Nameless King

Osvald was serious. If Wain was worthy of his help, he was willing to share his wisdom and knowledge, but if not, their story was over.

Wain's eyes flashed, and he jumped back. The old man's fist flew close to his face.

"Not bad." Osvald said, smiling, and threw another punch.

Wain folded his arms crosswise and tried to block the blow, but Osvald's fist somehow got through the block and hit Wain in the stomach.

He threw a mouthful of blood and flew back a few feet into the wall.

His eyes began to blur, and Wain almost lost consciousness. But, he came to his senses and got to his feet at the last moment.

Clap.

Osvald paced slowly in his direction and clapped his hands, "Forty seconds to go, and you're still on your feet. I'll give you a little advice. It's time to use your skills if you want to stay alive."

The old man stepped forward, and his legs were covered in energy. He turned into a white flash and appeared before Wain.

Wain hadn't felt so seriously threatened in a long time. He had never before found himself in a situation where there was no chance of victory. All Wain could do was try to survive the next forty seconds.

Before the old man struck, bone wings appeared from Wain's back, and he barely dodged the attack. Wain ran in a circle creating a wind vortex that lifted the wallowing chains into the air.

"Thirty more seconds." Osvald said slowly and took a deep breath. Two vortex-like energy gloves appeared on his hands.

He appeared in front of Wain a moment later and grabbed his wings.

"Decided to run away, huh?" Osvald grinned eerily, and loud cracking of bones was heard.

Wain clenched his teeth in pain and tried to run away, but Osvald would not let him get out and gradually pulled his wings out.

It was a terrible pain that Wain had to endure to pass this ordeal. Wain dashed forward, deciding he had no other choice, and the bone wings ripped out of his back with a chunk of flesh.

Blood poured to the ground in a scarlet trail staying behind Wain. He struggled to stay conscious, ten seconds left, and he couldn't give up when he'd already made it this far.

"To endure that kind of pain... You might have a chance, but I have to make sure of it." Osvald muttered and delivered a powerful punch into the air with his fist.

An energy pulse erupted from the fist and turned into the massive head of an ancient dragon.

Wain's instincts told him that he would die from this attack if he didn't use everything he had.

"AAAARRRGGGHHH!" Wain roared like a beast and used the Cursed Swordsman and Beyond.

A dark crown, a massive cloak, and a silver sword appeared on him.

'Good, pain is always empowering. We can't win now, but we must show that we can fight back in any position.' The cold voice of the Cursed Swordsman sounded in Wain's head.

Wain swung his left arm and sent a devouring wind stream toward the dragon. It collided and destroyed part of the dragon. The old man was surprised and attacked again, but Wain was already in front of him.

He raised his sword high and muttered, "Fall before the Ice Execution."

The silver sword was covered in icy flames, and Wain unleashed it on the old man. The Ice Execution was a special skill, and even if the enemy were a hundred times stronger, the flames would do serious damage.

The old man sensed this and swung his arms to create several dragon heads, but the flames burned them like sheets of paper.

Silver sword plunged into the old man's shoulder, and dark blood gushed from the deep wound. Wain grinned and fell unconscious to the ground.

Osvald pulled the sword from his shoulder, disintegrated into small pieces. He stared intently at Wain and his wounds, "HAHAHAHAHA, how long has it been since I've seen my blood? Unbelievable, Sven is as good as ever. How the hell did that guy manage to hurt me?!"

The old man was ecstatic and laughed out loud at the strange joy he felt. But, he had to stop as Osvald noticed that Wain was barely breathing, and his heart was beating slower by the second.

"Damn, that kid is dying. He managed to hold out, so it looks like I'll have to keep my word, but we have to save him first."

Old man put his palm to his chest and squeezed hard at the heart area. A white seal appeared on it, from which white chains spread all over his body. They had been on the old man all along, holding him back for decades.

Osvald's eyes sparkled, and he clenched his palm into a fist, breaking the seal into many pieces. The chains shuddered and evaporated into small pieces.

There was a loud cracking of bones, and the old man's body began to change. He became much taller and more muscular. His hair returned to its former color, blood red, and became very long, reaching to his waist. His hair was massive and slicked back like a lion's mane.

The old man's eyes turned orange, and his skin became as smooth as jade and as strong as steel.

"Ah, how good it feels to feel limitless power again. Honestly, this training has worn me out. So many interesting things have happened in the world, and I have continued to sit in this jail like a prisoner." Osvald uttered and walked over to Wain.

He snapped his finger, and several chains crawled across the floor like snakes. They lifted Wain into the air and spread his arms and legs apart.

Osvald sighed, and a bloody seal appeared in his palm. He touched Wain and channeled a piece of his power into him. Streams of blood went to Wain's wounds and quickly healed them. There was no trace of the wounds as if they had never existed.

'He has good powers and can sacrifice himself when necessary. These are crucial qualities to become a great warrior.' Osvald thought.