Chapter 200: Defeated In Two Moves!

A cold breeze swept across the battlefield, carrying the crimson fog away and gradually revealing Ka'z beneath it. His body had returned to its usual lean, muscular form, but something about him had changed.

A faint red hue escaped from beneath his scales, almost as though his entire body had been heated from within. Thin wisps of red steam continued to rise from his skin, twisting around his shoulders before disappearing into the cold air.

Ka'z slowly lowered his gaze toward Charles and tightened his grip around the twin hand axes at his sides. His expression was calm, but there was no trace of the playful confidence he had shown earlier.

"Brother Charles. Don't blame me for what happens next... Blame your arrogance," Ka'z said as his fingers curled firmly around the hilts of his weapons.

Bang!

The ground beneath Ka'z's feet cracked violently as his body sprang forward. The force of his acceleration kicked dust into the air behind him, and in an instant, the distance between the two combatants disappeared.

Ka'z twisted his waist and swung one of his axes with enough force to tear through anything standing in its path.

Swish!

The blade ripped through the air with a vicious sound, but to Ka'z's surprise, it met no resistance whatsoever. His eyes widened as the realization struck him. He had missed. His head snapped upward as he searched for Charles, only to see a blurred figure spinning through the air several meters above him.

Lightning crackled violently around Charles's body, gathering along the blade of his sword as he descended with wicked precision.

Boom!

Ka'z's instincts screamed at him to move. He threw his body sideways just as Charles's sword crashed into the ground where he had been standing. The earth split apart beneath the impact, cracks spreading outward as chunks of dirt and stone were blasted into the air.

Ka'z narrowly escaped the descending blade, but the force of the attack still sent him skidding backward several meters. He dug both hand axes into the ground, dragging the blades through the earth until the friction finally brought his retreat to a stop.

Thud!

His body settled into a low stance as he stared at Charles through the settling dust, his breathing noticeably heavier than before.

Huff!

Red steam escaped from Ka'z's nostrils as he exhaled slowly. Across from him, Charles stood calmly within the crater created by his attack. His body glowed faintly beneath his clothes, while bright blue veins could be seen running across his arms and neck, pulsing with concentrated mana.

There was something fundamentally different about the way his body moved compared to an ordinary magus. Every movement seemed reinforced, every muscle carrying an unnatural density and strength.

Ka'z narrowed his eyes as he studied him.

"This is..." he mumbled, genuine surprise entering his voice.

"Mana Body, of course. If you truly have the diary of Prince Luther D' Lanthor, you should have come across it," Charles replied with a mocking tone as he lifted his sword and rested it loosely against his shoulder. "You shouldn't be surprised."

Of course, the Red Scripture spoke extensively about the Mana Body. Ka'z had studied those sections so thoroughly that he had already written down everything he could remember into a manual for the warriors of Vaal'kor.

Human society had even created an entirely different role for people whose cores were not developed enough to rely on conventional magic. They were called Magic Knights.

Rather than depending on powerful magic cores, Magic Knights spent years refining their bodies with mana, gradually circulating it through their muscles, bones, organs, and flesh until their bodies themselves became weapons.

Their physical strength, speed, durability, and senses could all be enhanced through mana refinement, allowing them to fight even when their magical abilities were limited.

To compensate for their lack of conventional spellcasting, they also relied heavily on magic enhanced weapons, turning their bodies and equipment into extensions of their combat ability.

"Of course I know what the Mana Body is. It is used by human Magic Knights," Ka'z said as he slowly straightened himself, keeping his eyes fixed on Charles. "I just never thought Brother Charles had mastered it."

Buzz!

Charles's eyes widened slightly. For the first time since the fight began, genuine surprise crossed his face. He had not expected Ka'z to know about Magic Knights, especially not a kobold from the southern region of Evergreen Forest. The Red Scripture was the only reasonable explanation. The more Ka'z revealed, the harder it became for Charles to believe that the kobold had somehow fabricated his story.

If Ka'z really possessed Prince Luther's diary, then his knowledge of human magic and society suddenly made far more sense.

Charles's surprise quickly turned into anger as he tightened his grip around his sword. "If you know about it, then you must also know you don't have a chance of beating me with that silly blood enhancement spell. According to your story, the goblin chief killed your worthless best warrior before with this technique. What makes you think your case will be any different?"

Ka'z's expression immediately changed.

The moment Charles mentioned Tud'or, the faint amusement disappeared from his face. His eyes darkened, and the killing intent that erupted from his body was so sudden and intense that several spectators instinctively stiffened.

Ka'z slowly lowered his body, bringing both axes into position as his muscles tensed beneath his scales.

"You bloody piece of shit... Don't you dare speak about Tud'or like you know him. He won that fight..." His voice trembled with restrained fury as memories of Tud'or's final battle flashed through his mind.

Charles only sneered.

"But he was the one who fell, and Grash walked away alive. As far as I'm concerned, Grash won that fight. Every other thing is an excuse." His tone carried a mocking amusement, as though he had deliberately chosen the words knowing exactly how deeply they would cut.

Ka'z's expression tightened. His hands instinctively clenched harder around the handles of his weapons until his claws dug into them. For several seconds, he said nothing. Charles had successfully touched the one wound Ka'z had never managed to close. Tud'or was not simply a dead warrior to him. He was the first person who had truly believed in him, and one of the reasons Ka'z had survived long enough to build everything standing behind him.

Bang!

Ka'z suddenly exploded forward. The ground beneath his feet shattered as he crossed the distance between them in an instant, both axes swinging downward with enough force to cleave through Charles's body.

"Hmph!"

Charles calmly shifted his weight and stepped to the side. Ka'z's axes tore through empty air as Charles's sword swept forward in the same motion, lightning surging violently along its edge.

Pffft!

A shallow but vicious cut opened across Ka'z's chest. Blood immediately began flowing down his scales, staining the jagged spikes covering his torso.

Ka'z staggered backward, his eyes widening as he instinctively pressed one hand against the wound. The pain was not what shocked him. It was the fact that Charles had actually managed to cut through his Dragon Scales.

'Just like Grash... He can cut me?' Ka'z's eyes dilated in disbelief, and for the first time since the fight began, genuine horror twisted across his face.

Ka'z dropped onto one knee, pressing his palm against the wound as blood continued to seep between his fingers. His breathing became heavier, each breath coming out with increasing force as he struggled to process what had just happened.

He stared at Charles, who remained standing several meters away with his sword lowered at his side, lightning still dancing across the blade.

For a moment, nobody in Galoria spoke. Then the Halflings erupted into loud cheers.

Their voices rolled across the battlefield as several of them raised their weapons and shouted Charles's name. To them, the exchange had proven exactly what they expected. Their young warrior had cut down the supposedly invincible kobold in only two attacks.

The Gnolls, however, remained completely silent. Not a single cheer came from their side.

Tega stood frozen, his ears lowered as his eyes remained fixed on Ka'z's bleeding body. Layla's expression had turned pale, while Bao's face became increasingly serious as he stared at the wound.

Even Wolvrac looked unsettled.

At least, Tega and Layla had witnessed what Ka'z was capable of. Yet now their strongest ally was kneeling in the dirt, bleeding after only two exchanges.

The greatest warrior of Vaal'kor had been defeated in two moves!