Katanexy

Chapter 575: Weren't we supposed to fight together?


Chapter 575: Weren’t we supposed to fight together?


The sound of the clashes echoed like thunder in succession, each impact reverberating off the crater’s shattered walls. The ground was no longer firm—chunks of stone floated for a few moments before being pulverized by the pressure of the fight.


Samira lunged forward in a low spin, her tail slashing through the air with enough force to topple a tree. Dutch blocked with his sword, but the impact sank his feet several inches into the molten earth. The white flames reacted as if they were alive, spreading across the ground and trying to climb up his daughter’s legs.


She leaped back, avoiding the fire’s touch, and in midair, she twisted her body to launch a downward kick. Dutch raised his sword vertically, the white metal gleaming like a piece of star, and the block generated another wave of energy that swept away all the dust on the field.


“You’re not fighting like you used to, Samira…” he said, his tone almost proud, but masked by tension. “Yes, I’ve improved.” He replied with a cold smile. “And you’ve grown old.”


Dutch’s smile faded. He advanced in a flash, his sword describing a horizontal arc so fast it seemed to bend the air. Samira crossed her arms, scales flashing as she caught the impact. The sparks from the impact turned into small explosions, and the heat made her blood boil.


She took two steps back, taking a deep breath, and then launched herself back at him. Her claws slammed against the blade in an almost hypnotic sequence: clang, clang, clang—each strike faster than the last. Dutch countered with precise movements, each charged with white fire that threatened to erode her defenses.


In a sudden movement, Samira ducked and slid across the ground, slipping under a side cut. As she passed, she raised her leg and struck Dutch’s chin with an upward kick so fast that the fire around him dispersed for an instant.


The impact sent the old man staggering back, but he regained his balance almost immediately, roaring like a beast. He spun, slashing in a downward arc, and Samira raised her arm to block—but this time he pushed, forcing her down until the ground cracked beneath her feet.


The pressure was incredible, the blade burning as if it wanted to pierce her own scales. Then, in a burst of brute strength, she thrust the sword aside, using the momentum to land a punch straight at his chest. The sound of impact was dull, and Dutch recoiled, spitting blood.


But he didn’t stop.


With a swift movement, he raised the sword and pointed the tip skyward. White fire shot up the edge and exploded in a pillar that tore through the clouds. When he brought the blade down, it was sharper, more compact, as if shaped to cut through anything.


Samira narrowed her eyes, sensing the danger growing. She flexed her hands, her scales brightening, and advanced without hesitation.


The next minute was a blur.


Horizontal, vertical, diagonal strikes—scales and steel shifting positions of attack and defense in a continuous stream. The explosions were now constant, each clash sending up columns of light and dust.


In a moment, Dutch managed to graze her left shoulder, sending sparks flying and leaving her flesh smoking. Samira responded with a headbutt that connected with his forehead, shattering part of the fiery shield covering his face.


Blood dripped from both of them, but neither seemed willing to back down.


Until, in a move of pure aggression, Samira grabbed Dutch’s blade with both of her scaled hands. White fire spread across her arms, burning and cracking parts of her scales, but she held on tight.


“I don’t need to beat your sword…” she growled, looking directly into his eyes, “…if I can break you.”


And with a roar, she spun around, yanking the blade down and slamming Dutch into the ground with enough force to create a crater within a crater.


The ensuing explosion caused even Strax, in the distance, to raise an arm to protect himself.


When the dust cleared, Samira was standing over her father, her foot firmly planted on his chest, ready to strike again.


But Dutch… he was still smiling. But… Dutch’s smile turned darker, and white flames exploded from his body like a solar flare. The heat was so intense that Samira was forced to leap back, covering her face with her arms.


He slowly rose from the crater she had created, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth with his thumb. His gaze was sharper, and his stance… more lethal.


“You’re getting too good for your own good, Samira,” he said, spinning his sword in a slow rotation, letting the white fire form a circle in the air.


Samira responded with a low growl, the scales on her arms and shoulders pulsing with golden energy. “And you’re becoming increasingly predictable.”


Dutch lunged forward, the ground cracking beneath his feet. The sword came down in a diagonal slash, fast enough to split the sound in two. Samira dodged at the last instant, feeling heat pierce the space where her face had been. She responded with a spinning punch, but he stepped back and countered with a thrust that nearly pierced her guard.


They engaged again, the fight becoming a whirlwind of steel and flame, claws and scales. Each clash of attack and parry was accompanied by explosions that made the crater itself tremble.


In a moment of pure brutality, Dutch swung his sword with both hands and launched a horizontal arc, covered in a wall of white flames. Samira blocked with both arms crossed, but the impact threw her against a stone pillar that shattered like glass.


She fell to her knees, gasping, but was already preparing to counterattack… when a swift shadow crossed her field of vision.


BOOM!


A colossal punch, charged with pure energy, struck Dutch in the side. The impact threw him dozens of meters to the side, dragging him across the ground in a trail of fire and dust.


Samira blinked in surprise and saw Strax land between her and her father, his hands still sparkling with energy.


He turned his head to look at her with a half-smile. “Weren’t we supposed to fight together?”