The Molten Giant Lizard’s defense was beyond imagination.
The Golden Armor it wore was clearly an Enchanted Treasure. Black Wind’s sharp claws couldn’t leave a single scratch on it.
The Giant Lizard periodically spat streams of lava, forcing Black Wind to dodge. anwhile, each sweep of its thick tail carried imnse force, making Black Wind hesitate to approach.
For the mont, the two powerful Tier Four Magical Beasts were evenly matched.
The battle between the Knights was just as intense.
Leonhardt flawlessly countered Barton’s torrential assault.
The Sunlight Spear in his hand seed to co alive. At tis, it struck like a viper, targeting Barton’s openings with cunning precision. At others, it beca an iron wall, perfectly parrying the heavy, powerful swings of the Giant Axe.
His spearmanship was exquisite, with not a single wasted motion. Every strike was perfectly tid, neutralizing the most ferocious attacks with minimal effort.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
The rapid-fire clashes blended into a continuous roar, punctuated by flashes of sparks and golden light.
Barton grew more and more alard as he fought. Though his assault was ferocious, it felt like striking a dense ball of cotton; his power was utterly diffused.
His opponent’s defense was impenetrable. Every counterattack targeted a vital point, forcing him onto the defensive and neutralizing most of his brute force.
ROAR!
Frustrated by the stalemate, Barton’s mount, Black Wind, was the first to lose patience.
This Demon Tiger had a bloodthirsty and savage nature, and the thrill of battle fully unleashed its ferocity.
It let out a deafening roar, stopped circling, and lunged forward, slamming its entire body into the Molten Giant Lizard. Its sharp claws dug firmly into the Giant Lizard’s shoulder blades as it opened its mouth to bite at the lizard’s head.
The Molten Giant Lizard roared in pain and flew into a frenzy of its own. It jerked its head back, smashing it hard against Black Wind’s jaw. At the sa ti, the red light flowing between the gaps in its Scale Armor suddenly flared, releasing a terrifying burst of heat.
YOWL!
Black Wind let out a shriek of agony, its fur sizzling on contact and emitting the stench of burnt hair.
"Black Wind, stop!"
Alard, Barton yelled out.
His mount’s distress caused his focus to break for an instant.
And in a duel between masters, victory and defeat are decided in an instant.
Leonhardt seized that montary lapse.
His eyes, until now as calm as a placid lake, suddenly flashed with a brilliant light.
"Divine Grace, Judgnt!"
As Leonhardt uttered the solemn words, the Sunlight Spear in his hand erupted with light. The brilliant golden radiance even overshadowed the dark clouds in the sky, like a Little Sun rising in the center of the battlefield.
Barton’s vision was flooded with white; he couldn’t see a thing. Alarm bells scread in his mind, and he instinctively raised his axe to guard his chest.
But it was too late. A beam of golden spear light, condensed to its absolute limit, pierced through the blinding radiance. Moving faster than the eye could follow, it struck with unerring accuracy at the weakest point: the joint connecting Barton’s chest plate and pauldron.
CRACK!
With a crisp sound, the masterwork Enchanted Heavy Armor was pierced as if it were made of paper.
Struck as if by lightning, Barton coughed up a spray of blood. His powerful fra was sent flying from the tiger’s back by the imnse force, landing heavily dozens of feet away. The Flaming Giant Axe slipped from his grasp, its Fla instantly extinguished.
"Lord Earl!"
"Barton!"
A wave of gasps rose from the Allied Army’s ranks, and everyone’s heart sank.
On the battlefield, Leonhardt urged his mount forward, slowly approaching the fallen Barton. He looked down upon him imperiously, his golden Long Spear angled toward the ground. A single drop of crimson blood slid slowly down the tip.
"You’ve lost," Leonhardt said.
"Surrender, or die."
Barton spat a mouthful of bloody phlegm. He struggled to get up, but the movent aggravated his chest wound and he collapsed again.
He managed a grim, bloody smile and rasped,
"The n of the Northern Territory... we have no cowards who surrender! If you’re going to kill , do it!"
A trace of admiration flashed in Leonhardt’s eyes, but it was overshadowed by the cold indifference of a soldier.
He slowly raised the Sunlight Spear, its tip aid at Barton’s throat.
The victor reaps the life of the vanquished. This was the immutable Law of the battlefield.
Everyone in the Allied Army’s camp held their breath; many couldn’t bear to watch and closed their eyes.
At the last possible mont, a figure appeared without warning between Leonhardt and Barton.
CLANG!
With a sharp ring of tal, Leonhardt’s certain killing blow was firmly parried.
The newcor was none other than the Vice Commander of the Thunder Dragon Knight Order, "Iron Blood" Luke.
He had sohow crossed a thousand ters in an instant, appearing out of thin air. He blocked Leonhardt’s attack with a sword in one hand while his other had already lifted Barton from the ground and tossed him backward. Several Personal Guards rushed forward to catch him.
Leonhardt’s pupils contracted. His grip on his spear tightened instinctively as he stared at the stern-faced man before him.
Luke t Leonhardt’s gaze calmly and put away his sword.
"’Golden Spear’ Leonhardt, you live up to your reputation."
Luke’s voice echoed across the silent battlefield.
"We concede this mounted duel."
Deafening cheers erupted from the ranks of the Fiery Sun Kingdom.
"Leonhardt! Leonhardt!"
"Golden Spear is invincible!"
The soldiers raised their Weapons high, fanatically shouting the victor’s na.
As all eyes were on him, Leonhardt withdrew his Sunlight Spear, its tip scratching a shallow line on the ground. He gave one last look at Barton, who was being helped away by his Personal Guards, his expression complex—a mix of the victor’s poise and a trace of respect for his tenacious opponent.
He turned his mount and slowly returned to his own lines. Everywhere he passed, the waves of cheers grew even louder.
The glory of victory was so dazzling.
A satisfied smile spread across the face of Duke Aston, the commander of the Fiery Sun Kingdom. Known as the "Blood Lion," he had a head of fiery red hair.
With victory in the first battle, morale was high. The opening of the war could be called perfect.
Luke ignored them completely and initiated the second duel.
"The second duel: Close Combat."
The words had barely left his lips when a burly figure stepped forth from the Allied Army’s ranks.
This man stood over two ters tall, completely encased in thick Black Iron Heavy Armor. An earthy yellow Magic Power emanated from the Armor’s seams, a clear sign of a High-Tier Enchantnt.
He carried a Tower Shield as tall as a man. Its surface was pockmarked with the scars of countless battles, its sheer thickness enough to make any weapon despair.
In his right hand, he carried a plain One-Handed Heavy Hamr.
He wore no helt, revealing a weathered, resolute face and a gaze as unyielding as Panshi.
"Rodney of Iron Pine Territory!"
Soone in the Allied Army who recognized him gasped.
This was precisely the Knight from the Northern Territory famous for his invincible defense, the Tier Four Sky Knight, Rodney.
It was said that he once single-handedly, with just one Tower Shield, held a breach in a castle wall for over an hour against waves of enemy assaults until reinforcents arrived.
His title, "The Barrier," ca from this very event.
Seeing Rodney take the field, the Allied Army’s flagging morale was rekindled with new hope.
They might not expect Rodney to achieve a victory as brilliant as Leonhardt’s, but they had absolute faith that this man would never be brought down.
User Comments
0 comments from readers