"Are you planning on betraying the Whispering Shadow?" the vice-captain asked slowly. His killing intent began charging up.
"Like I said, if I want to, can you stop me? You're free to try," the captain said offhandedly, without even giving his vice-captain a glance. The level of disrespect was abundant.
"Arrogant! Absolutely arrogant! Do you think you're the king of the world? You're one man! Do you think we can't handle you? You underestimate the Whispering Shadow!"
"I think you're the one underestimating me."
"Very well! We'll show you what it means to betray us, Sword King Sin Quelldown!"
Unbelievably, the captain of the First Hand was the infamous and legendary Sword King himself! The title of Sword King was given to only one person. It represented absolute power and authority, reaching a near perfect mastery of the sword! He was the monarch of swords! Even the likes of Sir Winstin, Sir Sebastian, and Lady Valentina, the kingdom's three strongest knights, looked to him as a role model. His might was so breathtakingly unbeatable that before he disappeared decades ago, he effortlessly defeated several Perception Realm Masters! It went beyond Sir Winstin's feat of fighting the Four Cardinals. Sir Winstin could barely hold his own in combat against the Four Cardinals, but it was already an unmatchable feat. However, Sword King Sin actually defeated several masters at once! The difference between surviving and winning was night and day! That showed how strong the Sword King was. How strong was he after several decades? No one knew for sure!
The vice-captain was undeterred. No matter how strong the Sword King was, he was one man. Every human had their limits. No one could defy natural order! If one person is not enough, then send two. If two is not enough, then four. If not four, then eight! What was the Sword King's greatest feat? Defeating four Perception Realm Masters? Certainly, that was impressive. Even the vice-captain could not think of achieving that! But could he survive the attack of thirty Perception Realms at once? No! That was simply impossible! The vice-captain sneered at the Sword King's arrogance. The Whispering Shadow was an apex organization. When did it fear one man!
He raised his hand and thirty figures dashed in, perched on treetops or standing up from bushes. Their aura surged to unfathomable heights and churned the air. Each of them was an apex expert! With their assassination skills, they could kill Royal Guards! Although their skill was insufficient to deal with the stronger knights, for thirty people to possess such skill was unimaginable already. Remember that Perception Realms were incredibly rare! The Alzar Kingdom had employed just more than three hundred as Grand Knights and Royal Guards. For the Whispering Shadow to recruit thirty spoke loudly of its wide influence and connections. After all, not even Gunther's family, the Rellion Engelsheft Family, could hire one! This was the full power of the Whispering Shadow!
There was a look of disdain in their eyes as they watched the Sword King. The vice-captain planned this long ago. The only reason that Sword King Sin was selected to be the captain was due to his monstrous power! His power was a natural deterrent. Yet, his vice-captain never trusted him. He knew that this captain had no loyalty! From long ago, he and the First Shadow planned in the case that the Sword King betrayed them. Thankfully, the captain was so lazy and carefree that he did not notice at all. Perhaps he did notice and did not care. Either way, that led to the current situation. The tables turned in a heartbeat and the Sword King was instantly placed in a dire situation!
"I bet you're surprised, aren't you?" the vice-captain laughed. "Don't worry. It won't matter even if you beg, I'll make sure you die a miserable death!" All his pent-up frustrations seemed to burst out.
He hoped to see his captain's frightened face yet when the man stood up, his face seemed as calm as always. The Sword King shook his head. "Is that all? As expected, you're barely considered a warm-up!"
"Did you think we'd fall for your bluff?" the vice-captain spat back. "Attack!" On his mark, the thirty Perception Realms attacked simultaneously! Their combined force could kill even the three strongest knights in the kingdom!
"Let this be your first lesson, my disciple," he spoke to the unconscious Benedict.
He took a deep breath, almost leisurely, and exhaled. His body began burning with a blue glow, far more powerful than before! This time, anyone could see it clearly like he was bathed in flames. His aura exploded out like a tsunami, washing away the combined force of his opponents! He was so strong that there was no competition. Their aura was directly obliterated! Like the center of a windstorm, the grass, tree branches, and clothes of everyone fluttered away from him. A strong gust lifted the nearby leaves and dust into the sky. So mighty was his aura that his cloak was shredded to pieces!
A middle-aged man was revealed. His clothes were simple and straightforward, bordering on poor. No one would attribute this man to be the legendary Sword King! Much less low nobility, people would think he was a commoner. No one would give him a second glance if they passed him on the streets. Everything about him screamed ordinary. Even his sword was average at best. It did not look like a weapon fit for the monarch of swords!
Yet, when he unsheathed it, the world seemed to freeze and quiver as if welcoming its natural ruler! A primordial roar rang out from his sword as if it were alive! His aura instantly elevated to the next level, breaking beyond the limit of Perception Realm Master! Everyone became paralyzed with fear. Although it was far from matching Lord Wenmord's feat of encasing the air into diamond and cracking rock with his sheer aura force, the Sword King was showcasing a power that no Perception Realm could contend against. He no longer resembled a human, but a monster! Many people stepped back out of fear, but the die was already cast. The Sword King started to retaliate!
"This is the style that I've developed my whole life: The Cloud Sea Style!" he declared proudly. As free as the clouds, as boundless as the sea… It perfectly represented him!
With that, he swung his sword while standing there. All his opponents were far away, yet he slashed anyways. Many were confused, but their eyes soon widened in horror. A massive wall of air pressure solidified under his attack, storming toward them with unstoppable momentum! It seemed enough to crush any person it touched! It was a flying strike! A flying strike broke free of the limitations of swords, enabling them to attack from a distance. They could effectively dominate the battlefield with it. Anyone would fall within its range!
However, it was incredibly difficult to execute. Barely anyone could do it. For example, Cardinal Shaolong struggled to use it more than three times against Sir Winstin during the last fight with the emperor. In the end, he became so weak that he needed a time to rest. He could not do it again so soon. Then, what about the Sword King? He could do it so easily and quickly that it seemed effortless! Moreover, Cardinal Shaolong's strike was as thin as a sword blade. On the other hand, the Sword King's strike was as tall as a brick wall! The difference was enormous!
As the man sheathed his sword, as if announcing his imminent victory, the flying strike split up into thirty individual blades! There were exactly thirty, no more, no less, one for every enemy! Using his Martial Energy, he could do such sophisticated techniques. That was the qualitative difference between one who could use Martial Energy and one who could not! The attacks were so fast that the Perception Realms could not react in time! That speed was unbelievable!
In a flash, they accurately sliced through everyone, including the vice-captain. As if on cue, thirty heads rolled! Everyone was instantly killed! The force continued to slice apart trees behind like they were butter. Entire tree trunks fell like dominoes as the garden was destroyed beyond recognition! Combined with the bloody fountains shooting into the air, it painted an awfully bizarre and savage scene. Under the Sword King Sin Quelldown's single strike, he singlehandedly annihilated the First Hand! That was the power of the realm beyond Perception Realm: The Instinct Realm!