Chapter 1030: Sword That Won’t Yield

The Wyvern spread its wings and charged at Samira.

She raised her sword, expecting the creature to attack directly, but Strax gave it a different order. The Wyvern flew over her and fired a blade of wind at the ground, forcing her to jump aside. Before her feet touched the grass, three black chains emerged from the shadow of a tree and tried to bind her arms.

Samira twisted in midair and cut the chains. In the same movement, she launched a wave of energy at the Wyvern, but the creature folded its wings and dived, letting the attack pass over its head.

Strax watched everything from a few meters away.

He hadn’t moved.

Samira landed and immediately looked at him.

"Are you just going to stand there?"

"I’m fighting."

"You’re making that thing fight."

"And using the gauntlet."

Strax raised his right hand. The shadow beneath Samira’s feet distorted, and a chain emerged directly below her. Samira jumped before it could grab her, but the Wyvern was already waiting above. The creature opened its mouth and fired another blade of wind.

She blocked with her sword.

The impact pushed her backward.

Strax took advantage of the opening and launched two more chains. One wrapped around Samira’s sword, while the other tried to reach her waist. She pulled her blade free, cut the first chain, and twisted her body to avoid the second, but the movement placed her directly in the path of another attack from the Wyvern.

Samira had to defend herself again.

The blade of wind exploded against her sword, opening a fissure in the ground.

Strax smiled.

"You’re leaving too many openings."

Samira looked up.

"You’re hiding behind a dead lizard."

"It’s a Wyvern."

"I know what it is!"

She charged straight at him.

Strax didn’t retreat. A chain emerged from his gauntlet and intercepted the sword before Samira could reach him. He pulled the chain to the side, deflecting the blade, and another wrapped around her arm.

Samira tried to break free, but the Wyvern landed behind Strax and opened its mouth.

She noticed the imminent attack.

Instead of trying to break the chain, Samira used her own strength to launch herself toward Strax. He raised the gauntlet, and her sword struck his open palm.

The impact was absorbed.

Strax closed his fingers and released the accumulated force.

Samira was thrown backward, sliding several meters across the ground before she managed to regain her balance. The Wyvern fired its blade of wind the instant she raised her head.

Samira cut the attack in half.

The two halves passed on either side of her and destroyed the trees behind her.

Strax tilted his head.

"You’re getting good at that."

Samira didn’t answer.

She looked at her sword, then at the Wyvern, and finally at Strax.

Something had been bothering her ever since he started using the gauntlet that way. Strax was fighting, but he wasn’t truly participating in the confrontation. He was limiting himself to controlling the chains, commanding the Wyvern, and returning the energy he received. His movements were simple, almost lazy, and he hadn’t used a significant fraction of his own strength.

Samira tightened her grip on the sword’s hilt.

"You’re not taking me seriously."

Strax raised an eyebrow.

"I’m testing the gauntlet."

"I noticed."

"You’re the one who told me to use it."

"I told you to fight me!"

Her voice made the Wyvern pause for an instant.

Strax observed Samira.

She was genuinely irritated.

"I am fighting you."

"No. You’re trying to find out how many things you can do without having to make an effort."

Strax looked at the gauntlet.

He couldn’t deny it.

From the beginning, he had been using only the energy provided by the weapon itself. Even his body’s movements had been limited to what was necessary to control the chains and block attacks. The draconic strength he would normally use in combat remained completely restrained.

He looked back at Samira.

"It’s working."

"That’s exactly the problem."

Samira lowered her sword.

For a moment, Strax thought she was going to stop the training session.

Then he felt the energy.

Intense pressure began spreading through Samira’s body. The ground beneath her feet trembled, and small cracks appeared around her boots. Her draconic energy, which until then had remained distributed throughout her body, began concentrating entirely in her sword.

Strax’s smile disappeared.

"Samira."

She didn’t answer.

The blade began emitting an intense glow.

All the strength Samira would normally use to reinforce her muscles, accelerate her movements, and protect her body was being directed into the weapon. The energy flowed through the metal, filling every part of its structure until the air around the sword began to distort.

Strax narrowed his eyes.

"You’re taking this way too seriously."

Samira raised her head.

"I didn’t ask."

She charged.

This time, Strax couldn’t follow her movement using only the perception provided by the gauntlet.

Samira appeared in front of him and delivered a vertical slash.

Strax raised his right hand.

The sword struck the gauntlet.

The impact was completely different from the previous ones.

An absurd amount of pressure traveled through Strax’s arm and struck the ground beneath his feet. The gauntlet absorbed part of the force, but it couldn’t cushion all of it immediately. The ground sank, forming an enormous crater, while a wave of energy swept through the forest.

Strax’s eyes widened slightly.

The sword remained pressed against his hand.

Samira increased her strength.

The black chains began to vibrate.

"Are you paying attention now?"

Strax smiled.

"I am."

He tried to release the accumulated energy.

Samira noticed the movement and withdrew her sword before the discharge was completed. At the same instant, she twisted her body and struck the side of the gauntlet with another blow.

Strax was launched backward.

He crashed through several trees before managing to plant his feet on the ground. The force of the impact carved two deep furrows in the earth, and the gauntlet’s chains spread automatically to stabilize his body.

Samira was already in front of him.

Her sword came forward again.

Strax entered his own shadow.

The strike passed through the spot where he’d been standing and continued forward, cutting an enormous rock formation in half.

Strax emerged behind her.

A chain shot toward her neck.

Samira swung her sword.

The chain was severed.

Strax felt the connection break and immediately recalled the remaining energy.

"You’re cutting the chains more easily."

"Because I stopped playing around."

She charged again.

Strax raised the gauntlet and launched a discharge of black energy directly at her. Samira didn’t try to dodge. She concentrated even more energy in her blade and delivered a horizontal slash.

The discharge was split in half.

She passed through the opening created by her own strike and reached Strax.

Her sword came down.

He blocked.

The impact opened another crater.

This time, Strax clearly understood the problem.

The gauntlet remained intact, but the amount of force it needed to absorb had increased so much that part of the pressure was being transmitted to the rest of his body. The weapon could withstand the strike, but that didn’t mean he could remain motionless while Samira poured all her draconic energy into it.

Strax smiled.

"I get it."

Samira took a step back.

"What?"

"It’s indestructible. I’m not."

Samira raised her sword.

"Then start moving."

She attacked again.

Strax disappeared into the shadow of a tree, but Samira had already anticipated his attempt to move. Instead of pursuing the spot where he had disappeared, she swung her sword and launched a slash at the shadow itself.

The energy tore through the ground.

Strax emerged several meters away, feeling his connection to that area break.

He looked back.

The tree’s shadow had been completely dispersed.

"You’re learning fast."

Samira didn’t answer.

She charged.

Strax raised the gauntlet and ordered the Wyvern to attack.

The creature dived from the sky, opening its mouth to fire a blade of wind. Samira raised her sword and delivered an upward slash.

The attack cut through the blade of wind before it had even fully formed.

Then it struck the Wyvern.

The creature was split in half.

Its body turned into an enormous mass of shadows that began dispersing through the air.

Strax immediately felt its presence return to the gauntlet.

He raised his eyebrows.

"You killed my Wyvern."

Samira landed in front of him.

"It was already dead."

"Fair enough."

Strax tried to summon it again.

The shadow responded, but its structure was unstable. Samira’s strike had been strong enough to completely destroy its manifested body, forcing the gauntlet to rebuild it before it could be summoned again.

He decided not to insist.

Samira noticed.

"Out of reinforcements?"

"For now."

"Great."

She gripped her sword with both hands.

Strax observed the energy concentrated in the blade.

That was dangerous.

Samira was using practically all her draconic strength to increase the power of her attacks. Her defenses had weakened considerably, but her offensive capability was on a completely different level. If Strax continued limiting his movements to the gauntlet, he would need to find a way to deal with that difference.

He closed his right hand.

The black chains withdrew completely.

Samira narrowed her eyes.

"Giving up on them?"

"No."

Strax raised his arm.

"I’m going to use them differently."

The energy accumulated inside the gauntlet began to concentrate.

This time, he didn’t try to release it immediately. Instead, he made the absorbed force travel through the chains and return to the weapon’s own structure.

The black plates began emitting a violet glow.

Samira noticed the change.

"Are you strengthening the gauntlet?"

"I’m trying to."

Strax opened his hand.

A layer of black energy formed around his fingers, creating a rigid extension that resembled claws.

He moved his hand.

The claws followed his fingers.

Strax smiled.

"Now this is getting interesting."

Samira charged.

Her sword came down.

Strax raised his hand and intercepted the blade with the black claws.

The impact produced an explosion of energy.

This time, however, Strax didn’t remain motionless.

He twisted his body, deflected the sword to the side, and advanced with his left hand. Samira retreated just far enough to avoid the strike, but Strax had already launched a chain along the ground.

She jumped.

Strax followed her movement.

A second chain appeared above her, trying to prevent her escape.

Samira swung her sword and cut the chain.

Strax appeared in front of her.

The gauntlet shot forward.

Samira blocked with her blade.

The impact sent them flying in opposite directions.

Strax landed on a large rock, which split beneath his feet. Samira slid across the ground and regained her balance several meters away.

They both remained motionless for an instant.

Then Samira smiled.

"Finally."

Strax looked at her.

"What?"

"You’re fighting."

He laughed.

"I was fighting before."

"Not like this."

Samira raised her sword.

The draconic energy around the blade grew even more intense.

Strax noticed that she was preparing something different.

"Samira."

She didn’t answer.

"If you keep putting all your energy into that sword, you’re going to end up destroying it."

"Then it’ll break."

"You’re awfully calm about that."

Samira looked at the blade.

For an instant, her expression changed.

That sword wasn’t the old weapon she’d carried for so many years. It didn’t hold the same memories or the same emotional weight. It was simply a sword she’d chosen to use so she could keep moving forward.

And precisely because of that, she didn’t need to be afraid of losing it.

"If it breaks, I’ll get another one."

Strax fell silent.

Then he smiled.

"Zi Bai really changed you."

Samira looked back at him.

"I changed."

Strax nodded slowly.

"Yeah. You did."

She charged.

This time, there was no hesitation.

The sword cut through the air in a slash so precise that Strax immediately sensed the danger. It wasn’t just brute strength. All of Samira’s draconic energy was concentrated along a single path, without waste or unnecessary movement.

He raised the gauntlet.

The blade struck his palm.

The impact shook the entire clearing.

Strax tried to absorb the force, but realized Samira had changed the nature of the strike. Instead of simply pouring energy against the gauntlet, she was keeping the pressure concentrated on a single point, forcing the weapon to resist it continuously.

The black chains began to vibrate.

Strax frowned.

"Are you trying to cut through the gauntlet?"

"I’m trying to cut through you."

She increased her strength.

Strax felt the pressure reach his arm.

For the first time since he’d started using the weapon, he had to retreat voluntarily to prevent the impact from being transmitted directly to his body.

Samira advanced with him.

Her sword remained pressed against the gauntlet.

Strax tried to deflect the blade, but she followed his movement.

He tried to enter his own shadow.

Samira immediately concentrated energy in her sword, preventing the shadow beneath him from remaining stable.

Strax’s eyes widened slightly.

"You’re getting really annoying."

Samira smiled.

"Thank you."

Strax finally decided to release all the accumulated energy.

The gauntlet glowed.

A black explosion erupted between them.

Samira was launched backward, but she managed to twist her body and land on her feet. Strax also retreated several meters, leaving two deep marks in the ground.

The dust began to settle.

They continued watching each other.

Samira was breathing a little faster.

Strax opened and closed his right hand.

The gauntlet remained intact.

However, he had discovered an important limitation.

The weapon could absorb impacts and return the force it received, but continuous, extremely concentrated attacks were harder to neutralize than explosive strikes. The gauntlet needed time to process the energy, and Samira had found a way to pressure that exact weakness.

Strax smiled.

"You just taught me something."

Samira raised her sword.

"Then learn it properly."

She charged again.

So did Strax.

This time, he didn’t wait for the sword to strike his hand.

The black chains spread across the ground as he charged directly at Samira. She cut the first chain, dodged the second, and tried to strike his shoulder, but Strax used the gauntlet to deflect the blade before the attack could be completed.

He closed his hand.

The accumulated energy exploded in a short discharge.

Samira retreated.

Strax advanced with her.

Another chain emerged behind her.

Samira swung her sword and destroyed it, but Strax was already directly in front of her.

The gauntlet shot forward.

She blocked.

The impact opened an enormous crater.

Samira smiled.

So did Strax.

And for the first time in that confrontation, neither of them was thinking about stopping the fight.