"Hey girls, when the competition comes, I'll cut your heads off..." A burly man, over two meters tall and bare-chested, saw the Chambord Expeditionary Army passing by in his country's camp, licked his blade, and revealed a ferocious smile.
"Roar--!" A massive, black, one- Grizzly -like beast lunged at the fence of the other camp, its jaws wide open, spewing a Bloody stench, as it roared at the passing members of the Chambord Expeditionary Army.
There were also warriors clad in full steel armor, their bright, bloodthirsty eyes the only visible feature. They stood silently like statues in their country's camp, their eyes fixed on every passerby. In their hands, they gripped a blood-dripping sword, its blade cold and menacing, as if ready to strike at any moment.
As Sun Fei atop the [ Black Whirlwind ], he heard a series of undisguised voices speaking loudly in his ears.
"A two-headed dog emblem? Which vassal state's coat of arms is this?"
"I don't know. Judging from the population size, it's just a pitifully small country..."
"Hey, small country, you're just here to be a supporting character in this Martial Combat Competition..."
"But the mounts these guys are riding... wait? They're actually level four magical beasts, Crimson Flame Beast? Could it be that King of Red Water has arrived? But King of Red Water is definitely not that young. Look at that young knight at the head; he should be their King..."
"What he's riding is... wait, I've never seen a magical beast like this before. It's neither a horse nor a horse, it looks more like a dog..."
"Nonsense, how could a dog be that big?"
Amidst the cacophony of whispered conversations, Sun Fei and his companions traversed most of the vassal state's encampment. Among the 250 vassal states under the Zenit Empire, some were extremely wealthy and powerful nations where everyone was clad in armor, while others, including their King, were clad in animal skins, resembling Barbarian from the deep mountains and forests. The armor worn by the military Urban Management and Saint of the Chambord Expeditionary Army was quite striking, attracting some covetous glances. In particular, the level four magical beast, the Crimson Flame Beast, ridden by the Saint drew the covetous eyes of many vassal state experts. Along the way, Sun Fei felt countless burning gazes.
Some people with ulterior motives even openly followed the group, wanting to find out what kind of force this army of less than a hundred men, which only arrived in the last few days, was.
" Your Alexander, this clearing by the river ahead is the camp allocated to Chambord City," the knight commander leading the way said Sun Fei, pointing to a large clearing near the river in the distance.
This was a clearing of about twenty acres, near a small river that ran through all the vassal state camps. The terrain was relatively flat, with withered grass growing on the ground. Being close to a water source, it was very suitable for setting up camp. The clearing was separated from the other vassal state camps by a stone tablet and iron chains. In the very center stood a ten-meter-high stone pillar with the three imposing characters ' Chambord City ' carved on it.
"Your Majesty, my name is Tosic. If Your Majesty needs anything, you can send someone to the First Battalion of the [ Blizzard Legion ] to find me. The expeditionary force has traveled a long way, so I won't disturb you any longer. I believe we will meet again soon!"
This knight commander named Tosic was very friendly, and judging from his tone, he was actually from the [ Blizzard Legion ], the number one ranked legion among the Empire's ten main combat legions, which surprised Sun Fei. After leading Sun Fei and the others to the designated camp, Tosic left behind a list of rules that the participating countries would need to follow during the Martial Combat Competition competition, and then quickly got up to take his leave. His attitude was very well-managed, neither offending nor offending anyone, while expressing goodwill for himself and those behind him. He was quite a shrewd person.
After seeing off the knight commander named Tosic, the expeditionary force immediately began setting up camp on the designated open space. Unlike the temporary camps they had set up along the way, the expeditionary force would be stationed here for the entire month-long martial arts competition. Therefore, the camp construction could not be taken lightly. Warden Oleg personally took charge of directing the soldiers in building the camp, and many luxurious encampment magical items and tents purchased from Hot Springs Pass were finally put to good use.
Outside the open space, those who had followed saw the three large characters on the ten-meter-high stone pillar in the middle of the open space and finally learned the origins of Sun Fei and his group. Most of them showed a look of fear on their faces and immediately turned around and ran back to their country's camp in a panic, wanting to report this shocking news to their King.
"Damn it... So these guys are the legendary ferocious Chambord people! We must report this to His Majesty as soon as possible. We absolutely must not provoke these guys. The King of Chambord, who defeated the Sun Golden Knight, is not someone a small fourth-class vassal state like ours can afford to offend!"
" The Chambord people? They're the Chambord people? Don't mess with them!"
"Judging from this, the black-haired boy riding the strange black beast must be none other than the infamous King of Chambord, whose fame has recently become unparalleled in the capital. He's so young? It's unbelievable! Did King of Chambord really defeat Chris Sutton, the Sun Golden Knight, one of the Ten Judgment Knight of the Imperial Knights' Hall? Such a person is only fit to be a friend, not an enemy!"
" The King of Chambord has appeared out of nowhere, his fearsome reputation resounding Twin Tower Peaks... Hmph, let you be smug for now, the German Knights' Hall will not allow you to remain so arrogant..."
Upon receiving reports from their subordinates, some King who had coveted the level-four magical beast, the Crimson Flame Beast, immediately abandoned their greed. These King were all well-informed and possessed their own methods and power. They already knew the outcome of the battle at Twin Tower Peaks and understood that the person who defeated the Golden Knight was not someone they could afford to offend, so they obediently became quiet.
Of course, not all King were well-informed. Although news of the Battle of Twin Tower Peaks was no secret among the upper echelons of the capital, for some King from remote areas who were unable to enter the capital and were thus isolated from information, the King of Chambord was not a peerless master who had defeated the Golden Knight, but merely the King of a sixth-rank vassal state weaker than themselves, and so young. What abilities could he possibly possess?
Greed began to run rampant.
"This is unfair. Why should a small, sixth-tier vassal state like Chambord City be granted such a large, perfect campsite next to the water source, just like first- or second-tier vassal states?"
"The people of Chambord are receiving excessive treatment!"
Some King raised this question.
However, before these discontented King could take any action, others had already impatiently begun their own. Suddenly, a tremendous sound, like thunder rolling from the heavens, resounded in the ears of everyone in the twenty-mile-long camp of the vassal state, causing dark clouds to gather in the sky—
" King of Chambord, I, Krude, challenge you! Tomorrow at noon, the First Sword Testing Ground awaits your arrival!"
The sound resounded throughout the heavens and earth.
Within the twenty-mile radius of the vassal state's camp, every King heard these words, and they all looked at each other in horror.
" Krude? He's a top-tier expert, ranked seventh among the ten Judgment Knight of the Imperial Knights' Hall, a figure of immense power and prestige. He's already challenging King of Chambord so soon?"
"Haha, it seems that King of Chambord's defeat of the Golden Knight has made even the lofty Knights' Hall feel ashamed. Recently, there have been all sorts of rumors circulating in the capital, and the Knights' Hall's reputation has been greatly damaged. The Chambord people have only been here for less than ten minutes, and Judgment Knight has already stepped forward to challenge them!"
"This is a good opportunity to see if the King of Chambord is really as invincible as the legends say!"
Sun Fei naturally heard the enormous, thunderous sound as well.
" Krude? Who's this guy?"
King Majesty could tell from the voice that the challenger was quite powerful, at least no less than Golden Knight, a true expert. He thought to himself, "Do I have such a mocking face that I'm always met with enemies who come to provoke me? Or am I just not ruthless enough, so everyone dares to show off in front of me?"
"Your Majesty, Claude is one of the Ten Judgment Knight, ranking seventh. His strength surpasses even that of the Golden Knight Sutton, and he is a top expert among the older generation of the Imperial Knights' Hall," Old Zola reported. He and Modrić had spent considerable time on intelligence these past few days. Although the intelligence system in Chambord City was truly meager, they had still managed to gather some information on figures like the Ten Judgment Knight, whose names shone like the sun and moon in the empire.
"Another one of the Ten Great Judgment Knight?"
Sun Fei stroked his chin thoughtfully, instantly understanding many of the reasons. It was a case of "beating the young one, then the old one comes." So this guy was here to settle scores? If the seventh-ranked Judgment Knight lost again, would the third, second, and first knights come to challenge him? Wouldn't that stir up a hornet's nest?
It seems necessary to take drastic measures to ensure these flies never dare to come near again.