Gam 7

Chapter 7 

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“If those are your conditions, then I, Azmaveth Thalrion, accept the princess’s challenge.” The emperor announced with his eyes locked on Natalia’s fierce green ones. 

She was a little surprised he accepted her challenge, and now she has to fight him, with one hand, he ripped the cloak he was wearing, the one that was hiding the menacing frame. His frame was even more terrifying as compared to when he first stepped out of his shadows. His shoulders were broad, almost as if they were carved out of stone or iron; his hair was jet black, and it fell smoothly onto his shoulders, but what fascinated her was the crown of horn on his head. 

Is that a real dragon’s horn? Natalia wondered as she stared at the hulk of a man before her. Her heart pounded in her chest, and she was ready to turn away and run for her dear life, but since he had agreed to her terms and conditions, there would be no use in ruining her sacrifices. 

“God! No!” Izaiah cried, begging earnestly, but his movements were restricted by the emperor’s guards. “Your majesty please, have mercy on my daughter, I will take her place instead, so please pardon her.” 

“Your daughter is accomplishing what your entire army has failed to do. If there’s even a shred of dignity left in that hollow title of yours, you’ll step aside and let her handle it. Now be useful for once and hand her a 

sword.” 

Natalia bit down on her lips, gathering all the courage she had hidden away in her, as she received the sword that was given to her, she sucked in a deep breath. Now is the time to put all the training Josiah had secretly given to her into good use. 

She was confident in her flexibility, but sometimes, her sword gets knocked out of her hands, if it were an arrow now, then she was confident she would have the upper hand. No, this isn’t the time to keep thinking, she encouraged herself, all she had to do was, stand on guard, and wait for an opening. 

“I won’t use any of my powers,” He said lazily, as he was handed his sword, a dull black sword, matte and rusty. That sword doesn’t look like something that can pierce, let alone cause harm to anyone or anything. It won’t be a fair fight because she was using a real sword. 

A small, shaky breath escaped Natalia’s lips as the Emperor began to circle her, slowly, tauntingly, like a predator toying with its prey. His eyes never left hers, gleaming with amusement and something far more dangerous. He was taunting her, daring her to make the first move, waiting for the moment she lost control. Sweat trickled from her brows and down to her chest. She felt pressured by his domineering presence. 

She knew she was strong, and she had a lot of potential. 

Even though her heart was filled with doubt, she was confident she could at least injure him, so she took that opportunity and lunged at him. 

Her blade slashed toward him with all the force she could muster, but in an instant, his sword met hers, blocking her attack. Steel clashed against steel with a burst of sparks, and before she could recover, his boot struck her stomach, sending her flying. 

The impact knocked the air out of her lungs. She staggered back, panting. Her vision blurred for a heartbeat. It took every ounce of strength not to fall to the ground. The pain seared through her ribs. It was just as she feared, the emperor was a very strong man. 

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Chapter 7 

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It was almost as if she had struck a rock; she felt a sharp pain in her upper arm, she had likely strained the muscle, and her grip had faltered, but she refused to show it. The moment your enemy knows you are injured, they can attack with more precision at your weakness. 

“You can call it quits whenever you like.” He muttered, standing some inches away from her. Natalia groaned as she lunged again, and like before, he blocked the attack. This time she was faster and her body moved more flexibly. 

He was amused by her outstanding skills; she was really good. 

The way she fought was impressive for a human. In a blur of movement, he caught her wrist mid–swing; reflexively, she tightened her grip on her sword, thinking he was trying to take it, but suddenly he swept his leg beneath hers. She hit the ground hard, face–first, the impact jolting her bones. Dust flew around her. 

But before he could seize her, she rolled away in a fluid motion and flipped herself to her feet, her chest heaving, but her eyes were still locked on him. 

Natalia gritted her teeth in frustration. Even though the emperor was relaxed, he didn’t let his guard down, even once; there was no opening to even get to injure him. And at this point, if he knocked her to the ground once more, she felt her back would break. 

Her eyes widened when the emperor lunged at her. he had given her the impression that he would always wait for her to attack first, so she didn’t think of a counter if he was on the offensive side. 

Her hands trembled as she was barely able to block all his attacks, her foot faltered under the weight of his strike, they were heavy and they were fast, and her body weight and towering frame made it worse. 

She was at a disadvantage, and at this rate, he was going to pummel her to the ground. 

“Ugh!” She tried to keep the attack block, and then he grinned, a kind of sick twisted grin, that made her stomach churn. He looked like all those monsters in folklore, he was toying with her stamina, increasing more pressure on his sword, trying to see how long she would last. 

Natalia bit down on her lips in pain, until it started to bleed, and in an instant, she felt her sword knocked out of her hands. Her eyes widened, she had lost her sword again, and the moment her eyes trailed up to the emperor. He crashed his forehead into hers, sending her flying to the ground. 

“Ah!” A sharp, painful cry escaped her lips. For a minute or two, the only thing in her field of vision was darkness, but as soon as the darkness began clearing up, she saw the emperor towering over her. That evil glint remained in his eyes; this was it, and this was her execution. 

Her chest heaving dangerously as she waited for his blade to descend and finish the duel. 

But Natalia’s pride remained wounded; her goal for this battle was to injure the emperor, and losing the duel without completely achieving her goal is a disgrace. 

“If you agree to surrender, I might be willing to spare your life.” He concluded with the blade pointed at the tip of her neck. Natalia’s hands grabbed the dirt of the ground and sprayed it in the air. Noticing this, the emperor stepped back to prevent the sand from going into his eyes. 

Natalia lunged and jumped at him bringing him to the ground, she knew the weight of her punches wouldn’t do any particular damage to him, so she tried to elbow him in the face, he shifted slightly, and her elbow 

11:03 Tue, Sep 16 

Chapter 7 

landed on the crown of the horn he was wearing. 

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A small gasp escaped her lips, noticing that she had missed her target, almost immediately, she was overpowered, and the emperor straddled her to the ground. She struggled, but he kept her pinned to the ground with just one hand. 

“That’s dirty, princess.” He growled as he tightened his hands around her neck. Natalia felt her air supply cut off. She held on to his arms tightly, scratching and pulling, trying to get him off, but the emperor was just too strong, stronger than any man she had ever seen. “No man has ever broken my horn, and you did, that’s quite impressive, but you now you have lost.” 

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