Niflheim kept his gaze locked onto nkar, who seed to have shifted his focus from Ward and Skatal over to him.
Even though he successfully blocked the great warrior's attack, Niflheim knew that he could not afford to let his guard down.
"The way rankings work in Pzenium is relatively different than the other kingdoms. But, if I had to make a comparison, soone with the title of great warrior should fall sowhere between a Commander or General of the War Brigade. He has yet to display his full strength, so I'm not sure where he falls. I'll have to quickly access his strength before the rest of the Pzenium forces reach this area." Niflheim thought to himself with a sharp look in his eyes.
Unlike other kingdoms in the Mortal Realm, Pzenium did not have any official rankings, as the kingdom itself did not technically have an army. However, there were still ways to roughly determine the strength of an individual by whether or not they had a title. This was even more so for soone who was a part of the Sandstorm Walkers like nkar.
As a nad great warrior, nkar's authority and strength were far ahead of the typical Sandstorm Walker.
Upon hearing Niflheim's response, Skatal released a long sigh of defeat as he struggled to his feet with the aid of the soldier who rushed over to his side.
Although the Lieutenant had never personally t Izroth, from how highly Commander Aurie spoke of him, Skatal could guess the kind of Captain he was, as well as what those who followed him would be like.
As a soldier, Skatal was willing to sacrifice everything to ensure the safety of Captain Ward and for the greater good. If he was prepared to go that far, how could he find fault with Niflheim's words? After all, just as he understood the kind of man Captain Ward was, naturally, Niflheim would better know the kind of person his own Captain was.
Not to ntion, Skatal was well aware that he was no match for a great warrior like nkar. Since Niflheim could block a blow from nkar, at the very least, he had a higher chance of survival.
"Then, Lieutenant Niflheim, mbers of the 9th Division—I leave this task to you. I will pull back with the 1st Squadron and form a second line of defense at the rear. If it gets too dangerous, don't be afraid to retreat. If it cos to it, we of the 1st Squadron will take over and fulfill our duties until the end." Skatal stated in a thoughtful manner.
"Should it reach that point, we'll be counting on you, Lieutenant Skatal. For now, it's best if you focus on recovering your strength." Niflheim responded.
Skatal nodded before he shouted, "1st Squadron, we're falling back and setting up a second defensive line at the rear! Do not let anyone through!"
After Skatal gave out that order, a portion of the soldiers towards the main group's rear swiftly reacted and started to prepare for the potential clash with the Pzenium warriors headed their way.
The following mont, Skatal retreated along with the soldier at his side, as well as the rest of the 1st Squadron under his command.
"Are you done with your little chat?" nkar's voice sounded as the battle aura around the great warrior surged.
"I have to say, I didn't think you were the type to wait for us to finish. It makes a little curious." Niflheim replied calmly as the blue flas around his arm beca restless after nkar unleashed his battle aura.
"Since you blocked my attack just now, I don't mind allowing you to live a little longer. In the end, what do a few more seconds of life count for?" nkar said as he raised his battle axe above his head.
He then continued, "Seeing as how that cowardly Captain of yours fled in the face of my axe and your fellow Lieutenant beca worthless after a single strike, do you truly believe that you stand a chance against ?"
"Captain Ward doesn't have ti to waste exchanging blows with soone like you. But, more importantly, I have to correct you on sothing—he is not my Captain. For that, you should count yourself rather fortunate. If my Captain were here in person, I'm afraid you wouldn't be standing before us right now." Niflheim said as he unsheathed his sword.
"How preposterous that you've chosen such absurd words to be the last you'll ever speak," nkar growled as the battle axe above his head fell down at a frightening speed and struck the earth before him!
"Heavy Sand Graze!" The great warrior roared as the earth split open, and a wave of mana similar to his first attack rushed out at Niflheim, Bellum, and Champion!
Niflheim stepped forward and said, "You two know the plan. Our goal is only to stall him, not get caught up in an all-out battle. That being said, if there's a chance to get rid of him for good, then-"
Rmmmmble! Woosh! BANG!
The blue flas from Niflheim's shield surged and ford a protective barrier that intercepted nkar's wave of mana. As a result, the wave of mana was forcibly dispersed in several directions.
"Of course, we'll be taking it," Niflheim said as he brandished the sword in his hand.
At the sa ti, a large grin appeared on nkar's face as the air around him changed.
"So, it wasn't just a coincidence that you blocked my strike. That makes you all the more worth slaying on this battlefield!" nkar bellowed.
BANG!
Without warning, nkar released his grip on the battle axe stabbed into the ground, and stomped his foot on the earth. This action caused a series of intense tremors to spread throughout the surroundings.
Simultaneously, Niflheim noticed sothing unusual taking place beneath his feet.
"The earth... It's changing." Niflheim muttered to himself as he felt his feet sink slightly into the earth.
In less than a breath of ti, the earth within approximately fifty ters of nkar was now completely covered in sand!
"Sand Domain: Shifting Desert." nkar declared as he picked up the battle axe he drove into the ground.
"Domain? Is this what he was talking about? If so, this guy may be more troubleso than I envisioned." Niflheim thought to himself.
Due to certain circumstances back when he was still with Blue Oasis, Niflheim was already aware of the existence of domains in RML. However, initially, his knowledge could only be considered shallow at best because of the limited information available at the ti.
Fortunately, Niflheim learned more about domains from Izroth and knew that they were typically divided into two categories known as the Main Upper Eight Domains and the Lower Domains. There were also so extrely rare and powerful domains known as the Pinnacle Four Origin Domains.
"If I rember correctly, sothing like the Sand Domain should fall under the Lower Domain category. Although we still can't underestimate him, our luck isn't bad." Niflheim contemplated.
"Get ready. We're starting," Niflheim stated as he adjusted his stance.
"Heh, I was hoping you'd say that," Champion comnted as he removed the greatsword from his back with an eager expression.
"We should exercise so caution. I don't know what these sands are, but they give a bad feeling. I can't sense the slightest trace of mana flowing through it." Bellum warned.
"That's not strange, considering it's not the work of magic. I'll explain everything later. But, for now, just think of it as another skill we have to deal with. Champion, you're up." Niflheim said as he glanced over to his side.
"Leave it to ," Champion responded as he moved to the front.
Without wasting a second, in a flash, Champion raced ahead with a great burst of speed.
He used the skill Unimpeded Rush to gain a large burst of movent speed as he attempted to close the distance between himself and nkar.
Needless to say, Niflheim understood after seeing Skatal being blown away so effortlessly that, in terms of physical strength, nkar was well above them. But, as soone who was used to tanking boss monsters much stronger than him, Niflheim was not intimidated in the slightest.
nkar was taken aback by Champion's boldness. Simultaneously, he was insulted that Niflheim was not the one charging at him.
"It's been a long ti since soone dared to attack head-on. Co, you shall be the first to experience death at my hands!" nkar roared as he kicked off his back foot and sped forward on a direct collision course with Champion.
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