The Lich of Glory Knight Spirit: Moving towards Krimasha!

Adelle froze in place.

Turning around, Jones looked at Duke Clement and said softly, "I only hope you can act like an adult, like a senior. If I win, I hope you will honor your promise."

"Of course." Duke Clement smiled faintly and waved his hand lightly.

The officers of the Deacon Council, Count Dracula, and Count Messier all retreated to the edge of the battlefield, dragging their wounded companions as they carefully avoided Jones's side and circled back behind Duke Clement.

Jones also waved his hand lightly. The Blood Clan members brought by Adelle quickly surged forward to help drag the injured dwarves, who were so badly hurt they couldn't move, back to safety. Everyone gathered behind the Hydra.

In the heart of the battlefield, only Duke Clement, Jones, and the Hydra remained.

"Madam, can you hear me?" A voice resounded in the Hydra's mind.

"Little Bat?" The Hydra responded, somewhat confused.

"Yes, it's me. We'll communicate this way. I'll distract him, and you aim for the fatal strike."

"Got it."

"Then let's begin." Duke Clement said softly from across the battlefield.

The next moment, Jones had already dashed toward Duke Clement with a sweeping slash aimed directly at him.

"Roar—!" At the same time, the Hydra leaped into the air, its three remaining heads lunging like a massive claw toward Duke Clement's position. Gravel and sand churned in its wake.

The sheer force was enough that a single hit could incapacitate Duke Clement. However, landing that solid blow was the real challenge.

Duke Clement's speed was extraordinary, so fast it was dizzying, so fast that even Jones could only keep up by relying on his instincts.

With a sidestep and a leap, Duke Clement not only dodged Jones's attack but also slipped between two of the Hydra's snake heads. Even the gust and dust kicked up by the Hydra's movements didn't touch him.

In midair, he flipped gracefully and fired another poisoned needle toward the Hydra.

"Clink," Jones intercepted the poison needle midair with a slash of his sword.

"And this one?" Before landing, Duke Clement flicked his wrist and released another poisoned needle, this time aimed at the farthest of the Hydra's heads from Jones.

This one was impossible for Jones to block. The distance was too great, and the needle pierced through one of the Hydra's heads.

Thankfully, the Hydra seemed to have some resistance to the poison; one needle was not enough to completely disable a head. But still, the head wavered precariously.

"Madam, are you all right?"

"Little Bat... not so good," the Hydra murmured weakly.

"Hold on a little longer! Madam!" Jones shouted desperately.

"Okay..."

With the Hydra's support, Jones launched another assault. This time, he didn't use the wide-open moves from before but adopted a more measured and conservative approach.

Duke Clement weaved nimbly among the three snake heads, occasionally firing poison needles at the Hydra. He seemed intent on continuing this strategy indefinitely.

But it seemed this was his only choice. After all, the Hydra's scales were incredibly tough, impervious to regular blades. Even claw attacks had little effect. Using poison needles was more effective.

Jones was also darting back and forth between the Hydra's remaining three heads, launching attacks while simultaneously defending the Hydra from poison needles. Sometimes he deflected with his sword as before; other times, he raised magic power shields to block them.

To counter the poison needles, the Hydra even flung its already unconscious heads around, trying to distract Duke Clement.

As the enormous snake body rolled, the sand on the ground surged outward in waves like a stormy sea.

The surrounding spectators watched silently.

The Hydra's ferocious movements caused a massive commotion, but the barrel-like figure just stood there, slack-jawed, staring blankly.

Adelle's heart was in her throat, her eyes wide and mouth agape.

The Deacon Council officers, the Blood Clan members, and the dwarves present all watched tensely, one after another.

"Will they win?" Count Dracula whispered.

"Who do you mean?" Count Messier, standing beside him, replied quietly. "Do you think your son can defeat Duke Clement? Even I can't beat him."

Count Dracula narrowed his eyes suspiciously, feeling that something was amiss.

The battle had raged on for a full half-hour. To Jones, those thirty minutes felt like an eternity. He couldn't afford to pause for a moment, because any lapse would result in countless poison needles raining down on the Hydra.

The same was true for the Hydra. Only by attacking could it gain brief moments to breathe. Jones wasn't able to block every single poison needle.

In contrast, Duke Clement, who was fighting two opponents at once, appeared at ease. After all, Jones and the Hydra's stamina were rapidly depleting, and time worked in his favor.

With a resounding crash, another of the Hydra's heads fell limp. Only two remained.

In mid-leap, a faint smirk appeared on Duke Clement's lips.

Jones glanced back silently, gritting his teeth and charging ahead once more.

With only two heads left, Duke Clement suddenly faced much less pressure and moved even more freely. With a flick of his wrist, he launched two poison needles in rapid succession.

Another crash sounded as yet another head fell. Just one remained. And even that final head, pierced by two needles, was barely holding on.

"It's over! It's all over!" Adelle's jaw nearly hit the ground.

It seemed to be an issue of dosage. Even the mighty Hydra couldn't endure more than three needles per head before lapsing into unconsciousness.

With only one feeble head left, dragging the motionless bodies of eight others... even the Hydra's ability to move was greatly compromised.

Had the battle been decided?

Jones's side stood frozen in shock.

"Do you want to continue?" The Duke of Calemon asked with a smile.

"Charge—!" With a roar, the utterly exhausted Jones still threw himself into the fray.

Duke Clement dodged easily and flicked another needle toward the Hydra.

Jones turned in disbelief.

All eyes were on the Hydra.

The needle was almost upon its target.

The Hydra's last head jerked back, using every ounce of strength it had. Its eyes bulged wider than ever before.

In Jones's line of sight, he could see the Hydra's neck bending away from the trajectory of the needle, slowly but surely.

Had it dodged?

No, it hadn't.

At the crucial moment, a force from behind the Hydra pushed its serpentine neck back into the needle's path. The slight shift was enough to be fatal.

The poison needle pierced through.

Everyone stared in wide-eyed disbelief, even Duke Clement.

"Little Bat..."

The Hydra's massive eyes slowly shut.

The entire world seemed to fall silent. Everyone watched in stunned shock.

Teetering precariously, the final head of the Hydra finally collapsed with a thunderous crash, kicking up a tempest of sand and dust.

The once-frenzied Hydra now lay still. It was as silent as death, resembling a small mountain.

Standing at a distance, Count Dracula maintained a spell-casting gesture.

Every single person gawked at the sudden interloper, even Count Messier at Dracula's side and Duke Clement in the center of the battlefield.

The entire world went deathly quiet.

A gentle breeze swept through, scattering fallen leaves and carrying away the sand kicked up by the Hydra's fall.

"That's enough." Retracting his spell-casting hand, Count Dracula spoke softly: "Since the outcome has been decided, there's no need to continue. Isn't it better to end things sooner?"

Duke Clement sighed in exasperation.

Count Messier slowly turned his head, frowning without saying a word.

Jones stared blankly at his father. For some reason, in that moment, he smiled. Clenching his sword tightly, tears poured from his eyes.