Chapter 004: Focused Slash

Seeing four figures charging at him, Marcus only let out a muffled grunt as he swung his copper hammer in a wide arc. Yet his reaction was still a bit slow…
“Clang! Clang! Clang!”
Three of the figures were blocked by Marcus, but he failed to react in time to the last one. Amidst sparks, Alex’s sword slammed hard into Marcus’s chest.
Alex had poured all his strength into this strike. Marcus staggered, his black armor collapsing with numerous cracks appearing on it. He stepped back several times, blood dripping from the corners of his mouth, but he showed no fear—instead, his eyes burned with fury as he continued to stare at Alex.
Alex held the sword with one hand, its lethal aura enveloping Marcus completely as he focused intensely.
His earlier Split Slash technique was already among the most powerful moves he knew, yet it hadn’t done much to harm this bald man!
Given Alex’s speed and strength, he was already a remarkable fighter. But Marcus was extremely fierce, and his black armor provided high protection, preventing Alex from fully utilizing his skills. If they were on a battlefield, Alex could easily switch to another heavy weapon and wouldn’t fear this madman. But now, there was no chance to switch—this fact filled Alex with indescribable frustration.
“Clap, clap—”
Leopold, standing behind Marcus, clapped his hands in approval. “What excellent skills! Your prowess far surpasses that general from back then. I never expected the Gavin Empire to still have such talents! You know, this is the first time anyone has managed to hurt Marcus since he started fighting… Esteemed warrior, are you interested in continuing? It would be a shame to waste such talent!”
These words stunned Alex for a moment. But after sneering, he replied calmly, “Thank you for the kind words. But so far, I still have no goodwill toward your Lannian Empire. So…”
With that, Alex stepped back a few steps, gripping his long sword tightly as red combat energy burned within it.
Leopold seemed unprepared for a refusal. Frowning, he said, “It’s rare to meet someone interesting, yet you refuse my offer and even demand more! Marcus, don’t hold back anymore!”

Alex said nothing, merely staring coldly at Marcus.
Marcus responded and quickly removed the shattered black armor from his chest. This time, he held a copper hammer in both hands, ready to strike.
But at that moment, Alex slowly raised his long sword above his head. The blazing combat energy around it grew increasingly dazzling, almost too bright to look at…
Suddenly, a glint appeared in Alex’s eyes, and faint golden hues intertwined with the red flames on the sword. The light throughout the room dimmed, as if all the illumination had concentrated on Alex’s sword. What had once been an ordinary iron sword now appeared eerily like a divine artifact.
Leopold’s face paled; seemingly recalling something, he shouted, “Marcus, dodge quickly!”
But it was already too late!
Before his words could finish, Alex swung his sword downward. Marcus saw a flash of light before everything went dark. When his vision returned, Alex’s sword was already in front of him.
A half-meter-high silver blade slashed toward Marcus. There was no time to dodge—he could only raise his copper hammer to block it!
With a soft “whoosh,” the blade struck the hammer. Yet the massive hammer shattered like tofu, its black combat energy utterly unable to resist the blade. In the blink of an eye, the black energy vanished, and the hammer was split in two!
Marcus’s expression changed drastically as his combat energy surged. He let go of the hammer and tried to block with his hands, pulling his head behind them.
The blade reached him, and with a “crack,” the black armor on his arms shattered. He was forced back half a meter. Eventually, he could no longer hold on—the black energy around him seemed to melt away in the face of the blade! Then, Marcus’s body crashed backward, hitting the wall and falling to the ground, crushing a cabinet in the corner to dust.
Fortunately, the elven dwelling was built from some kind of very sturdy material; otherwise, that impact might have destroyed half of the house.

Looking again at Marcus by the wall, his black armor was completely shattered, his warrior robes stained with blood, and his hands were twisted in a grotesque manner. Marcus seemed to want to struggle to get up, but he couldn’t hold on halfway and collapsed, passing out. Leopold’s expression became extremely strange. He slowly walked over to Marcus, took a look, then said indifferently, “Very good! You actually managed to defeat Marcus and even break his hands and ribs! Boy! Who exactly are you? With such swordsmanship, you surely aren’t an unknown!” After using that strike, Alex felt as if all his strength had been drained. His sword pointed diagonally at Leopold as he said cautiously, “I am Alex, a major general of the Gavin Empire, known as the Knight of the Lake!” Leopold showed some surprise, then said harshly after a moment, “Very good! So you’re the Knight of the Lake. It’s only fitting that Marcus wasn’t your match. I’ve heard of your name for a long time; I didn’t expect you to be this skilled! Knight of the Lake, I’ll remember you!” At that moment, more than a dozen warriors in black armor rushed into the pavilion, their weapons pointed at the people inside. One of them approached Leopold and bowed, saying, “Your Highness, you…” Leopold made a gesture, shook his head, and said, “These guys from the Gavin Empire—what can they do to me? Carry that worthless man away first; don’t embarrass us here!” Already, a few warriors put down their weapons and helped carry Marcus away. Leopold stared at the people in the pavilion with an increasingly strange look. After a while, he said indifferently, “Originally, I should have admitted defeat and left… But today, I’m determined to get Miss Eileen. I’ll say it again—if you give me Miss Eileen now, I’ll leave immediately… But if not, don’t blame me!” Prince Fischer snorted and said coldly, “Your Highness Leopold, although you are a prince, you should still act reasonably. You lost today… so what right do you have to haggle?”

“Makes sense!” Leopold nodded, then suddenly laughed at Prince Fischer and said, “Master against master, servant against foe… That fight just now was only a warm-up. So now, Prince Fischer, do you want to come down and fight? Don’t worry—once you can beat me, I, Leopold, will leave right away! What do you say?”
Before Prince Fischer could speak, Alex roared, “Dare you! If you want to lay a hand on Prince Fischer, you’ll have to pass through me first!”
Leopold glanced at Alex disdainfully and said, “Alex, I respect you as a hero. I didn’t intend to insult you, but listen well—though you’re somewhat skilled and have beaten Marcus, your abilities are no match for mine! Even if you could use that Light Gathering Slash again, you still wouldn’t be a match! Besides, after using that killing move, you still have some combat energy left in your body! How overconfident of you!”
As he spoke, Alex’s expression changed, but even so, he continued to stare at Leopold without relaxing.
The atmosphere became somewhat eerie. Alex and Jerome knew that Prince Fischer didn’t know any magic or combat skills, but given his status as a prince, he couldn’t possibly refuse such a provocation!
At that moment, Du Fan beside them suddenly chuckled lightly and said, “Sir Leopold… it seems you’ve forgotten one thing! What you want to take is my woman! But instead of challenging me, you turn to our respected Prince Fischer. Don’t you know that our prince is a true scholar who’s never learned such crude tactics? Or perhaps, Sir Leopold, you realize you’re no match for me… so you’re trying to find an out? After all… dealing with someone who knows nothing isn’t very difficult, even for a prince!”
With that, Du Fan provocatively pulled Eileen into his arms, staring coldly at Leopold.
Leopold glanced at Du Fan, his eyes flashing with anger at his actions. After a moment, suppressing his fury, he stared at Du Fan and said, “It’s you who’s seeking death! Then don’t blame me!”