The canyon battle had turned into a stalemate of attrition. Alvian held the high ground, using the narrow geography and his infinite mana to rain destruction down on the Draconic Legion. Every ti they tried to push, he unleashed a [Void Vortex] to pull them back, or a [Frost Descent] to freeze their path.
But for every Dragon he killed, two more pushed through the gate. The pile of corpses was becoming a ramp for the reinforcents.
And then, the pattern changed.
The Dragons stopped charging. They parted, moving to the sides of the canyon, bowing their heads.
From the gate, a new figure erged. It wasn’t a beast. It was a humanoid, clad in armor made of red dragon scales that glowed with an internal fire. He stood seven feet tall, wielding a massive greatsword that looked like it was carved from a single dragon’s fang. He didn’t walk; he strode through the water, the pressure of the deep ocean parting around him.
[Target Identified: Drakon, The Vanguard Commander]
[Level: 58]
[Class: Dragon Knight]
[Passive: [Absolute Nullification] - Immunity to Magic below S-Rank.]
Alvian’s eyes narrowed. "Level 58. And magic immunity."
This was a problem. Alvian’s build was a hybrid, heavily reliant on the magical properties of his [Void] attacks to bypass defense. If this Knight was immune to magic, Alvian was just a guy with a sharp stick.
Drakon stopped at the base of the ridge. He looked up at Alvian. His helt retracted, revealing a face that was severe, scarred, and utterly devoid of rcy. His eyes were vertical slits.
"You fight well for a mammal," Drakon’s voice was deep, resonating through the water without magic. "But your tricks end here. The Legion does not stop."
"I’ve stopped gods," Alvian replied, checking his [Voidpiercer]. The dagger humd, but its void energy felt dampened in the presence of the Knight.
"Gods bleed," Drakon said. He crouched. "I do not."
"BOOM!"
Drakon leaped. He cleared the hundred ters in a single bound, his greatsword swinging in a horizontal arc that aid to take Alvian’s head off.
Alvian ducked. The blade passed over him, the wind pressure alone cracking the rock wall behind him.
Alvian stabbed with his lance.
"TING!"
The black tal tip hit Drakon’s chest plate. There was no penetration. No frost effect. The magic simply slid off the red scales.
[System Warning: Attack Nullified.]
"Physical damage only," Alvian noted, backflipping away as Drakon brought the sword down in a vertical chop. The ridge collapsed under the blow.
Alvian landed on a lower ledge. "My Strength is 390. That should be enough to dent steel. But his scales disperse kinetic energy."
Drakon didn’t give him ti to think. He charged, a whirlwind of violence. He didn’t use skills; he used mastery. His swordplay was perfect, efficient, brutal.
Alvian was on the defensive. He used [Void Step] to dodge, but Drakon anticipated him. Every ti Alvian reappeared, the greatsword was already there.
"CLANG!"
Alvian blocked with the shaft of his lance. The impact drove him to his knees. His [Vestnts] flickered, the mana shield draining rapidly.
"You rely on the void," Drakon growled, pressing the blade down. "But the void is empty. My strength is real."
Alvian gritted his teeth. The weight was imnse.
"Real is inefficient," Alvian spat.
He dropped the lance. He grabbed the blade of the greatsword with his bare hands.
"[Thundergod Bracers]: Discharge."
He dumped a massive amount of electricity into the sword. tal conducts.
"ZZZZT!"
Drakon flinched. The electricity bypassed the scale armor, traveling through the sword and into his arms. It wasn’t magic damage; it was elental physics.
[-2,000!]
"You feel that?" Alvian asked.
He let go of the sword and delivered a double-handed punch to Drakon’s helt.
"Gravity Assist."
He used the [Void Anchor] in his armor to increase the mass of his fists.
"BANG!"
Drakon staggered back, a dent appearing in his helt. He looked surprised.
"Clever," Drakon admitted, shaking his head to clear the stun. "But not enough."
Drakon roared. His red aura flared. The water around him boiled. He activated a skill: [Dragon’s Rage]. His speed doubled.
He rushed Alvian. This ti, Alvian couldn’t dodge. The sword caught him in the chest.
"CRUNCH."
Alvian was launched backward. He smashed into the canyon wall, burying himself ten feet deep in the rock.
[-8,500 HP!]
[Armor Durability: Critical.]
Alvian hung there, pinned in the crater. Blood leaked from his mouth. His vision swam.
"Alvian!"
A voice cut through the haze. Valeria.
She dropped from the upper ridge, slamming her shield into Drakon’s back.
"Titan’s Bash!"
Drakon stumbled forward, turning with a snarl. "Another insect?"
"Get away from him!" Valeria scread, positioning herself between the Knight and Alvian. Her armor was already damaged from the previous fights, but her aura was blazing.
Alvian pulled himself out of the wall. He looked at Valeria. She was Level 46. Drakon was Level 58. She couldn’t tank him. Not for long.
"Valeria, move!" Alvian ordered, wiping blood from his chin.
"No!" Valeria braced her shield. "You need a second. I’m buying you a second."
Drakon swung his sword. It hit Valeria’s shield with the force of a falling mountain.
"BOOM!"
Valeria’s knees buckled. Her boots cracked the stone. She cried out, but she held.
"She’s holding," Alvian realized. "The Titan Bloodline... it adapts to pressure."
He looked at Drakon. The Knight was focused on Valeria, annoyed by the immovable object in his path.
"Analysis," Alvian whispered. "His scales nullify magic. But they have gaps. The joints. The neck."
He needed a distraction.
"Seraphina," Alvian whispered into the comms. "Are you there?"
"I’m here," Seraphina’s voice was shaky. She was hiding in the cracks of the canyon wall. "I can’t get close. His aura burns my stealth."
"I don’t need you close. I need you loud."
"Loud?"
"Blow the canyon wall. Bury him."
"On it."
Seraphina moved. She planted mana charges along the overhang above Drakon.
Alvian looked at Valeria. She was taking another hit. Her shield was bending.
"Valeria, drop!" Alvian shouted.
She didn’t question him. She dropped flat on the ground.
"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"
The cliff face exploded. Tons of rock rained down on Drakon.
The Knight looked up, raising his sword to cut the falling boulders.
It was the opening Alvian needed.
He didn’t teleport. He ran. He sprinted up the falling debris, using the rocks as stepping stones. He moved faster than gravity.
He reached Drakon. The Knight was distracted by the avalanche.
Alvian drew [Voidpiercer].
"Physics Lesson Number Ten," Alvian whispered, leaping onto Drakon’s shoulders. "Armor has seams."
He drove the dagger into the gap between the helt and the pauldron.
"Sever."
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