Chapter 227 One-On-One Showdown [Part 2]
Gael couldn't help but frown as he blocked and dodged Anwir's relentless assault.
The black flames obscured his vision, but he was able to fight calmly against someone whose speed surpassed his own.
"You might be fast, but your attacks will never reach me," Gael said with confidence as he waited for the right opportunity to strike.
But whenever he thought that Anwir had left an opening, the Tigerkin would perfectly dodge the Barbarian's attack before unleashing an attack of his own.
The more the Tigerkin King saw Anwir's explosive might, the more the latter became precious in his eyes.
"If his life is ever in danger, go and rescue him," the King whispered to one of his personal guards, who was a Champion. "He is a great prodigy of our race, so he must be kept safe at all cost."
"Yes, Your Majesty." The Royal Guard bowed respectfully before moving toward the front of their army, giving him enough distance to save Anwir if ever his life was in danger.
Thirteen was quite satisfied with the level of skill that Anwir was showing on the battlefield. Although there was a difference of three Ranks between him and Gael, he was able to dodge every attack that the Barbarian aimed in his direction.
"What a show off," Percival commented as he, too, looked at his stepbrother using a telescope.
"Do you think you can do better than him?" Thirteen inquired out of curiosity.
"If we were of the same age, then yes," Percival replied.
Thirteen smirked. "So you're using age now?"
"It is a fact that he is older than me," Percival answered.
'Well, I'm also younger than you. But you still lost to me in the end."
"…"
Percival didn't have any words to refute Thirteen's claim.
Also, he couldn't possibly challenge the seven-year-old now, especially after recognizing him as his Master.
Percival understood that without the younger boy's guidance, he wouldn't be able to master the skill, Emperor's Might, in such a short period of time.
Right now, his current strength was all thanks to Thirteen, and his face wasn't thick enough to think otherwise.
The battle dragged on for nearly half an hour, with no clear winner in sight.
Anwir was too weak to break past Gael's sturdy defenses, while Gael was not fast enough to land a hit on the Tigerkin's body.
Even so, the morale of the Tigerkins was at an all-time high because one of their comrades was putting up a good fight against someone that was stronger than him.
On the contrary, the battle lowered the Morale of the Barbarians, making the Barbarian King very disappointed in Gael.
"He is bold enough to propose a head-on confrontation, and yet, he's unable to dispatch a mere Elite-Ranked Tigerkin? What a disappointment," Netero said while shaking his head helplessly. "This kind of person should not be allowed to join any strategy meeting. He is a disgrace."
Netero's words were filled with contempt and disdain, making those who heard him nod their heads in agreement.
The Barbarians couldn't take this insult lying down, and some of them were itching to volunteer for the next battle in order to regain their honor and dignity.
After more than half an hour of battle, the sound of a horn spread in the surroundings, which came from the Barbarian Side.
This was the signal to retreat, which meant that Gael was to stop battling and return to their ranks immediately.
Anwir, who was unleashing a flurry of blows earlier, backed away and crossed his arms over his chest.
"You acted very cocky earlier, but you are just all bark and no bite," Anwir said in disdain. "If we were the same Rank, your head would have been rolling across the ground ages ago."
"I'll remember you," Gael glared at Anwir before sheathing his sword.
"I won't remember you." Anwir sneered. "A loser like you is not important enough to remember."
Gael was forced to endure Anwir's grating words as he whistled for his war horse to come to him.
He then rode back toward the Barbarians with a face filled with shame and regret, knowing that he had ruined their reputation.
The Tigerkins cheered when Anwir returned to their ranks, with the King's Guard even inviting Anwir to come with him to meet the Tigerkin King.
Naturally, Anwir obeyed and followed the guard behind.
This was his first step to gain some true influence within the Sumatran Kingdom, allowing him to be recognized by everyone on the battlefield.
'That Tigerkin isn't half bad,' Arundel thought as he eyed Anwir from a distance. 'I'll make him one of my slaves after I subjugate this land.'
The Majin Prince was always on the lookout for talented Warriors to absorb in his army.
Not wanting to face another defeat, the Barbarians sent one of their accomplished warriors to fight.
But just as General Stark was about to order one of his subordinates to face the Barbarian Challenger, Rafiki tapped his shoulder and pointed at himself.
"Are you sure about this?" General Stark asked. "That barbarian is strong. He's a veteran."
"Well, I'm also a veteran," Rafiki answered.
"But you're a Shaman. He will not give you time to prepare your spells."
"Don't worry. I don't need time to prepare my spells."
General Stark hesitated, but seeing the confidence in Rafiki's voice, he decided to let him go to fight.
To everyone's surprise, the battle ended in less than five minutes, with Rafiki emerging as the victor.
He didn't even take the enemy's life and allowed the other party to return to his army, making the Tigerkin's cheer reverberate in the surroundings.
After three consecutive defeats, Netero ordered everyone to stop challenging their enemies and retreat a mile away from the battlefield.
The Barbarian King and the Orc King knew that now was not the time to engage in a fight because the morale of their troops was at an all-time low.
Netero proposed that they resume the battle the next day, when all of their troops had properly rested and recovered from their march toward the Warsor Plains.
Of course, Gael vetoed this proposal, but no one listened to him.
The Barbarian King even ordered him to not attend any of their strategy meetings, making the City Lord's face turn pale as a paper.
Arundel frowned when he realized that the Barbarians and the Orcs didn't plan to engage the Tigerkins in a skirmish.
Of course, he thought that the Tigerkins would use this opportunity to press their advantage, but General Stark calmed everyone down and ordered everyone to retreat a mile and make camp.
No one opposed this order because they were all tired from their march to the battlefield.
It was unanimously decided that the real battle would happen the next day, forcing Arundel to hold back his annoyance and wait for the two armies to fight the next day.
When both armies retreated, Vassago and Poca returned to Thirteen's camp and reported their findings.
"Good job, you two," Thirteen praised the two birds for completing their mission.
Vassago and Poca were both happy to receive the seven-year-
old's praises and ate their fill.
Tomorrow was going to be more dangerous than today. If Thirteen's guess was right, it would also be the day that the Majin Prince would finally lose his patience and order his army to strike.
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