Draconic King of Shadows-Chapter 35: A Taste of Teamwork

Kenzo sat on the floor in a corner, taking on a lotus position with his eyes closed. His breathing was drawn and steady, and only he knew what was going through his mind.

Damion didn’t do anything remotely close to meditation. He just sat there staring at the ceiling, or so it looked like.

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[Quest Received]

[Quest Description- What’s a Dragon King without Authority, Respect... and Fear?

Instill the feeling of Dread into the hearts of 10 individuals]

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’Now where did this come from? What triggered it?’ Damion pondered. The quest had come up without warning as soon as Hakuro told them to rest, and he had been staring at it since then, trying to piece one or two together.

Kenzo was meditating, while he was contemplating. Both actions were similar, yet different, regardless, Damion was recovering faster than Kenzo because of his superior HP and Constitution.

He didn’t need to focus to recover his stamina and mental strength, all that was needed was for his Mana to be used by the system to quicken his recovery.

As Damion’s mind wandered to the Mana stat, he began to think if there were other ways he could use it apart from just activating his skills.

He had read books before, and he knew that Mana, which was once a magical energy in legends, could be used in numerous ways.

It was used to create the Equipments that everyone used, it was used to power Teleportation Pads to get around faster, and it was also used as a means of transport into Dungeons.

All these things were known to him, "But how do they do it, I’m curious," Damion whispered to himself.

He closed his eyes, imagining what Lyra would do when forging his Equipment with the Green Rose Poison Heart Core. His inner vision displayed an image of her controlling her Mana in a mystical way, pouring it out of her body to imbue the materials with it, and resulting in another spontaneous mystical reaction.

A small smile bloomed on his cheeks, but he soon switched his expression to a stoic one and looked up, meeting Kenzo’s gaze.

"Time is up already," Hakuro said from the sidelines. "Get up and go at it again."

The two boys did as told, climbing the platform with slow and steady steps. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Number 11 raised its sword high, and with speed and deadly precision, brought it down to its side, its tip stopping half a centimeter away from the floor.

A small gust of wind blew from that action, and that was it. It seemed Number 11 was ready for another round.

"Try to keep up, Damion," Kenzo said out loud. "I had drained some of my energy before the last fight, but now that I’m well rested...’’

Damion blasted across the platform and attacked immediately, thoroughly ignoring Kenzo’s words. He didn’t care to know if he was tied down by weights earlier, or if he wasn’t at his peak, only the fight mattered at that moment in time.

Kenzo clicked his tongue angrily and charged ahead too, raising his sword for an attack.

There was a sharp glint in his eyes as he moved forward, performing a movement technique that increased his speed by about 30%.

Damion, who was the closest to the robot at that moment, suddenly found Kenzo attacking simultaneously with him, ending up putting Number 11 in a tight spot.

Damion frowned. He might not admit it, but he didn’t want to lose out to Kenzo, and unsurprisingly the feeling was mutual, only that in the current situation, Kenzo was the better swordsman of the duo.

Number 11 parried Damion’s sword and dived to the side, out of Kenzo’s reach. Then without wasting time, it took off with a burst of energy and swung at Kenzo.

Kenzo raised his sword to block, but it turned out to be a feint as it changed its sword’s direction at the last moment, redirecting it at Damion.

Damion found himself getting pushed back by the force of the attack, and before he could yet regain his balance, another strike was made, further causing him to skid across the ground.

Kenzo grunted and slashed down, grazing the robot’s arm, but still failing to do any significant damage.

’When we attack together, we are able to create a small opening to take advantage of,’ Damion reflected. ’I hate to admit it, but the only way we can win is if we work together.’

Kenzo traded several blows with Number 11, pushing forward and stumbling backwards. He displayed his true skills and undeniable strength and was able to hold Number 11 back for a while, while Damion observed from behind. He didn’t seem worried about Damion at all, and clashed like he was all alone.

Damion, watching the fight from a distance, was calculating, the cogs in his mind rattling. His eyes blazed, and suddenly he appeared from behind as Kenzo’s blade bounced off Number 11’s.

The sudden appearance caught Number 11 off guard, but being a robot, it wasn’t shocked, only beginning to immediately calculate the trajectory of the attack coming its way, and devise a plan to avoid damage.

Damion smiled inside of him, his breath calming. It seemed like he had done well and was getting results soon. However, a twist that he wasn’t expecting unfolded.

Number 11’s fate was already set in stone. It looked like it was going to be impaled by the wooden sword, somehow, and the fight would be over. But then it suddenly raised its weapon and hand, sacrificing them both to slow down the sword and get just enough time to tilt its body at an uncomfortable angle.

Damion’s eyes almost widened in shock... almost.

Kenzo, still in the process of retreating, saw his opportunity, and with a small kick off his toes, he rocketed forward and drove his sword through Number 11’s chest.

The robot fell, and silence permeated the hall, the only sound breaking the silence being Damion and Kenzo’s rugged breathing.

They stared at the robot silently, watching its parts flashing with electricity and throwing out sparks.

As the sparks began to fizzle out, Damion stared at the sword in his hand, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

"A wooden sword tearing through metal... Amazing."