Chapter 168: Dire Straits
Under the blinding rays of sunlight, fierce winds blew as two armies battled each other, the smell of blood and iron permeating the air while crows waited for a grand feast.
In this bloody battlefield, one duel stood out from the rest–the one where a fairly young man was locked in fierce combat against a young woman.
These two combatants seem to be equally matched in both skill and strength, thus, their battle was the most intense out of all the duels.
"Hmmph! Not bad, young woman. What's your name?" Naib said with a confident but slightly curious expression. He couldn't stand the young woman's existence but he must admit that she was indeed skilled.
As for who was more skilled than the other? They had to battle it out to know.
"Helena Laurelei, Grand Marshal of Rougenfort Kingdom. I must say, I am indeed impressed by your skill and strength, this is the first time I ever met someone in the same age group who could fight on equal footing with me."
Helena said arrogantly as she clenched the grip of her enchanted greatsword, the Salamandr, tighter.
Without waiting for Naib's reply, Helena rushed towards Naib, swinging down the Salamandr with all of her might, its fiery blade emitted smoke and embers as it whistled through the air.
*CLANG*
Unfortunately, as mighty as the strike was, it was skillfully blocked by the equally skilled Naib using an enchanted weapon of his own, the Voidreaver.
Helena was slightly shocked, not expecting her opponent to have a high-quality enchanted weapon like herself.
Clearly, the Voidreaver, which looked similar to a shamshir, was able to hold its own against the Salamandr, making Helena wonder what sort of materials did it take to create such a masterpiece.
"Good sword! What's your name?"
Genuinely impressed by the young man's skills, this time, it was Helena's turn to ask Naib's name.
"Naib Ahmad, Leader of Timberwolf Mercenary Group!" Naib proudly stated with a slight smile on his face. He was an egoistic person, thus, having a strong adversary acknowledge his skills was a wonderful feeling for him.
Unfortunately, the two of them were enemies and he wouldn't allow someone younger but evidently more talented than him to continue existing in this world.
Hence, one of them was bound to die today.
It was supposed to be all business but since the initial plan already failed and only through sheer might would they be able to turn things around, Naib decided to engage in a battle to the death against the enemy's Grand Marshal as all thoughts of retreating to the next city flew out the window.
They were outnumbered, sure, but as long as he could defeat Helena before his mercenary army got totally decimated, they could flip the tides of battle in their favor.
'Hmm…So the Kairuku Kingdom struck a deal with this mercenary group to defend their eastern borders huh? Their pockets must be crying right now' Helena inwardly chuckled as she imagined the current financial situation of the Kairuku Kingdom.
As for Naib, he calmly observed Helena's breathing.
'Hmm…Not that exhausted yet huh? Impressive stamina…I should reduce her stamina a bit more before using one of my trump cards…' Naib thought to himself as he charged once again, his Voidreaver raised high, threatening to separate Helena's neck from her body.
*CLANG* *CLANG* *CLANG* *CLANG*
The two strongest warriors continued clashing, greatsword against shamshir, both weapons fiercely whistling through the air, aiming to take the life of each other's wielder.
Since they were equally skilled, and their physiques equally strong, it seemed like their battle would continue for hours before a victor was decided.
Meanwhile, the progress of their subordinates' duels varied.
The battle of the rangers seemed to be progressing way faster than the others, both of their bodies were littered with arrows, fresh blood flowing from every wound as they continued dodging, aiming, and shooting at their opponent.
Eden seemed to be in the lead, his opponent struck with five arrows while his body only had four.
The lead was short-lived though as he failed to dodge an arrow from the enemy ranger, successfully hitting Eden's left waist, just a few centimeters short of hitting a vital organ.
"Ahhkk…" Eden exclaimed in pain as he slightly spat out blood and fell down to his knees, his face contorted in agony as he failed to endure the pain of being struck by five arrows.
"Eden!" Alexander worriedly exclaimed, allowing his opponent to use Alexander's momentary lapse of focus to tilt the battle in his favor.
"Alex! Focus!" Helena reprimanded as she continued clashing against Naib. She was also worried about Eden's situation but it cannot be helped, Eden must pull through on his own.
Alexander knew that Helena was right so he forcefully stopped himself from paying attention to Eden's battle, and instead, he decided to focus on his own battle, praying that Eden would somehow turn things around.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone