They were moving quickly as blood continued to flow around them. It was mainly red; however, from time to time, it would be black, causing the ground to sizzle.
Seviras was a monster unlike any other. His physicality was on levels that no man or elf could match; the only thing that could compare was an actual dragon itself...yet a mortal man had caused him to bleed.
It still did not change the result, as besides his power and cultivation, Seviras had far more experience than Valtherion when it came to combat. Only around a few centuries more. It explained perfectly why, right now, Valtherion was slammed on the ground as Seviras was raining punch after punch on his guard.
His wristguards had already broken into pieces, penetrating his skin, yet he held on. Just as Seviras was about to land another thrust with his sharp claws, Valtherion shifted his whole body, causing his hands to penetrate deep into the mud. They were close now, dangerously close as Valtherion felt his breath.
Barely gripping the broken horn with the tip of his finger, Valtherion quickly used it as a dagger and stabbed it exactly into Seviras's collarbone, causing him to scream in a voice that did not belong to either a human or an elf. It was so loud that the ground trembled and some soldiers stopped fighting.
Dark blood was flowing onto Valtherion, burning his body, yet he stood there, letting it even seep into his mouth as he smiled like a maniac. The collarbone and armpit were two of the places that had no scales, and he had taken the opportunity to injure Seviras with his own horn so deeply that one of his hearts had been crushed.
It seemed like Seviras went berserk; he lifted his body before deciding to slam his elbow into Valtherion. Not even thinking about it, Valtherion took the small gap and escaped, as a small explosion was heard, with dust rising. There was now a hole in the ground.
What was revealed was now a bloodied Sevirax, who had spikes protruding out of his elbows, as if he had grown new horns. His skin had become redder, along with his scales. Valtherion could hear his only heartbeat loud like a drum.
I am going to die.
A quiet thought went through his mind. The current Seviras was something he would not be able to handle, and he knew it...all that was left was to give it a try. A syringe appeared in his arm; it had a few layers of black liquid, making it so there were 4-5 doses that could be injected, of whatever was inside. It was not like a modern injection, more like a product of alchemists and mages.
Valtherion began speaking as he put the needle into his neck. "What a fight, Seviras, Hahaha! I have no regrets dying to you! COME! Let us see if the Serpent shall snap the Dragon's neck today!" Whatever Valtherion injected, it changed his voice as it became deeper, layered with an echo. It sounded powerful, and his heartbeat accelerated, causing him to lose more blood... but he was circulating QI, and his adrenaline went so high that cracks appeared in his skin, through which his actual Qi leaked. Wisps of silver light flew from him, floating towards Seviras.
In an equally powerful and deep voice, Seviras began speaking as well "You have managed to destroy one of my hearts...my horns...Valtherion, nobody has pushed me so far, yet you, a 17-year-old, are the closest person to killing me! Hahaha! The irony of fate, isn't it funny? As you are right now, you are my equal...as long as your body can handle it! Phahaha!"
His body flashed in the next moment, as his black energy surged and collided with Valtherion's silver qi. A punch and a palm connected, nobody taking a step back, yet dust flew all over. A more radiant silver light was now in Valtherion's eyes, his left one in particular. It was bringing him agonising pain and had gone blind.
Utilising his body's elasticity, as well as his new strength, Valtherion held his ground; however, a patch of skin was torn away from his ribs, revealing parts of his bones. His hands were burning and had scales embedded in them as he had managed to rip them off Seviras's chest.
Small shockwaves were being created with each hit, yet the slaughter around them did not stop. Only the circle of their duel grew as it was a death zone. Luther had tears in his eyes as he caught a sight of the battle; he was below and fighting an elven Expert. Dain was covered in blood as he gazed towards Valtherion. He could feel it, the blood loss. There was not a lot of time.
Seviras threw a punch, yet Valtherion ducked before stepping forward. His back cracked, as did his shoulders, as he embraced Seviras in a hug, his body wrapping around him like a serpent. Cracking sounds resounded as both of them had broken bones. Valtherion was tightening his grip; the flashy moves were over.
Seviras struggled as he tried to free himself, yet he discovered that Valtherion had bound his hands in a manner that did not allow him to move them fully. One of his elbows' spikes had penetrated his thigh so deep that it went through the other side, yet Valtherion's grip was only tightening with every breath the elf-dragon took.
"VALTHERION!"
Seviras screamed in a horrifying voice, dooming himself even more to the grip. Valtherion now had his feet off the ground and was slowly wrapping his legs in an even more snakelike manner around his chest and feet. It seemed to break the laws of physics, yet it was the law of the Great Serpent Body given to him by Alaric Dane.
Choking him by the throat, Valtherion made Seviras gaze above, their eyes meeting as he looked him straight from above.
"LET ME SEE IF THAT SOUL IS TRULY IMMORTAL!" Valtherion grabbed his lower jawbone and gripped it, opening his mouth just a bit, but enough. A ray of qi burst through his left eye, penetrating straight towards Seviras's insides. Blood splashed everywhere, yet Seviras did not die; his heart was not hit.
His struggles intensified as he was slowly freeing himself, yet Valtherion still tried to hold; his body's arms were finally high enough, exactly where he wanted them. The Serpent snapped the Dragon's neckwith a cracking sound, fulfilling its prophecy, twisting Seviras's head in an almost 90-degree angle, leaving the injury that Valtherion had made with the horn exposed.
His hand slipped inside like a slippery snake; it was burning hot as Seviras was screaming. He was alive, very much alive. Valtherion was losing his arm's feeling, which was a problem. He could feel the burning sensation on his left, but he was losing his grip on the right; Seviras was getting free and dislocated his shoulder...yet it was finally there.
With a sharp motion, his hand clasped around it, crushing and pulling it outwards. Valtherion was then thrown away, his body colliding with a tree and snapping it...Yet he stood up and bent down.
"I WILL NOT DIEEEEEEEEEEE! RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
An explosion resounded with Seviras' scream; there was no fire, just pure heat from Qi and Mana. Somehow, as he was immune to magic, his body contained Mana.
A stone shard penetrated Valtherion's cheek, while another embedded itself within his stomach, causing blood to spill.
Holding the broken tree for support, Valtherion stood up, barely; his legs were shaking, as were his hands. His vision was almost gone, yet he took a step forward...then another...A spear appeared in his hand - the very first spear Louis had given him, yet he had never used it.
Seviras was still alive, albeit barely. Blood was gurgling, giving fire to his surroundings. His knees were bent, but he had not fallen, not yet. Valtherion saw a gap through the scales; he had created it when he ripped it off. The spear went cleanly in, and he slowly raised it, causing his legs to crack.
"Immortal soul no more!" Were Valtherion's words as he injected his Qi, causing more and more cracks to appear on his body; however, now blood was seeping through them along with Qi.
Finally, Seviras stopped moving as his body was impaled on the spear.
Valtherion took a good look at what was going on behind him. He felt the presence of a Master - Luther had broken through.
Good...the city is ours...the oath is kept...
Turning around, Valtherion walked deeper into the forest. Slowly, step by step. He found the perfect spot, a rock with a clear view of the mountain peak. The sky was clear...yes, it was good, with a perfect view that his only one eye could see, just barely.