Book 3: Chapter 33

Boom! Thud! Crack! Boom!

The sounds of a horrific battle echo throughout the land. Nearby monsters flee in terror as the sounds shake the earth and fierce surges of magical power threaten to overwhelm the very air itself. However, anyone who saw the fight would call it incredibly one sided.

A powerful looking old man leapt 100 meters into the air, hitting another man directly in the face. He then grabbed the man’s foot, tossing him to the ground with full force, creating yet another of the dozen or so craters that lined the mountainside. He lands with his fists out, propelling his body with a magical surge that creates an avalanche. He manages to jump away just as a thousand tons of rock and dirt falls, burying the newly formed crater and the man at its epicenter.

“Hah, hah, hah…” the old man gasps for breath, sweat running down his face.

There are a few moments of complete quiet once the avalanche settles. Then, a fist suddenly punches out from the rock, and a form pulls themselves from the dirt. That form is a very naked me. Of course, I am covered in so much dirt and mud now that it could constitute as clothing.

“We done yet?” I ask arrogantly.

“You bastard!” the line came from Mason who was waiting on the sidelines. “You dare humiliate father like this! I’ll kill you myself.”

“It is clear that your defense is top notch.” The old man regains his demeanor, once again holding up a hand to silence Mason. “But is your offense enough to defeat me?”

“Easily…”

“Liar! No one can be so strong in defense and offense simultaneously!” Mason insists. “You must have put all of your efforts into defense magic to trick us!”

“No! Father, it’s true. Master is truly strong. That’s why…” Millie stops for a second, but then steps forward with a pleading look. “That’s why father must stop this folly.”

“If you can so easily defeat me.” The old man asks. “Then why have you held back?”

“It’s simple. I told Millie today was her day. Millie asked me not to fight you.  So, I won’t.”

“I was expecting you to not budge when he hit you! Why are you flying all over the place!”

“Because it’d be meaningless if I didn’t struggle. This is Millie I’m fighting for; I can take at least this much for her.” I shoot Millie a thumbs up.

“B-b-baka!” Millie calls, turning away in a blush. “I-it’s not like I think that’s really cool or anything.”

“She totally does!” Mason shouts, “She smells really excited right now!”

“Quit smelling me you creep!” Millie shouts back.

I hide a grimace at my little lie. Well, it was a partial truth, at least. I didn’t want to admit the real reason my body was flying around. It was because the so-called dragon king was really really strong. Even with maxed stats, I’ve found some issues. Specifically, I'm a human. Humans have a limit. Well, all creatures do, it’s just that a dragon’s upper limit is higher than my own. True, I could block Xhou’s strikes, and not move an inch. However, if I did that, I’d be absorbing 100% of his blow. It wouldn’t kill me, but it would hurt like a motherfucker. Like a car’s crumple zone, I’ve found flying back and embedding myself into dirt diminishes the force of impact far below my defensive ability. Standing still, I could take maybe twenty minutes of punishment before I collapse, but being tossed around didn’t hurt a bit. However, I am going to have to make a move soon.