The Arrival

"The castle is on the verge of falling. We need to find Lord Polia immediately, then get out of here!"

Standing in front of Edward, Flar spoke with a grave expression. He pulled Edward up from the ground and hurried off to one side as he spoke.

He moved swiftly, using his peak-knight strength to lead the way. With the warriors guarding their flanks, they swept through their opponents, virtually unstoppable.

Flar led his men to an open stretch of ground before finally slowing to a halt. He stared ahead, his expression grave.

Heavy footsteps came from a corner ahead, accompanied by the faint clatter of armor and weapons.

It was the sound of a large force on the march. A mass of warriors was approaching, ready to intercept them.

Flar had expected this. Though his heart tightened, his expression remained calm. He watched the way ahead in silence, slowly raising the greatsword in his hand.

The castle was in chaos, but Edward was too important a target for the enemy to hesitate to send forces after him.

Under Flar's gaze, squads of elite warriors hurried forward, blocking their way.

At the front of the warriors stood Cadiz.

The wounds covering him had been roughly treated, and the blood on him had dried and been washed away. Only the scars of his many injuries remained.

"Lord Flar!"

He came forward and spotted Flar and Edward standing in the distance. A faint smile crossed his face as he hurried toward them.

"Cadiz..." Seeing the familiar figure, Flar relaxed slightly. He lowered his greatsword a little and started to step forward.

Suddenly, a fierce sense of danger surged through him. A flash of swordlight flared before his eyes, carrying immense power—power that had already surpassed the limits of a knight.

"You!"

Recognizing the familiar figure and sensing that overwhelming force, Flar's expression changed. He immediately leaped backward.

A flash of swordlight streaked past, its pale-white aura slicing across his chest and leaving a gash.

A drop of blood trickled down. Flar stared at the man before him in disbelief. "Battle aura! Cadiz, you...!"

"Flar, I'm sorry."

Facing Flar, Cadiz didn't take the opportunity to press his attack. He seemed somewhat subdued. "Surrender. By now, most of the knights in the castle have switched sides. Count Polia himself has been gravely wounded and will die soon."

"You have no hope left. Surrender now, and I'll guarantee you a barony and a fief."

"Never!" Flar replied without hesitation. His resolve showed no sign of wavering.

Watching him, Cadiz sighed inwardly.

As Flar's former subordinate, Cadiz knew him well.

Flar was usually stubborn and stern, conservative in his thinking, and extremely harsh toward his subordinates. These were all serious flaws.

But as a traditional knight, his greatest virtue was his absolute loyalty. No one could easily sway him.

"Then... I suppose I'll have to fight you."

A host of thoughts flashed through Cadiz's mind. His expression calm, he sighed faintly.

In that instant, a blade wind flashed between them, streaking through the air in a burst of white light.

At the sight of it, Flar instinctively dodged to one side, but his body couldn't keep up with Cadiz's speed. The strike pierced his shoulder, leaving a bloody hole.

If not for his sturdy armor, that one blow might have crippled his arm.

Pain shot through him. Before he could fully react, a figure suddenly appeared in front of him.

It was Cadiz. He had closed in on Flar, and his sword slashed out, striking fiercely toward him.

The oncoming blade wind howled, stinging Flar's face and filling him with a terrible sense of danger.

Clang!

The sound of swords colliding rang out.

At the crucial moment, Flar raised his right hand, lifting his greatsword high to block the blow.

The clanging of weapons rang out without pause as the two figures darted across the open ground, moving at tremendous speed.

After a brief exchange at close quarters, a muffled thud sounded, and one of them flew backward, crashing heavily to the ground.

A moment later, Flar sprang back to his feet. Sweat soaked him from the intense fighting, and he stared at Cadiz with an utterly grave expression.

By now, he was in bad shape. His face was pale, and several wounds were slowly bleeding.

His armor had been completely shattered. Though it had blocked Cadiz's attacks several times, it had reached the end of its limits.

"Give up, Flar. You're no match for me!"

Across from him, Cadiz looked at Flar and shook his head. He didn't advance, but continued to try to persuade him from where he stood.

But Flar slowly rose before him, paying no heed to his words.

At last, Cadiz grew impatient. A trace of killing intent crept into his gaze as he looked at Flar.

He raised his slender sword high and brought it down at Flar's neck.

The fierce blade wind rushed in, whipping across the skin and making it sting as if cut by a sword.

Feeling the force of the blow, Flar desperately wanted to dodge.

But after the fight, he had almost no strength left. Even though he sensed the danger, his body could no longer keep up, and he couldn't get out of the way.

"It's over!" Cadiz said calmly, his sword poised to strike down the trapped Flar. He slowly closed his eyes.

Clang!

A tremendous force suddenly rebounded from the sword, jolting Cadiz's arm and making him stumble back several steps.

He snapped his eyes open and stared ahead in shock.

A young man had appeared before him without warning. He stood there silently, holding a black longsword and watching Cadiz.

Clearly, he had blocked the last blow, forcibly breaking Cadiz's sword momentum.

"Arthur!"

Two cries of delight rang out at once.

Behind him, Edward and Flar both showed a flash of joy.

"Arthur, take Lord Edward and go at once! I'll hold him off!"

Flar took a deep breath where he stood, feeling the injuries across his body. A look of grim resolve crossed his face as he shouted to Arthur.