Chapter 162 - Inherited Resolution (4)
-Unyielding Fortress!
A ripple made out of light surrounded them. All the arrows were repelled when they came in contact with the ripple.
The ripple even repelled the attacks by the the Ettins.
Goo-wuhhhhhhhh!
Ettins were so large that they didn’t need any weapons. Their arms were unusually long compared to the proportion of their body, and the distal ends of their hands were formed of a substance that was as hard as a rock.
The swings of their arms exceeded the damage one could cause with a battering ram.
Koo-oooooohng!
However, the light ripple easily absorbed the impact. The Ettins ate up too much ground with their long strides, so the party wasn’t able to lose them. However, the party was able to advance in a very laid-back manner.
Azell spoke.
“At this point, they should have realized the gap between our capabilities….. It’ll be annoying, but I’ll have to kill their leader.”
“Annoying? Is that all there is to it?”
Kairen couldn’t suppress his laughter as he asked the question.
Azell answered him.
“I am thankful that they are becoming partners for my rehab training, so I don’t want to kill them if I don’t have to. It is true that we are intruding into their territory, so my response will be mild.”
The light ripple, which was protecting the party members, was Azell’s Dragon weapon named ‘Unyielding Fortress’. It was as the name implied. The Dragon weapon boasted powerful defensive abilities.
If Azell wanted to do so, he could have responded by giving orders to the Guardian Shadows. However, he wanted to avoid a fight, so he had focused on defense. This didn’t mean their enemies gave up on their attacks. In the end, Azell had to summon a new Dragon weapon.
-Rise Dragon weapon! Dawn’s Defender!
A bubbles made out of light appeared in the air, and it formed into a silhouette. It looked as if it was drawn with white light, yet it held a resemblance to Azell.
Kairen was surprised.
“It isn’t your clone?”
“It is my Dragon weapon. I share my senses, thoughts and magical energy with it. It can fight autonomously. Also… I want to borrow your strengths.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“You cooperation will let me add your powers to the Dawn’s Defender. You just have to give consent.”
Azell let out a laugh. His expression said he was hiding a secret. Everyone was confused, but they followed his instruction.
What followed next was…..
“Uh?”
Silhouettes made out of light appeared next to each of them. They resembled the party members.
Azell spoke.
“The maximum I can make is eight, but there aren’t that many of us. I’ll fill the rest with myself.”
Three more silhouettes that resembled Azell appeared. There was a total of eight of them.
They dashed out of the Unyielding Fortress, and they started to fight.
“What the hell?”
Laura was shocked. Their sight was obstructed by the forest, but Yuren and Lauren was able to place a magic eye in the air to survey their surrounding. This was why they were able to see the battle…..
“They are using our abilities?”
Yuren mumbled in disbelief.
Azell had made eight silhouettes using his Dragon weapon, Dawn’s Defender. These silhouettes were fighting in the same style as the party. Their martial abilities, magic and even personal abilities were being replicated. The silhouette resembling Leticia was using her abilities, which dealt with frost.
In a flash, their enemies started to fall.
The battle capability of the Dawn’s Defenders were so overwhelming that their enemies were being subdued without any deaths. Even the Ettins were easily subdued by the magic used by the silhouette that looked liked Laura and Yuren.
Kairen was baffled as he asked a question.
“Those are our abilities…. Did you create an exact clone of us?”
“It isn’t an exact one, but you are correct.”
Dragon weapon Dawn’s Defender could create up to 8 cloned soldiers. It replicated the user of the weapon, and anyone that declared their support to the wielder. It didn’t matter if one was a warrior or a magician. It could replicate the person’s specialty skills.
“However, there is a limit. It cannot replicate the power of tools like the Dragon weapons. It also resonates to borrow one’s thought process and overall skill. That is why the people being replicated has to be present. There’s a limits to the abilities they could use, and the magical energy is inferior compared to the original.”
Azell’s party possessed much stronger magical energy compared to an average Dragon Majin. The Dawn’s Defenders possessed inferior abilities compared to them.
This still meant each of them possessed magical energy that rivaled a Dragon Majin. The Dragon weapon could create eight of them. It truly was a terrifying weapon.
Laura spoke.
“That was the Dragon weapon you used to defeat Baldazark….”
“That’s right. It was count Banan’s Dragon weapon. He was killed by Baldazark.”
Count Banan was a mild mannered magician of few words. However, he had also been a determined man with the flame of revenge burning within his heart. He had lost countless family members and comrades through the Dragon Demon war. His longing for them had been transferred in the creation of the Dragon weapon called the Dawn’s Defender.
He was a powerful force on the battlefield, but he found himself in a disadvantageous situation against Baldazark. He had to fight one on one with Baldazark, and he had suffered a grievous wound that he couldn’t recover from. This was why he picked Azell as the person that would wield his Dragon weapon. He closed his eyes after transferring his weapon to Azell.
In the future, Azell would replicate his comrades with his Dragon weapon, and he used overwhelming numbers to defeat Baldazark.
Kairen couldn’t hide his surprise.
“This is truly amazing. It seems the records doesn’t do you any justice as to what you accomplished. I never expected such wondrous abilities…..”
“Mmm. We should stop talking about it. It is embarrassing.”
Azell let out a bitter laugh.
9
Azell’s party forged ahead as they fought.
Aside from Azell, the other party members were still in rough shape. Azell had recovered nine of his Dragon weapons from the Keepers of the Prophecy, so his battle capability was overpowered. It didn’t matter, which opponents showed up. He was able to continue his ridiculous feat of subduing his enemies with minimal bloodshed.
There was a general unrest amongst the inhabitants of the Albatan forest.
‘Powerful outsiders have shown up at the edge of the forest. We can’t even touch them.’
‘They are a strange bunch. We are the ones bringing the fight to them, yet they are avoiding killing us. They are just moving forward.’
‘Are we going to take this insult lying down? Or…….’
As time passed, the rumor about Azell’s party spread throughout the forest. The factions within the forest were antagonistic towards each other, but at the same time, they worked together to repel outside forces. This was why the news about Azelll’s party were being spread amongst them.
This was also what Azell was aiming for.
If they wanted to, the party could have moved stealthily through the forest. Azell had his concealment technique, and there were two high rank magicians within his party. They could have avoided around 90% of the enemies they had faced.
However, Azell purposefully made himself visible as he continued to fight.
His intentions were finally delivered to his opponents on the morning of the 4th day after they entered the Albatan forest.
Azell’s party sensed two people coming towards them from the other side of the forest.
Everyone became tense.
‘They are strong!’
Their opponents purposefully let their existence be known. From the force that could be felt from far away, they knew these two beings were strong. They couldn’t take these two lightly.
Kairen licked his lips.
“These won’t be easy opponents.”
In the past four days, the party had come across skilled Dragon Majins and Dragon Demons.
They all brought along monsters like orcs or wild beasts. It was a truly strange sight for the party members. However, it seems such sights were the norm in this place.
Azell broke through all of them as he continued to fight out in the open.
“Are you the outsiders that’s making a ruckus in the forest?”
His voice was low, and his white hair was untamed. He was a middle aged Dragon Majin with dark blue eyes, horns and Dragon Stone. He was an intimidating big man with boulder-like muscles. Then there was the young and beautiful Dragon Majin next to him. Her long blonde hair hung loose, and she looked at the party with curiosity in her eyes.
Azell stepped forward.
“Everyone blindlessly attacked us, so we just protected ourselves.”
“You talk out of both sides of your mouth. You did purposefully cause the ruckus.”
“What evidence do you have to make such an assertion? The inhabitants of the forest attacked us first.”
“That is true. However…. You are only human, yet you are as strong as the heroes of our forest. You didn’t hide yourself or run away. You provoked them to attack. Do you really want me to believe that this wasn’t avoidable?”
“Everyone in my party is injured except me. That is why I behaved badly..”
The Dragon Majin male snorted.
“Well, all right. I don’t care what schemes you are trying to hatch.”
“So basically you want us to prove that we are worthy of speaking with you? You want us to prove it through strength.”
“It seems you are well aware of what I’m trying to do. Did you do all of this knowing this would happen? I will give you the opportunity to prove your strength through a one on one battle with me. I am paying respects to your skills, which allowed you to get here without killing a single being. If you prove your strength, I will grant your request.”
“Do you know what I want?”
“You want to meet Albatan-nim. Am I right?”
“We are on the same page. Good.”
Azell grinned.
The Dragon Magin male spoke.
“I am Albatan-nim’s hero Havan.”
“I am sir Azell Zestringer.”
“…Azell?”
The one to react wasn’t Havan. It was the blonde haired Dragon Majin female.
However, Havan didn’t wait for her to speak. A wave of Dragon Demon magic spread like a storm.
-Open Dragon Soul!
Azell became surprised when he saw this.
“What the hell?”
By the look of him, Azell had assumed his opponent possessed a Dragon weapon. However, the Dragon Majin male use a strange technique instead of summoning his Dragon weapon.
A semi-translucent light dragon curled around Havan’s body. The image of the dragon was made out of a semi-translucent green light, and it growled. Azell could feel a powerful will as if the dragon was a living being.
Azell asked a question.
“I've never seen this technique before. Could you tell me the name of it?”
“This is the Dragon Soul. It is a sworn friend awakened through the Dragon’s power sleeping within me.”
“I can’t discern anything through that explanation…..”
“I have no obligations to tell you any more. Now it is time for you to prove yourself.”
After making the declaration, Havan unsheathed his sword. It was twice as large as a normal long sword. It was a huge sword.
“I’m not too fond of unreasonable battle freaks, but I guess I have no choice.”
Azell snorted. In the next moment, Havan charged Azell, who hadn’t even unsheathed his sword.
However, there was no sound of sword meeting flesh. Azell had resolved into two. The close placed its hand on the surface of Havan’s sword, and he sidestepped the blow. Azell’s true body was behind Havan, and an explosive wave of Dragon Demon magic emanated from Azell.
-Come Dragon weapon! Moon sword!
A slender strand of light appeared in midair, and it formed into a sword that curved gently. It was as if the sword was carved from the moon in the night sky.
Havan let out a sharp laugh when he saw it.
“As expected, you are a wielder of a Dragon weapon!”
“I thought you were one too.”
Azell gave his reply as he used his Instantaneous Movement to disappear. In a flash, Havan also used his Instantaneous Movement technique.
Pah-jee-jee-jeek!
A fierce spark formed when the red sword clashed against the Moon sword. The expulsive power of the blow should have flung them backwards, but the two refused to move.
At some point in time, the light dragon surrounding Havan started to move. It stretched its neck towards Azell’s side, and it spat out a beam of light.
“Ho-oh! Is that how you use it?”
The sound of the explosion rang out. Azell and Havan separated into their respective corners.
Azell dashed towards the retreating Havan. He had been aiming for the moment when they were pushed back from the repulsive force. However, it was Azell’s clone that had blitzed Havan. Havan mumbled to himself as he deflected the clone’s attack.
“You are a mere human, yet you are able to use Incarnation mastefully….”
Incarnation was considered to be one of the most outstanding skills amongst the Dragon Arts. One had to have aptitude for the skill to reach the pinnacle of this skill, and it truly was rare to see someone that had reached such heights with the skill.
However, one of the heroes within the Albatan forest was able to use Incarnation, so Havan was able to keep his cool. He didn’t flounder. However, another clone formed in the next moment, and they attack Havan. Havan was frantic as he was pushed back by Azell’s attacks.
The Dragon Demon female, who had been watching all of this, let out a shout.
“Husband! This human……!”
“This is a battle where the pride of two warriors are on the line! Don’t interfere!”
Havan let out a stubborn yell.
The members of Azell’s party became surprised. Those two were married?
The Dragon Demon female puffed up as she grumbled to herself.
“Stubborn idiot.”
Kairen asked her a question.
“Are you really going to let them fight a one on one battle?”
“Mmm? Your side haven’t interfered yet. Why? Do you plan on helping your comrade?”
She tilted her head in question. Kairen shook his head from side to side.
“The thought hadn’t even crossed my mind. Moreover, my help isn’t needed.”
“I want to say you are being impertinent, but…….”
Suddenly, she let out a bitter laugh.
“The problem is that you might be right. I should have fought instead of him.”
While they were talking, the fight between the two had intensified. They were moving at incredibly high speeds, and at times, they used Instantaneous movement to move around. It was dizzying to watch. The beautiful trees broke every time they clashed, and the shock wave swept over the surrounding.
Kairen couldn’t hide his surprise as he watched the fight.
Havan was a Dragon Majin, but his Dragon Demon magic was stronger than most Dragon Demons. Moreover, his technique was also excellent. Even if Kairen was at full strength, he couldn’t guarantee his victory if he fought against Havan.
‘I’m still not sure what that is…….’