Chapter 24: A Battle of Epic Proportions (7)

Stari’s unusual behavior caught Eirys’ attention. As one of the two strongest among the Jellyfish People, Eirys had been focusing on Caesar. She knew that since Komer had brought them here under the condition of ensuring the health of the Jellyfish People, the severity of this battle could be imagined. Although Komer was surrounded by powerful warriors, he still went to great lengths to bring her and Stari here, which only showed how formidable his opponent was.
“Stari, have you noticed anything?”
“Eirys, have you seen that female knight?” Stari asked in a low voice.
“Hmph. I knew as soon as she appeared. It’s that Ice Dragon, isn’t it? Komer is quite skilled—being able to subdue such a dragon. I bet this Ice Dragon was captured by Komer after our battle,” Eirys said, glancing at it before turning her gaze away.
“Oh? You noticed her already?” Stari was surprised.
“I knew as soon as she appeared,” Eirys replied calmly. “Komer is willing to do anything for this battle.”
“Hmph. If that Ice Dragon really transforms and fights, Komer will definitely win. We wouldn’t even be needed to help,” Stari said with a snort.
“It’s not that simple, Stari. Don’t underestimate Caesar. What we can observe and infer now is only the surface of things. Do you think he can’t sense the presence of that Ice Dragon?” Eirys shook her head. “But he doesn’t care at all. His confidence must stem from his strength, not arrogance. Look at those four silver-armored knights behind him—each of them is far beyond what humans call the level of a Holy Knight. Even if the two of us teamed up, we might not be able to defeat just one of them!”
Stari was stunned and carefully observed the four knights in silver armor behind Caesar. All four stood like statues, quietly behind Caesar, their gazes fixed on the distance, as if they weren’t aware of the tense atmosphere around them.
Composure meant a calm mind, and that was the very least requirement for a Holy Knight—unperturbed even in the face of disaster, with only their goal in mind.
“They are top experts, but the people behind Komer are also no ordinary folks,” Stari said gravely.

“Just from this momentum alone, the opponent is already in an unbeatable position. If Komer doesn’t have any other secret weapons, it’s unlikely he’ll have a chance to turn things around.” Eirwen remained expressionless. “Even when the Ice Dragon takes on dragon form, it’s no match for this Caesar. I’ve carefully examined this Caesar, and I can only describe him in four words: unfathomable. Aside from those four Silver Armored Knights behind him, the more than twenty knights following also possess skills on par with those of holy knights. Komer’s side simply doesn’t have the strength to contend.”

Stardimer fell silent. In fact, he too felt that the problem didn’t lie with Caesar and the four Silver Armored Knights. Although Caesar was formidable, if the Ice Dragon joined forces with Komer’s support, it would likely be difficult to defeat them together. As for the four Silver Armored Knights, he and Eirwen could handle one each, and the so-called Eagles of Bithynia trio also had strength comparable to theirs combined, enough to take on one more. The remaining two Silver Armored Knights, with the strength demonstrated by the Black Flame Knight Order, were more than enough to completely suppress the two of them.

But the real problem was those more than twenty Wind Riders. They represented an overwhelming force. The elite chosen from the three major knight orders, led by the Homer Knight Order, were simply not enough to counter this force. But hadn’t Komer considered this issue? Both Eirwen and Stardimer wondered. Given Komer’s meticulous and thorough nature, making such a major mistake seemed impossible—unless he had some secret weapon hidden?

Caesar’s gaze swept past Komer and landed behind him. “Mr. Leclerc?”

“Lord Caesar, it’s been twenty years—your grace remains unchanged.” Leclerc wore a complex expression. Twenty years had passed since those days in Gutenberg—twenty years that had turned him from a youthful man into a middle-aged man, while Caesar seemed to have changed little, still retaining his once-imposing presence.

“Do the Homer Knights also have to get involved in this conflict that has nothing to do with them?” Caesar asked with a smile.

“Lord Caesar, do you think we can stay out of it?” Leclerc sighed softly before speaking bitterly.

Komer stood quietly aside, letting this leader of the Wind Rider Order, whose scheming skills seemed no less formidable than his martial prowess, do the talking.

He had already communicated with the leaders of the three major knight orders, who hailed from the local nobility, beforehand. He didn’t waste words; he simply told them why he was determined to fight this battle at all costs and what the consequences of defeat would be. Secular powers should not be controlled by religious forces that should be detached from worldly affairs—this alone was enough to move the nobles. If the church took control of secular power, what purpose would the nobility serve?

A cold, electric glint flashed in Caesar’s eyes. It seemed Noyora and Lorenzo were right—this opponent was a shrewd strategist. Not only had he drawn in dark forces but also successfully rallied the power elite of Nicosia under his control, even inciting a dragon to join his side. No wonder he was so confident in winning this battle.

It seemed this battle was indeed beyond his expectations, but such wars were more interesting. He would soon make this man understand what it meant to try to stop an unstoppable force.

“Lord Komer, it seems the differences between us are impossible to bridge. You certainly never intended to compromise, did you?” Seeing Komer’s calm yet resolute gaze, Caesar sighed regretfully and shook his head. “Perhaps you dismiss it, but I still intend to give you a chance. If you can set aside everything now, I promise your life will be safe, and everything you have in the secular world will be protected. All you need to do is…”

Komer chuckled, interrupting Caesar. “No need to say more, Lord Caesar. You’ve already answered for me, haven’t you?”

“What a pity. Then we may have to resolve this in another way.” Caesar shrugged nonchalantly.

“Indeed. To meet Lord Caesar for the first time in such a manner—I’m equally disappointed,” Komer said with a slight nod and a smile.

“Then let’s begin. Let’s fight for our respective pursuits and dreams!” Caesar nodded sharply and stood tall. “Macconi!”

A brilliant rainbow of colors suddenly unfolded before Komer. The fan-shaped arc of light expanded slowly yet swiftly, as if about to swallow Komer in an instant.

“Mirage Sword!” Lomei exclaimed in surprise. Rebrí’s eyes also lit up in astonishment. He never expected that this supreme light-based demon-subduing technique, thought extinct on the continent for nearly a century, would be wielded by Macconi, a high-ranking holy knight of the Wind Knights Order.

Komer’s ghostly figure slipped ten meters away in an instant, but the approaching multicolored illusions expanded like infinitely growing shadows, growing more than three times larger in a flash, as if intent on sweeping everyone behind Komer away.
A dark halo rose immediately, like a roaring black dragon summoning violent waves of energy as it rushed in.
Sorenberg gritted his teeth—the scorching power brought by those illusions was extraordinarily fierce, nearly eroding half of his suddenly unleashed ice combat energy. Their aggressive penetration forced his ice combat energy to shrink continuously. Apart from constantly unleashing more combat energy, he seemed to have no way to counter them. But how long could he sustain such a fight?
Komer’s heart trembled. He hadn’t expected Sorenberg to fall into such a tough struggle almost as soon as the battle began. It seemed the Wind Riders had good reasons for being so arrogant.
Two blue-gray spear shadows joined in, from above and below—Morsen and Pitt. The two fallen knights could no longer contain their excitement. Fighting against the knights of the Wind Riders, known as the best knight order on the continent, was an unparalleled opportunity for them who had long roamed the dark world. Experiencing the tempering of light energy was an excellent chance to unleash their potential, even if it might come at a great cost.
The illusions merged to form a cross-shaped tear mark. The extremely sharp combat energy swirling from the full force of the two weapons turned into countless deadly killing intent.
Maconey waved his knight’s sword. The spinning multicolored shadows slowed down significantly after being struck by these two sword energies, but he still maintained a fierce attack on the three of them. The flashing sword shadows attacked from countless angles—above, below, left, and right. The violent sword energies stirred the air, creating blurred illusions due to intense friction, as if they were in a misty realm.
Cesar frowned subtly. Maconey was actually being held back by three obscure guys. Although he still held an advantage, it wasn’t enough to turn into a victory—unless Maconey changed his attack strategy. But Cesar wasn’t ready to let Maconey take risks yet; he still had many cards in his hand.
“Hilton, it seems they want to see more of the prowess of our Wind Riders. What do you think?” Cesar glanced at the knight with narrowed eyes.

“As they wish.” The knight’s eyes widened suddenly. Almost at the same time, his figure darted forward in a strange flying motion, rising abruptly halfway through, with the two spear shafts in his hands merging into one two-headed knight’s spear!