Exchanging Blows
The rain of debris started disappearing after a few minutes, the iron and earth scent still prominent. Clouds of dust, on the other hand, still covered Orca's position. Jaxon didn't have any clue about what happened to Orca, but he knew that a series of spells like that would be difficult to escape.
That was an overkill. The possibility of surviving that was slim, which Jaxon intended.
Seeing the sight slightly brought him relief. Silence covered the whole area, and the memories of his first memory flashed.
The dragons destroyed half of the world; humans and demi-humans had died. They were clueless about the dragons' goal, and every second wasn't a safe time for them to get confused.
Every life mattered in order to save the world. Jaxon wasn't one of the talented people; in fact, he wasn't in the spotlight. However, it was Elena Luxfield who had discovered his importance.
During his first year at Margaux Academy, he went with the flow. He was in the commoner's class, and the nobles were in the first class. The facilities were divided based on status, which for him, wasn't that bad.
Margaux Academy's reputation was enough to cover it all. For commoners, the chance to study at the academy would already bring their lives up to comfort. His sister, Luna Merrick, also studied there with the same thought.
However, everything changed for him when he discovered the Cog of Eternity, an artifact that could show a glimpse of the future. He slowly excelled in class, graduating with a decent grade. He also performed well when he was hired as a Mercenary at the Adventurers' Private Guild.
Although he got the decent and comfortable life he wanted with the help of the Cog of Eternity, they were useless when the dragons and dragon kins revived out of nowhere. It was as if the world had turned upside down; chaos destroyed the peaceful state.
He volunteered as a fighter to fend off monsters from the Thunder Cloud, his hometown. He joined the Subjugation Company, built by King Edward with the rest of the nobles.
During his stay, he never had the resolve to save the world. What mattered at that time was survival. He never wanted to be a hero, but he never saw himself slacking, a liability for others. That hurt his pride as Luna was already leading a squad under the company.
He couldn't see himself as a useless adult who wouldn't even help, a coward. His prideful self didn't let him enjoy others' protection. Thus, he participated well in the company.
The kingdom built an evacuation center that became a shelter. Eventually, all nations around the world joined hands to save it.
When he was chosen as a prominent fighter, he couldn't discern what to feel. Should he be happy that he was recognized? Or fear for his life as he would be more on the frontline?
However, as he had always done, he went with the flow. He became a squad member, then a group leader, and eventually a squad captain.
His achievements confused him. Wasn't he just going with the flow? How did he reach such importance in the Subjugation Company? His pride only dictated not to be a liability.
He gave this a lot of thought and finally found the answer. It was the people around him that motivated him to do better. It was those who supported and joined him in every hardship.
The newfound feeling refreshed him, and he never wanted to waste it. It was as if it gave meaning to his life. So far, doing greater things wasn't tiring at all. Instead, it was fulfilling, and he wouldn't regret it if he died.
Friendship, followers, supporters, and relationships, he gained them. The realization that those people gave meaning to his life made him determined to protect them. He wanted to protect the world so that everyone would have the chance to find meaning in their lives.
He couldn't let other people take that away from him. He still hadn't found the meaning of this second life. He would surely save the world.
The children, the elderly, and the incapable… They needed protection before they realized the meaning of life. That refreshing feeling...
So… this time, he would save the world, starting with Orca Nux, the only known Dragon Disciple he had forgotten when he awakened to this world.
"If I had realized it sooner… Maybe I would have rushed here and immediately started my infiltration," he mumbled, regretting the unpolished plan he had. Although he wanted to prepare a weaponized gadget like the Mecha to have an equal footing against dragons in case he couldn't stop other revivals, he never hoped to be alone again.
But it was to save others… His last wish before dying in his first life was to never let his people experience the fear and suffering of the dragons.
"Just soon… I will save the world." A resolved muttering escaped from him as he brushed off the dust with his forearms. He walked toward Orca to check if he had died.
The dust obscured his vision for a few seconds before he cast a wind spell.
It was then that he saw the result of his bombardments, almost defeating his purpose.
Orca wasn't there. There were no remains of him. In fact, there was only a huge crater with nothing but ground at the depressed plaza.
"Where is he?"
The idea that Orca might have been reduced to pieces was immediately dismissed. Orca Nux was powerful; it was impossible for him to die that easily.
He had expected him to endure it. But nothing remained of his body? That would be impossible.
"Shit… That was close…" A voice loomed from the other side of the plaza. Jaxon's eyes narrowed, realizing he had failed.
However, it didn't mean he was incapable of doing the same thing again.
[Undead Hands] – 9s
"Do you think that will work the second time?"
Jaxon's heartbeat skipped as swords of flame started launching straight at him. He evaded them with precision, but his anxiety was palpable. If his bombardment didn't work, then he must step forward, ahead of what Orca would likely expect.
"Shit!" he cursed under his breath, dodging all incoming attacks.
On the other hand, it wasn't obvious to Jaxon that Orca had taken damage. Orca's right hand was burned, which he had used to shield himself from all of Jaxon's spells.
'How the hell did he do it? Instant casting? Without chanting? That's impossible. Only measly spells are capable of being shortened, but those complex and offensive spells were cast without any chants?'
It was now clear to Orca that Jaxon wasn't an easy foe. Thus, he had to push his limits to kill and finish his plan.
'Where are they?' he thought while keeping his aim at Jaxon with his sword. 'They should be here already.'
Orca's eyes ventured for a moment, searching for the people he had invited to the territory for the Revival Ritual. But where could they be?
Hissing, he kept his focus on Jaxon, clashing swords against him as he approached. He was forced to step back before sprinting to a nearby alleyway. As he entered, he cast under his breath, erecting an earth wall.
Jaxon leaped on the wall's sides, elevating above the earth wall, then leaped from it.
Orca knew that Jaxon was still chasing him, but that wall was meant to keep him distracted. He had chanted an offensive spell capable of killing Jaxon.
With his left hand aimed at Jaxon, Orca inhaled deeply.
"Unblemished Lance!"
A green-hued beam of light blasted against Jaxon's chest before he could even land. His body was thrown back, the earth wall crumbled as he crashed into it. Several meters away, Jaxon rolled as his body landed on the ground, falling into the crater.
***
Above Jaxon and Orca's battlefield, two silhouettes of humanoid figures rode a bulky creature with four legs and wings, flapping while looking down.
"Orca Nux, was it? The tenth seat that took over the late Darren Nux's position," a silhouette with a deep and hoarse voice loomed.
"Hmm," the other one nodded with a short reply, then shook its head. "Give him your dragon."
"What? Why would I?"
"I want to," the other one replied shortly before falling silent, just staring at the first silhouette.
"Alright. You owe me one." Dejected, the silhouette agreed before jumping onto the other silhouette's mount. "It would be wasteful if the tenth seat became vacant without preparations."