Dark Warlock in the Apocalypse

"I choose option three! Let's fight!"

"...!?"

Before anyone could protest, Justin shouted his decision. Every pioneer, including his comrades, looked at him in shock.

It wasn't just his side that was surprised.

"...."

"...."

Even the Green Skin army fell silent at his declaration, stunned by his unexpected choice. For a moment, even the Wyvern Rider circling in the sky didn't respond.

"...Alright then! One-on-one it is!"

A growling roar erupted from the Wyvern Rider. Justin sensed an odd frustration in his voice, almost as if the orc was insulted that he had actually agreed to the fight. Was it because Justin's decision made the Warchief feel underestimated?

"Monsters are more expressive than I thought," Justin muttered to himself.

"Lord, what are you doing!?"

Before Justin could reflect further, Zachary, Ethan, and Derek began to panic, crowding around him in disbelief.

"Cancel it and choose option one!" Zachary urged.

"Or at least go with option two!" Ethan added.

"I could pretend to be the leader and take your place!" Derek offered.

"I'm telling you, I've got a chance," Justin insisted.

"Stop saying ridiculous things!" his comrades shouted in unison, unwilling to believe his confident declaration.

"This is a duel! Not like when you stay safe and cast spells from a distance. You'll have to fight face-to-face!" Zachary protested.

"And I've won plenty of times before, haven't I?" Justin replied.

"That's because your enemies were weak! This one's a Warchief! It could probably withstand your strongest Black Missile without a scratch!" Zachary retorted.

"And what are you going to do about the Wyvern?" Ethan added, pounding his chest for emphasis.

"Even though it's supposed to be one-on-one, it's actually two-on-one with the Wyvern involved. You'll have to kill them one at a time, but can you really manage that?"

Ethan had a point. Even if Justin could somehow take down one of them, what about the other? If he killed the Warchief, the Wyvern would remain, and if he killed the Wyvern, the Warchief would still be standing. It was an impossible dilemma.

Justin scratched the back of his head, considering the options. "Maybe I could ask him to come down and fight fairly?"

"Have you ever seen a monster willingly dismount in battle? What's the point of being a Rider class if they do that?" Zachary snapped.

"Just joking, calm down," Justin said, chuckling as he looked at his comrades, who were on the verge of a meltdown.

"Look, don't worry about it. I have a plan for both the Warchief and the Wyvern," Justin reassured them.

"...What?" Ethan blinked, clearly taken aback.

All of his comrades exchanged confused looks, wondering if they had misheard. Just as Justin was about to explain, a loud shout came from below the walls.

"Come out and fight!"

The Warchief, Urgulla, had already descended and was waiting atop his Wyvern.

"Looks like there's no time for explanations," Justin said with a sigh. "I'll be back."

"Wait, hold on...!" Ethan reached out, but Justin slipped past them, patting Fafnir on his shoulder.

"You'll need to help out this time," Justin whispered.

"Krrrk!"

Fafnir purred like a content cat, pleased with the attention.

As the gates opened, Justin could see the Green Skin army standing outside. It looked like a sea of green, any one of them ready to rush through the gate at the first sign of weakness. Yet none of them moved. In fact, they stepped back, clearing a path for him.

"Hmm," Justin mused, lifting his head to see Urgulla standing in the distance, just out of reach from the gate. Even from far away, he could hear the Warchief's snort.

Justin calmly walked through the parted ranks of the orc army, keeping a casual expression.

'I bet everyone's watching anxiously from above,' he thought, holding back a laugh as he imagined the faces of his comrades. When he finally stood before Urgulla, the Warchief blinked, glaring down at him.

"So, you actually came out, human," Urgulla rumbled.

"Well, of course. What, did you expect me to send a fake?" Justin retorted with a smirk.

"Snort Brave, but foolish," Urgulla growled. "I can see you're going to die because of your stupidity."

"Screeech!"

The Wyvern screeched, seemingly agreeing with its rider. Justin winced, covering his ears.

"Just to clarify, you're not planning to fight while riding that thing, are you?" Justin asked.

"What if I am?" Urgulla sneered.

"Don't you think that's a bit unfair?"

"Unfair? This Wyvern is mine! Why wouldn't I use it? You have your beast too!" Urgulla pointed at Fafnir on Justin's shoulder, his tone defiant.

Justin was momentarily speechless. Sure, Fafnir was a dragon, but the tiny creature perched on his shoulder couldn't exactly compare to the massive Wyvern Urgulla was riding. What a brazen orc, Justin thought.

"Don't worry, I'll end this quickly. One breath from this creature's poison and it'll all be over in seconds!" Urgulla boasted.

"Kyaaah!"

Before Urgulla could finish his arrogant declaration, Fafnir raised his head and let out a powerful roar. But this wasn't just any roar—it was infused with the force of a dragon's might.

"Ding! The Black Dragon 'Fafnir' has used the skill [Dragon Fear]."n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

"Ding! Orc Warchief 'Urgulla' has been hit with [Dragon Fear]."

"Ding! No effect due to the difference in levels." Find your next read on empire

"Snort! What did you just try to do?" Urgulla flinched briefly but then shrugged it off, blowing air through his nostrils. The Green Skin army, which had recoiled from the initial shock, cheered loudly upon seeing their Warchief unaffected.

But Fafnir's real target wasn't Urgulla.

"Ding! Wyvern 'Janssen Neom' has been hit with [Dragon Fear]."

"Ding! The true dragon's presence suppresses the aura of a lesser dragon."

"Ding! Fafnir's [Dragon Aura] has bound 'Janssen Neom'."

"Ding! 'Janssen Neom' has lost the will to fight against Fafnir."

"Grroaar!"

"Wha-what's happening?" Urgulla stammered in disbelief as the Wyvern began to whimper and shrink back in fear.

The once terrifying beast was now cowering under Fafnir's presence.

Even though the Wyvern could easily devour its opponent in one bite, it was cowering under the overwhelming presence of Fafnir. Urgulla, clearly flustered, tried to spur his Wyvern into action, but it was useless. Watching this unfold, Justin smiled quietly to himself.