I Alone Breed Dragons

Chapter 43: Walter’s Gambit.

My blade stayed lodged into the soul knight’s eye. I twisted my dagger, grinding the solid ice blade against it bones.

It caught. My arm stopping my motion, I forced my other arm to cut at him. The swing was weak. My arm trembled from the effort.

Yet effective, he leaned away from the cut. I took the opportunity to step back. My breath calmed in the cold air.

"I’m impressed," the soul knight said flatly, its voice void of emotions.

Its hair veiled over its face. Part covered his wounded eye was stained crimson.

"You manage to understand my technique. I believe most humans would take a while too."

It talks? Hmm.

The technique you’re wielding isn’t special magic.

On point, I call it soul transfer.

It was already a fact what I suspected about his ability. He wasn’t teleporting, but rather an advanced technique that pulls its soul out of its body, locating it elsewhere.

Wherever its soul is positioned, his body would teleport over there to merge with its soul.

But it came with disadvantages. While its soulless form made it harder to detect, since its soul was swimming in its pool of mana around this room. Its reaction to unplanned events seemed slow.

If truly an SSS rank, it would have caught my dagger.

The soul knight inhaled sharply. The cracks off from its step pulled in mana. A low hum vibrated the air.

Suction the active mana in the air pulled to him. Its chest rose as it all sank into him. It exhaled. His eyes were sharper than before. He glared at me while holding a smirk.

I raised my dagger. Here it comes. My Knuckles went white on the hilt.

Boom. The ground shook. The entire temple structure collapsed from the movement. The ceiling crumbled, raining rumbles down. Dust clouded the air.

But I couldn’t divide my attention to it. The soul knight dashed to me. Its sword was gone again. Its speed was too fast. My wings about to unfold, he was already close. I felt... slow.

It clenched its fist preparing for a swing. Mana cracked around its fist like lightning. It threw its fist.

I conjured ice. Swatted my hand before it. A thick wall of ice formed from my palm.

Crash. The soul knight crushed through it, ice shards whistled past my face. Despite the thick layers of ice. Only a little did his blow slowed.

His fist kept shooting to me.

[Adapt] was still in [-10 damage reduction]. If he his power were to hit now, I will be taking a lot of damage.

So I resulted to [Absorb] I caught his fist. The impact vibrated through my bones]

"Absorb." Its mana from the attack flowed into my hand.

[Absorb: Soul Freezing Adv: SSS Rank]

[1/100%]

But the force vibrated through my arm. Its ripple of force shattered my bones. I held in the force. My leg back to hold in my stance, to fight against the force. Feet digging plant into cobblestone ground.

[30/100%]

The higher the mana level is, the quicker it filled my capacity to absorb. Though it might seem infinite, it had a ceiling when facing tremendous mana level.

The ground cratered beneath my feet. My legs slid back. I struggled to keep hold. The soul knight didn’t even add more pressure.

Rumbles from the ceiling were already drawing closer to me. If the rumble were to hit. Physical damage would to break my concentration, I would be sent flying out like a ragdoll.

Quinette caught eye on the situation. Quickly she then flew in to help. Snapped her finger as dozens. Her wings beating hard against the dust.

The soul knight pushed a foot forward and punched with stronger force.

My foot left the ground. I wasn’t sent flying out of the hall into the snowy forest. I tumbled uncontrollably, crashing through trees, bark bruised my skin. A clearing formed through the forest.

My wings failed to take balance till eventually I crashed to the ground.

I pushed myself back up to fight, my joints screamed protesting. I unfolded my wings, and took to the air.

Its mana washed over me. I froze. On the spot, I looked into the sky. It was hovering above me.

"Soul freeze full paralysis," it said.

And my body froze. I remained paralyzed and froze at the same time. I couldn’t move a limb. And with my foot off the ground, I was frozen in the air.

Tried to force a movement. My hands, legs, even wings, none could move an inch. I was still adapting to its soul freeze. It was still [8%]. Only a finger could move a bit.

It vanished, appearing before me. Its fist swung. I braced for the hit. It didn’t land. The soul knight held its hand some inch away from my guts. Heart hammering against my ribs It looked into my eyes with a plain face. Looking down at me with disdain.

"You’re not that strong," it said.

I remained calm and didn’t react.

"Soul freeze, ice breaker."

It flicked two fingers. I looked down. Its fingers were far from me. Yet crack ice shattered from nowhere broke from my body.

Pain shot from every inch of my body.

From head to toe, I felt my bones cracked. Dropped to the ground lying in the snow, facing at the sky unable to move a limb as cold seeped into my back.

Heal activated, but it was gradual.

A sure hit attack, just like Quinette. I was under its mana so it affected me.

If Quinette’s magic just needed her eyes to land on the target, it is more effective than its soul freeze.

’Where’s Quinette? I hope she’s okay.’ I tried to force my neck to crane to the sides toward the temple. It was a struggle. The bones at my nape almost done mending. The temple stretched far from my position. The destroyed remains but no figure of Quinette.

"Unfortunately for you, your friend won’t be joining us. She’s far from here. Before she can fly back, you’ll already be dead."

The soul stood over me. Its shape eclipsed the sun. Its white hair caught the sunlight.

"Then after you’re dead, I’ll kill her next... You actually disappointed me. I expected a better fight."

It grabbed me by the neck. I quickly used ice, forming a pillar behind my back. It held me down, choking me to the ground, fighting the force of the ice pillar. My vision blurred at the edges.

Huge hands made of ice formed from the ground to hit the soul knight. Since I could use my hands to fight, I control ice around with my thoughts.

The huge ice construct speared towards the soul knight. It leaped into the sky pulling me with it. And froze its feet to the air, lifting me off the ground. My legs dangled in the air as I was held up by my throat. I struggled for breath. My lungs burned for air.

The harm its strangle caused me, triggered [Adapt]. Ruining [Adapt] on two damages was tasking. Keeping mana around my throat to reconstruct it, aiding me to breathe while keeping soul freeze from totally paralyzing my arm.

Still I held on, keep my concentration linear.

I focused [Heal] at my arms, speeding it till I could move. I moved a finger. Then my whole arm. I gripped its arm. I enhanced my strength with mana. My muscles expand. My grip tightened harder on its wrist.

The soul freeze from before still clung on my arms, weakening my joints. But I kept my grip strong on it.

It tilted its head. I continued my struggles from beneath. My palm ice spread its arm. It seemed not to have affected.

Till my fingers began to dig into its skin.

[Release: Soulfreeze]

Its dark mana crackled like lightning in palm about to release the full magic.

I paused. A twig snapped.

Quinette stood at the edge of the forest. She gripped her arm. A wing on her back was twisted in a bad angle. I frowned, knowing the soul knight hurted her. Her eyes widened as she landed on me in the soul knight’s grip.

"Walter..." she muttered. Fear thick in her voice.

I turned my mana down, slipping my hand from the soul knight’s arm. This was a perfect opportunity.

I’ve been searching for days to let that magic caged in your sword out. Now let’s see if you would use it to save me.

I read her face. She knew she wasn’t in good shape to close the gap quick. Her severing magic wouldn’t met it. I pretended to choke, keeping my eyes half lidded like I was losing consciousness.

While adapt worked to strangle, I could wheeze in some breaths. A slow death for me means no death. The soul knight held a bored look.

"You aren’t dieing." It then tighten it’s grip.

I didn’t reply.

It was a gambit. I turned to Quinette once more. Looking at her blade in her hand. What’s your choice, Quinette? I dropped my hand completely like it had lost life.

Leaving it all in her hands.