Winning the Loyalty of the Ventrilian Nobles
"I'm certain," the Knight Lord declared firmly.
Thierry Viera had no doubt about the Black Emperor's words.
Many nobles inside the palace understood their conversation and began to discuss it amongst themselves.
Thierry noticed Justin Watara's troubled expression and, combining the information about the Black Emperor in the Data Crystal with his observations over the past period, guessed that he was troubled by the inability to hold the important coming-of-age ceremony.
"The coming-of-age ceremony can still be held; we can choose a different format."
Justin asked thoughtfully, "In what form?"
"Your original coming-of-age ceremony was to step into a lava lake, fight monsters, and those who survived became true nobles."
"There's no place to stand in the lava lake this year, but the battle can continue, just in a different form."
"Since the Ventrilian nobles enjoy dueling, let's have a noble ceremony-style duel as this year's coming-of-age ceremony. I will also send the elite swordsmen of my Chapter to participate in this grand event."
Justin looked at the Shadow of Order opposite him, who possessed a superhuman physique, and spoke.
"That is indeed feasible; they will be proud to have won the battle against the Shadow of Order."
He didn't believe Thierry's prophecy, but he couldn't refuse, and considering the suggestion was indeed feasible, he agreed.
Two days later, Ventrilian's coming-of-age ceremony was held as usual.
The Archon spoke loudly from the reviewing stand.
"Distinguished gentlemen and ladies, and future nobles attending this coming-of-age ceremony."
"Today, we will witness this moment in a completely new way."
"To Ventrilian becoming the Monarch's territory, the 'Shadow of Order' have been invited to participate in a coming-of-age ceremony. The victor of the duel will earn the right to challenge the extraordinary swordsmen."
The noble boys and girls drew their swords, raised them high, and cheered enthusiastically.
Justin raised his gleaming sword high, then lowered it, and the nobles immediately ceased their cheers.
"A total of 14,800 people participated in this coming-of-age ceremony. Those who win five duels will become nobles and have the opportunity to duel with the great Shadow of Order Warrior of Order."
Pierre Wright sat on the viewing platform, watching the candidates below. He couldn't help but feel a chill when he learned about the coming-of-age ceremony for the Ventrilian nobles.
The coming-of-age ceremony for Ventrilian nobles is as dangerous as the hunt for the Lord of Necromunda. Crossing the lava lake is already perilous, let alone fighting against the various dangerous monsters within.
Now he saw the noble boys and girls below, each of them physically strong.
The fine food and wine did not turn these nobles into fat men; each of them had clearly undergone long-term combat training.
[At most only 925 people eventually became nobles; that's a very strict standard.]
The pass rate is similar to that of the "Lava Lake Trial," the only difference being that those who fail the trial will not die.
Those who pass the test will be outstanding Warrior. Although their age is not suitable for becoming legionary Warrior, they will be excellent Auxilia and the first batch of recruits for the "Ventrilian Nobles."
While Pierre was pondering, Justin had already finished his speech.
Pierre looked down with great interest, his superhuman vision allowing him to take in the situation at all forty-five dueling rings at once.
He saw pairs of nobles, their right hands holding swords, arms bent and extended forward, the tips of the swords pointing diagonally to the ground, while their left hands touched their chests in a gesture of respect.
Pierre observed that some Ventrilian nobles were eager to charge, their thumbs and forefingers controlling the direction of their sword tips, while their middle, ring, and little fingers pressed firmly against the hilts.
While running, shift your weight between your feet, lean your body slightly forward, and be ready to launch a powerful attack at any moment.
The defending player holds their hand at a 45-degree angle with their palm facing outwards, and the blade is aimed at the direction of the incoming sword.
Swords clashed, and the young men and women fought fiercely, neither giving an inch.
They are well-trained and have practical experience.
Although they haven't developed a standardized "Elvira" sword technique like we Kaser People, it's not just for show; those who teach them are all quite skilled swordsmen.
As each sword duel ended, the victors stood tall and proud, while the losers were ashen-faced.
After Justin announced the end of the first round of duels, he asked his attendants in a low voice in Ventrilian.
Upon learning that there were no signs of a volcanic eruption at the lava lake, he curled his lip and thought to himself.
[As expected, prophecies are so unreliable; there wasn't a single sign that the lava would erupt.]
For the past three days, Justin has been inquiring about the situation in the lava lake area every day, and the news he has received is that there are no abnormalities.
He Ventrilian nobles all believed that Thierry's prophecy would not come true.
On the Fourth Sun of the duel, when the final winner of the fourth round was to be decided, a Ventrilian nobleman with a long sword at his waist suddenly rushed up to the high platform.
He glanced at the Shadow of Order first, then spoke to Justin.
"Your Archon, the lava lake where the coming-of-age ceremony was held has erupted."
"What?" Justin and the surrounding nobles exclaimed in unison, their eyes widening as they stared at the Shadow of Order.
Thierry calmly stated, "I've said it before, a volcanic eruption was inevitable."
On the sixth day of the coming-of-age ceremony, the newly promoted nobles, who had won the right to fight against the "Shadow of Order," excitedly gathered around the dueling arena.
To enjoy today's battle, they all spent a lot of gems to restore their bodies to their best condition, and many even went so far as to purchase combat stimulants.
Not far away, Pierre, dressed in a black knight's uniform, spoke to his fellow warrior, who was also dressed in the same attire.
"You must use skill, the 'Elvira Swordsmanship,' not strength and speed, to defeat the Ventrilian nobles. This is your training for today."
The hundred Warrior of the Third Company responded in unison, and Pierre then led his Warrior onto the field.
The nobles of Ventrilian immediately applauded. The unarmored Shadow of Order did not appear as imposing as before, but they enjoyed even more reverence than they had a few days earlier.
The challenge began immediately. After injecting himself with a high-end combat stimulant obtained in exchange for eighty gems, the young Ventrilian nobleman felt a surge of power within him.
He shouted excitedly, wielding his heavy two-handed sword with one arm as he charged toward the Shadow of Order opposite him.
The Kaser Shadow of Order calmly drew his longsword, infusing it with his meager Psionic Energy, causing the blade to ignite.
The sword, brimming with energy, was raised horizontally to parry the nobleman's swift attack.
He didn't continue applying force, but instead bent down from the left, then leaped up and slashed diagonally downwards from right to left.
The sword stopped above the nobleman's head, a flash of lightning, and several strands of hair fell down.
The young nobleman was stunned, as were the other Ventrilian nobles.
They hadn't expected that Ventrilian's elite nobles would be defeated by pure swordsmanship in a single exchange.
Pierre watched as his Warrior defeated the Ventrilian nobles one after the other using the "Yuweisa Style" and the "Velabei Style".
He then looked at the Shock nobles and spoke.
"Every Kaser People has trained in swordsmanship since childhood. Before becoming the Shadow of Order, we have all undergone numerous trials. We have fought the Ogryn in the Ape-Man System and killed nameless, dangerous mutated creatures on the Space Hulk of Islington."
"After becoming Shadow of Order, we have experienced hundreds of battles, fighting to the death against the Rangdan Xenos and the tenacious Squats. Our combat experience far surpasses that of you newly-adult nobles."
"Therefore, I suggest you arrange for more people to participate. This will make the duel more interesting. Believe me, as a former nobleman, a nobleman of the Kaser family similar to Ventrilian, I have no intention of disrespecting you."
Although Justin didn't know exactly what the Ogryn, Rangdan, and Squats were, he understood Pierre's meaning.
After a moment's thought, he announced loudly to the nobles.
"You can form your own teams and collectively challenge the Shadow of Order."
After suffering several crushing defeats, the Ventrilian nobles finally realized that the Shadow of Order could not be overcome alone.
Pierre discovers that the nobles quickly accept reality and begin to cooperate and form teams to challenge the Shadow of Order.
They were no longer in such a sorry state as before, and were able to hold their own against the elite swordsmen for a while.
Pierre looked at his lord, and both of them read the same meaning in each other's eyes.
The Ventrilian nobles value honor, but are not vain.
Pierre, as the final person to be challenged, accepted the challenge from fourteen of the best Ventrilian swordsmen.
The nobles of Ventrilian had a clear division of labor; five nobles, arranged like arrows, charged ahead of Pierre.
Four men from each flank charged toward Pierre, while the strongest swordsmen lay in ambush behind, waiting for an opportunity to deliver a fatal blow.
Pierre drew his longsword, letting the blade blaze.
Having recently been promoted to "Weapon Master," he has unlocked the full potential of the Force Sword.
Pierre swung his longsword, drawing an "8" shape in the air.
The "Weapon Master" moved swiftly, swinging his longsword almost simultaneously, outlining burning patterns, and using the "Gansofa Style" to block five ancestral dueling swords thrusting towards him.
Eight noblemen and women, injected with combat stimulants, roared in unison and launched a simultaneous attack on the Shadow of Order.
The "Weapon Master" remained calm and composed, flicking his wrist.
The Force Sword was like an extension of his body, swinging diagonally left and right to parry.
Ding ding ding...
Amid a series of impacts, the "Weapon Master" deflected the attacks with "Wusa Style" and "Reverse Wusa Style".
Baron Vatara, seeing that everyone else had been repelled one after another, knew he had to seize his only chance.
He plunged the family's treasured combat potion into his neck, his eyes gleaming, and gripped his ancestral sword, swiftly charging towards the Shadow of Order.
The next instant, his eyes were illuminated by an even brighter light.
A dazzling light rushed towards him in an instant.
Before Baron Vatar could even react, his ancestral sword was knocked away, and the gleaming longsword came to rest in front of him with a crackling sound.
The threat of death chilled him to the bone, yet the surging power within him made him feel hot.
Baron Vatar suppressed the power within him, restrained the fear in his heart, and tried his best to look ahead through the dazzling light.
The "Weapon Master" controlled the power of Death Strike with ease, causing the power of "Elka Style" to dissipate.
Justin, pale-faced, breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing that his successor was unharmed, and hastily announced the end of the challenge.
In the subsequent detailed negotiations, the Ventrilian nobles abandoned any further bargaining and accepted all the demands put forward by the "Shadow of Order."
Thierry knew that he had won the loyalty of the Ventrilian nobles.