Chapter 008: Unexpected Turn of Events

However, Leopold and Garfield had always been fierce rivals, so it was unclear how Leopold could be mixed up with Garfield’s men. He dismounted from his horse, bowed slightly to Garfield, and said, “Brother, I knew you’d be here. If I hadn’t found you, those brats down there would have caused trouble.” Then he glanced at Du Fan and said casually, “Duke, I never expected to find you with my brother. Your hundreds of bodyguards are still waiting in Odinburg for you to return. Who would have thought you’d end up here?” At that point, Prince Leopold stepped forward a few more times, studying Garfield closely. There seemed to be a hint of mockery in his eyes, and combined with his helmet, it was extremely eerie.

“Hmm, Brother, it seems you don’t even have the strength to move!” Leopold sighed suddenly. “I knew you were a powerful warrior, but I never imagined that Duke Du Fan could hurt you to this extent. It seems Duke Du Fan’s reputation isn’t unfounded! It seems the bet between you two is tied at the moment!”

Garfield glanced at Leopold and snorted, “My affairs don’t need your interference!”

Leopold shook his head. “Brother, that’s not right! These days, I and your men have followed you closely day and night. Why? It’s simply because we’re worried about you. For you to say such things now is rather hurtful.”

Garfield snorted again. “You’re worried about me? Go fool a three-year-old!”

Leopold seemed to smile slightly. “Brother, you’re wronging me again. Although we’ve been constantly competing for that supreme position, I, Leopold, am not someone who ignores the bigger picture. Would I engage in infighting at a time like this?”

After saying that, he suddenly glanced at Du Fan and said calmly, “This Duke Du Fan will likely be the greatest threat to the Lanii Empire in the next few decades. Since even my brother isn’t his match, it shows just how terrifying he is. How about I eliminate him on my brother’s behalf? That would also solve a major problem for the Lanii Empire!”

With that, Leopold swiftly drew the long sword at his waist, took a few slow steps forward, and stared at Du Fan before speaking softly, “Honorable Duke Du Fan, although we have cooperated before, it was always for mutual benefit. We are neither allies nor friends… So I might kill you one day, and I’m sure you must have guessed that already! Therefore, please do not hold grudges if you die under my sword now!”
Du Fan glanced at Chenchen in his arms, knowing full well that under the gazes of those skilled opponents, no matter what tactics he had, he couldn’t use them given his severe injuries. With a low sigh, he said, “Indeed. Back when we were negotiating peace in my capital, you asked me to help you kill Quested. The price you paid must still fill you with resentment to this day, right? In that case, it’s only fair that you try to kill me… But do you know what will happen after you kill me?”
After saying that, Du Fan stopped wasting words and secretly placed his left hand on his storage ring, hoping to have a last resort at the critical moment.
Leopold smiled slightly but suddenly stepped back. His eyes were filled with murderous intent, and as his long sword trembled in his hand, it shot forward like a venomous snake!
The blade was icy cold, its energy piercing to the bone—clearly, Leopold also practiced the Ice Combat Qi, a secret technique of the Lanxi Empire’s royal family!
“Thud—”
There was a sound as the sword pierced flesh. It seemed Leopold’s blade was about to strike Du Fan’s chest, but at that critical moment, it suddenly twisted like a venomous snake, shooting backward from his side. The sword flew out of his hand, carrying a surge of combat qi, and pierced through the chest of the black-armored knight kneeling on the ground!
This scene left Du Fan stunned, his mind struggling to process what had just happened.
Gaffield, on the other hand, remained calm, his expression unchanged, as if he had already predicted that Leopold would act this way.
It was a shame for that black-armored knight—he was also a top-tier expert, likely at level seven or eight. Even if he had no chance against Leopold, he surely wouldn’t be defeated so easily at first sight.
But the knight never expected that Leopold, who intended to kill Du Fan, would suddenly twist his sword at the last moment. In his carelessness, he became the victim of Leopold’s surprise attack!

Leoport’s long sword pierced through the knight’s chest, and the frosty combat energy at the tip of the sword exploded inside the knight’s body. Even if a god were to appear, it seemed unlikely the knight could be saved.
But just before dying, the knight suddenly let out a roar. His combat energy surged violently as he charged at Leoport!
Unfortunately, Leoport was prepared. Seeing him charge, he quickly grabbed the sword still stuck in his chest, lifted it slightly, and with a “pop,” the knight was split in two and collapsed to the ground, his internal organs and flesh spilling out at once.
The two knights behind them were stunned by this sight but quickly reacted. They drew their swords from their waists and rushed at Leoport.
Seeing their companion die from a surprise attack, and the seemingly friendly prince turning hostile now, they were filled with rage.
But these two knights were only at level five or six—how could they even be taken seriously by Leoport?
In just three or four moves, his sword sliced off the heads of the last two knights.
In the blink of an eye, the situation changed drastically. Initially, with Gaffield’s Black Armored Knights present, Leoport had a clear advantage. But now that those knights had died at his hands, the situation became bizarre.
Gaffield’s expression remained unchanged. He glanced at Leoport and sighed, saying, “I knew it. Given your nature, as long as you had the chance to kill me, you would never give up… My subordinates may be foolish, but most of them understand this. But I can’t figure out why they let you follow.”
Leoport smiled faintly and said, “It’s actually simple. As the saying goes, chaos arises when there’s no leader. Your subordinates are indeed smart, but they worry too much about you. I simply pretended to have the ability to find you and came alone—how could they worry about me? Besides, didn’t they think of killing me as well after finding you?”
Gaffield nodded and said, “In that case, aren’t you worried that I might kill you once I find you? Without your Blood Armored Army by your side, you mean nothing to me.”

Leopold smiled and said, “Brother, from what I know about you, if you had defeated your opponent, would you have stayed in one place? You would have returned long ago. Since you haven’t gone back after being out for a day and night, it’s likely you’ve encountered some trouble… Besides, from what I know about Duke Du Fan, he’s not someone easy to deal with either. It was within my expectations that the two of you would end up suffering losses.”

Garfield nodded and said, “Exactly! So what are you planning now? To kill me and then rescue your ally?”

Leopold shook his head slightly and said, “Kill you? Rescue my ally? Brother… have you miscalculated something?”

At that moment, Leopold suddenly laughed heartily and said, “Brother, I definitely intend to kill you. How could I miss such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity? As for Duke Du Fan…”

He glanced at Du Fan before continuing, “Everything I said just now is 100% true. I definitely won’t spare your life either.”

Garfield sighed and closed his eyes. He knew that with Leopold’s temperament, nothing he said would matter.

On the other hand, Du Fan showed a strange expression. He looked at Leopold and said calmly, “Why? If you want Prince Garfield, I understand, but as for me…”

“Why?” Leopold laughed again, clearly overjoyed. After a moment, he continued, “Normally, I dislike nonsense, but today, having killed two of my greatest enemies in life, I’m in an excellent mood… So what if I make sure you die understandingly? As for my elder brother… He’s been a burden on me since birth. If I want to rise to power, I must kill him—there’s no need to explain that. But as for you, Du Fan… I’ve been to the Gavin Empire, so I know that throughout the entire empire, aside from Prince Fisher, you’re the only one who can be considered talented… But with Prince Fisher busy dealing with the internal situation in the Gavin Empire, who would have theintent to trouble my Lani Empire? So I’m not afraid of him. But as for you, ever since you came to the Siluo Province, I’ve realized that if I don’t find a chance to get rid of you, you’ll surely become a major threat to my Lani Empire in the future. I think my elder brother understands this too… I’ve always failed to find an opportunity to act, but unexpectedly, you and my elder brother ended up harming each other! Duke Du Fan, tell me, if I don’t kill you now, how can I face myself?”