"What else..."

The captain breathed hard, the jump tiring him out more than expected; even a single more swing or block would completely kill him.

[Are you alive?]

A sudden voice came out; it was Justinian, communicating from the carriage using his system.

"M-My duke...?"

*** On the Carriage

Justinian was awake, sensing the desperation of the soldiers around him, ever since ascending to become a demigod, even sleep was starting to get difficult.

But at least it was now useful.

'I'll spend some prestige to power him up, I can't afford to lose someone like him.'

Justinian bit his nail; he still had a blessing for this week, and it couldn't hurt to use it on his personal captain.

And just in case, a combination from the system shop wouldn't hurt.

[Bloody Champion Bought]

[Demigod Activated]

[Blessing + Trait]

*** Back in the Fight

[I gave you some blessings, use them wisely.]

Justinian's panel quickly disappeared, and with it came the dragon, already preparing to swoop him into the sky.

But before he knew it, his body moved.

And surprisingly, he felt no pain.

Was he dying? Is this his literal last stand?

But no... it wasn't.

[Bloody Arcanist]

The moment the dragon opened its mouth to devour the captain, its entire head cracked.

Not expecting the captain to meet it with his fists, he dodged to the side slightly and punched its head.

And the impact was absolutely ground-shattering.

Both literally and metaphorically, as the ground beneath them trembled from the impact.

"Sanguine!"

The captain yelled out, his own blood seeping out of his body and forming a mallet out of thin air.

And without hesitation, he grabbed it immediately and swung wide, not giving the dragon a chance to rest as it delivered another attack, this time with his newly formed blood mallet.

CRACK!

It was a homerun, the swing sending the dragon flying towards the opposite direction and into the sky.

But the dragon wasn't out of commission yet, quickly regaining its mobility as it stopped itself mid-air, flying at lightning speed towards the captain who just dared to crack its jade head.

"Come at me!"

The captain planted his feet, blood mallet poised, his breath ragged but steady. Every muscle screamed, every strike taking more from his body than he'd thought possible, but the blessings coursing through him made it feel… almost effortless.

The jade dragon lunged like a green storm, its wings slicing the air with a sonic roar. Its eyes glowed with that unnatural jade fire, the same one that had come out of its tail tip earlier.

'Not this time.'

The captain swung the mallet in a wide arc, cracking the air so violently it seemed to split the clouds themselves. The dragon collided with the strike mid-flight, its body tilting violently. Pieces of jade shattered, spinning like emerald shrapnel. Yet it didn't fall, its body twisted and spun, clawing at the air to stay aloft.

He grinned through blood and sweat. "Pathetic… you're nothing compared to me!"

CRASH!

The dragon slammed into a rocky outcrop, sending a plume of snow and stone high into the sky. Its roar shook the mountainside, deafeningly loud, yet the captain barely flinched. He leaped, landing in a crouch, mallet ready, eyes fixed on his prey.

The dragon shook violently, shards of jade falling like raindrops. Then, with a terrifying speed that almost made the captain falter, it rocketed forward, jaws open wide.

[Now!]

Justinian's voice echoed in his mind, calm and precise.

[Focus, don't hesitate. Strike where it breathes life! Hit it as hard as you can!]

The captain's vision narrowed. The dragon's throat, the faint pulsing vein of green energy running down its neck, glowed brighter as it prepared to bite.

He charged. Blood mallet swinging, every ounce of strength, every ounce of blessing focused into the strike.

CRACK!

The mallet slammed into the vein, smashing through the jade like glass. The dragon howled, a sound somewhere between agony and fury. It faltered mid-air, body jerking violently, a spiral of shards falling from its broken jaw and shattered eyes.

It wasn't finished yet. Its tail whipped around, smashing into boulders and sending chunks flying. The captain rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding a deadly strike that would've crushed him flat.

"Sanguine, Devastation!"

The captain roared, summoning the last of his demigod-empowered strength. His blood mallet grew larger, heavier, glowing with an inner red light, pulsing like a heartbeat. He leaped higher than any human should, closing the distance in seconds.

The dragon tried to rise, but its movements were sluggish, fractured jade snapping with every movement of its jaw.

The mallet fell.

BOOM!

The impact hit like a meteor. Jade exploded in all directions, scattering green fragments across the field. The dragon's roar became a final, echoing screech as it was squashed clean onto the ground.

For a moment, silence. Snow drifted through the air. Dust settled over the shattered jade dragon.

The captain, breathing hard, knelt, blood streaming down his face, but victorious.

From above, Justinian's voice came again, calm but tinged with amusement:

[Not bad… now, don't die on me before the rescue team arrives.]

The captain laughed weakly, gripping his mallet as he surveyed the wreckage. Somewhere beneath the flying shards and snow, he could see movement, a faint pulse, almost like the dragon was still alive.

"…It's not over, is it?" he muttered.

And in the distance, a ripple in the sky hinted that the jade dragon might have been only the first of many trials awaiting them.

[I'll continue to watch over you, don't worry.]

The captain opened his mouth to protest, to tell Justinian that he was screwed, but when he looked to the side and saw the dead body of the paladin he had once fought with.

That gave him enough reason to continue fighting.

"Someone died because I was too weak... I can't just die now and disrespect his sacrifice."

[Don't blame yourself too much.]

"I know that, my duke... but for now, let me spout bullshit to hype myself up."

The captain laughed, his eyes and hair turning red, the same blood pouring out of his wounds that caused him to weaken, now the reason why he was getting stronger.

"Because now I'm a fucking tank!"

[...Good for you...]

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