Born in Blood

BANG!

Liam shot forward.

SMACK!

Liam flew backward.

BANG!

Liam shot forward.

SMACK!

This was the gist of what Liam was going through for several months.

48 smacks and more than a hundred bones broken later, Liam barely got past the first six dragons.

More than 3 months had passed.

But Liam was patient.

It wasn't like he was getting battered over and over for no reason.

The more he got smacked and burned, the more he figured out about the dragons.

Not only was their speed disgustingly fast, but so was their natural defenses and power.

This completely negated any chance of this being a riddle of some kind. 

Like subtly telling him to kill 15 dragons, which he couldn't do.

However, the 'riddle' was in how Liam had to get past so many damn dragons.

The first dragon was perhaps the easiest to get past.

Liam managed to manipulate his body to make it as thin and streamlined as possible, putting all the strength in his legs.

When he shot forward, he was faster than the dragon's swipe. 

Much faster.

But what Liam didn't expect was the massive fireball that ignited to his side. 

Right… he'd forgotten the dragon's could fight long-range, too.

Even now, the entire left side of him had bits and pieces of charred flesh.

Still, it was a trial-and-error sort of thing. 

After trying repeatedly, Liam managed to duck past the first, change his body shape back to normal to counter the fireball with the Black Blade, then continue dodging the claw attacks and flamethrower attacks they shot at him, using the Dusk Blades to defend.

The dragons were not allowed to bite or maw him, but everything else was on the table.

They were all 'programmed' their own way, with their own behaviors and attacks.

Fireballs. 

Explosive Fireballs. 

Devastating claw attacks. 

Blaze bullets.

Flame spewing and much, much more.

But like all the other Trials, Liam hit a 'bottleneck' with how many dragons he could get past.

Thus, Liam was currently tweaking his Dusk Blades.

Sword Connection granted Liam understanding of what inscription to put where.

And ever since Liam had completed the Triumvirate Body, the experience alone sharpened his inscribing skills.

So… the Dusk Blades could now absorb fire alongside chaos!

"We are overjoyed," the Dusk Blades said in unison. "We now wield the flames."

With the excitement in their demonic voices, Liam imagined them finding prey after years of hunger.

Then, Liam reattempted the Trial.

BANG!

He shot forth with a disproportionate body, passing the first dragon due to his skinny form and fast speed.

WHOOSH!

A blazing fireball shot towards Liam as soon as he entered the second dragon's domain. 

Liam was prepared.

He hurled the Little Demons at the sun-like fireball. 

They made a series of clinking noises until weightlessly meeting the fireball's charge.

Then, it started to absorb the heat!

As the fireball shrank, Liam continued running as fast as he could to leave the dragon's domain.

Obviously, Liam couldn't negate a fireball attack so easily.

He simply shrank it to an acceptable amount.

As soon as the heat got too high, the Little Demons told him instantly.

Liam pulled back the Dusk Blades, which were now blazing with fire and orange heat.

They looked extremely volatile and prepared to explode at any second.

But fire was nothing compared to chaos in terms of sheer instability. The blades held the flames without losing them.

Liam arrived at the third dragon.

Compared to the others, it was a bit smaller. If it chose to swipe its claws, Liam would have been able to sever it with his Black Blade.

But it didn't.

Instead, it spit out tiny little bursts of fire from its mouth.

They were small. To a dragon's size, they were bullets.

The bullets shone brightly like tiny suns, which quickly shot at Liam's vicinity.

Liam threw his chains forward again and started to run as fast as he could.

As the tiny suns met the blades' charge, they exploded!

But then, so did the Dusk Blades!

BOOOOOOOM!

For a second, Liam thought he'd won the clash of attacks.

But a sun bullet shot through the plumes of flames and exploded in his face.

Right after, he was hurled back to the starting point, burned and bruised and beaten.

'Ugh…'

He needed a break.

***

Liam spent the next few days mulling over the Trial.

'Am I expected to sever the claw?' he thought.

'But why are they so much stronger and faster than me?'

'If all it required was sharpness, the Black Blade was good enough.'

'The Dusk Blades aren't sharp, but they're deadlier when I use them to rip away the scales. Succeeded a couple times, too.'

…But they healed up again!

Even when Liam put all his strength in an attack, the dragons would heal them right after.

'It's not strength, either,' Liam mused.

Liam sat down and closed his eyes, just to hone his thoughts.

Beside him lay the Black Blade and the Dusk Blades.

'Adaptation. Mastery. Patience,' Liam repeated what he did during the last three Trials.

Silence.

…

'...I think I figured it out.'

Liam opened his eyes and looked towards the swords.

'I need another sword.'

'I've been too narrow minded.'

'The Dusk Blades are for grievous wounds.'

'The Black Blade is for sharpness.' 

'Together, they work well.'

'But I don't have anything that deals with a dragon.'

'I need versatility, but I'm trying to put a square and a triangle into a circular hole.'

Liam took out his materials. All kinds of Rank 4 Spirit Beasts were laid before him.

'It needs to be heavy duty,' Liam thought, scouring his options. 

'Taller than me and just as wide.'

Liam picked out a Spirit Beast.

'I want a weapon that could kill with its weight and force alone.'

'Something that makes a dragon flinch.'

'And I'll name it…'

'The Breaker Blade.'

3 and a half weeks passed for Liam to finish forging the blade.

Liam grinned broadly at its sight. 

Unbeknownst to him, the dragons gave the Breaker Blade a dangerous glare.