Chapter 265: Chains of Flesh I
Orion, to his credit, barely flinched as the bloody blade stabbed right into his palms. He stood his ground and clenched his fingers around the blade, splintering it into pieces.
Pain was temporary, but if he failed to protect Soleia now, the guilt and shame would haunt him for the rest of his days.
He darted quickly and grabbed a sword from the dead soldier who was closest to him and armed himself, ready to parry a second blow.
King Recaldo snarled and immediately reformed his weapon, but he couldn’t fail to notice how slow it took. That bastard commoner even had time to steal a sword off one of his own men! If this were a mere day ago, Orion Elsher would have been skewered like a kebab straight through his spine the moment he dared to turn his back on him.
This was all Princess Soleia’s fault. She must have known that this was a possible side-effect, but she didn’t warn him. No matter― he will use her again and again as long as her body drew breath.
If only that infernal guard dog would get the hell out of his way.
King Recaldo gnashed his teeth. He had to make his strike count, and he only had one weapon he could trust for this― he transformed the sword back into a long whip with multiple blades at the end, in an attempt to get better reach and more momentum with his weapon.
All he needed to do was land one good hit on Orion Elsher, and that man would bleed out in a matter of minutes. The serrated blades would dig into his skin and tear apart his flesh as his whip turned, and with the distance, Orion Elsher would not be able to harm him in time.
Orion’s eyes widened as he saw the whip fly in his direction, faster than before. He reached and used the sword in an attempt to cut it in the middle, but it was impossible for him to stop the end of the whip from coiling around him like a snake, their blades digging into his back. Orion let out a hiss of pain as he felt the back of his tunic get drenched in his blood.
The sword clattered to the floor.
Soleia’s ears caught the sound, but she was helpless to pick it up. She couldn’t even get up. It felt like her limbs were made of lead, and she was swimming in a sea of molasses. Her head was heavy and groggy, and she wanted nothing more than to wake from her nightmare. Her eyelids fluttered open, and all she could see was the broad expanse of Orion’s back quickly turning red.
A mere distance away, King Recaldo laughed mockingly as he felt Orion Elsher struggle. A commoner could never defeat a king, no matter how blessed with magic he was.