Chapter 003: Rank

Allen’s hand rested on the hilt of the long sword at his waist, his palm trembling slightly. Allowing his third son to be alone with that Aldas—although it was the third son who proposed it—could he really handle Aldas by himself? After all, Aldas’s skills were by no means exaggerated!
But if he went in himself, without any of the nobles present to hold things in check, that would also be a troublesome situation.
Ultimately, George hadn’t come to this hunting ground today to ensure Du Fan’s plan succeeded. As long as the Northern Army remained in Modo City, even the larger forces in the north wouldn’t cause trouble at such a critical moment.
Allen stayed behind to “protect” these nobles, or rather, to use them as hostages. As long as these people were in his hands, even if Du Fan temporarily mobilized the troops George had left in the city, the other forces in Modo City, without a leader, wouldn’t be able to cause any upheaval.
In short, this was all done to ensure Du Fan’s plan succeeded.
Though Du Fan was full of confidence, his opponent was still Aldas after all.
Allen didn’t realize when, but his palm was already drenched in sweat. He licked his dry lips and couldn’t help but say, “Someone! Is there any news from Modo City?”
A cavalryman stepped forward and whispered, “Lord George sent word that things on the other side are going smoothly. Though he wants to meet Lord Aldas too, now isn’t the right time. Lord George said both of you should make all the decisions here.”
Allen waved his hand and said, “Understood. Keep an eye on those guys for me. My third son might need them later!”
As he spoke, Allen glanced over to Aldas’s men, surrounded by hundreds of cavalrymen, and couldn’t help but sneer.
The cavalryman replied, “Lord Allen, rest assured. With us here, those few dozen people won’t be able to escape.”
Allen sneered and said, “That’s good! Then… let’s keep waiting…”
With that, a cold smile appeared on Allen’s face. He turned to look at those nobles who were as quiet as cicadas and suddenly said calmly, “Since none of you want to hunt, go and rest over there. Although the preparations were hasty and basic, they should still be good enough to match your status.”

The nobles exchanged a few glances. Since Du Fan and Aldas entered the hunting ground, the cavalry of the Thousand Northern Legions had drawn their swords and nocked their bows, ready for battle at any moment. Even the stupidest of these nobles understood their situation now—this confrontation between the Green Family and the Belinger Family, the two major forces of the Gavin Empire, was nothing they were qualified to interfere in. No matter who won or lost this time, they had no role other than that of observers.

So as soon as Allen finished speaking, the nobles bowed and retreated. Moments later, aside from Allen, only the members of the Holy Church remained.

Joshua stared coldly in the direction of the hunting ground. He frowned for a while before suddenly saying, “Young Master Allen… are you planning to take Aldas’s life here today?”

Allen turned to look at Joshua and said solemnly, “Lord Joshua, my third brother said that although he wants Aldas’s life, today isn’t the best time… The two went hunting, and one died. Even the stupidest person can figure out what happened… Lord Joshua, do you really think my third brother is such a reckless person?”

Joshua nodded and said, “That’s good. If you plan to kill Aldas here, I can’t pretend not to know anything.”

Allen nodded slightly and said, “If my third brother really can’t resist killing him… then I’ll have to trouble Lord Joshua to intervene.”

Joshua nodded again. After a moment, he suddenly said solemnly, “Young Master Allen, since I came here, I’ve had a question I wanted to ask, but I haven’t yet. But I think you can answer it, right?”

Allen said, “Please ask, Lord Joshua.”

Joshua nodded and said, “Alright, then I won’t be polite… Young Master Allen, can you tell me what rank Du Fan actually has? A few months ago when I saw him, he was indeed only at rank three. Although I could tell he was hiding some of his strength, it was still within my expectations. But this time, when I saw Du Fan, I found it completely impossible to gauge his strength… And today, he plans to take on Aldas alone? You know, Aldas is at the peak of rank eight. Even if I were to fight him, it would take a lot of effort… Yet Du Fan wants to take on Aldas by himself? Isn’t that overestimating himself? Or has Du Fan’s strength really reached that level?”

Allen gave a bitter smile and said, “Lord Joshua, I know it’s not up to you to say, but what level of strength does my third brother actually have? I’ve asked him too, but he just remains mysterious and refuses to say anything… However, seeing how confident he is, I guess even if he can’t deal with Aldas, he probably won’t die, right?”
Joshua frowned and said, “I hope so!”
The two exchanged glances, remaining silent as they stared at the forest ahead.
Just then, something unexpected happened.
A loud noise came from afar, and a beam of combat energy shot into the sky, blindingly bright.
Allen’s expression changed, and he said, “My third brother has started fighting Aldas!”
Joshua couldn’t help but look over. After hesitating for a moment, he said, “This is bad! Aldas is already fighting desperately! Young Master Allen, if you don’t want Du Fan to kill Aldas, or Aldas to kill Du Fan, then we should leave now!”
After saying that, Joshua turned to look at Xiao Yulong and said, “I’ll be back soon. Keep an eye on these guys for Young Master Allen. Anyone who dares to make a move will be killed without mercy!”
Xiao Yulong replied in a deep voice, “Understood!”
Allen said softly, “I thank Lord Joshua in advance!”
With that, he waved his hand, and dozens of cavalry from the Northern Legion rushed forward from the ranks.
Allen and Joshua exchanged another glance. Almost simultaneously, they pulled on their reins, and their horses shot out like arrows leaving a bowstring…
At this moment, the battle between Du Fan and Aldas had reached its climax.
Aldas was filled with resentment, desperate to kill Du Fan on the spot. Although Bruce had prepared a series of plans for him, his personality made him too arrogant and proud. He disdained using any schemes against such a mere Du Fan.
According to the plan, he should have pretended to be defeated and lured Du Fan into an ambush, where people were already waiting. Once Du Fan fell into that trap, he would be trapped forever!
But now, Aldas had forgotten that. All he wanted was to personally sever Du Fan’s head to avenge Kris.
Du Fan wasn’t much better off.
Although he had seen Aldas’s skills before, it was only now, in actual combat, that he realized he had been overconfident.
Though he had made great progress, his strength was still around level five. If it weren’t for his extraordinary mastery of all spells, his divine essence, the power of timing, and his fighting instincts, he would likely last less than ten moves against Aldas.

Possessing things that ordinary people could never acquire in a lifetime, and still fighting against Aldas with a bunch of magic scrolls, he only managed to draw a tie—this alone shows just how formidable Aldas’s skills truly are. Fortunately, the pressure from the level difference had no effect on Du Fan; otherwise, there would have been no need to fight at all. The two clashed again, with Aldas’s combat energy boiling within him, each swing of his sword carrying immense power. A silver-colored combat energy burned, its glow resembling that of the setting sun as it illuminated the ground. Aldas slowly rose into the air, and when he reached mid-air, he seemed to sneer and say, “Du Fan, it seems your skills are indeed impressive. If I don’t use real strength to deal with you now, things won’t be as fun when your reinforcements arrive!” With that, the combat energy in Aldas’s hand suddenly twisted like boiling smoke. He stared at Du Fan, his hand trembling slightly as the combat energy condensed into a crescent-shaped arc and shot toward Du Fan. Du Fan snorted coldly. Grasping a long sword in one hand, he lifted it casually, delivering a Holy Light Cross Slash. At the same time, he threw the magic scrolls from his other hand—this time, all defensive spells. Various magic shields floated in the air, forming a wall-like barrier. With a loud “boom,” the magic shields shattered into dust. Yet at the same time, Aldas’s attack also lost some of its power. By now, Du Fan had completed a silent spell. Waving his Phantom Wand lightly, dozens of small fireballs shot forward abruptly. Meanwhile, the last magic scroll in his hand slammed against his own body…