Chapter 183: Chapter 182: Powerful Clash

The duel was set to take place outside the castle. Once word of the contest between the Marquis and Count Ossen spread, Professional Knights, wealthy merchants, and commoners from Wushan City all began to flock toward the abandoned pasture.

Just after noon, several thousand people had already gathered, and as the appointed time drew nearer, the crowd only continued to grow.

As subjects of the Wushan Territory, most of them had come to witness their Lord’s magnificent presence.

“What a crowd.”

Ronin arrived at the dueling ground with Blanche, accompanied by Macken, Toru, Kabil, Marvin, and the others. There was still half an hour until the duel was scheduled to begin, but the place was already a sea of people.

“A big crowd is a good thing.”

Marvin looked like someone who enjoyed a good spectacle and didn’t mind a bit of trouble. “Today, everyone will get to see the power of the Lord of Wushan Territory.”

He seemed to have a mysterious, unwavering faith in Lurans.

“Where will we be watching from?”

Mrs. McKinney stood on her tiptoes, searching for a good viewing spot.

“Don’t worry, Mrs. McKinney. We’ve already arranged a viewing area for everyone,” Toru said, taking the lead.

The Guards had already cordoned off the crowd, clearing a path that led directly to a small hill where rows of chairs had even been set up.

This was the viewing area Wushan Castle had specially prepared for the nobility.

A group of Intermediate, Advanced Level, and Bronze Knights was stationed around the perimeter of the small hill. They would block any shockwaves from the battle to ensure the spectating nobles remained unharmed.

Everyone took their seats in turn.

“Ronin, are you nervous?” Blanche asked softly.

Ronin shook his head. “Not nervous, but worried. After all, my grandfather is injured.”

Blanche could sense that Ronin was much more solemn today than he had been the past two days, which soured her own mood as well.

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t know Uncle Jesus would come.”

Hearing this, Ronin gave Blanche a reassuring smile. “This has nothing to do with you. Even if you hadn’t come, Jesus probably would have.”

’This duel was probably something Ossen and Jesus planned long ago. It was bound to come out into the open sooner or later.’

He turned his gaze to the center of the pasture.

Ossen was already standing there, waiting quietly. A massive greatsword was planted in the ground beside him. Both man and sword appeared perfectly still, yet they exuded an immense pressure on the crowd.

“Why isn’t Lurans here yet?”

Jesus, sitting not far away, grumbled, “The sooner he gets here, the sooner we can start.”

“What’s the rush?”

Wiggin responded in a low voice, but he forcibly swallowed the rest of his words, remembering Lurans’s prior instructions.

「Time ticked by.」

WHOOSH—

A gust of wind swept through the pasture, followed by the excited roar of a Magical Beast. Amidst thunder and gales, an equine-like Magical Beast charged forth.

It leaped into the air, clearing a dozen-meter span over the crowd, and landed precisely in the middle of the pasture.

“It’s the Thunderbolt Wind Chasing Beast!”

“I haven’t seen it in so long!”

“Ah, what a nostalgic sight…”

“Praise the Lord!”

Countless cries of admiration and gasps of surprise rose and fell throughout the crowd.

Among the nobles, the eyes of men like Marvin, German, and Kabil glinted with reminiscence.

Back when they were young, they had looked upon Lurans riding the Thunderbolt Wind Chasing Beast as if gazing upon a peerless champion.

The subjects who rarely saw the Marquis all roared with excitement.

They clapped with all their might, as only a thunderous ovation could express their reverence for the Lord.

Lurans dismounted, casually took off the overcoat Ronin had given him, and laid it on the back of the Thunderbolt Wind Chasing Beast.

He patted its head and said something, and the Thunderbolt Wind Chasing Beast trotted sullenly toward the far edge of the field, seeming quite displeased.

Evidently, Lurans did not intend to borrow the Power of his Magical Beast for this duel.

“Marquis, I thank you for granting me this contest today.”

Ossen said respectfully, “Sometimes I feel that time flies. I still remember that afternoon over thirty years ago. The setting and the scene were much like this, but on that day, I lost to you.”

Lurans chuckled. “Yes, time really does fly. But you’d better perform well today. Don’t go losing to me a second time.”

“Haha, I will do my best!”

One of them had just turned seventy-six, the other was seventy. They should have looked roughly the same age.

But Ossen’s figure was tall and straight, like a man in his prime, while Lurans was slightly stooped, looking every bit the old man.

The two exchanged few words.

Though a brief silence fell over the center of the pasture, the atmosphere grew heavier and more oppressive, so much so that even the spectators on the periphery grew tense.

“HRAH!”

“HRAH!”

The two let out a deep shout in unison. Ossen grabbed the Great Sword planted in the ground beside him, and an icy aura seemed to make the surrounding air drop by more than ten degrees.

Lurans’s Knight’s Sword crackled with Thunderbolt, his presence overwhelming.

The two charged each other at the same time. Their surging Fighting Qi kicked up a gale that blew outward in all directions.

Their speed was so extreme that Ronin saw afterimages.

BOOM!

The two swords collided, and the impact, combined with their clashing Fighting Qi, created an unparalleled shockwave.

VSSSHHH!

The grass beneath their feet was instantly torn up by the shockwave, and a storm of soil and weeds swept toward the spectators.

“Quick, protect the nobles!”

Galier yelled, and the Knights protecting the perimeter of the viewing area released their Fighting Qi, neutralizing most of the aftershock. Nevertheless, grass, dirt, and wind still rained down on the nobles.

If the nobles were not in too sorry a state, the commoners watching from the outer ring certainly suffered. Besides being covered in dirt and grass, some were even blown to the ground.

But no one cared about that; they were all stunned by the blow.

’A Meteor Level… how can they be this strong?’

Ronin was utterly shaken. This powerful burst of force completely exceeded his expectations.

’Just a single blow, and it creates such a massive aftershock.’

“Uncle Marvin, could you take a blow like that?” Ronin asked.

Viscount Marvin shook his head grimly. “It seems Ossen really has advanced to the Meteor Level. Otherwise, even at the Golden Level, he wouldn’t be so evenly matched with the Marquis.”

“When a Golden Knight breaks through the ’Falu Wheel’ in their body to advance to the Meteor Level, their explosive power increases unimaginably!”

Kabil said, “It wasn’t without reason that Ossen said we were no match for him.”

Ronin stared at the two men in the field. In the short time it took to exchange those few sentences, the two had already clashed more than ten times. Every exchange brought a deafening crash and powerful aftershocks.

“Heavy Water Burst!”

Ossen was the first to use a Combat Skill. A single downward slash of his sword summoned a massive wave of water, a wave so heavy it was like a colossal boulder smashing down on Lurans from above.

“Fire Flash!”

Lurans thrust his sword upward. A jet of Flame, compressed to its absolute limit, shot out from the tip. Like a dragon emerging from the sea, it not only split the Heavy Water Burst in two but also shot toward Ossen with residual force.

However, the latter reacted in a flash, hastily bringing his Great Sword up horizontally to block.

TSSSS!

The remnant power of the Fire Flash struck the blade, creating a sound like an arc welder.

Although Ossen was sent flying by the force of the impact, the sword in his hand was clearly no ordinary item, and it perfectly blocked the attack.

At that moment, the two halves of the split Heavy Water Burst flew off course and smashed heavily onto the ground not far away.

RUMBLE~

Instantly, dust and smoke billowed up as the ground shook violently.

Even the chair Ronin was sitting on began to shake violently. Anyone who didn’t know better would have thought it was an earthquake.

’So this is the Meteor Level… a true powerhouse. To witness it today… it truly is as terrifying as they say!’

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