"You're finally back," Asami said, relieved, when she saw Mark return after forty minutes.
"Sorry, my stomach was causing trouble for me," Mark explained, hiding his true condition. He thought to himself:
'My body is still in pain... she doesn't know anything, so my secret is still safe.'
Mark and Asami walked back to their rooms, and after leaving Asami, he walked to his room after reaching he entered and closed the door behind him. He spat out blood and removed his shirt, revealing multiple cuts. Just as he was about to clean them, he heard the door open and quickly put his shirt back on.
"What if you found me naked? Oh yeah, you don't mind that," he said with a grin, trying to brush it off.
Emily's expression was worried, and she said:
"It's not the time to joke around, hurry and go help Zico!" After that She explained the situation and directed him, Mark headed to the described destination.
From a distance, Mark witnessed Zico and Remon launching a fierce assault on the humanoid dragon. The dragon's speed was incredible, dodging their attacks with ease. Undeterred, Remon and Zico coordinated their strikes, unleashing a barrage of simultaneous attacks that created sparks and shock waves. Their deadly blows shook the forest, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake.
As Mark approached, he drew his sword, ready to join the fray. The forest floor, once lush and green, was now scarred and barren.
'i didn't have to come back ' mark took a deep breath.
Zico leapt back, allowing Remon to launch a fresh attack. However, Remon's assault was unsuccessful, and he was sent flying backward by the humanoid dragon's thunderous roar.
"Stay back, I want to use my sword skill!" Remon warned Zico, holding up his two daggers in a cross formation:
"Serpent, umbra," Remon muttered to himself, focusing his energy.
Remon charged at the humanoid dragon. As he closed in, two enormous dark red snakes materialized, attacking the dragon with precision. When the snakes disappeared, they reformed into Remon, his red armor now completely gone:
"Hahaha, this is heaven!" Remon exclaimed, his face alight with a maniacal grin.
Mark remained hidden, astonished by the power of Remon's sword skill. Zico, too, was taken aback but quickly regained his composure.
"That's it?" Zico thought to himself, expecting the battle to be over. But to his surprise, the humanoid dragon emerged once more, its wings destroyed but its body still intact. Remon's eyes widened in disbelief, his smile growing even wider.
"Shit!" Zico lunged forward to attack, but the humanoid dragon caught him and slammed him to the ground, Zico screamez in pain. Remon jumped in to help, but the dragon used Zico's body to slam into Remon, sending them both flying.
As the dragon began to walk towards them, it suddenly stopped when it heard Mark's voice behind it:
"What are you, a level five fencer or something?" Mark walked forward, his words dripped with sarcasm.
The humanoid dragon's eyes narrowed, its face twisted in offense. It appeared in front of Mark, grabbing his neck and lifting him off the ground.
"Mark, run!" Zico shouted, still on the ground with Remon.
But the humanoid dragon was too quick. It launched some of its scales, piercing Zico and Remon as it held Mark by the throat. Mark struggled to speak, his voice barely audible: "Angry..."
"Angry?" the humanoid dragon roared, its voice echoing through the Forest:
"I am furious! How dare you compare me to inferior fencers? I am a level beyond that, am a real knight!" With a mighty roar, the dragon was about to slam Mark to the ground, but Mark managed to slip out of its grip and jump back.
However, the humanoid dragon was too fast, and it appeared in front of Mark in an instant, its fist flying towards him. Mark tried to dodge, but the dragon's punch connected, sending him flying backward.
Mark's nose and mouth were bleeding profusely as the humanoid dragon closed in on him. Despite his battered state, Mark urged his comrades:
"You two, get up! Let's pull off a trio win... Zico, you're the big brain, get back up and think!"
But the humanoid dragon showed no mercy, unleashing a flurry of reckless punches at Mark. He barely managed to block some of them, while others landed with a sickening thud.
Zico quickly got to his feet, his eyes fixed on the brutal scene before him. Remon, too, stood up, his smile growing even wider as he wiped the blood from his mouth. He dropped his daggers, his eyes gleaming with a fierce intensity.
"Let hold that monstrosity in place, Mark is the only one with a skill to do so since you're now weakened" Zico spoke
"I don't want this fight to end," Remon said, his voice low and menacing:
"but if Mark can end it, I'll just have to fight him instead." His smile grew even wider, his eyes sparkling with a hint of madness.
Just as the humanoid dragon was about to deliver a crushing punch to Mark, Zico swiftly grabbed its hand, holding it in place. Remon seized the opportunity, landing a powerful punch that sent the dragon flying backward. Mark quickly got to his feet, his eyes locked on the dragon.
"Mark, don't miss!" Zico shouted, as he and Remon launched a simultaneous attack, not giving the dragon a chance to block. Their coordinated strike left the dragon momentarily stunned, its hands held apart by Zico and Remon, revealing the glowing red gem on its chest.
"Now!" Zico yelled, and Mark took advantage of the opening. He pulled he picked up his sword and he unleashed all his energy into his blade. As the dragon struggled to break free, Mark slashed at it from a distance, his sword slicing through the air with precision.
Time seemed to stand still after Mark's slash, the only sound the echoing reverberation of his sword's energy.
A loud, piercing swish sound echoed through the air, accompanied by a flash of light. Zico and Remon instinctively leapt away. The sound was followed by an immense impact, as the humanoid dragon was split apart, its body torn in the middle by Mark's powerful slash.
The force of the blow was so great that it tore apart the clouds in the sky and land beneath the dragon's feet, creating a massive crater. The wind seemed to be left behind, lagging in the wake of the sound and impact, as if struggling to catch up with the sheer speed and power of Mark's attack. The resulting shockwave sent debris flying in all directions.
Remon's grin grew even wider, his mouth stretching across his face like a crescent moon. He was so thrilled with Mark's incredible swordsmanship that he couldn't contain his excitement. Remon launched himself at Mark, eager to engage in a battle with him..
However, Mark suddenly felt a surge of exhaustion and his legs gave out, causing him to fall onto Remon's shoulder, mark blinked his eyes getting heavy he saw Zico getting closer then his eyes shut...