Dragon Heart. Land Of Magic. Litrpg Wuxia Saga. Book 6 - Volume 1 Chapter 18 439

The last of the archers managed to use a defensive Technique. The black blade missed him after he turned into an arrow and, without leaving any afterimages behind, moved a dozen yards to the side in a second.

His quiver was empty, but that didn’t seem to bother the warrior. Exhaling, he concentrated his power around his fingers. The energy turned into an arrow that vibrated with power, one created from the pure ‘water’ of the World River. It shone with rays of power so tangible that they punched holes in the leaves on the nearby trees. This was the archer’s most powerful attack — a combination of instant movement and a shot with maximum force behind it. Using it, he’d sent more than a dozen newcomers to their forefathers. Perhaps these boys and girls had had enough talent to be the strongest in their villages, but they’d lacked experience with true fights to the death. Only after a few years as disciples could they have acquired enough skill to fight those who were weaker than them, but more experienced.

Hadjar, seeing that his opponent had put distance between them and begun channelling an attack, sighed sadly. Seven years ago, he’d taught the fighters in his Bear squad to avoid such mistakes. The archer clearly lacked combat experience.

“Falling leaf,” Hadjar said, envisioning an autumn leaf falling from a branch and landing on the archer’s chest.

The cultivator had prepared his combination attack utilizing the Movement Technique and Offensive Technique in less than a second. Despite this amazing speed, the sword was always faster than the bow. Hadjar’s own attack was three times faster. He didn’t try to dodge or put up a defense that wouldn’t help in this case, he just attacked, leaving himself completely open. But there was no foe left to take advantage of the opening. The boy archer, as that was how the former Mad General who’d crossed the Sea of Sand perceived him, fell, a gaping wound stretching from his collarbone to his groin. Before he died, he managed to launch his arrow, but missed wildly, guided by Hadjar’s own slash. The arrow, created from a stream of purest energy, shot away in a completely different direction. Instead of hitting Hadjar, it hit a man who’d snuck up behind Einen and was trying to attack him from behind. The arrow struck him so hard he flew a dozen yards through the air and collapsed at Araz’s feet. The leader of the attackers, still calm and haughty, continued to watch the fight. He’d lost all his archers, and only sixteen of the melee fighters were left, but that didn’t concern him at all.

No matter how strong these two newcomers were, their Calls would soon come to an end, and the acc.u.mulated energy in their bodies would run out. Even if they had plenty of energy-restoring pills, they were unlikely to hold out against sixteen cultivators. The battle was a foregone conclusion.

“Wind!” Hadjar roared.

As he ran, leaving behind illusory afterimages in his wake, Hadjar moved down to Einen. Standing back to back once more, they watched their foes circling them.

“What’s the score?” Hadjar asked breathlessly.

“I lost count,” Einen said calmly. “We’ll discuss it when we finish this.”

“I like the confidence in your voice,” Hadjar said, popping two pills in his mouth as well.

With the funds they’d gained from ‘extorting’ Rahaim and the Patriarch of ‘The Black Gates’ sect’s ring, they’d bought several elixirs and pills. They’d thought that they wouldn’t need to touch their ’emergency supplies’ for a long time, but after just a week at ‘The Holy Sky’ School, they’d already wasted half of them.

“Strong Wind!” Hadjar shouted.

A wind didn’t surge out of his blade. On the contrary, a blue storm with dark dragon-swords writhing within it enveloped Hadjar’s sword, and he charged into the ranks of their enemies. He dodged an axe that whistled past overhead, the result of a Technique that looked oddly like a woodcutter’s axe. He swung his sword and a part of the storm separated from the black blade. Having absorbed the mysteries of the Sword Spirit, it turned into a wave of cutting wind. The axe wielder’s body split in half and fell at Hadjar’s feet, who continued his mad and merciless dance.

He parried another attack with the flat of his blade and made a swift lunge. Another part of the storm transformed into a replica of the black sword and pierced through another cultivator’s head. It hit him right between the eyes and he dropped his weapon and fell to the ground silently.

After his battle with the archers, Hadjar’s cloak, which served as an indicator of how much energy was left in his inner dragon, had barely covered his shoulder blades, but now it was creeping back toward the ground.

Einen wasn’t far behind. His ape destroyed the enemies even faster than Hadjar’s sword. Swords had always been best in single combat, while spears and staves had been made to fight off numerous foes.

Spinning his staff, Einen broke his enemies’ bodies without any mercy, not missing a single attack. After impaling the nearest cultivator on the ape’s fist-spear, he only had to think it and his shadow beast tore the warrior apart with a roar.

Blood flew in all directions. The eyes of the inexperienced disciples reflected a glint of horror, but their pride didn’t allow them to back down. Dodging the pieces of flesh, they rushed to attack once more. Einen had been waiting for this, for the moment when the fighters who hadn’t yet passed the crucible of endless battles for their lives decided that they would overwhelm him with numbers. Four of the nine warriors facing the islander remained where they were. But five of them charged him.

“Boulder Storm!”

Einen’s spear blurred into a series of frantic thrusts, and the ape’s fists turned into a hail of blows. They crushed their enemies with brutal efficiency, leaving them no chance to escape. Tearing bodies apart with ease, the shadow ape clad in rainbow armor annihilated the foes. It crumpled metal armor, broke artifact weapons, and even the drops of blood that managed to escape its reach were few. Within a radius of several steps around Einen, all beings were doomed to perish.

Hadjar also tore into the enemy with deadly precision. He spun between them with graceful surety. His movements, quick and measured, were devoid of anything superfluous. Where someone else would’ve taken two steps, he took only one. Where someone else, fearing for their own safety, would’ve tried to leave a few inches between themselves and an enemy’s blade, Hadjar was content to dodge by a hair’s breadth. Only now, after years of training and battles, could he fight as he had that day against the Patriarch of ‘The Black Gates’ sect. The young disciples couldn’t resist the onslaught of one who fought with the ferocity of a beast and the skill of a General.

Deep in the swirling dance of black fog, Hadjar, leaving countless afterimages behind, left five butchered bodies on the ground after just a few moments. So much blood had already been spilled in the ravine that the friends’ feet were buried in it up to their ankles.

“Together?” Einen asked.

“Together,” Hadjar nodded.

“Boulder Storm!”

“Spring Wind!”

The two attacks merged into a storm, a black ocean of death. Flashes of light, like dark pearls, fell on the heads of the last four disciples. They were experienced and possessed various protective artifacts and Techniques. One of them threw a seemingly ordinary handkerchief in front of him. However, the hieroglyph that lit up across its white surface was anything but. All four of them were quickly covered in a white shroud.

“The White Queen’s Requiem,” the cultivator said. “This artifact is at the initial stage of the Spirit Knight level-”

Before he could finish bragging, the artifact that had saved his life more than once started to give way.

“It can’t be!” The four cultivators shouted in unison.

They couldn’t believe that the newbies had the power to break through the defenses of a Spirit Knight level artifact. They couldn’t have known that, even while still being mere Heaven Soldiers, Hadjar and Einen had the kind of power that had made Rahaim look at them with scientific interest.

Four more corpses fell at the friends’ feet. The battle was over. Only the cries of the ravens sounded amongst the treetops that were swaying calmly as leaves fell silently into the small pool of blood that the bottom of the ravine had turned into.

“I demand a duel!” Araz roared. Only a minute ago, he’d been confident in his victory, and now he was alone against both of these monstrous newcomers. Both warriors were breathing heavily. Their Calls were almost devoid of energy. Hadjar’s cloak was only down to his waist. Einen’s rainbow armor was covered in deep cracks. Even then, they were still a threat.

“If you have any honor, you will agree to a duel!”