Niflheim kept his gaze locked onto Menkar, who seemed to have shifted his focus from Ward and Skatal over to him.
Even though he successfully blocked the great warrior’s attack, Niflheim knew that he could not afford to let his guard down.
“The way rankings work in Pzenium is relatively different than the other kingdoms. But, if I had to make a comparison, someone with the title of great warrior should fall somewhere between a Commander or General of the War Brigade. He has yet to display his full strength, so I’m not sure where he falls. I’ll have to quickly access his strength before the rest of the Pzenium forces reach this area.” Niflheim thought to himself with a sharp look in his eyes.
Unlike other kingdoms in the Mortal Realm, Pzenium did not have any official rankings, as the kingdom itself did not technically have an army. However, there were still ways to roughly determine the strength of an individual by whether or not they had a title. This was even more so for someone who was a part of the Sandstorm Walkers like Menkar.
As a named great warrior, Menkar’s authority and strength were far ahead of the typical Sandstorm Walker.
Upon hearing Niflheim’s response, Skatal released a long sigh of defeat as he struggled to his feet with the aid of the soldier who rushed over to his side.
Although the Lieutenant had never personally met Izroth, from how highly Commander Aurie spoke of him, Skatal could guess the kind of Captain he was, as well as what those who followed him would be like.
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As a soldier, Skatal was willing to sacrifice everything to ensure the safety of Captain Ward and for the greater good. If he was prepared to go that far, how could he find fault with Niflheim’s words? After all, just as he understood the kind of man Captain Ward was, naturally, Niflheim would better know the kind of person his own Captain was.
Not to mention, Skatal was well aware that he was no match for a great warrior like Menkar. Since Niflheim could block a blow from Menkar, at the very least, he had a higher chance of survival.
“Then, Lieutenant Niflheim, members of the 9th Division—I leave this task to you. I will pull back with the 1st Squadron and form a second line of defense at the rear. If it gets too dangerous, don’t be afraid to retreat. If it comes to it, we of the 1st Squadron will take over and fulfill our duties until the end.” Skatal stated in a thoughtful manner.
“Should it reach that point, we’ll be counting on you, Lieutenant Skatal. For now, it’s best if you focus on recovering your strength.” Niflheim responded.
Skatal nodded before he shouted, “1st Squadron, we’re falling back and setting up a second defensive line at the rear! Do not let anyone through!”
After Skatal gave out that order, a portion of the soldiers towards the main group’s rear swiftly reacted and started to prepare for the potential clash with the Pzenium warriors headed their way.
The following moment, Skatal retreated along with the soldier at his side, as well as the rest of the 1st Squadron under his command.
“Are you done with your little chat?” Menkar’s voice sounded as the battle aura around the great warrior surged.
“I have to say, I didn’t think you were the type to wait for us to finish. It makes me a little curious.” Niflheim replied calmly as the blue flames around his arm became restless after Menkar unleashed his battle aura.
“Since you blocked my attack just now, I don’t mind allowing you to live a little longer. In the end, what do a few more seconds of life count for?” Menkar said as he raised his battle axe above his head.
He then continued, “Seeing as how that cowardly Captain of yours fled in the face of my axe and your fellow Lieutenant became worthless after a single strike, do you truly believe that you stand a chance against me?”
“Captain Ward doesn’t have time to waste exchanging blows with someone like you. But, more importantly, I have to correct you on something—he is not my Captain. For that, you should count yourself rather fortunate. If my Captain were here in person, I’m afraid you wouldn’t be standing before us right now.” Niflheim said as he unsheathed his sword.
“How preposterous that you’ve chosen such absurd words to be the last you’ll ever speak,” Menkar growled as the battle axe above his head fell down at a frightening speed and struck the earth before him!
“Heavy Sand Graze!” The great warrior roared as the earth split open, and a wave of mana similar to his first attack rushed out at Niflheim, Bellum, and Champion!
Niflheim stepped forward and said, “You two know the plan. Our goal is only to stall him, not get caught up in an all-out battle. That being said, if there’s a chance to get rid of him for good, then-“
Rmmmmble! Woosh! BANG!
The blue flames from Niflheim’s shield surged and formed a protective barrier that intercepted Menkar’s wave of mana. As a result, the wave of mana was forcibly dispersed in several directions.
“Of course, we’ll be taking it,” Niflheim said as he brandished the sword in his hand.
At the same time, a large grin appeared on Menkar’s face as the air around him changed.
“So, it wasn’t just a coincidence that you blocked my strike. That makes you all the more worth slaying on this battlefield!” Menkar bellowed.
BANG!
Without warning, Menkar released his grip on the battle axe stabbed into the ground, and stomped his foot on the earth. This action caused a series of intense tremors to spread throughout the surroundings.
Simultaneously, Niflheim noticed something unusual taking place beneath his feet.
“The earth… It’s changing.” Niflheim muttered to himself as he felt his feet sink slightly into the earth.
In less than a breath of time, the earth within approximately fifty meters of Menkar was now completely covered in sand!
“Sand Domain: Shifting Desert.” Menkar declared as he picked up the battle axe he drove into the ground.
“Domain? Is this what he was talking about? If so, this guy may be more troublesome than I envisioned.” Niflheim thought to himself.
Due to certain circumstances back when he was still with Blue Oasis, Niflheim was already aware of the existence of domains in RML. However, initially, his knowledge could only be considered shallow at best because of the limited information available at the time.
Fortunately, Niflheim learned more about domains from Izroth and knew that they were typically divided into two categories known as the Main Upper Eight Domains and the Lower Domains. There were also some extremely rare and powerful domains known as the Pinnacle Four Origin Domains.
“If I remember correctly, something like the Sand Domain should fall under the Lower Domain category. Although we still can’t underestimate him, our luck isn’t bad.” Niflheim contemplated.
“Get ready. We’re starting,” Niflheim stated as he adjusted his stance.
“Heh, I was hoping you’d say that,” Champion commented as he removed the greatsword from his back with an eager expression.
“We should exercise some caution. I don’t know what these sands are, but they give me a bad feeling. I can’t sense the slightest trace of mana flowing through it.” Bellum warned.
“That’s not strange, considering it’s not the work of magic. I’ll explain everything later. But, for now, just think of it as another skill we have to deal with. Champion, you’re up.” Niflheim said as he glanced over to his side.
“Leave it to me,” Champion responded as he moved to the front.
Without wasting a second, in a flash, Champion raced ahead with a great burst of speed.
He used the skill Unimpeded Rush to gain a large burst of movement speed as he attempted to close the distance between himself and Menkar.
Needless to say, Niflheim understood after seeing Skatal being blown away so effortlessly that, in terms of physical strength, Menkar was well above them. But, as someone who was used to tanking boss monsters much stronger than him, Niflheim was not intimidated in the slightest.
Menkar was taken aback by Champion’s boldness. Simultaneously, he was insulted that Niflheim was not the one charging at him.
“It’s been a long time since someone dared to attack me head-on. Come, you shall be the first to experience death at my hands!” Menkar roared as he kicked off his back foot and sped forward on a direct collision course with Champion.
