The infantry had long ago surrounded the fleeting horde, yet the battle was not close to ending at all. This seemed to be the strongest force of the enemy, as the fight was taking so much time.
Something was going on at the front where the cavalry charged, but those at the back could not see perfectly. All they could deduce was that there was a hole in the battlefield and someone was fighting there. A duel.
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Valtherion's whole body shook as vibrations coursed through his bones, yet he was standing; to his own surprise, he was trading blow after blow with an Expert of the Dark Elf Race. His energy was running wild as it was getting more potent with each strike; he was slowly breaking through.
By now, his helmet had been taken off, as the giant elf towered above him, and although he could deflect the massive sword, a backhand had knocked it off. He was still at a disadvantage; however, the precious manuals, especially the Great Serpent Body, had strengthened his body by a great deal.
He was throwing a jab after jab with his spear; however, his enemy's spiky armour prevented more than that, else his spear would get stuck between it.
Valtherion was sweating and circulating his qi, as his spear weaved across his hands; his target was always the Elf's legs and chest. He knew that he would not find an opening in that armour; however, his goal was different. Create a pattern, break it! And so he did; his spear shifted after he dodged an overhead slash, and the tip headed for the man's head.
Sadly, the Elf reacted fast and took a step back; however, he did lose his helmet in the process.
"How are you resisting my blows, human? There has been no person at the Expert stage with greater power than I, Kaelstraz, besides my father Seviras!" Kaelstraz threw the question as he felt blood trickling down his face. Even if his enemy was slowly breaking through, the physical factor should've played a big part. The human should've died or flown away, yet there he was.
"I am your doom, scum! Be sundered!" Valtherion's body was glowing in silver light as he jumped high and used all the power he had in his body to slash down towards the abomination that was Kaelstraz.
'CLANG'
Kaelstraz felt his legs grow weak for a second; his enemy's silver hair in sight and the ground beneath him cracking left him shocked. Everyone around him seemed to be dying at a fast rate, and his enemy would probably break through any second. There were still experts on his side, but the enemies had them as well...and they were killing his.
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"Luther! Why are you stopping me?" Dain was furious as Luther's hand was on his chest, stopping him from butting into Valtherion's duel.
"Calm down. If anything happens, I will behead him on the spot. Look, your cousin is breaking through. Believe in him; we trained him! Watch!" Luther said as his eyes never left the duel.
Kaelstraz's sword came down, as Valtherion slipped past it like a snake. His movement technique was utilised to perfection; one could even hear hisses. He was nimble, fast and incredibly strong for his size, and now, he was behind his enemy.
Seeing that Kaelstraz was defenceless, Valtherion slashed with his spear towards the giant's thigh before taking a step back. The giant sword passed him by, leaving only the wind of the force that it carried.
Another opening! Overhead slam!
"WHO ARE YOU, COWARDLY HUMAN?!"
Valtherion suddenly shifted his footwork, gathering all the strength from his legs, circulating his energy as much as he could, until a crackling sound was heard within him. His body was embraced by Silver Aura; the pressure around him intensified as his hair fluttered. The patches of silver hair grew, turning half of his hair that colour.
"I AM YOUR LINE'S ENDER" With a shout, Valtherion struck down, his spearblade cutting through armour, all the way from Kaelstraz's neck to his waist, ending him.
A shadow slipped behind him, with a dagger in hand, aiming for the opening on his throat, but Valtherion turned around, without bothering to unstuck his spear from the now falling giant.
He caught the hand with the dagger and shot his empty remaining hand towards the throat of the ambusher. Glowing in a silver aura, Valtherion lifted her by the throat. It was a dark elf woman, only at the stage of a novice, who was now staring him in the eyes with horror. She could see it: the silver flames in his eyes as his hand's grip wrapped around her throat.
Luther's sword was close to beheading her, but he had refrained from doing so when he saw Valtherion reacting just in time. A crackling sound was heard, along with two thumps as one elf finally tumbled down, while the other's neck was crushed and thrown away like a sack of potatoes.
"VALTHERION! VALTHERION! LONG LIVE THE SERPENT!" cheers resounded all over, as the duel marked the end of the battle; nobody was spared, no enemy was allowed to scramble. Their leaders were all dead; all that remained was a crushed horde, which soon was reduced to a puddle of blood.
Kaelstraz lay on the ground, his consciousness slowly fading. His blurred vision barely allowed him to see his enemy, the agile human that had outmanoeuvred, outsmarted and ended his life, and opposite of him, the dead Valeria who still had her eyes open. Fear gripped his heart; death was coming...but soon he blacked out, his head severed from his body and carried on a pike. It would now serve to boost his enemies' morale and crush the remains of his forces' morale.
Valtherion's breath was ragged, but as he watched his army's morale boost and advance, he smiled. Two hands landed on his shoulders; it was Luther and Dain, their lips curled in a smile. The fight was over; every fortress and castle was reclaimed, and the enemy who outnumbered them was slaughtered, and Valtherion was now an Expert.
"Young master, what is your next command?" Baron Linley asked as he stepped forward, his body bloodied but his spirits high.
"Send a messenger to Blackstone Fortress. The engineers should send what I requested from them. Reform the army, let the men rest. Tomorrow we march further west. Gadgeztan is our next destination!" Valtherion said in a neutral, commanding expression. From now on, this army was under his command; their trust was won.
"Understood!"