Are You Talking About Battle Qi?

Because of the grave crisis posed by the invasion of Dark Creatures, Nalant spent the next few days mostly inside the castle, training and preparing for battle.

As for civil matters like patrolling the territory, those would have to wait until this life-or-death crisis was resolved.

Time flew by, and a week passed in the blink of an eye.

The castle dining hall, spanning over eighty square meters, was rectangular and felt both empty and quiet. Its only drawback was the lack of sufficient decorations; a single, old copper chandelier hung overhead, which clearly failed to highlight the lord's wealth. Nalant sat alone at the long table, enjoying his dinner with a knife and fork.

"My lord, Captain Vivian reports that the small pits you ordered to be dug are finished. Captain Quick has also successfully invited Lord Anthony!" Steward Thomas walked quickly into the dining hall.

"Good, the timing should be just about right!" Nalant nodded upon hearing this.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Just at that moment, several explosions suddenly echoed from the sky, accompanied by flashes of light that appeared with each blast!

"It's starting!" Nalant muttered, setting down his knife and fork. The greatest crisis for Storm Territory was finally arriving with tonight's meteor shower.

"Thomas, remember, without my orders, do not open the castle gates later!" Nalant stood up and instructed Thomas once more.

"Yes, my lord!"

After receiving the confirmation, Nalant gripped the longsword at his waist and exited the dining hall.

Tonight, Nalant was fully armed. He wore both chainmail and leather armor as a double precaution, and he had equipped a small round shield on his left forearm and a helmet on his head.

Combined with the longsword at his waist, this standard military gear weighed at least twenty pounds.

In the past, if Nalant had worn this equipment, he certainly would have felt burdened, but now he walked with a steady and effortless gait.

Because just last night, Nalant had finally gathered enough fire-attribute Battle Qi, planting a Battle Qi Seed within his body and becoming a powerful, extraordinary Title Knight.

"Greetings, my lord!"

"Greetings, my lord!"

When Nalant arrived outside the castle, Quick and Vivian were already waiting with the guards.

Seeing Nalant fully armed, everyone looked somewhat surprised.

As for Anthony, seeing Nalant in such a state made him feel uneasy. If he weren't already outside the castle, he would have mounted his horse and left immediately.

"Lord, I wonder why you asked me to come here so late?" Anthony asked cautiously.

"Anthony, tonight is the Night of Meteors. I simply invited you to the castle to enjoy the view!" Nalant replied with a smile.

Anthony's face darkened upon hearing this, assuming Nalant was mocking him. "My apologies, my lord. As a civil official, my duties are quite busy. Since you have no serious business with me, I shall take my leave!"

With that, Anthony prepared to depart.

"Oh no, my lord! A massive meteor shower is falling right toward us!" one of the guards suddenly shouted.

Following that, everyone looked up at the sky in horror.

Although they had seen meteor showers before, it was a weekly occurrence. While they were nervous, they had managed to remain calm.

But now it was different; there were actually twenty or thirty meteors falling directly toward them.

"We're doomed! We're doomed!" The guards turned pale, their hands and legs trembling uncontrollably.

The only person in the field who remained calm was Nalant, for he knew exactly how many creatures would invade tonight and that the landing site was less than two hundred meters from the castle.

"Is this the Land of Misfortune? We've only been here for a week and we've already encountered such a large wave of Dark Creatures!" Anthony trembled as he watched the massive meteor shower descend. He knew exactly how the previous lords had died.

"My lord, it's dangerous here! Return to the castle quickly!" Quick and the others reacted, preparing to escort Nalant back inside.

"No, Quick! The experiences of four previous lords have taught us that hiding in this dilapidated castle is no way to survive against Dark Creatures! Therefore..." Nalant scanned the faces of those present, then drew his longsword with a sharp clang.

"Therefore, our only chance tonight is to kill them all while they land, before their strength has fully recovered!"

After Dark Creatures landed, whether due to the impact or other factors, they essentially went through a five-minute period of weakness.

During this time, the strength of the Dark Creatures was reduced by more than half, so this was the only opportunity Nalant had to eliminate them.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

At the moment Nalant raised his sword, the meteors finally slammed into the ground one after another. The continuous, thunderous roars made everyone's heart tremble.

"You're insane! Nalant, you've lost your mind! You want to fight with these ten guards and ten serfs who don't even have leather armor?" Anthony looked at Nalant as if he were a fool.

"Anthony, I don't care what your purpose is in coming to Storm Territory, but if you want to survive, I expect you to follow my orders. You don't have to participate in the battle, but I am requisitioning your five guards!" Nalant finally revealed the reason he had invited Anthony.

Although Anthony was a piece of work, his five guards were from the Count's own guard unit. They were not only well-trained but also fully equipped with weapons and leather armor.

"Impossible! I won't risk my life with a madman like you. Twenty or thirty Dark Creatures—even a true Baron might not be able to resist them, let alone a lord like you who has no Battle Qi? And Nalant, your subordinates, including the serfs, only total twenty people. This is pure suicide!" As he spoke, Anthony prepared to mount his horse.

"Anthony, do you think you can run away now? Look ahead, the road is already blocked by the Dark Creatures!" Nalant had known this guy wouldn't surrender easily, which was why he had invited him to the castle gate in advance.

Sure enough, when Anthony looked outside the castle, the newly formed impact craters had completely blocked the exit.

Nalant's castle was not built on flat ground, but on an isolated hill.

The noble who originally built the castle had excavated all the earth and stone around the hill, leaving only a gentle slope about ten meters wide in front of the castle as a passage.

In this way, even without a moat, the steep cliffs with a drop of over thirty meters around the castle prevented enemies from attacking from all sides.

Likewise, if Nalant and his men wanted to leave the castle now, they could only descend via this forty-to-fifty-meter-long slope in front.

The Dark Creatures were already beginning to crawl out of the craters. If Anthony tried to run past them, he would likely be surrounded.

Nalant thought that under these circumstances, Anthony would behave himself.

However, Nalant had underestimated Anthony's cowardice, or perhaps his lack of moral fiber. Seeing that escape was hopeless, Anthony hatched a plan, setting his sights on Nalant's guard unit.

"You people, do you really want to throw your lives away with this madman Nalant?"

"Let me tell you, Dark Creatures are terrifying. Forget about attacking; even if we defend inside the castle, that unmaintained gate won't hold them back. This crumbling castle has already been breached four times!"

"So, if you want to live, this is your only chance. Follow me and let's run, let's charge out together!" Anthony was trying to incite Nalant's guards to desert. Only if everyone charged into the Dark Creatures together could he use his horse to escape safely.

"Anthony, you're courting death!" Nalant was shocked by Anthony's shamelessness. Seeing time slipping away, Nalant grew visibly impatient.

"Isn't it true? Think about why so many Dark Creatures are attacking. Is it because your lord failed to kill that Daughter of Misfortune?" Anthony, unafraid of Nalant's threat, hid behind his five guards and continued his incitement.

"Anthony, I'll ask you one last time: will you obey my orders?" Nalant was truly furious. If he let him continue spouting nonsense, it would ruin his plans.

"Nalant, don't even think about it! You five, protect me! And you lot, come with me and run! If we don't leave now, it'll be too late. Don't die with a useless lord like this! If not for the Count's decree, he'd just be a pathetic second son of a Baron, without even any Battle Qi..."

"If you want to die, then I'll grant your wish!" Nalant said no more. The next moment, red spiritual light erupted from his entire body as he charged directly at the five guards in front of Anthony.

Nalant, now possessing Battle Qi, was beyond what the five guards could resist. In an instant, they were scattered, and Nalant's figure appeared right in front of Anthony.

"You... you... how could you..."

Pfft!

Without giving Anthony any chance to react, the longsword pierced directly into his chest before his horrified eyes.

"Are you talking about Battle Qi? My apologies, I am already a Title Knight!"