Building An Empire Starting From The Labor Camp In Exile-Chapter 246: Not a killing battle

But things didn’t go exactly as he predicted.

Cross raised his sword to his back as if he were going to slash, but instead, he just held it against his body. Then his body suddenly flickered like a blurry image.

The forest around him disappeared, and he vanished with it. When he reappeared, it was directly in front of Tiber, and his forest of trees swallowed the surroundings.

At the same time, the sword he held close to his body slashed down. The sharp edges cut through the air with a near-silent woosh!

Time seemed to slow down.

Tiber wasn’t expecting something like that to happen. He thought he had the time to transform into his digesting Nightmare form, but it was too late. As he watched the sword come at him, he did the only thing available to him.

Tiber transformed part of his body since it was much faster.

The cloth on his back bulged and ripped away as something dark and large burst out. Dark wings resembling those of a bat—though much bigger, with a membrane that shone like metal—unfurled from his back.

The wings folded around Tiber like a shield, and the sword slammed into him. The attack bit into his flesh but couldn’t cut the bones. Black blood splattered as he was sent flying.

Tiber slammed into a tree with a groan. The wings around him were limp and dripping with blood. He began to straighten for the follow-up attack, but vines emerged from the tree and wrapped around his neck and hands, strangling him against the trunk.

"Too easy!" Cross bellowed and leaped at him, sword raised.

Tiber’s eyes turned dark, his skin grew darker, and his flesh began to squirm and toughen. Then, in a shower of black fog, he transformed.

What he transformed into could best be described as a lizard monster with wings. Long black claws fit his short limbs, and his mouth was filled with jagged fangs. Including his tail, he was at least fifteen meters long.

Something bit into his side. It didn’t pierce his flesh, but it nearly cut off his right wing, and he roared. His tail lashed, cracking the air like a whip, and slammed into Cross. The man raised his sword as a shield, but the impact still sent him flying.

Tiber turned his head to examine the damage. His right wing was completely ruined—sharp black bone jutted out of the torn flesh as blood dripped from it, staining the ground.

His lips pulled back in a growl. The wings were only going to get in his way. The person he had eaten the Nightmare from must have mistaken a dragon—or something like it—for whatever Tiber was. The wings weren’t even strong enough to fly with.

He didn’t have time to think about all of that because Cross was already flying at him.

Tiber nearly snickered. "...This man sure loves performative fighting... Yes... I should teach him a lesson..."

Since it was nearly impossible to dodge in midair, Tiber snapped his tail again. This time, he turned his body with it, and the tail blurred like a shot arrow.

The tail slammed into Cross so hard he gasped in pain, and his body rammed into the trees. With a crunching sound, the tree snapped in two, green light leaking from it.

Tiber didn’t waste the opportunity. He bounced over, his claws digging into the ground like serrated blades. His mouth opened, and he chomped down at Cross’s head, meaning to take a bite out of the man’s shoulder.

But petals made of light rose from the ground and covered Cross, dragging him into the earth while Tiber’s mouth snapped harmlessly at the air.

"So, he’s not totally helpless... And come to think of it, he’ll be really powerful in this forest he conjured... It’s totally to his advantage..."

The ground shuddered, and different-colored green petals sprouted, their leaves shining with radiance. Tiber tensed because he knew the attack would come from one of those, so he whirled around, using his tail like a blade.

All the petals in his immediate surroundings burst and withered, their light leaking into the ground.

But Tiber had miscalculated. Cross wasn’t in the petals.

"Hello," Cross said from above. He was standing atop one of the branches, his hand pointed down.

Before Tiber could react, a tree grew beneath him, throwing him up into the air. He was so surprised that he roared, his left wing flapping uselessly.

Cross was using his method against him. Still in midair, the branches of the tree soared upward, lashing around Tiber and digging into his flesh, yanking him back down with a thud.

Tiber grunted in pain as all the bones in his body shook. He tried to stand, but the tree binding him was stronger than it looked. Thorns grew out of its branches, each sharp enough to cause pain.

It was his wings that caused the most pain. Tiber was sure they would be nothing but rags now. His dark, slitted eyes turned, focusing on Cross as the man approached.

The tall man was dragging a large sword behind him. "I’ve never slain a dragon before."

Tiber huffed. "I’m not a dragon. Just an overgrown lizard. You’ve never seen a dragon before—neither have I. We wouldn’t be alive otherwise. But for me, it’s different. Atrox managed to slay those things I didn’t think could be killed."

"Stop talking!" Cross shouted. "I can’t believe you made me use a quarter of my forest just to hold you down. Like I said before, you’re strong, but not stronger than me."

Tiber sighed. "What a troublesome guy. But still, this situation isn’t something I can lose either. Slya will never let me forget, and I imagine there will be a lot of people trying to kill me. Atrox probably won’t mind... because he expects me to win."

Cross was now close to him. He gestured, and the tree branches holding Tiber’s head down tightened and pulled forward, stretching his neck out. Cross grunted softly as he lifted his sword.

Tiber blinked. "Have you forgotten this is a match, not a killing fight?"