章節 654: CHAPTER 810
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When Dante first became aware of the Red Fleet's attack in the conference room, Hedo was observing the bird dragons from the castle's waiting room. This allowed Hedo to focus on the rear while the Red Fleet concentrated on the frontal shield.
In a way, it was better for Hedo that Dante took the knights and bird dragons with him because he no longer needed to fight while considering the lives of the knights and bird dragons.
From the initial bombardment until now, Hedo had swung his sword to protect the bird dragons and knights. However, now he had to put all his effort into attacking. The enemies were focusing on Dante and the knights retreating, so they couldn't pay attention to him.
Dante was renowned worldwide as a formidable martial artist. Hedo didn't need to worry about the shockwaves flowing through Dante's ranks as he clashed with the fleet. In other words, he could fight to his heart's content.
Hedo smiled. His longsword glowed pure white, emitting a vast energy.
His distinctive muscles swelled instantly. Beneath his tough and thick skin, muscle fibers were tightly packed like countless sharp needles. The muscles wriggled fiercely with every movement, capable of concentrating strength at any point.
That power felt like it could cleave through anything when applied to his sword and tear anything apart when applied to his hands. Like inspecting a gigantic machinery, Hedo took a moment to feel his own body. His entire body was perfectly prepared to follow his will.
He was ready to explode.
Kwaaang!
Several shots struck Hedo directly, but the enemy's attacks couldn't penetrate his mighty flesh and bounced off into the void.
Hedo grabbed the disintegrating enemy projectiles and tore them apart with a savage force, causing the Red Fleet to flinch in surprise.
'Is that... a human?'
'He just shrugged off the fleet's bombardment without a shield? Madness, he's leaping through the battleships! Even now, the sky is full of Compatriot Drek's thunderbolts...!'
Though not the level of the flagship Barion's bombardment, it was still far beyond the common sense of the Red Fleet members. To withstand Barion's thunderbolts, one would need defensive power surpassing that of the Red Fleet.
It meant Hedo's physical body was tougher than a battleship. Moreover, that monstrous human had already started firing his sword aura.
His swordsmanship, from his tremendous strength, released sword aura that engulfed the fleet like a tidal wave. The bombardment aimed at Dante and the knights lost its trajectory under the pressure of the swordsmanship, causing the closest fleet to momentarily tilt and be pushed backward.
The swordsmanship momentarily obscured the fleet's vision. When the leftmost fleet at the forefront regained its sight, the first thing the Red Fleet members saw was Hedo, who had leaped from one battleship to another.
"Fire! Fire while activating thorns!"
Cannons emerged from both sides of the battleships, firing projectile rounds at Hedo. However, even the main cannons couldn't penetrate Hedo's muscles. He didn't even bother to dodge the projectiles and instead thrust his sword into the Red Plutonian tribe's battleship.
Pzzhh-!
Simultaneously, the lightning shields, called "thorns," of the neighboring battleship deployed. It was a device designed to throw off enemies who directly boarded the battleship and had the power to quickly dispose of even powerful bird dragons.
For Hedo, it was merely a slight trap. He exploded the energy in his sword thrust and destroyed the battleship.
In the shattered remains of the battleship, Red Fleet members emerged. Some were leaping to other battleships to survive, while others charged towards Hedo to stop him.
However, they all met the same fate. The approaching enemies were cut down by his sword, while those retreating were shot by the sword aura. The severed body parts of the slain Red Plutonians flew toward nearby battleships, creating a gruesome sight.
"I will destroy them all!"
Hedo said as he grabbed the bridge with his left hand. Although it was partially destroyed by the explosion, it was still more than ten times larger than him. Hedo picked it up like a pebble and threw it at the adjacent battleship.
The crew on the neighboring battleship blinked their eyes in disbelief. Did the human just pick up a broken bridge with his hand and throw it? Before they could process the thought, Hedo's face was right in front of them.
"Ah, he's coming!"
With a loud crash, Hedo smashed through the glass with his fist and grabbed the neck of a Red Plutonian and twisted it. He then holds his sword into his mouth, grabbing the hole in the glass with his hands. In that position, he displayed the tremendous power to "tear apart" the battleship.
Krraaaaak-!
As Hedo roared, the battleship was split in half and began to plummet to the ground. It was as if he had torn the battleship like a piece of paper.
Already, two battleships had sunk. The Red Plutonian tribesmen were bewildered by the sudden and devastating attack from the rear.
Flying battleships were undoubtedly the most potent war machines, but they were not suitable for close-quarters combat. What made fleets strong, be it ancient or modern, was their ability to deliver overwhelming long-range attacks coupled with superior maneuverability.
The problem was that they were too close from the beginning.
If Hedo had to endure precise battleship attacks from dozens of kilometers away, he wouldn't have been able to approach so easily. Of course, even now, there wouldn't be more than ten people in the world who could engage in such close combat as he was doing.
While soaring through the air and destroying the battleships, Hedo continued to fire sword aura, constantly disrupting the flagship's bombardment towards Dante.
Perhaps it would have been better if the Drek focused their attacks on Dante's direction with hundreds of battleships, excluding the flagship. Hedo alone couldn't deflect the attacks from so many battleships.
"We need to abandon the sword emperor. From now on, all fleets will keep their distance and prepare for precision strikes on Hedo. I'll personally restrain him."
Drek quickly modified his orders. Continuing the battle as it was would only lead to unnecessary fleet losses.
He decided to give up on Dante and the knights and focus on eliminating Hedo.
When the flagship Barion's bridge opened, Hedo leaped to a neighboring battleship's bridge and took a breath. Hedo's and Drek's eye met between the battleships.
The bombardment ceased. The flagship Barion no longer fired at Dante and the bird dragons, and the menacing thunderbolts in the sky were also diminishing.
"Finally, the captain himself is coming out."
"The surface world is truly astounding."
"If you're surprised, return quietly underground and act like you're dead. As long as the Vamel alliance exists, the Red Plutonian tribe will never be the conquerors in this world."
"I can't understand it. Is there any reason for humans like you to risk your life to protect this insignificant castle? We were originally after the bird dragons and dragon knights but they are nothing more than mere flesh and bones compared to you or the Sword Emperor."
"I am someone whose purpose is to protect something."
"Why did you let the Sword Emperor escape? If you had abandoned the other humans and bird dragons, you could have escaped together."
"That's obvious. The Sword Emperor went to call for reinforcements. The Red Plutonian tribe fears the owner of that name."
"Jin Runcandel... I heard from Compatriot Rakiman and Patlok Castle compatriots that he is indeed a problematic human. You seem confident that you can hold out against me and the fleet until he arrives."
"Absolutely."
"Yes, you do seem to have the power to think that way. But unfortunately, the problem is that you're up against me. It's time to wake up from your delusions."
As Drek finished speaking, Hedo instinctively felt danger and raised his sword.
It seemed like an ambush. If it had been a frontal ambush like this, Hedo could have easily blocked it, even if his opponent is Yona herself.
He thought he had blocked it, but he felt like something chilling had passed through him.
'What was that? I didn't see anything. Was it my imagination?'
Hedo quickly tried to awaken all his senses, but he felt nothing. He wasn't cut or hit anywhere on his body.
But the next moment...
'Blood!? Blood...!'
Hedo could see the 'blood' leaving his body with his own eyes. For some reason, droplets of blood were spreading all over his body, floating into the air.
Hedo quickly formed a protective shield, but the blood ignored the physical force, turned into particles, and dispersed from the shield toward Drek.
Drek smiled as if he had expected Hedo's reaction.
"Vampire. Before being sealed, countless immortals and mortals from the ancient world used to call me that."
Bloodsucking, that was Drek's unique ability as a Great battle king.
Instinctively, Hedo threw himself to the ground to create distance.
'As the distance increased, the rate at which the blood leaves decreased. It's hopeless to fight up close.'
The problem was that Drek possessed not only that power.
"Why are you suddenly in a hurry? It seems like you're desperate to increase the distance between us."
Drek had already positioned himself on the ground, swinging his spear before Hedo could react. Hedo narrowly avoided the spear, but he could see even more blood leaving his body than before.
Although it didn't show immediately, he knew that if this continued, his movements would soon become sluggish, and he might even face death.
Furthermore, the fleet was following Drek's orders, expanding their formation and retreating. Before long, they would be at a distance where Hedo's sword strikes couldn't reach, and the bombardment would begin again.
'If I get close, he'll drain my blood faster, but if I move away, the fleet will have an easier time hitting me…'
It was a dilemma.
'Since it seems like he's given up on the Sword Emperor, maybe the safest option is to endure until I can retreat to a safe area. When Jin arrives, he'll probably investigate my escape route and follow me.'
Drek saw through all his thoughts.
"You probably chose to endure and then escape. But, Hedo, our fleet can precisely strike you even if we're fighting at close range. I saw earlier that you could withstand the bombardment even without protection, but can you keep that up?"
Hedo didn't answer and dispersed his sword aura as he retreated. It felt like a strange sensation, as if his blood was surging inside him.
He couldn't easily find the "distance where the blood wouldn't be absorbed." Drek's spear kept exploding the thunderbolts, hindering Hedo's movements. Whenever he had to parry, he unavoidably got closer to Drek, and more blood was sucked out.
"A disgusting ability you have there."
Drek extended his long tongue and licked the droplets of blood in the air.
"Ah, your blood is so rich... It's incomparable to the knights and bird dragons I intended to feast on. Today, my compatriots and I will feast on your blood, Hedo."
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