Jacqueline looked surprised. "Mr. Karl, we're almost there."
Carl turned his head, looking seriously at Jacqueline as if to confirm her attitude, then chuckled. "No problem. Just say that I'm not feeling well. I believe Mr. Henry will understand."
"Hmm!" Jacqueline sounded hesitant.
"It seems it's already too late." Carl turned around and looked down the long street ahead.
A faint trembling sound arose, and the drizzle suddenly intensified; countless 'raindrops' whistled down from the sky.
The curtain of rain obscured the sun, completely covering the spot where Carl stood, not even sparing the vicinity.
"Be careful!" Jacqueline shouted instinctively, her right hand on the hilt of her sword, her eyes filled with despair.
The arrow rain was too sudden, too dense, leaving no space to dodge, nor could it all be blocked.
Just as she braced herself for death, a stream of water appeared out of nowhere and instantly formed into a huge water ball with a diameter of six or seven meters, enveloping them both.
Zero-Circle Magic—Aqua Guardian!
The water was very soft, yet it also possessed extreme toughness. Even bullets surpassing the speed of sound would quickly lose their kinetic energy upon entering the water, and arrows were no exception.
Moreover, the water ball formed by Aqua Guardian was not static; it was always spinning rapidly within. Any incoming attack that couldn't break the defense in an instant would have its force swiftly dissipated.
Countless arrows pierced the water ball, their speed drastically slowing before they were flung out by the spinning currents.
A powerful vibrating sound erupted. Before it could reach his eardrums, three giant arrows, each over two meters long, pierced into the water ball first.
Carl narrowed his eyes slightly, watching the rapidly approaching arrows, and lightly raised his right hand.
Zero-Circle Magic—Lesser Mage's Force Field!
Defensive power stacked. All incoming attacks stalled in unison, and the three giant arrows stopped just before his face.
The person who set the trap obviously knew the defensive power of a Great Knight well, starting with a saturation attack. It was like dozens of Knights charging from all directions, wielding their weapons and hacking madly, leaving not the slightest chance to breathe. An ordinary Great Knight would indeed have a hard time withstanding it and would likely be injured even if they managed to block.
However, Carl's defensive power far surpassed that of an ordinary Great Knight! Even peak Great Knights couldn't compare to him; this kind of onslaught posed no threat to him whatsoever.
In the blink of an eye, two figures flickered into view, and two massive presences emerged.
Carl's expression hardened.
He had considered that the Scythe Brotherhood might act against him, but he thought the most likely scenario would be an attempt to recruit him. Only if recruitment failed would they resort to force. Thus, the first meeting theoretically held little danger, which was one of the reasons he had agreed to come. Unexpectedly, the opponent wasn't playing by any rules, attacking mercilessly right from the start.
A Great Knight opened his mouth and let out a light breath. A stream of cold air emerged, instantly turning everything into a vast expanse of whiteness. Wherever the cold air reached, all things were sealed in ice.
The water sphere formed by Aqua Guardian instantly turned into a massive ice chunk, and the two people inside became ice sculptures.
Ultimate Dharma Seal—Breath of the Frost Dragon!
Another Great Knight's figure flickered and turned into a puff of smoke, ignoring the ice layer as he closed in. In his hand, he held a strange Longsword. The blade shimmered, and countless sword marks appeared on the ice chunk.
"Hmph!" Atop the roof of a distant house, Second Elder Baird saw this and snorted coldly. "His strength might be decent, but he's been a Great Knight for too short a time and lacks experience fighting experts of the same realm. With Frost Maiden and Shadow Wraith, it should be enough."
"Yes." Next to him, a slim young woman said with a smile, "If we're going to do something, we should do it thoroughly. Since we've offended him before, we might as well just kill him. That Yass fellow actually wanted me to apologize to him to gain his trust. What a joke!"
"Exactly." Baird nodded. "You must always remember this... Hm?" His voice trailed off as his expression suddenly changed.
Inside the ice chunk, crisp cracking sounds echoed.
Carl's expression was grim. His body trembled slightly, the Battle Aura stored within him exploding like ignited dynamite.
Battle Skill—Bloom! Official source is novel~fire~net
The huge ice chunk instantly shattered, and the Great Knight who had rushed close to him had to retreat and dodge.
"Guna!" Carl raised his hand, his armor automatically covering his body. He turned his head to look; Jacqueline had already lost all signs of life. Her body, frozen into an ice sculpture and then slashed by the blade, had shattered along with the ice sphere into countless fragments.
"Scythe Brotherhood!" Carl took a deep breath. His twin swords rang as they were unsheathed from his waist, and a murky aura mixed with Battle Aura surged out.
Battle Skill—Gale Slash!
A sky full of sword shadows descended, instantly enveloping both Great Knights, as ferocious Battle Aura roared out.
From the clash, a figure staggered back, their face deathly pale, eyes filled with horror.
"What's happening?" Frost Maiden gritted her teeth. "There's something wrong with his body!"
Whenever she got close to Carl, several invisible forces would act upon her, slowing her movements and weakening her attacks. It was like fighting with a mountain on her back; merely resisting this force consumed most of her energy. Of her full strength, she could exert at most forty percent. Furthermore, Carl himself was not weak, and his defensive power was so absurdly high he could withstand their hacking and slashing without issue.
How are we supposed to fight this?
Her companion, Shadow Wraith, on the other hand, whose Dharma Seal allowed his body to become somewhat intangible, was not as affected by the force field. However, facing Carl's relentless attacks, he too was hard-pressed.