The Amber Sword

Chapter 62 – King of the underground (13)

Brendel momentarily lost himself in panic, before he realized that Kodan was also a veteran soldier who experienced the November War. It would not be strange that the latter knew his grandfather.

However, Kodan was from a family of knights, and his grandfather was a commoner, so how did he know about his grandfather?

(TL: Brendel’s grandfather is most likely someone of importance. Unreliable narrator Brendel, in case anyone is wondering.)

But he temporarily suppressed his suspicion as the battle in the stage had begun. The Cerberus seemed to be highly dissatisfied with the loss of its prey. It howled angrily and struggled against its chains when Kodan stepped onto the stage.

When the chains the size of an arm broke apart, loud snapping sounds echoed throughout the place. The Cerberus excitedly rushed toward Kodan.

[This damned dog!]

He immediately drew out his sword and hurled his sheath at the gigantic beast. One of its head snapped at the projectile and tossed it away, while its body dragged the broken chains across the ground with grating noises.

“Seismic Blast.” Came the light reply.

The youth rubbed the cold sweat off his palm and wondered what kind of freakish constitution Kodan had to survive that particular technique.

But Medissa quickly added: “But it was not a perfect hit. He managed to dodge the majority and was swept away by the air currents. He was then knocked down by a huge boulder. When I started chasing him after he got up, he quickly surrendered…….”

“It seems like he doesn’t want to fight,” Brendel suddenly thought about the moment where Kodan suddenly yelled and requested to stop fighting.

[How did he recognize me? Even though the basis of my Military Swordsmanship probably came from…… my grandfather, but the swordsmanship I displayed earlier is from the gamers.]

While he was still pondering over it, the Cerberus’s body turned into white particles of light and disappeared. Kodan had requested to duel yet again without waiting for Brendel’s instructions, and the gate opposite to them was once again raised. This time it was a dwarf who was fully clad in armor.

As the lumbering footsteps reached everyone’s ears, Medissa suddenly spoke: “My lord, I know this man.”

Brendel inspected the dwarf’s appearance. The latter wore a barbarian helmet which had four horns, and he carried a warhammer the size of his body. A symbol of a flaming fist could be seen on his weapon.

“I recognize him too. Lord Varian. He’s a famous Grey Dwarf who became a slave of the Rune Dwarves in his early years. But the person you’re seeing right now is a faker and not the real deal. I believe that living puppet has the strength of someone who had just become a Gold-ranked fighter. Kodan is in considerable trouble if he’s hurt this badly.”

Medissa looked curiously at Brendel. Even though she knew he was a Planeswalker, that did not explain why he knew so many things that he should not know.

The Rune Dwarves had died out centuries ago and their history was hardly known. Only Galbu’s oldest wizards who poured their time deeply into research till they wore spectacles and had ashen white beards, would know about the Silver Elves and Rune Dwarves’ secrets.

The weapon clashes between Kodan and Varian caused her to cease her thoughts and she paid attention to the fight.

Varian was not as agile as Kodan, but his heavy armor was like a fortress and made it difficult for the latter to present any immediate threat to him. The warhammer he used was a famous weapon called ‘Flames of Fury’, and each time it was swung, it caused a fire to shoot out some twenty meters around himself. Kodan had retreated and advanced several times, and in the end, his beard and eyebrows had shrunk till they were nearly caught on fire.

The battle continued to intensify, and the youths in the cages felt like their hearts were in their throats. They believed that the grandmaster swordsman was their only hope, yet it looked like it was a bitter duel and their confidence was shaken.

This was only the second battle.

Each duelist had their own wealth of experience. Varian dueled in the Rune Dwarves’ coliseum in his prime, and had an excellent weapon and a suit of well-forged armor. Kodan was a veteran knight who had survived the November War and emerged from a sea of blood.

But in the end, it was Kodan who managed to force Varian to the walls with his superior swordsmanship. The dwarf’s vital points were struck again and again, and although his attacks were stopped by the armor, the dull impacts were gradually transmitted to the dwarf’s organs.

Varian roared in fury and spun his warhammer, completely abandoning his defenses in order to reach his opponent. A fiery blaze trailed behind his weapon and it descended towards Kodan like a meteor.