Born in Blood

Chapter 406 Glorious

The battle raged on. There were so many sounds blended together, no one could accurately identify any of them.

Meanwhile, Liam used Mind Edge instantly.

The Couragists were too fast!

They were like streaks of light that targeted each Zenith on the battlefield separately.

Though he was no Zenith… not yet… Liam was a threat as any other.

As his vision and senses sharpened, Liam realized he couldn't get out of the Couragist's range.

He had his two arms stretched forward, as though they guided his flight.

If Liam dodged, the Zenith could grab him.

If he jumped, the Zenith could just change his trajectory and punch him.

If he ducked, it would make him an easier target for the Zenith to punch through.

The Elders weren't going to save him.

Not by their own choice.

Liam had told them not to!

He didn't want to be restricted and protected in the middle of a fight, unless he was faced by something above his pay grade.

Apparently, being charged by a maniacally shouting, six foot, heavily armored Zenith didn't fit the category.

In the first place, the Elders had their own people to worry about.

Liam decided to face collision head on.

The four blades glimmered darkly as dense waves of darkness 'Ora' gathered on their peerless edges.

All four swords swung in an 'X' shape, meeting the two brass gauntlets head on.

An ear-splitting mix of clangor and reverberation shook the air.

Liam was sent flying, the world spinning around him, but he steadied himself mid air.

Instantly, Liam was separated from his group, landing on a patch of ground where a dozen or so Abominations were flying overhead.

The Couragist who attacked Liam descended lightly a dozen meters in front of him.

Liam's four separate attacks only managed to chip a bit of metal away from the gauntlets, but that was enough for the man's eyes to widen in shock.

Most of the battles happened mid air. They were Zeniths, and they had the privilege to fight above the earth.

But Liam's inability to fly made the Couragist realize he was a simple Mortal.

And that Mortal managed to damage his incredible gauntlets.

"You're out of your depth, little reaper," the man growled, but it sounded like a compliment. "Little fish don't last long here."

The man in question had no helmet on his head, but a full set of crystalized marble armor, making him look like a regal gladiator from ancient times.

With the Redirection Cloak, Liam chose to hide the tentacles on his back.

The hood on his head also obscured his features with a layer of darkness, making him look like some sort of... 'Reaper'.

Hence the sarcastic comment.

Liam remained silent.

Reaper.

Had a nice ring to it.

Sensing Liam's silence, the towering specimen took slow steps forward, a hardened look on his chiseled face.

Liam didn't cower from another head on battle.

With a calm gait, he took slow steps towards his opponent.

A slight smile appeared on the Couragist's stony face. He smashed his gauntlets into one another, causing a shockwave to spread from the point of impact.

"It's tradition to know each other's names before a duel in my country," the man said proudly. "I'm Goro. Tell me yours."

Lousy intimidation tactics didn't really work on Liam, but the Couragist didn't seem to have that intention.

Liam didn't say his name out loud, but he mouthed them.

"Liam…" Goro repeated under his breath.

"Thy name be glorious!"

The talk was over.

Both crouched, then lashed outward at each other like whips.

What followed afterward was a bloodthirsty brawl, each aiming to rip through their opponent.

Liam's savage sword art matched Goro's berserker style of fighting with wide swings, lightning-fast jabs and charging uppercuts.

The Empire of Courage was right to boast of their country's physical strength.

Each punch Liam blocked sprained his wrist, but healed a moment after due to Transfiguration.

Liam's physical strength didn't match Goro's, but the disparity wasn't too deep.

CLING!

Liam redirected both of Goro's gauntlets with the twin Dusks and Breaker, then aimed to pierce his neck with the hissing odachi.

All the vital organs were protected by the crystalized marble armor, except the head, and the joints, where the armor plates connected to each other.

BOOM!

Instead, the gauntlets abruptly exploded in a wave of windy force, sending Liam twirling through the air, slightly disoriented.

WHOOSH!

Goro kicked the air and reappeared behind Liam's trajectory of flight, prepared to knock him down with both gauntlets.

Instead, what happened was the opposite.

A Honed slash of mental energy threatened to lop off Goro's mind, forcing him to bend his upper body towards the sky in order to dodge.

An opening formed.

Liam took it.

His claw-like hand tensed, and as his trajectory continued, he managed to ram his fingers in between Goro's under arm and shoulder.

Corruption surged through his nails, which pierced through the gladiator's dense flesh.

A stifled shout emerged from Goro's mouth, but he gritted his teeth and managed to punch Liam away.

BANG!

Liam blocked the blow with his swords, and using his tentacles from his back, attached himself to the gauntlet!

Goro's eyes widened in a mixture of pain and shock.

And in a battle, those feelings had no place. A second later, the odachi whistled in Goro's ears, and his vision turned into a spiral descent into darkness.

Death.

Liam crashed into the ground as he stood over Goro's decapitated body. The man's head rolled on the ground a few steps away from him.

Amidst the grandness of the war, this battle was just one among thousands.

It went by largely unnoticed by the Zeniths at the frontlines.

And yet, the vampires watching from afar, hiding beneath one of the huts, caught every little detail.

Liam's gaze shifted towards them, his lips curling into a cruel smile.

The battle didn't end, though, and he entered the fray immediately after quietly storing Goro's corpse.

And head.