I Received System to Become Dragonborn-Chapter 1312: Only Execution

The man closed a lot of distance in an instant.

For someone with such a large and solid build his speed was unnatural. His steps barely made a sound as he surged forward. His body cut through the air with sharp precision.

His hand remained on the hilt at his hip with his fingers already tightening, ready to draw in a single seamless motion.

Erend didn't move and simply watched.

His expression remained calm, almost indifferent, as his eyes tracked every detail of the man's approach. There was no urgency in him or tension. Just quiet awareness.

Because he already knew that this man wasn't a threat to him.

What caught his attention instead was something else entirely.

"He attacked immediately…" Erend thought, his gaze narrowing slightly. No warning, demand, or attempt to identify or interrogate. Just action. "That strict, huh?"

It meant the orders given to this man were absolute. Anyone who entered this place without authorization wasn't to be questioned. Not just to be stopped. But eliminated immediately.

That alone spoke volumes about what this place was guarding.

Then Erend felt it. There was an aura burst outward from the man's body.

It wasn't explosive, but dense, like condensed Magic compressed tightly within his muscles and veins and flowing through him like a second bloodstream. It didn't resemble the structured spellcasting Erend was used to seeing.

This was a different kind of power in this world. A technique focused on reinforcing the body itself. Efficient, direct, and dangerous in close combat.

Erend shifted slightly. Dark and crimson scales spread across his forearms in a smooth motion and hardened instantly as his body prepared to receive the incoming strike.

He didn't intend to escalate this more than necessary. The man was only doing his job.

But he wouldn't let himself be delayed either.

The distance closed. In a single fluid motion the man drew his sword. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

A flash of steel cut through the dim corridor. The blade already coated in that dense Magic aura. The slash came from his hip in a rising clean and precise arc, carrying terrifying speed behind it.

A normal opponent would have been split apart before even reacting.

But Erend moved at the exact moment it almost connected. His arm rose and the blade collided against his scaled forearm.

The impact rang sharply through the corridor as force met something immovable. The Magic coating the sword flared upon contact, but it failed to bite through the hardened scales.

The man didn't hesitate.

He shifted his stance immediately and twisted his body to follow through into the next attack. His sword came down again in a diagonal slash with faster speed than the first.

Erend turned his body slightly and did another clean parry.

Sparks of Magic scattered briefly into the air.

The man pressed harder.

His attacks flowed without pause and chained seamlessly into the next. Horizontal, vertical, thrust, then a sweeping cut aimed low. His control was precise and his speed was relentless.

But every time Erend met it like before. With calm, minimal and efficient movements.

His arms moved just enough to deflect each strike. His body shifted only when necessary without much effort. The scales along his arms absorbed every impact without faltering.

The corridor echoed with the repeated collision of steel against scale.

Erend's expression didn't change.

The man wasn't reckless. His technique was refined, disciplined, and deadly against anything within his level.

But against Erend it wasn't enough.

After several exchanges, the rhythm broke.

The man decided to step back.

His feet slid across the floor as he created distance, his sword still raised but no longer striking. His stance adjusted slightly. No longer just attacking but evaluating.

For the first time, he paused and looked at Erend more carefully.

Through the narrow slits of his mask that was carved from brown wood, his eyes sharpened.

He had understood that the person in front of him was not something he could cut down easily.

Erend lowered his arms slightly. Their eyes met across the corridor.

Erend let his arms lower just slightly, but the tension in the air between them did not ease.

"I came here in peace," he said calmly, his voice steady and clear through the corridor. "I don't want to fight you."

The man didn't move at first. Then a low sound came from behind the wooden mask.

A laugh. It was deep, rough, and carried no amusement.

"Peace?" the man replied, his voice heavy and grounded, like stone grinding against stone. "Don't make me laugh. Someone who comes in peace doesn't sneak into this sealed place like this."

His grip tightened around the sword.

Erend sighed slowly.

"That's because it's urgent," he answered. "I don't have the luxury of being delayed."

There was no hesitation in his tone or attempt to justify himself beyond that.

The man's posture shifted slightly.

"Anything that intrudes here and claims urgency…" he said, his voice lowering further, "is never something good."

The aura around his body thickened again. It pressed outward and felt heavier than before.

"They are to be killed," said the man.

Erend's brows furrowed faintly.

"Killed?" he repeated, a hint of disbelief slipping into his voice. "Not captured?"

"Never."

The answer came instantly.

The man adjusted his stance, lowering his center of gravity. His sword angled forward and the dense Magic around it flared brighter and coiled tightly along the blade like compressed force ready to burst.

There was no room for negotiation for this man. Only execution.

Erend clicked his tongue softly.

"I really didn't want to do this," he muttered, almost to himself. Then his gaze sharpened again as he looked at the man. "But if that's how it is… I'll have to subdue you."

The man's shoulders tensed.

"You think you can defeat me that easily?" he asked, the edge in his voice sharpening.

Erend didn't answer. He simply stood there. That silence was enough to be the answer.

The next moment, the man moved.

He lunged forward again faster than before. The ground beneath his step cracked faintly under the force as his body shot forward like a released arrow. His sword came up in a blur or motion, the aura around it intensifying into a sharp cutting edge of condensed Magic.

This time, Erend didn't wait.

The instant the man entered his range, Erend stepped forward.

His body shifted with precise timing as his arm moved. This time not to block, but to strike back.

The corridor compressed into that single moment as both of them closed the distance at once.

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