The Seventh Judgment Knight's cold snort drowned out the clamor of tens of thousands of people and carried far and wide.
People are waiting for King of Chambord's response.
However, a minute passed, two minutes passed... and more than ten minutes passed, but the roar or the contemptuous reply that people had imagined coming from the direction of the Chambord camp did not come. The bright sunshine shone on the silver snow, and during this time, a rare silence suddenly appeared around the Number One Sword-Testing Platform.
"Snort!"
The Seventh Judgment Knight received no reply from his opponent for a long time, nor did he become angry as many people had imagined. He simply snorted coldly and did not speak again. Instead, he stood proudly on the testing platform, his eyes closed and silent. The crimson flames around his body swirled like mist, and the hazy crimson light made his figure and appearance somewhat blurred, appearing and disappearing like a dream.
He was waiting.
Because there are still ten minutes until the exact noon time.
The atmosphere at the scene was so tense it was suffocating.
Everyone understood that the Bloody Knight was enraged.
No one dared to speak loudly around the Number One Sword-Testing Platform. The Bloody aura emanating from the proud and wild figure on the platform made everyone feel as if they were in a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, causing them to feel suffocated and their hearts to pound. The timid ones turned pale, and even the brave ones dared not breathe.
The name of the Bloody Knight infamous, its ferocity covering a twenty-mile-long military camp.
Even the important figures in the VIP seats dared not utter a sound of jest, maintaining a tacit silence. The Imperial Knights' Hall was arguably the darkest and Bloody institution in the Zenit Empire. Directly under the Emperor, the Knights' Hall possessed absolute power to oversee its 250 vassal states and all nobles, large and small, and was not bound by ordinary imperial laws. Over the past twenty years, countless renowned King of vassal states and imperial nobles and ministers, whether unjustly or not, had been burned to death on the Knights' Hall's execution pillar. Even members of the Empire's seven major noble factions had been executed by the Knights Hall's iron-fisted methods. Furthermore, on the Knights' Hall's first golden execution pillar, three imperial princes and four Prince had been impaled and killed with javelins for treason.
Knights' Hall' Prison is a symbol of absolute torture and dark death.
For more than twenty years, no one who has been imprisoned in the Knights' Hall Prison, no matter how prominent their previous status or how powerful their authority, has ever come out alive.
The forces that maintain the mystery and cruelty of the Knights' Hall, besides the lofty Emperor, are the legendary and incredibly mysterious Grand Knights' Hall Commander Akinfeev and the Ten Judgment Knight.
The Seventh Judgment Knight Krude, is known as the Bloody Knight, a testament to his ruthless methods, vicious mind, and Bloody nature. He cultivated his sharp metal-type Dou Qi to a crimson hue by absorbing the essence of the dead, having walked through mountains of corpses and seas of blood. While all ten Judgment Knight are top-tier experts, each with their own unique skills and characteristics, in terms of sheer bloodlust and infamous reputation, the Seventh Judgment Knight Krude, is absolutely unparalleled!
Before the supremely powerful and high-ranking Judgment Knight, among the countless beings within the vast Zenit Empire, only the Emperor and the Guardian Martial Saint truly dared to face them without fear or bow their heads.
" King of Chambord, how dare you be so arrogant?"
A few minutes later, at the very front of the VIP section, the Second [ Slaughter Knight ], clad in armor covered in strange blade scales, looking as ferocious as a human weapon, sat imposingly on a stone chair. A strange power blurred his figure, and a double-blade-shaped mask concealed his expression, revealing only his pair of murderous eyes. He suddenly spoke softly.
That one sentence instantly lowered the temperature of the air.
"A country bumpkin, even if he has some strength, can't handle a big scene." The Fifth [ Violence Knight ] said with disdain. The Fourth [ Great Strength Knight ] nodded slightly, seemingly in agreement.
Meanwhile, the third [ Punishment Knight ], the sixth [ Radiant Knight ], and the eighth [ White Cloud Knight ], each clad in different magical armors, exuding immense power and a boundless aura, remained silent. The three exchanged glances, their eyes meeting through their bizarre and terrifying masks, without saying a word.
In the VIP area, some observant people have quietly noticed that the seating arrangements of the six Judgment Knight unexpectedly appeared seem to reveal strange information. The distance between the six knights varies, as if they have been divided into two small groups. It turns out that the Ten Judgment Knight of the Empire are not as monolithic and invincible as outsiders imagine!
The Sun was getting a little hotter, and there were only three minutes left until the exact noon.
Some are already speculating that the King of Chambord has not yet appeared because he is afraid to come due to fear of battle.
Just then, another change occurred.
Near the city gates of the distant capital, the rapid, thunderous sound of hooves echoed once more. A vast, dark mass of knights surged forth from the gates like a tidal wave, followed closely by black magical carriages. Unlike the powerful families of the capital who had appeared earlier, these knights rode ordinary warhorses, their movements perfectly synchronized, exuding an aura of solemnity and nobility. They arrived in an instant, heading towards the capital.
"This is the Holy Church's cavalry."
"Why is it that even the Holy Church has started paying attention to this duel?"
"I wonder which dignitary from the Church has arrived. Could it be His Holiness the Pope?"
This time, it was the turn of the VIPs to be shocked and surprised. Even the six silent Judgment Knights, beneath their masks, revealed a strange look in their eyes. Originally, it was just a simple duel. Since one of the parties involved was one of the Ten Judgment Knights, the appearance of the six of them was within everyone's understanding and acceptance. But now, even the high-ranking officials of the Holy See's Zenit Empire diocese had appeared below the testing ground. This was absolutely beyond everyone's expectations.
The black-armored knight appeared, and all was silent.
Amidst the watchful eyes of the crowd, the simple and solemn black magic carriage drove to the foot of the sword-testing platform, but made no further move, simply waiting quietly. The person inside the carriage showed no intention of coming out to ascend to the VIP area, revealing an air of mystery and eeriness.
Finally, the sun reached its zenith.
The time for the duel is approaching.
A streak of silver light shot towards the capital.
To everyone's surprise, a silver streak flashed past, flickered Number One Sword-Testing Platform, and transformed into a graceful figure in flowing white robes, landing on the platform.
The man held a gold-plated feather fan in his left hand and a magnificent gold wine vessel tightly in his right. His long black hair flowed haphazardly behind his head, and a small, gold-plated, enchanted animal skin pouch was tied around his waist. His entire body shimmered with gold, as if plated with gold. He simply paused, standing on the sword-testing platform, completely unaffected by the blood-red killing intent emanating from the Seventh Bloody Knight. He lightly waved his feather fan and wine vessel, his demeanor exuding an indescribable air of elegance and otherworldly grace.
"The duel has begun! The countdown has started. If King of Chambord does not complete the duel within ten breaths, he will be considered a coward!"
After drinking a mouthful of fine wine, the figure in white robes stood on the sword platform and read aloud.
As he spoke, he made no gestures, shouted, or used any magical equipment. Yet, his voice strangely drowned out the clamor of the surrounding crowd, reaching everyone's ears clearly, as if whispering in their ear. His enunciation was clear, and his words possessed a magical charm that compelled people to listen intently to him continue.
Materazzi, the empire's foremost bard.
A legendary figure, he roams the world with unfathomable strength, never revealing his true power to the outside world, yet no one considers him weak. Rumor has it that this bard, who only loves gold and the art of flattery and insult, has a mysterious origin, appearing and disappearing like a dragon. He is said to have a close relationship with Emperor Yassin of the Empire, and even the one on Martial Saint Mountain has a significant connection with him.
In the Azeroth Continent, it is a tradition that duels on the Sword Testing Platform are usually witnessed by famous bards. This shocking duel between Six-Star Class powerhouses can be considered the first duel in several years. Therefore, it is only natural that the legendary Imperial First Bard, Materazzi, would witness and record it. Upon seeing his appearance, the onlookers were excited but not particularly surprised.
"Ten... nine... eight... seven..."
Materazzi raised his goblet and drank deeply, his mouth never resting for a moment, yet his voice carried far and wide, clear and resonant like a great bell, echoing in everyone's ears.
"Five... four... three... two..."
Just as the Empire's First Bard was about to utter the syllable "one," a thunderous roar suddenly echoed through the air, approaching from the distant Chambord Army camp by the river, sweeping across the heavens and earth like lightning.
"He's appeared... King of Chambord has really appeared!"
"He's here..."
"What audacity! To actually dare to accept the Seventh Knight's challenge!!"
The terrifying force immediately alarmed everyone inside and outside the sword-testing platform. Many people stood up in shock and looked back into the distance, but they could not see the figure they were looking forward to. They only felt a terrifying surge of energy that made them unsteady on their feet, staggering and swaying. The crowd collapsed as a powerful force crushed over their heads.
The aura of King of Chambord's appearance was absolutely no weaker than that of the Seventh Bloody Knight Krud, far exceeding many people's previous expectations!
"Snort!"
A cold snort shattered the clamor of ten thousand people.
On the testing platform, the blood-red, wild figure twitched slightly at the shoulder!
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh--!"
Amidst the piercing whistling of sword energy tearing through the air, four streaks of blood-red sword energy transformed into rainbows, bursting forth from the [ Bloody Knight ], staining the sky crimson, cleaving space, and mercilessly slashing towards the source of the thunderous sound in mid-air!
A figure finally appeared in the sky.
Facing the oncoming crimson sword energy, the figure flickered repeatedly at the critical moment, dodging the blood-red sword energy with the slightest touch. Seemingly having nowhere to borrow strength and about to fall to the ground exhausted, the figure inexplicably accelerated in the void.
A series of afterimages streaked across the sky, and in the next instant, the figure stood atop the Number One Sword-Testing Platform.
"One..."
At that very instant, the final note of the countdown by the First Bard Materazzi reached the ears of everyone nearby. In the final breath of the time limit, King of Chambord Alexander, the other side of the duel who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, finally revealed himself!
Before the ten breaths had ended, King of Chambord appeared.
The duel is valid.
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