Northern gently landed on the white sand of the harbor, with Jeci following right behind him.
The place was in ruins; shards of ships, both wooden and metal, were mercilessly ripped apart and scattered across the land. Some pieces even impaled building structures crudely.
He looked around and clicked his tongue in pity. "Raven, that girl is nuts," he thought as he carefully stepped over the debris buried in the soil.
Jeci turned around and frowned, then faced Northern.
"My lord," she called out urgently, "they’re ing."
"They? Who are ’they’? And why do you sound so scared?"
"I’m sorry, my lord, you’ll have to go forward on your own. I will protect you from behind."
Northern turned around as she spoke, and immediately, a tense frown appeared on his face.
"Oh, I see what you’re talking about."
"I don’t know why three single-digit Knights are marching towards us, but I’m guessing it has something to do with the Princes. Either way, don’t worry, I will handle this."
Northern smiled, gently touched her shoulder, and said in a passionate tone, "Jeci."
She raised her eyes to meet his, confusion flickering in her gaze as Northern continued.
"Don’t worry, I will take care of all three of them."
He gently pushed her backward as he stepped forward and then snapped his fingers.
Two whirlpools of darkness emerged on his left and right.
A thick, liquid mass of darkness began to rise from each whirlpool, gradually taking the form of humanoid beings.
One was Night Terror; the other, Black Mamba.
Night Terror’s four eyes gleamed with primal fury, his four hands and claws snapping wide open.
The white lines resembling circuits running across Black Mamba’s onyx body pulsated softly as his eyes narrowed in a scowl.
Northern stood with his arms folded, watching.
The Knights charged at full speed, like powerful trucks bulldozing through the ground, leaving trails of splintered debris behind.
One Knight slammed in and out of buildings, another leapt as if he had wings on his legs, while the third bounced off walls like a monkey, until they all landed at the harbor entrance simultaneously.
Northern watched them, a small smile playing on his lips.
One of the Knights—the one in the middle—walked forward with elegance, his entire body clad in silver armor that shone beneath the moonlight.
A white cape flowed from his shoulders, rounding towards his back and fluttering in the wind as he advanced.
"Jeci... it is great to see you."
The moment Jeci saw him land, her eyes trembled, widening in fear that seemed to reach her very core.
"S-S-Sir Lynus," she stammered.
Northern glanced over his shoulder, observed Jeci’s face, then turned back to face the Knight.
"I see... let me guess. You are the strongest Knight in this little Empire."
The Knight in front, Lynus, grimaced viciously, tilting his head to the side. "What insolence."
His pale blue eye furrowed, glowing with an almost eerie intensity—a beacon of cold determination and untamed power.
A mane of lustrous black hair cascaded in wild, rebellious strands, framing a face marked by past battles.
A jagged scar slashed across the right side of his face, a testament to his survival and defiance against forces that had once sought to break him.
The scar didn’t diminish his fierce appearance; rather, it accentuated the hard lines of his jaw and the unyielding set of his mouth.
A dark eyepatch covered his right eye, worn like a trophy of secrets yet to be revealed, restrained only by the thin strip of cloth that concealed it from the world.
As his cape moved subtly in the breeze, it seemed almost alive with the same restless energy that crackled in the air around him.
There was a stillness in his posture, a deliberate calm that belied the storm brewing beneath.
In every aspect, he radiated the aura not just of a warrior, but of a guardian and a rogue element that refused to be tamed.
Northern admired the air of defiance and power that Lynus exuded, and even without using Soul Eyes, he knew this would be a tough opponent to handle.
But he also knew.
’I can beat him.’
If anyone were to hear his thoughts, they might have considered him cocky and delusional. The difference in their ranks didn’t need to be stated; it was evident as both sides stood apart.
While Night Terror and Black Mamba exuded a feral intensity, Northern appeared quite ordinary in parison.
Lynus stared at Northern for a few more seconds, raising his chin with pride before choosing to overlook the insult Northern had just delivered.
He shifted his gaze from the boy to Jeci, who stood behind him.
"I will give you a chance to redeem yourself, Jeci. Everything you have worked for—don’t throw it away for some stranger. Capture him and take him to the First Prince, and you shall be granted a single-digit armor."
Jeci wrinkled her nose in disgust.
"That’s nonsense." Suddenly, all the fear she had felt moments ago seemed to vanish pletely. She continued, "Sir Lynus, I am disappointed. Even now, you don’t consider me worthy of earning a single digit on my own. The only reason you’re making this offer is because you know he stood his ground against the Emperor himself."
"The Emperor went easy on him. Jeci, don’t get cocky with me."
"The Emperor going easy on him doesn’t change the fact that he fought a Paragon and survived, and everyone knows my lord isn’t even a master yet," she said confidently, her shoulders squared.
Lynus’ expression darkened, his voice low as though he were clenching his teeth to suppress his anger.
"Your Lord?"
Jeci grinned and responded, "Yes, the only one deserving of my service."
She stood tall, her words and posture brimming with confidence, and Northern couldn’t help but feel proud of her.
"You ungrateful bit—"
Before he could finish, something flashed and scraped along his cheek.
"Don’t you dare call her that. I’m the only one allowed to use that word."
Northern stood with his hand extended, his expression serious. He had clearly thrown something to silence Lynus.
"Next time, I won’t miss."
The troubling thing was that Lynus hadn’t seen it happen. It was just as the white-haired boy had said—it was an intentional miss.
Which meant that if Northern had wanted to, Lynus would be dead already.
The realization sent a cold chill down Lynus’ spine.
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