Evolution begins with an ant colony

Seizing the opportunity, Gideon launched a counterattack. With a swift sweep of his twin short swords, he aimed for the exposed flank of the princess. The blades sliced through the air, aiming to exploit the brief vulnerability created by her own attack.

In response, the princess swiftly brought her wings into play, suddenly smaller version of her wings erupted from her back, using them as a defensive shield. The clash of blades against the emerald-scaled wings echowed through the snowy landscape creating a massive shockwave that caused snow to billow into the air.

The force of their clash sent shockwaves across the battleground, causing the ground beneath them to tremble.

Gideon, slightly shocked that his sword wasn't able to easily cut through the princess's wing shield, mumbled, "What the hell? How is my sword no longer able to cut through your wings?" Explore more at My Virtual Library Empire

The princess clarified with a serious demeanor, "You thought I would have just brought out my wing as a defense if I knew your sword would easily cut through it? In my human form, most of my stats are compressed to be contained inside my human body. So, all of my scales in this form are far stronger than when I'm in my dragon form."

Her words hung in the air as the combatants took a momentary pause, each adjusting their strategies.

Gideon chuckled slightly, a glint of mischief in his eyes. "All you're saying is if I want to break through that enhanced scale defense of yours, I simply have to increase the power I put behind my attacks."

The air crackled with a sense of impending intensity as Gideon prepared to escalate the confrontation.

Suddenly, Gideon leaped backward, landing several feet away from the princess, his feet leaving a trail in the snow. He slowly breathed in and out, his breath visible in the cold temperature. Seriousness etched across his face, he decided to shed his black fur and cape, tossing them to the ground with his left hand.

Crouching down, Gideon closed his eyes for a moment, only to reopen them, revealing a radiant glow of purple mana. His blades, reacting to his heightened energy, started to emanate a brilliant purple aura. With a focused concentration, Gideon condensed his mana, extending the lengths of his twin short swords.

Witnessing Gideon's transformation, the princess responded by enhancing her tail with her own mana. The blade of her tail glowed brightly with a vibrant green aura as she assumed a battle stance, her intense green eyes shining brightly with heightened readiness.

The wintry air crackled with the exchange of mana-infused energies, creating an otherworldly ambiance.

In that moment, they suddenly both charged at each other, their figures becoming a blur. Finally closing in on each other, the princess turned around, aiming to swing her tail for the impending attack. Time seemed to slow down as she executed the move. Gideon, anticipating her actions, smiled.

As the princess twirled around to deliver the attack, her gaze about to land on Gideon again, he wasn't where he had originally stood. It was almost as if he had vanished.

Inwardly, the princess mused, "What... Where did he go? Did he disappear again?" The wintry air carried the suspense of the moment as the princess scanned the surroundings, searching for any trace of Gideon's elusive presence.@@novelbin@@

In the blink of an eye, Gideon reappeared behind the princess. His movements were so fast; it seemed that was what he had planned all along. He executed a seamless evasive maneuver, and as the princess completed her tail swing, she found only air in her intended target's place.

Reacting with instinctive agility, Gideon lunged forward, his twin short swords filled with the bright glow of his purple mana. The blades slashed through the air, whizzing towards their target, seeking the exposed flank of the dragon princess. The princess, noticing this, covered her skin beneath her dress with her enhanced scales just before Gideon's enhanced blade made contact with her back.

As the enhanced scales struggled against the attack, sparks flew, leaving trails of luminous purple in their wake

The force from the swing sent her flying several feet away. She swiftly turned around and landed on her feet, her feet leaving a trail in the snow. Her breath came out as ragged gasps, steam rising from her back where she had blocked the blade with her scales.

Her dress was torn, revealing that her scale was seriously damaged, and if just a little more force was applied, the blade would have cleaved her in half.

Gideon, seeing that the princess somehow survived his surprise attack, couldn't help but smile and say, "Well, that was unexpected. Guess you managed to survive my surprise attack."

The princess, her labored breaths visible in the chilly air, felt a mix of anger and curiosity. Unable to resist, she asked, "I thought you said your plan was to defeat me and take me to your liege for punishment. Do you believe you can achieve that by sneaking around and playing tricks?"

Gideon chuckled and replied, "It doesn't matter what you think. The fact is that it's working, so I'll stick to what works." He pointed the blade in his right hand at her and added, "And take down you, a legendary dragon."

The princess, taking a battle stance, charged towards Gideon right after. "I see you've decided to use me turning around to swing my tail as an opportunity for you to somehow disappear from my line of vision. Although I don't know how you're able to do that, but you'll be seriously mistaken if you think swinging my tail is the only way I know how to fight in this humanoid form of mine."

As she charged forward, she encased her arms in her green scales. Closing in, she swung her arm at Gideon's head. He countered by swinging his ring blade to parry the attack. Sparks flew as scales met with his mana-covered blade, creating a dynamic clash between the princess's dragon defenses and Gideon's skilled maneuvers.