Byrd and Bolton, who had just emerged from the basement, watched the clash of the two astonishing slashes, dumbfounded. They knew the blue slash was unleashed by their sword sensei, Elvish Saxon.
But who had unleashed the other crimson slash? Had their younger brother actually recruited a swordsman with such incredibly powerful swordsmanship?
Noble District Streets.
After the hurricane-force winds subsided and the smoke cleared, Casey and the others were dumbfounded, almost unable to believe their eyes. Hundreds of meters away, an area over a hundred square meters was flattened, covered in countless cut marks.
To think there was a swordsman capable of clashing with the one in the royal palace; what incredibly powerful swordsmanship this was!
After unleashing that one strike, Oliver’s face visibly paled at a rapid rate, large beads of sweat rolled down, and he gasped for breath.
It seemed he had expended a tremendous amount of stamina.
"This is Oliver, Head of Combat of the Chris Pirates and the Slayer."
Galan was learning of Oliver’s true strength for the first time, but he quickly regained his composure and proudly introduced Oliver’s identity to Casey and the others.
"So it’s Oliver-sama, a pleasure to finally meet you!"
Snapping back to reality, Casey and the others quickly responded, not daring to show even a hint of disrespect.
Just that one sword strike earlier, if Great Knight Chad had tried to block it head-on, he would likely have been instantly cut down.
"Hahaha~ Goodness, you were hiding such a technique! Even I didn’t know," Aeridar slapped Oliver’s shoulder, laughing heartily. They were comrades, after all, and the stronger they were, the better.
"Huff~ Captain, the rest is up to you. A strong individual of that caliber isn’t someone I can handle right now," Oliver said, dispelling his Haki and sheathing his twin blades. He straightened up, forcing a smile.
Through this clash, Oliver had already understood the disparity between their strengths. The opponent was not someone he could handle in his current state. Moreover, for the sake of the plan, it was better to leave it to their monstrous captain.
"Leave it to me." Aeridar glanced at Oliver, then looked towards the royal palace, a cold smile spreading across his face.
Immediately, Aeridar walked up to Casey and smiled, "Your Highness, the Third Prince, I’ve brought my most capable subordinate to help you claim the throne. I hope that after you become king, you won’t forget our cooperation."
"Hahaha~ Of course not! In fact, I think we can even deepen our cooperation!" Seeing one of Aeridar’s subordinates block such a heart-stopping, terrifying attack, Casey’s confidence in Golden Ring Aeridar grew even stronger.
He even considered a deeper level of cooperation in his heart, believing it would ensure the Clifford Kingdom’s safety. However, he surely didn’t realize that this was merely a ploy, a trap.
Subsequently, under Casey’s command and Chad’s leadership, tens of thousands of soldiers marched with heavy footsteps in neat formations towards the royal palace.
The First Prince Byrd and the Second Prince Bolton met.
"Let’s unite!" Byrd said the moment they met.
"Let’s unite!" Bolton agreed without even a moment’s hesitation.
Because both of them knew that if they didn’t unite now, they would soon be eliminated. Moreover, if they combined their forces, with the help of the one deep within the royal palace, they might not lose.
Furthermore, as Byrd thought, if they could hold out for two days, reinforcements would arrive, and the situation would be entirely different.
"Charge! Annihilate the rebels!"
"Kill them! For our brothers!"
"Slaughter those scoundrels!"
"Victory is ours! Kill them all!"
Amidst shouts of battle, the surviving forces of the First Prince and Second Prince clashed with the Third Prince’s army. Within moments, hundreds fell, and both sides immediately became bloodthirsty.
Rumble, rumble, rumble...
"Advance! May longswords and lances illuminate our path!"
Like thunder, a knight order, clad in full iron armor, both men and horses, charged forward, shouting loud slogans.
This knight order numbered three thousand. Their armor bore black markings, and their heavy hooves pounded the cobblestone ground, making even the earth tremble. Their fist-sized hooves seemed capable of easily crushing human skulls.
Gleaming cross-swords and lances cut through bodies, and in the next moment, steaming blood splattered onto the ground.
This was the Clifford Kingdom’s strongest army, the Black Spot Knights!
Every member was skilled in archery and horsemanship and proficient in using various cold weapons, truly elite among any military.
"Damn it, it’s the Black Spot Knights! That Chad guy actually defected to His Highness the Third Prince..." A tall, muscular man, nearly three meters tall and bare-chested, rampaged through the chaotic battle.
Seeing the Black Spot Knights charging, Bowen hurled a half-dead soldier he was holding aside. Then, his body suddenly swelled, sparse black-brown fur appeared, and a pair of curved brown ox horns grew on his head. He grew from nearly three meters to almost four meters tall, appearing like an extraordinarily tall and strong Minotaur warrior.
Two streams of white vapor snorted from Bowen’s ox nostrils. He picked up a fine steel great axe from the ground and swung it.
A fierce clang resounded, and shockwaves spread outwards.
A cross-shaped long spear had blocked the great axe’s edge. The wielder of the cross-shaped spear sat atop a tall, armored black horse—it was none other than the Captain of the Black Spot Knights, Great Knight Horst Chad.
"I thought you were staying neutral. I can’t believe you defected to His Highness the Second Prince," Chad said from his horse, surprisingly at eye level with Bowen.
"I should be the one surprised! A Great Knight like you, defecting to someone as powerless as the Third Prince," Bowen mocked disdainfully.
Bowen was of commoner birth. He sided with the Second Prince Bolton not only because Bolton treated commoners well but also because Bolton, though young, possessed swordsmanship at the level of a Sword Master. Thus, he was more willing to pledge allegiance to a prince with power.
At that moment, another blue slash appeared, instantly cutting through the ranks of the army. It extended from beginning to end before dissipating, stirring up a bloody storm, leaving behind only a blood-soaked fissure.
On both sides lay piles of severed limbs and wailing soldiers, or still-warm corpses cut in half.
Immediately after, a black shadow flashed by, bringing with it a gust of wind.
The black shadow stopped, revealing a figure.
It was a middle-aged man with slightly white hair, around fifty years old. His resolute face had some wrinkles, and his skin was slightly dark. He wore a black coat with blue stripes, a white shirt with blue stars underneath, dark blue tight-fitting pants, and black high-top shoes. In his right hand, he held a cross-shaped longsword. The gleaming blade was covered in ancient silver-grey markings, indicating it was a famous sword.
Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over to my ——— (.)com/JuanFiction [remove the parentheses ( )]
There are over 100 advance Chapters available for you!