Chapter 197: Diamond Cuts Diamond
As the clash of swords echoed through the air, Kiev’s blade met Garin’s with a resounding blow. The intensity of their duel heightened, each combatant seeking an opportunity to gain the upper hand.
Amid the chaos, Drystan seized a moment to strike, launching a sudden attack aimed at bringing down the prince. However, Kiev let out a thunderous bellow, countering with a powerful kick directed at Garin while simultaneously delivering a mighty backhanded swing toward Drystan. His sword honed in on the knight’s neck, poised for a potentially fatal strike.
Alarmed by the unfolding scene, Eric quickly reacted, leaping forward to save his companion. Yet, before he could reach Drystan, Kiev’s reflexes proved faster than his actions.
In a moment of desperation, the second-in-command knight nearly screamed for Drystan’s life. However, his alarm turned to bewilderment as he witnessed Kiev twist the sharp edge of his blade to the flat side, using it to strike the knight’s head instead and knock him down.
Eric squinted his eyes, his mind racing to comprehend the situation. He was sure Kiev had the chance to kill Drystan, but the sudden change in the prince’s behaviour left him confused.
Questions swirled in Eric’s mind as he tried to make sense of Kiev’s surprising decision, wondering what could have prompted such an unexpected shift in the prince’s behaviour and tactics.
Why would an enemy spare his rival from death so easily when he had all the chance to finish him?
Still disoriented from the previous attack, Drystan resigned himself to his fate and closed his eyes, believing that the blade had struck his neck and ended his life. However, to his astonishment, he heard Kiev’s voice shouting at him.
"Get up, lazy knight! We haven’t finished!"
Confused by the contradiction between what he had expected and what he was experiencing, Drystan tentatively opened his eyes. As he glanced around, he realised that his head was still firmly attached to his body, and he was very much alive.
Relief flooded through him as he reached up to touch his neck, confirming that he had miraculously escaped a fatal blow. With a mixture of bewilderment and surprise, he scrambled to his feet, gathering his posture.