Chapter 311: Decisive in Killing and Fighting

“Is it Jack?”
Looking at the once-strong face of his adoptive uncle, the commander of the knight regiment, now greatly aged, along with his slightly hunched, robust frame, Jack’s eyes filled with tears as he rushed forward.
“Uncle!”
The middle-aged knight patted Jack’s back affectionately and said with a smile, “It’s good to have you back! No matter how big the trouble, it can’t bend the backs of us Siren knights!”
The touching reunion moved even the usually stoic knights to wipe away tears secretly.
“Little Jack, you’ve really grown up and become successful. You’ve even managed to lead your own knight regiment…”
“Yes!”
…
Jack, excited, hugged each of his former comrades from the knight regiment one by one, exchanging updates on their lives since parting.
Donald didn’t disturb this scene and planned to return to his room alone.
But just then, a sarcastic voice spoke up, “It’s Jack? You traitor, Black, how dare you come back? You’ve given me this great credit for free—catch this traitor for me!”
A sullen young man dressed as an officer, with slick hair and makeup, arrived at the training ground with a group of soldiers in different uniforms. Upon seeing Jack, he showed a vicious smile.
“Who dares?”
The commander of the Siren knight regiment immediately shouted, stepping in front of Jack. Previously, he had been unable to save Jack but had secretly helped him escape. Now that he had finally seen the child he had raised since childhood, anyone who dared harm Jack would face a fierce reaction from this protective middle-aged knight.
The knights from other regiments also protected Jack, blocking those soldiers from advancing.
“What, Commander Mark? Do you plan to rebel as a group? If you don’t step aside, you’ll all be considered accomplices. Your families will then suffer without support!”
Commander Mark of the Siren knight regiment said nothing but remained firm, clearly determined to protect Jack.
“Dare you!”
Donald, watching from the side with a frown, stepped forward and rebuked them.
“Who are you to convict me, a hereditary baron of Celt and a family knight of the Merlinna family, for no reason?”
The young officer was stunned for a moment before regaining his fierce expression. “So what if you’re connected to foreign nobles? This is the strategic stronghold of Longtooth Fortress under our control. As long as I kill you first, with the charge of treason, who can trouble me?”
“And who are you? I’m Dures, the third squad leader of the Duchy’s Inspection Team.”
Dures? Donald almost burst out laughing but managed to keep a straight face and avoid losing composure on the spot.

Jack clearly knew Duress’s identity. He stepped out from behind his former colleagues, signaling to the captain and the others to relax, then went over to Donald and said a few words. It was funny—being ambushed even in front of a Golden Archmage meant the attacker must be at least a Golden Sword Saint or higher, so he had no reason to regret dying!

This kid was originally the heir to one of the major noble families in Serein. His father was the Finance Minister, and he had also been one of the strong contenders for the hand of the Grand Duchess of Serein. It was those families who plotted against him, forcing Jack to bear the charge of treason and flee to the continent.

Now that he knew the other man’s identity, Donald decided it was time to deal with him. He hated those sneaky scoundrels who threatened others by using their families as leverage. He didn’t care at all about how to handle things afterward. His power already ranked among the top in the entire continent—why worry about some so-called noble family in a small principality?

Just then, Carlisle and Kelsas arrived. Donald gave them a glance and immediately snarled, “A mere squad leader of the inspection force dares to attack my Celt reinforcements’ camp! Our Celt military laws are strict—what use is such an ignorant fool? Execute him!”

Donald deliberately used amplification magic to spread his words, so that almost everyone in the fortress could hear them!

“Who dares? My father is the Finance Minister!” screamed the young Duress.

Donald thought, Even if your father were Li Gang, he couldn’t save you. Bearing the name Duress is your misfortune—let me end your miserable life!

The local knights of Serein didn’t dare act, but that didn’t mean the men Donald brought with him wouldn’t. Especially the members of the Night Knights, who wanted to slash this guy who dared threaten their captain. But they didn’t get the chance. Carlisle, filled with anger, acted on Donald’s signal—he flashed forward, swung his sword at Duress, and instantly returned to Kelsas’s side. After that strike, Carlisle felt much better. Yawning, he reverted to his usual lazy demeanor.

From Carlisle’s attack to its end, it took less than a blink. Duress’s screams hadn’t even stopped when his body split in two, blood gushing out and splashing all over the inspection force members behind him.

Only then did those men realize what had happened. Filled with fear and disgust, they crawled to the ground and began vomiting violently.

There were no fancy moves, nor any dazzling sword or blade light—just an ordinary strike. Yet it was precisely this smooth and fluid movement that shocked Captain Mark, a golden-level powerhouse and one of the three pillars of Seiren, to the point where his heart seemed to stop beating for a moment. Only a warrior of his caliber could discern the power behind the strike of that man, who was two heads taller than ordinary people. He must be at least at the peak of the golden tier, or even at the legendary level! Even as a saint knight in the middle stage of the golden tier, Mark was far from reaching such a level. At that moment, Duke Seiren and Prince Durei, who had heard the commotion, arrived with their men. “What’s going on?” Seeing the scene before him, Duke Seiren frowned. Captain Mark, who had known the duke for many years, hurried over to explain what had happened. After learning the full story, Duke Seiren looked at Jack Black, standing tall in his black armor, with mixed feelings. Adolf Kardoch appreciated Jack, the talented knight who had emerged from his own ranks. However, he was extremely displeased that Jack had won over his only daughter’s heart, which made him resentful of Jack. It had been he who secretly instructed Mark to help the boy escape, never expecting him to do so well and even become a family knight for a foreign noble! Still, he was angry about Dureis’s death. After all, the oversight team was sent by the domestic nobles, who were wary of the military gaining too much glory, as a means to check military achievements—a form of balance between the two sides. That’s why Duke Seiren had agreed to the establishment of this team. The nobles then tried every means to get their own family members in, hoping to gain some military achievements through this opportunity. Dureis was the heir of one of his own ministers. On the other hand, Jack was a foreign noble with extremely high status. Seeing his indifferent expression, Duke Seiren realized that this situation was indeed difficult to handle!