The duel between the number one and number two of the privileged class left varying degrees of after effects to all who witnessed it. Most of the audience, if not all, found it hard to believe that such young acolytes had not yet become a magus while possessing strength that rivaled one.
Standing among the crowd of people, Jinkan who was standing beside Emery once again distracted him, bringing him out of the reverie by saying, "Do you see it now? What kind of monster is standing in front of my Eeshoo; what we just witnessed is exactly the reason he went into seclusion."
With his mind still fixated on the battle just now, Emery just subconsciously nodded his head in response to the Nephilim girl. A few moments later, he let out a long sigh that was filled with complex emotions.
After seeing firsthand what they were capable of, he finally understood the gap between him and the two people earlier.
Seeing Emery's lackluster reaction, the Nephilim girl said
"What about you? Do you dare to fight any of them?"
Hearing that, Emery offered no reply. He was silent.
In response to that, Jinkan turned around and looked at Klea condescendingly.
In the past, such questions directed at Emery were usually immediately followed by Klea's fierce opposition. However, this time the Egyptian Queen did not do anything. She remained as silent as her significant other.
After all, it was she herself who had told Emery before that the top 2 were just too strong.
But then, beyond the expectations of the two girls, Emery spoke.
"I want to fight them.." He said, causing both girls to turn their heads at the same time with disbelieving expressions on their faces. "..and I want to win against them."
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtKlea looked surprised at first, but then her expression changed to that of a smile. On the other hand, Jinkan burst into loud laughter.
"Ha, haha.. Even my Eeshoo keeps losing against those two." Staring at Emery, she said condescendingly. "How the hell can you win!?"
Before Emery could answer, the three of them were interrupted. It was at this time that a figure came up to them, putting a halt to their conversation.
A well-built young man with brown hair, a handsome face with masculine features that the three of them recognized. The approaching figure was none other than the Dragon bloodline protégé, Zach Talon.
The man didn't say much when he arrived in front of the group. From start to finish, his attention was on Emery as he ignored the two girls and headed straight for him saying, "Fight with me."
As he had prepared himself for such words after noticing the other party's approach, Emery looked at the man as he nodded slightly and answered firmly. "Of course, Zach. Just tell me the time and place."
However, the Dragon protégé shook his head. A glint flashed across his eyes as he said, "I mean now." Looking Emery in the eye, he continued, "I want to see how strong you are right now."
After saying that, Zach turned around and started walking. However, Klea's words stopped him.
"No.. Emery, not now."
The Dragon protégé slightly turned his head to glance at Klea for a second before saying to Emery. "Follow me."
Seeing the look on Klea's face, Emery smiled at her before nodding to Magus Shena and saying, "Let's see what he really wants"
"I'd like to see as well," chimed Jinkan with a smile.
The four of them flew into the air and quickly followed Zach who was heading to a certain floating island located dozens miles away from the Hyperion center. As they flew closer, Klea searched for information about their destination.
"It's a restricted island!" Klea exclaimed after checking and comparing the island with the map.
It didn't take long for the group to spot the magus in charge of guarding the island. Emery expected the other party to stop them, but the latter surprisingly only gave Zach a slight glance and let them all pass.
Flying past the magus, the group finally caught sight of the floating island landscape. It was an island with mountainous terrain with patches of black sand scattered all over it. Plumes of white steam could be seen rising upwards from several points on the island.
At first glance, the entire island appeared to be deserted.
Seeing such a venue for their upcoming fight, Emery first assumed Zach had chosen this place because he didn't like people seeing their fight. However, it seemed that the Dragon protégé often came to this floating island as he made a beeline across the sky above the island and arrived at an open plain.
He stood still with his large sword stabbed into the ground.
Moments later, Emery and the other three arrived and landed near Zach. It was clear that they had some questions on their minds. But then, the Dragon protégé suddenly opened his mouth and spoke in a calm voice.
"Don't worry, I will not kill you"
Without waiting for an answer, Zach's body rippled and quickly transformed into his new transformation. Red and black scales appeared on his skin and covered his entire body as a powerful aura exploded from within.
[Nova Bahamut Transformation]
Contrary to expectations, Emery just silently looked at the Dragon protégé. The man didn't even send any challenge, but here he was taunting him for a fight without any particular reason whatsoever.
He couldn't help but be a little worried by the other party's unusual actions.
But in the end, with Magus Shena standing nearby, Emery decided to let go of those negative thoughts and focus his mind on the fight before him.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm"Show me your strongest form!" The half-dragon roared, demanding a good fight.
Seeing that Dragon's protégé was ready, Emery was eager to put his all into the fight. He swiftly responded in kind by using his own transformation.
[Twilight Transformation]
As the fight was about to start and the two of them started to exhibit their full strength, Magus Shena beckoned Klea to take a distance. Jinkan also swiftly followed the two before observing the upcoming fight.
"Let's start with sword fight!" Zach demanded, to which Emery responded. "Alright!"
Coming into agreement, the two half-bloods swiftly darted towards each other. Sparks flew in the air as their weapons clashed. A dark sword against a crimson broadsword slammed into one another, generating booming sounds and gusts of wind in the surrounding area.
Emery had used all his buff – Immortal Gate and Slipstream – to enhance his strength and agility, but apparently, he was still barely able to match the transformation Zach's evolved bloodline brought.
Unlike Shatter Cross, Zach also excelled in swordsmanship. This made Emery unable to overwhelm the Dragon protégé through sheer skill, making him unable to easily find gaps in his opponent's defense.
As if that wasn't bad enough, when Emery finally started using his best spells like [Void Mist], [Primal Flora], and [Dao Matter], the only thing Zach needed to do was to release his [Draconic Flame]. Coupled with his [Mega Flare] spell, every spell Emery threw at him was burned by the blazing hot flames.
***
An hour passed, but Emery still couldn't gain an advantage over Zach. The reason he was still able to hold on against the Dragon protégé was all thanks to his vast reserve of Spirit Pool and his [Undecaying Flesh]; otherwise, he would have already bitten the dust long ago.
At this point, Emery had tried every possible way he could think of and, in fact, was running out of ideas on how to defeat the Dragon.
It was at this moment that Zach suddenly came to halt and said, "Good. Let's take a quick break and we'll fight again after"
The Dragon protégé's words surprised Emery and the others. It seemed that the man was still not enough. However, Emery couldn't accept the situation any longer. He wanted answers.
"What exactly do you want!?"
Zach casually said "My uncle thinks you can be a good influence for me... I can't see how… but we only have two months left to beat those two."