Chapter 444: Road To God V


    ?


    Not at all surprised, Emir deflected the strike with a sharp parry and immediately countered, his left sword arcing towards nc''s midsection.


    nc twisted his body, narrowly avoiding the strike, and retaliated with a quick upward sh aimed at Emir''s chest.


    Emir stepped back just in time, the tip of nc''s sword grazing his augmented suit.


    He then pivoted on his heel and swung both swords in a fluid, cross-sh motion.


    nc barely managed to bring his sword up in defense, the force of Emir''s attack pushing him back several steps.


    "Tricks, tricks, tricks, a pathetic showinging from a man of God-."


    nc ignored Emir''s obvious attempts at riling him up and they resumed circling each other, eyes locked.


    He feigned a low strike, but Emir didn''t fall for it, keeping his guard steady.


    And when ncunched a real attack-a rapid thrust aimed at Emir''s shoulder-he sidestepped it, bringing his right sword down in a diagonal sh.


    nc blocked it, but the sheer force drove him down to one knee.


    Seizing the opportunity, Emir pressed the attack, unleashing a flurry of quick shes.


    nc was forced to retreat, barely keeping up with the onught.


    His swordsmanship wasmendable, likely the same rank as Emir''s, but the prince''s seemingly endless stamina and relentless offense were more than he could handle. Whoosh!


    He barely ducked under a horizontal sh and rolled to the side,ing up with a quick counterattack that aimed for Emir''s legs.


    Emir jumped back, avoiding the sweep, and followed up with a powerful downward strike. nc crossed his sword above his head to block, the impact sending shockwaves through his arms.


    "Grah!"


    With a grunt, nc shoved Emir''s sword away and swung wildly at Emir''s chest.


    Emir blocked the blow with one sword, then stepped in close, using the hilt of his other sword to smash into nc''s side.


    nc winced in pain but didn''t back down.


    He swung his sword in a wide arc, forcing Emir to leap back to avoid the edge.


    nc coughed loudly and stepped away from the corner he was about to get trapped in, appearing to be heavily exhausted, sweat dripping down his brow.


    Emir, stillposed, shifted his stance slightly, preparing for the next exchange.


    nc''s left hand quickly rummaged underneath his cloak, then took out some sort of small canister and shoved it in his mouth.


    He took a deep breath, threw it to the ground, and charged, aiming for Emir''s head with a swift, upward strike.


    "How unfair-."


    Emir deflected it with ease, then sidestepped to nc''s open side, shing with both swords. nc spun on his heel, bringing his sword around to block, but he was a fraction too slow. Emir''s left sword sliced across nc''s arm, drawing blood.


    nc hissed in pain, retreating a few steps.


    He was losing ground, and he knew it.


    Emir pressed forward, giving him no time to recover.


    Another flurry of attacks followed, each swing of Emir''s swords faster and more precise than thest.


    nc blocked and dodged as best as he could, but the relentless assault left him no room to counter.


    Emir''s final strike came swift and sudden-a powerful thrust aimed straight at nc''s chest. Desperately, nc attempted to parry, but Emir''s left sword interfered, striking his sword directly.


    ng!


    The force of the blow sent his sword flying out of his hand, leaving him defenseless. Allowed free passage, the tip of Emir''s sword stabbed into nc''s stomach, stopping just shy ofpletely piercing through, gutting him.


    nc gasped in pain, his body trembling as blood oozed from the wound.


    Emir unhanded his embedded sword and crushed the priest''s right leg with a vicious stomp.


    nc copsed, dropping fully to the ground, his mind still processing the loss, reeling from the pain.


    "I wasn''t going to win?"


    Emir''s other sword swung down, halting just before it sliced into the priest''s neck.


    ...


    For a moment, the room was silent.


    nc''s chest heaved as he struggled to control his trembling body, his eyes locked on Emir''s


    inky ones.


    Even though he was one inch away from death, he couldn''t move, it was as if he was


    hypnotized.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Those eyes that swirled... they were mad, demonic.


    He could feel it corrupting his mind.


    "You... you really are a demon."


    Emir chuckled softly at nc''s words.


    It wasn''t the first time he''d been called that to his face, but hearing it from a man of the cloth


    gave it a different weight.


    At least one that took on the robes of one.


    "Tell you''re god I said hi."


    Squelch...


    Emir''s de plunged effortlessly into nc''s throat, and he swung it to the right, silencing


    the priest forever.


    Blood sprayed across the ground in a crimson arc as nc''s head fell to the ground, the light slowly fading from his eyes while his Aetheric Shield flickered and faded away.


    Emir''s inky gaze remained fixed on the dying man, his expression emotionless, save for a faint glimmer of satisfaction.


    nc''s now rotting body twitched once, twice, before finally going still, leaving only the eerie quiet of the room and the faint sound of dripping blood, and sizzling poison.


    Emir pulled his other sword free with a casual twist, and wiped both des clean against nc''s melting robe before stepping back.


    "First one down..."


    He muttered, his voice steady but carrying a trace of anticipation, as though savoring the


    moment.


    The fight had ended.


    Once again, the challenge had been real, the fight intense, but he hade out on top.


    And as if it was a reward for his sess, the poison bathing the room began to dissipate until


    none of the green remained.


    Emir, still standing over his fallen opponent, waited for a few seconds, searching for the holy


    relic, wondering if it would reappear.


    It didn''t.


    ''Hm... unfortunate. Was it a one-time use?''


    He shrugged his shoulders at that thought.


    It wasn''t much of a loss.


    His battles rarely urred in inescapable prisons, rather quite the opposite.


    While he certainly wouldn''t mind acquiring another holy relic, this one was highly


    circumstantial, so he didn''t feel anything for losing it.


    As he turned towards the door leading to the next room, his thoughts lingered on nc''s final


    words.


    "A demon, huh?"


    He let out another chuckle, this one quieter, more to himself.


    There was a time when such words might have stung.


    Now, they simply amused him.


    In the end, it didn''t matter.


    Not to him.


    His mind had already moved on.


    This was nothing more than a necessary step-a brief pause before confronting someone that


    truly mattered. "Now... who''s next?"