Dragon's Awakening: The Duke's Son Is Changing The Plot
Chapter 145 - 144 - “Why did you dodge it?”

Chapter 145: Chapter 144 - “Why did you dodge it?”

Raven narrowed his eyes at Graye’s armored frame, now practically humming with eagerness.

The guy looked like he was seconds away from yelling something inspirational and running into battle with the spirit of a thousand gym teachers.

’Alright, Omni,’ Raven muttered internally. ’You told me this guy’s got a divine cheat code tale. So what the hell do I do now?’

Omni’s voice came back with the verbal equivalent of a shrug. "Don’t ask me, bro. I gave you the download already. I’m not your babysitter—I’m a sword."

’You’re literally in my hand right now.’

"Yeah, and my job was to tell you what you’re up against. Finding the weak spot? That’s all you. I’m not all-knowing, man—I don’t just magically know everything about every story in existence. I’m thinking, but you gotta do the same."

Raven groaned inwardly. ’Ugh. I hate you.’

"You love me," Omni chirped.

Graye, meanwhile, seemed completely unfazed by the philosophical inner dialogue happening ten feet in front of him.

With a cheery hum, he cracked his neck to one side, then the other, before casually picking up his massive greatsword and resting it across his shoulders.

"Well," Graye said with the gleam of a happy golden retriever who just found his leash. "That should be enough warming up, right?"

Raven blinked. "Actually, I’ve got, like, three more sets of—"

"No," Graye interrupted with rare firmness. "That’s enough. Here I come!"

Before Raven could even form a snarky reply, a boom echoed through the arena—

—and Graye was suddenly in front of him.

Too fast.

The armored giant moved like a cannonball shot out of divine patience, sword swinging from his shoulder with a whistling roar of pressure.

The sheer speed of his step cracked the ground behind him.

Raven’s thoughts screamed in delay as instinct took over.

He ducked.

Barely.

The sword passed an inch above his head, slashing through the air with such force that the shockwave peeled the dust off the floor in a neat semicircle.

Raven tumbled sideways, rolling and skidding back to his feet.

"...Alright," he muttered, adjusting his grip on Omni. "I guess we’re doing this."

He shifted his dragon scales to his feet because he had noticed something.

’Fuck, man!’ He exclaimed inwardly. ’He was around the fifth layer before, so how the fuck is his speed equal to a layer six knight?! How can one punch give him this much boost?!’

"It can, bro," Omni cleared his doubt. "Especially when that one punch had enough power to knock him unconscious."

Whoosh!

"Look alive, Raven!" Graye’s voice echoed as he was already swinging his sword again.

Raven, however, dodged again.

Graye was now a layer six knight; his aura sword could launch mid-range attacks, and that guy didn’t shy away from doing it.

Above all, unlike a newly ascended layer six knights, he could masterfully control his aura.

’What kind of fucked-up talent is this?’ Raven groaned inwardly.

He was sure he could do the same, but wasn’t he the protagonist? That much was something he should be able to do.

The guy before him, however, wasn’t even part of the main cast. How was he so OP?

If not for his Magic, Raven would’ve taken some hits from those aura slashes.

Swoosh!

Raven jumped up, avoiding an attack aimed at his legs, only to see Graye rushing straight at him like a rhino, his sword spiraling with a flaming aura.

’So, his sword technique focuses on fire?’ Raven wondered before unexpectedly rushing forward, causing Graye’s form to break.

"Got you," Raven muttered, easily avoiding the attack with a broken form.

BOOM!

As soon as that attack hit the ground, a part of the arena, along with the stadium’s ground, shattered.

Raven, who was still thinking of a way to defeat the guy, waited for the guy to attack again, but Graye didn’t; instead, he turned toward Raven, his red eyes shining in confusion, visible from the visor.

"Why are you only dodging? Why aren’t you attacking or taking the hit like a warrior?"

"Uh..." Raven froze before an excuse sprouted in his mind. "Oh... Oh, yeah. I was giving you the chance to use all of your attacks. I was testing you."

"Eh?" Graye flinched. "So that was it... for a second, I thought you were simply running away from me."

"...haha," Raven fake-chuckled. "Why would I be running away?"

"Hm Hm," Graye nodded. "There’s no way a warrior would run away."

"Yes, yes," Raven smiled.

A bout of silence followed before Graye took a deep breath. "Alright. Since you want to see my attacks. I will show you my ultimate technique!

"Be prepared!" He exclaimed.

Without even waiting for Raven’s response, he lifted his greatsword up—straight up—his armored arms flexing as the blade began to hum with power.

"Hold up, I never agreed—" Raven tried to speak, but then he saw it.

The aura wrapped around Graye’s sword trembled, then flared.

Red.

Blue.

Green.

Brown.

Then—

BZZZZT—KRRACK!

Thunder crackled viciously around the blade like it owed the clouds money. The sheer pressure began to kick up chunks of rock from the arena floor.

Raven took an unconscious step back, gripping Omni tightly.

’Okay, this... this looks like a cutscene attack. Definitely a cutscene attack.’

Even Omni was quiet, and that was never a good sign.

Graye’s eyes, shining red through his helmet slit, locked onto Raven.

"This," he said with dramatic intensity, "is my ultimate sword technique. Passed down to me in a dream by my father, who received it in his dream from his father. I have yet to master its other forms, but the line of dreams remains unbroken."

"...Is your bloodline a bedtime story?"

No answer. The ground cracked under Graye’s feet.

Then—

BOOOOM!

The sword came down.

Fast. Too fast.

It was like the air itself had been cleaved. Raven didn’t even have time to think.

His instincts screamed, ’DEFEND! CAST BARRIER! USE THE DRAGON SCA—’

Wait.

He paused mid-spasm.

The time seemed to slow down for him.

The huge incoming attack also slowed down.

’It’s... coming straight down?’

In the midst of all the pressure, the crackling energy, and the screaming wind—Raven frowned.

Then, in the dumbest, simplest move possible...

He sidestepped.

SKRREEEEEE—KRAAAAAAK!

The sword struck the ground where Raven was standing.

The earth exploded.

A titanic shockwave cracked through the entire stadium, ripping a jagged line from one end to the other.

Dust billowed.

Marble shattered.

Students in the front row were now sitting on what used to be very expensive benches.

One poor noble kid just stared blankly at the piece of stone he was now holding like a chair.

Yet amidst it all...

Raven stood.

Perfectly still.

One step to the right.

The ground next to his foot was gone. A smoking crevice stretched like a scar down the arena.

He looked at it.

Then back at Graye.

Then at the crowd.

Then back at the crevice.

"...Huh."

Complete silence.

Even the birds stopped chirping.

Everyone had expected a climactic clash. A titanic collision. Sparks. Roars. Anime hair possibly changing color.

Instead, they got...

sidestep.exe.

Graye slowly turned toward Raven, who was now brushing dust off his shoulder.

"Why..." Graye’s voice was soft, almost hurt. "Why did you dodge it?"

Raven blinked. "Because I could?"

Another silence.

It wasn’t even sarcasm.

He meant it.

Just a flat, logical answer.

Somewhere, a professor dropped their teacup.

Graye took a slow, disappointed breath like a puppy being told it couldn’t chew on power cables anymore. "But... you weren’t supposed to dodge it."

"...Sorry?"

"My father always says..." Graye looked up, gaze resolute. "A true warrior never dodges. He meets attacks head-on. He honors them. That’s why I never learned any move other than the first move of this technique."

Raven just stared. "Dude. What?!"

Omni snorted in his mind. "Yeah, I don’t even have blood, and that gave me a nosebleed."

"You don’t understand," Graye continued, clutching his sword with deep emotion. "When I was little, Father said, ’A man who dodges has already lost. Let the blade kiss your honor.’ So I’ve never dodged. That’s why I never learned any move that wasn’t a straight attack."

Raven blinked once.

Then again.

Then just... stared in horror.

"You’ve never dodged?! Not even a rock? A sneeze? A squirrel with a grudge?!"

Graye tilted his head like a confused puppy.

Raven rubbed his temples. "Okay. Okay, let me explain something. Being a warrior isn’t about standing there like a training dummy. It’s about winning. Tactics. Survival. Not—not volunteering to get skewered like a festival sausage!"

"...But I thought it was shameful to dodge."

"No!" Raven snapped. "That’s what idiots think! Or people who die in the first act!"

Graye paused. His grip loosened slightly. "But... then..."

Raven narrowed his eyes. "Wait. Have you ever fought someone who dodged?"

Graye blinked slowly. "No. I usually fight a duel with ultimate attacks only. I face someone’s ultimate attack with my ultimate attack."

"Aight... now I get why they say he drops every fool with just one hit..." Omni muttered in Raven’s head; the guy, however, stared at Graye in shock.

"...So I’m the first guy you’ve fought with actual footwork?"

"I guess?"

Raven just stared.

"Well, that explains so much," he muttered. "You’re like a nuclear missile that’s only ever been used on cardboard cutouts."

Suddenly, Graye looked... unsure. His aura dimmed a little.

"I... I don’t know what to do if you don’t get hit."

An idea flashed in Raven’s head.

"Yo, that’s a solid move, my guy. You won’t even need to throw hands or dig around for his weakness—just smooth sailin’ from here."

Even Omni seemed to agree with it, so Raven went ahead with it.

"Just admit defeat," he said, making Graye pause.