Chapter 170: Warrior
"The young lady of the Emberclad family?" Cravan narrowed his eyes at the violet‑haired girl standing before his soldier. Recognition sharpened his gaze.
Averis growled low in her throat. "You’ll pay for hurting him." Mana flared around her like a storm, and for a moment, the soldier before her wavered, his confidence faltering.
Cravan let out a harsh laugh. "So it’s true—Argon has joined hands with Kaelith! The alliance is real!" His booming voice rattled the forest, sending wild beasts scattering deeper into the trees.
Averis did not move, her expression unshaken. She cared little for what others assumed about alliances or factions. What mattered was her Lord’s safety, and she was here for that alone.
"What are you waiting for, Simons? Bring me his head." Cravan crossed his arms, his voice cold with command.
The soldier, Simons, leapt at Hades. But before his blade could strike, he was forced to twist aside, dodging a crimson spear formed from blood itself.
Averis twirled her weapon and drove it into the ground, a silent warning that this space was hers—and trespassers would not leave unscathed.
Snarling, Simons surged forward. His body glowed faintly as magic reinforced his muscles. He launched into the air, heel arcing downward in an axe‑kick aimed for Averis’s head.
Her eyes flashed. She raised one hand, caught his ankle mid‑strike, and yanked him down with brute force.
DOOOM!
"Ghuak!" he cried as his chest and face slammed into the earth with bone‑rattling impact. Before he could move, Averis drove her spear into his chest.
The crimson weapon pulsed. Blood hissed like venom, spreading through his veins. Dark lines snaked across his body as pain consumed him from within.
"Agh... aahhh!" Simons screamed, heart thrashing wildly as if it would tear through his ribcage. His breath hitched, and then—
GHRUUT
—blood spewed from his mouth. His body convulsed once, then went still. Dead.
Cravan’s lips curled into a thin smile as Simons’s body hit the ground. "Impressive... I see the Emberclad blood truly runs wild in you."
Averis yanked her spear free, blood dripping from the blade. Her mana surged again, and lines of crimson snaked across the ground like living serpents, coiling toward Cravan.
"You’re next."
With a snap of her fingers, the blood shot forward, hardening into spears that tore through the air.
Cravan didn’t move at first. When the first spear neared, he simply raised his arm. His scaled fist smashed through it like snapping a twig. Another came, then five more—he batted them aside with raw strength, his strikes powerful enough to break the hardened blood as if it were glass.
Averis darted forward, twirling her weapon, sending another wave of blood spikes from every angle. Cravan finally stepped in, swinging his massive arm. The shockwave alone cleared half the projectiles.
She used the opening—her spear pierced through the haze and struck his side. CLANG! Sparks flew off his skin, as though she had just struck steel. Not a mark was left.
"Tch..." Averis gritted her teeth, pulling her weapon back before his clawed hand swiped at her. She flipped away, but the ground where she had been standing shattered into a crater.
More blood streamed out from around her boots, circling her like blades. She sent them forward in rapid bursts, faster and sharper than before. Cravan barely flinched. His arms swung with mechanical rhythm, swatting them away. The clearing shook with each impact he made.
Still, Averis pressed on—spinning, thrusting, her blood forming spears, whips, and blades. Some managed to graze him, slashing across his limbs and chest. But when the blood touched his scales, it slid off harmlessly, leaving no wound.
Cravan’s eyes gleamed. "Persistent. But too weak."
He lunged, his fist slamming into the ground where she dodged a second too late. The shockwave launched her back, nearly knocking the spear from her hands. She skidded, breath sharp, but steel determination stayed in her eyes.
She rushed forward again, weaving strikes upon strikes—her spear darting like lightning, pointing at his heart, throat, eyes. A perfect sequence.
The result was the same. Each thrust clanged like metal on stone. No cut. No crack.
Finally, her weapon met his hand. He caught the tip of her spear with two fingers, a grin forming. "Blood may burn flesh and bone..." His grip tightened, and the weapon trembled in her hands. "...but against a Dragon King, strength alone is law."
Cravan’s grin widened, his hand jerking the spear with sudden force. Averis lost her hold—and in the same brutal motion, his claws slashed.
For a heartbeat, silence.
Then, her right arm hit the ground with a dull thud, blood painting the dirt.
Hades’s eyes widened in horror. "No... agh!" He tried to rise but collapsed back down, a sharp burn tearing through his side. His legs felt like wet clay—weak, useless. All he could do was watch.
Averis staggered but did not scream. Her face was pale, sweat dripping down her forehead, yet her eyes still burned with defiance. Teeth clenched so hard they almost cracked, she forced the blood spilling from her severed arm into motion. The crimson liquid gathered and hardened into jagged spikes.
With a sharp wave of her left hand, they shot forward, cutting through the air with a hiss.
"Hoh~" Cravan stepped back lightly, amusement flickering in his eyes as the spikes shattered harmlessly against his scales. "Even like this... you still fight?"
Each breath Averis took sounded heavy, ragged. Pain carved lines into her face, but she refused to bow. She planted her foot firmly, shielding Hades with her body, and summoned another spear of woven blood. The new weapon quivered from her uneven control, yet she held it tight, refusing to let despair crush her.
The Dragon King tilted his head, watching her with a gaze that was both mocking and curious. "You are a fool. You think you can defeat me? You—barely hatched, not yet grown. And already you dare to face a king?"
Hades’s throat tightened. His vision blurred from blood loss, yet he forced himself to focus on Averis. Every drop of her strength was pouring out, and still, she stood. He wanted—needed—to shout for her to stop.
"Run... Averis..." His voice cracked. "Please..."
But she didn’t move away. Not even a step.
Hades knew the truth as the despair sank in. Against a Dragon King, Averis was no warrior—she was only a child throwing herself into a death match. And yet, she stood her ground, her back straight, spear raised, her blood burning with courage stronger than her broken body.
It was madness. It was suicide.
And still... she chose to fight.
Breathing roughly, the woman muttered, "If my sacrifice could give my Lord even a second more to live, then my death would have a meaning."
Both Hades and Cravan were stuck speechless at those words.
Every syllable she spoke held weight.
Hades, in that moment, didn’t see her as a fool but a warrior.
"I am impressed." Suddenly, an unexpected voice broke the tranquil.
Every eye turned toward the woman levitating above them.
Her crimson locks caused Cravan to hold his breath.
The battle was nearing its conclusion.
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