Tap!
Tap!
A fierce killing intent poured down on Gareth without the slightest restraint. Gareth could feel clearly just how terrifying that bloodlust was.
"…."
Yet Gareth remained calm. Taking a step forward, she swept the Five Warriors in a sharp arc. In an instant, the powerful strike forced everything around her back and cleared the surrounding space.
Clang!
With that crisp collision, Gareth looked at the person who had suddenly attacked and said calmly, "A half-Fishman."
"Hehehe."
The half-Fishman officer let out a strange laugh and said savagely, "So you blocked my attack? How unfortunate. I'm going to kill you today, so don't hold back, okay?"
A cruel, frenzied smile spread across her face. Throwing both arms wide, she slashed straight at Gareth's head with two claws, her attack fast, precise, and ruthless, with absolutely no room for jokes.
Clang clang clang!
Crackle crackle!
Gareth reacted instantly. Wielding the massive double-headed spear, the Five Warriors, she effortlessly blocked every strike.
Tap!
Taking a step back, Gareth immediately realized the problem and thought to herself, It's begun. It's not just her. The other officers have also started attacking.
That was right.
If it had only been the half-Fishman officer, then no matter how powerful the attack was, it would not have mattered. Gareth would simply have blocked it herself. That was not a real issue.
But now—
everything was different.
Gareth knew she was strong. The strength she displayed was also considerable. But under these circumstances, the enemy officers were stronger still. It could not be helped. This was the Flying Pirates, one of the absolute top pirate crews in the world. For them to possess such strength was only natural.
There was no denying it.
Britannia had indeed undergone rapid development during the year since the collapse of the Rocks Pirates. Its growth had been extraordinarily fast.
But that did not mean the other forces could be underestimated.
To put it bluntly, all the major pirate crews had also improved tremendously.
And—
was Britannia truly the one that had developed the fastest?
That was actually a question mark.
It was hard to say.
The reason was simple: Britannia's growth had been selective and deliberate. But many other factions—like the Flying Pirates, had developed exactly like the old Rocks Pirates, in almost the very same way. That was why their growth had also been so fast.
At this moment, Gareth swept her gaze around the battlefield. As time passed, it was no longer just the half-Fishman officer. Others—like the swordsman officer, had also joined the fight. With more and more officers entering the fray, the situation became completely different.
It could not be helped.
No matter how much stronger Gareth had become over the past half-year, she was still only one person. And as one person, there would naturally be limits. A person's energy was finite, while the number of enemies attacking her was simply too great.
Clang!
Crack!
Clang!
Gareth fended off the growing number of attacks as fast as she could. One enemy. Three. Five…
The officers surrounding her steadily increased, until there were twelve of them.
No matter how strong Gareth was, she had already fallen into a disadvantage. With twelve people joining forces, what could she do, no matter how powerful she was?
"ROAR!"
With the sound of a wolf's howl, Gareth summoned the Five Warriors. But even after doing so, the pressure of the siege only grew greater, choking off every opening and pressing down on her until it felt like she could hardly breathe.
That pressure—
that momentum—
had already spread across the entire battlefield. It was becoming harder and harder to deal with. The burden Gareth had to bear alone was simply too great.
Cough, cough, cough—
She coughed lightly. But even under the siege of twelve officers, Gareth curled her lips into a smile, like a proud lone wolf king, and said, "How interesting. This is truly amusing. So this is how you lot intend to do it?"
She lowered her body slightly. Gareth's aura grew even more terrifying. Though her wounds had increased, she had become even more dangerous, like an injured beast. And an injured beast was often the most terrifying of all.
Gareth glanced around her surroundings. This wounded beast would tear apart every enemy before her.
"Lord Gareth!"
"Lord Gareth!"
The knights cried out loudly.
But they could do nothing.
The knight corps was strong, yes—but that did not mean the Flying Pirates were weak. Even though they had been completely suppressed for a short while, that was only temporary.
As time passed, the battlefield was split apart once more. Both sides' killing intent grew increasingly terrifying. After all, Gareth's side had fewer people. The Thunder Wolf Knight Corps she commanded was now gradually being pushed down.
"Hmph."
Shiki's lips curled into a faint smile as he murmured, "It's over. Looks like your preparations weren't enough after all, Arthur."
He smiled lightly, utterly confident.
As long as Gareth fell, then the Thunder Wolf Knight Corps would become nothing more than meat in his grasp. The Visma Region could then be destroyed with ease.
It could be said that Shiki regarded this as only natural. He, after all, was the one in control here. Of course he was confident and proud.
That was only to be expected.
Anyone with eyes could see it: everything in the Visma Region seemed to have fallen under Shiki's control.
No matter what preparations Arthur had made, if they were not thorough enough, if they were inferior to Shiki's side—then he had already lost.
And from the look of things now, Shiki's preparations were the ones that had truly been sufficient, the ones that were truly assured.
Those were the real preparations that mattered.
"Hmph."
Shiki was already withdrawing his gaze. The rest was obvious. It no longer held any meaning.
And yet—
just as he was about to look away, everything changed in an instant.
"ROAR!"
A howl rang out, but unlike the sound of a wolf, this was closer to the roar of a tiger.
And sure enough—
a young man with light golden hair, wielding a knight's sword, charged onto the battlefield with the ferocity of a tiger. He was unbelievably fierce, like a rampaging beast. In only a few moments, he smashed a path straight through the Flying Pirates' officers and pulled Gareth out of the encirclement.
Strangely enough, his appearance was quite delicate. He was even handsome to the point of seeming somewhat feminine.
And yet—
this very same youth fought with the savage momentum of a tiger, giving off a terrifying presence.
"Brother!"
After being pulled free, Gareth shook her head helplessly and said softly, "Sorry. I was too arrogant after all. I didn't expect them to be this strong."
"It's nothing."
The young man smiled warmly and said, "Gareth, people grow through the process of growing. Everyone is the same. As long as we prepare ourselves properly when facing an enemy, that's enough."
"Yes!"
"Brother!"
Gareth nodded seriously. Gripping the Five Warriors tightly, she stood back-to-back with her brother, facing the twelve officers surrounding them, her eyes growing sharper than ever.
"Then—"
"Brother!"
"Let's go!"
"Mm!"
The siblings exchanged a glance. Then, in perfect sync, both of them kicked off the ground and charged at the enemy at blistering speed. Crossing past each other in an instant, their attacks fell onto the enemies on the opposite side at the exact same moment.
Boom!
Boom!
The enemy was blasted away on the spot.
Immediately afterward, the siblings displayed astonishing strength, launching a fierce counteroffensive.
"Hm?!"
Seeing this, Shiki raised a brow and muttered thoughtfully, "Interesting. Is this brat another member of the Round Table Knights?"
He had originally thought the battle was already over. Now that another twist had appeared, he found it rather amusing.
Still, in his eyes, it was only that. Amusing.
Were Gareth and this new boy strong?
Yes.
Undeniably, they were very strong.
Working together, Gareth and her brother displayed astonishing combat power, actually holding off twelve officers in a fierce clash. Through their flawless cooperation, they even fought those twelve officers to a standstill.
But the problem was the same as before.
If they could not break the deadlock, then whether it was one person or two people, the result would not fundamentally change. They still were not the stronger side. And in that case, the only end left was clear:
they would be dragged down and defeated.
In the end, defeat remained the only outcome.
That was the final result, and the most frustrating, most revolting truth of all.
"Boring."
Shiki shook his head faintly, finding it all rather dull. Of course, simply watching the show unfold a little longer was not bad either.
"ROAR!"
"AWOO!"
A tiger's roar and a wolf's howl rang out together.
That was right.
The one who had remained behind with Gareth in the Visma Region was Gaheris.
As Gareth's brother, and the younger brother of Agravain and Gawain as well—he possessed considerable strength.
Corresponding to Gareth, who had received the blessing of the Wolf God, Gaheris had been granted the Blessing of the Tiger God.
Actually, in the legends, compared to his brothers and sisters, Gaheris had always been a far less prominent figure. More often than not, he existed merely as a supporting role.
But that was simply Gaheris's nature.
Unlike his younger sister Gareth, who was a true prodigy, Gaheris had always advanced one step at a time, steadily and methodically. In terms of raw power, he had never stood out as exceptional, nor had he been weak.
And for Gaheris, that had always been normal.
Just as Gareth had followed Lancelot and learned astonishing martial skill from him, Gaheris had always admired his eldest brother most. He followed Gawain and became the one constantly at his side.
He studied under his brother, learning all kinds of knowledge, and continued to grow at a visible pace.
Only—
how should one put it?
Gaheris's growth had not been slow. He was very strong.
But compared to Gawain, Agravain, Gareth, Mordred, and the others, he always seemed like the most ordinary one among them.
And Gaheris never cared about that in the slightest.
Instead, he quietly honed himself.
As time passed, Gaheris gradually matured and, in the end, received the Blessing of the Tiger God. The Tiger God set twelve trials before him, and Gaheris cleared them one by one. In doing so, he obtained the Holy Sword and Holy Shield imbued with the Tiger God's power, growing stronger step by step.
Actually, when Gaheris received the Tiger God's blessing, his younger sister had also received the Wolf God's blessing.
But compared to Gareth, Gaheris's story seemed far more plain and unremarkable.
Gareth defeated the Five Warriors and received the Wolf God's blessing, becoming famous throughout Britannia.
But Gaheris?
Everything about him always seemed simple.
It really did feel rather strange.
Why had Gaheris never truly become famous?
Because—
Gaheris simply did not care.
He had always positioned himself as a shadow.
Even after receiving the Tiger God's blessing, he still chose to remain in the shadows.
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