Free Web NovelIn the center of the clearing, the wind swirled up dry leaves, scattering them around in a silence that held a ceremonial solemnity.
Green slowly stepped forward a few paces, standing opposite Louis, his hand on his sword hilt, his expression grave.
"—My Lord, please forgive me if I am disrespectful," he said in a low voice, a hint of hesitation audible.
It wasn't that he was unwilling to act, but rather that he feared his blade might truly wound Lord Louis.
But when Louis nodded and said calmly, "Be sure to unleash your full power, no need to hold back," Green finally released his last shred of restraint.
The next moment, battle qi surged out like a tide.
Crimson battle qi erupted from all around him, swirling around his body like a tide, and when it slammed into the ground, the earth cracked in response, sending gravel flying.
This was a sense of oppression, like a mountain collapsing or thunder pressing down.
"A High-Tier Elite Knight in full power—" Thomas's throat moved slightly. "Green is going all out."
"Indeed," Lambert said in a low voice, "You can see his eyes are already different."
Thomas: "Nothing will go wrong, right? If he gets carried away and injures Lord Louis, that would be bad."
On the other side, Louis quietly drew his sword, and with a casual flick, a ripple of light red battle qi spread around his body.
But that wasn't his main focus.
It was the imperceptible magic fluctuation when he pressed his two fingers together on his other hand and slightly closed his eyes.
The air began to heat up, as if something was slowly brewing, suppressed, waiting to explode.
"Lord Louis's battle qi level—is quite a bit lower than Green's," Thomas swallowed, "But his aura is almost the same."
Lambert didn't answer, only staring intently at those seemingly calm eyes, which were like an undercurrent surging beneath a volcano.
That was the gaze of a "hunter."
Louis had already chosen the angle of the battlefield, predicted the enemy's first step, second step, and even the retreat path if he lost balance.
Since he was testing the power of practical combat, he had to go all out.
When both were ready, Lambert uttered a deep command: "Begin!"
The next instant.
Green exploded forward, like a taut bowstring suddenly released!
"Thrust!"
The longsword tore through the air, and the air exploded with a muffled thud in an instant.
The red battle qi skimming the ground traced a lightning-like trajectory, heading straight for Louis's chest!
He was skilled at closing in on enemies in an instant and ending the fight with merciless slashes.
He was confident that his speed and burst power were unmatched by any Elite Knight.
But this time, his heart was on edge.
"Lord Louis—after all, it's his first time using magic in actual combat. If he really gets hurt—"
He was still hesitating, when Louis on the other side had already raised his hand to form a spell sign.
"Firewall!"
The tone was unfamiliar, the pronunciation slightly hesitant, and ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) the flow of magic a bit sluggish, but the spell was successfully cast.
Boom!
A barrier of flames shot up from the ground, blocking Green's charge.
"Ugh!" Green was forced to brake abruptly, battle qi rippling under his feet.
"This Firewall was cast too early, the rhythm is off." The Firewall blocked his vision, but Louis wasn't satisfied.
And the next moment—"Beam Spell · Interference!"
Several white lights flew out from behind the Firewall, piercing through the scorching flames, sweeping out like meteors.
They had no destructive power, but they precisely targeted "must-defend" areas like the chest, feet, and neck, each one like a predicted killing move, forcing Green to instinctively block.
"Wrong."
A thought flashed through Green's mind. He blocked two beams with a horizontal sword, but found that the third one wouldn't hit at all; it was a feint.
"Binding Spell."
Almost simultaneously, a cold magic fluctuation came from beneath his feet. Before he could lift his leg, his ankle was already ensnared.
"This is the real target!"
Green's eyes snapped open, and he roared: "Ha!"
A scorching red light exploded at his feet, tearing the newly formed spell apart.
He spun his body, rising into the air with the momentum, and backflipped three steps.
However, this attack cost him a lot of battle qi.
"He's trying to deplete my battle qi." Green landed, finally realizing Louis's goal, and his expression grew even more solemn.
Behind the Firewall, Louis had sweat on his forehead.
His incantations were a bit rusty, and his tone still carried hesitation.
Fortunately, he didn't seek perfection with each cast, only distraction.
And each distraction was roughly timed to Green's "must-react" point.
This wasn't the strength of a master, but the cunning of a strategist.
"Scorching Arrow · Triple Shot!"
Before Green could catch his breath, the Firewall opened again, and three fiery arrows shot out, tracing irregular arcs.
It wasn't a frontal assault, but a "harassment-style interference," locking down Green's movement and jump paths.
Green spun sideways, swinging his sword to deflect two, the last one barely bounced off by a ripple of battle qi.
His combat technique was perfect, but his battle qi was still forced to be used, and he couldn't get close to Louis's body at all.
"I'm a bit on the defensive."
Green's eyes turned cold, and he finally realized: Louis was treating the entire battle as a chess game to manipulate.
His magic had no suppressive power, no lethality, but it was like ropes, one after another, wrapping around him, restricting, depleting, probing, disrupting.
"If this continues, it'll truly become a war of attrition."
He finally stopped hesitating.
The next moment, he roared: "Battle Qi Burst!"
Boom!!
The earth cracked beneath his feet, and a sun-like red light exploded from his body, the intense battle qi creating a shockwave that tore a gap in the Firewall.
The wind swirled hot, fragments of flames tumbled in the air, caught in the blazing current, forming a tearing vortex on the battlefield.
Green transformed into a streak of light, leaping forward!
"Here he comes!!"
Louis immediately chanted: "Impact Wave!"
He slammed his palms down towards the ground, and a semi-circular air wave pressed forward. Green's feet paused, and he forcibly blocked it with battle qi-infused leg guards, sliding a distance before continuing to charge.
"Beam Spell!"
White light fell like a silk curtain, and Green once again swept his sword horizontally. With a soft pop, the beams disintegrated.
Green had already pounced like a fierce tiger.
Crimson battle qi surged around him, but due to repeated responses to magic, his battle qi showed signs of disarray, as if a raging fire was gradually extinguishing.
He forcibly suppressed the surging breath in his chest, and his right hand suddenly swung his sword, striking directly at Louis's shoulder and neck!
"Hah—!"
This sword strike was fast, accurate, and ruthless, containing all his remaining power. If met head-on, even armor would shatter.
Lambert watched with some tension, ready to intervene.
But Louis didn't meet it head-on.
He abandoned his incantation, stepped forward, shifted his body, and infused battle qi into his feet, flashing past the sharp edge like a ripple of water, yielding several inches along Green's sword momentum, avoiding the fatal blow.
At the same time, his right hand's longsword did not directly collide with the opponent, but instead, with a backhand flick, he twisted it with the momentum, utilizing Green's forward-leaning center of gravity.
"Thud!"
Before Green could recover his sword path, he felt a sudden impact on his chest, Louis's left elbow had precisely struck his ribs!
The angle was tricky, and the timing was ruthless and precise.
Green grunted, kneeling back three steps, his sword-holding arm trembling.
The moment his defense was broken by the elbow strike, he could no longer gather stable battle qi.
And Louis did not press his advantage. ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm
He simply took a step forward, spun his sword, and the sharp blade was already pointed at Green's neck.
The air seemed to freeze at that moment.
Green's eyes widened, his chest heaving, but he finally stopped struggling.
He slowly knelt on one knee, and said in a low, deep voice: "I surrender."
The dust settled on this battle.
Thomas slapped his thigh, as if shouting out all the emotions he had been holding back: "Lord Louis is awesome!!!"
He raised his hands high, his face filled with undisguised adoration and shock, as if he had witnessed a miracle.
"That elbow strike just now was too cool! The battle qi instantly reversed, directly pointing the sword at his neck! This is strategy, talent, and coolness combined!"
As he passionately rambled, he turned to look at his companions beside him, as if seeking someone to share his excitement with.
Lambert, however, said nothing, only frowning deeply, as if lost in thought.
His gaze was fixed on Louis, who stood in the center of the field, sheathing his sword, weighing each word in his mind:
"The magic wasn't perfectly executed, but the combined tactics are almost mature: controlling the rhythm, depleting battle qi, restricting movement. If his magic power were stronger, he could almost single-handedly suppress an Elite Knight.
In his current state, he is at least a High-Tier Elite Knight, or even stronger."
Sif's breathing was unsteady from tension, her fingertips slightly curled, and the fist hidden under her cloak remained clenched.
She knew he would win.
But when she actually saw him force Green back with that single sword strike, she still instinctively bit her lip, her eyes slightly warm.
It was a respect tinged with a little tremor, and also a strange sense of relief.
But what was even more shocking was that Louis had, for the first time, combined magic and battle qi in a real fight, and even defeated a well-trained Elite Knight.
Louis silently sheathed his sword, appearing composed on the surface, but rapidly assessing the battle in his mind.
This victory was not easy.
Only one Firewall was cast, the Beam Spell was at a basic level, and the Binding Spell wasn't an enhanced incantation.
"Green is a subordinate, not an enemy," he murmured to himself. "To suppress him with the lowest cost is the most suitable outcome."
Louis looked towards the edge of the distant sword practice field, his gaze focused. This was his first time truly bringing magic into practical combat.
"There are many areas that are still immature. The Firewall was off-center, the Beam Spell wasn't fast enough, the Binding Spell was too easily broken. As expected, magic is still best used at 'unexpected' moments."
He reflected, but a satisfied smile curved his lips.
"But, I only used one month."
From the day Leixier taught him magic until today, only a little over a month had passed.
He had built a magic framework from scratch, and with the help of the Original Meditation Technique, he had constructed over a dozen practical spells.
Now, not only had his survival ability greatly increased, but he could even change the direction of small-scale battles.
And as long as he had enough time, his magic power would continuously grow, and his tactical system would also become complete.
The Original Meditation Technique had become one of his most important trump cards.
Louis sheathed his sword, his gaze sweeping over the four people, his tone calm but unquestionable: "What happened today is not to be spread outside."
Thomas, who had been about to cheer "Lord Louis is mighty," immediately shut his mouth upon hearing this, nodding repeatedly: "Understood! Absolute secrecy!"
The other three also nodded and said: "Understood."
