Chapter 284 (2/2)

The Ghosthound reached out with a hand, and Drak made to take a step back, but he only ended up putting himself off balance. Eyes widening, Drak looked at the Ghosthound’s hand, where he could see that small sun, once again consumed by blackness, slowly growing more powerful, and then more dense.

This fucking….!

There was only blood in his eyes. Drak ripped himself backwards, avoiding the stickiness, the strange draw, of that hand. Then he raised his spear and struck.

The Ghosthound’s eyes were almost mint, rather than emerald, as he shifted his hand, almost ponderously, to intercept the spear attack.

Twitching his wrist, Drak caused his spear to shift past, immediately the Ghosthound moved, and Drak almost cursed inwardly. How could this asshole somehow predict him…?

But, to Drak’s surprise, the Ghosthound stepped into the blow, and his stab raked sideways off the man’s ribs. It gave Drak a sharp flash of pleasure to see that the Ghosthound’s face twisted in discomfort from the blow, finally revealing weakness, but that emotion was short lived. Because as Drak made to pull back, the Ghosthound’s arm came down, holding Drak’s spear against his wound, driving the point deeper, even.

Still, his other hand moved forward, and Drak narrowed his eyes. He remembered the strength that skill possessed. Leaning back, Drak once more felt a flash of pleasure as the Ghosthound missed, the hand that held that skill drifting slowly past. Even with the strange gravity field around the strike, Drak was able to avoid it.

Then the blow continued on, and Drak’s eyes widened. But it was too late.

The Ghosthound struck the shaft of his spear, shattering it, much in the same way Drak had shattered the Ghosthound’s spear. The pieces of wood fell to the ground, clattering softly.

Fury was all that was in his body, and Drak could only roar, throwing a punch filled with the burning heat of his image of the sun, and backed by the power of Dawn’s Warm Glow. It was awkward, after all these years of fighting with a spear to throw a punch, but it felt good.

It struck the Ghosthound, causing the man to stagger, his shoulder caving in under the blow. Truly, while this skill was in use, he was unstoppable, no matter the opponent. He was a disciple of the Breaking Dawn Style, and the death of those who crossed him would be slow…!

Drak felt it then, not just the warmth from his skill, but the glory of victory. Although he had been pushed far by the opponent, people would forget. A victory here, would mean that when he beat Azriel, she would marry him, no questions asked. Their houses would be joined, and…

A smile tugged at the corner of Drak’s mouth. Their children would be the most powerful the Northern Region had ever seen. So much so that they would unite the Region, and jockey with Styles from the Central Region in terms of power and influence.

Taking the gift from the Eternal Witch was unfortunate, but Drak knew, just like the Ghosthound in front of him, he could overcome the Witch with strength. After the tournament, after the Inter-School competition, he could rapidly gain levels, reaching a level where he didn’t need to watch his Aether consumption. And then…

Drak raised his spear, and threw a punch. An over the shoulder, brutal, haymaker style punch that contained all of his power. Combined with his stats and the bonus from Dawn’s Warm Glow, this would probably cave the Ghosthound’s head in, rendering him brain dead at best.

Which was the best outcome. Drak hoped he would never see the visage of this sick loser ever again.

The Ghosthound, saw the oncoming punch, and smiled.

The punch hit him, or it should have hit him, but suddenly the Ghosthound was a blur, borrowing the force of the blow, twisting, spinning, and one of the Ghosthound’s legs whipped upwards, so fast that even had he had a spear, Drak probably would have been taken by surprise.

But as he did not have a spear…

His hands couldn’t move quickly enough. His defense felt full of holes. The weariness and strange Aether ate away at his awareness, dizziness slowly infecting him. Then there was an impact.

Drak’s vision went dark.