Jolthar's breathing slowed, but his fury burned hotter. The word bastard echoed in his mind, a festering wound reopened. It had followed him his entire life, whispered in the halls of nobility, spat in the shadows of the clan, and used as a chain to drag him down.
And yet, he was still here.
His blade trembled, not from hesitation but from the sheer force of the chaos curling around it, reacting to his emotions. Lodawg thought this would break him. That he would lose himself to the rage, and the chaos would devour him from within.
He had no intention of breaking.
Jolthar's gaze locked onto Lodawg, cold and sharp as a predator's. His voice came out as a low growl, steady but laced with a venomous sneer. "Stop barking."
Lodawg chuckled, unfazed. "So much hostility. You sound just like the mutt they raised you to be." He spread his arms mockingly. "Come, then. Let the chaos take you. Or will you prove just how weak your blood truly is?"
The ground trembled beneath Jolthar's feet as the chaos surged outward, the storm no longer whispering—but roaring.
Lodawg had played his hand.
And Jolthar was done listening.
Lodawg started running towards Jolthar with slow steps, and he said, "Come on, boy. Show me what you got."
Jolthar started slowly, "I will make your death last longer than your wagging tongue."
They picked up the pace.
Lodawg lunged, his talons gleaming like obsidian razors as they sliced through the air. His monstrous form moved with terrifying speed, each step leaving deep imprints in the ground as he closed the distance between them.
The mana surged as he got closer.
At the same time, he cast a spell, and flame orbs materialized beside him, pulsating with raw magical energy, and with a sharp incantation, he sent them hurtling toward Jolthar, transforming into searing beams of fire.
Jolthar didn't flinch.
His blade, Horgath, was already in motion before the first beam reached him. He cut through the fiery onslaught, the force of his swings parting the flames like a stormwind tearing through smoke.
But Lodawg was relentless.
As soon as Jolthar deflected the first wave, the beast-man was upon him.
Lodawg's talons came crashing down with monstrous force, aiming to tear through Jolthar's defence. Those flame orbs moved along with Lodawg.
Jolthar met them head-on, his sword clashing against the wicked talons with a deafening screech of metal and bone. Sparks flew as the two of them locked weapons, their strength shaking the ground beneath them.
At the same time, the remaining flame orbs twisted in midair, redirecting themselves.
They shot forward again—this time joined by chilling orbs of ice. Fire and ice beams rained upon him from all sides, seeking to overwhelm him. ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ novelFirｅ.net
Jolthar's eyes gleamed.
With a flick of his left wrist, he extended his telekinetic force, shattering the trajectory of the beams before they could reach him.
The energy cracked around him like invisible ripples, sending the attacks scattering into the trees behind him. Explosions of fire and frost erupted in the forest, charring some trees to cinders while others were encased in jagged ice, frozen mid-motion.
Their fight became a blur—two figures clashing in a storm of magic, steel, and raw force.
They moved through the battlefield in a chaotic dance, leaping, dodging, and striking.
His sword struck Lodawg's talons, igniting sparks that flew through the air, and the wind ripped from the clash, and the sound of metal clashing reverberated through the forest.
Every impact they made against each other sent shockwaves rippling outward, uprooting trees, splitting boulders, and carving trenches into the earth.
It was like two power giants were clashing arms. The energy from their clash was devastating and destructive.
Jolthar pivoted, ducking under a vicious swipe of Lodawg's talons, then lashed out with Horgath in a devastating arc.
Lodawg barely dodged, twisting his body unnaturally, his talons dragging through the ground as he slid to the side, tearing the soil apart.
"You're just like a rat," Lodawg bellowed.
In retaliation, he slammed his foot into the earth, sending a surge of molten rock bursting from below.
Jolthar shot upward, hovering in the air using telekinesis just as the ground exploded into a geyser of magma.
Lodawg was already there—leaping after him, flames licking his talons.
"Hehehe", he was laughing at Jolthar. Lodawg was relishing chasing after Jolthar like he was a predator.
He swiped at Jolthar midair, the force of his attack sending sonic booms through the forest. Jolthar spun, barely evading the strike, and countered with a telekinetic blast, hurling Lodawg backward like a meteor.
The monstrous mage smashed through an entire line of trees, breaking them like twigs before skidding to a stop. Smoke and fire rose from the battlefield as the flames from his previous attacks consumed the surrounding forest.
Jolthar landed, his blade still humming with the chaos energy that pulsed through him. The battlefield was unrecognisable.
Trees lay shattered in the distance. Some were still burning, their blackened trunks releasing plumes of dark smoke. The ground was torn apart, craters and jagged fissures marking the path of their battle. The once-lush forest was reduced to a war-torn ruin, the air thick with ash and the lingering energy of their clash. And the lake was nowhere to be seen.
Lodawg stood slowly, grinning despite the damage. His body was covered in fresh cuts, and his talons cracked but still deadly.
"This..." he exhaled, his voice still laced with that metallic resonance. "Wahh!! To feel this much power, it was worth it. Definitely worth the time I put in."
He looked at Jolthar; his sharp, black-coloured teeth were shown fully as he grinned. "I can't even imagine what I will become after I consume your power."
Lodawg's facial features twisted into something sinister. And Jolthar was starting to get annoyed.
Jolthar didn't answer. He merely raised Horgath, his grip steady, his aura flaring like a wildfire.