Ignius did not charge imdiately. He hovered in mid-air, his wings slowly beating, maintaining balance. His gaze was fixed on the skeleton below, now rising from the wreckage.
"Hmph..." He took a deep breath. Mana coursed through his body, and scorching dragon breath churned deep in his throat. In Ignius's mind, countless images flashed. They were the battle scenes he had replayed repeatedly during his days of decadence in his lair. Every move the skeleton made, every action, every trajectory of evasion. He rembered them all.
He had rehearsed them over and over in his mind. How to respond if they t again. How to dodge if he attacked from the left. What thod to use to intercept if he suddenly accelerated. How to protect vital areas if he aid for the wings.
Countless simulated battles. Countless failures. Countless restarts. Until now.
"Co on." Ignius roared softly, his body plunging downwards!
Skele-Pride looked up, his bone sword held horizontally before his chest.
BOOM!
Ignius's dragon claws slamd fiercely against Skele-Pride's blade, erupting in a deafening tallic clang. The imnse impact carved a deep crater in the ground, sending shattered rock flying. But this ti, Skele-Pride couldn't easily block it as before. His body was pushed back half a step by the force.
Half a step. Just half a step. But that was enough.
Ignius instantly noticed this change, sweeping his dragon tail horizontally! Skele-Pride sidestepped, his bone sword slashing diagonally towards Ignius's neck. Ignius had anticipated this, flapping his wings fiercely, his entire body leaping into the air, barely dodging the fatal strike. Almost simultaneously, a crimson dragon breath rained down!
Skele-Pride did not et it head-on, his figure flickering, reappearing ten ters away. The dragon breath slamd into the ground, exploding into a sea of fire.
Skele-Pride tilted his head, pointing his sword at Ignius. "Since you've returned."
"Then let's start with you."
Ignius did not reply. He knew that engaging an opponent of this caliber, any lapse in concentration could be fatal. His dragon wings beat again; Ignius charged from the side! The wind pressure generated by his high-speed movent sent sand and stones swirling.
Skele-Pride raised his bone sword, preparing to block. But just as they were about to connect, Ignius's figure suddenly swerved, biting from another angle! This was a feint!
Skele-Pride reacted incredibly fast, changing the trajectory of his bone sword, slashing diagonally.
Clang!
The blade scraped against Ignius's scales, sending a shower of sparks. Ignius yelped in pain, but did not retreat; instead, he opened his massive maw, biting towards Skele-Pride's head! Skele-Pride took half a step back, raising his left hand, and punched Ignius squarely on the jaw.
Bang!
Ignius's head was knocked to one side, but his dragon tail swept in from another direction! Skele-Pride didn't have ti to fully dodge, only managing to raise his bone sword to block.
Rumble!
The imnse force sent Skele-Pride flying, his body skidding over ten ters across the ground.
"Hah... hah..." Ignius gasped, staring at the skeleton in the distance. He hit him. Though not a fatal blow, this was already far better than last ti. Last ti, he hadn't even touched Skele-Pride's edges.
In the distance, Basaka painstakingly looked up, watching the crimson figure in the sky. "He... he really has grown stronger."
Daelas lay on the ground, blood seeping from the corner of her mouth. "Not just stronger."
"His fighting style is completely different."
Vinodo coughed twice. "Before, he relied more on primal instinct."
"But now."
"Every single one of his movents is carefully considered."
Raijin nodded. "Ignius might actually win."
On the battlefield, Ignius launched another attack. This ti, he didn't choose a head-on charge. Instead, he circled in the air, searching for the optimal attack angle. Skele-Pride stood his ground, ticulously observing Ignius's trajectory, waiting patiently.
Suddenly!
Ignius weaved and shifted, simultaneously unleashing dragon breaths from three different directions! Flas intertwined into a cage, trapping Skele-Pride in the center. Skele-Pride looked up, watching Ignius dive down from above, and fiercely swung his bone sword upwards.
A black sword qi tore through the flas, rushing directly towards Ignius. But Ignius was prepared, his body twisting strangely in mid-air, barely dodging the sword qi. Imdiately after, he sharply accelerated, his dragon claws striking towards Skele-Pride's chest!
Skele-Pride sidestepped, his bone sword slashing diagonally. Ignius flapped his wings, changing direction, while his dragon tail swept in from below. Skele-Pride leaped, dodging the dragon tail, his bone sword striking downwards, directly at Ignius's spine. Ignius rolled sharply, the blade grazing his scales. Almost simultaneously, a dragon breath blasted out at close range!
BOOM!
Skele-Pride was struck head-on, his entire body sent flying backward.
"Good!" The surrounding Dragonkin warriors erupted in cheers. But the next second, the cheers abruptly ceased. Skele-Pride stood up from the wreckage, brushing dust from his body. Not a single crack marred his skeletal fra.
"Not bad." Skele-Pride stretched his neck, emitting a crackling sound. "It's been a long ti since I've encountered an opponent that made serious."
No sooner had he spoken than Skele-Pride's figure vanished from his spot. Ignius's pupils contracted; he thrust his wings forward to block.
Clang!
The bone sword struck his wing, sending Ignius flying. Before he could regain his balance, Skele-Pride had reappeared behind him. Ignius twisted sharply, his dragon claws sweeping horizontally. But Skele-Pride was faster, his bone sword slashing diagonally.
Pfffsch.
Blood splattered. A deep gash appeared on Ignius's front claw. Imnse pain instantly surged! But Ignius gritted his teeth, enduring, and his other claw aid for Skele-Pride's head. Skele-Pride took half a step back, his bone sword swinging again. This ti, Ignius did not dodge, but charged forward head-on. The blade sliced across his shoulder, leaving a shocking wound. But Ignius's dragon claws also firmly gripped Skele-Pride's chest!
Crack!
The sound of shattering bone echoed. Several cracks appeared on Skele-Pride's chest, and his entire body was sent flying backward.
"Hah... hah..." Ignius gasped, looking at the skeleton in the distance. He hit him. This ti, he really hit him. Although the price was several more wounds on his own body, it was... Worth it.
Skele-Pride stood up, looking down at the cracks on his chest. Death energy surged, and the cracks slowly began to heal.
"Trading blows, are we?" He looked up, his soulfire flickering even more intensely. "If I wasn't an undead created by the Sovereign, you might actually win."
"Unfortunately, your current actions, in my opinion, are extrely foolish." Skele-Pride tightened his grip on his bone sword, his figure vanishing again. This ti, his speed was even greater than before!
Ignius gritted his teeth, forcing himself to concentrate. In his mind, the countless rehearsed images reappeared. He knew which direction Skele-Pride would attack from. Left! Ignius twisted sharply, his dragon claws sweeping horizontally. But he struck air. It wasn't the left; it was the right!
A flash of sword light, and a wound appeared on Ignius's right wing.
"I anticipated your anticipation." Skele-Pride's voice echoed in his ear.
Damn it! Ignius gritted his teeth, flapping his wings fiercely, creating distance. He couldn't fight according to his rehearsed routines anymore. Skele-Pride had seen through his thoughts.
Then!
Improvise!
Ignius took a deep breath, his body plumting, charging towards Skele-Pride. This ti, he had no routine. He was fighting purely on instinct. Skele-Pride raised his bone sword, preparing to respond. But Ignius's attack trajectory was completely unpredictable. Sotis left, sotis right. Sotis a high-altitude dive, sotis a low-to-the-ground slide. Dragon claws, dragon tail, dragon breath, dragon wings. Every part of his body beca a weapon.
Skele-Pride was forced to react, his bone sword constantly swinging, deflecting Ignius's attacks one by one. But he found that he couldn't counterattack as easily as before. Because Ignius simply gave him no opportunity to counterattack. After every strike, he imdiately retreated, creating distance. Then he attacked again from another angle, giving Skele-Pride no ti to breathe.
"Interesting." Skele-Pride blocked another of Ignius's attacks, laughing aloud. "Truly interesting!"
Ti passed, minute by minute. On the battlefield, the two figures constantly intertwined. The crimson dragon's shadow and the black skeleton moved back and forth between the ground and the sky. Ignius's wounds multiplied. But the cracks on Skele-Pride's body also steadily increased. Neither could completely overpower the other.
After another fierce collision, both simultaneously retreated, creating distance. Ignius gasped, covered in blood. Skele-Pride stood his ground, his skeletal fra riddled with cracks.
Skele-Pride lowered his head to examine himself for a mont, then suddenly spoke. "Seeing how hard you've tried..." He paused.
"If you can defeat once."
"I will agree to give you another chance at negotiation."
At these words, the entire battlefield fell silent. Basaka suddenly looked up. "What?"
Ignatz's eyes widened. "What did he say?"
Daelas stared incredulously at the skeleton. "A chance for negotiation?"
Vinodo and Raijin exchanged glances, both seeing shock in the other's eyes. Ignius stared at Skele-Pride, asking in a low voice, "Are you serious?"
"I never lie." Skele-Pride raised his bone sword, pointing it at Ignius. "If you can defeat once, I will give you this opportunity."
"But..." His tone shifted.
"There is only one chance."
"If you fail..."
"Then don't bla for being ruthless."
☆☆☆
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