Before either man could move...
A deafening roar rolled across the battlefield.
Not from Tano.
Not from Theo.
The Great Red Lizard's furious bellow shook the soaked earth itself as Onyx narrowly avoided another stream of sizzling acid somewhere behind them.
Neither warrior looked.
That battle belonged to someone else.
This one...
Belonged to them.
Theo rolled his neck, blood dripping steadily from his broken nose.
"Still standing?"
Tano wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand.
"You hit softer than I expected."
Theo barked a laugh."Now that's a lie."
Without warning, he lunged.
No sword. No tricks.
Just a straight punch aimed squarely for Tano's face.
Tano slipped outside the strike, his forearm crashing against Theo's wrist before answering with an elbow toward his jaw.
Theo ducked beneath it. His shoulder slammed into Tano's chest.
The impact shoved the spearman backward through the mud.
Theo chased immediately.
A right hook.
Blocked.
A left jab.
Deflected.
Then—
His body twisted.
A powerful side kick shot toward Tano's ribs.
WHAM!
Tano caught the kick on both forearms. His boots slid backward nearly a meter.
"...Got you."
Before Theo could pull his leg back, Tano grabbed it.
He twisted.
Theo's balance disappeared instantly.
The world flipped upside down.
His back crashed into the muddy battlefield. Mud exploded in every direction.
Theo barely had time to blink before Tano lifted one boot high into the air.
"...!"
Theo's eyes widened. That wasn't a stomp.
That was an execution.
The reinforced boot came crashing downward.
Theo rolled.
The earth caved beneath Tano's foot, sending chunks of mud flying where Theo's head had been a heartbeat earlier.
Theo rolled onto one knee before springing back to his feet.
"Damn..."
He glanced at the crater.
"You were actually trying to squash me."
"You moved."
"I'd rather keep doing that."
Tano answered by rushing him again.
The distance vanished.
Theo barely managed to raise his guard before fists began raining toward him.
A straight punch.
A backhand.
A knee toward his stomach.
Theo blocked the first.
Redirected the second.
The third still clipped his ribs hard enough to knock the breath from his lungs.
He answered with an uppercut.
Tano leaned back.
The punch missed by inches.
Tano's own fist slammed into Theo's shoulder.
Theo spun with the impact instead of resisting it. His momentum carried into a spinning backfist.
Tano raised an arm just in time. The blow still made him stumble.
"...There we go," Theo grinned.
"You finally moved."
They crashed together again.
Punch after punch echoed across the battlefield.
Neither gave ground willingly.
Neither cared about elegance anymore.
Mud coated their boots.
Blood stained their clothes.
Sweat mixed with the rainwater still lingering on the field.
This wasn't swordsmanship.
This wasn't martial form.
It was two stubborn warriors refusing to stay down.
Theo feinted high.
Tano lifted his guard.
Theo immediately dropped low, sweeping his leg toward Tano's ankle.
The spearman hopped over it.
Theo planted both palms into the mud and swung his other heel upward.
Tano blocked with crossed forearms.
The impact forced him back another step.
Theo pushed himself upright.
"Hah!"
"You're learning."
Tano didn't answer.
He stepped forward.
One punch.
Then another.
Then a knee.
Theo slipped between them like flowing water.
His fist buried itself into Tano's stomach.
The Fortification spell dulled most of the damage.
"...Still cheating."
"Using buffs isn't cheating."
"It is when I'm not the one using them."
Theo threw another punch.
Blocked.
Another.
Blocked.
A third—
Tano suddenly grabbed his wrist.
Theo smirked.
"You really like grabbing people."
Tano yanked.
Theo flew forward.
Instead of resisting, Theo jumped.
His knee smashed toward Tano's face.
The spearman turned just enough for the strike to scrape across his cheek.
Blood sprayed.
Tano answered with a headbutt.
Both men recoiled.
"...Ow."
For a second...
They simply stared.
Only for an instant.
Then they charged each other again.
The exchange became almost impossible to follow.
A hook.
A knee.
A spinning elbow.
A body blow.
Theo ducked beneath another swing before driving both palms into Tano's chest.
The shove bought him a few precious steps.
Both men breathed heavily now.
Theo spat another mouthful of blood into the mud.
"...You're annoying."
"So are you."
Theo's grin slowly returned.
"...Good."
His expression suddenly changed.
Serious.
Focused.
Different.
Tano noticed immediately.
(...Something's coming.)
Theo lowered his center of gravity.
His shoulders relaxed.
Tano tightened his stance.
This would be another one of those explosive attacks.
He could feel it.
Theo slowly reached downward.
Tano's muscles tensed.
(...Here it comes.)
Theo picked up...
A rock.
"..."
"..."
Theo tossed it.
The fist-sized stone bounced harmlessly off Tano's forehead.
The spearman blinked.
Theo rubbed the back of his neck.
"Hehe..."
"...Gotcha."
Silence.
Complete silence.
Even Theo began questioning whether it had been worth it.
Tano slowly raised one hand and touched his forehead.
"...You..."
A vein bulged near his temple.
"...You threw a rock at me?"
Theo shrugged.
"...Maybe."
"..."
"...It seemed funny."
Tano disappeared.
Theo's smile vanished instantly.
"Oh shi—"
Tano's shoulder crashed into him like a charging bull.
Theo flew backward.
Before he could recover—
A fist.
Another.
An elbow.
A knee.
Every strike landed.
Theo desperately blocked what he could, but Tano had abandoned all restraint.
"You!"
Punch.
"Absolute!"
Kick.
"Bastard"
Theo stumbled backward laughing despite himself.
Theo wiped blood from his lip.
"...Worth it."
They collided again.
The battle had become strangely simple.
No speeches.
No techniques.
Just instinct.
Theo ducked beneath a punch before hammering three quick strikes into Tano's ribs.
The buffs softened them.
Still enough to sting.
Tano answered with a brutal hook that clipped Theo's temple.
Stars burst across his vision.
Theo stumbled.
Tano stepped in.
His fist shot forward—
Theo caught it.
Their hands locked.
For the first time since the fight began...
They stood completely still.
Both pushed.
Muscles trembled.
Neither yielded an inch.
"...You're strong," Theo admitted.
"...Guess we're doing this the hard way."
They shoved each other apart.
Theo's eyes drifted behind Tano.
His spear.
Still standing where it had buried itself.
An idea formed.
Tano rushed first.
Theo met him halfway.
Three punches.
One kick.
An elbow.
Theo slipped inside Tano's guard and slammed another fist into his ribs.
Tano retaliated with a short kick to Theo's thigh.
Theo hissed.
Then suddenly broke away.
He sprinted past Tano.
"...Running now?" Tano called.
Theo ignored him.
He reached the spear.
Wrapped one hand around the shaft.
"...Damn..."
He yanked once.
Nothing.
"...Really?"
He planted both feet.
Pulled harder.
The spear finally tore free from the earth.
Theo nearly fell over from the sudden release.
He looked at the weapon.
Turned it once in his hand.
"...very light."
He experimentally spun it.
"...No wonder you're so good with this thing."
Tano frowned.
"What are you doing?"
Theo looked at him.
Grinned.
Then drew his arm back.
Tano's eyes narrowed.
The spear left Theo's hand.
It screamed through the air.
Straight toward him.
Not fast enough to kill.
Not even close.
Just enough.
Tano caught it instinctively.
The battlefield seemed to pause.
For a single heartbeat...
Neither moved.
Theo smiled.
"Thought you forgot something."
Tano looked down at the familiar weapon in his hands.
His grip tightened.
"...You should've gone for the kill!"
He lowered into his stance.
Lightning crackled faintly around his body.
Theo simply raised his fists again.
"...Come on then."
Tano exploded forward.
The spear lunged like a striking serpent.
Theo planted his feet.
"...Let's fi—"
A flash of pale light streaked through the air.
Theo instinctively turned.
"...Huh?"
His abandoned light blade shot toward him from where it had been planted in the battlefield, cutting through the air as though answering an unseen call.
Theo's eyes widened.
"...Whoa."
Without thinking, he reached out.
The hilt slapped perfectly into his palm.
He blinked once.
Then looked down at the glowing weapon.
A grin slowly spread across his bruised face.
"...Wow."
He gave it an experimental twirl.
"...Guess it can do that."
Tano was already upon him.
"So much for the break."
Steel met steel once more.
The duel began anew.
Theo and tano blended into the background as another clash was progressing.
The clash of steel between Theo and Tano faded into the background.
Another battle had reached its own turning point.
The Great Red Lizard roared.
The sound shook loose chunks of mud from the broken battlefield as its enormous body lunged toward Onyx, jaws wide enough to swallow the skeleton whole.
Its hooked fangs snapped shut.
Nothing.
Only empty air.
A ripple of darkness slid beneath the monster's feet.
Onyx emerged from its shadow, already driving his lance toward the creature's neck.
Sparks erupted.
The black spearhead scraped across overlapping crimson scales before skidding harmlessly away.
"..."
Still too hard.
The Great Red Lizard's tail whipped around with frightening speed.
Onyx planted the butt of his lance into the ground, vaulting over the strike by mere inches before landing in a crouch.
The beast didn't stop.
Its massive claws tore trenches through the battlefield as it spun, refusing to give the skeleton even a second to breathe.
Behind it—
Slann thrust his broken staff into the air.
"There!"
His voice cracked into a shrill scream.
"He's open!"
The remaining Jhuuls and lizardmen rushed forward.
Spears lowered.
Axes raised.
They converged from every direction, hoping to pin the skeleton down long enough for the Great Red Lizard to finish him.
Onyx didn't panic.
His hollow gaze swept over the battlefield.
The soldiers.
The monster.
Slann.
Then back to the monster.
Its throat expanded.
The crimson frills around its neck slowly unfolded.
There.
Again.
The same movement.
Every time.
Onyx disappeared.
A heartbeat later—
A torrent of emerald acid burst from the Great Red Lizard's jaws.
It struck exactly where Onyx had been standing.
Except...
He wasn't there anymore.
The acid crashed into the charging Jhuuls instead.
"AAAAAAAH!"
One soldier dropped his spear as both arms dissolved before his eyes.
Another stumbled backward, only for the torrent to sweep across his legs.
His scream ended the instant he hit the ground.
A lizardman desperately raised his shield.
The acid ate through it.
Then his hands.
Then his chest.
Steam exploded upward.
The battlefield filled with the nauseating hiss of melting armor and boiling flesh.
The Great Red Lizard didn't care.
It had eyes only for Onyx.
The skeleton landed atop a broken stone several meters away, perfectly still.
Watching.
Waiting.
Slann's jaw dropped.
"...What?"
His eyes darted between the smoking corpses and the skeleton.
"No..."
Then realization hit him.
"He..."
"He's making it hit us."
His face twisted.
"You idiots!"
He slammed the butt of his staff into the mud.
"KEEP THAT BASTARD STILL, YOU SHITS!"
"So what if you die?!"
"Just hold him there!"
The remaining soldiers hesitated.
Several looked toward the steaming remains of their comrades.
None of them wanted to move.
"I SAID MOVE!"
Fear of Slann overcame fear of the monster.
With desperate cries, they charged once more.
Onyx stepped forward.
One spear lunged toward his chest.
A slight turn.
It missed.
An axe descended toward his skull.
He leaned aside.
The blade buried itself into the mud instead.
A sword came from behind.
Without looking, Onyx caught the flat of the blade with his lance and pushed it aside.
Not one movement was wasted.
Again...
The Great Red Lizard's throat swelled.
Again...
Its crimson frills slowly unfolded.
Again...
Acid gathered between rows of hooked fangs.
Onyx smiled.
Not visibly.
Only in the way he moved.
He vanished.
The torrent roared past him.
It slammed directly into the tightly packed soldiers surrounding his previous position.
The battlefield erupted into screams.
"NO!"
"GET BACK!"
"IT'S COMING!"
Too late.
Acid washed over them without mercy.
Jhuuls.
Lizardmen.
Friend or foe.
It made no distinction.
When the torrent ended...
Only steaming corpses remained.
The battlefield grew strangely quiet.
Onyx slowly turned back toward the Great Red Lizard.
His hollow eyes seemed to have narrowed.Every attack...The frills opened.
Every single time. After the acid stopped...
They folded back against its neck. Why?
He considered the possibilities.
Either...
The frills could only remain open for a limited amount of time.
Or...
They weren't simply opening.
Could it be? They were not protected by its scales.
A weakness.
His gaze remained fixed on them.
He needed proof.
A roar interrupted his thoughts.
The Great Red Lizard charged.
Onyx sidestepped the massive jaws.
Its claws crashed into the ground, sending mud high into the air.
He searched for another opening.
None.
The scales covered everything.
Its bones shifted beneath armor-like plates.
Its neck was too heavily protected.
Its eyes never stayed still long enough.
Nothing.
Nothing except...
The frills.
The battlefield around them had become empty.
Not because the battle had moved elsewhere.
Because almost everyone who had been there...
Was dead.
Half-melted bodies steamed in the mud.
Weapons lay abandoned.
The smell of burning flesh hung heavy in the air.
Something moved near Onyx's feet.
A tiny green lizard.
One of Slann's original summons.
It wandered aimlessly through the battlefield, drool hanging from its mouth as though it had completely forgotten a war was happening around it.
Onyx looked down.
The little creature looked back.
It blinked.
Drool continued to drip from its mouth.
"..."
Without thinking...
Onyx picked it up by the scruff of its neck.
The little lizard dangled there.
Completely relaxed.
Completely oblivious.
The Great Red Lizard stopped.
Its slit purple eyes settled on the smaller creature.
Its throat expanded.
The crimson frills spread.
Acid gathered behind its hooked fangs.
Onyx didn't move.
He simply held the tiny green lizard out in front of himself.
The battlefield...
Fell silent.
The Great Red Lizard froze.
Its jaws remained open.
The acid never came.
Slann blinked.
"...Huh?"
The monster growled.
Low.
Confused.
Its muscles tensed.
Still...
It didn't attack.
Onyx tilted his skull.
"..."
Even he hadn't expected this.
The little green lizard looked up at the giant beast.
Its tongue lazily slipped from its mouth.
Drool landed on Onyx's gauntlet.
It possessed neither the intelligence nor the awareness to understand why everyone had suddenly stopped moving.
Slann, however, understood even less.
"W-What are you doing?"
He pointed frantically at Onyx.
"Attack him!"
The Great Red Lizard didn't move.
"I said attack him!"
Still nothing.
Slann's voice became shrill.
"COME ON!"
"KILL THAT FREAKING SKELETON!"
"HE'S RIGHT THERE!"
"HAAAAAA!"
The Great Red Lizard looked from Onyx...
To the little green lizard...
Then back again.
It wanted to attack.
It couldn't.
Some instinct buried deep inside the summoned beast refused to kill one of its own kind.
Onyx understood immediately.
His grip tightened around the tiny creature.
He lowered his stance.
Shadow spread beneath his feet.
The Great Red Lizard hesitated.
Just for a heartbeat.
That heartbeat...
Was enough.
Onyx moved.
Shadow erupted beneath his feet.
The tiny green lizard remained clutched in his left hand as he shot beneath the Great Red Lizard's lowered head.
The beast hesitated.
Its jaws opened.
The crimson frills spread.
Acid gathered behind rows of hooked fangs.
But it couldn't attack.
Its instincts refused to fire while one of its own stood in the way.
That single moment of hesitation...
Was enough.
Onyx's lance flashed.
A clean black arc carved through the air.
One of the Great Red Lizard's crimson frills tore free, spinning through the battlefield before landing in the mud with a wet slap.
The beast's scream shook the earth.
Onyx landed several meters away, sliding to a stop across the soaked ground.
Silence followed.
The torn frill lay behind him, slowly staining the mud crimson.
In his hand, the little green lizard dangled lazily, blinking once as a strand of drool slipped from its mouth onto Onyx's gauntlet.
It hadn't the slightest idea what had just happened.
Across from him, the Great Red Lizard slowly turned.
Blood streamed from the ragged stump where its frill had once been.
Its massive chest rose and fell.
Hot steam poured from between hooked fangs.
The crimson along its scales darkened until they glowed like burning embers.
Its slit purple eyes fixed themselves upon the skeleton.
The hesitation was gone.
The confusion had vanished.
Only fury remained.
Onyx silently lowered his lance.
The tiny green lizard remained raised before him.
His newest shield.
The Great Red Lizard unleashed a roar so violent the battlefield trembled beneath their feet.
To be continued.....