บท 63: Druark
Seven rivers flowed towards the centre of a great forest, stretching several miles in each direction. The rivers flowing inwards formed a lake at the centre of the great forest. The lake was about 1,000,000 sq. km. Due to the nature of the land, many rocks protruded from the lake.
Among such rocks stood an enormous, uniquely shaped rock several meters high. It had several plants and trees growing on it that one could mistake for a mountain. The lower part of the rock was way smaller than the upper part, making it look like a spinning top.
On the outside, it looked like a weird rock, but deep inside were various rooms and gardens. It was not just that. All the other boulders protruding from the lake had rooms in there. It was like a hidden settlement.
In a room in the spinning top-looking rock, a young man with short blue hair with the tip of the hair dyed green kneeled before an older man with low-cropped black hair with his head bowed. He was dark with green eyes and wore a tight-fitting white top over trousers with an embroidered jacket.
"Ekow Tolkien, the wing commander of the Tolkien family air force fifth squadron, and the seventh son of the family head. Such an imposing presence he has", the blue-haired young man admired. For him, being in the presence of such a figure was an honour.
"Adric, your match against the Lightning Inferno Sovereign will be in a few days, correct?" Ekow asked with a furrowed brow, making the two scars cutting across his left eye stand out even more.
"It is as you say, sir", Adric replied.
"Then this is the order from the family head. Though it is up to you to accept it or not", Ekow Tolkien took out a scroll and opened it. A holographic image projected before him. "Kill the Lightning Inferno Sovereign and bring back his head. Do that, and you would gain a place among the Air Force fifth squadron. Do you accept this order?" Ekow read.
"I accept it wholeheartedly. It is an honour to be chosen by the family head to undertake this task. I will bring the head of the Lightning Inferno Sovereign", Adric pledged, with his hand on his chest. He lifted his head and looked at Ekow confidently. He had eyes as blue as the sea with a unique tattoo on both cheeks.
"Then go carry out your lord's orders. You may leave", Ekow said and walked away. "Father, just what are you up to? If word goes out about our involvement, the entire family will be slaughtered for treason." Ekow shook his head in dismay with a sigh and disappeared.
Meanwhile, in the Ace section of the bout, a new powerhouse had emerged and garnered the attention of all present. He presented himself as a mountain that cannot be destroyed. He dominated every battlefield he had been to and had beaten his opponents to near death.
He is considered by most as a monster, and his opponent in the upcoming match is a soft-hearted and kind soul.
"I feel bad for that monster's opponent. He is strong, but he will get destroyed by that guy." One man in the audience commented.
"He seemed like a nice guy. He doesn't deserve this", another commented. Most people didn't think the monster's opponent would win due to how brutal the monster fought, unlike his opponent's gentle fighting style.
A burly man above two meters appeared on a grassland in the centre of a great forest. He was fair and had short brown hair, with one side shaved. He had a large scar stretching from his mouth to his cheek and almost reaching his ears.
He took in a deep breath and blew at the grass around him. In an instant, everything around him was covered in ice. He wore a tank top, leaving all his refined muscles on display. His details were displayed on the screen.
<Name: Colossal Drake>
<Assigned Weapon: Gauntlet>
<Element Attributes: Ice>
<Level: Ace>
<Rank: 60>
A man in a full-face gas-like mask appeared before him. He was burly and had short, spiky red hair. He was, however, smaller than his opponent, standing only a little over two meters. His opponent was at least half a meter taller than he was. He wore fitting clothes with a long-grown jacket on top of it.
He stared at his opponent through the red visor of his mask. He seemed to be gauging his opponent. "He is strong. Maybe the strongest person I have met since joining this bout", the man whispered. His details were also displayed after his appearance.
<Name: Druark>
<Assigned Weapon: Gauntlet>
<Element Attributes: Crystal>
<Level: Ace>
<Rank: 58>
On the opposite side, his opponent didn't put him in his eyes. With a haughty face, he approached Druark. He was the man who completely crushed his opponents, both physically and mentally. Having another low rank before him would yield no different result.
He stood about a hundred meters from Druark and said cockily, "Hey, I will feel bad simply crushing you without giving you any chance to fight back. So how about this? We fight with only physical strength for the first few minutes. Not that it will change anything, but it's a fair deal, no?"
Though he proposed that, deep down, he thought, "After beating the s@#$ out of him without using elemental abilities, he will notice just how powerless he is and despair to begin with, then I can deal a fatal blow using my abilities. It would be fun to watch the reaction on his face when he realises just how powerless he is before me. Kukukukukuuuu." He secretly laughed.
Druark nodded without saying a word. The cocky Drake smirked, "Alright, let's get started then". After a countdown, the two disappeared from where they were as their fists clashed in the middle. The cocky look on Drake's face was wiped in that moment. He was flustered. "What?" He gritted his teeth and poured his strength into the next punch. He knew that if he dared hold back, he would be humiliated.
The two clashed fists, and their attack kept getting stronger and stronger. The gusts from their attacks blew dust into the air and cracked the ground. No one seemed to be having the edge in the battle of strength. The power they displayed was on a whole other level.
Considering physical strength alone, no one in their ranks could compare. Noting things wouldn't end in his favour, Drake sneakily strengthened himself with his elemental powers and covered his fist with ice. He thought Druark would not catch on soon enough just so he could overwhelm him, but things didn't go as planned.
Druark also manifested his powers at the last moment, and the two fists clashed. The shockwave from the attack destroyed the ground in a six hundred meters radius. The two got blown back by the shockwave.
"That guy, he is no weaker than I am." Drake's face darkened as he stared at Druark.
"I see you have no honour whatsoever. Accepting your challenge was a blunder on my side", Druark said, releasing his aura. The aura of the two clashed and distorted the space around them. "Allow me to apologise", Druark said, dashing for Drake, covering his arm in thick crystals.
Drake gritted his teeth and screamed before dashing to intercept him. The two fists collided again, devastating the land even further. They clashed with each other severally while constantly moving through the forest, destroying everything they came across.
Ice spikes suddenly broke out under Druark and skewered him. The audience gasped as they thought, "It is truly finished. He is dead".
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