"What is that?"
At this mont, Reiger’s brow furrowed tightly.
The black aura was very obscure and also very eerie. If he hadn’t been involved in the system of curses, with a sensitivity to negative forces far beyond what he had before, he wouldn’t have detected its presence even with the transparent world opened.
It gave Reiger a very peculiar feeling, not as evil as other negative forces, yet it unveiled a dark sensation everywhere.
It was a darkness deeper than the bottomless abyss, a pitch-black more profound than the vast universe.
Weird, bizarre, cold, eerie... This was all Reiger felt about it, causing him to instinctively develop a sense of repulsion.
It was the opposite of light, also the opposite of life.
And as a life form among the general populace, Reiger instinctively rejected it with his body, mind, spirit, and even soul.
Oddly enough, this feeling of rejection only surfaced when Reiger discovered its presence; if he hadn’t noticed it, he wouldn’t have felt repulsion.
"It’s almost like a hidden snake in the dark; when you pass by without noticing, it suddenly leaps out to bite you, and that bite is fatal, capable of killing an elephant instantaneously."
Reiger’s brow furrowed deeper, his gaze towards that person growing increasingly profound.
"Sir?"
Naisa noticed this scene and softly called out to him.
"What’s wrong with that person, sir?"
lo followed Reiger’s line of sight, looking at the person he was fixated on.
Including Jelina and Hilune, who had remained silent, also curiously gazed at the other party.
He was not a particularly conspicuous person.
Approximately twenty-five years old, older than Reiger’s group, yet among the knights on the deck, he still seed like a re youngster.
Compared to other knights in their thirties or even forties, this Knight could only be terd as young, not particularly striking in appearance. If thrown into a crowd, without wearing that armor, wielding a sword, no one would deliberately notice his presence.
A silver dal was pinned on his right chest.
Obviously, this was a Silver-rank knight, not particularly outstanding in capability among the knights, adequate, not inferior.
At present, he was earnestly engaging with another Silver-rank knight, his performance passable.
But if it weren’t for Reiger, Naisa and others would not have noticed his presence, indicating how ordinary he was among the knights on the deck.
"Do you know that person, sir?" lo didn’t think much and turned to Reiger: "If he is an acquaintance of yours, I’ll have him co over to greet you."
"...No, I don’t know him." Reiger was silent for a while before saying, "But now, I want to know him."
"Your Highness, please have him co over."
Upon hearing this, everyone, including lo, felt puzzled.
They didn’t understand what Reiger ant.
Only Naisa noticed Reiger’s furrowed brow and the unusual gleam in his eyes.
Instinct told her that Reiger noticed that person not because sothing attracted him, but due to the person’s abnormality!
"Bishops."
Naisa’s expression beca solemn as she called towards behind her.
"Your Eminence."
"We are here."
Luan and Andre imdiately erged from a corner behind.
It turned out these two bishops had been here all along, guarding nearby.
"Protect Sir. Should any anomalies occur, I allow you to act imdiately."
Naisa’s cold words changed the expressions of the crowd.
"Understood."
Luan and Andre swiftly positioned themselves behind Reiger, guarding him from both sides, protecting the two Nymph maidens as well.
"...Guard!"
lo’s expression also beca grave, instinctively gripping the sword hilt at her waist, then called to the nearest knight observing supervision, not participating in the duel.
"Your Highness."
The knight, wearing a crystal dal on his right chest, hurried over, perford an excited salute to Reiger and Naisa, couldn’t help but be distracted by the Nymph maidens behind Reiger, quickly returned his focus, nervously responding to lo.
"Summon that person over," lo pointed to that person, saying in a deep voice, "and have everyone imdiately cease drills, deploy formation, and enter Level 1 alert status."
Hearing this, the knight was first taken aback, then accepted the order, promptly went to carry it out.
Soon, the entire deck stirred; all knights halted drills like startled creatures, deployed formation on the spot, covering every corner of the deck under control.
Even two knights with amber dals mounted on flying beasts flew in from outside, landed on the deck, surveying the scene with solemnity and indifference, entering alert status.
They were the two Knight Captains from the Sky Division, both Amber-rank knights, their abilities equivalent to the bishops Luan and Andre, tantamount to Lv.8.
In no ti, four Lv.8 individuals entered alert status on the deck, undeniably a frightening spectacle.
This didn’t count Naisa and lo, either.
In Reiger’s sense, no less formidable than the Valkyries possessing the National Guardian Divine Weapon from Tistis Kingdom, the two maiden warriors, similarly positioned closest to Reiger, had also entered a guarded state.
Amidst this situation, the knight summoned ca over.
He appeared nervous, looking at Reiger and the others before him, only feeling a wave of oppressive force confronting him.
Everyone around was watching him, especially Naisa and lo and the others. Their gaze at him was as if looking at a wretched sinner, their expressions so icy cold that made one doubt if in the next second they would spring into action and attack.
"I greet Your Excellency, Your Highness, and Your Holiness the Pope...!"
The few before him were all of noble rank, while he was rely a silver-ranked knight; how could he dare to be negligent?
The knight instantly fell to one knee on the ground, offering his respect to Reiger and his company.
"Your Excellency has sothing to ask you." lo said emotionlessly, then turned to Reiger, his tone becoming gentle, "Your Excellency, what do you wish to do?"
What to do?
Very simple.
"Marfa."
Reiger first fixed his gaze on that knight, and then suddenly called out a na.
"Buzz!"
The sword of Marfa strapped on Reiger’s waist instantly trembled, flying out from its sheath of its own accord.
"Holy sword!"
Witnessing this scene, everyone instinctively beca excited.
Yet what happened in the next second left everyone astonished and furious.
"Zing!"
They just saw the Sword of Marfa flying into mid-air suddenly emit radiant light, making holy light spread like a tide to the surroundings.
The holy light covered the entire deck and spread throughout the Sphinx, bathing this enormous floating magic-guided battleship in its glow.
The glow of the holy sword was a gentle energy to the life source.
Enveloped in the holy sword’s glow, everyone felt extrely comfortable, as though soaking in a hot spring.
One was an exception.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhh...!"
The silver-ranked knight down on one knee imdiately felt as if scorched by fire once caught in the glow, uttering a cry of agony.
Soon after, a rich black aura appeared from him, like a dark mist, continuously pouring out from within.
Naisa, lo, and others had their pupils shrink on the spot.
Luan, Andre, and other bishops spoke in unison.
"Abyssal Aura!"
"It’s Abyssal Aura!"
"This person is infected!"
As the words fell, the two bishops instantly attacked, simultaneously unfolding an array, deploying magic without incantation.
"Boom!"
Two instant light-elent magic bullets imdiately blasted forth, hitting that continuously pouring-out dark mist, scattering it.
But the scattered dark mist didn’t disappear; instead, it regrouped with an astonishing speed.
It rushed toward Reiger, seeming to know its target and carrying an air of reckless determination to perish together with Reiger.
Sadly, the mist’s action first angered none other than Marfa’s Sword floating mid-air.
"Buzz!"
Marfa’s Sword seed provoked, its glow dimd, its body turned, and it transford into a streak of sword light, darting toward the mist.
"Pssst!"
The sword light flashed in mid-air, instantly slicing the mist into two.
"Gaaaaaaa...!"
The mist, unaffected by the earlier attacks from the bishops, now emitted a scream-like sound.
"Pssst—pssst—pssst—"
Before the mist could react, Marfa’s Sword, transford into a streak of sword light, continued to pierce through it rapidly, leaving it riddled with holes.
The mist, like a creature, let out a scream with each pierce, ultimately exploding and dissipating completely.
However, fragnts left by the dissipating mist seed to rge back into the body of the silver-ranked knight below.
The knight, who had been screaming, raised his head, his eyes turned completely black, and his expression was unbelievably ferocious.
"Roaaaar...!"
With a roar unlike that of humans, akin to an injured beast, the knight lunged at Reiger.
What t him was a sword light, albeit not as brilliant as Marfa’s Sword, yet cold and magnificent.
"Pssst!"
The cold sword light severed the knight’s body, causing a torrent of blood to spray forth.
lo maintained the posture of swinging the sword, standing in front of Reiger, blocking the knight’s path, with golden hair swaying and eyes as cold as frost.
"Thump..."
The knight fell.
Blood stained the deck, letting the faint threads of black aura from him entirely disappear, leaving no trace.
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