Chapter 181: Opportunity
Ignius did not charge immediately. He hovered in mid-air, his wings slowly beating, maintaining balance. His gaze was fixed on the skeleton below, now rising from the wreckage.
"Hmph..." He took a deep breath. Mana coursed through his body, and scorching dragon breath churned deep in his throat. In Ignius's mind, countless images flashed. They were the battle scenes he had replayed repeatedly during his days of decadence in his lair. Every move the skeleton made, every action, every trajectory of evasion. He remembered them all.
He had rehearsed them over and over in his mind. How to respond if they met again. How to dodge if he attacked from the left. What method to use to intercept if he suddenly accelerated. How to protect vital areas if he aimed for the wings.
Countless simulated battles. Countless failures. Countless restarts. Until now.
"Come on." Ignius roared softly, his body plunging downwards!
Skele-Pride looked up, his bone sword held horizontally before his chest.
BOOM!
Ignius's dragon claws slammed fiercely against Skele-Pride's blade, erupting in a deafening metallic clang. The immense impact carved a deep crater in the ground, sending shattered rock flying. But this time, Skele-Pride couldn't easily block it as before. His body was pushed back half a step by the force.
Half a step. Just half a step. But that was enough.
Ignius instantly noticed this change, sweeping his dragon tail horizontally! Skele-Pride sidestepped, his bone sword slashing diagonally towards Ignius's neck. Ignius had anticipated this, flapping his wings fiercely, his entire body leaping into the air, barely dodging the fatal strike. Almost simultaneously, a crimson dragon breath rained down!
Skele-Pride did not meet it head-on, his figure flickering, reappearing ten meters away. The dragon breath slammed into the ground, exploding into a sea of fire.
Skele-Pride tilted his head, pointing his sword at Ignius. "Since you've returned."
"Then let's start with you."
Ignius did not reply. He knew that engaging an opponent of this caliber, any lapse in concentration could be fatal. His dragon wings beat again; Ignius charged from the side! The wind pressure generated by his high-speed movement sent sand and stones swirling.
Skele-Pride raised his bone sword, preparing to block. But just as they were about to connect, Ignius's figure suddenly swerved, biting from another angle! This was a feint!
Skele-Pride reacted incredibly fast, changing the trajectory of his bone sword, slashing diagonally.
Clang!
The blade scraped against Ignius's scales, sending a shower of sparks. Ignius yelped in pain, but did not retreat; instead, he opened his massive maw, biting towards Skele-Pride's head! Skele-Pride took half a step back, raising his left hand, and punched Ignius squarely on the jaw.
Bang!
Ignius's head was knocked to one side, but his dragon tail swept in from another direction! Skele-Pride didn't have time to fully dodge, only managing to raise his bone sword to block.
Rumble!
The immense force sent Skele-Pride flying, his body skidding over ten meters across the ground.
"Hah... hah..." Ignius gasped, staring at the skeleton in the distance. He hit him. Though not a fatal blow, this was already far better than last time. Last time, he hadn't even touched Skele-Pride's edges.
In the distance, Basaka painstakingly looked up, watching the crimson figure in the sky. "He... he really has grown stronger."
Daelas lay on the ground, blood seeping from the corner of her mouth. "Not just stronger."
"His fighting style is completely different."
Vinodo coughed twice. "Before, he relied more on primal instinct."
"But now."
"Every single one of his movements is carefully considered."
Raijin nodded. "Ignius might actually win."
On the battlefield, Ignius launched another attack. This time, he didn't choose a head-on charge. Instead, he circled in the air, searching for the optimal attack angle. Skele-Pride stood his ground, meticulously observing Ignius's trajectory, waiting patiently.
Suddenly!
Ignius weaved and shifted, simultaneously unleashing dragon breaths from three different directions! Flames intertwined into a cage, trapping Skele-Pride in the center. Skele-Pride looked up, watching Ignius dive down from above, and fiercely swung his bone sword upwards.
A black sword qi tore through the flames, rushing directly towards Ignius. But Ignius was prepared, his body twisting strangely in mid-air, barely dodging the sword qi. Immediately after, he sharply accelerated, his dragon claws striking towards Skele-Pride's chest!
Skele-Pride sidestepped, his bone sword slashing diagonally. Ignius flapped his wings, changing direction, while his dragon tail swept in from below. Skele-Pride leaped, dodging the dragon tail, his bone sword striking downwards, directly at Ignius's spine. Ignius rolled sharply, the blade grazing his scales. Almost simultaneously, a dragon breath blasted out at close range!
BOOM!
Skele-Pride was struck head-on, his entire body sent flying backward.
"Good!" The surrounding Dragonkin warriors erupted in cheers. But the next second, the cheers abruptly ceased. Skele-Pride stood up from the wreckage, brushing dust from his body. Not a single crack marred his skeletal frame.
"Not bad." Skele-Pride stretched his neck, emitting a crackling sound. "It's been a long time since I've encountered an opponent that made me serious."
No sooner had he spoken than Skele-Pride's figure vanished from his spot. Ignius's pupils contracted; he thrust his wings forward to block.
Clang!
The bone sword struck his wing, sending Ignius flying. Before he could regain his balance, Skele-Pride had reappeared behind him. Ignius twisted sharply, his dragon claws sweeping horizontally. But Skele-Pride was faster, his bone sword slashing diagonally.
Pfffsch.
Blood splattered. A deep gash appeared on Ignius's front claw. Immense pain instantly surged! But Ignius gritted his teeth, enduring, and his other claw aimed for Skele-Pride's head. Skele-Pride took half a step back, his bone sword swinging again. This time, Ignius did not dodge, but charged forward head-on. The blade sliced across his shoulder, leaving a shocking wound. But Ignius's dragon claws also firmly gripped Skele-Pride's chest!
Crack!
The sound of shattering bone echoed. Several cracks appeared on Skele-Pride's chest, and his entire body was sent flying backward.
"Hah... hah..." Ignius gasped, looking at the skeleton in the distance. He hit him. This time, he really hit him. Although the price was several more wounds on his own body, it was... Worth it.
Skele-Pride stood up, looking down at the cracks on his chest. Death energy surged, and the cracks slowly began to heal.
"Trading blows, are we?" He looked up, his soulfire flickering even more intensely. "If I wasn't an undead created by the Sovereign, you might actually win."
"Unfortunately, your current actions, in my opinion, are extremely foolish." Skele-Pride tightened his grip on his bone sword, his figure vanishing again. This time, his speed was even greater than before!
Ignius gritted his teeth, forcing himself to concentrate. In his mind, the countless rehearsed images reappeared. He knew which direction Skele-Pride would attack from. Left! Ignius twisted sharply, his dragon claws sweeping horizontally. But he struck air. It wasn't the left; it was the right!
A flash of sword light, and a wound appeared on Ignius's right wing.
"I anticipated your anticipation." Skele-Pride's voice echoed in his ear.
Damn it! Ignius gritted his teeth, flapping his wings fiercely, creating distance. He couldn't fight according to his rehearsed routines anymore. Skele-Pride had seen through his thoughts.
Then!
Improvise!
Ignius took a deep breath, his body plummeting, charging towards Skele-Pride. This time, he had no routine. He was fighting purely on instinct. Skele-Pride raised his bone sword, preparing to respond. But Ignius's attack trajectory was completely unpredictable. Sometimes left, sometimes right. Sometimes a high-altitude dive, sometimes a low-to-the-ground slide. Dragon claws, dragon tail, dragon breath, dragon wings. Every part of his body became a weapon.
Skele-Pride was forced to react, his bone sword constantly swinging, deflecting Ignius's attacks one by one. But he found that he couldn't counterattack as easily as before. Because Ignius simply gave him no opportunity to counterattack. After every strike, he immediately retreated, creating distance. Then he attacked again from another angle, giving Skele-Pride no time to breathe.
"Interesting." Skele-Pride blocked another of Ignius's attacks, laughing aloud. "Truly interesting!"
Time passed, minute by minute. On the battlefield, the two figures constantly intertwined. The crimson dragon's shadow and the black skeleton moved back and forth between the ground and the sky. Ignius's wounds multiplied. But the cracks on Skele-Pride's body also steadily increased. Neither could completely overpower the other.
After another fierce collision, both simultaneously retreated, creating distance. Ignius gasped, covered in blood. Skele-Pride stood his ground, his skeletal frame riddled with cracks.
Skele-Pride lowered his head to examine himself for a moment, then suddenly spoke. "Seeing how hard you've tried..." He paused.
"If you can defeat me once."
"I will agree to give you another chance at negotiation."
At these words, the entire battlefield fell silent. Basaka suddenly looked up. "What?"
Ignatz's eyes widened. "What did he say?"
Daelas stared incredulously at the skeleton. "A chance for negotiation?"
Vinodo and Raijin exchanged glances, both seeing shock in the other's eyes. Ignius stared at Skele-Pride, asking in a low voice, "Are you serious?"
"I never lie." Skele-Pride raised his bone sword, pointing it at Ignius. "If you can defeat me once, I will give you this opportunity."
"But..." His tone shifted.
"There is only one chance."
"If you fail..."
"Then don't blame me for being ruthless."
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