Legendary Bloodline

Saban Chavez, the Norton Empire's genius knight, had become a knight at the tender age of fourteen—a peerless prodigy. Throughout the Norton Empire, countless boys idolized him, and countless girls went mad for him. But aside from his opponents, no one knew that this knightly genius with such a boundless future was actually a madman.

Saban liked fighting. He loved killing. The feeling of a blade slicing through muscle and skin intoxicated him, and the stronger the enemy, the more intense the pleasure brought by that slicing blade.

When Saban had been chosen as a Wizard Apprentice, even the King of the Norton Empire had wished to plead for him, hoping the wizards would spare this genius knight.

Yet Saban had refused it all.

To him, the power of wizards fascinated him. If he could kill a wizard with his blade, that pleasure would probably send him straight to heaven.

And so, Saban had become a Wizard Apprentice and taken part in this entrance examination.

Powerful opponents, legal killing—this was practically heaven to him.

So when he saw an apprentice capable of killing a Magic Beast, his heart surged with excitement.

This was what he sought.

Until a dazzling blaze appeared before him.

An orange-red meteor flew from Richard's hand, shooting straight at Saban.

Saban felt an unprecedented terror in that fireball, a terror even greater than what he had felt upon seeing a Magic Beast.

"What kind of magic is this?"

Saban had no time to think. He instinctively tried to dodge, but just as he brushed past the fireball—

The fireball exploded.

Boom!

The violent flames turned Saban's clothes to ash. The Chainmail that had been meant to protect him now became red-hot branding irons, leaving streak after streak of charred marks across his body.

The enormous shockwave blasted Saban away in an instant. Before he could even react, his body flew like a cannonball, and the Greatsword in his hand slipped free.

On the other side of the Fireball Technique, Richard watched it all quietly. Before him, a transparent barrier blocked every last ripple of the explosion.

Zero-Ring Spell: Force Field Barrier

"Whew! So this was Lesser Fireball? Was the gap between first-ring magic and Zero-Ring Spells really this huge?"

Richard looked at the crater beside Saban, three meters wide and half a meter deep, and a flicker of shock passed through his heart.

The power of this spell was nearly on par with a cannonball.

"Taking a spell like that head-on, that guy should be dead by now."

Richard looked toward the forest, only to suddenly hear an angry roar erupt from within.

"Bastard! I'll chop you to pieces!"

A black figure charged out of the woods. The tall body, the scorched flesh—it was Saban, who had just been blasted away.

After taking a Lesser Fireball head-on, he was actually still alive.

Richard retreated several steps and fired two Magic Missiles from his hand, intending to stop Saban. But after rushing out of the forest, Saban did not continue his pursuit. With a sidestep, he dodged Richard's Magic Missiles.

Without time to think, Richard immediately wanted to use Ice Cone Spell to open Saban's chest wide. But before the ice cone could fly, Saban's transformation left Richard greatly startled.

White Qi continually billowed from Saban's nose and mouth, while a layer of Golden Fur began growing over his charred skin.

The Golden Fur grew thicker and thicker, and Saban's body swelled several sizes as though being inflated.

"Well, damn. Beastification?"

Seeing Saban's change, Richard immediately thought of the Legendary Knight from the Golden Lark legends.

Could this madman be a descendant of a Legendary Knight?

Richard raised his hand and fired an Ice Cone Spell, intending to finish Saban off. But Saban swung a hand and slapped it aside, sending the ice cone's trajectory veering away from him.

"This is troublesome. One shot didn't finish him."

Richard quietly gripped the Magic Dagger in a reverse hold. Judging from what he had shown so far, this madman was definitely a close-combat fighter.

"You're the first person to make me use my Legendary Bloodline!"

Saban moved his body. Chunks of charred skin fell away, while his newly grown flesh sprouted another layer of Golden Fur beneath the effects of his Legendary Bloodline.

Without changing expression, Richard checked the charging time of his Fireball Technique staff.

Two minutes remained before it was charged.

This was getting troublesome.

After completing his transformation, Saban tore off his Chainmail, leaving only the Arm Guards on his arms. The muscles across his body were swelling at a visible rate, and armor that had once fit him perfectly had now become shackles.

"Legendary Bloodline? Are you perhaps a descendant of a Legendary Knight, sir?"

Richard wanted to talk some nonsense and stall for time. As long as he waited for the Fireball Technique to finish charging, even if this beastified madman were a Legendary Knight, he would still be reduced to charcoal.

Richard had not been fooled by Saban's outward appearance. Having suffered a point-blank blast from a Lesser Fireball comparable to a cannonball, this madman's internal organs had definitely been severely injured.

Internal injuries were far harder to recover from than external ones. As long as he got another Fireball Technique off, this madman would surely die on the spot.

But how could Saban let him have his way?

With his Legendary Bloodline activated, Saban felt boundless strength surging through his body. Though he knew it was only an illusion, Saban still found himself intoxicated by it.

Just as Richard had guessed, Saban's internal injuries were nowhere near as easy to recover from as his external wounds. Activating his Legendary Bloodline had even shown signs of worsening them.

He had to end this quickly.

Bang!

Saban took one step forward, and his speed surged. In the blink of an eye, he crossed dozens of meters and arrived before Richard.

"Die!"

Saban threw a punch. The powerful wind from his fist even sent Richard's hair flying.

If this punch landed, Richard's fate would not be much better than Relid's.

But with a hum, the air before Richard rippled like the surface of water.

Saban's fist stopped before Richard, unable to advance another inch.

Force Field Barrier, kid!

With a cold smile, Richard swept his dagger in a dangerous arc, driving straight for Saban's heart.

Ice Cone Spell needed distance to accelerate and had little power at close range. At this distance, the dagger was just right.

Seeing his strike fail, Saban's heart sank. He turned his hand and used his Arm Guard to block the dagger.

The collision let out a piercing screech that set teeth on edge. When the two separated, a shallow mark had appeared on Saban's Arm Guard.

"What an incredible dagger."

"What a hard Arm Guard."

The two pulled apart. Richard had now abandoned all thoughts of attacking. He had held every advantage with that last strike, yet still gained nothing. Now that Saban was alert, a rash attack would inevitably expose a fatal opening.

After pulling back, Saban retrieved the Two-handed Greatsword. Having endured the Fireball Technique's baptism, its blade remained straight and gleaming. It was clearly an extraordinary item, just like the Arm Guards. It might even have been the sword carried by that Legendary Knight back in the day.

The instant the Greatsword entered his hands, Saban's aura surged. The Golden Fur covering his body stirred despite the absence of wind.

There was a high wall between bare hands and a weapon.

"I've decided that I'll cut off your head later and make it my trophy. Your skull will be displayed beside my most precious prey."

Saban held the Greatsword and spoke wildly. The next instant, the Greatsword collided with the dagger.

The Force Field Barrier had been broken through!

Clang!

Richard barely managed to brace the Greatsword. Even weakened by the Force Field Barrier, the force behind it was still difficult for Richard to bear.

"This is only someone with a Legendary Bloodline. How strong must the Legendary Knights of old have been?"

When his first strike failed, Saban twisted his wrist, and the Two-handed Greatsword instantly slashed toward Richard's other side. But to Richard, who possessed the skill of Wind Raven Swordplay, Saban's technique was no different from a child's scribbling.

Clang.

Seeing two consecutive strikes blocked, a thoughtful gleam flashed through Saban's eyes.

"This kid is skilled, but he lacks strength. Even after my sword is weakened by that barrier, he still struggles to block it. If I simply compete in strength, this kid definitely won't be able to withstand it."

As his train of thought changed, so did Saban's moves—and that struck directly at Richard's weakness.

In an instant, Richard was forced back step by step. Even with the skill of Wind Raven Swordplay, Richard found it difficult to hold on while at a disadvantage in both weapon and strength.

"Hahahaha! Where are your spells now?!"

Saban laughed madly, his momentum growing greater and greater. Every move was broad and fierce; he attacked without defending, every strike aimed to take a life.

Richard checked his Staff with his mental power, but in that brief moment of distraction, Saban found an opening.

In an instant, the Greatsword pierced through the Force Field Barrier and left a wound a finger's depth deep in Richard's chest.

"Hiss!"

The intense pain made Richard suck in a sharp breath, and his mind grew somewhat sluggish. In the moves that followed, Richard was wounded with every exchange. Fortunately, all his injuries were merely superficial. Under the effects of adrenaline, Richard gradually adapted, and his mind cleared as well.

"Ten seconds left. I need to widen the distance."

Richard's expression remained calm. Spells did not distinguish between friend and foe—if he stood too close, Richard would be blasted away by his own Fireball Technique as well.

Richard silently counted the time, then suddenly unleashed several spells at once. Magic Missiles mixed with Ice Cone Spell instantly halted Saban's advance, and Richard took the chance to pull away from him.

"Not good. He's going to use that spell."

The moment Saban saw Richard widen the distance, a sense of dread rose in his heart. The terror of being blasted away by the fireball flooded back, making him instinctively want to flee.

But though he was fast, spells were faster.

Richard waved his Staff, and an orange-red fireball flew from his hand, smashing into Saban like a meteor.

Amid a thunderous roar, this genius knight of the Norton Empire became, like countless bones over the past four thousand years, nourishment for the forest.