637 Throne Hall Battle [1]
The throne hall was in a commotion.
Just after the captain of Charles' team, Dwane knocked out Varian, Enigma arrived.
She neither spoke an extra word nor did she make an attempt to negotiate.
She just swung her sword.
Whoosh!
The bright throne hall turned dark in an instant.
Dwane's face paled as he felt a psychic force assault his mind.
"E-Edwai…"
He muttered in grief as he saw the face of his late wife. But he was used to it already.
In the name of mind defense training, he was subjected to such treatment far often.
So, his body burst with blue light, and the illusion started to shake.
Dwane also regained control over most of his body. But—
"Kuuu!"
His weight skyrocketed. It was as if he was carrying a huge mountain on his shoulders.
Dwane's legs trembled fiercely as he almost knelt on the stage. His chest felt heavy and his heart beat so hard that he worried it might burst from overwork.
Shuaaa!
A sword covered in darkness reached him in the blink of an eye.
Wherever it went, the light was swallowed. When the darkness reached him, Dwane realized that his senses were also being affected.
He could barely sense Charles behind him.
Not just that…
'What the!' His water mana was shaking fiercely.
Forcibly suppressing his emotions, Dwane summoned a precious treasure. A giant blue hammer.
He filled it with water mana to the brim and the hammer started to glow.
Boom!
The hammer shot forward and reached the sword in the blink of an eye.
The black and the blue collided.
Everything fell silent before a bright light enveloped the entire room.
Dwane staggered back as he coughed out blood.
Enigma, on the other hand, stood in place as she raised her sword again.
At her action, Dwane's face paled. From this exchange, he knew clearly that he alone was far from her opponent.
If he faced more of her attacks, then he'd be seriously injured in no time and could likely die.
He didn't want to die a meaningless death here. That's why he turned around and said with an anxious expression.
"Y-Young Master!" Dwane looked at the giant white wolf behind him. The injuries on it were horrifying, to say the least.
Even a battle-hardened veteran like Dwane shivered at the sight of those broken bones, ripped muscles, and ruptured vessels.
One might think that the one who attacked Charles was a mindless beast to injure his opponent so much without killing.
But in truth, every punch, every kick was calculated. It was done in a way to enact maximum pain on the victim without damaging their vitality.
'He was in a mindless state when I saw him. That means…he did this all subconsciously.' Dwane sucked in a breath of cold air and felt lucky.
If Enigma really helped that guy, then he'd die for sure.
Whoosh!
Enigma already swung her sword and the dark aura turned into the shape of a sword as it streaked across the silent air.
Dwane gritted his teeth. He could also project his water mana and materialize it into the shape of a sword similar to the one Enigma did.
But then, it wouldn't just be a direct contest between whose mana was better, but a contest between his water mana sword and Enigma's dark sword, mind power, and gravity attack.
He's bound to lose the normal way.
So,
"My precious…" He muttered in a heartbroken voice as he summoned a long spear with a crystalline tip.
He filled it with water mana and the crystalline tip started to buzz.
"Go!"
With a single word, the spear shot forward.
Dwane's expression crumpled realizing he lost his trump card. But his situation didn't allow him any compromise.
'I hope it can buy some time at least.'
After all, that spear would project an attack much stronger than his own.
So…
"Young Master! Young Master!" Dwane shook the white wolf.
Compared to earlier, its injuries were visibly better. The bleeding stopped and his self-regeneration of Lykos was slowly kicking in.
So, Charles was barely able to crack his eyelids open.
"Say 'I quit!'. Exit this place. I and the team will take care of everything." Dwane said in a rushed voice.
Charles' lips curled into a wry smile.
Earlier, his team held an insane belief in him.
'You are destined to reach the top.'
'You are the best genius!'
'Young Master, we'll be waiting for the day when you become the strongest.'
Now, looking at the nervousness in Dwane's eyes, it was clear that his beliefs were broken.
Even though Varian was apparently dead, seeing how he was beaten up by someone in the same level, Dwane could no longer have the reverence towards Charles.
He still respected his young master, but his image of him was no longer spotless.
"Kuh!"
Charles opened his mouth to speak but he only ended up coughing blood.
'That bastard…he really went overboard.' Charles wanted to say his name, but a fear sprang up in his heart.
He didn't even want to utter that name. It's best to forget it as a nightmare.
But…
Charles looked at the dark sword heading toward them and his gaze moved towards the woman behind the sword.
She stood silently but her aura was bursting like a volcano.
Mind. Darkness. Gravity.
She was attacking Dwane's spear without holding back. As a result, the spear's speed was affected due to her gravity attack.
Its momentum was slowly chipped away as it inched closer and closer to the sword.
'Enigma…She is close to Varian. She…She must be killed.' Charles' eyes turned bloodshot.
"K-Kill heeer." He said in a broken voice.
Dwane's heart dropped at Charels' refusal. Before he had the chance to persuade him any further, the sword and the spear clashed.
Kacha!
It was a precious treasure, yet all it could do was negate Enigma's attack before cracking like glass and turning into dust.
"K-Kill heeerr…" Charles continued to mutter.
Dwane gritted his teeth as he stood up.
'I would die…'
His eyes suddenly lit up as he spotted the figures reaching the stage.
"Attack!"
