The Laughing Swordsman

Shredded foliage and wood littered the ground.

The bone hurricane continued swirling around the skeletal dragon. The hurricane consisted of countless sharp fragments of bones and dust.

The skeletal dragon's body was still the same size. It made one wonder where all these bones even came from.

Regardless, Otis didn't care about this fact nor did he have the time to care.

With such a violent storm around the skeletal dragon, there was little his magic could do. After all, he created an entire forest but that was ripped to shreds in a matter of seconds.

Yet, the defiant frown remained on his face the whole time.

The skeletal dragon continued to look at him with disdain. This was despite Otis' breakthrough in magic. To the skeletal dragon, it was almost like trash that had been polished.

It was still trash.

The skeletal dragon dashed forward, prompting Otis to do the same. Stumps appeared from the ground one after another, propelling Otis to travel even faster.

In a split second, Otis was caught up in the bone storm.

Large gashes appeared on his body one after another. The bone fragments had no trouble tearing through his flesh.

If Otis did not receive an enhanced physique for completing the first step, instead of his flesh, his bones would've shattered. At most, he would live for a second, and even that was if he got lucky.

Otis' face tensed up from the pain, but his fierce eyes never lost their luster.

The skeletal dragon showed no mercy, even when his adversary was at death's door. Its claw flew towards Otis, prompting him to block with his arm.

Bones shattered.

Otis' arm had been mangled. It twisted as though he had gained a few extra elbows and joints.

He could no longer move it.

Otis was pushed back but regained his footing quickly. A large stump burst out from the ground under him, launching him upwards.

A bone fragment pierced through his eye, forcing it shut. As one eye bled the other shone with even brighter hatred.

He raised his remaining arm, ready to slam it down.

However, the skeleton dragon wasn't just going to stand by and watch.

Its jaw opened, darting towards Otis.

Otis frowned harder. He would die if his rib cage was caught in the skeletal dragon's teeth. There needed to be a change of plans.

He held his arm in front of him.

Then, the skeletal dragon's jaw snapped, maiming Otis' last good arm.

For the sake of his survival, he had given up his attack. However, now he had no usable arms.

What was he supposed to do?

Otis grit his teeth.

"...Damn"

His uninjured eye narrowed.

"So I'm still a coward in the end, huh?"

Otis grimaced in pain.

"...I can't even look death in the eye."

His eye closed, joining his other bloody eye.

Otis saw a blurry vision of his father.

His father was trying to say something... but it was muffled.

However, his father kept repeating it.

"...Not..."

The words became clearer.

"It's not..."

Suddenly, his father shook his shoulders. He felt his muddled state vanish in a flash.

"It's not your fault!"

Otis shook his head.

"It is my fault... if I wasn't so scared..."

His father looked him dead in the eyes.

"Everyone gets scared. Everyone makes mistakes."

A warm smile emerged on his father's face.

"What makes us strong is learning from our past faults."

His father chuckled.

"As long as one day you change, you can hold your head up high."

Otis' eyes flew open.

His arm was still caught within the skeletal dragon's jaw, crushed to bits and pieces.

But Otis wasn't fazed.

He let out a scream of anger and sorrow.

With all of his strength, Otis slammed his head onto the skeletal dragon's.

Frightening cracks spread across both of their skulls. However, it was far worse for the skeletal dragon.

If one didn't pay close attention, they wouldn't see that the skeletal dragon already had faint cracks lined across its skull. Although they had mended, they were never truly fixed.

As such, when the skeletal dragon's skull was struck, it shattered into pieces.

Otis fell to the ground, into the heap of bones.

The bone fragments whirling around in the air dropped to the ground, letting out many little clattering sounds.

As for the skeletal dragon, it fell with a thud, laying there powerlessly.

The walls sealing him inside parted.

Otis took in a ragged breath.

"I... did it. Thank you, father..."

The adrenaline slowly slipped away from him, letting him experience his pain for what it truly was.

There was a strange empty feeling from the loss of his arms. Of course, the pain far outstripped this empty feeling.

However, this pain his body felt was nothing compared to what he felt in his mind.

He hit his head on the skeletal dragon so hard he probably got traumatic brain injuries.

Even as he laid his head on the ground, he could feel the cracks in his skull grating against him.

On top of all that was the pressure. Not only was his mind not recovering, but it was also getting worse.

There was no time to rest.

Otis forced himself to sit up using his abs. He could no longer move his arms, after all.

His body swayed dangerously as he got up to his feet, but he grit his teeth and remained standing.

His thoughts were becoming incoherent while his vision grew blurry.

Nonetheless, he continued moving forward.

It was as though all his other thoughts may disappear, but his will to continue moving would stubbornly remain.

With heavy steps, Otis reached the fourth step.

The final step.

He stared at it for a few moments.

Otis no longer had his arms to pull him up.

An obstinate frown emerged on his face.

He laid his head on the final step and pressed it down.

The cracks in his skull were inflamed, but he didn't care.

Otis forced himself up, scraping his disfigured arms along the way.

He got on the final step.

Otis got up to his feet with resolve, even though he was trembling.

"You have done well, son of the Everfield family."