Building a Kingdom and Conquering the World C.127 The mouth

Henry emerged from the forest and swiftly dashed through the White Merchant Road, his silver blade glinting dangerously, aiming for the robed man. The crisp sound of his boots crunching the snow alerted the mage, who turned his head. He had already been anticipating an enemy, but didn't know from where they would launch an attack.

With a disdainful sneer, the mage's hands danced in the air, sparks of fire mana coming out of his fingers -"I have been waiting for this for fifty years...when I am near to reach it, bugs keep appearing!" - His movements paused, and an ancient symbol appeared in front of him, conjuring a fire arrow that streaked towards Henry with incredible speed.

Henry remained composed, his breath steady and his eyes focused on the enemy ahead, not diverting his gaze. His heart kept infusing his body with mana, making his speed and reaction time to soar, allowing him to fell and see the world around him more clearly. With a small movement, he sidestepped the incoming projectile, a dangerous dance with death. The arrow grazed his black cloak, starting a magical fire that would only stop when it consumed all.

However, before Henry could take it out, another arrow was already hurtling toward him as the mage retreated, increasing the distance between them. This time, Henry had no time to evade and used the sword to deflect it. To his surprise, the impact felt solid, unlike the fiery illusion he expected. The strength and speed behind the arrow forced him to stop. The king analyzed the robed man, who had retreated farther away from him, like a person experienced in battles, a person that understood his weakness and strength.

Beneath the hood, the robed man's eyes glowed with a golden light as he uttered a menacing vow - "I will make sure to exterminate your kind and burn all trees on these lands to make sure that no living being ever comes back here!" - He had been on this quest for almost a lifetime, but there were still people getting on his way.

Henry didn't respond. He took off his cloak and threw it on the ground, allowing the snow to kill the fire. He raised his sword, analyzing the web of cracks that now covered almost the whole blade.

"It can take only two more of those attacks" - he thought, shifting his attention back to the robed man - "Well, it's my first time fighting against a mage, so it's to be expected. And, I didn't expect meeting one here besides Luna. If I had known, I would have asked her for a few pieces of advice. But, it's not time to cry over spilled milk."

Lowering his sword, Henry tried to formulate some kind of strategy to win against this man - "It seems like he needs time to conjure spells with a wider target range. If not, I would have to deal with more than a single fire arrow."

The king tightened his grip on the sword's handle as he thought - "If so, I just need to not give him any time to breathe." - Henry's eyes glimmered with a purple hue as the sword in his hands burned with the same color. Despite the web of cracks in the black, it managed to hold on.

"Are you really going to play with fire in front of a mage, BARBARIAN?" - the robed man bellowed - "I will show you what is true fire! Flame Serpent!" Another intricate and ancient symbol followed his shout, a six-foot Flame serpent was summoned into the physical world. The fiery serpent, manipulated by the mage, slithered towards Henry. Its flaming form melted the snow beneath it, hungering for destruction. Henry had no other option but meet it head-on. He dashed forward, his heart infusing his body with Mana. The Flame Serpent lunged at him, its fiery jaws snapping, but Henry sidestepped again, twisting his body and narrowly avoiding death.

Henry's sword burned brighter as he prepared to strike - "Solfire Cleave!" - he shouted, unleashing a powerful attack. The purple fire covering his sword gleaming like the stars. However, something felt amiss as the sword passed through the intangible serpent, contrary to what happened with the arrow.

"Got you!" - The robed man vengefully exclaimed, detonating the serpent in a powerful explosion.

"Shit!" - Cursing, Henry let go of his sword, shielding himself from the extremely hot shockwave that followed the explosion. This action saved his life. As the flames subsided, the king staggered to his feet, arms completely burned and his black shirt gone.

"You northerns, why don't you just die already?" - the robed man angrily said, launching another arrow towards the disoriented Henry.

Henry could barely hear and see his surrounding, only seeing the shadow of something fast and shiny coming towards him. It covered the distance between the two in the blink of an eye. The king felt helpless. The arrow was too close, it was impossible to dodge or summon the strength to do something, he didn't even have the time to survive.

"I will die" - The chilling realization echoed through Henry's mind, but he couldn't reach another conclusion for this situation.

"Mages…I couldn't even reach him" - the king thought, acknowledging the stark reality that he hadn't been able to even swing his sword at the mage. He was confident that if he could approach the mage, he could behead him. He was stronger physically, but the man gave him no time to get closer.

Henry kept his eyes wide open, fixed on the approaching fire arrow that was destined to reap his life. However, in the midst of the sensation of hitting rock bottom, something stirred within him. It was as if a living force resisted death, it didn't want to die. It didn't want to return to darkness. It moved with a single purpose.

Suddenly, a giant mouth appeared from Henry's chest. It felt like a living being that wished to protect its house and would never allow its offspring to die.

It was like the mouth of a dragon, filled with teeth and a foul air.

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