The first all-out battle in the war was as insidious and daunting as they had imagined it would be. The sounds of metal clashing against metal, bodies colliding, people screaming, crying, dying—it was all too harrowing. Much to everyone's displeasure, there was no end in sight. In fact, the battle had just begun.
Now, facing Jai was General Kyle, supported by General Khan in the distance.
"It seems the Queen has not yet come to her senses and has joined the traitors. Maybe when I send her your head and the heads of your men, that will change her mind," Jai said.
General Kyle didn't bother to reply. The decision had already been made to kill Jai and restore order to Wize. Truly, they had other agendas, but Jai stood in the way of all that.
Without wasting time, General Kyle began to transform. His body began to change shape, and he grew taller. A few seconds later, where the once-elegant general had stood, now stood a fearsome figure.
A skeleton, with a rag covering it from the waist down, stood there. It had two flames burning in its visor, a crown resting on its skull, and two shackles hanging from its wrists, both with broken chains sticking out. The figure held a sword that looked ordinary, but Jai knew he was in for trouble if it cut him.
A voice whispered quietly in his head.
"Death Knight," Abaddon said.
"You know what that thing is?" Jai asked.
"Yes. It's a Death Knight. Our King asked Amon to make them from the remains of humans, and he put a part of himself in them. They carry the essence of fear," Abaddon replied.
Jai smiled when he heard Abaddon's explanation.
"That would explain the shaking," he thought as he looked at his arm. Ever since General Kyle had taken this new form, his body had been shaking uncontrollably.
"It's just an illusion of fear," he thought, but Abaddon spoke again.
"No, it's not. King Destros is the epitome of fear—not illusionary, not unreal. What you are feeling right now is true fear," Abaddon said.
"Oh, then that's even more interesting," Jai replied.
Jai was feeling true fear when facing the demonic General Kyle—a feeling he had not experienced in a long time.
"Do you need my assistance?" Abaddon asked.
"No. I want to see how well I'll fare against these two."
Jai suddenly blinked from his position and clashed with the Death Knight. Their clash sent waves across the battlefield.
The Death Knight's sword swung with unnatural speed, the air hissing as its blade narrowly missed Jai. Sparks flew as Jai deflected the next strike, his saber vibrating from the force. The power behind each attack was monstrous, and Jai could feel the ground tremble with each exchange.
The Death Knight pressed its advantage, closing the gap. Its sword came down with a force that Jai barely blocked, the impact driving him to one knee. The flames in the creature's visor flared, and for a moment, Jai felt his strength waver under the oppressive aura of fear.
But Jai gritted his teeth, refusing to yield. With a burst of speed, he rolled to the side, narrowly evading a follow-up strike that left a deep crater where he had knelt.
"You'll need more than fear to kill me," Jai said, his voice steady despite the chaos.
He surged forward, his movements blurry. At first glance, it seemed as though his saber was aimed haphazardly, but there was a rhythm to the chaos. A downward slash turned into a deceptive feint. The Death Knight blocked the slash, but Jai twisted his body, slashing underneath in a quick and fluid motion.
The Death Knight reeled back slightly as a shallow cut appeared on its ribcage. Its burning eyes narrowed, the creature clearly sensing the hidden precision behind Jai's seemingly erratic attacks.
Jai smirked, his breathing steady despite the strain. "Let's see if you can keep up."
For now, Jai held his ground against the overwhelming odds, his technique keeping the monstrous opponent guessing. But the battle was far from over. It didn't take long for General Khan to join the fray.
The archer notched his arrow, aiming it at Jai. Even when it seemed like he had no shot, Jai knew General Khan was a very skilled archer. In fact, he was the best Jai had ever seen. It was already difficult enough fighting General Kyle, but dodging Khan's arrows at the same time was now becoming an exhausting task.
General Kyle was also being careful around Jai. This was the first time he had fought someone like Jai, and he was struggling. Jai's technique was quite unique and very difficult to defend against. The damned God Sword would mask his real attacks within other attacks, making it hard to predict when or where a deadly blow might land.
One couldn't really try to block all their vital organs at once in a fight. Doing so was not only foolish, it also affected one's will to attack. If you were too busy worrying about where and when your opponent might hit you, instead of focusing on the fight, you might as well surrender.
He was still faring well, though. At least he wasn't dead... yet.
As the fight went on, Kyle felt the need to change tactics fast, or else he would die—and soon. He quickly moved to his left to give General Khan a clear shot. Immediately, Jai followed, trying to stop him from doing so.
Knowing that the general wouldn't hesitate to take the shot, and how fast and powerful his arrows were, General Kyle smirked as he quickly twisted his body, allowing two arrows to fly toward Jai unhindered.
Although one of the arrows grazed Jai's thigh, it was worth it. Jai wasn't expecting the general to do something like that, so he could only react quickly to one arrow. The second arrow lodged in his right thigh.
The God Sword didn't make a sound. Jai sent a kick toward General Kyle, sending him flying backward.
This was a bad idea since General Khan now had a clear view of him. As Jai expected, six arrows sped toward him. Jai quickly moved, rolling out of the way.
"Dammit, how many arrows can he fire at once?"
It didn't take long for another arrow to approach his face. He quickly dodged it at the last second. The arrow passed by a hair's breadth, but Jai heard a loud scream from behind him shortly after.
Whoever got hit by that wasn't going to survive.
Not only was General Khan skilled, but his arrows moved at an uncanny speed. Jai clicked his tongue. He wished a man like Khan didn't have to die by his hands. He could really use such a man in his army.
Without dwelling on it further, he stood up. General Kyle was already back.
Time for another back-and-forth.