Game’s Dogma

Drako Yau forced himself to calm down. Flame Form had already activated on its own the moment he was in danger, yet it did little to soothe his insecurity. Thankfully, the storm dispersed as quickly as it came.

Whoosh! The man’s aura instantly vanished as something flew out from the lava. Drako Yau would’ve thought it was a hallucination if not for his ragged breathing and sweaty clothing.

“Hehehe… Still gotcha in the end.”

The man turned around and rubbed his hands. He walked towards the giant fish to pick it up, completely ignoring Drako Yau who was catching his breath on the ground.

The fish was dark crimson from head to tail. Lengthed around a metre, it had skin resembling the volcano’s rocky walls. It wagged its tail in a futile struggle, producing a clapping sound of rock against rock. The man carefully picked it up and strode towards the plaza’s kitchen with quick steps.

Drako Yau regained his breath and followed the mysterious man. People with great capabilities usually had weird personalities; he had come to this realisation after his days with the old geezer. 

“Name.” A voice put an end to his trip down memory lane, and the only other person present was the mysterious man. He was facing Drako Yau with his back while fiddling with something. In fact, Drako Yau couldn’t catch a glance at his face all this time.

“Drako Yau.”

“Drako, huh? An arrogant name. Pluck that thing off your face, no hocus-pocus before me.” 

Drako Yau removed his mask without replying and returned it to his item bag. The man said nothing, nor did Drako Yau. Silence ensued, apart from the only occasional sounds of the man’s fiddling. After a while, the man turned around with a tray in hand.

Drako Yau took the chance to size up the man. Surprisingly, he seemed fairly young, roughly thirty or forty years old. His facial features weren’t particularly distinct, except for the two little shrubs of beard that grew on his lips.

The man paid no heed to him and sat casually on the ground. He plopped the items on the tray into his mouth and chewed loudly while observing Drako Yau without any reserve.

“Cheh, thought you were gonna be some handsome lad or hot chick. You look like a piece of log. Why’d that Nobunaga kid and Ichor Hon, those slaughterers, beg me together?”

Beg? Beg for what? Drako Yau felt himself shaking inside. Nobunaga kid? This man looks younger than Oda Nobunaga though…

Hearing no reply from Drako Yau, the man plopped another piece into his mouth out of boredom. Ecstasy washed over his face instantly. As he munched, he asked, “What weapon do you wield?”

Drako Yau answered in honesty, “The spear.”

“Oh? Not many people use the spear these days. It’s not as powerful as the halberd, less agile than the sword, and less brutal than the knife. Kid, maybe you should start over.”

Drako Yau had been practising with the spear his entire life, and he felt agitated by the man’s words. The old geezer who taught him spearmanship was his second father. He couldn’t take someone humiliating the spear lying down.

“The spear is the king of all weapons. It is longer than the sword, more agile than the halberd, and deadlier than the staff. Its variety and unpredictability is unrivalled.”

“Oh? A feisty one, aren’t you?” The man didn’t take it seriously though and continued his feast. “Then how good are you with the spear?”

“I know a little about it.”

If the spear wielders on the Eastern server heard him, they’d probably throw up a mouthful of blood and swear never to use a spear again. Who’d be qualified to claim that they know how to wield the spear when even Drako Yau knew only “a little” about spearmanship? 

“Show me.”

“I don’t have a spear.”

“Where is it?”

“Broken.”

Shooting Star had disappeared entirely after clashing with Hawk’s Mana Shot. Drako Yau couldn’t help but think if he really should be using a spear. From Dawnlight, to Moon Gazer and Moon Breaker, then Shooting Star, he had destroyed every spear he wielded. Was it his way of using a spear that was causing trouble?

“Oh.”

The man gobbled up the last piece on the tray and casually swung his arm. The sea of lava trembled. Suddenly, a dark streak shot out like a black snake and dove straight for Drako Yau.

Drako Yau took two steps back instantly in shock. The spear whizzed down before him and vibrated violently after embedding itself in the rocky ground. He tried to put on a composed look, but he simply couldn’t hide the amazement in his eyes.

The spear was extremely crude, almost as if someone had hammered a chunk of metal into the shape of a spear. Despite its coarse surface and crude craftsmanship, Drako Yau felt an unparalleled atmosphere from it. The spear wasn’t just a weapon, but rather a person—a king to be exact.

“Pick it up and show me your spearmanship,” said the man as he tossed the tray away, which landed perfectly in the kitchen sink.

Drako Yau got a hold of himself and took a deep breath. Although he was clueless about who the mysterious man was, their exchange so far revealed Ichor Hon and Oda Nobunaga had gone to great lengths for this opportunity.

He reached out for the spear. Along with a burnt smell and a sizzle, flames shrouded his palms—Flame Form! The spear was conjured from the lava, thus it was naturally burning hot, yet its dark metallic colour showed no sign of its temperature. As his mind wasn’t in the best state, he actually forgot about how hot the spear would be and clutched onto it.

With Flame Form activated, Drako Yau had great resistance toward heat. He refused to show his weakness and sully the old geezer’s reputation before the man who humiliated the spear. He grasped tightly onto the spear in an attempt to unplug it from the ground with brute force. However, the spear remained affixed to the ground despite his efforts. 

Memories from the distant past came to mind out of the blue. The old geezer always wore a proud look when teaching him how to use the spear. That was only natural, considering he had achieved the spectacular feat of combining all spear styles into one. How could someone not be proud of this achievement?

Overexerting Boiling Form during the battle against Hawk had put him in a weak state. He was in no shape to fight, but he simply couldn’t suppress the rage and impulse within him when someone dared to trample over the old geezer’s pride. He even noticed the mocking attitude in the man’s eyes, which only fanned the flames in his head even further.

“Hah!” Drako Yau growled. Ice shards and sparks spurted from the gaps in his armour—Boiling Form!

Shiiiing! The spear budged, and Drako Yau pulled it out in one swift motion. He stood upright with a spear in hand, radiating a domineering aura.​​​​​​​

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