Jackal Among Snakes - Chapter 647

Chapter 647: Battle of Gold and Silver

Orion’s blade plunged between the gap in the silver armor’s knee. Unlike the indomitability he’d felt colliding with his foe’s shield, what he stabbed... he was certain it was flesh and bone, not metal and power. He was certain it was not skin—rather, it felt ominously like scales beneath that carapace of metal. Orion had no time to verify this, as his opponent raised his blade and thrust it down.

Rather than his head, Orion managed to swerve out of the way enough the resulting blast of light cut into the edge of his neck and shoulder. He felt his grip weaken as the interconnected parts of his body slackened. With fear overriding his distaste, he called upon that which he’d been suppressing; the blessings bestowed to him by the false pantheon of Vasquer. He froze his fingers around his shield and sword, tumbled down a pit created by the knight’s menacing attacks, then faced the silver knight once again.

The silver knight stood far above Orion, the two suns making him shine like a holy crusader. Down below, Orion’s breath was heavy, and his golden armor with its black surcoat had already lost much of its luster. He appeared naught more than a rabid dog before a king. The knight prepared a simple horizontal slash that seemed impossible to dodge... yet again, fear removed Orion’s inhibition. He conjured wind beneath him, launching himself above the slash of light to meet his opponent above.

The silver knight parried Orion’s swing with his shield as if he’d expected such a charge, and Orion’s blade flew wildly away, bringing his arm flailing with it. He knew he was exposed. When he thought the second swing was sure to come, the knight turned. Rook, god of deception and subterfuge, lunged again. The silver knight blocked him once, but it was only an illusion—his true form came from the side. In response to that attack, the knight responded with equal subtlety—he jutted the pommel of his blade out, and a quick burst of light nailed the deity in the chest. Spirits bursting from his wound, Rook backed away.

Orion lunged forth, wrapping both his arms around the silver knight’s blade arm. He tried to bend it, break it, using the full might of his body. He and the knight were of equal size, and seemingly equal strength. He sent lightning and fire coursing out of his body, damaging himself in the process... but this demon had to die, no matter the cost.

The knight’s shield repeatedly bashed into Orion’s body as he wrestled it. The shield, fortunately, was of far weaker prowess than that blade. Still, it was like a hammer wielded by his own hand pounding into him, wearing him down. No matter how hard he grappled the knight, his arm did not wield—indeed, as time passed, Orion found himself losing the contest of strength. Finally, the knight managed to get into an advantageous position, and twisted his body to pick Orion up off the ground. He slammed him down, and Orion felt his breath leave his lungs. Despite the pain, he clung stubbornly to that sword arm. After another failed attempt to get his arm free, the knight pulled his shield back, and slammed it straight into Orion’s visor.

The metal of Orion’s helmet folded inward, blinding him—or perhaps his eyes had been crushed. Orion still clung tightly until a terrible force slammed into the knight, pulling him free of Orion’s grip and sending both of them tumbling in some unknown direction.

When his world stopped spinning, Orion grasped his helmet awkwardly while still clinging to his sword and shield and wrenched the thing free. It brought him great pain, but sight returned to him when the metal came off his skin. His long black hair started to whip wildly about in this tempest of battle.

Durran and Raven fought in his stead, undoubtedly saving his life in that moment. Durran, in particular, stood his own against any attacks that came toward Orion, combatting it with strength and magic in equal measure. As his vision blurred, recovering from the blow to his eyes, he saw the mark of powerful magic on the knight’s breastplate—the first sign of genuine injury, it seemed.

Raven was a force of nature, gracefully combining powerful magics as he danced in to employ the ungodly strength of that unnatural body of his. His arms were like those of a mantis, compressing the strength of a hundred men down to a single sharp point to pierce that armor. No matter how strong the blows were, once they met that shield, each attack achieved nothing.

That shield nullified all attacks with ease, that sword delivered attacks unmatched, and the knight himself possessed vigilance to such a degree he could never be ambushed. As Orion saw the silver knight move, slowed by Law’s domain, he realized this foe could only be dealt with up close. Metal and flesh folded around the wound Raven had made, mending it as blood flowed.

And yet... blood did flow.

With Law, Rook, Raven, and Durran all beaten back, Orion rushed forth with his heart screaming at him to flee. The knight possessed no such vigilance toward him—he took a stance, his shield held forward, sword held to the side, and thrust his blade again and again to skewer Orion. Each attack bore the strength and speed of a ballista crafted by Dario.

Even with time slowed slightly, Orion had to take every measure to avoid death. Wind echoed his steps to lend him the speed required to dodge those bolts of deadly light. Electricity coursed through his muscles to break the limit of what his body would allow. Fire and smoke wreathed from his entire body and obscured his form. Orion was utilizing the blessings the false pantheon had bestowed upon him the best he ever had.

When he was near close enough to strike, Orion’s visioned narrowed in defiance of the fear choking his guts. He knew what needed to be done to have any hope of victory, and he did it. When the next thrust came, he leapt toward it, his shield held out. It took the full brunt of those deadly javelins of light. The force was so intense that Orion only felt resistance for half a second—instead of the force transferring to his body and breaking his arm, it pierced through the shield, carrying onward. He slammed full-force into the silver knight, who—given the fact Orion was on the side his sword arm was—could not bring that nullifying shield to defend himself in time.

Orion had finally moved that mountain, and the two of them tumbled through the chaotic landscape he’d caused. Amidst the roll, either through luck or skill, Orion landed atop the silver knight, raised his sword, and plunged it straight through the knight’s visor. The silver knight spasmed once, and Orion pulled free his blade. He raised his blade horizontally as, despite all reason, the silver knight continued to live.

With one hand on his sword’s handle and the other on the blade, he slammed it down like a guillotine upon his foe’s neck. He sought the gap between helmet and breastplate to behead him. At the same time, the silver knight freed his sword arm, took aim at Orion, and thrust. In that split second, Orion felt pain unimaginable... and ceased to feel his legs at all. But he also felt his blade slip past helmet and breastplate both, meeting the flesh behind the armor. It cleaved through until it hit the dirt behind.

Then... sensations left him, one by one. The last thing he perceived were words, projected directly into his head.

“I won’t let you.”ViiSiit novelbi/n(.)c/(o)m for latest novels