Confronted by the Young Alter, the captain couldn't restrain himself.
He didn't need a second invitation.
His feet slammed against the ground, surging forward so fast that the young alter could only see a blur about to collide with him. The captain smiled at that. 'Clearly, he's a clever brat, but not much more than that.'
The sun struck the captain's eyes, blinding him, turning the young alter into nothing more than a vague shadow, which was certainly intentional. It gave him a valuable advantage that was quickly noticed. But it didn't make up for the difference in size, strength, and speed.
And even less for experience.
'He's going to clash his weapon against mine to defend himself.' The captain judged the shadow's future movements through experience. 'He'll charge at me with full force. Then I'll use his momentum to throw the axe away, knock him down with a sweep, and immediately follow with an elbow to the back of his neck to knock him out. That way, I win.'
In the eyes of a master, the difference between victory and defeat was decided in a single instant. While the captain created a solid, consistent plan in a fraction of a second, the young alter couldn't even see his movements.
Not that he needed to.
The snow burst apart as the sword blade fell upon the young alter advancing with his axe.
However…
Instead of defending with the axe as expected, the young alter offered his arm for the blade to bite into, in a move bordering on insanity. Letting himself be wounded as his axe advanced in a suicidal strike toward the master's neck.
He sacrificed his arm to go for the neck.
'Fuck!!!' The captain's eyes widened at the sight, immediately weakening his strike, not wanting to damage the merchandise. Just as the Young Alter had predicted. 'Suicidal brat!'
The young alter smiled as the axe continued toward the captain's neck. However, what seemed like a swift strike to the young alter was slow to the sword master.
He merely snorted and, in the same way, defended himself with his opposite arm, letting the axe blade collide with it.
The axe blade was sharp and the young alter was strong, but it quickly proved not to be enough. The blade bounced off the master's skin without even scratching it. The muscular arm was far tougher than expected, more like rock than flesh.
The impact threw his posture off balance, creating an opening for a powerful counter-attack.
Even so...
The young alter didn't stop smiling.
'He startled me, but he lost control of the blade. Now I just need to grab him and finish it.' The master prepared to seize his neck. Finally, this young alter would learn the hard way who was stronger.
However, the captain's eyes were involuntarily drawn to the young alter's axe as if magnetically pulled. Throughout the entire fight, all he saw were shadows, but in that instant, with the axe beside him, he caught a glimpse of its true form.
Time seemed to stop.
'I'm going to die…' His instincts screamed so loudly it was deafening.
A small pouch was attached opposite the blade.
'I'm going to die!!!'
Suddenly, a powerful blast rippled through the ground as the pouch exploded due to the impact, propelling the blade forward with impossible speed and power.
Skin tore, flesh and bone were pierced as if they were butter. The blade surged forward unhindered, seeking to take the master's life, his neck only inches away.
Quickly, he clenched his teeth and threw his body backward, the blade leaving a crimson trail across his neck. At the same time, the young alter wasted no time and kicked him away, unbalancing him and making him fall to his knees…
The master bowed to him.
The world seemed to freeze in that instant, everyone was breathless.
Only one thing broke the silence.
The captain's arm hit the ground and bounced, reaching the edge of the slope and nearly falling down the mountain.
The captain remained silent, his eyes slowly drawn to the severed limb. The men behind him all looked in the same direction, sharing the same feeling.
"The captain lost his arm?" they wondered. "Our captain? The one who faced legendary beasts, who has won a hundred duels… he lost his arm to a boy?"
Their gazes fixed on the young alter, who only looked back with a wide, mocking smile. Their expressions twisted into a mix of shock, anger, and even… fear.
The young alter chuckled softly. "Huh…" He tilted his head to one side. "Huh…" He tilted it to the other side.
"What's this?" he asked. "I think I made a mistake. Don't you think?" He laughed. "I was sure I came to face a strong, burly man, a true warrior!" He placed a hand above his eyes, looking around. "But I can't seem to find him anywhere."
Then he looked at the captain. "If you find him, can you let me know?" He covered his mouth, holding back laughter.
The captain's veins bulged, his eyes bloodshot. Grinding his teeth, he removed his belt and quickly began to stop the bleeding as his men rushed toward him in panic.
"I underestimated you," he said, stepping forward with his blade in hand. "That won't happen again."
The young alter looked at him and then asked while cleaning his ear, "Sorry, what did you say? I can't hear the barking of the weak." He shrugged with a smile.
The grinding of teeth only grew louder. But then he took a deep breath. "Did I really lose my arm to him? To him of all people?"
"So be it," he said, raising his blade and pointing it at him. "Men! Capture him! No matter fucking what!"
Immediately, bows were raised, spears were leveled, and swords were drawn. The young alter watched each of those weapons with a smile.
"A thousand ants can't kill an elephant, you know that, right?" Before he could finish, the first arrow landed at his feet. "But, If that's what you want. So be it." The young alter turned slowly and dashed off.
A rain of arrows fell upon him as he climbed the slope swiftly, dodging dozens of projectiles falling left and right at every moment. Again, it didn't matter how many arrows they sent at him. None of them could see more than a vague shadow running along the slope. Their aim was severely hindered.
"Ow! Ow! So scary!" he mocked as spears rained down. He twisted his body, grabbed one, and, dragging his foot along the ground, hurled it with all his strength, quickly taking down a man.
The captain clicked his tongue and charged forward once more, seeming like nothing more than a blur weaving through the snow. His sword soon fell toward the young alter, who grabbed a small wooden container and threw it at him, causing an explosion that sent him flying back.
"Damn brat! How many tricks do you have?!" he shouted, recovering from the blast in an instant.
"Not enough, it seems," he replied darkly, his feet dancing across the snow between sword strikes and explosions. Both their eyes moved rapidly, attacking and defending, while more arrows and spears rained down on them.
Thick sweat ran down the young alter's forehead as he felt the wind of the blade nearly tear one of his eyes out, only for the attacker to be sent flying away in the next instant. Even so, the damage was minimal compared to the first strike.
"Not that it matters," he whispered as the ground trembled, making all the men stop immediately. Even the captain paused for a moment. Meanwhile, the young alter dashed off, quickly reaching the entrance of a nearby cave.
He watched calmly as a bear the size of a building, with six legs and armor made of ice and snow, slowly approached him with bloodshot eyes.
The beast looked more like a war tank.
"Fuck..."The captain cursed under his breath.
"Oh my dear, I see you're still sleepy, you lazy beast." He smiled broadly. "Allow me to wake you up." Once again, he pulled explosives from his belt and quickly threw them at the beast's face.
One explosion. A furious roar.
Two explosions. Two furious roars and a crash powerful enough to shake the earth.
Three… four… five.
The young alter's smile only grew wider.
Suddenly, the cave entrance exploded with a roar that shook the heaven and the earth. A storm of ice and snow formed around them, engulfing everyone and threatening to throw them off the cliff with its howling winds. The narrow slope suddenly burst with ice crystals, expanding to accommodate the colossal bear.
Two gigantic, furious paws came down on the young alter, who immediately rolled beneath the beast to dodge, then got back up and ran into the cave, passing underneath it.
"What the fucking hell!!!" the captain shouted in desperation. "Glacinata Bear! Glacinata Bear!!!" he yelled even louder as the men quickly armed themselves in fear and indescribable terror.
The captain's eyes, however, soon spotted the young alter running beneath the bear. He immediately wanted to chase after him, but the bear's blue eyes fixed on him through the storm, glowing with icy horror.
"If you got the message," the young alter said, his face hidden by the storm, "stop coming after me. This is the only warning I'll give you. Don't expect any mercy from me. This time I took your arm, next time it'll be your life!"
In the next instant, the cave exploded, sealing its entrance.
And in the moment after that, the Bear realized he was hungry.