Narrow Road Encounter

Standing on a flat clearing, warriors were slaughtering each other all around. In the center, Arthur stood quietly, looking at Cadiz opposite him.

A look of determination suddenly flashed across Flar's face. Without hesitation, he charged forward, seemingly intending to buy Arthur time to take Edward away.

Watching this scene, Cadiz's eyes flickered with a ripple of emotion. His body trembled slightly, but he ultimately did not charge forward.

Beside him, a black-armored Knight who had been silent until now suddenly stepped forward. His longsword moved towards Flar, and they became entangled.

His swordsmanship was strong and powerful. With every swing, his longsword let out a heavy clang. For a time, Flar was constantly pushed back, revealing him to be a master at the peak of the Knight level.

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

Looking at Flar, who was entangled to his side and gradually falling into a disadvantage, Cadiz sighed inwardly. He then turned to face Arthur in front of him, and Edward standing behind Arthur.

Faint white Battle Qi began to appear on his body. Although it was still thin, his status as a Great Knight was evident, enough to look down upon the entire battlefield.

Seeing this, Edward's heart sank into despair, and fear filled his eyes.

Great Knights, such powerful individuals, were not common in any kingdom.

If Knights were enough to protect a region and suppress a territory, then Great Knights were powerful enough to single-handedly support a small campaign. Unless they were held back by an opponent of equal strength, or surrounded by a large number of warriors, they could not be threatened.

In the entire Northern Territory, there were originally only two Great Knights: Arcadia, known as the number one Knight, and Count Polia himself. Now, another one had appeared here.

Looking at Arthur before him, Cadiz wasted no more words. He stepped forward and swung his sword, entwined with faint white Battle Qi, piercing fiercely towards Arthur.

This was a near all-out attack from the Great Knight, utilizing the power of a Knight Secret Skill. Ordinary Knights could not block it and would inevitably suffer death or severe injury.

Facing this attack, Arthur stood still in his original spot, still calmly looking at Cadiz, as if he hadn't noticed the powerful offensive heading his way.

"Arthur!!!" Behind him, Edward instinctively shouted, watching the scene with fear.

Before his voice had completely faded, a sword light suddenly flashed.

The silver Battle Qi flared intensely, creating dozens of sword marks in an instant as it surged forward, colliding with Cadiz's attack.

Silver Bloom!!!

Silver light flickered repeatedly. Battle Qi far denser and more powerful than Cadiz's own erupted, blocking his attack.

"You!!!" Cadiz's face contorted in shock as he looked at Arthur, who had suddenly appeared before him.

Clang!!!

The sound of clashing swords rang out. Two powerful Knight Secret Skills collided, their contained Battle Qi clashing and erupting before them.

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

Cadiz spat out a large mouthful of blood. Several new wounds appeared on his body instantly, and he was sent flying backward rapidly, crashing heavily against a wall five or six meters away.

As a Great Knight, his vitality was strong. Even after such a heavy blow, he still struggled to get up, looking at Arthur in horror, his eyes filled with disbelief.

At this moment, the gaze of everyone present was almost frozen. All eyes were drawn to the front, fixed on the young man, filled with shock.

In front of Edward, a figure still stood quietly, his expression calm. Even under the intense scrutiny of everyone present, he did not waver in the slightest.

And on his body, wisps of faint silver Battle Qi gently floated around him, signifying that power.

"Arthur... you... are you a Great Knight?"

Behind Arthur, Edward stammered in shock, looking at the scene before him and feeling the faint silver Battle Qi swirling around Arthur.

The scene before him was truly overwhelming.

In just one day, Edward felt as though everything he knew had been overturned. The peaceful castle of decades had erupted into chaos, his powerful father was nowhere to be seen and likely dead, and now even his childhood friend seemed like a completely different person, suddenly becoming a Great Knight.

All of this left Edward in a daze, feeling as though he were trapped in a terrifying nightmare.

In front of him, Arthur did not stop.

Holding his sword in his right hand, he took a step forward and swung his sword directly towards Flar's location.

Faint silver Battle Qi condensed on the sword. With this swing, it solidified into tangible sword energy, charging fiercely forward.

Seven or eight meters away, the black-armored Knight fighting Flar's face changed. He felt a terrifying sense of crisis surge from the depths of his heart, causing his movements to falter.

The sound of swords clanging and the whistling vibration of the incoming attack echoed in his ears.

Feeling all of this, he took a deep breath, took a step back, and then swung his longsword fiercely forward.

The Life Energy within his body surged rapidly, dyeing his longsword a faint green as it fiercely clashed against the solidified sword energy, neutralizing the attack.

Seizing this opportunity, Flar broke free from the Knight's entanglement and quickly retreated, standing beside Edward. His gaze was complex as he looked at Arthur before him.

"Aren't you coming out yet?"

Arthur suddenly turned, looking towards a corner and speaking.

As he spoke, faint silver Battle Qi condensed again, charging directly towards that corner.

Crack!!!

A slight collision sound suddenly came from the front. There, the Battle Qi wielded by Arthur was directly scattered and vanished into faint Silver Bloom.

A tall figure suddenly emerged from the corner, also holding a black longsword, though its style was slightly different from Arthur's.

This was Arcadia. He was wearing pale white armor, and his handsome, cheerful face was now etched with a hint of confusion. "How did you find me?"

"Of course, I saw him with my eyes."

Looking at the figure that appeared before him, Arthur's eyes narrowed. His expression remained unchanged as he spoke calmly.

This was, of course, a lie.

Arcadia had hidden himself very well, seemingly using a special technique that concealed all his aura. Even Arthur couldn't sense anything at the moment.

The reason he was able to detect the other party was actually due to the chip in his mind, but he naturally couldn't explain this in detail.

Arcadia, naturally, did not believe this explanation either.

However, he had only asked casually and did not press further. Instead, he stared intently at Arthur, who stood in the distance.

He had witnessed Arthur's previous outburst and the sharp, powerful silver Battle Qi. He had already estimated Arthur's strength.

This was not a Great Knight who had barely been promoted, like Cadiz. This was a genuine Great Knight expert. Considering Arthur's age, it was astonishing.

"Arcadia, you've betrayed us too!!"

Behind Arthur, Flar looked at Arcadia in the distance, his eyes filled with intense anger. "Lord Polia was not harsh on you. Why would you do this?"

"Not harsh?" Opposite him, hearing Flar's words, Arcadia's lips curled into a cold sneer. "Is that really the case?"

"Flar, you are different from me."

He looked coldly at Flar. "Although your surname is not Falkus, your mother and wife are all from House Falkus. To Polia, you are naturally one of his own."

"And me?" He pointed at himself, the sneer on his face growing more pronounced. "My ancestor was a Marquis. Although I've fallen on hard times, my status is no worse than anyone else's."

"As a Great Knight, I personally established the Black Knight Order and helped Polia with so many things. How much territory did I receive in the end?"

"In the end, there are too many people from House Falkus. They have completely carved up the territories in the north, leaving no room for outsiders."

Speaking of this, his expression became calm and composed. "Since that's the case, why can't I go and take back what belongs to me?"

"What he won't give me, I'll take with my sword!"

"You!!" Flar's face immediately turned ashen.

What Arcadia said was indeed the truth.

House Falkus's rule in the north was too overbearing. Nobles without the Falkus bloodline were inherently suppressed.

This practice reached its peak during Count Polia's reign. In the decades he ruled, a large number of noble families without the Falkus surname declined, suppressed by his harsh methods.

Ultimately, during the nearly hundred years of House Falkus's rule in the north, rebellions by these external noble families had never ceased. It was just that none had ever been as tragic as this, with even Arcadia, the foremost Knight of the north, leading the rebellion.

"Lord Arcadia..."

Behind Arthur, Edward looked at Arcadia in the distance with disbelief.

He had always regarded this foremost Knight of the north as his idol, but he never expected that his idol would stand on the opposite side of him this time and be the first to rebel.

"Arthur."

In front, Arcadia paid no attention to the reactions of the others. He merely looked at Arthur with a complex and solemn gaze. "You truly surprise me. In the history of the Kingdom of Arius, the fastest person to be promoted to Great Knight was the legendary King Avayad, who was promoted at the age of fifteen, two years later than you."

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

He praised first, then his tone suddenly changed, becoming somewhat stern. "I also have some good news for you. Your father, Baron Exilan, died not long ago. He died by my hand!!"

After saying this, he looked up ahead, his icy gaze fixed on Arthur's face.

However, he did not find the anger and loss of reason he expected in Arthur. His face was calm. Even after hearing the dire news, he only paused for a moment.

What he didn't know was that for Arthur, his so-called father in this world held little emotional significance. Let alone hearing of his death, he might not even be moved if the man died before his eyes.

Arcadia believed that as a member of House Falkus, Arthur would never surrender to them, the rebels. But in reality, if he had tried to sway Arthur earlier, Arthur might have actually agreed.

After all, judging by the current situation, Arcadia and his group were advancing aggressively, with unknown forces supporting them. Count Polia's side might not be able to win. Therefore, for Arthur, there would be no psychological pressure in choosing to join the rebels to avoid danger.

However, it was too late now.

His "biological father" had been killed by the enemy. Even if he were willing to surrender now, the other side would never accept such a powerful enemy. He could only walk this path to the very end.