Chapter 319: Champion vs. Champion

On the plains where armies clashed, amidst the chaos of battle, the champions met.

Ryan gripped his hammer with both hands, took a deep breath, and silently observed Egel-Stil Bjorn, clad in blood-red armor as if a Blood God had descended upon the world. His towering, invincible form was adorned with spikes and iron rings hung with skulls, including that of Yules.

The chosen champion of the Lady of the Lake knew he could not afford any carelessness, or he would meet the same fate as those before him.

Egel was sizing up Ryan as well.

This young man stood at about 1.85 meters, quite short compared to his own 2.4 meters. Ryan held a golden griffon warhammer and wore a splendid suit of armor, adorned with the badge of the Grand Master of the Grail Knights.

The chosen champion of the pseudo-Lady of the Lake? Just a legendary peak warrior, his aura unstable, a sign of an impending breakthrough, Egel thought.

At first glance, Ryan's strength did not even seem to match Yules', but Egel was no fool. He knew the Lady of the Lake would not choose such a young man as her champion without good reason. From Ryan's series of heroic acts over the years, this young man must have his exceptional qualities.

The meeting of the two chosen champions caused both armies to instinctively part ways, whether barbarian or Bretonnian, as champion duels were highly regarded. Once champions met, armies would automatically make space for their battle.

"One after another, Bretonnian, do you know how many mortals I have slain? How many formidable foes? I've beheaded dragon demons, gutted sea monsters, and numerous champions of chaos have died by my hand. Your proud knights have also become part of my collection." Egel's face was cold, and behind him, his barbarians were in full retreat.

"One after another, Skarins man, do you know how many evils I've eradicated? Chaos Champion Brig, Blood Champion Lifetaker, Naguth the Great Daemon, and now you, another champion of the Blood God, won't make a difference." Ryan's face bore a faint smirk. "Speaking of which, where's your physically disabled master? Is his ass glued to his throne?"

"Agh!" Egel felt an intense surge of rage at Ryan's words. As the chosen champion of the Blood God, he could not tolerate such mockery of his faith. Glory to the Blood God!

The chosen champion of the Blood God was not particularly adept at verbal exchanges and decided to cut short the banter.

Egel raised his hellish axe directly at Ryan's face, and Ryan, knowing well that words could only get him so far, braced for battle.

A gust heavy with the scent of blood swept past Ryan and Egel. The champion of the Blood God knew his army was doomed here, but he would not be.

He would take Ryan's head and then carve his way out of the massed ranks, taking his son back to Skarins by sea.

Now, Ryan and Egel stood face to face, each the most glorious warrior of their respective nations, each the favored of their gods, each the pride of their races. Their tales would live for hundreds of years in the songs of the northern barbarians and the ballads of Bretonnia.

This was true immortality; their stories would persist in this world long after they had left it, enduring until the end of days. The duel between the two chosen champions would become an undying epic, with only one of them destined to survive.

Egel launched a ferocious assault, his hellish axe swirling through the air like a whirlwind, ripping through space, aiming straight for Ryan's head.

Ryan stepped back, dodging Egel's strike.

Another axe in Egel's other hand swept towards Ryan's chest.

Ryan stepped back again, evading the attack.

Anticipating Egel's moves, Ryan flipped backward, avoiding another blow.

Egel's furious onslaught missed again.

Following this, Egel launched a series of attacks like a tempest, but Ryan did not engage directly. He dodged with preternatural anticipation, sidestepping every attempt with rapid agility.

"Damn you, southerner! Face me!" Egel, who had faced ancient dragon demons and chaos giants, who had resisted sorcerers' magics and beheaded them, had never encountered an opponent who merely evaded his attacks. "Face me, Ryan Macado! Is this how a knight fights?"

"Hmm!" Ryan smirked, his face twisting into a sneer. "Keep attacking, cripple! You can't even hit me, and you call yourself the champion of the Blood God? I've sparred with princes of the Blood God, and I've never seen such a weak champion."

"Arrrgh!" Egel roared, his Whispering Axe slashing through the air creating bloody whirlwinds that split a large tree in half. Ryan, with ease, dodged again, rolling to escape the scorching blade, then quickly sidestepped another of Egel's attacks.

"Boom!" A large rock was cleaved into pieces by Egel's axe, sending shards flying. Taking advantage of Ryan's momentary imbalance, Egel finally managed to land a hit.

"Clang!" Ryan quickly raised his warhammer to block Egel's fierce blow. However, the relentless assault from the Blood God's champion left him momentarily exposed, and Ryan seized this opportunity. After blocking Egel's attack, he swung his warhammer for a counterstrike.

Egel's hellish axe was knocked aside, and Ryan, with eyes blazing red, pulled back his hammer, preparing for a powerful blow.

"What?!" Egel was caught off-guard as the golden griffon warhammer smashed directly into his face.

The strike was powerful and heavy, sending the King of Skarins flying backward more than a meter, his helmet shattered, revealing his face beneath.

"Crack!" Egel's left cheek took the full force of the griffon warhammer. He screamed in agony as the side of his face was smashed in, teeth flying out from his mouth as blood sprayed.

Ryan was about to follow up on his successful hit when Egel, driven by fury, launched a brutal counterattack. His left-hand hellish axe swung toward Ryan's ribs.

Ryan dodged as if he had eyes in the back of his head, making Egel miss once more.

After several exchanges, Egel felt his sanity slipping.

"Dishonorable southerner! You only know how to skulk and survive!" Egel yelled in extreme anger, shouting at Ryan, "It's useless, I will catch you, defeat you, tear you to pieces! Constantly dodging won't bring you victory, die!!!"

"Continuously failing to hit someone won't bring you victory either, chaos scum." Ryan mocked Egel. "Oh mighty champion of the Blood God, you can't even land a hit. How do you expect to win?"

Ryan and Anglaron had sparred countless times, and while Egel was indeed powerful, his attacks were predictable and not so difficult to avoid.

The battle reached a stalemate, the duel between the two divine champions becoming like a grand performance. Egel's fierce attacks rolled out like an iron storm, his axe blades spinning, tearing through space, with the faint image of a giant blood demon emerging behind him, as if the Blood God himself had descended to spread dread and bloody might.

Ryan, on the other hand, moved like a swift shadow, deftly dodging Egel's series of brutal attacks, waiting for an opportunity to counterstrike. Though Egel attacked ten times for every one of Ryan's strikes, the flow of the fight was unmistakably controlled by Ryan.

On the battlefield, the barbarians were collapsing, and now, the last three thousand barbarian troops were slowly retreating towards the sea, preparing for a final desperate battle, waiting for the knights' last charge.

"Die! Die! Die!" Egel and Ryan's battle continued.

Egel had not yet defeated Ryan, and the frustration inside the chosen champion of the Blood God grew. He unwittingly increased the strength of his axe swings by a notch, and predictably, Ryan continued to dodge every attack, even leaving a deep gash on Egel's shoulder armor.

Impossible, Egel thought. By current appearances, Ryan Macado wasn't even as strong as Yules! Egel's mind filled with irritation and madness. But why can't I hit him?

Because I'm not fast enough!

Why am I not fast enough?

Because I'm too strong!

He realized then, the southerner was infuriating him!

Egel understood at last; it was Ryan's tactic to provoke him, to make him use too much strength, which decreased his speed.

The next time Egel attacked, he finally clashed directly with Ryan, axe meeting hammer, sparking fiercely. When Egel's second attack struck Ryan, Ryan realized that Egel had caught on to his strategy.

Thus, the two divine champions finally engaged directly.

Now, on the battlefield, all eyes were on the figures of the two chosen champions.

Egel, towering with his dual axes, seemed like an avatar of the Blood God's will, every movement creating a whirlwind of death and an iron torrent, launching a series of deadly attacks at Ryan.

Ryan, holding his warhammer aloft, his face fierce, embodied the will of the Lady of the Lake. Amidst Egel's iron storm of attacks, the champion of the Lady showed no fear; his dual hammers traced golden arcs, crackling with thunderous energy, continually neutralizing Egel's furious onslaught.

"Die! Die!" Egel, controlling his anger, swung his axes with lightning speed,striking Ryan's warhammer with rapid, successive blows that nearly overwhelmed him. Ryan's arms began to numb under the relentless assault, and he struggled to maintain his grip on his warhammer.

Yules... was this the kind of formidable enemy you faced? Ryan gritted his teeth, channeling all his strength into his warhammer. Seizing a brief pause in Egel's offensive, Ryan struck downward forcefully, hitting Egel's wrist, then swung horizontally in a counterattack.

The head of the warhammer connected squarely with Egel's chest. The chosen champion of the Blood God coughed up a mouthful of blood, retaliating with his hellish axe which landed a blow on Ryan's right shoulder.

Both duelists were wounded, but Egel's recovery was notably quicker, thanks to the blessings of the Blood God. With a ferocious roar, he launched a firestorm from his axe filled with corrupt chaotic energy, engulfing Ryan in a hellish inferno.

"Ryan!" Sulia, slashing down a barbarian warrior, cried out upon seeing Ryan enveloped in the flames.

The black and red flames wrapped around Ryan, drawing the attention of everyone on the battlefield.

Ryan would not disappoint his comrades; he tore through the flames, his eyes swirling with a pale blue psychic vortex. He lifted his hand toward Egel, "Psychic Storm!"

A thick beam of psychic lightning struck Egel, flaying his flesh as the energy scorched his entire body. Skarins' king screamed in agony under the relentless electrical assault.

Yet, he endured. Overcoming the pain, Egel charged through the psychic storm, using his body as a battering ram. His head collided with Ryan's chest before Ryan could react, and his axe followed, striking Ryan's chest. Ryan was sent flying several meters, crashing onto the rocky shore, blood streaming from his mouth: "Ugh..."

Dazed and injured, the champion of the Lady of the Lake struggled to his feet, wiping away the blood, only to see a terrifying sight.

Egel's wounds were healing rapidly, the blessings of the Blood God aiding his swift recovery. In moments, the bloodied Egel was completely healed, and now, he was striding toward Ryan.

"Mortal, you are powerful and brave," Egel advanced on Ryan. "But you will never understand the superiority of a true god. At the bloody end, there is a reward beyond mortal comprehension. I have received the oracle from my lord; Ryan Macado, if you but kneel and offer your loyalty and honor to the Blood God, ascension is within reach."

"Ascension?" Ryan scoffed internally. Did he not know what ascension entailed?

To chaos worshippers, ascension was indeed a supreme reward as it meant being elevated directly to the pinnacle of sacred might by a dark god, gaining immortality and eternal life, truly rising from mortal to a direct servant of the chaos gods, a servant they might slightly care about.

Such a reward was unimaginable to mortals.

But for Ryan, these offers held no allure; after ascension, one's life and death would be completely in the hands of a dark god.

As Egel approached, still trying to speak, he was met with a bloody spit from Ryan, who wore a look of disdain as he spat directly in Egel's face, then swung his warhammer, taking advantage of Egel's momentary distraction to strike his right cheek.

"#$@%&*! (expletive)"

The King of Skarins' face was a mess, his mouth ejecting several teeth.

"Ah! Die!" Now genuinely enraged, Egel blocked Ryan's hammer with his axe, then the chosen champion of the Blood God's voice turned into an endless storm of rage.

Whirlwind Slash!

"Ding, ding, ding~" Ryan's face contorted with effort as he unleashed all his power, incredibly blocking Egel's fierce attack with his golden warhammer. Then, launching another Psychic Storm, he struck Egel directly, the electrical energy forcing Egel to halt his assault.

At this moment, Ryan was backed against the cliffs by the sea.

Egel's lips twisted into a bloodthirsty smile as he raised his right arm, his hellish axe glowing with a bloody light, and a thunderous roar filled the air.

"Execution!"

The golden griffon warhammer that had accompanied Ryan for nearly a decade shattered into countless pieces with that roar.

"Who will support our hero now? Cast your votes!"

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