Emery looked up to the sky and roared, signaling his transformation had begun. Like a caterpillar breaking free of its cocoon, the green crystal-like layer from [Jade Skin] started to crack before crumbling and falling off only to be replaced with greyish fur. For this battle, Emery decided to use his first stage Fey Transformation.
Out of all the changes, the most obvious ones could be seen on his four limbs, where muscles have formed and increased his strength, together with grey fur and sharp claws.
[Battle Power increased by 10 points!]
[Current Battle Power: 63]
When he saw Emery's transformation, the emotionless Zach's gaze lit up slightly in interest. He glanced at Emery from top to bottom and asked.
"Ah, wolf bloodline, aren't you?"
Emery did not answer, but he nodded and reached for his storage ring to pull out another sword. The tier 2 sword he had received as reward from the dwarf in Golden City.
Emery remembered how he fought against Orycon, the powerful combat-oriented acolyte who wielded a massive broadsword. Emery decided to adopt a similar tactic with his two swords, hoping he would be able to match Zach's strength.
Realizing both [Shadow Mist] and [Shadow Root Binding] would be futile against his opponent, He decided to focus on conserving his strength to cast [Dark Infusion] instead, cloaking his blade in a shroud of dark energy before he disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Similar to a lightning bolt, Emery was able to dash forward too fast for the eye to follow, appearing and disappearing from view as he increased his speed. His two swords started to glow, marking the use of the battle art skill [Heroic Slash].
He swung both of his swords simultaneously, and both were met with a downward slash from the claymore.
BAMMMM!
The collision between the three weapons sent dust flying around and created a sharp noise, piercing everyone's ears. For an instant, Emery felt his hands becoming numb and he almost released his swords. But he decided to harden his grip and his resolve, before gritting his teeth and turning around with a side step. Once again, he swung both his swords to the left.
The increase of speed from his transformation, along with the increased battle power, made Emery far more deadly in physical combat.
BAMMMM!
However, it was still not enough. Even with all the power Emery placed into each swing, Zach still managed to block the attacks. Emery had learned to not let that stop him from his first attempt, so he used his increased speed to swing his sword again and attack from a different side as a feint, before swinging down and using [Heroic Slash] with both his swords.
BAMMMMM!
Once again, it was blocked. Even with his Fey Transformation, Zach's reaction speed was just too fast and Emery was almost unable to see his movements. Was the speed bestowed by the first stage of his wolf form not enough for him to surpass Zach?
That half a second moment of doubt was enough for the sword master to attempt a counterattack from above.
Even though Emery's transformation bestowed him with higher speed and battle power, he felt that his spellcasting became a little bit slower. He attempted to cast [Blink] to dodge the attack, but he realized the attack was far too fast for him to finish casting, so he decided to raise both his swords in the air to block the swing of the broadsword.
BAMMMMM!
Emery succeeded in blocking it with the strength of both of his arms. However, he could still feel the force of the swing rattle down his bones, a sure sign the swing was made with intent to kill.
The fast-paced sword battle was able to attract as much attention as the flashy spell battles before it. Unlike before, this time most of the cheers were directed at Zach, the famous dragon boy.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the coin, Emery was standing in a very delicate situation. He held both his swords above his head with all his strength in an attempt to resist the downward force from Zach's heavy broadsword. Even without the help of numbers, Emery could tell his current battle power was not enough to overpower his opponent.
AAAAARGH!
Emery shouted with all his might, releasing all the willpower he had. But, the result was not in his favor. The tier two swords he was holding started to crack, before it finally broke apart.
Crack!
In the end, the sword finally broke and Zach's massive blade was able to cut him deep on his shoulder. Blood dripped from his wound and splattered onto the surface of the blade. With a trembling right arm, Emery held up the sharp end of the blade as much as he could, preventing the blade from cutting him any deeper.
Emery released the handle of the sword he was still holding and decided to push up the huge broadsword with both of his hands. If he let the blade cut his shoulders any deeper, he would be in even worse trouble.
In contrast to Emery's struggle, Zach simply looked at him with a disinterested gaze, while still keeping the force behind his sword swings.
"Just give up.! You know you can't win."
Emery bit his bottom lip, realizing Zach was right in many ways. Both of his palms were bleeding and his bleeding shoulders started trembling the more power Zach put into the strike. However, if he did nothing, he would be cut into half.
Unfortunately, his current condition did not allow him to cast any spells. He was only able to delay the inevitable. His energy continued to dwindle and his real choice was either forestall his loss or admit it right in this moment.
"Should I really give up?"
Author Note:
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