SSS Ranked Dragon King: My Innate Ability is Unbelievable.

Chapter 258 258: The Pride of a noble.

Henry was indeed searching for any possible way to goad the winged figure into descending to the earth where his knights could potentially surround him, but beneath that tactical desperation was a core of bruised, aristocratic pride.

His ego simply refused to accept the possibility of defeat at the hands of a "coward" who only knew how to fly about in the air, avoiding a proper confrontation.

To Henry, a man's worth was measured by his willingness to stand on the dirt and trade blows, not by the complexity of his sorcery.

"Well? I'm waiting!" Henry screamed back at the sky, his voice echoing through the narrow streets of the village. "Are you going to prove to everyone here that you really are nothing but a coward who shivers at the thought of a real blade? Or are you as hollow as the skeletons you command?"

He took another aggressive step forward, waving his sword in a wide, mocking arc that seemed to challenge the very heavens.

"Hmph! It's clear to us all that you necromancers are not worth the very dirt you walk on! You're nothing but a useless, pathetic bunch of grave-robbers who only know how to disturb the dead because you lack the strength to face the living! Come down and show me if there is a single drop of courage in that pale body of yours!"

High above the roiling clouds, Su Ping's brow furrowed into a deep, irritated frown. Even at this significant altitude, where the wind whistled and the air was thin, he could hear the sharp, grating echoes of the young man's voice.

His heightened draconic hearing picked up every syllable of the insults being hurled his way, the words carrying a level of petulance that was as annoying as a buzzing insect.

He had been genuinely hoping to just sit by in peace and observe the performance of his undead army, evaluating their efficiency and identifying any potential weaknesses that needed correction.

He wanted to see if the force he had painstakingly built was a "sound" investment, as Yu An had suggested. But to think this fool of a nobleman was actually managing to antagonize him into acting personally was a testament to Henry's sheer, suicidal persistence.

For a fleeting second, Su Ping felt a sudden, visceral urge to fold his wings and shoot downwards like a falling star, ending this nuisance's life with a single, crushing blow.

The sheer arrogance of the boy was a stain on the afternoon, and it would have been so simple to extinguish that flickering life.

However, thanks to the immense control he had cultivated over his own emotions, he was able to hold himself back.

He took a deep, steadying breath, his eyes narrowing as he made a decision.

******

Down on the ground, Henry's eyes were suddenly filled with a hidden, frantic glee as he noticed a change in the silhouette above.

The massive, dark wings gave a single, powerful flap, and the figure began a slow, deliberate descent from the clouds.

' You fool! You actually dare to come down here and face us on the ground?' Henry sneered inwardly, his heart racing with a newfound, dangerous confidence.

He gripped his sword hilt so tightly his knuckles cracked, his mind already spinning with visions of his elite guards closing the trap the moment the necromancer's boots touched the mud.

' I'll make sure this descent will be your last act of arrogance. Let's see how you feel about joining the very dead you so easily control once my steel is buried in your throat.'

Su Ping descended with his wings kicking up dust and strong gusts of wings, his draconic wings folding behind his back as he neared the earth.

The scene upon his arrival was one of absolute chaos. The soldiers maintaining the final line of defense were far too preoccupied with the relentless pressure of the undead army to be able to do anything to him, their focus entirely consumed by the skeletons trying to tear through their barricades.

However, the elite guards directly surrounding Henry moved even closer to their lord, their shields raised and their eyes wide with a mixture of duty and terror as they looked upon the monster that had just landed in their midst.

Before his feet had even touched the ground, Su Ping had exercised a subtle form of darkness manipulation.

He had masked his entire face with a flowing, swirling darkness that covered the entirety of his head like a hood made of ink.

To the onlookers, it looked like a void-like, smokeless flame was burning constantly over his shoulders, hiding his features behind an impenetrable veil of night.

Only his eyes were visible through the gloom, two piercing, purple-black orbs that glowed with a chilling, predatory light.

The air around him seemed to drop in temperature, a frost-like chill emanating from his very presence that caused the soldiers to shiver despite their heavy layers. He stood tall and unimpressed, the white of his hair contrasting sharply against the black flame of his mask.

"You want to end things with a single duel?" Su Ping asked, his voice echoing from behind the fabricated mask.

At the same time, the army of undead, turned immobile, halting their charge and giving the Montgomery soldiers some breathing room.

The sound was distorted, carrying a hollow, metallic resonance that didn't sound entirely human, yet the underlying authority was unmistakable.

He stood perfectly still, his hands resting casually at his sides, as if he were merely waiting for a child to finish a tantrum rather than standing in the heart of an enemy camp.

Henry stared at the black-flamed mask, his previous bravado faltering for a split second as he realized the sheer presence of the man he had summoned.

The purple eyes seemed to look right through his armor and into his very soul, weighing his worth and finding it severely lacking.

Yet, the young heir could not back down now; the eyes of his men were on him, and the path to his future was paved with the blood of this encounter.