Chapter 140: Forging a Legion (3)

Malrik raised his spear toward Orren, his eyes fixed on him.

"Take him down."

In the next moment, the Minotaur charged toward him.

The marble exploded beneath the beast’s feet, but it did not charge like a heavy tank as everyone expected. Instead, it dashed with a terrifying speed that was completely at odds with its massive muscular frame.

In a fraction of a second, the Minotaur was in front of Orren, cleaving the air with its two axes in intersecting paths toward the warrior’s chest. Orren did not blink. With years of combat experience, he did not try to halt the brute force head-on.

Rather, he slid a half-step to the side and tilted his greatsword at a precise angle, allowing the two axe blades to slide across the metal surface of the sword amidst a sharp screech and flying sparks, before their trajectory was deflected to strike empty air.

But the Minotaur did not lose its balance. It exploited its momentum and spun around smoothly, delivering a horizontal strike faster and heavier than the previous one.

Orren blocked it with the hilt of his sword, then took a step back to absorb the force of the impact.

He tightened his grip slightly, his blue eyes remaining fixed on the beast with sharp focus. The Minotaur wasn’t relying solely on brute force; it was moving with an agility and skill Orren had not expected from a monster of this size.

The Minotaur continued to pressure Orren. No sooner did Orren block one of its strikes than another came from a different direction—sometimes targeting his side, sometimes crashing down from above his head, while its low strikes forced him to constantly move his feet.

With every clash between Orren’s sword and the Minotaur’s axes, the beast showed no sign of slowing down or tiring. If anything, the opposite was happening.

Its movements grew faster, and its strikes became heavier with each assault, as if it were drawing on the power of its momentum to grant the next blow even greater force.

Suddenly, at the exact moment Orren was forced to raise his greatsword with both hands to block a crushing dual strike from the Minotaur, Malrik’s voice came from behind him.

"You haven’t forgotten about me, have you?"

Orren’s expression shifted for a moment, but he didn’t have the time to turn around. Malrik had already moved from his blind spot, waiting for the moment Orren’s sword was occupied with the two axes.

And as soon as the axes clashed with his sword, Malrik’s spear thrust toward his throat.

The timing was terrifyingly precise. Orren’s focus had been entirely locked onto the Minotaur, which had not granted him a single moment to catch his breath. In the exact moment the axes slammed into his sword, Malrik suddenly appeared from behind him.

Orren didn’t sense Malrik’s presence until he saw the tip of the spear lunging toward his throat.

His eyes widened in genuine shock.

He hadn’t expected Malrik to be so close to him, let alone appear with such speed and at that specific moment. He had only a fraction of a second to react.

He threw his body backward, twisting his sword at the same time, using its weight to pull the Minotaur off balance with him.

The spear passed a few centimeters from his throat, clipping a few hairs from his beard before whistling past his head.

Gasps erupted from the crowd.

"What was that?!"

No one answered.

Everyone had fixed their gazes on the Minotaur since its appearance. A massive beast wielding two axes, with a speed completely unsuited to its size, was alone enough to capture the attention of everyone in the training grounds.

But at that moment, they realized that overlooking Malrik’s presence was equally lethal, especially if he was capable of coordinating his attack with the massive beast.

In the far corner, Zane’s smile was nowhere to be found. Before the fight began, he had bet that Malrik wouldn’t last even eight moves. Now, he stared at him in silence, unable to hide the shock on his face.

As for Ren, his eyes narrowed as he watched Malrik. He no longer viewed him as a newly Awakened-rank.

Even Jax found nothing to say for a moment. He stared at the spot where the spear had passed, then slowly shifted his gaze to Malrik.

"He almost slit his throat..."

The words slipped from him, this time with complete seriousness.

Orren himself was just as shocked as they were.

Orren regained his balance and raised his sword before him once again, but he did not take his eyes off his opponents.

He no longer had just one opponent he could focus on.

He had to deal with a Fallen-rank beast, ridiculously fast for its size, attacking relentlessly without giving him a chance to catch his breath, while simultaneously keeping an eye on Malrik—the mage capable of reading the flow of battle and intervening at the precise moment, exploiting every opening his summon created.

And worse yet, he had to face them using only his physical strength and combat skills. He was not permitted to use mana, any Law, or any skill.

For the first time since the duel began, Orren realized that simply staying calm would not be enough. He had to monitor two opponents at the same time, and give neither of them an opening to attack.

Orren retreated to one side of the courtyard, while Malrik and his summon stopped on the opposite side. Malrik raised his spear slightly, then offered a faint smile. "So... shall we continue, or will you surrender and serve me as your new lord?"

Orren looked at him for a moment. Then, the corner of his mouth curled into a similar smile as he raised his sword once again and shifted his body into a ready stance.

"You are truly a worthy opponent, Banner Bearer. I haven’t faced an opponent who pushed me this far in a long time."

His smile widened slightly, and he tightened his grip around the hilt of his sword.

"But I wish to continue."

He locked his eyes onto Malrik, a fiery enthusiasm igniting within his gaze.

"As for surrendering... I have absolutely no intention of surrendering."

Orren had barely finished speaking when the Minotaur charged forward once more.