Free Web NovelChapter 21: Knight of Flames Vs Leo :Round 2
Name: Leo Hamany] freeωebnovēl.c૦m
[Role: Attacker]
[Affinity: Darkness]
[Rank: SSS+ Rank User]
[Level 1 skill: Materialization]
[Strength: 7]
[Endurance: 5]
[Agility: 7]
Those were the stats that the Growth Nexus displayed for Leo . They weren’t something out of this world, just stats you could find in pretty much any teenager on Earth, provided they hadn’t wasted all their time looking at screens every day.
[Name: Leo Hamany]
[Role: Attacker]
[Affinity: Darkness]
[Rank: SSS+ Rank User]
[Level 1 skill: Materialization]
[Strength: 56]
[Endurance: 42]
[Agility : 72]
Those were Leo’s stats after training inside the Growth Nexus and successfully accomplishing every training session . It was a large difference from the beginning, but whether that change was game-changing or just food for the eye was all going to be determined by the outcome of his battle against the Knight of Flames.
The Knight went all out on Leo, swinging its heavy sword with the very intention of finishing him in one strike. Its movements were swift and disciplined, as if it were from the samurai era and had dedicated its entire life to sharpening its skills until they reached their highest peak.
Leo did his best to parry the Knight’s swings if they didn’t carry a lot of momentum and dodge them if he thought he wasn’t strong enough to counter them. It was a wonder that he was able to stand toe-to-toe with the enemy that had nearly destroyed him effortlessly just days ago.
As the exchange of blades went on, Leo could feel a large surge of heat cover his entire body. Sweat dripped from his head like raindrops. Some of it entered his eyes, bringing a sharp sting of pain that made him blink repeatedly until it disappeared.
’Have to create some room between us,’ he reckoned.
After parrying the Knight’s attack, he jumped back a few steps, creating the much-needed distance between the two. His eyes remained locked on the Knight standing before him that was dripping with bloodlust.
’I can’t lie, my Agility has really increased! But even with that, this is bad. That Knight doesn’t have any weakness I can take advantage of.’
Leo thought while wiping the sweat off his face using his right arm.
His eyes fell upon the holes in the Knight’s face that were supposed to be eyes but instead contained nothing but undying flames.
’The only spaces on his armor show fire and no flesh. That means whatever is operating that thing isn’t something my blade attacks can hit.’
Leo’s eyes stayed glued to the Knight, never letting go like a cough in the desert. He even started to miss the Flaming Nucleus skill he had assimilated from the Knight, because if he had it in this fight, things might have turned out differently.
For starters, he could’ve thrown long-range attacks at the Knight, which was a huge advantage since he would have no reason to get so close and endure the scorching heat every time.
Out of the blue, the Knight started moving again, its feet leaving burnt footprints on the ground while carrying its blazing blade. It rushed toward Leo to shorten the distance between them.
Somehow, the Knight knew what the heat it constantly emitted did to its opponents and understood that engaging in a long-range battle would destroy that advantage. That’s why, since the beginning of the fight, it hadn’t used its long-range fire attacks and had instead focused on close-quarters combat.
Their weapons clashed again, flickers of flame flying into the air.
And just as before, the heat kept destroying Leo’s focus. Luckily, he had come up with a plan to somewhat mitigate the damage.
The moment he found an opening during their exchanges, he would retreat a few steps so he could cool off before approaching the Knight again. It wasn’t perfect, but at least it was a plan.
And in that second, that’s what he did.
’I really could use a shield in this fight.’
Leo thought as he glanced toward the sidelines, his breathing shallow from the continuous fighting.
But beneath it all, an idea floated into his mind.
He pulled up his system screen and scrolled down so he could recheck something he might have forgotten about his skill.
[Name: Leo Hamany]
[Role: Attacker]
[Affinity: Darkness]
[Rank: S-Rank User]
[Level 1 Skill: Materialization]
[****Materialization: Imagine an object and it is formed in your hands using darkness.]
The last note was the one that piqued his interest the most.
’Imagine an object, huh? That means the imagination is limitless.’
He pondered.
Leo’s mind rushed with countless images in that second, like a search engine searching for a particular picture across the entire World Wide Web.
But after a few moments of thought, he finally found what he was looking for—a medieval knight’s armor from one of the manga he had once read.
’I just hope this works.’
He offered a prayer to whatever force in the universe was kind enough to hear him out.
Pew!!
The Knight lashed out again toward him. It raised its blade, planning to slash him down.
When it was only a few centimeters away from striking Leo, a large swarm of energy rose from Leo’s feet and engulfed his body, covering him like a cloth without shape or design.
One second he was just Leo, and the next he was wearing a sleek black knight’s armor that fit him as though it had been custom-made. Along with it, a mask covered his face, its eye sockets glowing brightly.
A large surge of aura burst from Leo’s body like steam, pushing the Knight along with his sword back slightly. The heat from the Knight reflected off Leo’s armor like light bouncing off a mirror.
Even though it didn’t have eyes, Leo could feel that the Knight was confused by what it was seeing.
And it wasn’t alone, even Leo himself was completely thrown off balance by what was happening. He had imagined a knight’s armor covering him, but never had he dreamed that it would look so good. More importantly, he had never expected the immense surge of power to radiate from his body, empowering him in that moment.
"Now we’re talking."
He jumped back a few steps before rushing toward the Knight, taking on the role of attacker instead.
Even though his blade was smaller, Leo managed to push the Knight back. With every swing and every slash, the Knight parried, only to be forced backward by the sheer strength behind the attacks.
Slowly, the damage began etching itself into the Knight’s armor. Deep cracks formed across its arms and chest.
For the first time since the beginning of the fight, things were moving against the Knight. Leo spotted an opening in the Knight’s disciplined defense. He moved quicker than a cheetah to take advantage of it.
He kicked the Knight’s legs, forcing it to kneel to the ground. Then, with the blade in his right hand, he thrust toward the opening where the Knight’s eyes should have been.
Just as he was about to penetrate it, a voice came from the Knight. To be more accurate, it was a plea.
"Please don’t!"
The Knight raised its hands in surrender as it knelt on the ground.
