A Narrow Encounter

Standing on a flat stretch of ground amid the fighting warriors, Adil stood quietly in the center, watching Cadiz across from him.

A look of resolve suddenly flashed across Flar's face. Without hesitation, he charged forward, apparently hoping to buy Adil time to get Edward away.

Watching this unfold, a flicker of emotion crossed Cadiz's eyes. His body twitched slightly, but in the end, he did not charge forward.

Beside him, a black-armored knight who had remained silent until now suddenly stepped forward. He swung his longsword at Flar and engaged him in combat.

His swordsmanship was powerful and forceful. Every swing of his blade rang out with a heavy clang, driving Flar back again and again. He was clearly another expert at the peak of knighthood.

"Now, it's just the two of us."

Watching Flar get pinned down and gradually fall behind, Cadiz sighed inwardly. Then he turned to face Adil, with Edward standing behind him.

Pale-white aura flickered around Cadiz. Though it was still somewhat faint, it made his status as a Great Knight unmistakable, enough to make him the strongest person on the battlefield.

Watching this, Edward felt hopeless. Fear showed in his eyes.

There were very few warriors of a rank as high as Great Knight in any kingdom.

A Knight could protect a region and hold down a territory. A Great Knight, however, could single-handedly turn the tide of a small-scale battle. Unless another warrior of equal strength held him back, or a large force of warriors surrounded him head-on, there was little anyone could do to threaten him.

Across the entire Northlands, there had originally been only two Great Knights: Arcadia, hailed as the greatest Knight in the North, and Count Polia himself. Now another had appeared here.

Without wasting words, Cadiz advanced and swung his sword at Adil. Pale-white aura coiled around the blade as it drove toward him with deadly force.

This was nearly the full force of a Great Knight's attack, empowered by a Knight Secret Skill. An ordinary Knight could not stop it and would be left dead or gravely injured.

Adil remained where he was, calmly watching Cadiz as if he had not noticed the powerful attack bearing down on him.

"Adil!!!" Edward cried out instinctively, watching in terror.

Before his shout had fully faded, a flash of swordlight suddenly flared.

Silver aura surged, forming dozens of sword marks in an instant as they swept forward and crashed into Cadiz's attack.

Silver Radiance!!!

Silver light flashed again and again as aura far denser and more powerful than Cadiz's burst forth, blocking his attack.

"You—!" Cadiz stared at Adil, who had suddenly appeared before him, his face stricken with shock.

Clang!!!

The sound of colliding swords rang out. Two powerful Knight Secret Skills clashed, their different auras colliding and erupting before them.

The two forces met head-on, and the stronger one was decided in an instant.

Cadiz spat out a mouthful of blood. Several new wounds opened across his body as he flew backward and slammed into a wall five or six meters away.

As a Great Knight, he had formidable vitality. Even after taking such a heavy blow, he struggled to get back up, staring at Adil in shock and disbelief.

Everyone present seemed to freeze. All eyes turned toward the youth before them, filled with astonishment.

In front of Edward, a figure still stood quietly, his expression calm. Even with everyone staring at him, he remained completely unmoved.

Pale silver aura drifted around his body, revealing the power he possessed.

"Adil... y-you're a Great Knight?"

Behind Adil, Edward stared at the pale silver aura floating around him, his face full of shock as he stammered.

What he had just witnessed had shaken him to the core.

In just one day, Edward felt as if everything he had known had been turned upside down.

The castle, peaceful for decades, had suddenly erupted into chaos. His powerful father had vanished without a trace and was probably dead. Now even his childhood friend seemed like a different person, having suddenly become a Great Knight.

All of it left Edward dazed, as if he were trapped in a terrible nightmare.

Adil did not stop.

With his sword in his right hand, he stepped forward and swung it toward Flar.

Pale silver aura gathered along the blade. As he swung, it solidified into a tangible sword wave and shot toward the opposing side.

Seven or eight meters away, the black-armored knight fighting Flar paled. A terrible sense of danger welled up from the depths of his heart, making him halt his movements.

The ringing of swords filled his ears, accompanied by the intermittent roar of the approaching shockwave.

Taking it all in, he drew a deep breath and stepped back. Then he swung his longsword forward with all his strength.

Life Energy poured from within him, staining his blade pale green. He struck the solidified sword wave head-on, neutralizing it.

Seizing the chance, Flar broke free of the Knight's assault and quickly retreated to Edward's side, looking at Adil with a complicated expression.

"Are you still not coming out?"

Adil suddenly turned and spoke toward a corner.

As he spoke, pale silver aura gathered again and shot toward the corner.

Crack!!!

A faint clash sounded ahead. Adil's aura was struck apart, dissolving into faint silver light.

A tall figure suddenly emerged from the corner, a black longsword in hand. Its design differed slightly from the one Adil carried.

It was Arcadia. He wore pale-white armor, and his handsome, outgoing face now bore a puzzled expression. "How did you spot me?"

"Obviously, I saw you with my eyes."

Watching the figure before him, Adil's eyes narrowed, but his expression remained unchanged as he answered calmly.

That was, of course, a lie.

Arcadia had hidden himself well, apparently using some special technique to conceal every trace of his presence. Even Adil had not noticed anything.

He had spotted Arcadia only because of the Chip in his mind, but there was no way he could explain that.

Arcadia clearly did not believe him.

But he had only asked on a whim and did not press the matter. He simply watched Adil in the distance with a grave expression.

He had witnessed Adil's earlier outburst of power and the fierce, powerful silver aura. He had already formed an estimate of Adil's strength.

This was no newly promoted Great Knight like Cadiz, but a true Great Knight. Given his age, his strength was astonishing.

"Arcadia, you betrayed us too!"

Behind Adil, Flar glared at Arcadia in the distance, fury burning in his eyes. "Lord Polia never treated you badly. Why would you do this?"

"Never treated me badly?" Arcadia replied with a cold sneer. "Is that really so?"

"Flar, you and I are different."

He stared coldly at Flar. "Though you don't bear the Falkus name, your mother and your wife are both members of House Falkus. Of course Polia considers you one of his own."

"And what about me?" He pointed at himself, the sneer on his face growing more pronounced. "My ancestors were Marquises. We may have fallen on hard times, but my status is no lower than anyone else's."

"I'm a Great Knight. I founded the Black Knight Order myself and did so much for Polia. How much land did I get in the end?"

"Ultimately, there are too many members of House Falkus. They've divided up every last bit of land in the Northlands, leaving no room for outsiders."

As he finished speaking, his expression turned calm and composed. "So why shouldn't I take back what belongs to me?"

"If he won't give it to me, I'll take it with my sword!"

"You!" Flar's face turned livid.

What Arcadia said was true.

House Falkus ruled the Northlands too harshly. Any noble without Falkus blood was subtly pushed down.

This practice had reached its height under Count Polia's rule. During the decades he had governed, countless nobles from other families had fallen into decline, crushed by his severe methods.

Ultimately, throughout the nearly hundred years that House Falkus had ruled the Northlands, rebellions by nobles from other families had never ceased. None had ever been so bloody, though—not until Arcadia, the North's greatest Knight, led one himself.

"Lord Arcadia..."

Behind Adil, Edward stared at Arcadia in disbelief.

He had always idolized the North's greatest Knight. He had never imagined that, this time, his idol would stand against him and lead the rebellion.

"Adil."

At the front, Arcadia paid no attention to the others' reactions. He simply looked at Adil with a complicated, grave expression. "You've really surprised me. In the history of the Kingdom of Arius, the fastest person said to have become a Great Knight was the legendary King Avayad. He reached that rank at fifteen, two years later than you."

"Unfortunately, if you weren't a member of House Falkus, I would definitely try to make you surrender."

He began with words of praise, then abruptly changed his tone, turning cold. "By the way, I have some good news for you. Your father, Baron Esilan, was killed recently. I was the one who killed him!"

Having said this, he looked up at Adil, his cold eyes fixed on his face.

But Adil did not react with the anger and loss of reason Arcadia had expected. His face remained calm, and even at the news, he merely paused for a moment.

What Arcadia did not know was that Adil had little affection for the man who was supposedly his father in this world. Hearing news of his death would not affect him; even seeing the man die before his eyes might not have moved him.

Arcadia assumed that, as a member of House Falkus, Adil would never surrender to rebels like them. But in truth, if Arcadia had tried to recruit him earlier, Adil might well have agreed.

After all, judging from the situation, Arcadia and his men had arrived with overwhelming force, and who knew how much more strength backed them? Count Polia's side might well lose. So, to avoid danger, Adil would have had no qualms about joining the rebels.

But now, it was too late.

His "biological father" had been killed by them. Even if Adil were willing to join them now, they would never dare accept such a powerful enemy. He had no choice but to see this through to the end.