Duel

Living up to Ronan's expectations, the Iron Cavalry successfully brought back "Bloodfang" Belik. Belik was tightly bound and slung across an Iron Cavalryman's horse, with bloodstains and bruises at the corners of his mouth and on his forehead.

They dragged Belik to the ground and forced him to kneel on both knees, but the unconscious Belik could not stay upright, so the Iron Cavalry had to hold him up.

After taking the Starfall Katana from his bag, Ronan slowly walked over to Belik. Bare-chested and holding the sheathed katana, the sweat on his body now acted like olive oil, making the lines of his already powerful muscles even more pronounced. Daisy and the other women of the caravan blushed when they saw him.

The other caravan members who had yet to leave noticed the commotion and gathered around as well.

"Ah, it's Belik!"

Captain Rodrit caught him!"

"This damned bastard! He's the one who got my little brother killed!"

"Yeah, quite a few people died because of him today. He should be executed immediately to avenge them!"

"We can't let him off that easily. We should beat him half to death, hang him here, and let the vultures eat him clean!"

Ignoring the furious discussion among the caravan guards, Ronan turned to the Nord beside him. "Wake him up!"

The tall, burly Nord nodded, picked up a bucket of water, and walked over. He slapped Belik across the face, then dumped the entire bucket over him the moment he groggily opened his eyes. The icy water quickly brought Belik back to his senses.

After waking, Belik looked around. Seeing the caravan guards surrounding him with righteous anger on their faces, he knew his end had come.

He only remembered fleeing on horseback with a few trusted men. After riding far away, just as they were about to rest and regroup, a troop of cavalry had suddenly charged out. They made short work of his remaining subordinates before knocking him unconscious with a single blow. He had tried to fight back, but those riders had been far too strong. He had not stood a chance.

"If you want to kill me or torture me, get it over with. Don't expect to hear me beg for mercy!" Belik spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva and said bitterly.

"You aren't afraid?"

"I've killed plenty of people over the years. Death is just death. Once you choose this line of work, this day is bound to come sooner or later."

"A lot of my brothers died because of you. So did people among this crowd. They all want revenge."

"Everyone dies eventually, boy. If something like this can make you angry, then you're still far from becoming strong."

"Hmph. Maybe. Maybe I'll gradually grow numb in the future, but right now, my rage is still boiling in my heart."

Ronan crouched down and stared straight into Belik's eyes. Belik stared right back without yielding.

"You say you aren't afraid of death? Old man, believe me, I have plenty of ways to make you beg for life while being unable to die! I can poke little holes in your body, pour honey and cream into the wounds, then put ants and other bugs on you. They'll crawl into your body through those wounds, all for a taste of honey.

"Imagine it. Crawling all over you, entering your body again and again, gnawing at your flesh and blood. You won't die, and you won't even pass out, because I'll drug you and keep you awake the entire time. I'll even pry your eyes open so you can watch your own body being eaten away, slowly savoring the feeling of death!

"I could also tie you to a chair and lock you in a completely dark room without a trace of light. Then I'd make a tiny cut on your wrist and use a funnel to keep dripping water into a basin. You'd think your wrist had been slit and your blood was dripping away. You'd listen to the dripping in that lonely darkness, waiting for death to come. But there would be no wound on your hand at all. Unable to feel the passage of time, you'd remain in that lonely darkness until you broke!

"Or maybe I could strip you naked, pour the urine of a bitch in heat over your ass, then throw you into a pack of male dogs drugged with aphrodisiacs and see what they do to you! After that, perhaps we could try horses and pigs."

"Stop!" Before Ronan could finish, Belik suddenly interrupted him with a shout. Seeing the fear hidden in Belik's eyes as he panted heavily, Ronan's lips curled into a sinister smile.

"You're afraid, Belik. Looks like you aren't as fearless as you claimed. Looks like you're still far from it!" It was not only Belik. The caravan guards around them had all fallen silent. Ronan's description had made their scalps tingle, chills rising from the base of their spines. Each of them silently resolved never to cross Ronan.

"You're a demon! Just kill me already!" Seeing Belik struggling to control his emotions, Ronan could not help laughing.

He straightened up, turned around, pulled a scimitar from the waist of a Kujit Iron Cavalryman, and threw it before Belik.

"But I won't do that, Belik. I'm not like you. Pick up your weapon. I'll give you the chance to die in battle like a warrior. Untie him!"

Hearing Ronan's order, the Kujit Iron Cavalryman behind Belik drew his blade and cut the ropes binding him. Belik shook off the ropes, stood up, loosened his body, and picked up the scimitar from the ground.

"You aren't afraid I'll kill you by accident?"

"Then that just means I'm nothing special!"

Belik said no more. After all, he had once been a noble of the Eagle Kingdom. He swung the scimitar a few times to get used to it, then gripped it with both hands, raised it high, and assumed a stance. Ronan spread his feet into a horse stance and leaned forward slightly. His left hand held the sheath at his waist while his bent right hand hovered over the hilt, taking up an iaijutsu stance.

With a roar, Belik launched the first attack. He rushed forward and brought the scimitar down in an overhead chop. Ronan struck later but faster, swiftly drawing his blade into an upward slash to meet the scimitar. His superior strength knocked Belik's weapon aside at once. Belik's arms flew backward, leaving him completely exposed, yet Ronan did not take his life. He merely cut a shallow wound across Belik's chest.

"Is that all you've got, Belik? Or have all those years as a leader made this Eagle forget how to use a scimitar?"

Belik did not answer. He retreated two steps, reset his stance, and charged again. Ronan stepped back to evade the sweeping scimitar, then kicked Belik in the ass while he was off balance from pulling back his strength, sending him sprawling face-first onto the ground.

Belik quickly got back up and faced Ronan again, but his performance disappointed Ronan. Ronan had thought there might be at least a little challenge, but Belik had completely forgotten how to fight.

As Ronan raised his blade to block Belik's roaring slash, he lowered his body and slid to the right. At the same time, he tilted the katana, allowing Belik's scimitar to slide forward along its blade.

Deflection!

The deflected Belik staggered forward, losing his balance. Ronan seized the opportunity, gripping his katana with both hands and placing it before Belik's abdomen. The sharp blade plunged directly into Belik's belly. Ronan pulled it free in a slash, and Belik's guts spilled out at once.

Watching Belik kneel on both knees, clutching his stomach and trying to stuff his intestines back inside, Ronan slowly walked behind him. He raised the katana high with both hands, then brought it down heavily. Belik's head fell to the ground.

"You are insignificant, good for nothing!"

Because of work, I could only post one chapter today. I'll try to make up for it tomorrow. (︶.︶)