The Envoy of Darkness

Chapter 3 - The Fated Encounter Part 2

Max's expression changed as he heard the words. He immediately willed the air to do his bidding.

With no other options, the snake chose to comply and instantly bared its poisonous fangs in the hopes of quickly terminating his life. It met an inexplicable amount of resistance as it tried to bite Max. During its attempt to penetrate the invisible armor of air, it felt its skin burn. Its eyes soon began to bulge as it gradually lost its strength. Its body visibly withered before it fell off Max and began to thrash on the ground in seemingly endless misery.

Now that he was free from the snake's grasp, Max hurriedly took a few steps back. He turned his attention to the dumbfounded knights before putting a stop to the beast's torture with a snap of his fingers. The air around the reptile instantaneously settled, but the damage was done. The creature was left emaciated and unconscious.

"What did you do?!" James howled with a pale face and drew his sword. Wishing to send the snake back into its pocket space where it could safely heal, he threw out a small stone with markings. Under a flash of light, the snake disappeared and only the runic rock was left behind.

Since knights were incapable of forming contracts, a minority in their ranks instead opted to tame beasts. These knights had to use space stones to send and retrieve their beasts from pocket dimensions. However, this commodity was expensive and could only be crafted by a Grand Master or an Arch Mage possessing a thorough knowledge of space magic.

In response to his opponent's rage, Max sneered. "You can try to kill me, but I can't do the same?"

Despite his fury, James didn't recklessly charge forward. He glanced at his brother and found Charles solemnly gazing at their opponent. In spite of his sensitivity to fluctuations in mana, Charles couldn't discern how Max had attacked the snake. Combined with his inability to gauge Max's strength, he became increasingly apprehensive.

As a witness to the scene, the lion's eyes flickered with fear. Since the moment Max had deployed his powers, the prideful mortal tier creature had been overwhelmed by feelings of dread. If not for its loyalty to Charles, it would have already hastened into a retreat.

Not new to his brother's temperament, Charles knew that falling back wasn't an option. Having come to a decision, Charles drew his sword and mumbled, "Better to end this now then to let this potential threat foster."

The siblings exchanged glances and instantly launched a coordinated attack - one struck from the left, the other from the right. Even though both knights were fast, Max had confidence in his own speed. He tried to avoid the swords by hurriedly retreating. As the two blades slashed down, Max felt a small ripple of power which produced a foreboding sense of danger.

"I always thought close combat as my forte." Max raised a brow in surprise as he dodged the two strikes. "The world is a big place."

Although Max's attitude displayed hints of complacency, he was staying extremely vigilant. The simple exchange had already proved that his adversaries couldn't be taken lightly. Combined with the lion holding the girl hostage, Max had a lot to worry about.

James and Charles unhesitatingly continued their barrage of slashes. While carefully monitoring Max's movement, they managed to corner him against a tree before they thrust their swords out. One was aimed at Max's heart while the other blade at his throat.

Feeling the bark against his back, Max silently scowled. He had underestimated their well coordinated teamwork. Their form was near perfect and their seamless blows had given him no opportunities to counter. It had obviously taken years of diligent practice and battle experience to reach this level of skill. Despite the loathing he felt for them, Max couldn't help but also feel a hint of respect.