From minute to minute their fight was getting fiercer. All the spectators couldn't blink at the duel that took place between the king and the leader of the Royal Lycan Hunter.
Noel made a quick attack but every kick and swing of his sword was wasted. Nicholas was very agile in dodging and resisting Noel's every attack. He was even able to counterattack even though he was not in his prime condition after the fight with Lucas.
In the midst of the fight, Noel could feel Nicholas' power and attack speed increase. Even so, Noel was still able to follow him. His determination to reveal the identity of the king pushed him to keep moving and carry out deadly attacks.
Noel attacked as if the one he was currently dealing with was a lycan. The enemy of Riga.
"Lycans must be killed," Noel said so softly that it took Nicholas by surprise.
Noel saw the king's surprised expression, even though it lasted for a fraction of a second. At that moment, his suspicions about the king being a lycan became stronger.
He had spoken so softly that he barely even opened his mouth. It was impossible for an ordinary human to hear, especially in the midst of the sound of swords and shields clashing.
Noel's words broke Nicholas' concentration and the head of Royal Lycan Hunter took advantage of the opportunity.
Nicholas fell down shortly after his leg was kicked by Noel and he was wide-eyed when Noel quickly raised his sword and seemed to be want to cut his head. Luckily, Nicholas' right hand reflexively lifted and crossed his sword to hold Noel's sword in time.
"Ooh...!"
"Ahh..!"
Everyone who witnessed this was shocked and wondered why Noel would do that. Some of the spectators wanted to enter the arena to stop the duel.
However, someone who was a member of the Royal Lycan Hunt stopped them by saying that the king and Noel were just practicing.
"It's okay," the man with a big scar on his neck waved his hand and motioned them to stay where they were. "The king is quite formidable and Noel would never hurt him intentionally."
The crowd was not convinced but there was nothing they could do since the king also didn't say anything. They realized he might actually feel offended if people tried to help him when he knew he was capable of standing up for himself.
Finally, they could only stand where they were and continued watching the fight nervously.
Noel knew the king's abilities. So, he attacked the king without hesitation because he believed that the king would be able to dodge and withstand every single one of his attacks.
"If you go there, you will only annoy them," explained the lycan hunter again. When he saw Noel waved at him, he realized that his captain wanted him to dismiss the crowd. He nodded at Noel and cleared his throat. "The show is over. Let's get out of here. Your shouts and scream will only distract them from their training."
Even though they looked doubtful, the soldiers finally picked up their gears and left the training field to return to their place. Noel was a man who has been very loyal to the kingdom even since the previous king was still ruling. There was no way he wanted to harm the king, they thought.
Meanwhile, inside the arena, Nicholas who was constantly under pressure from above gathered his strength and pushed Noel back. Then, he quickly rolled over and got up before immediately rolling over and got up then moving to dodge Noel's next attack.
"Why do I feel that you consider this fight a real fight," he said. In his mind, he was wondering about Noel's words he heard earlier. Did Noel really say 'lycan' or did he just hear it wrong?
"Didn't you just ask me to fight seriously?" Noel countered Nicholas' words.
"Oh, that's right."
Noel didn't continue their conversation. He attacked more and more and tried to break down Nicholas' defenses but Nicholas didn't let him.
After ten minutes of continuous action, Noel's movements started to slow down while Nicholas' speed did not decrease at all. Instead, over time, his speed continued to increase and began to show his superiority over Noel.
While they were sparring, Noel occasionally saw his opponent's face. Nicholas' face looked calm. He was also breathing normally, unlike Noel who couldn't close his mouth any more because he was gasping for air.
For a moment, Noel could only dodge. He slid left, ducked, shifted to the right, jumped up, and spun. He kept doing those until he fell because he tripped by his own feet.
Noel immediately turned around, intending to get up but the tip of a sword was already an inch in front of his face.
"You lose," Nicholas said with a smile and pointed a sword at Noel.
"Yeah. I guess so." Noel smiled back at Nicholas and then picked up his sword which had fallen. When Nicholas didn't expect it, suddenly Noel stabbed the king in the leg. "Aaaahh..!!!"
At that instant, blood flowed profusely from a very deep stab wound.
"What are you doing, Noel?!" Nicholas was startled and then winced in pain as Noel drew his sword violently, making the blood flow even faster.
He backed away with a limp while Noel stood up and watched the wound on the king's leg which was slowly getting better.
Noel pointed at the wound and hissed.
"You have incredible regenerative powers, Your Majesty," he said. His voice was soft and only Nicholas could hear him. "That reminds me of the regenerative powers of... lycans."
His words made Nicholas freeze.
"What did you say?" Nicholas looked at Noel questioningly.
"I am sure you heard me the first time, Your Majesty..." Noel looked at Nicholas intently. "Tell me… to be honest… am I right?"
Nicholas looked at Noel without blinking. He was shocked that Noel asked him that question. He looked down at his injured leg. It was healing fast.
Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freew𝒆bnov𝒆l.c(o)m