Chapter 68: the Battle

The air of the battleground had a distinct smell to it. Muddled with different kinds of odor - a revolting kind of odor. Still, it is an odor that he could get used to. Ned took several breaths of the stinking air.

Standing at the center of the market, between the town hall and the Devourer, Ned looked behind him. There formed a neat rank of Sskat troopers holding plasma guns and plasma swords, clad with different organic suits. Ready to receive a command. Ready to serve. Ready to die.

In a menacing cry, Ned said, "Troopers! This is it! Our last stand! Let go of your doubts! Go wild! Go kill!"

And so Ned thought - or dreamed of. It was in his blood. The urge to fight. The urge to kill. It's in him. He can't let it go, he can't let go of his past. His past, a complex of intriguing past. A show of strength. For only strength helped him survived his past life. But what is strength? Was it necessary? Why him?

Ned opened his eyes. Eyes filled with intimidation and excitement. "This feeling, this is… excitement. Am I? Excited to die?" Ned whispered. "No one should let go of their past if they want to have a stable future. Instead, one should acknowledge the past. Only harshest past builds a strong future."

Ned was the first. First clone that developed with emotion. First, to be recognized as a true conqueror. No matter what he did, he won't die. Not until he tasted death. Death—unforgiving, ceaseless, and excitement. Just the thought of fighting a worthy opponent with his life on the line made Ned shiver in excitement.

The Devourer shook its head. Rubbles made their way off its skeletal head. Eye socket filled with terrorizing green energy. Blue, violet, and black energy crept its hollow chest. Scanning its surrounding, he found the cause of the pain. Not from him, Ned stood. Brandishing his sword and invoking a fireball.

Its size, too big for a normal dragon, but too small to be called Ancient. A body covered with bones, means attacking its joints is useless, it's a bone dragon after all. Slashing, stabbing, and cutting is also useless. Blunt weapons are more effective, but Butterfly's not cut for it. Then there's one option left. Use its body against him. Ned analyzed. Finding weaknesses with his instinct and intuition.

If his Master were there and learned about Ned's plan. The look on his face would probably be "Kid, are you fucking serious?" As Ned calmly considered that mental image, he laughed. Still, the idea was ridiculous. Using the dragon's massive and ton weighing body against itself, was ridiculous by itself. But it's worth the try. At least Ned needs not to maneuver the battlefield. He just needs to wait for the Devourer to attack. Evade. And counter the force with his own. Which not for long, as the Devourer recovered from face slamming. It charged.

"ICE, can you check its Rank?" Ned asked.

[Judging by its size, strength, appearance, and the color of its eyes. It's a Newborn, Ned. Probably lived for a couple of hundreds of years.]

[Combat mode activated.]

Ned's HUD, Head's Up Display, turned blue, then red. Showing a preparation for an attack. Along with the mode was the Predictive Combat Emulator, signaling the weaknesses of the Devourer through digits, in which it doesn't have much. The highest percentage was its chest. Followed by its hollowed eyes. And its tail, that was covered with a fresh flesh of dark reptilian skin.

"Newborn, but its strength is already continental," Ned sighed. Displaying a stance that enables him to counter against the Devourer's charge. "Here it comes!"

Ned raised his hand with a fireball, aligned it towards the incoming skeletal dragon. With a flick of his wrists, he released the fireball. Traveling at a speed of ten meters per second. It hit the dragon with a boom into its face.

As expected. Ned thought.

The fireball hit and felt an itch. The dragon increased its charge. Smirking along the way.

Ned knew what stance he should use. He raised the Butterfly. Waved it as high as he could, making a wide opening in front of his chest. His free hand swayed behind him, helping him balance. He leaned forward. His expectation will depend on his precision and finesse when attacking.

The charge continues. Dust, stones, and bodies, both human and beasts alike, made a way for the Devourer.

Ned made a rotating slash, with his body extended by his sword. Making a wide arc that attacked within the reach of his sword.

The sword clanged and buzzed the moment it reached the top of the Devourer's foot, just below its knee.

Ned slid, turned, and control his footing, balancing along the way. Made the same stance. Sword raised and wide open. A stance to intimidate enemies. A mocking stance.

The dragon, with its charge, coupled with his body, made a big 'U' turn. Dust flew among its foot. Houses made of bricks, woods, straw, and stalls turned to crumble with the dragon's foot.

The Devourer must have weight hundreds of tons. A step of its bony foot made the ground tremble. Its height, doubled the size of the town hall which is almost five to six storey, was staggering, that just by standing it made a wide shadow. Blocking the beam of the sun.

After it turned, the dragon charged again, declined its head. That almost touched the ground. The ground trembles. The ground shook. But Ned remained stood.

But on the second charge. Its speed doubled. A look of mockery filled its eye socket. Almost at the reach of Ned's sword. The dragon stopped, abruptly. It spun its body, shifted its massive body weight into its front legs, that made as the center of rotation, and swung its tail.

Ned saw the attacked coming, but his body, clad with his Plat Armor, reacted too late with his eyes. The tail hit Ned's chest. The hit was powerful; it made a booming and round sound.

Ned went rolling, tumbling, and jerking. Still, the Butterfly was in his hand. The ground made a trail almost fifty meters apart. Ned stopped, facedown on the muddy ground. Ate some mud, sand, or maybe entrails of what's left of the dead.

Along with Ned's stop, was the incoming of the army of ghouls followed with alghouls; they seemed to hunt in a pack, the ghouls, and alghouls.

The ghoul charged and bit Ned's leg. The Alghoul jumped and landed on Ned's back. Luckily, no freybugs around. But, with the Plat Armor equipped, only the Devourer's attack made a stinging pain in Ned's chest.

[Ned.]

With ICE's prompt. Soft and sweet voice, a voice that contrasts the current situation. Ned's HUD displayed a 3D model of his body. Ned noticed a red speck marking his chest. Along with some visible cuts and bruises.

Seeing the human's helpless situation, the Devourer growled and hissed. But it wasn't enough. He growled once more. And roar. Signaling the army of ghouls and alghouls to leave his prey alone. Which the latter did as the dragon, command. Dozens of mindless beasts made their way into the forest. Leaving the human and the Dragon to deal with themselves.

With the Devourer's signal, Ned stood, right hand still gripped the Butterfly. Pat his knees and smiled. "Without the armor, I'm long dead." Ned smiled once more and charge. This time he didn't wait for the Devourer to make its move. He raised his sword, light reflected on its green surface of the Butterfly. Ned likes to have weapons ready whenever he needed them. For weapons settled disputes the faster. Less to worry about.

Raising the Butterfly, its tip pointed skyward. He charged. The Devourer charges. Seeing how the human giving his best, the dragon gave it all charging. It roared and charged.

Seconds before contact, the Devourer did the same moves, twice. It spun and swung its tail. A sharp whistle sound traveled the space as the tail cuts through the air.

A steak of light burned in Ned's eyes. He was expecting it. The same as his stance, which makes a wide arc whenever he performs a spinning move. The spin gave off a lot of openings. The dragon spun and gave off its chest filled with flowing energy. With a gleam in Ned's eyes, he parried the dragon's whip. Making it slide at the edges of the Butterfly.

Ned parried, then jumped to attack the Devourer's core. But luck played an enormous part. After the dragon failed to hit Ned. It opens its mouth and shot a beam of light towards Ned.

Making Ned rolled and thrown once more.

He scuffed. Finding it hard to determine the dragon's blind spots.

The two fought, razing every ground, trees, and houses along the way. They turned anyone who would intervene between their fight to mincemeat by the Devourer's attack or Ned's slices.

The fight leads them to the swamp near the Moormont village. The air around the swamp smelled damp. Ned stood with his knees almost covered with mud. Mosses and vines crawled Ned's knees. The swamp made Ned remembered the Lord he fought once, Gazul.

The Devourer's eyes show a hint of surprise and admiration. A human, single human withstood his attacks. He growled and moaned, giving praise to Ned. And stopped. His fiery eyes danced along with its bony mouth open. He charged an attack. Dark, purple, and a hint of blue formed into its mouth. It was the attack that made its name. The devouring attack.

[Ned, that is a massive amount of Mana.]

Ned remained silent. The Devourer's attack would wipe out the swamp in an instant. He wasn't sure, even with his Plat Armor, to block the Devourer's attack. Ned moved to his left. Making a time to evade before the attack hit. As he steps, the Butterfly emitted a green faint light, then dimmed, then back to green light, a cycle of dancing light. Or maybe, Ned thought. Maybe it's trying to communicate. Green, bright light, then faint, then dimmed.

Ned trusted his gut, raised the Butterfly, and gestured the dragon to give his all.

The dragon smirked, released the sphere, which turned to a beam of light. The surrounding fell silent. Then a rumbling sound traveled through the entire swamp.

Ned brandished the sword. And absorb the attack. With its all might. The Devourer's attack was slowly absorbed. Ned's feet sunk even further within the swamp. The beam was devastating even Ned on a full plated Platinum Armor made a hard time controlling the Butterfly.

Veins popped on Ned's head. Sweat formed and evaporated and grit his teeth. Clench his fist on the sword. Now holding with his two hands. And shouted! "Bring it on!"

The swamp turned, darkened, a faint of red, then blue, then violet. Seconds past, the Devourer's attack was completely sucked in. The Butterfly trembled as if it were in pain. Ned raised the sword and pointed it toward the Devourer. A streak of a greater, brighter beam of light shot at the Devourer.

The Devourer jerked, surprised and alarmed. It leaps to his side, just in time for the returned attack to hit. Everything went bright. Deafening roar echoed the entire swamp. Moments passed, all that was left was a giant line on the ground that passed along the entire swamp and ended at the forest. Completely cleaning everything in its path.

The Devourer limped and let out a breath of purple and blue energy. Dark, oozing blood dripped from the top. It severely damaged its wing. Too severe, it was cut in half. The Devourer's wing was cut up to the end of its back. It limped and jerked. Yet smiled. Bone defying smile. It raised its head and looked at the human, half kneeling on the dried and cracked ground. Its eyes danced with excitement as it looked at Ned. It growled—rough and bone-cracking growl.

"If you win, you get to live… human."