In the vast reception hall, an unbearable pressure began to emanate.
Larocque and Sarilo simply stared at each other, as a terrifying aura gradually took shape around them.
Larocque intended to use his Legendary presence to overwhelm Sarilo.
But Sarilo was the head of the Renitra Family, born into the second most prestigious knight family in the Empire and also the Deputy Commander of the Imperial Knight Order, himself a Legendary warrior.
Even though he lacked the fame of Larocque, Sarilo's strength was beyond question.
His Level was as high as Ninety-six, just a notch below Larocque's, and his own strength was surely not much less; if it weren't for Larocque's higher status and the Bigusler Family's greater influence posing a significant threat, he would never have settled for second place.
For this reason, now that the Bigusler Family was in decline and Larocque himself had come under the suspicions of the Empire, not only being ordered to temporarily leave the Imperial Knight Order but with many knights both high and low within the family being suspected of treason or espionage, resulting in the detention of most of the Bigusler Family's members and their fall from grace, Sarilo took the opportunity to assert dominance and planned to forcefully push Larocque out of power.
Naturally, Larocque would not let him have his way.
And yet, Sarilo was not one to easily miss such an opportunity.
Both men could not help but release their Magic Power, letting their towering auras ignite like flames around them, causing the very air to tremble instantly.
"Father... Father...!?"
Before them stood the knight who had previously been so smug, now trembling all over, his face ashen, feeling the clashing auras of Larocque and Sarilo up close, the pressure so great he could hardly breathe, nearly collapsing.
Beside him, all the other knights too wore Heavy expressions, sweating profusely from their foreheads, clearly under immense Oppression.
Tilly sat next to Larocque, even closer to Sarilo than Geno, experiencing an even stronger pressure. Yet, she was clenching her teeth and fists tightly, enduring with all her might.
Her fortitude was many times greater than that of Geno.
Seeing this, Sarilo's expression turned sour, and he was extremely dissatisfied with Jero, feeling utterly disgusted with him.
Tilly and Geno were the progeny of Larocque and Sarilo, respectively, and barring any accidents, they were to be the next successors of their respective Knight families.
Their conduct would largely determine who would come out on top in the next generation's rivalry between the two families.
And it was clear that in terms of character, prospects, strength, or potential, Geno was far behind Tilly.
Tilly was a leading figure among the younger generation, having reached Level seventy-three at only twenty-four years of age, plus she had a beautiful countenance and a valiant spirit, not yielding to men, and came from an impeccable family background. In the martial Empire, she had countless suitors and was even considered to be the Valkyrie, had it not been for the existence of the Second Princess, Cappelen.
In contrast, his son, a year older than Tilly, was only at Level sixty-eight, liked to bully others with his power, and had committed several despicable acts under the indulgence of his family and himself, earning the scorn of many.
Tilly was one of those who scorned Geno.
Ironically, Geno had taken a fancy to her, pursued her, but each time he was soundly defeated by Tilly, showing just how much weaker he was.
This time, Geno offered to come along with Sarilo to force a palace confrontation, wanting to show off in front of Tilly.
But looking at him now, his coming here was a pure embarrassment.
In the future, if the Renitra Family fell into his hands, they would surely be unable to contend with the Bigusler Family.
With this in mind, Sarilo had entertained the idea of changing the successor several times.
But among all his children, Geno had the best talent, whereas the others, regardless of a good character or intelligence, could not match Geno in strength and potential.
This made Sarilo hesitant to replace the heir.
Because, in an Empire where strength dictated everything, weakness was the original sin.
The Family Head of the Renitra could afford not to be clever but had to be strong enough to command respect from everyone.
The fact that even Geno, with the best talent, was inferior to Tilly of the Bigusler Family was a constant source of anxiety for Sarilo.
This time, his determination to force Larocque to step down at all costs was to prevent a complete defeat in the next generation's rivalry for leadership and to take down Larocque and the Bigusler Family once and for all before he and Larocque retired.
Only then could the Renitra Family secure the strongest position in the Empire.
With these thoughts in mind, a murderous intent began to flash in Sarilo's eyes as he watched Larocque.
This made Larocque tense up.
"Do you want to fight?"
Larocque asked in a deep voice.
His laugh was cold and cruel.
"As long as I can defeat you, you, the Knight Captain suspected of treason, will have no choice but to step down, right?"
Obviously, Sarilo was ready to resort to force.
In the past, he would have had some reservations.
But now, as the Bigusler Family was being investigated and Larocque became a suspect in the Empire, some influential figures in the Imperial Palace had indicated they would support Sarilo to some extent, so Sarilo naturally would no longer hold back.
"You can only blame yourself for offending too many people, for no one dared to touch you, the Empire's strongest Knight. But now, aligning with Prince Harvis was your biggest mistake."
Sarilo's words finally changed Larocque's expression.
"So, you've all been manipulated by the Princess...!?"
Why had the Bigusler Family suddenly been suspected of treason?
Why were there so many rumors about him in the Imperial City? Thanks for reading—brought to you by *.
Everything came to light in this moment.
Because Rocque had chosen to support Harvis and oppose the Princess, he had just become the target.
And clearly, the Renitra Family had chosen to stand with the other side.
To bring down Rocque and to topple the Bigusler Family, Sarilo had sided with the Princess, securing the support of her and the Nobles backing her.
Understanding all of this, Rocque could no longer contain his emotions and released his overwhelming aura in an instant.
However, Sarilo was even faster.
Geno let out a cry of surprise.
Without any hesitation, Sarilo snatched the sword being held from his hands and, as Rocque released his aura, promptly closed in for an attack.
The sofa on which the two Legendary fighters sat was completely shattered.
The coffee table between them also exploded into pieces.
Amidst the cloud of wooden fragments, the two Legend-level fighters violently collided.
The battle was about to erupt.
That day, the rooftop of the Bigusler house blew open with a loud Explosion.
Two figures burst out from inside the house and met with a resounding clash on the rooftop.
"Bang—Bang—Bang—Bang—Bang—"
With each booming sound, they continually crossed paths, each pursuing the other, their giant swords creating sonic booms as they relentlessly struck at one another, eliciting not the clash of metal but explosions of noise.
The eruption and clash between the two Legendary fighters instantly turned into the most terrifying exchange, drawing the attention of many people.
"Is that the direction of the Bigusler Family?"
The Nobles and those with vested interests all watched the scene unfold, some exchanging looks, some astounded, and others contemplative.
Of course, those outside the Bigusler residence who had been surveilling also took note of the commotion, exchanging glances without a word and continued their surveillance in silence.
Even more people, upon hearing the commotion, came looking, only to be driven away by those who were secretly watching using various methods.
Clearly, these were either from the Renitra Family or supporters of the Princess from the Imperial Palace, already in cahoots with Sarilo; naturally, they wouldn't allow an outsider to spoil their plan.
In this way, Rocque and Sarilo engaged in fierce combat, stirring up a series of thunderous explosions, as if lightning were striking repeatedly, sending shivers down one's spine.
Meanwhile, inside the residence, Tilly also faced an onslaught.
Geno, having recovered from his shock, shouted to the Knights around him as if he had waited for this moment for ages, while staring at Tilly with a burning gaze, his desire unmistakable in his eyes.
Though the Knights felt disdain for Geno's behavior, they did not stand idly by.
Before coming here, Sarilo had given them orders to capture Tilly when they took action.
In this way, Rocque would have to restrain himself, surely losing a fifth of his power.
This was the situation Sarilo wanted to witness.
Otherwise, though he didn't fear Rocque, his overall strength was still slightly inferior; in a direct conflict, he definitely couldn't defeat Rocque.
If he could have defeated Rocque, then the position of Knight Captain would have been his long ago, without the need for any of this hassle.
Therefore, to capture Rocque, Sarilo didn't mind resorting to some dirty tricks.
"Clang!" "Clang!" "Clang!"
The Knights did not hesitate to draw their Longswords and charged at Tilly.
Tilly was indignant but dared not be careless, pulling out her own Knight Sword ready to face the onslaught.
"Clang—Clang—Clang—Clang—Clang...!"
The sound of steel clashing finally rang out, sending sparks flying in all directions.
Tilly was beset by numerous Knights, bravely engaging in battle, but overwhelmed by numbers, she struggled greatly and was pushed back step by step.
The Knights were Guard Knights secretly trained by the Renitra Family, each nearing Level Eighty, none weaker than Tilly.
Tilly, still young and talented, ultimately suffered from her lack of experience, overwhelmed by the Knights who spared her no quarter.
Geno was ecstatic at the sight.
This woman who had caused him frustration time and again was finally going to fall to his hands.
He had already thought of countless ways to torment her, trembling with excitement.
And all of this, of course, was observed by someone.
"Have I stumbled upon a good show?"
Shane stood atop a tree branch, watching everything, one eyebrow raised.
In his eyes, there was nothing but amusement.