Child of Destiny

...…

Swoosh!

Bang!

Arthur fell on the ground like a meteor but he was able to land on his feet properly, seemingly used to this situation.

He then swept his gaze at the surroundings and saw the familiar desolate place that was void of light. Aside from the dry land and irregular rock formations of the boulders near him, he could not fight anything.

"It has been a while since I've come here," he mumbled before closing his eyes and feeling the energy filling the air. "It seems like the Dragon Energy here also become much purer and denser compared to before."

*Ding!*

It was at that moment when he received a series of notifications from the system.

System: You have entered the Ancient Battlefield! The restraints of the World are temporarily lifted.

System: You have initiated a Dragon's Challenge, and as the challenger, you will receive a significant boost in stats based on the gap between your opponent.

System: Stabilizing Stat Equalizer!

System: Dragon's Challenge has been successfully established. Please defeat or subdue your opponent, or survive until the end.

…

Swoosh!

Bang!

Then he saw Grand Marshal Draco land a few meters away from him.

The grand marshal remained expressionless despite what happened. He swept his gaze at the surrounding before locking it to Arthur who was standing a distance across him.

Seemingly sensing something, Grand Marshal Draco tightened his grip on his greatsword before stabbing it to the ground and releasing a deafening roar.

Roar!

The air in front of him was pushed forward, creating a powerful gust that headed over to Arthur who remained standing on his spot, completely unbothered.

Arthur looked at the boosted stats that he had from the system, before turning his attention back to the grand marshal.

*Ding!*

System: The Dragon's Challenge will now start! Challenge duration: 00:29:59↓

Bang! Bang!

Right after that final notification sounded, like it was tacitly agreed, both Arthur and Grand Marshal Draco simultaneously kicked the ground and launched themselves at each other with a momentum that clearly resembled a pair of dragons.

Brandishing their weapons at each other, an image of a dragon appeared behind them, roaring at one another which led to a collision of two powerful auras.

Roar! Roar!

Boom!

Grand Marshal Draco didn't budge despite the strong collision while Arthur was forced to take a couple of steps back, clearly signifying that there was still a considerable difference between their stats despite the series of boosts that the latter had received from the system.

"A half of an hour, that is the maximum time that I can buy them. Though, I first have to do my best to survive here," Arthur muttered with a deep frown.

Slightly tilting his head to the side, Arthur flipped his spear before thrusting it in a powerful manner.

Seeing that, the grand marshal casually swung his greatsword, deflecting the incoming strike with ease. And quickly after that, he did another swing that was threatening to cleave Arthur in halves.

Arthur borrowed the momentum of the previous defection to turn around and swing his spear alongside that spin.

Bang!

Yet another explosive explosion was created at that exchange, making the ground under their feet to sunk and creating a crater filled with cracks.

Arthur gritted his teeth, enduring the shock that his body had suffered from that simple exchange, before putting more strength on his arms to force the greatsword back.

Hah!

And when he was successful, Arthur quickly circulated the energy within him before channeling them toward his spear. At that moment, the spear was enfolded with a golden aura that turned into a purple flame in the very next instant.

'Imperial Tactics: Secret Style – Hellfire of the Great Dragon'

Swoosh!

Arthur then brandished the spear at the grand marshal, leaving a blazing trail in the air.

Grand Marshal Dragon sensed a very dangerous threat coming from that particular attack from Arthur and was finally forced to use one of his skills.

A black flame covered his left arm as he extended it forward, seemingly planning to catch the incoming spear with it.

Clang!

A metallic sound could be heard as the grand marshal successfully caught the spear that was trying to cleave him just earlier.

Seemingly expecting that to happen, Arthur inhaled a large amount of air, making his chest expand. At the same time, a blazing flare flashed from the corner of his mouth as some air escaped from it.

'Imperial Tactics: Secret Style – Breath of the Great Dragon'

Roar!

Opening his mouth and releasing all of the air that he breathed, a torrent of purple flame shot out and swept through his opponent who was currently defenseless against it.

Boom!

When the dragon breath finally subdued, the grand marshal was revealed, maintaining his previous position. He continued to hold on to Arthur's spear, seemingly unaffected by the torrent of flame that just swept through him.

Arthur frowned deeply as he understood that he needed to try harder if he wanted to win this duel.

While he was lost in thoughts, the grand marshal suddenly swung the greatsword toward his direction, forcing him to abandon his weapon.

Boom!

Arthur was barely able to dodge that strike by utilizing the great mobility provided by his wings. And when he was about to assume a new battle position, he suddenly saw the tip of his spear right in front of his face.

Swoosh!

Swiftly tilting his head to the side and leaning his body in the same direction, he let the spear fly past him.

Boom!

The huge boulder a few meters behind him was reduced into small bits of rocks after the spear landed on it.

But Arthur didn't have the time to worry about that as the grand marshal was already upon him and currently in the middle of swinging the greatsword at him once again.

'Imperial Tactics: Dragon Dance'

Combining the mobility that he got from his dragon wings and his signature foot technique, Arthur dodged the next barrage of attacks that the grand marshal threw at him.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Grand Marshal Draco continued to chase after Arthur while brandishing his greatsword. Sword shadows were being created around the grand marshal as his attacks were getting faster each time he swung his sword, putting a lot of pressure on Arthur.

But despite that being the case, Arthur calmly dodged each of the attacks. Aside from his current speed and mobility, he also relied on the 'Pinnacle Omniscience' Talent that he had to read the trajectories of his opponent's sword whenever it was swung at him.

Of course, Arthur was aware that he couldn't let this continue since his mental strength was limited. Even if his body inside the game could endure the burden, his mind would not be able to withstand it.

Unlike his opponent, who could continue swinging that heavy sword endlessly, he couldn't continue dodging forever.

Extending his hand, a suction force was released from his palm, pulling the spear buried under the rubble. And when he caught it, he quickly flapped his wings multiple times, creating a great distance between him and his opponent in the span of seconds.

After that, he flew up in the air, only stopping when he reached a good attitude.

He then looked at the grand marshal, who also flew in the air to chase after him, before pointing his spear toward the sky while positioning his other hand in front of his chest in a half-praying manner.

Moving the spear in a counterclockwise motion, Arthur created a glowing circle in the air behind which later turned into a magic formation. And when he channeled his mana into that formation, it summoned a group of spears made of purple flames, pointing towards his opponent.

Arthur stared at the incoming grand marshal for a couple of seconds before extending his free hand forward and pointing it toward the opponent, sending the flaming spears.

'Imperial Tactics: Formation Skill – Punishment of Heavenly Dragon'

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

The flaming spears flew towards the grand marshal one after another, making them look like a group of meteors falling from the sky.

Seeing that sight, Grand Marshal Draco swung his great sword in the air, releasing a huge crescent wave that flew straight to the volley of spears pouring down from the sky.

Boom! Boom!

A series of explosions immediately followed as the opposing powers collided with each other.

The crescent wave was clearly stronger than the volley of flaming spears since it continued to fly toward the sky while the latter was starting to get obliterated one after another.

But at the same time, that crescent wave was continuously losing its power as it progressed forward and later turned into specks of light that disappeared in the air.

Roar!

And not long after, a hole was created at the center of the cloud of smoke created by the previous collision, revealing a purple dragon that was descending from the sky.

It opened its mouth widely, seemingly planning to devour the grand marshal who was currently charging toward the sky.

'Imperial Tactics: Formation Skill – Descent of the Heavenly Dragon'

Boom!

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