Episode 152: Fafnir (2)
A heavy silence fell over the room following Damian’s bold declaration.
“Pfft, haha.”
“Heh, heh.”
Soon, sporadic laughter erupted among the Holy Bloods.
“To think he’d face us with the same weapon. It’s been a while since I’ve heard something so ridiculous.”
“Yeah, I agree. I never thought I’d see a masterpiece that surpasses the last guy.”
Perhaps because they were in the presence of the Mercenary King, the Holy Bloods tried desperately to stifle their laughter, though it was a futile effort.
“Hahaha!”
Even the Mercenary King himself couldn’t hold back, bursting into laughter. He sat up on his bed, slapping his knee with his palm.
“It’s been ages since I’ve met someone as amusing as you! Yes, a man should have this much spirit.”
The Mercenary King laughed so hard that tears streamed down his face.
“But too much spirit can turn into recklessness. From what I see, you’re being reckless.”
Wiping away his tears, the Mercenary King continued.
“You must know, right? Once you reach the High Class, you have no choice but to master your weapon.”
The High Class was a realm that could only be reached by attaining the pinnacle of weapon mastery.
Being a mere expert wasn’t enough. One had to wield their weapon with a much higher level of sophistication.
And to challenge a High Class warrior with a weapon that wasn’t even your specialty?
“It seems your pride has been wounded by the behavior of my subordinates. For that, I apologize. So, use your sword.”
The Mercenary King spoke with a gentle expression, to which Damian responded with a look of mild annoyance.
“If you’re done lecturing, let’s get started.”
“Hahaha! If that’s your wish, so be it. Baltyn, give it your all.”
“Yes, I’ll face him as if he’s the opponent of a lifetime.”
Baltyn’s mocking words prompted another round of laughter from the Mercenary King.
“Then, Damian Haxen, let’s begin.”
Baltyn summoned his magic, and a vast energy spread out in all directions.
As soon as Damian felt Baltyn’s magic, it was like a static charge ran through him.
“This is why dragon bloodlines are such a nuisance.”
Dragon magic had the property of paralyzing both the body and magic of living beings, a power known as Dragon Fear.
This trait also appeared in those with dragon blood, though it weakened with each generation.
Since Baltyn was the Mercenary King’s grandson, the intensity of his Dragon Fear wasn’t particularly strong.
Thus, Damian only felt a slight tingle, without any significant impact.
“Not knowing the secret of the bloodline is why the Fear is weak.”
Neither Baltyn nor the Holy Bloods knew the secret of their lineage, as the Mercenary King had never revealed it to anyone.
“Keep your eyes wide open, or you’ll be down with the first strike!”
In that instant, magic exploded behind Baltyn.
His body shot forward at an incredible speed, thrusting his spear toward Damian.
Another burst of magic accelerated the spear, moving so fast it seemed to vanish.
But Damian had already read Baltyn’s movements. Just before the spear accelerated, he tilted his head to the side. The spear’s tip grazed his cheek.
“You dodged the first strike that even my grandfather acknowledged? Seems the rumors aren’t all lies!”
Baltyn quickly withdrew his spear and launched a series of rapid thrusts at Damian.
With each thrust, magic exploded, accelerating the spear.
The attacks came so quickly it felt like multiple people were thrusting spears simultaneously.
“What?”
“Huh?”
Each time Baltyn thrust his spear, the Holy Bloods’ faces filled with shock.
More precisely, it was because of Damian, who was effortlessly deflecting all of Baltyn’s attacks.
The sound of the two spear shafts clashing was relentless, like a flock of woodpeckers had descended.
“How… how is he blocking Baltyn’s attacks?”
“Baltyn is among the top ten in spear skills in the mercenary corps…”
As the Holy Bloods’ astonishment grew, Baltyn’s face hardened.
A spearman unable to overpower a swordsman with a spear? For Baltyn, this was an unprecedented humiliation.
“This… this outsider…”
His pride as a Holy Blood was cracking. Veins bulged on Baltyn’s neck.
The amount of magic Baltyn was emitting increased, and his attacks grew even faster.
“What a brute force of magic. Truly befitting a dragon’s lineage.”
Damian couldn’t help but admire for a moment.
Baltyn had been attacking with all his magic and stamina from the start.
Normally, a High Class warrior would be exhausted by now. But instead, Baltyn was intensifying his assault.
All thanks to the dragon’s blood coursing through his veins.
The dragon’s blood not only provided abundant magic but also a robust body capable of utilizing it freely.
“I’m envious. If I had dragon’s blood, I might have reached Master Class by now.”
The advantages of dragon’s blood were countless.
A strong physique, endless stamina, senses sharper than a beast’s, and more.
It was no wonder the Holy Bloods’ pride soared to the heavens. They possessed abilities far superior to humans.
Of course, that didn’t mean Damian would lose.
“Let’s end this!”
Baltyn pressed Damian harder, thrusting from all directions. It was as if Damian was trapped in a forest of spears.
But Damian had already deciphered all of Baltyn’s moves.
He noticed a slight relaxation in Baltyn’s grip and magic just before he thrust his spear.
Seizing the moment, Damian struck the spear shaft upward. The unexpected attack caused the spear to slip from Baltyn’s hand.
Simultaneously, the forest of spear blades that had been closing in on Damian vanished.
“What…?”
In the moment of Baltyn’s confusion, Damian drove his spear into Baltyn’s solar plexus with all his might.
“Ugh!”
The spear tip dug deep into Baltyn’s solar plexus, sending him flying backward.
Though it was a training spear, the pain was enough to make breathing difficult for Baltyn.
“Ugh! Ugh!”
Baltyn clutched his stomach, rolling on the ground. Tears streamed from every orifice on his face.
It was a pitiful sight, unbefitting the grand title of Holy Blood.
”…”
”…”
”…”
Yet no one could think of Baltyn as pathetic.
Everyone knew Baltyn’s skill.
The Mercenary King’s children were all born geniuses. Among those geniuses, the most exceptional were gathered as the Holy Bloods.
And Baltyn was outstanding even among the Holy Bloods.
Despite fighting with all his might, he lost.
Without landing a single effective hit, he was defeated miserably.
“I had high expectations, hearing that the Holy Bloods were monstrous geniuses.”
Damian looked down at Baltyn and added.
“But it seems there’s not much to them.”
The Holy Bloods’ faces shifted from shock to anger.
They lived with a strong sense of pride in their lineage from the Mercenary King.
And now, an outsider was mocking that pride. It was something they couldn’t let slide.
“Hahaha!”
At that moment, a loud laugh erupted. The Mercenary King was laughing with his mouth wide open.
“Impressive! Truly impressive! I never thought you’d defeat a Holy Blood!”
The Mercenary King stopped laughing and looked at Damian.
Though his mouth was smiling, his eyes were not. Damian met the Mercenary King’s gaze with a smirk.
“Seems he’s taken a hit to his pride.”
The Mercenary King had brought Damian to provoke the Holy Bloods.
To put it bluntly, Damian was meant to be a toy. A toy to show the Holy Bloods just how exceptional their talents were.
A toy that should have been beaten and sent away had instead defeated a Holy Blood, showcasing an overwhelming gap in talent.
It wasn’t hard to guess what the Mercenary King was feeling.
“Seeing this makes me want to test you further. Is there anyone else?”
“Grandfather, let me try.”
A voice came from among the Holy Bloods. This time, it was a woman.
“Kuehsi! It’s Kuehsi of the Torrential Rain!”
“If it’s Kuehsi, we can trust her!”
The reaction to Kuehsi’s appearance was even more intense than it had been for Baltyn.
“Very well. I permit it.”
The Mercenary King sent Kuehsi forward with a look of confidence.
As Kuehsi stepped into the clearing, she tossed something to Damian.
“You said you’d use the same weapon, right? I don’t have a training version, so use this.”
What Kuehsi threw was a belt with daggers attached, designed to be worn across the body.
“You use throwing knives?”
“Yes, so I’m lending you mine.”
Kuehsi crossed her arms and spoke.
“Surely you’re not going to back out now?”
At Kuehsi’s taunt, Damian chuckled and kicked the belt aside.
“No need.”
“What, after saying you’d use the same weapon, you’re backing out…”
“I mean, you don’t need to lend it to me.”
Damian picked up a small stone from the ground.
“This will do.”
Kuehsi’s eyes fixed on the stone, and soon they filled with bloodlust.
“Do as you please. Just don’t regret it later!”
Kuehsi drew a dagger and hurled it at Damian.
Two daggers flew through the air, aimed at Demian’s head and torso.
With a swift twist of his body, Demian dodged both blades. Instantly, he raised two fingers in front of his temple.
A third dagger, on course to pierce his temple, was caught between his fingers.
Kuesi clicked his tongue in disappointment.
“Not falling for it, huh? Is that all it takes to brush it off?”
“Who would fall for such childish tricks? Try something a bit more serious.”
Demian tossed the dagger he had caught to the ground, his demeanor challenging. Kuesi’s eyes narrowed with intensity.
“If that’s what you want, I’ll give you everything I’ve got!”
Before the words had fully left his mouth, Kuesi vanished.
He began darting around Demian, moving so quickly that only afterimages were visible.
Simultaneously, Kuesi hurled daggers at Demian from all directions. The air was filled with the whistling of blades.
Demian twisted his body, evading the daggers. Those that missed embedded themselves in the ground.
Suddenly, the ground erupted as if struck by a boulder rather than a mere dagger.
‘He’s quite skilled at imbuing his daggers with magic.’
It was no small feat to infuse an object with magic and throw it, a skill requiring immense precision and power.
Typically, magic dissipates the moment it leaves its caster’s body.
Only those of a certain caliber could release aura to attack their enemies.
‘This must be thanks to the dragon’s bloodline.’
Dragons were not only the mightiest creatures on earth but also the most formidable sorcerers, possessing both immense and refined magical power.
Such traits were inherited by those of the sacred bloodline.
‘He’s not just throwing them fast; he’s targeting my blind spots.’
Demian tilted his head to the side. A dagger, launched from an unseen angle, whizzed past his nose and struck the ground.
‘Impressive, but ultimately futile.’
Reading Kuesi’s movements, Demian swung his arm toward him.
“Did you really think I couldn’t dodge a mere pebble…?”
Just before he released the stone, Demian clenched his hand. The stone shattered into multiple fragments.
As the fragments left his hand, they multiplied into dozens, showering Kuesi.
“What?”
The spread was too wide to evade. The stone shards struck Kuesi’s body.
Though small, each fragment was saturated with Demian’s magic.
“Ugh!”
The shards burrowed deep into Kuesi’s flesh, sending him flying backward with a bone-crushing impact.
“K-Kuesi!”
“Ahhh!”
The sacred bloodline warriors rushed to catch Kuesi’s limp body. He was already unconscious.
“K-Kuesi!”
“Did Kuesi fall so easily?”
“This can’t be happening…”
A heavy silence descended after the second defeat.
Two of their own, who prided themselves on their sacred lineage, had already been bested. Shock rippled through the group.
”…”
Even the Mercenary King was at a loss for words, staring at Demian.
“Do you need more proof?”
Demian’s question hung in the air as the Mercenary King gritted his teeth and replied.
”…No, that won’t be necessary.”