Chapter 128: Chapter 127: Fast Sword

Seeing that Reisen had agreed, Ronin reached into his coat and pulled out a sheet of parchment and a feather pen. He wrote up two simple agreements right there on horseback, then signed his name.

“Although I trust in your credibility, Baron Reisen, we must still follow the proper procedures.”

He tossed both sheets of parchment and the feather pen to Reisen, who quickly scanned their contents.

“Very good. This way, you can’t come crying to me when you lose, accusing me of bullying the weak.”

Reisen signed his name without hesitation, then tossed one of the parchments and the feather pen back in one motion.

“Let’s begin!”

He couldn’t wait to vent his frustration.

Ronin put the items away, turned his horse around, and returned to his ranks. “Ridder, if you can’t defeat him, just surrender. It doesn’t matter if we lose this battle today.”

Compared to a minor skirmish, Ronin was naturally more concerned about the subordinate he had summoned.

“It is my honor to fight for you, my lord!”

Ridder pulled on the reins, and his warhorse took two steps forward. For him, this was a battle against a higher-ranked opponent; he had to make it a spectacular one.

“Come at me, Knight!”

Reisen, on the other side, had already started yelling, “Attack me with all your might! Otherwise, you might not get the chance to swing your sword a second time!”

Ridder drew his longsword.

HUMMM~

Flame-like Fighting Qi flowed over his blade like water, enveloping his body before merging as one with the warhorse beneath him.

Behind him, Ronin felt this power and couldn’t help but be impressed.

This was the first time he had seen Ridder use his full power. His presence was on a completely different level compared to when they sparred.

The warhorse neighed, transforming into a phantom of flame as it shot forward.

“Haha, bring it on!”

Reisen roared as the same red Fighting Qi erupted from his body. It turned out both of them were Fire Attribute Knights.

The distance between them was already short, and both of their mounts were of decent quality. They met in the middle in the space of a single breath.

“Hah!”

Ridder swept his longsword, his surging Fighting Qi transforming into a searing flame that slashed toward his opponent.

A cruel smile played on Baron Reisen’s lips. He could almost see his opponent being decapitated by this very strike.

BOOM!

The two torrents of flame collided, letting out a violent roar.

A powerful storm erupted from the point of impact, expanding violently outwards. Everyone was hit by the scorching heatwave, forcing them to squint as they tried to see which of the two fighters in the center of the battlefield had won.

The red Fighting Qi that filled the air gradually dissipated, revealing the two men at the center. Their longswords were crossed, and they had begun a contest of strength.

Their mounts withstood the impact, their hooves digging deep into the ground.

“Impossible!”

Reisen’s eyes widened in astonishment at the scene before him.

’An Advanced Level Knight can actually match me in a head-on clash?’

“Baron Reisen, the one you’re fighting is the Commander of Mountain Forest Town, Ridder Main!”

Ridder gathered his strength and leaned forward. Immense power surged through his sturdy arms and into his longsword, pressing down on his opponent.

“I will remember your name, Knight! This will be the most glorious battle of your life!”

Reisen bellowed, and the latent power within him erupted completely. It poured out like a flood from an open dam, instantly forcing back the longsword that was pressing in on him.

In terms of raw power, his full-force eruption was slightly stronger than Ridder’s.

Realizing this, Ridder immediately pulled on his reins, guiding his warhorse to create distance and prepare to withdraw.

But Reisen wasn’t about to let such an opportunity slip away. He gave chase immediately, startling the crowd in the middle of the road, who scrambled to get out of the way.

“You can’t escape, Knight!”

Reisen threw a punch, and a glowing red fist of energy shot out.

Ridder’s combat instincts were superb. He spun around and unleashed Fire Fist Bombing.

The fists of energy collided, once again creating a violent shockwave.

Ridder’s eyes narrowed. He was now certain that there was no gap between them when it came to Combat Skills.

’No, in fact, my technique is slightly better.’

’The only gap between me and Reisen is in power and defense.’

“Let’s go!”

He suddenly leaped from his horse’s back, slashing down from mid-air. The Flame Slash took the form of a fiery serpent several meters long, descending on Reisen’s head with the full force of his fall.

“Childish tricks!”

Reisen neither dodged nor evaded. He swept his sword upward, sending a cloud of fire to meet the attack, but the Flame Slash clove it in two.

CLANG! The two longswords clashed once more. This time, thanks to the added force of his descent, Ridder’s power was no less than Reisen’s.

But this wasn’t Ridder’s true goal. In the instant they were locked, he twisted his body and aimed a sweeping kick at his opponent’s chest.

Reisen clearly hadn’t anticipated such a move. With no time to dodge, he was kicked clean off his warhorse.

However, he was wearing armor and was protected by his Fighting Qi Armor. The blow only made it look like he was at a disadvantage; he was completely unharmed.

“Damn it!”

For Reisen, being kicked off his horse was a great humiliation.

The moment he landed, he stomped his feet hard on the ground. The earth cracked as he charged forward like a wild beast.

This time, Ridder didn’t back down. He chose to meet him head-on.

Though slightly weaker in power, he demonstrated far more superb swordsmanship.

His eyes, as sharp as an eagle’s, clearly tracked his opponent’s every move.

His longsword, as nimble as a snake, used finesse to deflect his opponent’s attacks while simultaneously launching swift counters.

Ronin had experienced Ridder’s Fast Sword technique firsthand.

It was a speed so blinding he could barely parry it. Even when Ridder held back during their spars, Ronin could last for two or three moves at most.

Now, Ridder had forced Reisen from his horse precisely so he could use his Body Technique in concert with his Fast Sword to seize the advantage.

Longswords clashed and sparks flew. The very air around them seemed ready to ignite from their combined Fighting Qi.

In close-quarters combat, every move was merciless. One misstep could lead to instant defeat, or even death.

At first, Reisen felt he had the upper hand. But as the fight progressed, he gradually sensed the tide of battle turning. His breathing grew ragged, and his composure began to fray.

Faster, and faster still.

Ridder’s longsword grew ever faster. In concert with his Stepping Technique, Reisen’s attacks began to miss more and more conspicuously.

What good was his superior power? In close quarters, he couldn’t even touch his opponent. It was like punching cotton.

Ridder, however, was a different story. His close-quarters strategy was a success. His longsword had already sliced through Reisen’s Fighting Qi Armor several times to ring against the armor beneath.

“Get away from me!”

Reisen could no longer tolerate this. With a deep roar, he unleashed his Fighting Qi with wild abandon, forming a Flaming Tornado with himself at its center. The powerful impact slammed into Ridder, sending him flying.

Ronin’s eyes narrowed. ’That must be the Fourth-level Combat Skill, Flaming Tornado.’

“Elron, if things go south, intervene immediately. I don’t want Ridder’s life to be in danger.”

“I understand, my lord!”

Elron was tense as well. Maintaining the Magic Patterns for the Light Binding Skill was a great drain on his Magic Power and Spiritual Power.

But only by doing so could he complete the Magic Patterns the instant something went wrong. He would be able to bind Reisen at a moment’s notice—even if only for an instant—to buy Ridder some breathing room.

Sent flying, Ridder adjusted his posture in mid-air and landed steadily on his feet.

“Battle is honor!”

“Blood forges our medals!”

He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and, without a moment’s pause, charged forward again to begin a new round of ferocious attacks.

Reisen was growing impatient with this close-quarters battle. He tried to pull away and create some distance, but Ridder stuck to him relentlessly.

With no other choice, he resorted to his old trick, once again using Flaming Tornado to blast Ridder away. But this time, his opponent was back on him even faster.

The battle seemed to have awakened a slumbering battlelust within Ridder.

His movements grew ever more fluid, and his will to fight soared. Eventually, he even began to match his opponent in direct clashes of power.

Reisen, on the other hand, was in an increasingly dire situation.

“The Baron… I’m afraid he’s going to lose.”

Watching from a distance, Joffrey couldn’t help but frown. He hadn’t anticipated this turn of events; Reisen shouldn’t have been this weak.

“Impossible!”

Philton immediately disagreed, refusing to believe this would be the outcome.

TING!

Ridder flicked Reisen’s longsword aside and thrust straight for his forehead. If not for the helmet, the strike would have likely been fatal.

“You’re about to lose!”

The words struck home, and Reisen panicked.

To be precise, the sword strike to his helmet had already shattered his composure. The impact alone made him see stars.

Ridder flashed behind his opponent. His longsword, wreathed in Fighting Qi, stabbed toward the gap in his shoulder guard.

The sharp Sword Aura pierced through his Fighting Qi Armor and plunged into the gap.

“Aargh!”

Reisen let out a cry of pain.

But it wasn’t over. Ridder pulled out his longsword and landed a straight punch on Reisen’s chest, sending him flying more than ten meters to crash heavily against a tree in the nearby forest land.

Blood soaked his shoulder. Reisen felt the strength drain from his right arm, and he could no longer grip his longsword.

He tried to get up, only to find himself in the same situation as Finris—

A cold blade was pressed against his neck.

“You’ve lost.”

Ridder’s cold voice rang out, announcing the end of the duel.

“Impossible! This is impossible!”

Baron Reisen roared in fury, but the growing pain from his wound invaded his senses, telling him it was all too real.

Philton, along with his Knight Squad and cavalry, all charged forward.

“Release the Baron!”

Ridder squinted at the charging enemies. He was unmoved; instead, his blade pressed even tighter.

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