205 Bullhead (2/2)

I shook my head. ”It's because he's confident he can win… brace yourselves, dwarves.”

It wasn't just Blitzen and Floki who'd heeded my call, the eighteen other dwarves lined up on either side of me suddenly tensed up. As one, they shoved their shields forward and held the line despite the larger enemies shoving against them.

”Ty!” I yelled. ”Keep reining icicles down on these treacherous scumbags!”

This seemed to rile Barducius up even more, and it wasn't long until he and I were face-to-face between our lines. To all present, a commander's duel was about to begin.

”We're not the traitors!” he spat in my face. ”You and all those fools who serve the frail patriarch are the traitors!”

”You'd rather we all fight for a selfish muscle-head like Garm who's willing to betray his own clan just to get ahead?” I asked wryly.

My falchion clashed against his longsword, and our shadowblades ground against each other as we locked swords.

”A filthy Mudgardian like you wouldn't understand… we fairies have no love for weakness and those too weak to stand,” he growled, spittle flying onto my face like drizzle from a morning downpour.

”You do know that your boss is a half breed, right?” I asked with a raised eyebrow. ”That makes him half-Mudgardian.”

”Insolent brat!” he spouted the same platitudes b-rate villains love to scream into a loveable protagonist's face. ”You know nothing of Garm!”

He stepped back and drew me forward just so he could slam the front of his shield at my right shoulder. But I'd seen it coming a mile away, and stepped to the side just as his shield arrived.

This caused him to lose his balance, leaving me with the chance to do something nasty to him.

My mind flashed on Floki's earlier attack against the half-frozen elf, and my knee came rising up between Barducius' chainmail skirt and up to his groin area. Sadly, the satyr was too big for me, and I had to settle for striking his inner thigh.

It was a good enough hit that it caused my enemy to stumble, and while he tried to regain his balance, I launched a slash that struck his other thigh. It was a crucial hit that would limit his movement.

”You have no chance of winning against me, Dean Dapper!” he roared.

With a burst of strength I wasn't prepared for, he sent his longsword crashing into my falchion — and although I managed to block his attack, I was pushed about four feet away, right toward the back of my own line.

”Son of a…” I scowled. ”This bastard's almost as strong as Edo…”

”How long are you planning to stand there looking all dazzled by me?” he shouted, just as he jumped forward and sent his longsword down on my head.

I dodged to the right but immediately pivoted back to the left to send my left shoulder slamming into his shield.

I know what you're thinking, why pull a crazy stunt like that? It's not like flesh and bone can stand up against a metal shield — but I needed to get back within range while keeping away from his line of sight just long enough to stab him in his other thigh.

”Argh!” he yelled.

He pulled away from me but with both thighs injured he'd lost his balance momentarily. However, I chose not to capitalize on this weakness and instead decided to taunt him some more.

”Too bad, Four-Thousand-Man Commander Barducius… it looks like your promotion's not going to last much longer,” I taunted. ”Just about as long as it takes for me to chop off your head… which I'll do right after I cut off that gross thing you've got on your brow.”

”Fool! No way I would die in a place like this… not after my lord has recognized my strength!” he roared one final time right before he charged forward with his shield.

Azuma had a saying, ”If you're going to hack and slash at someone then your falchion will certainly do… but if you want to win with the fine finesse of a piercing strike then a spear is the way to go…”

If only he could see me now, I bet he'd be surprised.

I pulled my sword arm back just long enough for me to send all my killing intent into my sword

Then I whispered, ””Like a bolt of lightning, carve away all defenses with a single glistening blade!”

Finally, I sent my augmented falchion, sheathed as it was in a coat of lightning, straight into Barducius shield, through it, and into the chest of the raging bull beyond it.