Harvest

The flames roared out, astonishingly fast, their high temperature causing hair to curl and moisture to evaporate rapidly from within the body.

No Knight Squire dared to directly block an offensive Magic Seal.

At least...

Karl hadn't encountered one so far.

"Hmph!"

Iron Fist Abe on the opposite side grunted, leaping nearly three meters into the air to evade the incoming flames and lunging forward.

He was met by a second burst of flame.

Fire Seal!

"Ah!"

Iron Fist Abe roared to the heavens, clenching his fingers into fists and smashing directly at the oncoming flames.

"Peng!"

The flames dispersed.

A scorched smell also wafted over.

"Iron Fist?"

Karl's gaze lingered on the opponent's fists for a moment before he gently pushed his left arm again, activating the Fire Seal.

With his current strength, he could activate six Fire Seals in one go.

Although the opponent's fists were strangely powerful, even capable of smashing through flames, his arms lacked protection and would surely be difficult to sustain.

"Swish!"

The figure in front flickered. Iron Fist Abe's speed suddenly surged, and he dodged the flames, charging to close the distance.

Combat Skill—Roar!

This was a special combat skill.

By letting out a beast-like roar, one could inspire themselves, causing their life force to surge and thereby temporarily increasing speed and attack power.

The sudden change caused Karl's eyes to narrow. Simultaneously, his raised left hand gently snapped his fingers.

"Crack!"

A flash of light suddenly appeared.

Light Spell!

At the same time.

An invisible force field enveloped the surroundings.

Zero-ring Witchcraft—Lesser Force Field!

"Pfft!"

Iron Fist Abe's punch penetrated the force field. The air rippled like the surface of water, and the slight obstruction in speed caused Karl's heart to sink.

What's going on?

Why is the force field's suppression so weak?

The power of Sorcery was closely related to the strength of Mental Power. With Karl's current Mental Power, which was approaching that of an Intermediate Wizard Apprentice, the Lesser Force Field should be able to suppress a Knight Squire's strength by thirty to forty percent.

In other words, it should make a Knight Squire only slightly stronger than an ordinary person.

But now...

Iron Fist Abe's speed and strength, while affected to a certain degree, were far from being suppressed that much.

However, it was still affected after all.

"Clang..."

His broadsword was held horizontally in front of him.

Fist met blade, and both staggered back.

Karl's feet cracked the earth. He surged forward, borrowing strength, and his broadsword instantly conjured four afterimages.

Combat Skill—Gale Slash!

Taking advantage of the opponent's inability to see, he went all out.

"Ding..."

"Ding-ding-dang-dang..."

The sounds of impact were like a sudden downpour. Iron Fist Abe, unable to see, roared loudly, his fists striking out left and right, but he couldn't stop the tide of retreat.

"Pfft!"

A sword shadow flashed past his calf, and he let out a scream, falling to one knee.

"Die!"

Karl's eyes narrowed, and he swung his sword down.

Furious Strike!

"Clang..."

A fist blocked the blade. The immense impact force sent Karl leaning back, staggering backward.

What incredible strength!

The instantaneous burst of power from this guy must have exceeded one thousand, if not for the force field suppression, Karl knew he wouldn't have stood a chance.

Furthermore, Iron Fist Abe's boxing was extremely skilled. Even without sight, he could withstand the slashes of a broadsword and even combat skills with his solid boxing martial skills.

"Swish!"

Just then, a figure flashed by at high speed, a dagger in hand, stabbing towards Iron Fist Abe from behind.

It was Aya.

The dagger in her hand was extremely sharp, capable of easily cutting through armor. Flesh and blood would be even less able to resist it.

"Agh!"

Xiao Nan also roared as he charged forward, a heavy wooden shield in hand, his whole body tucked behind it as he desperately accelerated.

"Hoo..."

Karl took a deep breath, steadying the restless energy within him, and joined the fray, also swinging his broadsword.

"Pfft!"

The dagger sliced through Iron Fist Abe's flesh.

"Bang!"

With immense force, the wooden shield in Xiao Nan's hand was directly shattered, and he himself was sent flying.

Karl's figure collided head-on with Iron Fist Abe in mid-air, sword shadows and fist edges grinding against each other, sending sparks flying everywhere.

The three of them, working together, still couldn't gain the upper hand for the moment.

However, the battles elsewhere were nearing their end, and more and more people were joining the encirclement.

"Aya!"

"Boss!"

"..."

"Kill!"

After seeing all of this without a single mistake.

A moment later.

"Pfft!"

As Karl swung his broadsword, the blood-soaked Iron Fist Abe swayed and finally collapsed to the ground in defeat.

His heavy body kicked up a cloud of dust.

"Hoo..."

Karl let out a long breath and urged them on:

"Pack up, let's go!"

They weren't far from Laka Market, and there was a high chance of alerting the city guards. If they heard the commotion and came over, it would be troublesome.

"Yes."

Aya, with an injured shoulder, gritted her teeth and nodded, signaling for everyone to clean up the battlefield and leave quickly.

No one noticed a few rats in the corner of the manor scurrying quickly over the corpses and disappearing into a hole.

*

*

*

"Uncle."

Aya rushed over, her face full of excitement. Seeing Karl's expression, she couldn't help but pause, asking in surprise:

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Karl shook his head.

"I just didn't expect Iron Fist Abe to be so strong. As for me... I was a bit too narrow-minded."

He had thought that with his mastery of Sorcery, Magic Seals, and Breathing Techniques, he would have few opponents at the Knight Squire stage.

He hadn't expected that...

The leader of a small faction in Black City had almost rendered him powerless, a bitter feeling rising in his heart.

"Sitting in a well, looking at the sky?"

Aya blinked. Although she had never heard these words before, she understood their meaning and couldn't help but laugh:

"Iron Fist Abe is a master among Knight Squires, otherwise he wouldn't have been recruited by the Brotherhood. Moreover, he was able to contend with Uncle for a short time by using his combat skills to stimulate his potential."

"Uncle is still more formidable."

Karl gently shook his head.

He had only benefited from having more tricks up his sleeve.

Iron Fist Abe's Martial Skills were extremely exquisite. His moves were not complicated, yet they were incredibly effective when executed.

His combat skills were also used with great proficiency.

This was likely the norm in Black City.

Like that red-haired man...

He too could rely on his solid fundamental skills to directly withstand Karl's combat skills. Dina might not even be able to do that. Life-and-death combat honed Martial Skills far beyond what could be achieved in the outside world.

"Perhaps it's precisely because of Black City's environment that the martial artists here are all so formidable."

"Iron Fist Abe might be a master among the Knight Squires in Black City, but he's definitely not the strongest. There are many stronger than him."

Calming himself, Karl smiled again.

He had been a bit too sensitive, getting dejected after a small setback. It was actually good to recognize this early, to avoid becoming blindly arrogant. That way, he wouldn't be caught unprepared when he encountered truly powerful individuals in the future.

What's more...

Iron Fist Abe had been famous for many years and was still a Knight Squire, which indicated he had difficulty becoming stronger. However, he still had great potential.

"Right."

Remembering something, Karl asked:

"Iron Fist Abe should have had a Magic Seal on him too, right?"

"Yes," Aya nodded.

"It seemed to be called 'Steel Body,' which increases the body's defense. However, the Magic Seal was already destroyed when he died."

Karl understood.

If a person was too severely injured, or if the flesh and blood around the Magic Seal festered, it would cause the Magic Seal to be damaged.

There were even secret techniques that could directly destroy a Magic Seal to prevent it from falling into enemy hands.

Steel Body?

"The Magic Seal probably had little effect on Iron Fist Abe's Magic Force Field. It's highly likely due to the Magic Seal."

"Magic Seals can resist magic!"

"Oh, right."

Aya remembered something important and clapped her hands.

"We found a chest in Iron Fist Abe's stronghold. Inside were eighteen portions of Exotic Beast Meat."

"And hundreds of Black Stones, some collections..."

Karl didn't hear the rest, his attention completely focused on the eighteen portions of Exotic Beast Meat.

"Really?"

"It's real."

Aya nodded.