, but it was futile. His armour was pierced repeatedly by Varrik's spear, and after a few more strikes connected, Varrik readied himself, assuming a stance to deliver a final combo attack, a finishing move.
"Thunder's Rampaging Wolf King Spear Art: Rampaging Charge!" Varrik said as the runes on his spear glowed, signalling that he was using his finishing move.
"Endless Sword Art: Endless Darkness Slash!" Jagid shouted with determination as he steadied his stance, having regained his footing after the previous attacks. His sword was covered in writhing darkness, which continued to grow larger. The bigger it became, the more violently it moved, as if the darkness itself wished to consume everything around it.
Jagid swung his sword as Varrik thrust his spear towards him. The two attacks collided, but no shockwave erupted. The spear pierced through the darkness, though the impact slowed its momentum. Even so, it remained a deadly threat, and Jagid would struggle to defend or dodge against it in his current state.
"Guardian Art: Guardian's Shield!" Lourel shouted as she used her golden aura to manifest a durable shield in front of Jagid.
Seeing the shield before him, Jagid raised his arm in a defensive stance as the spear struck it. A massive shockwave followed as the shield shattered, but it had served its purpose, drastically reducing the impact and speed of the spear. The weapon still struck Jagid, impaling his right chest and sending him flying.
Although he landed across the near edge of the battlefield, Jagid was still breathing, though the spear that impaled his right chest was quite heavy.
Jagid slowly grasped the shaft of the spear and began to pull it out. Once it was free, blood gushed from the wound in his right chest.
"Mmmmphhm," he gritted his teeth, groaning in pain as he struggled to stay upright.
Reaching into his pouch, he pulled out a potion and drank it. Slowly, the wound began to close, the flesh knitting itself back together as the bleeding stopped.
Jagid did not have the strength to stand and fight. All he could do was lie where he had fallen, looking back at the battlefield he had been thrown across when the spear struck him.
At the centre of the battlefield, after throwing his spear, Varrik looked at Jagid, who had drunk a potion but was now lying weakened on the ground.
Then he turned to look at Lourel, who was now standing and watching him intently.
"I suppose it will be just you and me for a while," Varrik said calmly, despite his injuries.
Lourel pulled a few potions from her pouch. There were only two different colours among them, and she drank them all.
"It seems you're going all out. That's good. I, too, wish to fight at my full strength," Varrik said with a smile, looking at Lourel, eager to match her power.
"Return," Varrik commanded in his language, raising his hand in Jagid's direction.
The spear beside Jagid suddenly glowed with magical runes and shot towards Varrik's hand at lightning speed.
"Release," Varrik commanded in his language, directing the spear as he readied his stance, facing Lourel.
The runes on the spear began to glow brighter than before, then started to move, shifting across the weapon as if alive. The markings expanded, spreading from the spear and slithering around Varrik's body until he was entirely covered in glowing runes.
Lourel and Jagid watched, realising that the duel they had fought until now had only been the beginning. The true battle was about to start. Jagid glanced at Lourel, knowing she was the only one who could face Varrik until he recovered.
Varrik's body began to heal as the runes seeped into his wounds, regenerating the damaged flesh. Within seconds, his injuries were gone. Seeing this, Lourel swallowed hard. She knew she was the only one who could face him now while Jagid was still recovering.
Varrik's body began to glow as his wounds closed and his strength returned. His fur shimmered with both dark blue and blinding white light, the same colours as his aura. Sparks of lightning spread across his body, dancing over his fur as it grew longer and thicker. His frame expanded until he stood fifteen feet tall, his entire form covered in intertwining streams of blue and white energy. His spear also increased in size, matching his transformed body.
"Raivorn Zenith," Varrik said calmly as his transformation reached its peak.
Everyone except the beastmen was stunned by Varrik's transformation. Moments ago, he had been the size of a normal beastman, but now he stood as a towering giant.
"What is that? Isn't that cheating?" a human soldier cried as he dropped to the ground in despair. Just moments ago, he believed the knights had a chance to win, but seeing Varrik's new form shattered any hope of survival.
"Hahaha… am I dreaming? Tell me this is a bad dream," another soldier muttered, trying to deny what was happening before his eyes.
The rest of the soldiers murmured in despair as they watched Varrik's monstrous transformation unfold before them.
"This might be over for us," the general whispered. He looked up at the sky and then closed his eyes, feeling the weight of hopelessness as thoughts of his family filled his mind.
Meanwhile, among the beastmen army that watched the battlefield, murmurs spread through the ranks.
"It seems the King has decided to get serious. The humans fought well, but it is over now," one beastman said with a confident grin.
"The female human would have made a fine mate," another beastman remarked. "But it is a pity, she is human, and she will die."
Lourel, seeing Varrik's new form, adjusted her stance and raised her sword with both hands, the blade pointing towards the sky.
"Guardian Art: Guardian Transformation," she declared, her eyes filled with determination to win this fight.
Her golden aura burst forth, surrounding her in radiant light. The decorative guardian armour she had once worn was broken and unfit to be called armour, leaving her badly exposed. Now, that same broken armour was enveloped and reforged by her aura, forming a shining golden suit that covered her completely from head to toe. She was clad in pure radiant energy, shaped into a flawless guardian's armour.
Her sword transformed as well, growing enormous and glowing with massive golden brilliance, while a similarly huge radiant shield formed on her left arm. When the light finally settled, Lourel stood like a true golden guardian, ready to face the king before her.
"Interesting," Varrik said, complimenting Lourel's transformation, before charging at her with his spear. His speed was so great that no one could react in time, yet Lourel met him head-on, raising her massive shield to block the attack.
When their weapons clashed, a tremendous shockwave erupted. This time, however, neither of them was thrown back. The two continued to strike and block again and again, Varrik taking the role of relentless attacker while Lourel became the ultimate defender, holding her ground against his onslaught.
Their battle raged across the battlefield, lightning and golden radiance flashing and surging with each clash. The speed and power of their attacks were so extreme that the observers could barely make out their movements, only seeing the battlefield erupting in brilliant streaks of light.
After a while, the brilliant streaks of light across the battlefield began to fade. Varrik still stood as a towering giant, a few wounds visible on his body, though they quickly healed. Lourel panted for breath, her aura armour battered and her sword damaged, while her massive shield was riddled with deep cracks, yet it shone even more brightly than before.
"Huff..... huff..... huff," Lourel panted, struggling for breath as she fixed her determined gaze on Varrik. She looked at him, still standing tall. Despite giving everything she had, the beast before her had not even used his full strength and had matched her blow for blow. From the very beginning, they had never truly stood a chance.
"That was a good fight, though it feels too short," Varrik said, looking down at Lourel with a hint of disappointment. If only the knight before him had been stronger, he could have enjoyed a truly worthy battle.
"Huff… huff… not yet… I am… not… done… yet," Lourel gasped, struggling for breath. She suddenly lifted her sword toward the sky. Her aura from the armour and shield surged and flowed toward the blade, causing it to shine even more brilliantly. The sword grew larger and stronger, as if resonating with her will.
Varrik, seeing this, smiled and readied his stance, spear aimed directly at her.
"Guardian's Sword Art: The Sword of Resilience!" Lourel shouted, her voice filled with determination as she prepared to strike the beast before her.
"Thunder's Rampaging Wolf King Spear Art: Thunder Sky-Reigning Piercing Strike!" Varrik shouted, charging toward the golden sword wielded by the knight before him.
As their attacks met, a massive shockwave erupted, sending clouds of dust sweeping across both armies. Jagid could see nothing through the haze, but that was not all. The force of the shockwave was so intense that it deafened everyone for a moment, causing blood to trickle from their noses and ears. This was far more devastating than the shockwave from moments earlier.
After the clouds of dust sweeping across both armies cleared, everyone could see the result. Lourel was lying down naked, stripped of her armour and heavily injured, yet still glaring at the beast in front of her, refusing to give up. Varrik, meanwhile, remained standing, using his spear to support himself. A massive wound ran from his right collarbone to his left hip, blood pouring freely. Even as his body slowly regenerated, the healing was far from fast. The wound was so severe that anyone might have assumed it would be fatal, yet Varrik still stood, breathing steadily, a smile of joy on his face.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA! That was incredible! It was not enough, but it left me satisfied!" Varrik roared with laughter despite his heavy injuries. He looked at Lourel and grinned. "Hey, woman, you are strong. I want you to be my mate. How about it?"
"Fuck off, beast!" Lourel cursed, raising her hand to show the middle finger to the king before her.
"Hahaha, disappointing, but expected. Was your name Lourel? I will remember it well," Varrik said with a smile, acknowledging her reply to his offer.
He steadied his spear, aiming it at Lourel. She glared at him, knowing she might die here, until
"Your Highness! The other kingdom is invading Howlfen!" A beastman, unarmoured and panting, appeared behind the army and shouted, his aura flaring. He seemed to be a messenger.
Hearing this, the beastmen army froze in shock. Varrik glanced at his troops, then towards the fortress, and finally looked back at Lourel as he began walking towards her.
"Sigh, just as things were getting interesting," he muttered with a disappointed smile, advancing with his spear.
Lourel closed her eyes, bracing herself as he aimed at her. Varrik thrust his spear, but it struck the ground just beside her head. Realising she was unharmed, she opened her eyes and saw Varrik, now returned to his normal size, staring directly at her.
"I shall forfeit this duel. Since I have forfeited, I have lost," Varrik said with a smile at Lourel.
Lourel stood stunned, unable to comprehend what had just happened.
"Since I have lost, I will not invade and will retreat. I shall also give you my spear, Thrymvargr. It is Howlfen's spear, and what you choose to do with it is up to you, Lourel, the one who fought until the end. I will come back for the spear, so when we meet again, I hope our next fight will be even greater," Varrik explained, letting her know the spear would belong to her until their next duel.
"One of you, get me a cloth," Varrik called to his army.
A beastman carrying a large cloth ran forward. Varrik grabbed it and threw it toward Lourel.
"Cover yourself. It would be a disgrace for the one who fought to the very end against me to be seen in your current state. Protect your dignity," he said with a smile, then turned and walked back to his army.
"Until we meet again," Varrik waved, never looking back, as he retreated with his forces.
The human soldiers in the fortress could not believe their eyes and erupted into cheers.
"WE SURVIVED!" one shouted with joy.
"That knightess is amazing! She fought till the end, and the King of Howlfen retreated!" another shouted in praise.
Many soldiers joined in, cheering for her determination, skill, and even her bravery.
"Everyone, we need to help our saviour. They are injured," the general said. Though overjoyed, he kept his composure and ordered his soldiers to assist the exhausted Lourel and Jagid.
Meanwhile, as the beastmen army retreated with Varrik, one of them spoke up nervously.
"My King, how will you explain to the people that we have retreated? We lost a huge number of our warriors in the first raid, and you even gave Howlfen's Spear, Thrymvargr, to the enemy," he asked.
"I will accept the punishment. They will not kill me, but they will certainly imprison me for my defeat," Varrik said indifferently.
'Well, I suppose I will not see that knightess for a while,' Varrik thought as he withdrew with his army, still feeling the pain in his chest from a wound that had not fully healed.