Chapter 62: C62 – Battle

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<You are entering the King's Hall.>

<Behold: Horned Lizard King of Fire.>

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Upon entering the King's Hall, Dirk and Ava received a message that appeared in their vision. This was the Record, the same one that gave them the Profile, Tiers, Ranks, and Skills.

This prompt surprised both of them. The Record never spoke to them of its own volition. This was the first time they had seen such a thing. 

Despite the surprise, they could quickly surmise what this was. The large black doors shut behind them, and suddenly, the surroundings lit up. 

The duo covered their eyes as the sun beamed down on top of them. Right now, they were in an incredibly deep hole. The hole had walls on all sides in the shape of a circle that slightly curved inward like a dome, making the place look like an arena. The walls were composed of sandstone and the floor of dry dirt. A dry heat that felt like an oven permeated the atmosphere. Luckily, both of the challengers had resistances to heat. They quickly adapted to the situation. 

After looking around, Dirk and Ava set their sights on the ground floor of the arena. They couldn't immediately spot the King, something that caused Dirk to frown. His eyes rapidly scanned the surroundings, even turning to the walls. 

[Enemy detected!]

Suddenly, Dirk's AI highlighted something in his vision. Dirk's eyes snapped to a large rock about 130 meters in front of him. His eyes narrowed as the AI did scans of the light coming from this rock. When a part of the rock twitched, Dirk's eyes widened. 

*Growl*

Right when Dirk spotted the King, there was a low rumble. Dirk patted Ava and then pointed to the large rock. She looked over and saw two golden spots appear on the rock. These spots had slits in them that sent a chill down her body. They were eyes. 

Then, the rock slowly moved. It unraveled and revealed its body that was 12 feet long and 5 feet tall. Its mouth stood on even grounds with Dirk's head. Its eyes looked down on him, fitting of the King of this dungeon. 

"The king..."

Ava mumbled as she shrunk back at the size of the king. The king was a horned lizard. Its body was comprised of dark, rock hard scales. Short spikes jutted out all along the sides of its head and back, their tips sharp like spears. Between these scales, there was a faint orange glow. Heat waves came from these crevices around its body, clearly signifying fire. 

The horned lizard didn't scream or roar at them. It just observed them, like a predator staring at a tasty treat. It didn't believe that these two invaders posed any threat. 

"Your axe will be important."

After a bit of silence, Dirk spoke. Ava looked at him before looking back at the lizard. Its body was definitely tough, but under her axe, nothing had yet to be able to resist. Her attacks were powerful and heavy, chopping through any amount of defense. For this tank of a lizard, it would be the most effective weapon. 

"We'll split up. You take left, I take right. Stay back at first while I draw its attention. Once it focuses on me, find an opportunity to strike. Aim for limbs or vital areas. And watch out for the tail."

"Got it."

Ava nodded as Dirk gave her orders. This wasn't the first time he had planned out an attack, and she could already visualize what she would do. 

However, she also knew that there would be a lot of adaptation. Dirk was never one for specific courses of action. Plans could be broken and changed. Sometimes they would have to improvise. Ava knew to do so if she had to, and she never had to worry about Dirk. She had a blind trust in his ability, one that surpassed her fear of any strong enemy. 

As Dirk spoke, the lizard rose and took steps toward them. Its throat and scales began to glow a vibrant orange that contrasted against its dark body. Seeing this, Dirk's pupils contracted. 

"Go!"

With a shout, the duo split up. Ava ran off to the side, and Dirk darted straight forward. In order to attract the attention of the lizard, he obviously needed to aggravate it. This could be done easiest head on. 

*Growl!*

The lizard's body rumbled as Dirk ran straight toward it. Its throat expanded as roiling flames brewed within. As this happened, Dirk rapidly covered ground. His hand also glowed with a magic spell. At the same time, anima was activated within his body, filling it with a violent strength. 

Then, the lizard's mouth opened. Dirk saw a light shine through its razor sharp teeth and he let out a breath. 

*Woosh!*

As if its body were a flamethrower, flames billowed out of the lizard's body. Dirk was still a few dozen meters away, yet the flames arrived in mere seconds. Suddenly, his body dipped down, and he was engulfed by flame. 

Ava watched this from the side, not yet charging forth. Seeing Dirk get covered in flames, her teeth clenched. She waited, but the lizard continued to fire out flames for several seconds. The flames were surprisingly narrow and almost covered the length of the entire arena. The power behind these flames could be imagined. 

Eventually though, the lizard stopped. Ava watched as a cloud of smoke cleared away. What was revealed underneath was a stone slab that jutted out of the ground. The side of the slab facing the flames was basically melted, and on the other side, a figure was crouched beneath. 

"That's warm..."

Ava heard a mumble. Then, she could see Dirk fly out from beneath the slab. She could see burn marks on his armor, but that was it. Dirk's armor covered every part of his body. His head was covered by a hood and even his face had a mask across it. To burn his skin would require one to burn through his armor first. 

Ava sighed when she saw that he was okay. She then saw Dirk fearlessly continue his charge. With spear in hand, pillars of rock shot out from beneath his feet. In a mere few steps, he was in front of the lizard. The lizard swung its claw at his approaching figure, and he thrust out. 

*Shik!*

*Screech!*

The lizard let out a small scream as Dirk's spear pierced into the webbing of its claw. However, Dirk's body became tense. 

The tip of his spear was about a foot long. It was a double edged blade and with Dirk's strength behind it, he could price into most hides. However, even with his strength, the spear tip only pierced two inches into the lizards claws. A light amount of blood seeped onto the spear tip as Dirk quickly pulled back. 

When Dirk moved back a few feet, the lizard pushed forward with a newfound rage. It swiped its long arms at Dirk, threatening to shred his armor to pieces. He dodged and swung his own spear while continuously activating the anima in his body. When the spear blade hit the lizard's flesh, it left shallow cuts. When it hit its claws, the two let out grating sounds as if two swords were clashing. 

Dirk's spear arts weren't fancy or skillful. They could be called crude. But in his hands, it was still a deadly weapon. It didn't take a genius to see how it should be used, and Dirk could rapidly become proficient with any weapon. He had already practiced with his spear for many hours while in the dungeon, so now, his spear use was beginning to resemble a somewhat trained warrior. 

Dirk went back and forth with the lizard for a minute or so, his spear constantly blocking or attacking. After receiving over a dozen small slices, the lizard began to become more defensive. Once small cut wasn't a lot, but if they started to stack up, it would become too painful and fighting would become difficult. The lizard wasn't intelligent, but it still had its fighting instincts. 

Dirk also found out that while this lizard was big and strong, it wasn't fast. With Dirk's agility, there wasn't much he couldn't dodge. 

This would also be advantageous to another certain someone. After Dirk had fought for a while, there were suddenly footsteps that came from nearby. Both Dirk and the lizard heard this. 

The lizard wanted to turn around, but that's when Dirk pressed his attacks. He became more aggressive as he thrust his spear toward the lizard's neck. To this, the lizard could only refocus and swipe out to block. 

Meanwhile, Ava was getting close. Upon seeing an opening, she charged forth with her axe in hand. She came up right behind the lizard intending to chop off one of its legs. When she got close though, the lizard screamed. 

The lizard suddenly charged at Dirk. Dirk's eyes widened as that huge body came barreling toward him. He quickly backed up. That lizard definitely weighed hundreds if not over a thousand pounds. He absolutely could not let it pin him down and attack as it pleased. 

But this gave it an opening. After Dirk backpedaled, the lizard swiped to create distance before turning its head back. Its eye on the side of its head saw Ava who was taking her last steps toward it. It couldn't turn around to attack. 

But it didn't have to. Suddenly, Ava saw its tail come swinging around. The tail was like a hammer as it slammed into the side of her body. She was thrown away, tumbling across the ground. 

After that, the lizard focused back on Dirk. After blocking one of his attacks, the lizard continued its charge. Dirk grunted as he turn and ran, the lizard hot on his tail. 

"Dirk?"

Ava quickly recovered. When she did, she looked to see Dirk running across the arena. She wasn't in the mood to laugh at this rare sight though and dashed toward her axe that had flown out of her grip. After she picked it up, she joined in the chase right behind the lizard. 

Like this, the battle became a game of cat and mouse. Dirk thought of several things as he ran. He didn't run so fast so the lizard stayed focused on him, a careful balance being maintained. Ava also didn't get too close so as to watch out for the tail. She then remembered Dirk's warning and felt a bit stupid. 

This chase didn't continue for long though. Thinking of something, Dirk raised his hand. Pouring mana into a spell, 4 rock arrows were created overhead. These rock arrows shot toward the lizard's head. However, when the arrows hit, the arrow tips merely cracked on the lizard's rock solid hide, not doing any damage. The lizard barely noticed as it continued chasing Dirk.

'Nevermind then.'

Seeing how useless his magic was on this lizard, Dirk just shook his head before thinking of other alternatives. Then, after getting an idea, Dirk changed directions toward one of the walls. He charged right at it, and the lizard's mouth slightly opened in anticipation for the meal that was apparently trying to kill itself. 

"Ava, chop its tail when you can!"

Dirk shouted as he got closer to the wall. Ava didn't say anything as she focused on the tail.

Then, Dirk arrived at the wall. A magic circle instantly appeared on his hand, and he jumped. 

Dirk's foot hit the wall, and a small foothold appeared under it. Like that, he took three steps up the wall. Then, his body bent back as he pushed off. The lizard raised its head as he sailed over it, flipping and landing on its back. 

Dirk brought down his spear. 

*Screech!!!*

The lizard let out a ferocious scream as the spear was buried in its back with Dirk's full momentum behind it. At the same time, Ava came from behind and brought down her axe. Her heavy blade chopped right into the base of the lizard's tail. However, even that only chopped halfway through. The lizard screamed once more as it whipped its body around, swiping at Ava.

*Shing!*

Ava couldn't react before the lizard's claws came slicing across. Those sharp, almost metallic bones grated against her armor as she was tossed away once more. 

Seeing this, Dirk felt a surge of anger come over him. Looking down, he took out his own hand axe and chopped. 

*Screech!*

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The lizard yelled once more as Dirk quickly chopped at it. His blade didn't sink very far down, definitely not hitting any vitals. But it tore up the muscles and even fractured its large bones. The lizard started to toss its body around in an attempt to throw him off, but Dirk used the spear as an anchor. 

He chopped a few more times. However, he then saw the lizard charge toward one of the walls. His eyes remained cold as he braced himself. Then, when the lizard threw its back against the wall, he jumped off. 

*Bang!*

The lizard caused the arena to shake as its huge body slammed into the wall. While this caused Dirk's spear to bend and tear up some more flesh, it was worth it since Dirk was now off its back. The lizard turned to him with rage in its eyes, and its throat started to glow. 

"Argh..."

At that time, Dirk heard a pained groan. He turned and saw Ava who was kneeling on the floor. Beside her was a small puddle of blood. She had been injured, and it looked like she had sustained more than just a few cuts. While she might not have broken a bone, she likely had really bad trauma from the impact. 

Dirk's head alternated between the lizard and Ava once. Then, he charged toward Ava. At the same time, the lizard opened its mouth, flames just about ready to billow out. 

"To me!"

Dirk shouted. Ava heard him and looked up. She saw the lizard and Dirk who was running toward her. Gritting her teeth, she got up and ran forward to him. 

Then, the lizard finally attacked. A pillar of flame shot out of its mouth. It rapidly chased Dirk and threatened to burn him to a crisp. Even with his armor, he would be cooked alive. Not even his own fire resistance could defend against the lizard's high tier flames. 

Just as the fire was going to reach him, Dirk met with Ava. Their bodies collided as he took them to the floor. Then, his hand raised. A slab of thick stone was erected behind them. The flames crashed into this stone and were divided around it. 

Dirk and Ava were then surrounded by a sea of fire. Ava curled up as Dirk covered her body with his. Tongues of flame flickered and whipped past them, burning some of Dirk's armor and singeing some of Ava's hair. They stayed like this as Dirk poured mana into the slab of stone protecting them. Even then, the surface was quickly melted. 

Perhaps because of its rage, the lizard shot out flame for several seconds longer. By the time it was done, the slab of stone had almost melted through. 

"Can you fight?"

At that time, Dirk raised his head and asked. Ava looked at him, their faces only inches apart. 

"Yes!"

Ava resolutely spoke. The wounds she sustained were mostly superficial. While it hurt to move, she could push through that pain. The adrenaline coursing through her body helped her as well. 

"Alright. Split up. Recover your axe when you can. I'm going to attack it. You find an opening."

"Okay."

"Then let's go!"

Saying that, the two rolled out from under the slab. Dirk jumped to his feet and laid eyes on the lizard. The lizard looked at him, flames in its eyes. Both were furious. 

Reaching toward his chest, Dirk pulled out a long knife. He then ran straight toward the lizard. The lizard moved forward and met the charge. Ava also slipped away and found her axe, going to retrieve it. 

Normally, Dirk wanted to maintain distance from the lizard. It was simply too risky to fight it in close combat. But Dirk didn't have his other weapons as they were stuck in the lizard's back. He needed to keep the lizard's attention while Ava snuck in from behind. 

So he took the risk. In his eyes, the AI plotted out the various reactions the lizard could have. It was always watching Dirk's battles, analyzing the enemies before it. 

With this, Dirk met the lizard. The lizard threw out one of its claws. Each claw was almost a foot long. Dirk wasn't nervous as he met these though. His eyes turned apathetic as his body bent. 

*Woosh!*

The claws sailed right past him, brushing past the leather of his armor and leaving small tears. Dirk's body straightened out as he took a step to the side. 

As this happened, 4 fireballs appeared above Dirk's head. While Dirk maneuvered around, these fireballs came down and exploded on the lizard's face. The lizard closed its eyes and ducked away as the fire brushed over it. 

Since it was the so called 'king of fire' though, the fire naturally didn't hurt it, just brushing over the scales like a warm summer breeze. 

Dirk wasn't trying to hurt it though. While the lizard was distracted, he stabbed his knife into the side of its body. The lizard yelled as he pulled himself back onto its back. 

"Hah!"

Dirk yelled as he grabbed his axe, pulling it out of the lizard's back. Then, before the lizard could start thrashing around, he jumped off. The lizard saw this and turned to him, swiping out with its claws again. 

At this time though, Dirk could see Ava coming in from behind. She was about to attack, but if Dirk didn't keep the lizard's attention, it would likely pull back to escape them both. Thinking of this, Dirk didn't hesitate as he rushed right at the claw the lizard swung at him. He swung his own axe.

Just before the claws tore across his body, his axe chopped into the lizard's arm. The arm fell limp as tendons and muscles tore. 

As if it couldn't feel pain though, the lizard opened its threatening maws and pulled Dirk in with its arm. Dirk pulled back his axe, but before he could jump backward, the lizard chomped down. 

"Agh!"

The lizard's razor sharp teeth bit down on Dirks's shoulder. Some teeth scraped against metal while others bit into the leather. The leather couldn't stop the teeth from totally penetrating through. Even the teeth that didn't tear through the leather punctured Dirk's skin with an oppressive bite force. 

Under that bit force, Dirk felt like his bones were going to give. With a thought, he gave an order to his AI.

'Overdrive!'

[Activating Overdrive.]

Suddenly, Dirk's muscles bulged with strength that resisted the lizard. His body heat up as blood soaked his shirt underneath his armor. 

*Growl!*

"Ahh!!"

Dirk and the lizard both let out their own low roars as it bit down harder and harder on Dirk's body. It flung him around after raising him off the floor, causing its teeth to tear into his skin even further. If it weren't for Dirk activating tons of anima and adding overdrive on top of that, some bones would have shattered.

Dirk didn't just let himself be thrown around though. With his left hand, he quickly grabbed one of the knives on his thigh and stabbed out. He stabbed the lizard's mouth and throat several times in quick succession, causing it to scream and whip its head around. When it finally opened its mouth, Dirk was thrown away like a ragdoll. 

*Thud!*

"Argh!"

Dirk grunted as he hit the floor and tumbled, blood dying the ground where he landed. Despite the pain, his body quickly jumped to its feet, his eyes moving back to the lizard. The lizard looked back at Dirk, about to charge him again. At this time though, it felt a horrible burning in its leg. 

*Screech!*

The lizard screamed as Ava came from behind and chopped its leg. After seeing Dirk get chewed alive, Ava was burning with both panic and a vengeful rage. She put all her power into a precise strike, hitting the joint of the lizard's leg. The axe slid right through its flesh, sliding between the bones and separating the leg in two. Along with the hand that Dirk had injured, the lizard now had two limbs that were disabled, and it barely supported itself unsteadily. 

That wasn't all though. Ava followed that strike with another, this time aiming for its head. She didn't mind the weak claw strike that came at her, chopping straight toward the lizard's neck. The claw collided with her body, but at the same time, her axe was buried into its flesh. 

Now, the lizard couldn't even scream. It gurgled as blood poured from its neck. It attempted to disregard the pain and chomp at Ava with its teeth, but not only did she not dodge, but she raised her leg and kicked the lizard's mouth. With her greatest strength behind that leg, the lizard's head was flung to the side. Then, Ava brought her axe back down onto its neck. 

*Slice!*

This time, the axe slid straight through. The skink collapsed to the floor as its head was almost totally separated from its body. Blood rapidly pooled below it as Ava let out rapid breaths. 

"Huff... Huff... Dirk?"

Taking a deep breath, Ava spun around and found Dirk who kneeled on the floor. She ran over to him despite her weakening body.

"I'm fine. Good job with the kill."

"No. If you weren't distracting it, I wouldn't have been able to hit it. How are your wounds?"

"Nothing serious."

Dirk spoke as he stood up. Ava checked his body despite his words, but at that moment, something happened. 

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<Congragulations! The Horned Lizard King of Fire has been eliminated.>

<Your reward has been decreed.>

<The King's Hall will reset in 10 hours.>

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