If the art style is wrong, then the art style is right!

"You shall hold dominion over the life and death of the defeated!"

An intangible whisper emerged beside his ear, and within Colin's heart, a sense of control over Li Chou took root.

As long as he wished, a single thought from him could make the other party drop dead on the spot.

Furthermore, Li Chou was unable to defy him and could not subjectively do anything to harm him.

At this moment, aside from his thoughts, his status was practically no different from a servant of the system, perhaps even worse.

Recalling the words just spoken, Colin had a sudden realization.

"Mr. Colin, are you injured?" The moment he appeared, Shana immediately enveloped him in a Holy Light Healing spell.

"Protect the Lord!" The servants quickly surrounded Colin, forming an impenetrable wall.

The battle they had just witnessed was unclear; they only knew the two had collided, and then it was immediately over.

"Phew, the battle was dangerous, but there's no major harm done, just a bit of a scare."

Facing everyone's concern, Colin put on a relieved expression, then held up two fingers to make a small gesture:

"Though it seems I am just a tiny bit stronger."

Hearing this, Shana and the others felt a weight lift off their shoulders. Except for Number Two, they had never seen Colin fight and didn't know the extent of his strength.

But he certainly looked fine.

That was good.

On the other side, several survivors looked at Li Chou, who was coughing up blood at Li Hang's feet ten meters away, their mouths twitching uncontrollably.

Then they looked at Colin, who hadn't sustained a single injury.

His subordinates were being way too double-standard!

This was clearly a completely one-sided battle!

Especially the opponent's breastplate, which had been completely smashed to pieces—was that something an ordinary person could do?

How was this just being a "tiny bit" stronger?

At this moment, they realized profoundly.

It wasn't just Shana who was a monster here; this survivor himself was also a monster!

Seeing Li Chou's state, they couldn't help but mourn in their hearts, their eyes filled with sympathy.

It was a good thing they had surrendered early!

Meanwhile, Colin walked toward the prone Li Chou, and Li Hang, standing beside him, immediately became flustered.

After all, this accident was a result of his improper handling.

Who the hell could have guessed that someone would hide important items outside their inventory?

No, wait—who could have guessed that such mysterious items existed in this world?

But fortunately, Colin simply comforted him, telling him not to be nervous, and patted his shoulder without saying anything else.

"This thing is not bad; it belongs to me now."

Looking at the triangular shield on the ground called the Shield of the Just Knight, Colin smiled. He knew very well how broken this thing could be if used correctly.

He then walked forward, bent down to pick it up, and inspected it, clearly sensing that this was no ordinary object.

The item looked covered in rust, but as Colin picked it up, he tried to exert force to damage it, yet he couldn't leave even the slightest scratch.

Just three seconds after Colin made direct contact with the shield, a repetitive whisper suddenly echoed in his ears:

"I crave a 'fair and just' battle."

"I crave a 'fair and just' battle."

"I crave a 'fair and just' battle."

Colin suddenly felt the urge to find something to duel with and looked at the unconscious, blood-spitting Li Chou on the ground.

He was the guy who "best" fit the requirements for a duel.

The dueling instinct seemed to prioritize those weaker than oneself.

Fortunately, this urge had only just surfaced and could be easily suppressed.

However, as time went on, this urge would only grow stronger.

"It seems he didn't carry this thing around all the time."

Colin muttered to himself and checked its information.

["Shield of the Just Knight": You may use it to issue a declaration, forcing an enemy within thirty meters to engage in a duel with you. The winner shall hold dominion over the life and death of the other.]

[Basic Rules: No escape, no outside interference, maximum battle duration of one hour.]

[Active Rules: The shield-bearer gains home-field advantage and may set three fair rules that align with general public perception, which both parties must obey.]

[Note: This item possesses negative effects; please explore and organize the specific details yourself.]

What the hell is "align with general public perception," Colin complained inwardly, then focused his attention and activated the prompt.

[A palm-sized shield, with two curved corners and covered in verdigris, its surface textures vaguely outlining a scale that symbolizes justice.]

[You believe it may be a manifestation of power from some powerful entity. You ponder, feeling that this entity should perhaps be called the "King of Knights," and that this mysterious item represents the virtue of "Justice" among the eight virtues of a knight.]

[Note: Daily contact should not exceed one hour, otherwise you may become a dueling maniac.]

"'King of Knights,' tsk, if the 'virtue of Justice' is already this shameless, I wonder how twisted the other 'virtues' are."

Colin muttered to himself, and at this moment, he noticed Shana staring at the shield in his hand with a strange expression.

"Do you recognize it?" he asked curiously.

Ever since she appeared, Shana had treated this world with a profound sense of unfamiliarity; whether it was the Church of Suffering or the Aberrations, she seemed to have no knowledge of them.

Colin had heard her speak of the past as she knew it, and he could only feel one thing.

It was as if she came from another world.

Or perhaps, she truly did come from another world.

"I feel like I've seen it somewhere. May I take a look?"

"Sure."

Colin did not refuse and handed the object over. After Shana took the shield, she subconsciously glanced at Li Chou, who was currently receiving treatment.

But soon, she suppressed the absurd thought in her heart.

"It should be a mysterious item belonging to the branch of knights representing 'Justice' among the eight virtue knights. The negative effect doesn't seem very strong, so it doesn't need to be sealed. I remember our church even studied some of their techniques."

Shana frowned slightly, finding it difficult to recall the past, and handed the shield back to Colin.

"Did they live in the same world as you?"

"Probably."

Shana hesitated for a moment before nodding.

For some reason, thinking of Shana's abnormal personal attributes, Colin felt that this whole thing suddenly made sense.

If the art style didn't match, then the art style was exactly right.

"Do you know what the abilities of the other 'virtues' are like?"

Colin asked, expressing his curiosity about these things—curious about how much more twisted the art style could get.

Shana tried hard to recall for a while, seemingly remembering something, but just as she was about to speak, she froze, and in the end, she could only shake her head:

"I don't know. I... I always feel like I remember, but as soon as I try to say it, I suddenly forget."

It seems the memories of special character cards are in a sealed state.

Colin secretly guessed in his heart.

Without dwelling on it, Colin reined in the flood of stray thoughts, tossed the rusty Triangular Shield in his hand, looked at the other survivors, and curled his lips into a grin:

"Anyone want to have a 1v1 friendly match?"

Thanks to "Yanyu and Yumo," "Jie Yu Jie (what a weird name that requires a Baidu search)," "Dark Non-flammable Trash," and "Love White Pear" for their generous tips, and thanks to everyone for their votes.