Back on the battlefield, Max had just been deceived by the ogre he was fighting against. It had tricked him into thinking the strike would come from above, but then...
The blow landed, but not where he had expected. The hammer smashed into him from the side, catching him completely off guard. His eyes widened in shock, saliva burst from his mouth, and his body was hurled away like a ragdoll, bouncing and tumbling across the ground with violent force.
"ARGH!" Max grunted in both pain and fury, stabbing his fingers deep into the dirt to bring his body to a skidding halt. His hands dragged grooves into the earth as his momentum slowed.
He spat out the metallic taste of blood from his mouth, the copper tang clinging to his tongue. Slowly, he lifted his head and glared at the ogre now charging at him with unrelenting speed, its bloodshot eyes full of murderous intent.
’I think I have had enough of you.’
The beast roared as it closed the distance in a blur. In a flash, it was in front of Max, swinging its hammer upward in an uppercut-like strike that could crush his entire body. But Max had already made his decision.
{Adrenaline Rush Activated}
He shot off with the thunderous sound of a gunshot, his legs exploding with raw strength. The ground beneath him shattered instantly, fragments of earth flying into the air as he propelled himself upward with astonishing speed. Sword in hand, Max leaped toward the ogre, his blade gleaming as he prepared to strike.
But just as he was about to unleash his attack from midair, his dragon eyes suddenly flared, warning him of incoming danger. His instincts screamed, and in the next instant, he twisted violently in the air, narrowly avoiding a sword that had been hurled his way with incredible force.
The sword smashed into the ground below, embedding itself into the earth with a terrifying impact, piercing straight through the dirt as easily as a hot knife slicing butter.
Max wasted no time. Without losing momentum, he kicked against the air with explosive force, shooting forward like a rocket. His sword was thrust straight ahead, aiming to impale the ogre clean through before it could react.
However, the distraction from the hurled sword had been just enough. The beast regained its composure in that instant, yanking its massive hammer back and thrusting it upward with devastating force, meeting Max head-on in the air.
The hammer was now only inches away from him. All he could do was bring his sword up in front of his face, bracing himself for the collision.
The impact was like a battering ram slamming into him at full force. Max gritted his teeth as the brutal strike sent him flying once again, his arms trembling from the shockwave. Yet this time, he managed to recover. Google seaʀᴄh ɴovᴇl_Firᴇ.ɴet
Twisting his body in the air, he flipped several times before landing smoothly in a crouched stance, his sword still in his grasp. Dust swirled around him as he steadied his breath.
’Honestly, fighting with just a sword is tiring. Why don’t I even have any useful combat skills?!’ Max roared internally, frustration clawing at his mind as he caught sight of two more ogres charging in alongside the one he was already fighting.
"You’re a dragon," Pix’s voice finally broke through the chaos, cutting into Max’s thoughts after silently watching him struggle for so long.
"So? Should I go shake hands with the beasts and introduce myself? ’Hey, I’m Max and I’m a dragon, nice to meet you.’ The hell?! What’s your point here?" Max snapped furiously, his voice rising as the ogres thundered closer with murderous intent.
"I was about to make the point when you fucking interrupted me!" Pix clapped back, her tone sharp and full of annoyance. She sighed heavily, then continued with firm conviction. "You’re a dragon, so why keep fighting like a human? Stop limiting yourself. Fight like what you really are."
"I was never a dragon, damn it!" Max shouted back, veins bulging in his neck, but his words froze halfway as his eyes widened in alarm. The first ogre had already reached him, its massive axe slicing through the air in a deadly arc aimed directly at his jaw.
Leaping back, Max quickly yanked the massive sword lodged in the ground free and swung it with brutal force. The blade tore through the air and rammed directly into the ogre’s arm, slicing its hand clean off in one decisive strike.
{Skill: Adrenaline Rush has ended}
"Shit." He muttered under his breath as he pivoted sideways, barely avoiding a hammer swing aimed at his skull.
The weapon smashed into the earth with a deafening crash, sending shockwaves through the ground. Dust and fragments of rock burst outward, the sheer power of the strike a reminder of what would have happened if it had connected.
"I was never a dragon but a human in my past life. So how the hell am I supposed to fight like something I know nothing of?" Max shouted as he jerked his head to the side, narrowly dodging an axe swing from the same ogre whose hand he had severed. The monster bellowed in rage, its eyes glowing with savage fury.
"I have helped in whatever way I can. The rest is up to you. Pull your two brain cells together and figure something out." Pix retorted sharply, her voice brimming with irritation.
’Curse you! You helped my foot!’ Max thundered inwardly, his frustration boiling. That single moment of distraction cost him, as the glint of another hammer suddenly flashed across his vision, speeding directly toward his face.
Instinct screamed at him. He lifted his arms just in time, the impact rocking through his bones.
The hammer’s brutal strike sent him flying backward, his heels carving trenches in the dirt as his body skidded violently across the battlefield. He finally came to a grinding halt, dust billowing around him.
"Ugh." He groaned, dropping to one knee, his chest heaving with exhaustion. Sweat slid down his brow, his grip on the sword tightening. ’Think, think, think! Fight like a dragon, how?! Wait...’
Images flooded his mind. Flashes of the countless movies he had watched as a kid back on Earth in his past life. Dragons soaring through skies, tearing apart armies.
Werewolves ripping enemies with claw and fang. Vampires fighting with speed and elegance. Each creature had its own distinct combat style, primal yet intelligent. And then, the answer began to piece itself together.
Max’s gaze drifted down to his own body. His chest rose and fell rapidly as he clenched his weapon, his fingers trembling with both fatigue and anticipation.
He raised the sword, eyes burning with determination as the approaching ogres charged toward him with thunderous steps.
"What are dragons? Beasts? Mythical creatures... but much more intelligent." Max muttered to himself, his voice low but brimming with resolve.
With that, he clamped the blade between his teeth, crouched low on all fours like a predator preparing to strike. His dominant foot shifted further back for balance, claws of dirt forming beneath his boots. His eyes glowed brighter than ever, twin orbs of burning resolve fixated on the charging beasts.
Then, in the blink of an eye, he exploded forward.
The ground shattered beneath him as he pounced off like a blur, moving faster than even he thought possible. In a heartbeat, he was airborne, soaring directly above the beasts, the wind tearing past his ears.
"ARGHHHH!" Max roared with primal fury. The sword clamped between his teeth had already nicked his lips, drawing blood, but that drop of blood awakened something deeper.
The blade pulsed. Unknown to him, his blood had triggered the sword, and it began to glow a fierce crimson, burning with raw draconic power.
The glow intensified. With instinct guiding him, Max ripped the sword from his mouth, raising it high above his head. Muscles flexed, veins bulged, and with a roar that shook the battlefield, he swung it downward with everything he had.
The result was devastating.
A massive arc of blazing red aura burst forth from the blade, tearing through the air like a crescent moon of death. The slash cut through the three ogres in front of him with terrifying precision, cleaving their massive bodies clean in half.
Their roars of rage were silenced instantly, their forms collapsing as blood and entrails sprayed across the battlefield.
But the attack didn’t stop there. The remnant of the slash surged onward, carving a deep, jagged trench into the earth itself, the ground splitting apart in a line that extended far beyond the battlefield.
{New Skill Created: Draconic Pulse!}
The notification echoed in his vision, but Max barely noticed. His chest heaved, his body trembled, and his eyes widened at the sheer destructive power he had just unleashed.