YM778.TV Chapter 66: A Clash of Steel and Claws
Julius, with his double-edged long sword in hand, dashed in. The wind howled behind him, ruffling his hair back as he gritted his teeth. His arms tensed, and his veins bulged the next second as he swung the sword at the distracted creature.
CLANG
A flash of light filled the camp and the noise of metal colliding with a hard surface echoed in the night. The strike\'s vibration shook the blade, sending a painful shockwave in his arms.
With a grimace and a calculative light flashing in his eyes, he assessed the situation in a second.
\'That shell will be hard to break. Should I focus on its eyes?\' he thought, remembering the boastings of his brother about how he pierced the bear\'s eye to reach the brain. However, he had to cut his thinking short. His earlier blow, even if it dealt the creature no damage, alerted it... and it was already on him.
HISS
With an angry hiss, the lizard swiped its razor-sharp claws with deadly precision, intent on rending the young man into pieces.
However, Julius, a cultivator in the last stage of the Qi Gathering Realm, was much stronger, faster, and perceptive than the knights. His body was a lethal weapon forged by nature\'s energy, making him as dangerous as a magical beast!
So, instead of dodging as the others did, he firmly shoved his feet on the ground, cracking it under his muscles\' pressure. He lowered his stance, maximising his weight distribution before moving his sword on the incoming strike\'s trajectory.
Upon witnessing his foolish decision, Arun and his knights\' eyes widened in terror. But they had no time to think because...
CLANG
Dust rose, engulfing Julius\' figure as the noise of bending metal reached their ears.
However, the knights didn\'t need to see to know the outcome. \'Sigh, he was too inexperienced,\' they thought simultaneously, shaking their heads with a bitter grimace.
In the meantime, Arun watched with bated breath as the dust slowly dissipated, fearing he might see his new friend\'s body torn apart or flung into the distance, broken like a stringless puppet.
However, his eyes gradually widened as the impossible unfolded before his eyes. Julius stood strong, his body unscathed and the bent sword being the only proof of the collision.
How was it possible? How could someone his age entirely block the lizard\'s strike? The scene was too unreal for him to trust his eyes.
For a moment, silence engulfed the place as everyone tried to process what had happened.
\'Well, I guess I can show off a little for once,\' Julius thought, grinning at the angry lizard and discarding his earlier plan.
Then, he raised his sword high above his head and stepped forward, ready to deliver a devastating strike.
However, the lizard wasn\'t to be underestimated. After all, it was a magic beast!
Without warning, it spat a mouthful of green liquid at the puny human who dared to challenge its strength.
Counting only on his lightning-fast reflexes, Julius jumped to the side, avoiding the suspicious liquid before launching himself into the air.
Using the velocity and his core muscles, he spun under the pale moon, adding a layer of centrifugal force to his strike before bringing his sword down.
The wind howled behind the weapon before it collided with the lizard\'s head in a resounding noise of metal hitting metal.
SHRIEK
The lizard shrieked in pain, trying to keep its head raised as it endured the force pushing it down.
The clash lasted for a few tense seconds.
After each passing second, more fissures ran along the bent blade; the beast\'s armor seemed the most durable. However, another shriek resounded, louder and one of pure agony this time.
Soon, deep cracks crisscrossed the lizard\'s steel-like shell. Heavy morsels of dark carapace fell to the ground, raising dust and revealing the creature\'s skin hiding underneath.
With the way finally void of obstacles, the sword plunged into its soft head, colliding with the skull.
SHATTER
Glistening metal shards reflected the crimson cascade pouring down the hideous wound. The sword broke on impact, but Julius pushed the jagged edge, reaching for the brain and piercing it the next second.
SHRIEK
The beast shrieked one last time before its body powerlessly collided with the ground, raising gales and pushing dust in a circle around its dead carcass.
Simultaneously, Julius retrieved his bloodied arm, a wry smile stretching his lips.
\'Seems like I broke another sword,\' he thought, remembering why he travelled unarmed.
Sadly, he couldn\'t find a sword sturdy enough to resist his strength. It was a common occurrence for tier two knights, who used tailor-made weapons crafted using magic beasts-body parts or magic metals instead of the typical steel swords. These items were obviously out of reach for a twelve-year-old boy.
He sighed, shaking his arm to remove the blood before turning to observe how Asha\'s side was doing.
Yet, he noticed the astonishment etched on the faces of his fellow travellers, particularly Arun, whose eyes were fixed on a deep fuming trench. Smoke rose from it, and a sizzling sound filled the air where the green liquid landed.
Julius shrugged, not minding their gazes. It wasn\'t the first time he saw lethal acid flying out of a beast\'s mouth, anyway. Instead, he focused on Asha\'s guards wearing down the second lizard. At this rate, they would get rid of the creature after a few more minutes, even without his intervention.
Still, he didn\'t want to see anyone injured. So, he clenched his fingers around his broken sword, tensed his muscles, and hurled it with all his might at the lizard\'s head.
The object blurred in everyone\'s eyes. Only the noise of something piercing the wind at incredible speed betrayed its approach. But before Asha\'s guards could figure out what it was, the object vanished, leaving the lizard\'s agonising screams echo in the night.
Something had harmed the beast, and cracks appeared on its head. They realised it but had no time to ponder why. It was their chance to end things, and they wouldn\'t miss it!
"Push forward! It is almost dead! Focus on the cracks!" One of Asha\'s guards ordered, swinging her weapon with lethal precision.
In the meantime, Julius walked to Arun\'s injured knight and carried him back to the carriage.
"Wow, I would have never thought you could be so strong at such a young age! Thank you, thank you for saving my life!" The knight said, nodding in gratitude.
"It\'s nothing. I\'m sorry I broke your sword," Julius answered, helping him sit on the driver\'s bench while Arun rushed at him.
"Don\'t be sorry for that scrap iron sword! Quick, tell me, how did you do it?" The boy asked, his fists trembling after he witnessed the epic battle and his friend\'s unexpected easy victory.
"I\'ve been training my body ever since I was a kid. That\'s why I\'m a bit stronger than the average. But tell me, is it common for magical beasts to attack?" Julius asked, frowning.
He had never been attacked on the roads of the Belloria kingdom. This situation was bizarre. If these attacks were frequent, why would a wealthy young master travel with such a modest escort?
"Ha, you don\'t want to reveal your secret?" Arun smiled, clearly not planning to give up on learning his secret. Then, he answered the question. "As for magical beast attacks, this is the first one we\'ve encountered in weeks of travel. Usually, beasts don\'t wander close to roads."
\'Mhh. What a coincidence, I guess,\' Julius thought, shrugging, before walking towards Asha\'s guards with Arun.