Dragon King's Harem Chapter 457. Not Worthy

Dragon King's Harem Chapter 457. Not Worthy

Cedric's breath came in hard puffs, his blade dragging along the ground behind him like it weighed twice what it did before. His once-regal cloak was scorched, frayed, and clinging to one shoulder like a dying flag. Mana pulsed around him erratically, too jagged now.

And me?

Still standing.

Still burning.

My wings beat once, a gust of wind blasting ice dust across the arena.

My chest still ached from his last strike. My shoulder throbbed where the earlier block had cracked through Stone Skin. But I was grounded now. Focused.

Then I saw it.

He reached for the gauntlet.

That damn thing.

His fingers twitched, eyes flickering with the same instinctive ruthlessness he’d shown since the first clash.

He clenched his fist and thrust it forward—aimed right at me.

-Click!

A sound.

Then nothing.

The rune circuits lit up for a fraction of a second—then fizzled out in a hiss of static. Sparks crackled weakly across the surface before vanishing.

He blinked.

Confused.

He didn’t know.

He already used all three charges.

And now?

Now it was nothing but a fancy glove.

His eyes widened in that single beat of realization—

I moved.

Fast.

I vanished from where I stood and reappeared two meters to his left, my hand already gripping a conjured blade.

[Mana Weapon – Honor and Justice (Dual sword)]

The twin blades slid into my grip like they’d been waiting for blood.

I slashed upward.

He turned too slow.

-Shhk—!

Honor cut across his left side, the edge biting through his armor just enough to spill blood.

A real hit. Not deep enough to kill. But deep enough to hurt. Deep enough to remind him this wasn’t some trial match in the elven courts.

Cedric hissed. His eyes flared, sharp like icicles catching the last sunlight before they snapped off.

“You’re not worthy of her,” he spat, rage choking his voice.

“And you’re not even worth her silence,” I snapped back.

Then we both lunged.

No tricks. No posturing. Just two forces clashing at full speed.

His blade screamed through the air—runes glowing bright silver. Mine met him halfway, the flat of Justice deflecting the blow just before Honor came swinging low at his legs.

He blocked. Barely.

Metal clanged against mana-forged steel, and the sound of our clash echoed like war drums through the open arena.

Tiles shattered beneath our feet. Every strike sent shockwaves through the stone. Sparks rained around us like wildfire embers.

He ducked and twisted, sliding low to try and jab upward with the tip of his king’s sword—I spun to the side, wings folding just in time to avoid a slash meant to tear through bone.

“Stay down!” he growled, slamming his blade into the ground.

“Frost Quake!”

Ice exploded upward in a ripple, jagged spikes of glacial mana erupting in a wave aimed to impale me from below.

I reacted.

‘Earth Wall.’

My foot stomped, and a slab of stone burst from the ground, absorbing the frost blast with a loud crack! The wall shattered instantly, but it saved my legs from being skewered.

I launched over the debris, swords ready.

My blades glowed red and gold, fire licking from the edges as I spun mid-air.

Cedric raised his sword above his head—one-handed now. His left arm wasn’t moving right. My earlier strike must’ve hit more muscle than I thought.

We clashed again.

Justice hit his blade.

Honor slammed into his shoulder guard.

A boom rocked the arena. Stone burst upward around us. Ice cracked like glass. The royal arena’s outer wards flickered as they struggled to contain our mana signatures.

Then we were both knocked backward from the impact.

I skidded across the stone, wings outstretched to balance. My breath came fast, fogging in the cold air. My back foot hit a frozen chunk of wall—didn’t break, but damn close.

Cedric landed hard, coughing, blood now dripping steadily from his side.

“You’re… persistent,” he panted.

“I’m pissed,” I replied, stepping forward again.

He let out a bitter laugh, almost delirious. Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth, but his eyes still burned with defiance.

“You can’t win, Argod. Even if you kill me—what then? The council won’t let you leave this city alive.”

He staggered but raised his voice again. “And my soldiers won’t let you walk out either. I know you only brought a few of your own. You think that’ll be enough?”

I stepped forward. My swords still glowed in my hands.

“They’ll have to try,” I growled, voice low and sharp as molten steel.

He rushed me again, sword raised in both hands despite the limp in his arm.

We met in the middle.

Blades collided in a flurry.

Slash. Parry. Duck. Elbow. Slam.

He aimed for my wing—I twisted and caught his elbow with my hilt.

He spun and knocked Justice from my hand.

“Telekinesis.”

The blade snapped back to me mid-motion and sliced upward. I caught him across the thigh.

He roared and backed off, blood painting the snow under us.

The arena had become chaos.

The elegant frost carvings on the outer walls were cracked and blackened. Magic sigils around the combat boundary were flickering like dying lanterns. Wind howled overhead, carrying mana residue with it, like we’d torn a hole in the balance of the very palace.

We circled each other again.

Breathing ragged.

My swords burned in my hands. His trembled slightly, but that king’s sword still pulsed with mana. Regal. Old. Relentless.

“You’re losing steam,” I said.

“So are you.”

I smiled. “Difference is, I’ve got more to burn.”

I slammed my foot down again.

‘Magma Typhoon.’

The ground beneath us cracked open—steam venting as molten mana surged just below the surface, the stone glowing red-hot as liquid heat spread like veins under his feet.

He cursed and leapt back.

“Ice Lock.”

He shot a pulse of magic downward, instantly freezing the stone beneath him to hold off the magma.

It worked—barely.

But the steam that burst up hit him in the face. He staggered. Blind for half a second.

I charged.