Chapter 4: A Failed Final Blow
It was only when the massive and heavy dragon spear swept in with overwhelming force that the chubby knight realized his opponent had already entered battle mode, completely ignoring the codes of chivalry—this strike was a textbook example of a sneak attack!
But whether it was a sneak attack or an open fight, anger, frustration, disdain, or hatred could not change the situation at hand. Shatima was quite clever in a way—Sorenberg’s failure had deeply shaken her. She didn’t want to end her journey in Marko in as humiliating a manner as Sorenberg had. Unlike the knights, she wasn’t shy about using any means necessary to defeat her opponent. The human tendency to judge by appearance didn’t apply to her either; a one-shot kill was the most appropriate outcome for her.
Even before unleashing the spear, Shatima had already assessed the opponent’s overall strength. She hadn’t trained in combat energy, but the innate dragon power of her race was enough to make her superior to any opponent who dared challenge her in combat. The thick, iron-tipped dragon spear made all the knights’ weapons seem insignificant, even the chubby knight’s axe spear. With a thunderous roar, just as the chubby knight cursed this shameless and uncivilized fellow, the massive spear head appeared right in front of him.
At that moment, the chubby knight became as agile as a ballet dancer on ice. With a graceful twist and dodge, the fierce momentum of the dragon spear missed its target entirely.
Shatima gave him an approving gesture with her left hand—avoiding her spear, which had already covered an area of thirty feet around her, in such a sudden situation proved that the chubby knight’s agility had reached a very high level. With a fierce pull on the tail of the dragon spear with her right hand, the missed spear head turned like a vengeful serpent, its powerful energy swirling around and firmly gripping the fleeing figure of the chubby knight.
Shatima’s figure seemed to dance in the air, carried by the spear’s immense force. Her heavy iron armor didn’t hinder her agility at all. Her airborne form locked onto the chubby knight, who was dodging within the air vortex, like a persistent plague.
The Illusory Silver Axe Spear gracefully spun several elegant movements in the chubby knight’s hands, with silver lotus flowers rising from the ground one after another. The iron-tipped dragon spear plunged down like a roaring dragon, and the two waves of powerful energy finally led to the first proper clash since the battle began.
Fierce and brutal energy collided within two swirling shadows—one black and one silver-gray—mixed with a series of sparks from the clash of metal and iron. Two different forces of air intertwined, rubbing and spinning together to produce a shrill howling sound.
Like butterflies caught in a sudden downpour, Shatima’s agile figure was flung five zhang away before she managed to stabilize in the air. Her delicate face turned from red to white, then to blue, finally becoming pale. Fury burned in her watery eyes as she glared fiercely at her opponent. Despite gaining the advantage of a surprise attack, this strike still failed to achieve the desired result; the notion of a one-shot kill was merely an illusion. The reputation of a Heavenly Rank knight was built on countless battles of blood and fire, and even under such disadvantage, Shatima’s attack, fueled by her full dragon power, still fell short.
Yet the chubby knight didn’t gain much either. His bulky body moved sideways across the ground repeatedly to mitigate the immense impact of the dragon spear’s fierce strike. No matter how skillful his spear techniques, it ultimately came down to a contest of strength. With his opponent holding a decisive advantage, no matter how much he tried to dodge, he couldn’t escape. A series of deep footprints, half an inch deep, marked the hard stone floor, showing just how much pressure the chubby knight endured. His knight boots were completely destroyed at the soles, making him look even more disheveled.
After taking several deep breaths, he finally managed to calm his racing heart. A sense of chaotic energy flow could be felt in his meridians, indicating that his body had suffered damage from the intense force of the strike. The chubby knight was surprised—his opponent’s attack came purely from raw strength, not the combat energy he had expected. His own Light Combat Energy’s counterforce had done nothing at all. Could this guy possess innate divine power?
No, that’s impossible. No mortal could develop the ability to resist the counterforce of combat energy. Even if he had innate divine power, he couldn’t withstand such fierce counterforces. Any body without combat energy protection would have its internal organs shattered under such a counterforce, unless he could use magic for defense or dissipate the force of his own combat energy. But this guy clearly hadn’t used magic, nor could he be a mage.
The chubby knight turned his gaze toward the bearded magician Michelangelo in the distance. His companion quickly understood the knight’s confusion and shook his head, indicating that the opponent did not have any magical support from the surrounding mages. So what was going on? Could this guy be non-human?
The chubby knight’s puzzled eyes scanned Shatima’s body from head to toe, which made her feel uneasy as well. Could this ugly guy be interested in her? Her sense of pride lasted only a second before being replaced by disappointment and anger. Being chosen by such a person didn’t seem like something to be proud of. Perhaps Komer and the others would even laugh at her. Shatima resolved to put an end to his “wild thoughts.”
“Vladkov, what are you waiting for? Hurry up!!!”
The dragon spear once again swept through the air, bringing endless turmoil. This time, the chubby knight did not dodge. A milky-white, radiant light of combat energy burst forth, while his axe spear transformed into countless eerie illusions to confront it head-on. At the same time, Vladkov completed his pre-battle preparations, his dark combat energy reaching its peak, turning him into a dark, ominous figure—like a dark sorcerer king. As the knight’s spear flashed in the air, seven black figures rotated into a semicircular attack circle, charging at the knight who held his sword horizontally.
As Mihajic gave a gesture, the metal puppet became incredibly agile, executing a graceful dive close to the ground. Thirty meters seemed like just one meter to it; in a flash, it appeared in front of the knight covered in blood. The shovel-shaped spikes at both ends of its arms instantly turned into two rings of silver light, striking the unprepared knight.
“Trajan, be careful!” Even Schiller and Michelangelo in the distance couldn’t help but shout in alarm. The performance of this metal puppet was truly astonishing—its ghostly speed and vicious tactics were like those of a demon from another realm.
The knight had no time to dodge. He thrust his spear straight into the ground, gripped the handle tightly, and kicked out with both legs in a graceful motion. The sharp edges of the spear just managed to skirt past his clothes, accompanied by continuous clashing sounds of metal. Sparks flew from the spear shaft, and two pieces of fabric drifted down.
“Good, excellent!” Even Komer and the dark mages behind him couldn’t help but applaud in admiration, though there was a hint of regret in their praise—such outstanding performance from the metal puppet truly justified the use of their wisdom crystals. And that horizontal kick performed by the high-ranking knight in a moment of urgency was also absolutely brilliant, making one feel the trip was worthwhile.
“Hmm, Trajan… Heh, indeed Trajan. Truly worthy of being called Trajan—the first knight of the Vazinki clan, leader of the Sky Falcon Knights. He never disappoints.”
“My Lord Dark Sovereign, is this really Trajan, the leader of the Sky Falcon Knights?” Giovanni’s eyes brimmed with joy. Even in the South, he had heard of the fame of one of the three leaders of the Light Church’s knight orders. Although he hadn’t yet become a true holy knight, that half-step gap might just be a matter of experience for Trajan—perhaps after today’s battle, he could bridge it.
Meeting such a high-ranking knight could be immensely beneficial for him as well. Both magic and martial arts required arduous training to reach mastery. In the South, the lack of real opportunities for training had long troubled Giovanni. Now, being able to participate in such a high-level confrontation in the North was undoubtedly a rare opportunity. Earlier, Mihajlovic’s metal puppet’s bizarre and fierce attack had left Giovanni shaken, yet Trajan managed to dodge it effortlessly, leaving Giovanni feeling inferior.
“That’s right. Who else could deliver such a perfect performance? It’s not shameful for Sorenborg to lose to him. I can’t imagine anyone in the North who could surpass him except Caesar. Kent seems to be slightly inferior to this knight, Trajan.” Komer said thoughtfully. Ever since returning home, he had nearly fallen into the hands of the Rema Knights, who hadn’t made a deep impression on him. It seemed Captain Kent hadn’t had many opportunities to show off either—perhaps only in times like this would these knights reveal their true abilities.
“My Lord Dark Sovereign, that Michelangelo seems to be a famous mage under Vazinki as well, right? It seems his level has even surpassed that of a grand mage, approaching that of a mage master.” Conti stared intently at the calm, bearded mage.