Chapter 224: Charge

Revealing and dealing the best card in hand at the best opportunity was something that one should do when faced with someone who was thought to be superior, and that was exactly what Tristan planned to do.

At the moment, it was apparent that this was the opportune moment for him, one that could possibly deliver the decisive blow and put an end to this fight.

A blast of magnificent magnitude occurred when the two Tier 5 spells hit and canceled each other out, which was then followed by a shower of ice shards and lightning current. The explosion also covered the surrounding area with overcast fog due to the sudden change in humidity.

It was exactly at this moment that Tristan used his card.

[Fire Aura]

[You have gained substantial boost in speed]

[You have gained substantial boost in strength]

[Your body have gained a high resistance to Fire attribute spells]

[Battle power have increased by 25 points]

[Current battle power: 275]

As the spell took effect, Tristan could clearly feel the enhancement his body received. His speed and strength had just been boosted to another level at once. Without further ado and hesitation, he dashed toward the Forlorn Prince, his figure like a missile heading directly towards the latter.

It looked like the Forlorn Prince had prepared for Tristan's sneak attack as a stone wall rose on his side, facing the direction he came from. However, there was something that Janus didn't count in the equation - Tristan's speed was faster than his estimation as the [Fire Aura] spell enhanced his prowess.

Tristan's figure was seen crashing into the incomplete stone wall and smashed it into pieces with his free hand, while the other one that held onto the mithril sword swung over to its intended target. Seeing the incoming blade that could easily decapitate him, the Forlorn Prince swiftly commenced evasive maneuver as his body leaned away from the slash trajectory. Unfortunately, he wasn't fast enough.

Swiiissshhh!!! Splat!! 

A long streak of red could be seen on the Forlorn Prince's chest and blood splattered over his noble attire. Seeing the conspicuous result of his sneak attack seen on the Forlorn Prince's chest certainly pumped Tristan up, and in such a favorable development, he surely would not let the other party go. Therefore, he quickly jerked his legs against the ground as his hand went in for another strike.

Swiisshhhh!!!

Another shot of blood flew to the air as Tristan managed to land another slash onto the Forlorn Prince. But this time, it wasn't as severe as the first one. 

He then looked up to see the Forlorn Prince's expression, only to be stunned by it.

Janus' frowning expression turned to a smiling one as he casted a spell on himself, [Energize]. Yellowish glow swiftly enveloped his body and It was when his next attack was evaded that he realized his opponent's speed had matched his.

Subsequently, Prince Janus took a spear out of his interspatial ring. It wasn't an ordinary kind of spear as it had two blades positioned next to each other, looking almost like a large fork. With just one glance, Tristan immediately knew it had to be a high-grade magical weapon. The spear emanated a faint glow and intricate runes were seen on its surface.

Clank!!

His sword was parried by the spear and Janus quickly launched his counterattack as he retreated away, taking his distance from Tristan. Spear thrusts were coming at Tristan, and due to its number, he had a hard time continuing his assault.

Tristan couldn't help but click his tongue as he parried another thrust. It was apparent that the man used battle arts as there was no way he could launch this many attacks with such speed in normal situations.

Spllaatt!!

One attack managed to slip through his defense and land on his shoulder, directly tearing a piece of his flesh.

"Arrgh!" Tristan reflexively screamed from the pain.

Still, Tristan wasn't going to stop his assault over such a superficial wound. He quickly brought out his second Tier 3 sword, the one he took from the Caerleon 'Hero', Connor. Afterwards, he once again charged forward, with even more momentum and ferocity than before.

Clank!! Clank!!

Tristan's outburst wasn't in vain, as his attacks were able to match the fierce hastilude showcased by the Forlorn Prince. 

"Who are you really?!" said the Forlorn Prince curiously. Naturally, his hand didn't stop parrying Tristan's ferocious attacks.

"I am the one who is going to kick your ass!!" shouted Tristan harshly while keeping the momentum of his swords, delivering slashes from different directions and intervals. But despite being shouted at, the Forlorn Prince seemed to become even more interested in him.

Clank!! Clank!!

While parrying another strike Tristan sent, the Forlorn Prince opened his mouth as he began casually in a nonchalant attitude

"You speak the tongue of humans, have the body of High Elves, and strangely, a fire element affinity."

Tristan became more irritated with every passing second he heard the other party's ramblings. As if that wasn't enough, the relentless barrage of attacks that should have been able to kill dozens of Orc Grunts didn't seem to have any significance to the Forlorn Prince. Even though he had used his maximum strength, the elf in front of him still looked extremely calm.

"You also have such high physical power. However, it's a shame you dont have the skill to match it."

Couldn't hold it anymore, Tristan finally lashed out the irritation inside him. 

"Argh!! And you have a special talent for speaking too much!"

Clank!! Clank!!

It was at this moment that Tristan noticed his sword began showing cracks. Even though they were faint, they existed. It meant the spear that the Forlorn Prince used must be at least a Tier 4 Artifact.

"You will never defeat me," said Prince Janus in a mocking tone.

Suddenly, the Forlorn Prince casted a spell onto his spear, [Lightning Infusion].

Loud crackling sounds were heard as purplish lightning currents materialized over the spear and essentially enveloped its entirety.

Tristan, who saw the live view of the spell, immediately assumed the spell to be the kind that enhanced the weapons. In the next second, he saw the brightly lit spear coming at him from above.

His eyes could catch its arrival, but he couldn't move his body because the spear was approaching him too fast. Therefore, Tristan swiftly unleashed his full strength to swing the swords in his hand at the spear trajectory, wanting to deflect it away.

CRAACCKKK!!!

Tristan could only watch in astonishment as the two Tier 3 swords shattered into pieces and the spear went into his right shoulder without a hitch. In an instant, he screamed in pain as blood covered his neck and body, dyeing him in red. His body fell, kneeling on the ground.

"I already told you. You will never win." said Prince Janus in a calm voice, while looking down at Tristan.

Just as the Forlorn Prince was about to draw his spear, Tristan suddenly grabbed the spear in one of his hands and held it as if his life depended on it. The raw strength of 275 battle power showcased itself as Janus couldn't shake off Tristan's grip no matter what he did.

While the Forlorn Prince was busy trying to get his spear back, unbeknownst to him, Tristan's other hand started glowing with flames as he casted the [Fireball] spell.

[100 Blood Essence have been spent]

"Yes to the max!"

Tristan threw the Blood Essence-enhanced fireball at the Forlorn Prince. Due to how close he was with Tristan, Prince Janus couldn't dodge it. In fact, the Forlorn Prince at first thought nothing of Tristan's actions as he didn't find any threat in a mere Tier 3 spell.

However, his thoughts were forced to change when the spell had finished forming and was thrown at him. Even though the spell hadn't hit him yet, he could roughly sense its prowess, and was thus quite surprised by the amount of power it had.

KABBOOOMMM!!! 

The fireball landed on its target and an explosion immediately occured. It was quite a huge explosion and the Forlorn Prince was seen flying away, his body covered in flames.

Not only did Tristan manage to injure the Forlorn Prince, he also managed to disarm the spear from the latter. As for the injury to his shoulder, it was not a big deal for him and his body. The only pain he felt right now was the two Tier 3 swords that had shattered to pieces.

Tristan quickly stood up, grabbed the spear that lay on the ground, and then took his fighting stance as he prepared for another round. He was sure the battle was far from over, but it still didn't stop him from feeling annoyed when the smoke dissipated and the Forlorn Prince didn't seem to be in much harm at all.

"You can not defeat him alone!" said the blind prince Elroth, who was once again already on Chieng's back.