Bloodlines of the Ancient Pantheons

Chapter 206: CCVI. The Second Exhibition

"I trained for years with Magni, my dear Dag. I helped him perfect his Lightning Strike, so I know how to block it! Hahaha! Anyway, your power is remarkable, it was a well-placed attack! Magni would be proud of you!" he continued, picking up the Giantbane in front of his feet and throwing it at Dag, who deftly grabbed it, returning to combat position.

Taking advantage of the young Master's moment of distraction, this time it was Dargeon who attacked, trying to hit him by surprise with the axe, but it was deftly dodged.

Within seconds, after dodging the blow, Dag counterattacked once again with the hammer, which emitted sparks in contact with the bulwark.

"It's amazing, Master Dargeon! Your defense is truly impenetrable!" said Dag aloud, drawing the attention of the crowd around them.

Gridd and Reidar chuckled and Egill turned to them.

"What's so funny about it, guys? I'm curious!" he asked, in the usual calm and serene tone.

"The Captain is not using even 10% of his strength, yet he risked putting Master Dargeon in trouble!" said Reidar, who was enjoying the fight with his arms folded.

Egill did not answer, surprised by those words.

"10%?! Did he really become so powerful?! If I think about it, I haven't seen him fighting for a while..." he thought, looking again at the newly-elected Master Of Offense.

Dargeon and Dag continued to fight, in a long sequence of attacks and parries, dodges and counterattacks, during which none of them could hit his opponent.

Dargeon's attacks were too predictable, allowing Dag to deftly dodge them, but at the same time, his defense was impenetrable and he didn't let a single shot pass.

After about two minutes, the sound of steel stopped and the two challengers stepped back, catching their breath.

"Well... now that I've warmed up... are you ready, Master?" said Dag, smiling mockingly. 

"What?!" exclaimed Dargeon, taken by surprise by that statement. 

Dag placed the blade of the Giantbane on the palm of his hand and with a decisive gesture, he made a small cut.

"What is he doing?" 

"Why did he cut himself on his hand?" 

"Maybe he wants to use some kind of magic!" 

The Clan warriors began to fantasize about what was about to happen, trying to guess Dag's next m0ve.

After about 5 seconds, the red crystals in the eyes of the metal deer head, embedded on the weapon, began to shine and its blades became glowing, releasing an incredible warmth.

At the sight of Giantbane's unlocked potential, silence fell within the walls of the Temple Of Orn.

They were all open-mouthed, including Egill, who looked at Dag's weapon in amazement, trying to understand more.

At that very moment, Dag dashed toward Dargeon at superhuman speed, releasing purple sparks and a trail of fire, which burned the ground beneath his feet, coming into contact with the Giantbane's scorching blade.

"Aaagh!" yelled Dag, trying to hit Dargeon, who once again managed to raise his shield, despite being taken by surprise.

"Grraagh!" replied Dargeon, as he repeatedly parried his opponent's relentless, fast shots.

The hammer and the axe repeatedly impacted the bulwark, and Dargeon's arm seemed unable to withstand that amount of energy for long. 

After the battle scream, the Master Of Defense spread his legs, gaining stability, and his shield was immediately surrounded by an electric aura, which increased its robustness.

But that didn't bother Dag, whose attacks were so quick and steady, that he left no room for action for his opponent.

As the red-hot axe warmed the shield metal, emitting flames, the static energy of the hammer concentrated at a specific point, trying to weaken the material. 

The combat was spectacular, and the warriors around them were as mesmerized by the colors unleashed by Dag's attacks.

"As much as he can hit him, Dargeon's Static Bulwark is impassable. Only a spell capable of blocking his arm could uncover his defenses. The fact that he decided to use one of his strongest skills means that Dag's attacks have seriously put him in trouble..." said Egill, addressing Reidar and Gridd, pleased with the power of that shield. 

Just after those words, Egill's attention was drawn to a scream from Dag, who released a small amount of gas from his arms, which mingled with the smoke released by the Flames of the Giantbane but did not escape his attentive eyes.

The same smoke became dark liquid, which entered the hammer, further enhancing it. 

When he struck Dargeon's shield for the umpteenth time, it was so powerful that it caused a small crack on its surface.

The electric aura around it deactivated and unbalanced him, causing him to fall with his lower back on the ground.

"What?! What the fuck did it happen?" he asked, who still couldn't realize he had lost the fight.

The Berserkrs and Shieldmaidens who attended the scene remained silent, gasping.

Egill stopped talking, continuing to watch Dag, while Reidar and Karl sighed with a satisfied air as if they had bet on his victory.

Dag relaxed, releasing the accumulated power: the Giantbane's blade returned to its normal color, as did Magni's hammer. 

After stowed them on the belt magnets, he approached Dargeon, reaching out to him, to help him get up from the ground.

He accepted the help and as soon as he was back on his feet he looked at the front of his shield, discovering the small crack procured by his former pupil.

Soon after, he looked him straight in the eye: he was usually an exuberant and funny man, but at that moment his expression was as serious as never before.

"This shield was built from Skjold's strongest metal, created from minerals taken from inside the highest mountain of the Grey Mountains Chain. In my life, I have faced a lot of opponents, but no one had ever managed to scratch it, especially after activating 'Static Bulwark', my unique skill. You even managed to break it. Where does all this power come from, boy?" he asked, looking at Dag's purple eye.