Chapter 180: Ceaseless Battle (9)

Red could finish the fight by pulling another spear from his back, but he chose not to. There was this urge telling him to fight the Elite Kobold Fighter with his sword. He followed that urge and raised his sword.

The Elite Kobold Fighter was no longer rushing toward him, taking the fight carefully and more seriously. That gave Red the chance to coat his sword with mana.

They were facing each other, circling around. Red waited for the elite kobold coming for him, and his enemy seemed to have the same idea.

The Elite Kobold Fighter lost the battle of patience. It took two big steps forward and swung its sword down. The move was sudden and fast.

Red saw the move, and once more his instinct kicked in. There was a feeling that told him to respond on his own. That was weird, not the best decision, yet he followed his instinct. He swung his sword upward to meet the incoming sword.

Clank!

The two swords clashed, and the sharp edges skidded against each other as sparks flew. The surprise was that he managed to push the Elite Kobold Fighter’s sword.

He released and twirled his sword, directing the sharp edge down. Then he followed with a full swing down. He was confident that it would be a hit, but to his surprise, the Elite Kobold Fighter avoided his sword by taking a short backward leap. His sword hit empty air, then struck the ground.

The Elite Kobold Fighter took the chance, taking a big step forward and swung the sword from his left.

Red pulled his sword and blocked the incoming sword with his sword’s flat surface.

Clank!

He blocked the strike, grunted as he felt the force behind the strike. His hands shook slightly. He might be faster and nimbler, but the Kobold Challenger still overpowered him. That strike forced him to take three steps to the right.

Red kicked the ground, jumping backward to get to a safe distance from the Elite Kobold Fighter’s reach. He reconsidered his approach to the fight. He could feel the effect of Levelheaded, calming his head down and suppressing the urge.

He soon realized how stupid he was to meet the Elite Kobold Fighter’s sword with his. His confidence soared after killing five Elite Kobold Fighters in succession. That confidence blinded him, clouded his judgement.

Red pictured it if he decided to sidestep the elite kobold’s sword and followed with a thrust to the chest. Maybe the fight would have been over already a long time ago.

His impulse or instinct backfired. It saved him a few times, but not this time. It was still far from being dangerous, but he lost his advantage.

The Elite Kobold Fighter didn’t want to give breathing room for Red as it was chasing him. It was right in front of him, towering above him as the sword came down from above. The elite kobold swung it with all his might.

Red saw it coming as he jumbled backward. The tip of the sword was right before his face. It missed and struck the ground with a loud thud. Then Red dashed forward, stepping into the elite kobold’s sword, running up on the sword. Then he jumped while lining his knee up to the Elite Kobold Fighter’s face.

The Elite Kobold Fighter fell backward and landed on its back. Meanwhile, Red was landing right above its head. He twisted his body around, holding the sword upside down with both hands. Then he brought the sword down to the elite kobold’s face.

The sword pierced through the helmet and through to the head. Just to make sure he killed the Elite Kobold Fighter, he twisted the sword to the right. The Elite Kobold Fighter’s body twitched for a moment.

That was much simpler than the initial confrontation when he played it smart. It was easier when he played to his strengths, which were his speed and reaction. A dodge, followed by a counter that took it down before killing it.

He realized how stupid he was for fighting the Elite Kobold Fighter head-on. It was stupid to brute-force the fight. His instinct, the will in his heart, led him to a stupid fight. He was glad that he had Levelheaded to calm him down.

Red raised his head and looked for the Elite Kobold Fighters. Half of them were already inside, and the rest were still outside the village. He raised his hand and directed them toward the backline of the kobolds. As before, he used 250 mana again.

The fire swirled and expanded up to three times bigger than his own head. The fire was stable, under his complete control. Then he released the fireball.

His fireball shot toward the Elite Kobold Fighters. He saw the fire moving in the air and frowned. His fireball was slower than his arrow, and much slower compared to his spear. The additional mana increased its firepower, but he wondered if he could increase the shooting speed with his mana.

He believed it was possible, but it was for later for him to figure out, not now. He would certainly try something later, after the war.

The Elite Kobold Fighters were not aware of the incoming fireball. They were focused on attacking the village, trying to get inside the village to support the Kobold Challenger. It was noon as well; the fireball would not be as eye-catching as at night.

The fireball hit them when they didn’t expect it. The fire detonated, blooming out, sweeping anything around under fire. The ground shook; the shock wave that carried the heat blew away the ones that were not in range. It was so powerful that it also knocked the debris they piled up as a wall. The fire killed the kobolds, but it also helped them in a way.

Red took ten paces forward and was ready with his bow again. The thrill from close combat was good, but that was not worth the risk when he might lose in it. He would spend all his arrows; only then would he join the fight with his swords when he no longer had arrows.