Chapter 1, A Trial 2

Running in front of the prince he stood between him and the man in black. Quickly lifting his shield he blocked the arrow the assassin had fired, but the sheer power behind it forced him back. His sword and shield in hand and full body armor gave him confidence in the fight but his arm was already hurting. Revale the knight readied himself before turning to the other knight.

“I’ll keep him busy, you’re not strong enough to fight him! Stay near the prince and send up a flare.”

“Got it, good luck!.”

Thinking to himself, ‘I say that but I might not be much better’. He had blocked but a single attack yet he could feel the bones in his arm screaming in pain. Things were only going to get worse he thought as he looked up. The pure anger he saw in the man’s eyes was terrifying.

“S***! Do you know how long I’ve been trying to get inside here! 2 years looking for an opening and the one time I see it the brat dodges it!”

Not letting this chance slip away Revale tried to close the gap. However, the assassin wasn’t new, before he could even move another arrow came flying at him. With a loud thud and the sound of metal shattering his shield fell apart. That lone arrow sent him flying back and crashing into a tree, blood flowing from his left arm.

“I can at least kill a knight before I die!”

The man’s arms suddenly started glowing a deep purple. The drawing of a dragon wrapped around his arm seemed to come alive. The purple light it gave off was menacing as it moved from his arm and transformed the arrow, “ Dark Eater!”

The pain Revale felt was making him nauseous, his left arm was broken and the arrow was laced with poison. A true assassin, not even giving him time to use his techniques. Anger flowed through his blood.

“I’M NOT THAT WEAK YOU COWARD! FORGED BODY! ARMOR FUSION!”

A light came from his back and chest as two intricate symbols started to glow, one was of a knight in pain and the other of a forge. The light seemed to go through the armor like it was glass. The armor started to fuse to his skin as flames flowed from the cracks of his armor, the pain from the transformation almost making him blackout. The transformation was quick and agonizing but gripping his sword hard and looking like a metal demon he leaped forward.

As the arrow was released from the bow, the dark energy transformed into a long and terrifyingly huge dragon. It’s scales looked real and the bloodlust it released even affected El who was almost 10 meters away. With a roar so loud it caused people’s ears to bleed it pierced toward the flaming knight. It’s giant mouth gaped open and slammed shut as to eat him whole. The dark purple almost flame-like energy started to corrode his new body but not before he released his counterattack.

“Five Blades First Technique!”

A silver line split the dragon down the center continuing forward destroying the tree. The man was nowhere to be seen as two more dragons came from his right side. Still in the motion of his first attack, he wasn’t able to block it with his blade. So he didn’t, opening his now metal mouth a gigantic plume of flame burst from his mouth enveloping both of the dragons, screaming as he did so. All of the vegetation around him was set ablaze transforming the peaceful garden into a realm of flames

“HAEAHHHHH!” 

“Why don’t you die!”

The black suit the man was wearing was burned and tattered but the desperation and rage in his eyes became even fiercer. His already glowing hand became even brighter and the skin started to crack and break away. The blood spilling from his hand dripped and covered his bowstring. Suddenly his firing speed picked up and the already powerful shots became stronger. Quickly firing five arrows one after another. Revale leaped left and right to dodge four of them before swiping away the other, “Second Technique!”.

Stepping with enough strength to break the ground and his body leaning forward he swung his sword with all his strength. The air seemed to be compressed into a wall of wind slamming into the man. Not before he was able to release another arrow, however, “Starving Swarm”. The once peaceful garden had now become the residence of demons. Trees burning, dragons in the skies, and a man on fire this was the sight that confronted Requille. The five dragons surrounded Revale as he screamed in pain. Standing back up the assassin pulled back on the bow aiming at kids. His black clothes now steeped in blood and his now fractured fingers made it difficult to pull the bow. El had almost reached the palace in the couple minutes they were fighting and this was the last chance he had, “Dark eater”.

The dragon rushed forward, El looked back and saw into the dragon’s maw. The darkness filled him with despair. Although he had been learning how to fight and training his body this was the first time he had felt any real danger. If this hit not only him but the friends he had finally made would die. Stopping and putting all the mana he could into it, he summoned an ice wall. Everyone stopped and the knight stepped in front of him expecting the attack to come through at any time… Seconds passed and nothing happened when they heard someone speaking.

“How dare you.”

Looking past the wall they saw Requille their king with a face of pure rage. The pressure he was releasing caused them to feel fear even deeper than before. He was standing on the dragon, the writhing energy that it was made of, frozen in place.

“H-how, that should be impossible! Even if you’re a 5th circle mage, freezing mana itself should be impossible!”

“The dead shouldn’t speak.” Stamping his staff onto the ground he cast a spell, “Ice coffin”. Before the assassin could even try to dodge, Ice appeared to his left and right before coming together so quickly it looked like they teleported, crushing him in between them. The blood from his body wasn’t even able to escape and the center of the semi-translucent ice was a deep red.

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