"Hmph." Daru snorted, waving his sword as if to clear it of blood after finishing off yet another Meowlitia Captain in front of a stone statue of a leopard with a crown, a cape, and a sword that was being pointed at the crayon-drawn skies.
The cardboard houses lining the wide, paw-shaped cobblestone street were half-destroyed, and fishbones and yarns were scattered everywhere, reinforcing the narrative that the Catmelot Kingdom was indeed in the midst of an ongoing rebellion.
He and his Cluckson Warriors had already defeated three small armies of Meowlitia, all of which numbered around twenty to twenty-four warriors each, led by a level six captain.
They were nearing the scratch post walls and destroyed Cardboard Gates of the Catmelot Castle.
After wiping out another Meowlitia Squad and earning a total of 2,100 experience points since the start of his dungeon run, Daru and his minorly spent Cluckson Army finally managed to enter the breached gates.
They could enter the castle itself after crossing the moat through the stone bridge just a few hundred meters from where they stood.
However, in the bridge stood a squadron of level 6 [Royal Nyaight]s, and behind them was a caracal dressed in the same manner as [Sir Lancelynx], but the colors of his hat and musketeer armor were blue instead of green.
Daru and his small Cluckson Army rushed closer, allowing him to finally read the words floating above the striking Swordspawn's head:
==
[(Elite) Sir Purrcival Lv.9]
HP: 390 / 390
==
An excited grin appeared on Daru's face.
Finally, a Swordspawn who can give him a challenge!
The Cluckson Army arrived at the bridge around two minutes later, and the moment they did, Sir Purrcival suddenly spoke:
"Nyaha! Cluckson Commander, so you're the one who took Sir Lancelynx's eye! I shall strike you down and finally surpass the king's right-hand nyaight!"
The caracal nyaight then raised his scimitar, pointing it at Daru:
"Nyaights, en garde! We shall cleanse his majesty's land of smelly chicken feathers! Charge!"
In the next moment, Purrcival jumped to the front, leading the rush of the royal nyaights.
Daru's heart pounded wildly at the sight.
"Haha! Show me then, nyaight. I hope you're not as dishonourable as your comrade. Cluckson Warriors, advance!"
"CLUCK!!"
He and his small chicken army then charged right back at the feline enemies, clucking as they moved forward without fear.
The [Royal Nyaight]s were a level higher, but they were half the number of the Cluckson Warriors.
The battle should be manageable for them. Everything would ultimately lead to the showdown between the two commanders.
"Nyaha! Take this, Cluckson Commander!" snarled Sir Purrcival as he suddenly turned into a blur, stabbing at his opponent's neck in an explosive burst of speed and great precision.
Daru's eyes widened momentarily, barely managing to dodge the attack by ducking.
They've certainly reached superhuman levels of combat now, as such attacks would be impossible to recreate in the real world.
"Nice thrust!" Daru praised with sincerity, counterattacking with a two-handed stab of his own, which the nyaight dodged by a nimble front flip.
The two then lunged forward and swiftly turned, facing their opponent and assuming their battle stances once more.
Both commanders' eyes narrowed, circling each other as their subordinates finally clashed, erupting in a chaotic cacophony of clangs, clucks, and snarls.
Fur and feathers filled the air.
"Nyaha! Not bad, Cluckson Commander! I now have no doubts that you're the one who took Sir Lancelynx's eye! But a great enemy is a great opportunity to prove oneself, en garde!"
In the next instant, Sir Purrcival seemingly disappeared, lunging at Daru at superhuman speeds.
Standard human reflexes would find it difficult to react to such attacks on time.
However, battles in the Myriad Sword Realm were designed to exceed the participating races' standard physical capabilities, which was why there was the Perception attribute, and it could be upgraded to ensure that everyone would be able to react to their enemies' attacks.
Provided that they had been allocated sufficient points, that is.
Stat numbers definitely play a significant part in the battles.
With fifty points in perception, Daru was able to react with moderate effort, masterfully swatting away Purrcival's lunging chop with a skillful rising slash.
The two then engaged in a high-pace battle as Daru charged after the clash, keeping an appropriate distance through immaculate footwork while slashing, stabbing, blocking, parrying, and counterattacking.
The nyaight wasn't losing much ground, either.
Sir Purrcival, although slightly outranged, was able to block and parry most of Daru's attacks, but his counterstrikes were considerably fewer than the latter.
The caracal nyaight, for the first time in his life, found it extremely difficult to close the range gap, despite his nimble explosiveness.
He was getting increasingly frustrated, struggling to wrap his head around what was happening.
It was as if the Cluckson Commander was able to read his mind and knew in advance whether he would attack or retreat, keeping him at roughly the same distance—sometimes too far but never too near.
He had almost always lost a body part whenever he forced a strike.
"Nya…you're skilled indeed, Cluckson Commander…" Sir Purrcival couldn't help but commend, half-impressed, half-irritated, gritting his teeth as he temporarily stepped back to breathe and rethink his strategy.
"Huh? Why are you stepping back, nyaight? We're just getting to the good part, no? Come. Let's go another round. We'll learn nothing like this." Daru's brows furrowed in disappointment.
On the other hand, Sir Purrcival narrowed his eyes.
Why?
Why do this Cluckson Commander's words sound so irksome yet genuine, at the same time?
The eyes are a window to one's soul. The caracal nyaight knew this by instinct, and so attempted to peer through them.
After a few moments of trying, Purrcival's brows rose, realizing that his enemy wasn't belittling him and was merely requesting a rather mad, high-stakes battle with their lives on the line.
"Nya…Nyahaha!" The nyaight couldn't help but erupt in a hearty laugh. "You're quite the refreshing fellow, Cluckson Commander. It seemed that I was being consumed by fear before I even realized, and for this, accept my apology. Come, then, let our noble warrior souls burn. En garde!"