"Losing focus on the battlefield can be fatal."
Kaiden spoke in a calm tone.
Kael cursed out loud as he barely dodged his sword. Kaiden, however, wasn't the only opponent he was facing.
The whistle of Sarah's arrow from behind made Kael twist mid-motion. The arrow sliced past his shoulder, grazing his skin.
Kaiden commented, moving close to Kael and bashing him with his shield.
The force slammed into Kael, sending him backwards.
The man had barely stopped himself from falling but once again,
Sarah's arrow came in, forcing him to move again.
Kael tumbled awkwardly, but this time, he avoided a direct hit.
It didn't take him long to realize it—he couldn't afford to stay in one spot. He was making it too easy for Sarah.
He tried to circle around Kaiden. The experienced soldier, however, wasn't going to let him dictate the flow of the fight. He advanced with precise footwork, aiming quick thrusts and swipes designed to pressure Kael and leave no opening for counterattacks.
Kael parried clumsily, sweat dripping down his brow. His stamina was good, but Kaiden was too strong!
Every clash with his sword and shield drained him further.
"You will lose if you keep this up, Hero Kael."
Kaiden commented calmly, feinting a low swing before snapping his shield forward. Kael raised his arms to block, but the impact shook his body, sending him staggering.
He groaned in pain, his arms shaking.
And the Archer didn't give him time to rest.
Another arrow flew toward him. Kael barely ducked at the last second. This time, however, he didn't come out unharmed.
While the arrow passed him, Kaiden's blade slashed across his thigh.
Kael clenched his teeth. Seeing the wide cut and blood coming out of his thigh, he knew this wasn't going to be easy. Even standing straight had become difficult.
Another set of arrows was aimed at Kael. He crawled forward, dodging the attack. The arrows, however, were never aimed to hit him.
Sarah's aim was to move Kael closer to Kaiden, and that was exactly what happened.
The moment Kael stood up, Kaiden charged at him with his shield. The attack was so well-timed that Kael was completely helpless. The impact sent him sprawling to the ground.
"Is this it? You did well, considering you were facing three of us at the same time."
Kaiden muttered with a calm look on his face. Inwardly, however, he was surprised.
He had sparred with the Hero just yesterday, but…
It seemed like, in just one day, the Hero had gotten stronger again. Unlike the usual cases, where his growth was steady, this time, his overall strength had suddenly jumped to another level.
Kaiden shook his head. Now, however, it was time to end this.
The old soldier raised his sword, ready to end the battle. Kael, however, rolled to his side just as Kaiden's sword came down, dodging the attack.
"You should stop resisting pointlessly. You cannot win."
Kael, however, rolled back and scrambled to his feet, creating distance between him and Kaiden.
Kaiden shook his head, not moving. And then,
Sarah's next arrow found its mark, lodging into Kael's shoulder.
Kael hissed, pain coursing throughout his body as he pulled out the arrow covered in his blood.
By then, Kaiden lunged forward again, his shield up, not giving Kael any opening. Kael could only sidestep, trying to evade, but his movements had gotten much more sluggish.
The shield charged into him. Once again, Kael tumbled backwards.
"Haaah… Haaahh… Haaahh…"
His breathing became heavy but Kaiden didn't give him time to rest and bashed into him with his shield and once again, Kael tumbled backwards.
This time, however, instead of groaning in pain, Kael smirked.
A bloodied smirk that would have sent shivers down Kaiden's spine if he had seen something just a week ago.
Kaiden frowned, unable to understand why Kael was acting this way. Then, suddenly, Kael started running towards Sarah.
All this while, while facing Kaiden, Kael had been constantly getting closer to Sarah. This was also the reason why it was becoming harder and harder for him to avoid Sarah's arrows and why Kaiden and Sarah didn't react to it despite knowing what he was doing.
After all, even if he closed the distance, as long as there was some distance between them, Sarah was confident in not getting caught by him.
The Archer trusted her speed and agility even more than her bow. Not to mention, she had also observed Kael's speed all this while and was confident that there was no way he could catch up to her.
So when Kael rushed towards Sarah, completely abandoning Kaiden, the latter shook his head in disappointment.
"You became impatient, huh."
Kaiden muttered as he followed Kael, easily closing the distance between them despite Kael having a head start.
"There are still five seconds left before you can activate your ability again. You should have waited.
Unless, of course, you thought I couldn't catch you within these five seconds. And if that is the case,
I would be disappointed.
You are underestimating me, Hero Kael."
Kaiden spoke as he appeared behind Kael, ready to slam him with his shield again, confident that he would win since there were still three seconds before Kael could use his skill again.
Yes, he had been counting it all this while. This was also the reason he let Varik do anything he wanted during the battle.
From the start, the battle was going exactly as he planned.
According to the script, I am supposed to be underestimated here before I pull out my plot armor."
Before Kaiden could understand his words.
The Hero's face contorted, his eyes turned draconic golden, red veins pulsed beneath his skin, and his now jagged teeth gleamed. Then,
"RRROOOOOAAAAAARRRR!!!!!"