The Monster King's Legacy-Chapter 156: A Display of Dominance

Rusak's form shifted slightly, his mind sharpening. His muscles tensed, his eyes glowed faintly, and his claws flexed. He had taken Lance's advice in full, he wasn't planning on holding back.

Lance simply exhaled, rolling his neck. His body had changed, strengthened beyond recognition, but there was still something thrilling about facing an old friend in combat.

The air between them grew heavy with tension as they engaged in a silent stare-down for a moment.

Then, without a word—

They moved.

The moment they clashed, the force of it sending shockwaves over the plains, Rusak's eyes burned with battle lust. His beastkin instincts roared to life as he twisted midair, launching a powerful kick toward Lance's ribs.

Instead of attempting to dodge, Lance didn't move.

The force of the kick was enough to shatter a large stone block, but as it came close to connecting, Lance raised his forearm with casual ease. The impact resounded, yet, he had barely shifted, perhaps he didn't even move an inch.

Seeing as his attack was ineffective, Rusak narrowed his eyes, and without hesitation, he followed up with a flurry of rapid strikes, his body twisting like a wild beast in motion. His attacks were relentless, every movement refined and precise, even aiming for Lance's blind spots, but nothing worked. His strikes were either blocked, or avoided.

Lance's golden eyes appeared to gleam faintly as he moved like flowing water, dodging most of the attacks with minimal effort. A tilt of his head, a small shift of his stance, a smooth sidestep… every movement was precise, as if he could see Rusak's attacks before they even came.

Rusak clenched his teeth in realization that nothing was working. 'This is insane.'

Lance had always been strong. But this? This was something else entirely. They had been on similar levels of strength before he left, so it was difficult to believe what was going on before his very eyes.

With a sharp exhale, Rusak changed tactics. He leapt backward, digging his claws into the earth before propelling himself forward with explosive force. His body blurred, closing the distance in an instant.

This time, he feinted throwing a punch aimed at Lance's face before twisting mid-motion to bring his knee up toward Lance's gut. Something completely out of his normal fighting style.

Lance smirked, 'this is new…' he thought to himself.

Despite the effort, Lance caught his knee with one hand by obstructing it with his palm.

The sheer ease of it sent a chill down Rusak's spine. His full-speed, full-power strike had been stopped like nothing.

Lance tilted his head. "You done?"

Rusak growled, muscles tensing, then he suddenly grinned. "Not even close."

Using Lance's grip as a pivot, he swung his entire body around, aiming a powerful kick at Lance's temple.

Lance's other hand moved faster than Rusak's eyes could follow.

SMACK!

Rusak felt a force hit his leg before he even registered the movement. A moment later, his entire body was flung sideways, sending him crashing into the ground, rolling several meters before coming to a stop.

He groaned, slowly getting back up. "That was…" He shook his head, wiping dust from his face. "That was humiliating."

Lance smiled, lowering his hand. "You performed more than I would even expect." Lance said with a grin on his face.

Rusak let out a dry chuckle, stretching his limbs. "Don't try to make me feel better. You didn't even try."

Lance shrugged. "I wanted to see what you had."

Rusak exhaled, shaking his head. "And? What's the verdict?"

Lance gave him a thoughtful look. "You're strong. But compared to me now…" He gestured vaguely. "You'd need ten of yourself to make it interesting. Hehe… perhaps the old age is already getting to you. Better start looking to pass on the legacy." He said, tailoring an old joke.

Rusak clicked his tongue. "Cocky bastard." He said, making Lance grin.

Rusak found a suitable place and sat on a nearby rock, catching his breath as Lance remained standing. The evening breeze brushed past them, carrying the scent of grass and distant firewood.

"You've really changed." Rusak said with a smile on his face.

Lance glanced at him. "Not just on the outside, huh?"

Rusak huffed. "Not even close. The old you was strong, sure. A damn good leader, too. But this? This is something else." He looked down at his hands, flexing them. "I thought I'd grown in these past years. But seeing you now…" He clenched his fist. "You make me feel like I've been crawling while you've been soaring."

Lance let the words settle before speaking. "You have grown, Rusak. It's not about comparing yourself to me. It's about surpassing who you were yesterday."

Rusak exhaled through his nose, then grinned. "Heh. You sound like a wise old man."

Lance chuckled, stretching his back a bit. "Dragons tend to talk like that, must have rubbed off on me."

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Rusak barked a laugh. "Fair enough," as he stood up, stretching his arms. "Well, if we have a monstrous leader now, then I guess I've got no choice." He said, his grin widening with sharp teeth gleaming. "I'll just have to push myself even further. Otherwise, how else will I keep up?"

Lance smiled. "I expect nothing less." HE said, before continuing. "That aside, you're passing your middle ages. Are you really still not thinking of spawning a little one? You're not immortal, you know?"

Listening to Lance's almost constant pestering, Rusak scoffed. "If I can gain unprecedented strength, that won't be possible. I heard there's a human king, The Godking, the most powerful human, who has been alive and well for several centuries now."

With the mention of the name, Lance suddenly remembered what Haos had said to him a few years ago, to find him if he wished to be stronger… 'well, I guess I skipped the tutorial right into the climax.' He thought to himself.

The two headed back toward the city.

Rusak let out a satisfied sigh. "It's good to have you back, Lance."

Lance glanced at him a bit confused, then smiled. "It's good to be back."

Rusak smirked. "But next time we spar, I'm not going easy on you."

"You'd better not." Lance laughed, the sound carrying into the night.