The sound of metal clashing against metal reverberated through the hallways as Marcus's curved saber met Kazon's dagger in a fierce struggle. Above them, the roar of anger and pain from the dragon echoed, adding to the tension. "Looks like Enryu picked a fight with someone who can challenge him," Kazon remarked, his breath ragged.
Marcus, equally exhausted, pushed Kazon's dagger to the side before quickly swinging down with his blade, aiming for Kazon's right shoulder. Kazon, despite his own fatigue, managed to backstep just in time, avoiding the swing. He immediately countered with a stab aimed directly at Marcus's heart.
Focusing all his mana on enhancing his arms, Marcus brought his saber up in a desperate block, supporting it by pressing his forearm against the flat side of the blade. The force of Kazon's stab pushed him backward, his boots sliding across the floor, leaving scuff marks in their wake. Marcus's muscles strained under the pressure, his breath coming out in sharp bursts.
Marcus was unable to react as Kazon swung his fist in an upward motion, hitting him square in the stomach. The force of the blow knocked the wind out of him, causing him to double over and spit up blood, the metallic taste coating his tongue. "One should use all the methods they have to win a fight," Kazon remarked with a huff before flipping the dagger in his hand and driving it deep into Marcus's right shoulder. The sharp pain shot through Marcus's body like lightning, and he clenched his jaw tightly, his teeth grinding against each other in agony.
"This is similar to what you tried to do to me, correct?" Kazon's voice cut through the haze of pain, each word delivered with a matter-of-fact tone. Without waiting for an answer, Kazon ruthlessly ripped the dagger out through Marcus's collarbone, eliciting a guttural groan of agony from him. Magi-Slayer slipped from Marcus's grasp, its weight suddenly absent as it clattered harmlessly to the floor.
With precision, Kazon swiftly kicked the weapon away before executing a rough back-kick, driving his armored boot into Marcus's chest with bone-crushing force. The sickening sound of bones cracking echoed through the hallway as Marcus was flung backward, his body wracked with pain. "You're a significantly easier opponent compared to that demon and that creature," Kazon remarked, assessing Marcus's abilities. Despite the overwhelming odds stacked against him, Marcus, his determination unyielding, mustered every ounce of strength to crawl toward his fallen weapon, refusing to surrender.
"Ah yes, the indomitable human spirit," Kazon remarked with a nod as he slowly approached Marcus, his movements deliberate and calculated. "Sadly, that isn't enough to defeat a demonic knight, despite its power," he continued, raising his dagger in the air with a sinister gleam in his eye. "You fought well for someone of your level. Now rest in peace," he declared, bringing his dagger down on the still-determined Marcus, whose fingers strained toward his blade.
Just as Kazon's blade was poised to pierce Marcus's back, the sound of armored footsteps reverberated behind him. 'Fast.' With reflexes honed by countless battles, Kazon spun around just in time to evade the serrated metal claws, which scraped menacingly against his helmet. Regaining his composure, Kazon crouched low, scrutinizing his assailant. The figure before him wore a sleek, featureless metallic mask, devoid of even the tiniest speck of dust. Their light metallic armor, crafted from the same material as the mask and just as clean, with hints of purple cloth peeking from the edges, adorned their figure. Gauntlets with serrated claws were poised for battle—no, for killing. And finally, a pair of heavy, black metallic boots, each gleaming as if freshly polished.
Kazon, the demon knight, locked eyes with The Fiend of Ironhelm.
**Earlier**
The Fiend had rushed to the chaotic estate as soon as he heard a single beep from the device. He wanted to move in sooner; however, he wanted to keep the promise of only arriving when Zee called. Zooming through the front gates, he saw five people: one, a human woman lying on the ground under her a pool of blood; two, a human man with pink eyes; three, another human man with scarlet eyes; four, a wolfish demi-human; and finally, five, what seemed to be an elven man with purple skin and black sclera. He wanted to talk to this man to know if he knew anything about his people, but now was not the time.
He navigated his bike expertly through the debris, the tires skidding over shards of broken glass and twisted metal, as the flying creature above the mansion let out a roar of anger and pain. Approaching Zee and the injured razorhoove, he noted the tension in the air. Zee's voice was urgent. "You're here!" Zee exclaimed in relief as The Fiend hopped off his bike and quickly kneeled next to Zee, ignoring the razorhoove. He pulled out his pen and notebook, jotting down his questions. "What's happening? What is that flying in the sky, and where is Xain?"
Zee's explanation was concise, her eyes darting between The Fiend and the looming mansion. "Xain's in the mansion still; I can't really move anymore, so I called you," she said with urgency. The Fiend nodded, his mind already formulating a plan as he scribbled reassurance in his notebook. "You did the right thing; wait here, I'll go get Xain." Ready to depart, he halted only at Zee's cautionary words.
"Wait! Don't use any of the windows or doors to enter." Her voice carried a note of warning as she pointed upwards at the broken wall where she fell from. "Go through there, or else you'll trigger the spell," she explained. The Fiend was confused by what she meant but nodded, his mask concealing any hint of uncertainty, as he prepared to scale the side of the mansion.
Right before he could begin climbing, he saw Zee turn to the razorhoove. "Oh, right!" she exclaimed before turning to The Fiend with urgency. "There is a bald man with a saber inside the mansion as well. If you see him, please help him," she urged, her voice tinged with concern. The Fiend nodded. If he sees this man, then he'll help, but Xain remains his top priority.
Using his clawed gauntlets, The Fiend climbed up the side with effortless agility, each movement calculated and precise. It didn't take him long to reach the hole in the wall where he saw a freakishly tall man wearing scorched plate armor about to plunge a dagger into the back of a bald man who was reaching for a saber.
**Back to the present**
Now, The Fiend stood poised in front of Marcus, defending him from Kazon, who stood up from his crouched position. "I'm really running the gauntlet today. Okay, let's see how you measure up to the other opponents I fought today," he said with a casual tone, pointing his dagger at The Fiend, who leaned forward slightly. The serrated claws of his gauntlets clattered as he exuded Killing Intent, making Kazon tense up as he remembered a similar feeling. *This feels just like the blue-haired boy. Huh, this world is fascinating,* he thought to himself as he stood ready with his dagger in hand, the end was drawing near.