Northern stood ten meters away from the hideous monster, both of them drowned in a grave silence.
The surrounding monsters stared in silence, even the generals that stood together in the corners showed slight interest, giving only side glances.
Northern held the Mortal Blade up, looked at it for a second and smiled, looking back at the monster, the onyx blade disintegrating into white sparks.
The hideous creature raised its browless eyes, with a slightly visible sneer.
But Northern just smiled viciously in two seconds, another weapon began materializing in his hand.
They were the few things he got from war, a long silvery long sword was in his right hand, and a dagger was in his left hand.
‘I’ve never tried using dual weapon but I’ve always wanted to…’
Northern looked at the monster that stared at him indifferently.
At once, both of them darted at each other, traversing the land with a blurring speed.
Northern’s eyes widened as his legs propelled to movement. It felt easier to execute than when he had loads of thoughts in his head and no experience to pull it off.
Since his clone had gone through smelting by real time battle with the onerous leader, and had now burnt that experience into his own bodies, Northern’s capabilities had increased by leaps and bounds.
He made a sharp stop in between swinging the silvery sword largely at the approaching monster.
It was a sneaky move. Anyone would expect that they at least clash together. However, being able to put an abrupt stop to his speed after shooting off with full speed also showed a great deal of control that even the generals marveled at.
The hideous monster, raised its axe over its, head blocking the swing. Its axe whirled through the air with bludgeoning force, but Northern was no longer there.
He had anticipated the monster’s countering strike and pivoted away in the nick of time. His boots scraped the hard earth as he changed direction in a blink.
Northern’s dagger flashed like liquid silver, deflecting the axe’s backswing before it could cleave into his exposed flank.
Gnashing its teeth, the hellion pressed its advantage, raining down a hailstorm of overhead chops. The weight of each blow caused the ground to tremble.
Northern’s heart raced as he took on every blow, his every nerve ending alive with an odd excitement.
‘Is this how it feels to know what you’re doing in a battle’
The deafening clang of steel against steel reverberated through the air as his blade and dagger collided with the creature’s massive axe.
He danced back, lithe feet carrying him out of reach of the sweeping arc, only to dart in again with blinding speed.
Blow after blow rained down in a flurry of silver flashes, the dagger in his left hand joining the deadly fray.
The monster bellowed, its axe swept out in a horizontal arc, but Northern was already moving. He dropped into a crouch, the blade whistling over his head as he pivoted and lashed out with the dagger.
The monster belatedly beholding the coming dagger threw its hands, partying the steel away but was sent reeling back a few steps.
It stopped, intensely glaring at Northern.
“What? Are you unhappy with the fight because you are losing?” Northern retorted, swirling his dagger with a smug smirk plastered to his face.
The monster stared silent for a few seconds, rigid cords of veins forming on its forehead, its mouth forming a downturned grin.
Northern parted his legs, raising the long sword in one hand, the dagger in his left, a little low to dive in as support in needed times.
With a thunderous roar, the hideous monster lunged forward, its movements now infused with an even greater ferocity and strength.
The ground shook beneath its weight as it closed the distance between them in a matter of seconds.
Northern’s eyes narrowed, his smirk fading as he braced himself for the oncoming assault.
He shifted his stance, planting his feet firmly on the ground, ready to meet the monster head-on. The air crackled with anticipation as the clash between them became imminent.
As the monster swung its massive axe, Northern reacted with lightning-fast reflexes.
He parried the blow with his silvery long sword, the clash of metal ringing out in the surrounding silence.
“–ick!”
He gritted his teeth with widened eyes as the force of the impact sent shockwaves through his arms, he was almost about to fall from it but he held his ground, supporting his entire body with a quick placement of his leg.
That had to come from his clone dealing with the terrifyingly strikes of the onerous lizard. Northern had instructed it to use its legs as support to withstand for a little more time till Night Terror joined.
‘I don’t know if I’m to be happy of terrified seeing myself play out these things…’
His increased in skill was so fast that it came off as unreal to Northern… somehow he felt like a cheat.
Northern quickly focused his gaze on the foe before him.
The monster, undeterred by the unsuccessful strike, unleashed a flurry of attacks, each one more powerful than the last.
Northern’s dagger became a blur as he deflected the onslaught, his movements precise and calculated.
However, the monster’s increased strength began to take its toll.
Northern’s arms strained under the relentless blows, and he could feel his energy waning.
Gritting his teeth, Northern grimaced.
With a sudden burst of speed, he darted to the side, narrowly avoiding a devastating strike from the monster’s axe.
Seizing the opportunity, he lunged forward, his long sword and dagger poised to strike.
But the monster was one step ahead. It anticipated Northern’s move and swiped its massive hand, knocking the weapons out of his grasp.
The long sword and dagger clattered to the ground, leaving Northern momentarily defenseless.
The monster seized the opportunity and launched a brutal counterattack with a slight grin on its hideous face.
Its fists pounded against Northern’s body, sending a shockwave of pain through his entire being.
He flew threw the air and landed in a roll, spitting blood as he tried to get up.
He supported his body with his hand and knees for a couple of seconds, coughing.
‘This bastard… that last strike, he didn’t hesitate. In fact he looked like he was smiling.’
Northern grabbed the sand and spat on last time before looking at the hideous monster that was staring grimly at him.
‘I guess I still have a long way to go huh… just you wait. I’ll be the one to end you.’
The monster strolled towards him and stretched its clawed hand. Northern looked at the hand, disgusted but he currently had no choice.
He had to embrace these monsters… at least for now.
It wasn’t like he was expecting thar he would defeat this death guardian of his.
All he intended to do was test how good he is and he had come to see it. He was good enough to hold his own against an hellion ranked monster.
Killing one might be suicidal but now he knows he can survive should he encounter one.
As compared to his first encounter with Night Terror.
Northern gritted, eyes shimmering with dark flames of ecstasy.
‘Crap… thinking about being able to kill Night Terror one day is bringing joy to my bones. I just want to go to war already!’