Free Web NovelChapter 318: Chapter 306: Imminent
Twilight settled over the desolate wilderness, cloaking it in a dead silence.
Nearly a thousand soldiers of the Golden Valley Kingdom stood like bronze statues, silent in the deepening night.
The coarse, bronze-colored stripes on their armor absorbed the last of the daylight, giving off a cold and oppressive aura.
The air seemed to freeze. Only the howling, cold wind stirred the withered grass and the frayed nerves of every man present.
The two sides faced each other in a silent standoff on the open ground, the murderous atmosphere nearly suffocating.
Just then, the clear, slow sound of clapping abruptly shattered the dead silence.
CLAP, CLAP, CLAP...
The applause came from deep within the army’s formation, carrying a mocking and arrogant rhythm.
As the sound rang out, the tight formation parted neatly to either side like a living stream of bronze, opening up a path.
A man in lavish attire, a fine fur shawl draped over his shoulders, slowly walked out.
"Auston..."
Seeing the man’s familiar face and the giant bear crest embroidered with gold thread on his clothes, Roland narrowed his eyes.
Auston, however, paid no mind to the cold glint in Roland’s eyes. A look of undisguised ridicule on his face, his gaze shot past the ranks of soldiers and locked precisely onto Roland.
"Brilliant, truly brilliant!"
the middle-aged nobleman declared, his voice full of false admiration.
"Decisive, ruthless, with keen Perception! To think someone like you could emerge from among the ’fishermen’ of the River Domain... a real surprise."
He deliberately stressed the word "fishermen," his contempt overflowing.
"What a pity..."
Auston spread his hands as if stating a foregone conclusion. His tone suddenly turned cold, laced with a bone-chilling frost.
"The scenery here may be desolate, but it’s spacious enough for a grave. For you ignorant fishermen, this will be your—"
Before he could finish. The moment Roland confirmed Auston’s identity and his overflowing malice, he moved, not even waiting for the nobleman to finish his arrogant declaration.
Another Secret Silver Short Spear was drawn.
His entire body became like a fully drawn longbow, gathering astonishing Power.
With a whip of his arm, the Short Spear transformed into a silver bolt of lightning that tore through the dim twilight, letting out a piercing shriek as it shot straight for Auston’s face.
The strike was fast, precise, and vicious!
There was no intention of Negotiation, a complete disregard for the difference in status and the etiquette of war—only the most primitive and efficient instinct to kill.
The arrogant sneer on Auston’s face froze instantly.
His pupils contracted to pinpricks in utter terror as the deadly silver light magnified rapidly in his eyes.
He had never imagined that, surrounded by his thousand-strong army, his opponent would dare to launch such a decisive and ruthless killing blow directly at him, a noble Earl.
The cold breath of death washed over him, shattering his sense of superiority and disdain in an instant, leaving only the most primal Fear.
He could even feel the sharp wind pressure from the Secret Silver Spearhead as it tore through the air.
The color instantly drained from the nobleman’s face, replaced by a ghastly, terrified pallor.
His previous arrogant demeanor of having everything under control vanished, replaced by an almost comical look of horror and disbelief.
In the split second before the Secret Silver Short Spear could pierce Auston’s skull...
BANG!
A deafening sound, dull like a Heavy Strike against leather, suddenly erupted.
A figure as burly as a mountain of rock flashed into existence at a speed the naked eye couldn’t follow, appearing between the terrified Auston and the spear.
The Secret Silver Short Spear, carrying all of Roland’s Power and hurtling forward with ferocious momentum, was caught firmly in a large hand covered by a Dark Metal gauntlet.
The spearhead was mere inches from his chest plate, yet its furious momentum vanished as if swallowed by the Abyss.
Roland’s eyes sharpened, his piercing gaze cutting through the deepening twilight.
The newcomer was immensely tall and burly, clad in a suit of Heavy Armor that seemed forged from a single piece of Dark Metal. Its style was archaic, yet it radiated an oppressive presence as solid as a mountain.
His face was rugged, his jaw broad. An old scar cut across his left eyebrow, and his eyes were as placid as still water, without the slightest ripple.
’He is...’
Roland stared at the vaguely familiar face, his brow slowly furrowing.
The burly man looked down, examining the still-humming Secret Silver Short Spear in his hand. His gaze lingered for a moment on the faint glow circulating across its shaft.
"Excellent Forging Skills."
he said, his voice deep and steady, betraying no emotion.
"However..."
His tone shifted. "Your throwing technique, however, is unworthy of the material. Too direct, lacking any finesse... A waste."
The burly man shook his head lightly, then raised his eyes and spoke in a low voice.
"Lay down your weapons and surrender. I might consider letting you..."
Before he could finish, Auston, who was behind him, shoved his guards aside and staggered forward.
His pale face was twisted, still shaken from the shock, but now that fear was being replaced by a vicious rage.
"Leonard!"
he practically shrieked, his voice cracking from residual fear.
"What are you hesitating for? Prince Lucius’s orders were to kill them all, leave no one alive! Do you intend to let His Highness’s will be dishonored here?"
He panted, pointing a venomous glare at Roland and the people behind him.
"These vile fishermen must wash away their offense against the authority of the Golden Valley Kingdom with their blood! Carry out the order immediately!"
The burly man called Leonard stood with his back to Auston, his broad shoulders tensing almost imperceptibly for a moment.
His silent figure seemed exceptionally heavy in the murderous air.
The fingers of his Dark Metal gauntlet slowly tightened their grip on the Secret Silver Short Spear, the scraping metal making a faint, grating sound.
After a long moment, he turned around with excruciating slowness, his water-still eyes sweeping over Auston’s face, which was contorted with rage.
There was no submission in his gaze, nor any defiance; only a deep, almost palpable exhaustion and helplessness.
He clenched his jaw, and the old scar cutting across his left eyebrow seemed to deepen in the twilight.
"I heard you, Earl Auston."
Leonard’s voice was still low, but it seemed to hold an unspeakable weight. His gaze flickered almost imperceptibly over Roland’s battle-ready group before returning to Auston’s face, his tone flat yet filled with unmistakable suppression.
"Then, as you wish."
"It’s Leonard..."
While Leonard and Auston were talking, Reggie spoke in a low voice, his brows knitted tightly together.
With his reminder, Roland suddenly recalled that this was the Knight Academy instructor he had met once during his visit to the Golden Valley Kingdom Academy.
"Kid..."
Reggie slowly drew the Longsword from his waist, his voice hushed.
"This guy’s strong. He entered the Extraordinary Realm years ago. He’s a true powerhouse who has crossed that threshold, far beyond any ordinary Knight."
"I sparred with him a few days ago during the tour... His defense is nearly impenetrable, and his Power is terrifying. That Heavy Armor is weightless on him, and every punch and kick is like a landslide. Normal attacks are useless against him... He’s an extremely tough opponent. I’m afraid... I can’t hold him off for long."
"The moment I engage him, you take the others and break out. Understand?"
Roland just shook his head.
The encirclement by a thousand soldiers was a secondary concern.
More importantly, though the presence was extremely faint, he could clearly sense it.
Another Transcendent was lurking within the dense army formation.
’If we don’t deal with both of these Transcendents completely, there’s no chance of escape.’
He quickly informed Reggie and his other companions that another enemy was still in hiding.
Before they could fully process this information, he had already drawn the faintly glowing Secret Silver Longsword from his waist.
"Master Reggie!"
With a furious roar, he shot toward Leonard like an arrow loosed from a bowstring.
"That reckless brat!"
Reggie cursed under his breath, but without a moment’s hesitation, he shot forward and followed right behind him.
"A pointless struggle."
Leonard watched Roland charge straight at him and shook his head, his expression calm.
Just as he was about to meet the attack...
Something unexpected happened.
Leonard’s brow furrowed. He suddenly felt something strange from the Secret Silver Short Spear he was gripping tightly.
On the spear’s shaft, the fine lines that had been almost invisible against the metal suddenly began to glow without warning.
It wasn’t a blinding glare, but a cold, ethereal blue luminescence.
Like a sleeping viper suddenly opening its eyes, the light flowed rapidly along pre-etched paths, converging.
In an instant, the ethereal blue light flared, and a dangerous wave of Energy surged from the spear’s shaft, ready to erupt.
