Chapter 62: A Single Blow

Muria and the young Titan clashed in the skies, their powerful impacts generating fierce winds that swept through the Jade Palace, shredding the decorative flora and shrubs into fragments.

"Clang!" The young Titan's fingers formed a blade, cutting through the air with thunder and wind like a slashing war sword, colliding with Muria's arm. The clash emitted a metallic sound.

"I still feel nothing." Muria muttered to himself, feeling the contact on his arm. Since revealing his golden dragon lineage and the ensuing dragon armor, his defense had inexplicably reached an incomprehensible level.

The young Titan's attacks, largely absorbed by the dragon armor, left only a fraction that Muria could easily withstand.

"You're definitely going to lose!" Muria, his golden eyes glaring through his visor, flapped his dragon wings and surged towards the young Titan. He abandoned defense for relentless offense.

"Boom!" Muria's fist harshly met the young Titan's face, disregarding an elbow strike, and followed with a kick to his chest, sending him plummeting from the sky and crashing into a smaller structure within the Jade Palace.

"Ah!" The young Titan roared, rising from the ruins. Fueled by wind and lightning, he soared back into battle against Muria. He saw Muria's martial skills as crude, reliant solely on his golden dragon blood for competitiveness. Yet now, he faced the prospect of defeat.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!" They battled from sky to ground, from ground to sky, causing widespread destruction in the Jade Palace, collapsing entire buildings in their wake.

The fight grew more intense. Muria couldn't recall how many times his dragon armor had been shattered by the young Titan. It seemed every part of him had been broken at some point, yet all had regenerated—a cheat-like level of defensive and regenerative power.

The young Titan also lost count of how many times his bones had been broken by Muria. Fighting against the dragon-armored Muria put him at a significant disadvantage. His energy spent on healing and sustaining his strength far exceeded Muria's.

...After an indeterminate time, amidst the ruins of a palace, Muria stood, while the young Titan lay defeated.

"I won!" Muria said as his fragmented dragon armor slowly regenerated, though no longer with its initial speed, speaking to the young Titan on the ground.

"If it weren't for that armor..." The young Titan, chest heaving and breathing heavily, spoke resentfully. Losing to someone indulgent in pleasures due to inferior defense was something he couldn't accept.

"You've lost, there's nothing more to say. This armor is derived from me, not an external thing." A crisp, cold female voice intervened, turning Muria around.

"He's already lost. Are you challenging me now?" Muria asked the female Titan somewhat defiantly, knowing that a battle with her would undoubtedly end in his defeat.

"Fight you? Hah." The female Titan smirked slightly, her lean body vanishing from Muria's sight in an instant.

At that moment, as the female Titan disappeared, Muria felt a bad premonition. Before he could react, a slender yet strong female hand appeared before him, the palm details clear at close range.

"Boom!" The female Titan appeared instantaneously in front of Muria, pressing her hand against his visor before he could respond, smashing him into a crumbling jade wall behind him.

Golden dragon armor shards flew as Muria stared in shock at the female Titan before him. He was effortlessly slammed into the wall, his heavily armored head shattering under her palm.

Yet his face bore no scars, nor did he feel pain. Such ferocious power targeted solely his armor without leaking out—this was a terrifying control of strength.

"Did you think to fight me with just that armor? You're far from ready." The female Titan looked emotionlessly at Muria. "Come to our lands to train. Your use of power is too poor. Titan strength isn't to be used like this."

"I don't have the energy to move; maybe you should carry me." Muria forced a grim smile, nearly depleted but still capable of walking—his stubbornness showing through, even in defeat.

Muria's pride was crushed as the female Titan struck him. Now, he was curious to see the Titan lands and grow as strong as the female Titan, willing to train and forego indulgence.

As the young Titan watched gleefully from the ground, the female Titan yanked Muria from the embedded wall and hoisted him onto her shoulder.

"Put me down, I can walk." Muria struggled, attempting to jump down from her shoulder.

"Hmm, no need, I'll carry you." The female Titan's lips curled, and with a flick of her arm supporting Muria's, a crisp series of pops ensued. Muria immediately went limp like cooked noodles.

"Do I have no dignity left?!" Muria lamented inwardly, unable to do anything as his limbs felt disassembled, leaving him with only the ability to speak.

"My face, my reputation is utterly lost." Muria knew that his battle with the young Titan had alerted everyone in and around the Jade Palace. The thought of being carried out like this was unbearable.

"Seriously, you're carrying me?" On the ground, the young Titan was dumbfounded, then quickly called out, "Heylois, I can't move either, carry me too, or even dragging me is fine."

"Get lost!" The emotionless voice hit the young Titan's ears.

He chuckled, unbothered, struggling to stand and watching as Muria was carried away by the female Titan, Heylois, enviously: "Lucky guy, getting so close to Heylois. I thought I was fortunate to be on a mission with her, alas!"

...

"Your Highness! How could this happen?"

"Your Highness, defeated?"

"Muria!"

...As the female Titan Heylois carried Muria out of the ruins, the surrounding giants erupted in noisy chatter, with a red dragon rushing forward.

"Step aside." Heylois looked down somewhat surprised at the red dragon blocking her path, still expressionless as she rebuked.

"What are you going to do to Muria?" The red dragon, Renata, challenged the towering female Titan.

"I've already said, I'm taking him to train."

"Muria can train just as well here. Why do you need to take him?"

"Without a worthy opponent, surrounded by weaklings who fall at a single punch, how can he train? How can he grow strong?" Heylois countered. "Besides, taking him to train in our lands was a command from Lord Ansor, his father."

"Muria's father's command." The young dragoness Renata fell silent; with such a statement, she had no grounds to object. "How long will Muria need to train in the lands before he can return?"

"I don't know." Heylois glanced at Muria pretending to be unconscious on her shoulder. "That depends on his effort. Whenever he earns Lord Ansor's recognition, that's when he can return!"

"Hurry up!" Muria roared inwardly on Heylois's shoulder. His eyes were closed, appearing unconscious, causing many giants to worry.

But in reality, Muria was just keeping out of sight to avoid distress. He didn't

 want his subordinates to see him in such a sorry state, but he had no choice. Despite knowing he couldn't win against Heylois, his stubbornness had led to this outcome.

"That's it!" Renata, hearing Heylois's words, dejectedly stepped aside but then looked up: "Can you tell Muria that I'll be here waiting for him to return?"

"Mm." Heylois gave a low acknowledgment. She didn't expose Muria's feigning but left him a shred of dignity.

As Heylois walked away under the gaze of many giants in the Jade Palace with Muria on her shoulder...

"Wait for me!" From the ruined corner of the Jade Palace, the young Titan who had battled Muria for a long time staggered out, calling weakly to Heylois.

"Your Highness, is this a defeat?"

"Seems so! His Highness appears unconscious, while this noble Titan is still standing."

"Indeed, His Highness, with only half Titan blood as a hybrid, seems no match for a true Titan."

"I thought His Highness wouldn't lose, given his strength! He never went all out against us."

"But the reality has spoken. His Highness is no match for a true Titan."

...At the sight of the young Titan, the gathering giants around the palace ruins began whispering among themselves, having seen only the aerial battle and not the final outcome.

"Uh!" The young Titan, slightly unsteady, hearing the giants' discussions and seeing their admiring looks, felt his cheeks heat up.

"Cough!" The young Titan coughed loudly, drawing the attention of most giants, then spoke up, "Though I hate to admit it, I lost the fight to Muria. I am the defeated; Muria is the victor."

"Then why are you awake while His Highness Muria is unconscious?" A giant voiced their confusion.

"It was her who defeated Muria." The young Titan pointed to the departing Heylois.

"I see, with such a stature, it's no disgrace for His Highness to lose."

"That means His Highness is not weaker than his peers among the Titans."

"Of course, the noble lady defeated His Highness only because of her age advantage. When His Highness grows as tall as her, he surely won't lose."

...Hearing the young Titan's words, the spectating giants began to excitedly discuss amongst themselves.

To repeat, this story is not about an invincible protagonist. Creatures capable of fighting on par with the protagonist are not limited to Titans alone.