Classless Awakening; My Dragon Is Legendary-Chapter 15: When fear turns silent

Derrick slammed against the earth, his nostrils filling with the metallic tang of blood mingled with fresh-cut grass.

Derrick quickly shot to his feet, he cleaned his eyes in an effort to make sure they did not deceive him.

Despite that, what he had seen earlier didn’t change. In fact, it had grown worse.

In the remaining palm of the doll was something Derrick didn’t expect.

A ball of bright orange flames hovered, and the flames grew brighter each second.

Fear crept into Derrick’s mind. He hadn’t even gone far with his training, and yet he was facing magic.

The doll threw its arm, and the ball of flames came hurtling forward.

Derrick dodged swiftly, and the flames whizzed past him, scorching the grass behind him.

The familiar wooden creak drew Derrick’s attention.

Derrick gripped his blade even tighter, his injury still present, but his mind unwilling to give up.

He was weighing the risk. With the introduction of the doll’s fire, the risk and chances of dying had doubled.

Also, without the Royal Knight, if he died here, then it would be permanent.

The doll locked eyes with Derrick, and by strange means, its missing hand grew back.

Derrick was at a loss for words. The earlier risk was already enough, the addition of an extra hand just made it worse.

The loud creaking doll quickly approached Derrick, igniting the ground beneath it.

Derrick blocked the doll’s attack with his sword, and the heat traveled through his sword.

Thankfully, his hilt was insulated, his hands would have burned.

’Thank you Sir Thompson.’ Derrick thanked silently. Sir Thompson had gifted him this blade.

The doll kicked Derrick in the stomach, and slammed both palms into Derrick’s head.

[-20 Health.]

[You have sustained burns.]

The attack had given Derrick a mild concussion, along with burns on the sides of his face.

The doll took advantage of Derrick, it slammed its fist into Derrick’s chest, sending Derrick flying.

’It’s not just flames.’ Derrick’s mind realized, ’It’s stronger and faster now.’

Derrick wondered if the doll had increased in level, because the sudden change was almost too much for him to bear.

The doll leaped into the air, its fists were locked and flames danced around them.

Derrick raised his sword, hoping to somehow block the attack, but he failed woefully.

The blinding light of the flames had blinded him, giving the doll the opening it needed.

The doll punched Derrick, burning his chest in the process.

[-30% Health.]

Derrick groaned, the doll had hit him so hard that he was on the other side of the grass.

He released violent coughs, smoke violently pouring out of his mouth.

’Do not fear.’ The words of Sir Thompson rang in Derrick’s mind, and once again, he stood to his feet.

Derrick stared at the monster before him, he picked up his sword once more, and his eyes changed.

Derrick’s eyes were no longer darting around in fear. No, they were now calm and calculated.

His muscles relaxed, releasing the tension, and the cogs in his mind began turning once again.

"I am Derrick Dravania, and you shall pay!" Derrick declared. This wasn’t just about defeating the doll. It was about being the boy who didn’t lose twice, the great grandmaster of Dravania.

A strange calmness overtook Derrick, and his vision began changing.

This time, it wasn’t red. No, it seemed dark, almost shadow-like.

The description of his surroundings had dulled, everything akin to a chalk drawing on a black board.

The doll moved. But this time, Derrick didn’t falter. Instead, he charged forward.

He and the doll met each other halfway, both unwilling to fail.

The doll raised both its hands, but Derrick remained calm.

Strange thread-like lines appeared in his vision, their color a brilliant white light.

The lines converged and twisted, showing Derrick the points he needed to strike.

Derrick followed the threads, and his blade surprisingly met the neck of the doll.

The doll took a few steps back. It looked at Derrick carefully, wondering where he had gotten the strength from.

Derrick wasn’t moving like he used to, his steps were calculated and highly intentional.

It was almost as if he had gone from basic moves, to that of a royal knight in a single second.

The doll was unsure of what to do, it didn’t trust Derrick.

Derrick had shown them so many surprises, that he had become wary.

The doll threw a fireball at Derrick, and Derrick spun, splitting the fireball in two.

He had hit the attack in such a way, that even its heat was lost.

The doll moved in once more, this time, ready to strike.

Just because Derrick had gotten a strange new power up, that didn’t mean the doll would cower in fear.

To them, Derrick was just another untrained human, and it needed to put Derrick in his place.

Derrick charged in once again, and the doll’s fire met Derrick’s blade. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Both sides exchanged masterful and brilliant attacks, no one side overshadowing the other.

Both were at the top of their game and were unwilling to lose.

The surrounding grass had been ignited by the doll’s flames, casting an orange tint across the field.

Smoke rose into the air, reducing the doll’s visibility.

Derrick, on the other hand, was unaffected by the smoke.

The doll’s eyes scanned the battlefield, and its sword caught its eye.

The doll grabbed its blade and channeled its flames into it, igniting the sword.

Derrick didn’t show any signs of reluctance or fear.

The doll poured everything it could into the blade, causing the surrounding flames to grow even wilder.

Derrick stood still, the threads in his vision constantly adapting to his environment.

Both sides charged forward for the last time, the full power of their attacks in their hands.

Derrick threw his blade into the air, and the doll swung its sword, releasing a deadly arc of flames.

Derrick leaped into the air and tugged on the string attached to his blade, calling it back.

Derrick plunged his sword into the doll, watching as it crumbled to dust, but as the last fragments scattered across the floor, a faint whisper echoed through the room, and the shadows in the corner began to move.