The King changed into more suitable clothes for combat with a wave of his hands. He was shrouded in dark mana for a second and changed into light armor. A sword sheath was suddenly attached to his belt alongside multiple sheaths reserved for daggers.

I need to learn how to do this, too! What an amazing display of mana.

Percy marveled at his father’s technique but also heard the Queen calling him a show-off. Percy could only agree with that. His father was a show-off. That was what made him even more interesting.

“You should change as well,” Phillip told his son, who nodded slowly. However, Percy’s attention was glued to the King’s armor. It took him a while to divert his attention from the light armor made from a material that was azure mixed with silver. Percy didn’t know much about the azure-silverish material other than a simple fact: Most kings owned armor made of the same material.

I wonder what enchantments I could engrave on them with my Ego.

Percy was curious, but he retrieved his armor and put it on without any hesitation. It had been a while since he wore any armor, but it didn’t feel bad to change into the light armor attached with some metal parts to protect most vital points. His parents gifted him the armor when he joined the Kingsguard’s training for the first time. It had been customized and adjusted not even two weeks ago, yet Percy noticed something was amiss.

The armor didn’t fit anymore.

“You got bigger,” Someone from the Kingsguard noticed the obvious.

Percy recalled the voice – it was one of the guys he’d been sparring with during the Kingsguard training – and nodded slowly.

“Let me help you,” The King muttered as he stepped closer. He helped Percy resize the leather armor by loosening the leather straps. The only issue was that some areas couldn’t be adjusted easily, forcing the King to shove Percy into the armor. It wasn’t too bad or massively uncomfortable, but Percy made a mental note to procure new armor as soon as possible.

Ugh…Can’t I fight without armor? Please?!

He shook his head quickly while some members of the Kingsguard chuckled until the Weaponmasters glared dagger at them. Percy didn’t mind the Kingsguard’s actions. If anything, he felt closer to them if they made fun of the situation with him rather than gossiping about it behind his back.

Percy took a deep breath and walked over to the weapon rack, where Phillip Kain was about to reach for a longsword when he spoke up.

“I told you to go all out.”

Percy’s eyebrows arched, but he complied. His left hand covered the obsidian Syreablade mark on the back of his right hand and squeezed tightly. However, Percy’s fingers coiled around Dragon Fang instead of squeezing his hand. The pitch-black handle was first to emerge from the back of his right hand, followed by the eerily black blade covered in crimson vein-like streaks.

The crimson streaks pulsated in tact to his heart, filling Percy with a wave of euphoria.

As he held Dragon Fang in both hands, it vibrated as if alive and excited about being put to use for the first time since their bond had been established.

How is it possible that my connection to the Syreablade is stronger than before? It’s almost like [Dragonblood] is even more potent when I hold the Syreablade.

Percy’s blood was not yet boiling, but it churned, simultaneously stimulating his blood and mana circulation. Every inch of his body was enhanced by highly purified mana, yet Percy felt he could unravel more of his body’s potential if he wanted to. [Dragonblood] was not yet at its limit.

It was far from an ordinary Augmentation. That much was clear. It was stronger than the average Augmentation. Better. It was like the Syreablade was part of his body and that [Dragonblood] was always supposed to be there.

“Is everyone ready?” The elderly Weaponmaster, acting as the referee of the royal duel, inquired from the two parties.

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Percy nodded absentmindedly, his senses skyrocketing as every doubt and worry dispersed. His full attention lingered on his father and the fight ahead of them.

He was ready.

Since he told me to go all out…

Time seemed to slow down all of a sudden as the elderly Weaponmaster’s voice boomed across the training grounds.

“Fight!”

Both parties moved the instant the Weaponmaster’s voice reached them.

The sand underneath the King’s feet stirred up, and his muscles contradicted. His presence seemed to expand, overwhelming the closest Kingsguard, who retreated instinctively as he charged ahead. He smoothly unsheathed a thin ivory-colored sword as he charged forward and activated one of its runic enchantments.

The weapon blurred before Percy’s eyes until he activated [Hawk Eyes]. His eyesight was already excellent, but following the boost granted from [Hawk Eyes] and [Dragonblood], Percy could see the ivory blade again.

It whipped forward and nearly cut deep into his face if not for him lifting Dragon Fang in time. Percy’s eyes narrowed to tiny slits as the King repeated a quick sequence of multiple sword thrusts and slashes, but he blocked or evaded them easily. His reaction time and agility worked wonders combined with [Hawk Eyes] and [Blade Mastery], improving his understanding of all blades.

The father-son duo whirled across the sparring area. At first glance, it looked like the King was at an advantage, but his attacks didn’t connect. The King’s eyes narrowed to tiny slits when he couldn’t inflict a single cut on his son’s marvelous face. Peals of sweat poured down Percy’s face, but it seemed impossible for the King to wipe the smile off his son’s face. What a tragedy.

Phillip Kain clicked his tongue and gathered the surrounding winds behind him and under his feet. His boots barely scratched the sand underfoot at this point, but Percy couldn’t study that. He was forced to face the King after he went up a gear. His agility increased by leaps and bounds, and it didn’t take long before the ivory blade whizzed past Dragon Fang.

Percy twisted his upper body and head, but the King had predicted his move. He moved closer and adjusted the ivory blade’s trajectory. Percy cursed inwardly, but he didn’t panic. Quite the contrary. Percy was eerily calm as the ivory blade shot toward his face. He activated [Frostbite] and coated his left cheek in thick ice, blocking the ivory blade mere millimeters before it cut him.

Simultaneously, Percy initiated the first counterattack. He kept [Frostbite] active and conjured several icicles before him. The King was still close and thus in perfect range of the icicles.

Percy released the icicles with a horrifying velocity. They reached top speed near-instantly and smashed into their targets; One hitting the King’s chest, pushing him away, while the other struck his sword arm. Unfortunately, the freezing properties of the icicles didn’t cause any harm. The King covered the targeted spots with enough mana to repel the freezing properties.

Nonetheless, Percy was satisfied with the result. [Frostbite] worked.

Is it just me, or are the Augmentations stronger than they used to be? It has been a while since I used them in combat…but they shouldn’t be this strong, right? Maybe that’s another effect of [Dragonblood]?

Percy was unsure about that, but it came to his advantage. He used the opportunity to conjure more [Frostbite] icicles while simultaneously freezing the ground around the King’s feet to slow him. At the same time, Percy shot forward. He kept [Hawk Eyes] and [Blade Mastery] active while relying on his pair of Boost Augmentations to enter the King’s range.

Phillip Kain was ready to face Percy head-on. He utilized the gales around him to crash the ice on the ground and released whips of comprised gales to shatter the [Frostbite] icicles, yet he missed one thing.

Percy was not yet out of Augmentations to use.

His body screamed at him, cursing Percy for using too many Augmentations simultaneously, but ambition got the better of him.

He unleashed [Berserk] and [Silent Reaper] the moment he arrived before the King.

Percy’s presence and strength skyrocketed simultaneously, but in the same instance, something eerie occurred. All the sounds he made were swallowed. The surroundings were eerily silent all of a sudden. Even the spectator’s breathing and gasps were louder than Percy's as the Syreablade flashed through the air.

The King’s eyes widened in surprise. The sudden lack of sound took him by surprise and ripped him out of his fully focused state. He didn’t react fast enough. It was only a quarter of a second, but that much was enough to die on the battlefield. An instant was all it took to take someone’s life on the battlefield.

The King raised his ivory sword and shrouded himself in a pitch-black armor that enveloped his entire body, but the King’s body had never been Percy’s target.

After all, Percy had heard enough of the King’s Ego, the Armor of the Everlasting Night, to know that he couldn’t go past the Ego, Armor, and the King’s Ascended flesh to emerge victorious in the royal duel.

Thus, Percy went for the ivory blade.

Dragon Fang vibrated in utter excitement as it crashed heavily into the ivory blade…and cut cleanly through it.