Redeployment

"Puff"

Langu spat out blood and watched as five or six large stone projectiles hurtled towards him. Years of battlefield experience told him that there was only one way for him to survive: accelerate his descent to avoid the shelling. Without hesitation, Langu bent his head downwards and forcefully twisted his shrimp-shaped body, aiming to slam himself into the ground like a javelin.

"Boom!"

The shell exploded in mid-air, turning into countless specks of yellow sand that rained down on the sky. Langu, who had narrowly avoided the direct hit, was propelled towards the ground by the blast wave. The yellowish-brown rock pillars magnified in his eyes, seemingly about to skewer him into meat skewers. Faced with this barrage of attacks, Langu felt a chill run down his spine. But in this life-or-death situation, he had no time to think. His only priority was to ensure his survival before considering any other options. Perhaps by divine intervention, he found a glimmer of hope. Using all his strength, Langu positioned himself between two rock pillars, looking down at the third pillar less than a centimeter from his abdomen. He felt sweat pouring down his body.

However, while Langu was desperately trying to survive, Sordil was not idle either. A more powerful, bright yellow magic was released from his hand.

"Sand-Shaped Designs, Rock Wall, and a Square City"

"Buzz"

The surrounding air vibrated, and the rock pillars on the training ground vanished one by one, until only a few remained near Langu. Then, four earthen-yellow walls appeared near Langu, rising ever higher, the light disappearing from Langu side until his figure was completely swallowed by darkness. After the rock pillars around him disappeared, Langu, standing at the base of the wall, could only see a square well opening less than a meter wide and long. Langu desperately tried to climb out, but failed.

"Sand-Shaped Formation, Rock Wall, Square City, Iron Maiden"

A cold, cruel, and emotionless voice came from the top of the city wall. Then, the surrounding walls changed again; the stone pillars that had just disappeared reappeared, piercing towards Langu at incredible speed. Langu was terrified and stumbled backward, finally collapsing to the ground, his eyes filled with fear of death. The stone pillars easily pierced Langu's armor, then broke through his skin and flesh, blood flowing everywhere, and painful howls escaped his lips. Just as Sordil was about to deliver his verdict on Langu, the 'number one scumbag of Fairy Tail,' an aged voice came from afar.

"Young friend, since you have already won, why go so far as to kill us all?"

As the words were spoken, a unique magical force emanated from afar, disrupting Sordil's magic and causing it to instantly crumble. Langu, who was inside the city walls, reappeared before the crowd. Seeing his wretched state, the people on the platform could hardly believe that this beggar, his intestines ripped out, was the same person as the previously high-spirited General Langu. Meanwhile, a chill ran through the crowd as they looked at Sordil, who stood quietly in the arena as if nothing had happened. Many now equated Sordil with demons, considering him an untouchable being. Just as everyone was lamenting Sordil's ruthlessness, an elderly man with white hair and a white beard, dressed in a purple robe and holding a wooden staff, slowly walked into the arena.

"Tsk tsk, how pitiful! Young friend, you are far too ruthless. It's just a friendly spar, why be so vicious?"

"Ruthless? This guy is the worst scum in the world, and I think I went easy on him! If I had the chance, I would have sliced him to pieces long ago, and then I would have shown you what true ruthlessness is!"

Seeing the old man's sigh, Sordil inwardly scoffed. However, judging from the fact that the man could appear here so easily, his identity must be extraordinary. So, Sordil forcibly suppressed his anger at having his good deed ruined and explained to the old man:

"Senior is right. I was too heavy-handed this time! However, I dared not be careless when facing a veteran like General Langu. I could only fight with all my might. I just didn't expect that I would be unable to stop in time and cause General Langu to be so seriously injured. If it weren't for you, senior, I'm afraid it would have been a terrible mistake. Thank you very much!"

Hearing Sordil's words, Langu's worldview crumbled, and the crowd on the platform stared speechlessly at the shameless scoundrel below. The purple-robed elder seemed oblivious to the crowd's reaction, chuckling as he patted Sordil's shoulder. However, no one saw the invisible force emanating from the elder's palm, flowing along Sordil's shoulder and into his body. Sensing the elder's probing, Sordil sneered inwardly, channeling his magic power to counter the elder's force.

"Snort"

The old man let out a muffled groan, his face paling slightly, while Sordil opposite him seemed completely unfazed, smiling as he stared at him. Just as the situation became awkward, Belmod descended from the platform at some point, looking at the purple-robed old man excitedly and saying, "Mr. Arthur, weren't you in seclusion meditating? What brings you here?"

"Your Majesty, this old minister sensed a tremendous fluctuation of magical energy during his seclusion, so he came here to investigate. He happened to witness this young friend's mishap and thus intervened to stop him. I hope I did not disturb Your Majesty's enjoyment?"

"Of course not! Mr. Arthur, let me introduce you. This is General Oddek, who recently joined the kingdom. General Oddek, and this is Mr. Arthur, the Commander of the Royal Palace Mage Corps."

After easing the tension, Belmod introduced the two men to each other, allowing them to get to know each other. At this moment, the Prime Minister and others descended from the platform, greeting Arthur and congratulating Sordil on his victory. Belmod instructed the Prime Minister to send Langu to the royal physician for treatment, then turned and loudly announced to the crowd that Sordil had won the tournament.

The duel, which ended without any suspense, came to a close, and everyone asked the king for leave and left the arena.

Council Hall

"Mr. Arthur, what do you think of Oddek's abilities?"

"Your Majesty, this man's strength is unfathomable. With my abilities, I am no match for him!"

"But this afternoon..."

"This afternoon, the reason I was able to break his magic was because I amplified my power with my staff and struck unexpectedly. Otherwise, even if I had arrived at the scene, I wouldn't have been able to save Langu's life!"

"I see!"

Belmod slumped dejectedly on the throne, utterly bewildered. He had never imagined that after dealing with one tiger, he would now face an Evil Dragon. Just as he was caught in this Contradiction, a servant burst into the hall, knelt on the ground, and loudly announced, "Your Majesty, the Chancellor and Generals Langu Oddek are requesting an audience outside the hall!"

Belmod suppressed her fear and anxiety, waved for Arthur to leave the hall through the back door, and then said to the servants, "Please come in, gentlemen!"

"Yes!"

The attendant quickly left the hall to relay the instructions. A moment later, the three prime ministers entered... well, I misspoke, it was the prime minister and Sordil who entered, while Langu, wrapped up like a mummy, was pushed in in a wheelchair.

"Prime Minister, I have already made a decision regarding this troop relocation! Draft an edict for me, ordering the Second and Fourth Division of the Western Border Army to be transferred to the Cuyis Tree Sea alongside Langu. The remaining four divisions will remain on the western border under the General Oddek. Furthermore, the Bell Dragon Rider Regiment will be transferred to the Western Border Army's operational order of battle, still under General Oddek's control. As for the senior officers of the Western Border Army, one-third will remain to help General Oddek familiarize himself with the western frontier's defenses, while the rest will accompany General Langu to the Cuyis Tree Sea!"