Edwyn stood in a clearing, his lean frame tense, his sharp blue eyes glinting with defiance as he gripped the Lesser Fireball staff, its crystal pulsing faintly with red mana. Across from him loomed Saban Chavez, a two-meter colossus from the Northern Empire, his battered chainmail clinking, his greatsword gleaming like a guillotine. Ten pouches dangled from his waist, each a trophy of a slain Apprentice, their crystal orbs glinting like eyes in the moonlight.
Saban was a legend in the Northern Empire, a knight at fourteen, a prodigy whose name inspired ballads and swooning maidens. But beneath the hero's facade was a madman, addicted to the thrill of slaughter, his blade's bite through flesh and bone a drug that sent him soaring. When chosen as a Mage Apprentice, even the Emperor begged the Arch-Mages to let him stay, fearing the loss of their greatest knight. But Saban craved more, the power of Mages, the chance to cleave an Arch-Mage's skull and bask in the ecstasy of god-killing. The Black Tower's exam, with its legalized murder and strong foes, was his paradise. And now, hearing of an Apprentice who'd slain an Arcane Beast, his blood sang with anticipation.
Until a blinding light seared his vision.
"Eat my fireball, dumbass!" Edwyn shouted, as he unleashed a Lesser Fireball from the staff. The orange-red orb streaked like a comet, its heat warping the air, aimed straight for Saban's chest.
Saban's eyes widened, a primal fear clawing at his gut, worse than facing the Seven-Headed Demon Goat. "What the hell is that?!" he roared, no time to think. He twisted his massive frame, the fireball grazing his side, but the proximity triggered its wrath.
BOOM! The explosion rocked the forest, a crimson inferno swallowing the clearing, flames licking the trees as a shockwave sent leaves spiraling like ash. Saban's chainmail, forged to withstand blades, turned into a red-hot brand, searing his flesh with black scorch marks. His clothes incinerated, his greatsword flew from his hand, and the blast hurled him like a ragdoll, crashing through a tree with a splintering crack.
Edwyn stood on the other side, a transparent Force Barrier shielding him from the blast's heat, its ripples fading as he lowered his hand. "Whew, talk about a light show!" he said, his grin wide and reckless. "Lesser Fireball, huh? That's First-Circle magic for you, Zero-Circle spells can't hold a candle." He glanced at the crater, three meters wide, half a meter deep, a smoking scar in the earth. "Man, that's artillery-grade boom. If he ate that head-on, he's barbecue."
A furious roar shattered his confidence. "Bastard! I'll tear you to pieces!" Saban burst from the woods, scorched and charred, his chainmail half-melted, his red hair singed but his triangular eyes blazing with rage. He'd survived a point-blank fireball, his knight's endurance defying reason.
Edwyn stepped back, his grin faltering but his voice mocking. "Well, damn, you're one tough son of a bitch!" he said, raising his hand to fire two Magic Missiles. The blue bolts streaked forward, but Saban swerved with inhuman speed, dodging both as if they were toys. Edwyn switched to his Ice Spike ring, mana pooling at his fingertip, but what happened next froze him in place.
Saban exhaled clouds of white vapor, his burned skin rippling as golden fur sprouted, spreading like wildfire across his massive frame. His muscles bulged, his body inflating, growing taller, broader, his eyes glowing like molten gold.
"Beast transformation?!" Edwyn blurted, his mind racing to Goldengrove's legends, tales of Legendary Knights with powers beyond mortal limits: dragonfire breath, beast forms, invulnerable flesh. "What are you, some knight's bastard spawn?"
He fired an Ice Spike, the meter-long shard gleaming, but Saban batted it aside with a bracer, the ice shattering like glass.
"Tch, this is gonna be a pain," Edwyn muttered, reversing his grip on his magic dagger. Saban's charge screamed close-combat monster, spells needed distance, but the dagger, paired with Wind Crow Sword Style, was his ace up close. He checked the staff's recharge time: Two minutes left. Crap.
"You're the first to force my Legendary Bloodline!" Saban roared, his voice a guttural snarl as he stretched, burned skin peeling away to reveal gleaming flesh beneath golden fur. He tore off his chainmail, leaving only his bracers, his muscles rippling like a predator's. "I'll mount your head with my trophies!"
Edwyn's grin returned, sharp and taunting. "Legendary Bloodline? Fancy title for a furry fetish, pal," he said, stalling for time. That fireball messed him up inside, nobody walks off a hit like that without bleeding somewhere. One more, and he's toast. "So, you're a descendant of those god-knights? Spill the tea, what's the deal with your ancestors?"
Saban's eyes narrowed, but his grin was feral, reveling in the power flooding his veins. The bloodline was an illusion of invincibility, amplifying his strength but worsening his internal injuries, blood seeping into his lungs with every breath. He had to end this fast. "No chatter, kid!" he snarled, lunging forward. Boom! In a blur, he crossed dozens of meters, his fist swinging with enough force to shatter stone, the shockwave ruffling Edwyn's hair.
"Die!" Saban roared, but the air rippled like water, his punch stopping dead against Edwyn's Force Barrier.
"Sucker!" Edwyn smirked, slashing with his dagger, the blade a silver arc aimed at Saban's heart. Clang! Saban blocked with his bracer, the impact sparking, a shallow gash etched into the metal.
"Nice dagger," Saban growled, his eyes glinting.
"Tough bracer," Edwyn shot back, his grin cold as they parted. The surprise attack had failed, Saban was on guard now, and reckless moves were suicide. Edwyn swapped to defense, his staff ready, counting seconds.
One minute, forty seconds.
Saban retrieved his greatsword, buried in a tree from the blast. The blade was pristine, its edge shimmering with runes, a high-grade artifact, likely an heirloom of his bloodline. Gripping it, his aura exploded, golden fur rippling in the wind, his presence a storm of raw power. "Your head's mine!" he snarled, the sword crashing down.
Crack!
Edwyn's Force Barrier shattered, the greatsword grazing his dagger with a clang that made his arms tremble.
"Holy crap, what do you eat, boulders?!" Edwyn gasped, parrying with Wind Crow Sword Style, his technique fluid but his strength no match for Saban's. "This is just a bloodline? What were those Legendary Knights, gods?"
Saban switched tactics, his slashes relentless, each strike a thunderclap. Edwyn parried, his style's precision keeping him alive, but Saban's raw power was overwhelming.
As Saban charged, his greatsword raised, Edwyn's banter kept the knight off-balance. "Yo, big guy, ever think about therapy for that murder fetish?" Edwyn taunted, dodging a slash that split a tree in half. "I mean, ten pouches? You're compensating for something, right?"
Saban's snarl was feral, his golden fur bristling. "Keep talking, kid! Makes it sweeter when I gut you!" He swung again, the blade a silver blur, but Edwyn's Wind Crow parry deflected it, sparks flying as their weapons clashed.
"Gut me? With that sloppy swing?" Edwyn laughed, his grin sharp despite the strain. "My grandma's got better form, and she's been dead for years!" He ducked a follow-up strike, the sword grazing his shoulder, drawing a thin line of blood. Damn, he's strong. Gotta keep him mad, mad means sloppy.
When Saban's bloodline kicked in, Edwyn's quips didn't falter. "Golden fur? What, you moonlight as a werewolf?" he said, firing an Ice Spike to test Saban's reflexes. The knight swatted it aside, but Edwyn noted the slight wince, internal injuries from the first fireball were slowing him. "C'mon, tell me about those Legendary Knights. Were they all furry freaks like you?"
"Shut up!" Saban roared, his punch shattering Edwyn's Force Barrier. The dagger slash that followed sparked against Saban's bracer, and Edwyn's grin widened at the knight's surprise. "You're fast, kid, but fast don't mean strong," Saban growled, retrieving his greatsword.
"Strong's overrated," Edwyn shot back, parrying a slash that numbed his arms. "Style's where it's at, and I've got that in spades!" He danced back, Feather Foot keeping him just out of reach, counting down the staff's recharge.
Thirty seconds. Hang in there.
"Hahaha! Where's your spells now?!" Saban laughed, his strikes wild, every move a killing blow.
Edwyn's grin tightened, blood trickling from a gash on his chest as Saban's sword broke through another barrier, slicing a finger-deep wound.
"Tch!" Pain seared his nerves, his vision fogging, but adrenaline sharpened his focus.
Tenseconds.
"Gotta get distance," he muttered, launching a flurry of Magic Missiles and Ice Spikes to halt Saban's advance. The bolts forced Saban to dodge, giving Edwyn a chance to retreat, his Feather Foot spell speeding his steps.
"Damn, he's going for that spell!" Saban's eyes widened, the fireball's memory, a blast that had nearly killed him, flooding back. Panic overrode his bloodline's bravado, and he turned to run, his massive frame crashing through the underbrush.
"Too slow, furball!" Edwyn shouted, his staff glowing red, the crystal flaring like a dying star. Zero seconds. He waved the staff, and a fiery meteor erupted, streaking through the night like a vengeful god.
BOOM!
The Lesser Fireball struck Saban dead-on, the explosion lighting the forest in a crimson blaze, the shockwave toppling trees as flames consumed the knight. His golden fur charred, his greatsword melted, and Saban Chavez, genius of the Northern Empire, crumbled to ash, fertilizing the forest with his bones.
Edwyn staggered, clutching his chest, blood seeping through his tunic, but his grin was triumphant. "That's what you get for messing with the main event," he panted, wiping sweat from his brow. "Man, I need a nap after that."