Chapter 142: You Misunderstood.

Chapter 142: Chapter 142: You Misunderstood.

Chapter 142: You Misunderstood.

"Stop flailing about and fight me like a man!" The trafficker yelled, his voice carrying across the encampment despite the screams and roars that continued to echo from the ongoing battle.

"As you wish..."

Osborne drew his own blade, his expression remaining calm beneath his helmet as he observed the man standing before him, who appeared to be far more interested in fighting him than the other traffickers had been.

He didn’t particularly care about the man’s insults, since he had never considered himself someone who needed to prove his courage by accepting every challenge thrown his way, but considering that the man was determined to pursue him, there was little point in continuing to avoid the confrontation.

Besides, if he allowed the man to keep moving around freely, there was a chance that he would cause more trouble for him later, and Osborne would much rather settle things now than leave behind another potential enemy.

[Burning Blade]

’I can’t let this guy use that technique again.’ Osborne thought. ’I need to take him down quickly before he turns into more trouble.’

Once more, he cast his newly created spell, and the next moment, his blade began glowing with a bright red light, the intense heat radiating from its surface making the air around him grow warmer.

Seeing the red-hot glow from his opponent’s blade, the trafficker’s expression stiffened for a moment, as he clearly hadn’t seen such a spell before and wasn’t entirely certain what to make of it.

Well, it did make sense, since mages were generally long-range attackers who preferred to keep their distance from their enemies, and a spell that transferred the properties of fire magic onto a sword would be far more useful to someone who intended to fight at close range.

Only a magic swordsman would stand to gain much from such a spell, and since figures who could combine the abilities of mages and swordsmen were exceptionally rare, it wasn’t surprising that the trafficker hadn’t encountered one before.

Furthermore, Osborne hadn’t used any aura since this entire fiasco began, choosing to rely on his magic to deal with the traffickers and the demonic beasts, so the man naturally had no reason to suspect that he was anything other than a mage.

As far as he was concerned, he was facing a magic user who had somehow found a way to make his sword burn, and although the spell looked dangerous, he didn’t believe it would be enough to overcome the difference in their combat abilities.

Both men looked into each other’s eyes, their gazes meeting as the sounds of the surrounding battle seemed to fade into the background for a brief moment.

WHOOSH!

Osborne acted first, charging at the trafficker with his burning blade held firmly in his hand, his body moving with a speed that would have surprised anyone who believed him to be an ordinary mage.

The trafficker grinned, not expecting to see a magic user move so quickly, but rather than showing any sign of panic, he tightened his grip on his broadsword and prepared to meet the incoming attack.

CLANG!

Both men’s blades clashed in an instant, sending sparks flying everywhere as the red-hot sword collided with the aura-coated broadsword, the force of their weapons meeting causing a sharp metallic sound to ring through the encampment.

The trafficker’s grin widened as he felt the force behind Osborne’s attack, his eyes lighting up with interest as he realised that the man before him possessed considerably more strength than he had initially expected.

"What freak of nature are ya? You’re pretty strong for a mage, don’t you think?" The trafficker laughed, his eyes eager as he pushed against Osborne’s blade, seemingly delighted that he had finally found someone who could provide him with a decent fight.

Osborne didn’t say a word, choosing instead to take advantage of the brief moment when their blades were locked together to shift his stance and launch another attack.

He quickly began dealing rapid sword blows, aiming at the man’s shoulders, waist, and legs while seemingly attempting to find an opening in his defence, his burning blade leaving faint trails of red light as it moved through the air.

The trafficker grinned, blocking each and every one of them with his massive broadsword, his movements surprisingly smooth despite the size of his weapon, and although Osborne’s attacks came at a speed that would have overwhelmed most ordinary fighters, the man managed to keep up without much difficulty.

Even as quickly as Osborne moved and as heavy as his opponent’s broadsword was, the man had no trouble keeping up with his speed, using the reach and weight of his weapon to intercept the incoming attacks while occasionally forcing Osborne to change the direction of his strikes.

The clash between their blades continued, with Osborne launching one attack after another while the trafficker calmly defended himself, his expression gradually becoming more relaxed as he grew accustomed to his opponent’s movements.

"I must say, lad, I’m starting to get bored. Is this really—"

"—all you can do?"

With a heavy swing, the trafficker sent Osborne backwards, the sheer force behind his attack forcing him to abandon his offensive and retreat before the broadsword could strike him directly.

Osborne flipped backwards before landing on his feet, using the movement to dispel the force of the blow while maintaining enough balance to prevent himself from stumbling, his burning blade still held firmly in his hand.

He narrowed his eyes beneath his helmet as he studied his opponent, realising that the man wasn’t merely relying on the size of his weapon to overwhelm his enemies, but possessed enough skill to make full use of his strength without leaving himself open to a counterattack.

"Don’t tell me that’s really all ya got."

The trafficker casually rested his blade on his shoulder with a smirk on his face, looking down at Osborne as though he had already decided that the fight was as good as over.