Starting out as a Dragon Slave
Chapter 30: Fighting for glory

Chapter 30: Chapter 30: Fighting for glory

Mordred breathed heavily, hot blood slowly trickling down his chest, dripping onto the burning sand. His vision blurred slightly from exhaustion and the intense pain pulsing through his body. Even so, a familiar adrenalin coursed through his veins, awakening that part of Isaac used to desperate battles.

The furious vulture circled slowly around him, its sharp claws scraping the sand of the arena, creating deep furrows. She watched for the slightest sign of weakness, her yellow eyes fixed intently on her prey.

In the stands, the atmosphere had changed. Dragons were now avidly watching the scene, hungry for blood and violence, sometimes shouting wild encouragement to the creature to finish the show.

- Go on, devour that miserable human!" cried a scarlet-skinned dragon with a sadistic grin.

- Let her rip out his entrails!" retorted another in an exalted voice, raising his glass in the direction of the creature who was about to pounce.

The announcer, excited by the turn of events, shouted with obvious joy:

- The rebel is holding out, but for how much longer? What marvellous resistance! A veritable feast of suffering for our entertainment!

Isaac could feel the anger growing inside him as he heard the hateful cries from the audience, but he gritted his teeth, refusing to lose concentration. His gaze stared intently at the vulture, analyzing its every move to anticipate its next attack.

Suddenly, the beast lunged forward, once again spitting out hot, toxic green flames. Mordred plunged forward, rolling in the burning sand, barely avoiding the corrosive flames that painfully licked his right arm. His skin sizzled under the acidic effect, causing him to grunt in pain.

- He’s a tough one, that human..." murmured a soft female voice from the bleachers reserved for royalty.

Far away, seated next to the black dragon, stood a young woman with delicate features and long, shimmering silver hair. Her face, cold and sublime, showed intrigued curiosity, while her icy-blue eyes followed Mordred’s every move. A faint glimmer of interest shone discreetly in his icy gaze.

In the arena, Isaac narrowly dodged another attack, this time feeling the vulture’s claw lightly cut his thigh. The warm blood immediately ran down his leg, mingling his pain with his rising rage.

- Enough..." he muttered through clenched teeth, determined.

He knew he couldn’t win if he remained solely defensive. He had to act, even if it meant risking revealing his true nature.

With no other alternative, Isaac decided to test his newly-acquired power in the other world: [Earthquake].

He concentrated all his attention, feeling this new energy, weak but present, vibrate slightly in his body. He struck the ground with his right foot, discreetly activating the skill.

[Ding!] [Earthquake skill activated. 10 mana points consumed].

A dull, almost invisible shockwave abruptly swept across the sandy floor. The arena vibrated briefly, immediately upsetting the vouivre’s equilibrium. The creature staggered for a few seconds, taken aback by this unexpected disruption to the terrain.

In the stands, the black dragon frowned slightly, intrigued.

- What was that...? he murmured slowly.

- Father?" asked the young woman beside him, immediately noticing the king’s unusual expression.

- Nothing..." he finally replied, looking thoughtful. Probably nothing.

But the dragon princess watched Mordred with renewed attention, fascinated by the glimmer of strangeness she had briefly perceived emanating from him.

Taking advantage of the opening, Mordred immediately lunged at the vouivre, slashing brutally with his black katana into the creature’s exposed flank.

This time, the blade penetrated deeper, splattering the sand with burning black blood.

The creature roared in pain, immediately retreating, furiously flapping its wings to get back into position.

The crowd roared with surprise and excitement:

- He’s hurt her! This human has just hurt the vulture!

- Impossible! He must be cheating!" shouted another, furious.

The presenter burst out laughing, elated by this unexpected turn of events.

- Incredible turnaround! Our miserable slave has just seriously attacked the vouivre! But how long will he last before the beast eviscerates him for good?

Isaac was panting heavily, his arms trembling with exhaustion. The sand stuck to his bloody skin, each wound burning him painfully, but he held on, guided by a savage, instinctive determination.

- Come on, come again," he whispered hoarsely. I’m far from finished with you...

In the royal stands, the dragon princess was now following the fight with captivated attention. A subtle but sincere smile tugged at her delicate lips as she watched Mordred resist with unshakeable will.

- This human is definitely different from the others," she murmured in an intrigued, almost fascinated voice. Maybe tonight, after all, the show really is worth watching...

The black dragon glanced curiously at his daughter before returning his attention to the arena, eyebrows furrowed.

On the sand, Mordred, panting and covered in blood and sweat, tightened his grip on his katana. He was now fully determined to survive, whatever the cost.

Mordred caught his breath with difficulty, blood slowly trickling from his wounds, staining the burning sand of the arena. Facing him, the vulture howled in pain and rage, her wounded flank leaking a dark liquid that smoked on contact with the burning ground. She turned slowly around him, more cautious now, aware that this human she thought weak had just inflicted a real wound on her.

In the stands, the dragons, at first incredulous, were now watching the fight with renewed attention. Some were expressing their anger with scornful booing, frustrated that their spectacle wasn’t turning into an immediate massacre.

- What’s that stupid creature doing? Kill him now!" cried a scarlet dragon, stamping his foot furiously.

The presenter, elated by the unexpected turn of events, exclaimed:

- What an extraordinary spectacle! The human stubbornly refuses to die. Perhaps we’ve found a gladiator worthy of the name!

Isaac ignored all the shouting and chaos around him.

His attention was focused exclusively on his opponent. Slowly, he raised his black katana in front of him, closing his eyes briefly to calm his agitated thoughts.

The memory of a samurai fighting book of which he had been the biggest fan suddenly returned clearly to his mind:

"Let your soul guide your blade. Your mind must be nothing but calm and determination."

Taking a deep breath, Mordred gradually regained his composure. A familiar inner voice, his Isaac’s voice, echoed in his mind.

"Calm yourself. Analyze, anticipate, attack..."

As he slowly reopened his eyes, the vouivre suddenly charged, letting out a shrill roar, ready to tear him apart on the spot. This time, Mordred was perfectly ready. He pivoted slightly on his legs, dodging the first claw strike with surgical precision.

The frustrated creature immediately followed up with a powerful bite aimed at his shoulder. Mordred reacted with near-perfect fluidity, sliding his body to the side while violently striking the vouivre’s lower jaw with the handle of his katana.

The impact rattled the beast’s teeth, momentarily destabilizing it, and the crowd immediately erupted in amazement and fascination.

- Incredible dodge!" roared the announcer, his voice vibrating with excitement. Our human shows exceptional determination!

A murmur of approval ran through the royal stands, where the dragon princess watched the scene with particularly intense attention, her eyes riveted on Mordred with barely concealed fascination.

The disoriented vouivre shook her head furiously, but before she could regain her senses, Mordred attacked again, slicing sharply through one of her membranous wings. This time, his blade pierced the thin, vulnerable membrane, spurting out dark, viscous blood and causing the creature to roar in agony.

The crowd let out a collective cry, a mixture of excitement and anger. Some dragons rose from their seats, howling their displeasure at this surprising turn of events.

- That human... how dare he?" growled an emerald-skinned dragon, clenching his fists.

- Fascinating..." murmured the dragon princess, her breath slightly quickened, captivated by Mordred’s surprising skill.

On the sand, Isaac, panting but now in control, let out a cold, almost provocative smile.

"It’s all over for you," he thought calmly.

The creature, driven mad with pain, lunged at him again in one last desperate assault. Mordred positioned himself solidly, concentrating all his remaining energy to deliver the decisive blow.

His hunting mind perfectly analyzed the vouivre’s trajectory. At the precise moment when it opened its mouth wide to spit a new spray of flames, Mordred dodged slightly to the side, feeling the infernal heat pass by him, brushing his face but not touching it.

Taking full advantage of this opportunity, he immediately dived towards the creature, his dark blade glinting faintly under the blazing sun. He plunged his katana deep into the vouivre’s exposed throat, letting out a savage cry of exertion and unleashed rage.

Hot blood spurted profusely, splattering Mordred, the sand and even the front rows of the bleachers, drawing shocked cries and stunned applause from the crowd.

The dying vulture collapsed heavily to the ground, waving its wings feebly before coming to a final halt.

A deafening silence fell over the arena.

The presenter stood mute for a few seconds, stunned, before shouting with uncontrolled excitement:

- INCREDIBLE! UNIMAGINABLE! The human has just shot the vulture! What a humiliation for the creature, but what an unexpected triumph for the slave!

The crowd immediately exploded in confused howls, some furious dragons insulting Mordred, others applauding with reluctant admiration, captivated by his unexpected victory.

In the royal stands, the dragon princess smiled slowly, an intense, intrigued gaze fixed on the young human covered in blood and sweat on the hot sand.

- Interesting," she murmured in an almost dreamy voice, as if discovering a fascinating new toy. Very interesting indeed...

The black dragon at her side watched his daughter with an indecipherable expression, but a cold gleam shone in his dark eyes, wary of his daughter’s sudden interest in this mere human slave.

On the sand of the arena, Mordred slowly withdrew his blade from the vouivre’s inert body, catching his breath with difficulty.

[Possible absorption]

[Physical stats? Physical skill?]

- Absorb physical stats!

Mordred expected to feel a familiar surge of energy, but instead nothing at all.

- I guess I’ll see the benefits when I get back... he sighed.

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.