Reiya twirled the illusory Sword Spear in her hand a few tis, her Cang Tong eyes carefully sizing up phit and the others as she spoke:
"So, these are the Steel Will Guardians? They do look the part."
"So, these are the guardians blessed by the Divine Ancestor... If we defeat them, Teacher West will be able to beco the Knight King, right?"
In contrast to the White-haired Dragon Lady’s indifference, Mivana, as a Yonglan Knight, better understood the significance of the Steel Will Guardians. She steadied her Silver Sword to wipe the blood from its blade, her gaze heavy as she looked at these seniors of the Gale Heart.
"Hmm, one of you takes two. That shouldn’t be a problem, right?"
Westheid wasn’t arrogant enough to challenge all his opponents alone. He had always been self-aware. Fighting one against five would be an incredible feat against ordinary Legends, but doing so against the Steel Will Guardians in their blessed state was simply too reckless.
Especially phit... From this knightess, he sensed a threat as sharp as a needle to his back.
Considering her past feat of repelling the Heaven-Devouring Wave, she was clearly on a different level from her comrades.
The White-haired Dragon Lady and the Wolf-eared Maiden were both T0 Powerhouses. Even if they couldn’t steamroll the Grand Knights who had been blessed with Divine Blood, Westheid was confident that if they gave it their all, they would definitely be victorious.
As for Uther? Never mind whether he was willing to lay down his life for him; in a battle of this caliber, Sir Black Knight would have no chance of victory. Westheid wouldn’t ask him to fight a battle he was guaranteed to lose.
"An Imperial Princess with Dragon Blood, and a Beastman disciple of Viona’s?"
Anhexius stroked his white beard and said,
"This old one was an acquaintance of Viona’s. I cannot bring myself to strike down her student. A powerful Dragon Descendant, however, is an enemy I have yet to face."
"How cunning of you, old man. You picked the most worthy opponent right off the bat. Ah, I guess that can’t be helped. In that case, I’ll be the one to test Viona’s star pupil."
"Enough joking. Let’s end this quickly. Everyone, fight with all you have. This isn’t a sparring match; it’s the fulfillnt of our duty."
Listening to the Grand Knights’ chatter, Reiya let out a cold snort. With a slight shake of her arm, Pure Dragon Thunder coiled around her Sword Spear. Without a word, she hurled the Sunlight Spear, and it collided with the Steel Will Arrows that Anhexius had instantly fired.
The next instant, her Thundercloud Incarnation enveloped her, sweeping her and two of the Grand Knights far into the distance. Cascading bolts of violent lightning ravaged the snowy ground.
"I await your instruction."
Mivana was far more courteous. She perford a knightly salute before assuming a dueling stance.
"Bring it on! Let’s see how much the Star Lake Sword has taught you, and whether or not you have brought sha upon your master’s na!"
The Grand Knight of the Gale Heart struck first. After gathering his strength for a mont, he shot forward like a flash of light and slamd into the edge of Mivana’s Silver Sword. The trendous, terrifying kinetic force sent her sliding back for several hundred ters.
They had all intentionally put distance between their fights, leaving the battlefield to the two who remained.
"It seems Duke Qinghui has chosen as his opponent, then?"
Seeing that the battle had begun, phit still took her ti, bowing gracefully to Westheid.
"I must state this in advance: I received the greatest of the blessings. I am the opponent you, and only you, must personally overco."
"I can see that."
Westheid said calmly, "Reiya and Mivana will ultimately be victorious, but I won’t let them help . This battle is just between the two of us."
"It would be fine even if they did help. A king’s followers are a part of his strength, after all. But it’s for the best that you think this way."
phit nodded. "I, too, dislike being interrupted. Let’s talk as we fight."
The knightess tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. In the swirling wind and snow, her sky-blue hair almost lted into the white flurries.
phit raised her Knight’s Silver Sword. Nearly every Grand Knight’s Silver Sword was unique; hers was a classic Two-Handed Greatsword.
WHOOSH—
She let out a soft breath and gripped the hilt of her Great Sword. The blade obscured half her face as a pale current of air materialized from nothing, wrapping around the weapon and cloaking it in a sheath of storm.
Then, phit brought the sword straight down in a slash. Her form seed to skip fras, crossing the distance to appear before Westheid in the very sa instant, the storm enveloping her Great Sword rushing to et him.
Westheid had intended to strike first and seize the advantage, but phit’s wind-up was faster. Duke Qinghui imdiately switched from offense to defense, focusing his full attention to receive the first blow and see what she was made of.
KRENG—
The clash between Shadow-Born and the Silver Sword erupted in a raging storm and a shower of sparks, instantly vaporizing the surrounding snow and stone.
!!!
The instant their weapons t, Duke Qinghui knew sothing was wrong. The power transmitted from phit’s Great Sword, the faint tearing sensation in the web of his hand, and the raging storm that slashed at him like a blade—all of it pointed to a cruel reality.
’I don’t even have the advantage in raw stats.’
"What? N-No... that’s impossible!"
In his shock, Westheid blurted out a line worthy of a common grunt, "Are you hacking?!"
Westheid had been ntally prepared for phit to be absurdly powerful, but he never imagined she would be strong to this degree.
’I’m fully buffed, and I still almost failed to block a single strike from her.’
phit put more pressure on her blade, a faint smile playing on her lips. "Hm? Sir Westheid, are you surprised?"
Westheid’s expression grew heavy. He leaped back a step, then pointed at phit and declared with mock-righteous indignation:
"Turn off the cheats. This isn’t fun anymore. I’ve been a Yonglan Knight for so long, what haven’t I seen? I dare say no one knows Knights better than I do!"
"Under normal circumstances, no Grand Knight of the Legendary Tier could dish out this much damage, even after receiving a blessing. You know exactly how much you’ve cranked up your stats!"
"Oh, is that so?"
The blue-haired knightess tilted her head and smiled.
"My apologies. This is my first ti receiving a blessing, so I had no idea how much this gift could strengthen a person... Perhaps I’m just exceptionally compatible with the Blood of the Divine Ancestor?"
A look of rapture filled phit’s beautiful indigo eyes as she flexed her fingers.
"This isn’t my own power, but that’s of no consequence. My purpose in wielding such might is simply to test the King Claimant. Duke Qinghui... I will not hold back until a victor has been decided."
’Goddammit.’
Westheid had thought that by preparing for this era of conflict first, he would enjoy a long period of invincibility before the new generation of powerhouses could rise. But his beautiful dream had overlooked one thing: the legacy left behind by the Celestial Gods in the Mortal World would not fade away so easily.
’As expected of the Realm of Order’s deep-seated power. Even a nation as unique as the Country of Yonglan is no easy conquest.’
’But... this is good, too.’
A boiling battle lust surged through his veins, and the corners of Westheid’s mouth curled up unconsciously.
"I won’t be holding back either. I don’t want to kill you, but... try not to die."
phit crossed her arms and playfully stuck out the tip of her tongue. "That’s fine. If you’re capable, then please, ravage to your heart’s content. I would... ask for nothing more!"
"Then as you wish."
Westheid bent his knees slightly and activated his Soul Burning Technique. Instantly, crimson cracks spread along his arms.
The next mont, he clashed with phit once more.
BOOM—
The muffled boom sent endless shockwaves rippling through the air, like circles spreading on a lake’s surface. An ear-ringing tremor swept across the area.
This was, in the truest sense, a battle between equals. Shadow-Born and the Silver Sword wove together in a flurry of collisions, erupting with flashing sparks and bursts of brilliant Magic Power. Both combatants contained their energy to an extre degree, causing almost no damage to their surroundings. Their figures didn’t even dart about; they remained nearly motionless, rooted to their spots.
SWISH SWISH SWISH SWISH—
The dense sounds of blades slicing through the air blended into a single, continuous drone. The afterimages left by their rapid thrusts and slashes were so fast they seed to be frozen in place.
And yet, even amidst this ridiculously high-speed battle, the two were still conversing. Or, to be more precise, it was phit who wished to converse:
"Sir Westheid, I am quite curious. If you beco Yonglan’s King of Knights, what else do you plan to do, besides fulfilling my foolish sister’s last wish and bringing so small change to this nation?"
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