Chapter 433: Horizon Archer Vs. Arcane Sniper [Part 3]

The Wind Arrow Otto had unleashed was three times faster than his usual attacks.

However, Vogel had a shield-like artifact hovering three meters away from his body, which automatically defended him from any attack that came within its range.

A metallic thunk reached the general’s ears as his shield did its duty. Meanwhile, Otto immediately ordered his Sky Drake to dive down in an attempt to evade the incoming attack.

Unlike the other mounts in the Aslan Tribe, his Sky Drake was a Rank 5 Monster, so its speed was nothing to scoff at.

It evaded successfully, but one of the beams grazed its back, shattering the scales that protected its body.

"One with Man and Beast!" Otto said as he activated a skill Leone had given him before the war started.

This skill allowed Otto to become one with his Sky Drake, forming a single entity.

It meant that the Horizon Archer wouldn’t have to worry about falling off his mount’s back even if the Sky Drake was forced to do dangerous aerial maneuvers.

This skill allowed him to focus on attacking, while his mount focused on dodging their enemy’s attacks.

Otto then used his skill, Penta Strafe, allowing him to fire five arrows in rapid succession.

Each of these arrows were also imbued with Wind Magic that let it change its trajectory mid-air.

Otto only needed to set a target, and those arrows would pierce through that location no matter what.

When he shared the information of this skill to Leone, the young man thought that it would have been better if his arrows automatically locked on to his opponent.

Unfortunately, Otto didn’t have this ability. Instead, he could only use an attack pattern that would be very hard to block using normal means.

It was then that his gaze landed on his opponent’s face.

Otto saw that his enemy was sneering at him, making him have a very bad feeling.

Vogel then pulled back on his bow string and unleashed a magical arrow. However, it didn’t end there.

His hands began to move in a blur, making Otto gasp in disbelief.

For a brief moment, he thought that Vogel had suddenly grown six hands. The latter was firing two arrows per second.

All the arrows transformed into beams of light, destroying the five Wind Arrows that Otto had unleashed.

Soon, Otto found himself in the middle of a rain of arrows, which was deadlier, for it could target his location!

The Sky Drake tried to evade with everything it had, making sure that its rider was protected.

Unfortunately, Vogel was a truly powerful marksman. His arrows pierced through the scales of the Sky Drake, drawing blood.

’Damn!’ Otto finally understood the gap between him and the Vermillion Bird General.

He prided himself for being a strong archer. However, it looked like the only thing he could hit were easy targets.

Against the general, who had fought more wars, he was like a five-year old trying to fight a teenager with his bare hands.

And the sad part was that while he fought barehanded, his opponent actually had a wooden stick to hit him silly.

He was unable to fight back, only taking a beating in return.

Otto understood that if he couldn’t escape his opponent’s attack range, he would soon be as good as dead.

But retreating also posed great danger.

The moment he turned his back toward his enemy, he felt that his chances of survival would go down to zero.

He would only become a sitting duck, waiting for an arrow to pierce his body.

"I got you now!" Vogel sneered as the light arrows he fired grew in intensity, speed, and power.

The general respected his opponent for trying to fight him in a fair battle. However, the difference in skill immediately showed him who was the better archer.

While Otto’s archery skills were pathetic compared to Vogel’s own set of skills, the general didn’t dare look down on him.

If Otto was allowed to live, the Britannian Army would be in grave danger.

No matter what, he couldn’t allow this dangerous enemy to live!

The Sky Drake deemed that staying would only end up in death for it and its master.

With that, it didn’t hesitate to turn around and fly in a zigzag, attempting to at least evade the enemy’s dangerous attack.

But just who was Vogel? Unlike Otto, who had only become a Horizon Archer for a few months, the general had been using his bow and arrow not to hunt beasts, but people!

"You’re not getting away!" Vogel’s cruel sneer appeared on his face. "Die!"

He then unleashed a barrage of arrows of light three times faster and three times more powerful than his standard magical attacks.

Otto could feel death approaching him from behind. Yet, he didn’t waver and simply trusted his Sky Drake to get them both to safety.

When the arrows were only dozens of meters away from Otto, dozens of boulders the size of a car collided with the light arrows.

The boulders shattered, but that was more than enough for the arrows to lose their forward momentum.

It was then that the Vermilion Bird General sensed the presence of two powerful beings that were as strong...and maybe even stronger than him!

This realization made the general crush the necklace hanging on his chest without hesitation.

A second later, the general’s body was enveloped with light as he was teleported away back to Stoneguard Fortress.

As for his mount, the Flying Tiger didn’t see it coming.

Its master had abandoned it without hesitation, leaving it at the mercy of the Garuda Gryphon and the Shanlong that had appeared by its side only a few seconds after Vogel disappeared.

"A very decisive and dangerous fellow," Shanlong said with a frown. "No wonder he’s a general. He has the skills to back it up."

Daedalus nodded in agreement as he looked toward the north, where the Stoneguard Fortress was located.

"What are we going to do with this fellow?" Lord Azar’s words made Astravor shift his attention back to the Flying Tiger, who didn’t dare to let out a single roar.

"Let’s take it back to Grimjaw Mountain and make it Boris’ plaything," Astravor said evilly. "That way, he will no longer bully the Pteranodons and the Wyverns from the Bonegnash Tribe."

The pitiful Flying Tiger had no idea who this "Boris" was.

The only thought in its mind right now was how it would be able to escape his two captors, who could crush its neck if they felt like doing so.

Although it was expected the battle between the Horizon Archer and the Arcane Sniper ended in the former’s defeat.

Even so, now that Otto had seen what a real archer was like, his desire to surpass Vogel’s archery skills had bloomed in his heart.

That was the first time when he truly felt like death was about to claim his life. He had always been the one delivering death to others at the safety of his strike range.

He had to admit that fighting the general within his own attack range was reckless. However, just as Leone trusted him, he trusted his comrades as well.

When his Sky Drake finally landed a few meters away from Leone, Otto dismounted and knelt in front of his Great Chieftain.

"I’m sorry, Great Chieftain," Otto said. "I lost the duel."

Leone looked at his vassal, who had suffered injuries during the battle. While he didn’t get a direct hit, several light arrows grazed his body.

Otto was bleeding all over, so Leone healed him right away.

"As long as you are alive, that is all that matters to me," Leone said with honesty. "The Vermillion Bird General is strong, and yet you fought such a strong opponent. I’m sure you’ve learned many things from this experience."

"I did, Great Chieftain," Otto replied. "I will strive to become better so that I will surpass the me of today."

Leone nodded and patted his vassal, whom he had finished healing.

"Enemy reinforcements have arrived, Lord Leone," Vlad reported. "They are three miles away from our location."

Leone narrowed his eyes and gazed over the horizon. Although he couldn’t see as far as Otto could, he could still see the dust cloud in the distance.

It seemed that the Britannian Army had rushed to save their general, who had managed to escape before Astravor and Lord Azar could capture him.

"Otto, show them hell," Leone ordered.

"Yes, Great Chieftain," Otto replied.

He then took out the Skybreaker Ballista from his storage ring and allowed Logan to load a bolt onto it.

After taking aim, Otto unleashed a deadly shot that pierced through the armor of four soldiers before coming to a complete stop.

Immediately, magical shields began to manifest at the front of the Britannian Army.

While Otto did lose against Vogel, the war was far from finished.

And with this confrontation, the Horizon Archer burned with the determination to kill as many enemies as he possibly could to sow terror and death among their ranks.