Meanwhile, the count was facing the strongest monster of his life. Every time the count attacked, the troll will block it with his arm leaving only small wound which will regenerate at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"I had an idea that it was no ordinary troll but this is absurd! No matter how fast I attack or how much power I use, it always blocks them with his arm at an unbelievable speed.
And there is also its absurdly fast regeneration. I know that trolls are known for their regeneration but this troll's regeneration is on another level. It only takes 10 or so second for him to fully recover from any wound I inflict on it"
Count Nadino had only been fighting with this troll for a minute or two, but he was already feeling despair in fighting against it. He had been trying his hardest to sever it arm or inflict a deep wound on it but all his efforts have been futile. Its skin was hard as steel and it was not possible for him to sever his arm or legs with his aura.
Roar—
The troll roared as it got agitated by the count's continuous attack. It gave the count a threatening look before it dashed towards the count with his fist ready to crush him. The count braced himself by covering his sword with dense water like aura. The count attacked by putting his all in this attack, he knew it would be impossible to stop this monstrosity without putting his all.
He was already considering retreating if this was not enough to stop it. The troll had not attacked till now as the count had been attacking him without giving him any chance to go on offence. He had been on par with the troll only because of this. If its attack contained too much strength to threaten the life of the count, he would retreat without a second thought.
With heavy sound of footsteps, the troll reached the count and threw towards him a solid punch with his fist which was the size of the count. In response to this attack, the count tightened his grip on his sword and attacked, bracing himself for collision.
Moments before the collision—
Valark continued to fight alongside the knights, his skill with the blade evident as he struck down monster after monster. He couldn't help but feel a sense of validation as he heard the knights praising his abilities.
"Look at Young Master Valark go! He's a true prodigy with that sword," one knight remarked as Valark dispatched a goblin with a swift strike.
"Indeed, he's showing us how it's done. Not like that new vice-captain, Adrian. Heard he's nowhere to be found," another knight commented, shaking his head.
Valark smirked inwardly at the conversation. "That's right," he thought to himself, "I am the real genius of this county."
BOOM—
When the knights were busy fighting the horde of monsters, they heard a loud sound likely made by a collision of some sort.
The clash between the troll's monstrous punch and the count's powerful aura-infused sword strike created an explosion of energy. The shockwave rippled through the surrounding area, blowing away trees and rocks. The ground beneath them cracked, and the force of the impact sent shockwaves throughout the battlefield.
For a moment, it seemed like an intense standoff, with both the troll and the count locked in a test of strength. The troll's colossal strength was evident as it pushed against the count's aura-infused sword, causing sparks to fly from the collision point.
As the clash between the troll's punch and the count's sword reached its peak, it became evident that the troll's overwhelming strength was too much to contend with. With a final, tremendous effort, the troll sent the count flying backward. The count's aura-infused body was battered and bruised from the impact, and he tumbled through the air before crashing onto the ground some distance away.
Count Nadino struggled to get back on his feet, but his body refused to obey his commands. The force of the troll's punch had left him severely injured and unable to continue the fight.
As the count lay on the ground, pain coursing through his body, he watched as the troll began to advance towards him once more. He knew that he was in a dire situation and that his life was now hanging by a thread. The troll's immense strength and regenerative abilities had proven to be too much for him to handle.
As the Knights turned to see where the sound had come from, they were shocked by the spectacle before them.
"**gasp** Lord Nadino," a knight muttered in shock.
"No, Father!!" Valark screamed in horror
The scene revealed the troll standing, blood dripping from its fist. Count Nadino lay on the ground a few steps away, as if he had been sent flying by the impact of the troll's fist. His body was battered and tattered, resembling Tauras's condition a few minutes earlier.
"Argh… how can this monster be so powerful? I gave it my all but couldn't even withstand a single attack. I underestimated its strength. It was foolish of me to take its attack head-on to gauge its power," Count Nadino grumbled, attempting to rise.
He had faced the troll's attack head-on. When his sword clashed with the troll's fist, he was effortlessly overpowered. Although his sword had made a deep cut in the troll's fist, it was clear that Count Nadino had given up on fighting the troll at this moment. His only desire was to retreat from this battlefield with his life intact.
The troll began advancing towards Count Nadino, who struggled with all his strength to get up. The knights were horrified by this sight, and Valark desperately wished to help his father. However, the oppressive pressure and aura emanating from the troll prevented him from taking a single step closer.
Step by step, the troll closed the gap between itself and Count Nadino. Everyone present wanted to help but knew they were powerless against this monstrous foe. Some knights even began considering fleeing the battlefield, and a few had already started running.
"Someone, save my father! Please, I will give anything you want! Please, I beg!!" Valark cried out, his tears filled with hope that someone would come to his father's rescue. Unfortunately, the other knights pretended to be occupied with battling the weaker monsters to avoid taking responsibility later.
The troll drew dangerously close, relentlessly approaching Count Nadino with the intent to crush him and end his life, just as it had tried with Tauras. Count Nadino, prepared for the possibility of his imminent demise, gathered every last ounce of his strength to deliver a final message to his son.
"Run, Valark! Become the Count after my death. You must live for me!" he shouted with all his remaining strength.
"No, Father! I will not leave you!" Valark cried out, his heart torn between love for his father and the reality of their dire situation.
"Don't be a fool, Son! No one in our county is capable of fighting this troll, and you cannot help by staying here. Leave and stay alive!" Count Nadino implored, his voice filled with urgency and paternal concern.
Valark hesitated for a moment, torn between his desire to stay and protect his father and the count's desperate plea for him to escape. The situation was dire, and the troll was closing in on them rapidly. With tears in his eyes, Valark made a difficult decision.
"I love you, Father," he whispered, his voice filled with anguish. With one last, longing look at his father, he turned and fled from the battlefield, leaving the count behind.
The count watched his son disappear into the distance, a mix of emotions washing over him. He was relieved that Valark had a chance to survive, but his heart ached at the thought of leaving his son behind. As the troll's shadow fell upon him, Count Nadino prepared himself for what could be his final moments.
Count closed his eyes when the troll was just a step away. But something unexpected started to happen, Thunder resounded in the surrounding. Everyone was surprised to see Lightning crackling in the night sky all of a sudden which was clear without any cloud a moment ago.
The troll also looked up at the sky with a stupefied look. Count who was waiting for death opened his eyes to see the lightning crackling like it was going to strike at any minute.
And then it happened, lightning struck down on the troll. Due to the brightness of the lightning everyone instinctively closed their eyes. When they opened their eyes, everyone gasped at the sight in front of them. They were expecting to see the troll burnt to a crisp but to everyone's surprise there was a bident piercing the troll's neck.
The deafening roar of the troll resounded in the surroundings as the troll lost its neck and died. Everyone looked with shock filled eyes at the person holding the bident standing on the troll's back.
The count had also a bewildered look on his face witnessing the scene in front of him. He had already braced himself to die today but this came as quite a surprise to be alive. He already had a lot of questions to ask Adrian about this outcome but he couldn't be any happy to see the troll dead.
Thump—
As the troll's corpse dropped to the ground producing a loud thump sound, everyone came to their senses.
"Was that too much?" Adrian thought to himself in response to everyone's bewildered gazes directed towards him.
"Sir Adrian, please help the count!" requested Viren who came running towards Adrian, standing beside the corpse of troll.
"Oh sorry, but I have to leave for now as I have something urgent to attend to. I will come to the Knighthood in a month's time to answer any questions you might have. Please pass this message to Tauras" Adrian said to Viren, preparing to leave.
"Alright sir, leave it to me!" Viren answered to the leaving Adrian.
"Thanks!" Adrain said before disappearing into the forest.