Ruler of the Elves
"Alex!" Eugene screamed at the top of his lungs as an arrow, as well as one of the slave rats, approached the boy with amethyst eyes. Alex's eyes widened as he noticed he had been surrounded.
He had already unsheathed Durendal and was about to parry the arrow that darted towards him. However, with the appearance of another foe, he was forced to alter his plans. Narrowing his eyes, he lowered Durendal to his feet.
Following that, he decreased the weight of his body as much as he could using a technique he only somewhat remembered from his days in Telos Dou Dromou; [Fleeting Steps]. By being as light as a feather, he could actively utilize his own strength and use Durendal as a platform to leap backwards.
As he did so, the arrow, which was previously aimed at Alex, was now darting towards the gaping jaw of the rat. Unbeknownst to its imminent death, the rat happily maintained its course, hoping to receive human flesh as a reward from the elves.
Snip!
As if it were scissors snipping hair, the arrow cleanly pierced the rat's body. As a jolt of pain ran through the rat's body, its heart stopped, causing instant death. As a pool of blood emerged from the dead body, the arrow maintained its trajectory, only stopping as it pierced the soil.
Alex landed on the ground a few feet away from the arrow. Despite being able to stand without any problems, he had overexerted his physical body, as [Fleeting Steps] was an advanced technique used often by assassins.
Since only monsters dropped Stones of Soma, it was going to be difficult to recover until he conquered the dungeon.
'Fuck! At this point, I'll die of blood loss before even arriving at Telos Dou Dromou,' He thought. It wouldn't be long before tiny injuries such as this, alongside major injuries such as gunshot wounds take his life. 'I'll kill Maxwell's men once this trial is complete!'
His train of thought was interrupted as another arrow bolted towards him. Eugene, having noticed it due to the faint trail of green energy being released from the tip, shouted, "Alex! Arrow!"
Reacting to Eugene's words, Alex unsheathed Durendal, slicing the arrow in half as it fell to the ground. While on the ground, Alex possessed an advantage, and could easily counter the attacks of the elves.
As if on cue, a rather tall yet slim figure emerged from the bushes in the distance. Alex's eyes narrowed as he detected the rather powerful energy radiating from his skin, which was a mixture of peach and lime.
The elf had detailed features Alex did not notice on usual elves, which meant this one had trained his physique. Moreover, by the energy, Alex could conclude that the elf was a rare case.
'Usually, elves only focus on magic,' Alex recalled. 'But, this elf has trained in magic as well as physical combat. His eyes and white beard depicts an old man, and judging that he is alone… The King of this Civilization!'
The elf, without speaking, drew his bow. Attaching another arrow, he pulled before letting go. As another arrow darted towards Alex, Durendal unleashed a barrage of strikes, yet none could slice the arrow.
Alex's eyes widened as he finally realized what the elf had done. 'An arrow infused with qualities of Permeation.'
It was a unique property utilized by arch-elves and was extremely rarely seen in inferior species. However, since the elf seemed to be the ruler of this particular civilization, it wasn't too surprising. But it did mean Alex needed to concentrate since objects with permeation qualities were fatal when underestimated.
To avoid this particular arrow, Alex tilted his head to the right, causing the arrow to dart past his head. Objects with permeation qualities disregarded the concept of solid, gas, and liquid, becoming either of the three when their owner wished it. If not paid attention to, the arrows could potentially strike an enemy when they were most vulnerable, disregarding their attempts to parry the attack.
That was the reason those objects were utilized most in all-out wars between factions and were considered taboo when the matter at hand was not serious.
'Though, these objects are pretty useless in a one-versus-one,' Alex mused as he attempted to imagine why the elf king had used such a method.
The elf king released an influx of energy as it swept towards Alex as if it were a tidal wave. Alex, instead of avoiding it, decided to parry using Durendal as a form of shield. As he coated it with his own mana, he began resisting.
The clash of two energies brought changes to the surroundings. The elf king utilized the surrounding greenery to fuel his power, while Alex used the power of Durendal, a former legendary sword.
Eugene and the others watched with gaping mouths. They admired yet also feared the power Alex displayed, while they were also suspicious of how he obtained it. Simon was certain that Alex had some sort of prior knowledge before the apocalypse began since it would normally be impossible to grow at such speeds.
He had already adapted to the situation and had figured out that the apocalypse was similar to that of novels he had read in his childhood. To grow at such rates when others were struggling to process the situation, Simon could easily predict that there was something wrong.
He believed Eugene and Sarah had understood it as well, but were either fearful of Alex's wrath, or did not care. Simon found the fact that they hadn't voiced their concerns revolting. Then again, he hadn't said anything either.
"You are strong," The elf king spoke in an awkward tone. The human species who were forced to travel to Telos Dou Dromou were granted a translation device attached to their soul, which let them understand, speak, read, and write all basic languages. Despite such a benefit, the device wasn't perfect and could cause some difficulty when communicating. "I acknowledge."
Alex only nodded without a change in his expression, to which the elf king revealed a smirk. The clash only intensified as they backed away for a split second before colliding with each other once again. Several clashes happened in a little less than a minute. Despite the fact that such a short amount of time had passed, both the elf king and Alex were incredibly exhausted due to almost having used their energy reserves.
Alex did not possess much mana, which is why he focused on countering using strength instead of energy. However, he still needed to drain the meager amount of mana he possessed, as without it, the clash would have been one-sided from the beginning.
Strong winds swept past the two combatants as they backed away, creating a fifteen-meter distance between each other. Alex's somewhat long hair obscured a part of his vision, as irritably smacked it away.
"I like!" The elf king roared before breaking into boisterous laughter. Despite his friendly words, his combative spirit as well as arrogance remained, pressing down on Alex's chances of victory.
Alex revealed an exhausted smile. Despite the battle having taken a considerable toll on his body, he, for some reason, enjoyed clashing with one who possessed similar strength as him. It brought him back to the days when he lead his clan to wars every week, sustaining more injuries than could be healed.
The two then unleashed a flurry of attacks. Alex utilized Durendal, while the elf king used his fists. Alex delivered a barrage of strikes, to which the elf king responded by squaring him in the jaw.
Alex flew backwards as the elf king observed the cuts on his own body with widened eyes. "How cut?"
Alex did not bother responding to his impulsive words as he stood up, wiping the dirt off of his clothes. A cyan glint appeared in his eyes as his combative intent shone. The elf king, surprised by the thick intent, could only form an expression of surprise as Alex charged for a single blow.
He charged to deliver a single blow that would decide whether he or the elf king survived. It would determine the outcome of the battle objectively. Durendal screamed in joy at a potential victim as it shone brighter than ever.
The elf king prepared to counter Alex's strike using all his strength. He gathered the energy of the surrounding nature while performing fluid motions as if harnessing the power of a particular martial art.
Simon and the others watched intently as the two warriors battled. The outcome was subjective and could go either way with a bit of planning.
Alex charged while coating Durendal in a thick layer of mana, while the elf king waited as he coated his hands in nature energy combined with qi. Both combatants had wide smiles on their faces as they awaited the outcome of the battle.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The noise of explosions resounded throughout the forest as Alex and the elf king clashed for the very last time. Several colors reflected across the area as energy capable of killing with a single touch was utilized.
As the smoke subsided, both combatants stood facing away from each other. Their breath was heavy, and their bodies trembling. Alex revealed a devilish grin as the elf king muttered a few words under his breath. "Thank."
Thud!
Blood emerged without rest as the elf king's body collapsed. As he died, a smile caused by the thrill of his last battle remained on his face. His corpse was quickly absorbed by nature, leaving behind nothing but a tiny flower.
Surprisingly, Durendal did not devour its opponent. Instead, it let it die a peaceful and graceful death.
At last, Alex stood with a triumphant expression clouding his face, wielding Durendal as if he were a master of the sword, celebrating his victory with a tight clench of his fist.
"Fuck yeah!"