After more than a dozen exchanges, Karadi gradually grew familiar with the B-rank Armament Rage and finally began to hold his ground against the mercenary leader's attacks.
"This kid didn't disappoint me."
Jason plopped down on the ground, watching Karadi fight with a look of relief.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!Karadi and the mercenary leader exchanged several more rounds.
This was the first time Karadi had ever experienced such an intense battle—one where life and death were decided in an instant. After only a few exchanges, he already felt drained.
He bent over, gasping for breath in huge gulps, sweat soaking his silver hair.
The mercenary leader twirled the short blade in his hand and stared at Karadi with a grin."Now you understand the gap between us, right? For me, this is just warming up. But you're already about to collapse."
"Huff—!"Karadi took a deep breath and straightened his back. He looked at the mercenary leader and said,"Still not warmed up? Then you'd better hurry. Maybe in a few more exchanges, I'll be the one killing you."
The mercenary leader tilted his head, staring at Karadi with undisguised contempt."Confidence is a good thing. But blind confidence? That's no longer a good thing at all."
As soon as he finished speaking, the mercenary leader dashed forward like lightning toward Karadi.
Karadi immediately adjusted his stance and prepared to meet the attack.
In the blink of an eye, the mercenary leader was already in front of him, slashing straight toward Karadi's face.
Karadi hurriedly stepped back, narrowly dodging the strike. Using the momentum of that slash, the mercenary leader spun his body one hundred and eighty degrees and thrust the short blade in his other hand toward Karadi.
Karadi instantly raised his longsword—Clang!He blocked the incoming blade.
Clang!The two weapons, both wrapped in Armament Rage, collided violently, erupting in a burst of dazzling sparks.
The mercenary leader smiled faintly and suddenly threw a powerful back kick at Karadi.
Karadi never expected him to pull off such a move and had no time to defend himself.
He could only watch helplessly as that leg, infused with Armament Rage, slammed heavily into his chest.
Bang! Boom!Karadi was sent flying, smashing through a small tree before crashing to the ground.
Fortunately, he was wearing thick armor, and his Armament Rage was a level higher than the mercenary leader's. He barely avoided serious injury. Even so, his stamina was completely depleted, and he could barely stand.
Using his sword to support himself, he struggled to get back up. He did manage to stand, but his legs were trembling violently.
Seeing this, Mati was frantic and said to Jason,"Young master, it seems we both misjudged him. Karadi obviously can't hold on anymore!"
Jason glanced at Karadi. Though he was anxious inside, he showed no sign of it on his face. Calm as ever, he said to Mati,"Don't rush to conclusions. It's still too early to say anything. Karadi hasn't fallen yet, has he?"
The moment Jason finished speaking, the mercenary leader charged in again and slashed at Karadi. Karadi immediately raised his sword—
Clang!He barely blocked the ferocious strike.
The mercenary leader stared at Karadi and chuckled, then raised the blade in his other hand and flicked it upward toward Karadi's sword.
With that move, Karadi's longsword was knocked clean out of his hands. In the same motion, the mercenary leader reversed his grip and stabbed straight toward Karadi's chest.
Karadi instantly released yellow Armament Rage to protect his body. With armor already guarding him and Armament Rage layered on top, he forcibly stopped the short blade from piercing through.
Seeing that his blade couldn't get in, the mercenary leader immediately swung the other short blade toward Karadi's neck.
Karadi raised his arm at once, coating it with Armament Rage to block the strike.
When the mercenary leader saw all his attacks being neutralized, he lifted his knee and drove it with full force into Karadi's abdomen.
Karadi's stamina was already completely exhausted. He didn't even notice the move and took the blow head-on.
A sharp pain exploded in his abdomen—like the final straw that breaks the camel's back. Karadi could no longer hold on. He dropped heavily to his knees.
The mercenary leader stepped on Karadi's face and swept his gaze smugly over the surrounding crowd.
His subordinates were quick to flatter him, shouting loudly,"Boss is awesome! You defeated an enemy a whole rank above you! Boss is awesome!"
A smile hung on the mercenary leader's face as he savored the moment.
Where there is joy, there is sorrow.
While the mercenaries cheered in celebration, Jason and the other two wore grim expressions.
Especially Weilian. Seeing her brother beaten down and trampled underfoot, she shouted anxiously at the mercenary leader,"You bastard! Take your filthy foot off my brother's face right now!"
As she spoke, she tried to rush forward.
Jason immediately signaled Mati to hold her back. Jason knew that if even Karadi—now at B-rank—had been so easily defeated, then the few of them wouldn't pose any threat at all.
Mati himself had no will to fight either. He could clearly feel that he was completely no match for the mercenary leader.
Though both had been roaming for years, these mercenaries were on an entirely different level from bandits like Mati, who only bullied the weak. They simply couldn't be compared.
Jason realized that he was likely doomed. Facing over a dozen blood-soaked mercenaries, his chances of escaping were nearly zero.
"Why is my life so miserable?" Jason sighed inwardly. "Even after transmigrating, I still can't live a good life… sigh."
The mercenary leader stepped over Karadi's body and approached Jason, smiling as he said,"Sorry about this, little young master."
Mati and Weilian tightened their grips on their weapons, staring at him warily as he drew closer. The mercenary leader glanced at them once and then completely ignored them.
Because all their attention was focused on him, they failed to notice several mercenaries already sneaking up behind them. In a single move, they were subdued and slammed to the ground.
"Kill them,"the mercenary leader said coldly to his men.
"Yes!"The mercenaries responded, raising their weapons and preparing to strike down, ready to end Mati and Weilian's lives.
"Roar—!"
At that moment, a fully grown lioness suddenly charged out and pounced on the mercenary who was restraining Weilian.
...
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Here are a few fan-fic titles that I've recently uploaded on my Patreon:
"Game of Thrones: Dragon Prince"
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"The Game of Thrones Upgrade System"
"Game of Thrones: Lannister Kingdom"
"Game of Thrones: Godzilla vs. Dragons"
"Game of Thrones: Ruler of the Deep Seas "
"Game of Thrones The Glory of a Knight"
"Game of Thrones: The Most Powerful Dragon Queen"
" Game of Thrones: From the Elden Lord to the Young Wolf"
"Game of Thrones: Rise of a Lord with the Army-Building System"
(End Chapter)