This... this....
Everyone had thought the Nameless Knight was guaranteed to win, especially with that second arrow, which contained boundless power. Even from far away, even though they weren't the target, the spectators still felt their hair stand on end, their hearts pounding, like they were teetering on the line between life and death. It was despair-inducing.
However.
Everything changed too quickly.
The reality could never keep up with the changes. Even if you gave everyone present a hundred brains, even if you combined the brains of everyone in Kazimierz, you would never have imagined this outcome. It was too heaven-defying, too absurd. In the huge stadium, tens of thousands of spectators were silent. The live comments on the various video streaming sites also came to an abrupt halt. The audience in front of their screens also stared wide-eyed, forgetting what comments they should send.
That scene just now...
Filmed by the ultra-high-definition drones, everyone saw it clearly. The strike that was terrifying even from a thousand meters away was actually caught single-handedly by the Flametail Knight! Not only caught, but thrown back! This battle had already surpassed a fight between champion knights.
Isn't this the Spring Major?
Isn't the main tournament still half a year away?
Why are the knights in the Spring Major so ferocious?
And in the Chamber of Commerce, Czarny had just brought up the fine red wine from the cellar below and personally filled the glasses for all the directors. The directors, smiling, had already stood up, raising their wine glasses high, clinking them together with a *clang* to celebrate the Chamber of Commerce's victory and the Flametail Knight's death.
However.
Just as the wine glasses clinked together, the heaven-defying reversal projected on the screen made the expressions of all the directors, who were preparing to drink and celebrate, freeze.
The celebratory wine was already in their mouths. Swallowing it wasn't right, but spitting it out wasn't right either....
For a moment.
The entire conference room fell silent once again. This time, it was even quieter than the last. The spokesman Czarny peeked at these bigwigs from the side, the corners of his mouth curling up at a very discreet angle. He stood to the side without a word.
Finally.
Director Barton swallowed the wine in his mouth, forcing everyone to calm down.
"Everyone, calm down. The little squirrel just barely managed to block one of the Darksteel Azurite's casual shots. So what if she can block one? As long as the Darksteel Azurite hits her one more time, he can send the little squirrel to heaven."
Director Barton said this. However, the more he spoke, the less confident he actually felt.
His voice grew softer, his confidence waning.
The surrounding directors also silently swallowed the wine in their mouths, putting away their celebratory smiles from just a moment ago. They pulled their chairs back and sat up straight. The large conference room once again fell into a solemn silence. Everyone sat there with varying 'serious' postures, their faces grim as they looked at the screen.
As for the other side, Centaurea, who rarely had no work, was watching the live broadcast on her phone. As a Platinum Azurite of the Armorless Union, although she was just a tool, she still knew many secrets that ordinary members didn't. For example, this Nameless Knight was the Armorless Union's mysterious Darksteel Azurite.
The Darksteel Azurite was personally going to execute the Flametail Knight.
At first, Centaurea didn't think the Flametail Knight could survive. When the Flametail Knight blocked the first arrow, suffering only an injured arm, Centaurea knew that the Flametail Knight was stronger than her. After all, the previous Platinum Azurite, Centaurea's teacher, was much stronger than the current Centaurea at the time, but she still couldn't block a single arrow from the Darksteel Azurite.
The Flametail Knight's strength should be higher than an ordinary champion knight.
There were also gaps between champion knights. The gap between an ordinary champion knight and the three-time champion, the Black Knight, was still quite large.
Then, Centaurea saw the Darksteel Azurite use his full-power strike, like a meteor streaking through the night sky. Even though it was the afternoon, the sky seemed to darken when that strike was loosed. Centaurea believed the Flametail Knight was already dead. No one could withstand the Darksteel Azurite's wrath.
In the entire Armorless Union, Darksteel was an existence on a completely different level.
Her master, the previous Platinum Azurite, could contend with the Lazurite Roy. Although the result was still defeat, she could hold her own for a while. But against Darksteel, she couldn't withstand a single blow. Even a Lazurite, facing Darksteel's wrathful strike head-on, would only meet the fate of falling. In all of Kazimierz, not many people could withstand this blow. The only ones known to be able to were likely the Grand Knight Commander of the Supervisory Commission, the other two Darksteel Azurites, the deceased Old Nearl, and the regiment commander of the Silverlance Pegasus Knightly Order.
Centaurea was about to turn off her phone.
However, the next scene made Centaurea's eyes nearly pop out.
She... she countered it?!!
What the hell?!!
The Flametail Knight is this strong?!!
It was a good thing the Flametail Knight wasn't there when I tried that assassination. If she had been, wouldn't I have been *GG*?
In the arena.
Sona stared blankly ahead, her soul trembling as she said, "So.... so strong...."
That strike from Darksteel just now, which pierced through space, had made Sona despair. She didn't think her physical body could withstand it. And yet... Lucas Reeve withstood it. Not only did he withstand it, he threw the Darksteel arrow back.
Is this a god?!!
Even using her weak body, he could still easily do things that ordinary people could never do.
Darksteel's expression was incredibly ugly. Although he had retreated in time, he was still caught in the blast of the returning Darksteel arrow. He was sent flying like a broken kite, crashing from the tall building onto the roof of an adjacent one. The moment he landed, Darksteel immediately got up to find the little squirrel's location. He couldn't understand why the little squirrel was able to throw back his full-power strike.
Her real strength is greater than his?
No....
Absolutely impossible!!
The Darksteel Azurite refused to admit it. He did a flip, leaping down from the rooftop. Then, in mid-air, he pulled another giant Darksteel arrow from his back, nocked it on his bow again, and attached Originium energy. The moment he released his hand, another meteor tore through the sky, flying precisely toward Lucas Reeve to kill him.
But this time, Lucas Reeve dodged it with a sideways step. Locking onto Darksteel's position, a golden light flashed in his hand, and a terrifying golden beam shot out without any incantation.
With the help of the Rule.
All the surrounding Originium could become Lucas Reeve's charging battery, continuously supplying him with Originium energy. Otherwise, Sona's own energy reserves couldn't withstand this much expenditure.
Holy Lance!!
A mini-skill version of the Holy Lance swept past. The Darksteel Azurite's eyes widened, and he immediately dodged. And the building he was in was cut straight through the middle by the Holy Lance, sending rubble flying everywhere.
"What the hell! The Flametail Knight is this fierce?!!"
"One skill flattens a building?"
The audience was so shocked they were speechless.
Many of them had watched the Knight Major their whole lives, but this was the first time they had seen such an absurd battle.
If the old Knight Major was a martial arts film, then this confrontation between the Flametail Knight and the Nameless Knight was a sci-fi blockbuster. It was too absurd.
This was the first time these spectators had seen a fight between two people that could so easily and casually destroy buildings.
The Darksteel Azurite fell from the sky.
He knew he was completely exposed. For an archer, exposing one's position was the most fatal mistake. An archer should always be hidden in the shadows. In truth, the Darksteel Azurite hadn't taken the Flametail Knight seriously at first. The only reason he had arranged for this terrain he specialized in was purely because he liked to be extra cautious.
However, what the Darksteel Azurite never expected was that the Flametail Knight was actually this strong...
Just as the Darksteel Azurite was considering his next move, the Flametail Knight, who had clearly been far away, arrived in front of him like a cannonball. Crimson runes enveloped her fist. As the surrounding Originium energy gathered, a faint halo of light shimmered on Lucas Reeve's arm. The divine pressure made Darksteel's heart tremble.
The Darksteel Azurite tried to block with his bow.
With a tremendous roar that tore the air, the Darksteel Azurite and his bow were sent flying by the powerful impact of the punch, crashing through layer after layer of walls before stopping.
The Darksteel Azurite stopped after slamming into a support pillar. His current position was identical to how he had pinned the previous Platinum Azurite years ago. The previous Platinum Azurite had been pinned and killed by him against a support pillar just like this. He didn't think it would be his turn so soon.
But what shocked the Darksteel Azurite the most were this Flametail Knight's eyes.
These eyes shook the Darksteel Azurite's very soul. If it were just a matter of powerful strength, the Darksteel Azurite wouldn't be afraid. He wasn't afraid of the strong. The worst that could happen was death. What was there to fear? But this soul-shaking feeling came from a crushing pressure from a higher level of existence.
It was like the most primitive fear within a living being.
There was one thing Darksteel was sure of.
The Flametail Knight in front of him had definitely been replaced!!
The person he was fighting wasn't the Flametail Knight at all, but a higher-level life form wearing the Flametail Knight's skin. As one of Kazimierz's top tiers, the Darksteel Azurite knew world secrets that not even the directors knew. He knew that humans weren't the only beings in this world; the mythological creatures from legends also existed.
For example, the legend of the Knight King expelling the gods. Although this legend was widespread in Kazimierz, so much so that almost everyone knew it and children grew up hearing it, no one actually believed the Knight King had expelled gods. Because in their view, gods didn't exist in this world at all. The so-called gods were likely just other tribes that had once occupied the land of Kazimierz, and the story of the Knight King expelling other tribes naturally took on a mythological color after so many years.
Fools believed the gods were fake.
But the Darksteel Azurite knew the gods were real.
Could it be that what he was facing was a...
The Darksteel Azurite sucked in a cold breath.
Thinking of this, the Darksteel Azurite's heart grew colder and colder, as if he had discovered some earth-shattering secret.
Leave!
Must leave immediately!
He was no match for a god.
Thinking of this.
The Darksteel Azurite immediately threw a smoke bomb onto the ground, attempting to escape.
"Trying to escape?"
Lucas Reeve felt he couldn't let this person leave. The way this person had looked at him just now was a bit off. He had probably discovered something. Since you've discovered my secret, I definitely can't let you leave!
Landing on a rooftop, Lucas Reeve locked onto the fleeing Darksteel Azurite. He didn't pursue, but stood his ground, took a deep breath, and slowly raised his right hand, murmuring softly.
"Holy Lance... Unsealing...."
The Darksteel Azurite was running for his life. He felt no shame. After all, what he faced was very likely a god. Successfully escaping from a god was already something to be proud of.
Seeing the opponent's aura grow more distant.
The Darksteel Azurite, having already fled a great distance, gradually relaxed.
It seemed the opponent wasn't very interested in him, so they didn't even bother to chase him.
Thinking of this, a trace of madness flashed in the Darksteel Azurite's eyes again.
A god!
So a god's power was actually this immense. Sure enough... humans have their limits. Today's battle further solidified the Darksteel Azurite's resolve to do something he hadn't dared to do for a long time.
The Darksteel Azurite had been relentlessly pursuing power. As one of Kazimierz's top combatants, he didn't have a powerful bloodline. He had reached his current strength relying solely on himself, plus a tiny bit of talent and hard work. But there was still a gap between him and the Old Nearl of the past. His bloodline was still inferior to a pure Pegasian bloodline.
If he had a Pegasian bloodline, perhaps he would be even stronger than he was now.
And what if he had a bloodline even stronger than a Pegasian's?
Just as he was about to leave the competition area.
The Darksteel Azurite's eyes grew increasingly frenzied. Even his previous fear of Lucas Reeve gradually evolved into contempt.
So what if he's a god!
Gods are just beings who were born with such a bloodline. People like that are just like rich second-generation kids who get everything by playing around all day. And the Darksteel Azurite despised such people the most. If he could also possess the bloodline of a god, then with his talent and hard work, he could slay even a true god.
Just as the Darksteel Azurite was about to step out of the competition area, he suddenly felt an intense pinprick on his back.
He had a bad feeling.
He glanced back slightly and saw the most unforgettable scene of his life: a golden, sky-piercing triangle.
Could it be!!
Lucas Reeve was afraid of causing a panic, so when he had sent the Darksteel Azurite flying with that punch, he had already activated the Rule 'Inner World' and pulled Darksteel into it. The opponent hadn't even noticed. In the 'Inner World', Lucas Reeve could use his power without restraint, without fear of affecting the nearby spectators.
The golden energy spear was like a pillar supporting heaven and earth.
Lucas Reeve murmured softly.
[The Lance that Shines to the End's End (Rhongomyniad)!!]
And at that moment, the Holy Lance blasted forward, tearing through more than half of the abandoned district. Nothing in its path could withstand the Holy Lance's brilliance for even a second.
The Darksteel Azurite finally noticed something was wrong with his surroundings.
He gave up trying to run, because he knew it was useless, no matter how he tried. So, he slowly turned around, gazing at the divine miracle before him, his face filled with obsession.
What beautiful power....
The next moment.
The Darksteel Azurite was engulfed by the Holy Lance. He had no chance to resist. His entire body was instantly annihilated. He left this world easily, without any pain.