As words were spoken, Rother's face twisted with resentment.
"Back in the martial arts tournament, your father Oren insulted me in every possible way. Today, I will use your blood to cleanse the shame!"
Sauron felt speechless in his heart.
Another enemy of his father, Oren. It was hard to fathom how many people Oren had offended over the years.
The Lionheart Knight, Rother, spoke with anger and moved towards Sauron in attack.
He wielded a formidable cross-shaped longsword with both hands, displaying a fierce power. Paired with Rother's golden hair, he resembled an enraged lion.
Swish!
Facing the oncoming Rother, Sauron swung his sword in response. The blades clashed, creating sparks that scattered around.
"Be careful, Sauron!"
Hull climbed up from the ground, quickly creating distance as he shouted, heading towards the forest without looking back.
Sauron paid no attention to him.
Rother, the Lionheart Knight, was the first high-level Knight he faced. Sauron didn't dare to be careless but didn't feel too much pressure either.
"Power of Bull!"
Sauron stepped back a few steps, lightly uttering syllables under his breath.
The rune power in his Sea of Consciousness shimmered like stars.
In an instant, a powerful force surged through his entire body.
"Come!"
Sauron shouted loudly, gripping the cross-shaped sword with both hands, engaging in combat with Rother.
Ding!
The moment they clashed, Rother's complexion changed.
"A high-level Knight?"
A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes as he took several steps back, looking at Sauron with disbelief.
Such a young boy possessed the same realm as himself.
"I cannot let him live!"
In an instant, Rother's face darkened. Achieving the high-level Knight realm at such a young age was a testament to Sauron's terrifying innate talent.
If left to develop, Sauron would undoubtedly become someone Rother looked up to.
Thinking of this, Rother activated his life seed.
Roar!
He took a deep breath and then let out an angry roar.
The sound waves spread like ripples.
Sauron's face turned slightly pale, as if his head had been struck by a hammer. His consciousness felt hazy, and even his steps became shaky.
Seizing the opportunity, Rother immediately swung his sword fiercely.
Feeling the imminent danger, Sauron's heart skipped a beat.
He quickly raised the cross-shaped sword to block and swiftly distanced himself from Rother.
"Too bad!"
The previous strike didn't kill Sauron, and Rother's face seemed somewhat pale.
"The power of the life seed?"
Sauron's eyes flickered. The method Rother had just used seemed to be the power of his internal life seed.
Different Breathing Techniques cultivated to the extreme produced different life seeds, each with entirely different effects.
For example, the life seed of the Brute Bull Breathing Technique, when activated, could significantly increase strength. The life seed of the Night Raven Breathing Technique could control corvine creatures.
Rother's cultivation in the Breathing Technique bestowed upon him the ability to "roar." The angry roar from earlier almost made Sauron lose consciousness.
Fortunately, as a wizard apprentice, Sauron's spirit strength was different from ordinary people, combined with the physique of a high-level Knight, he quickly recovered.
On the opposite side, Rother's chest heaved irregularly.
Sauron's thoughts flickered; he knew that it was the repercussions of a Knight using their life seed—a particularly severe consumption for the body.
In a short time, Rother probably wouldn't be able to use the roaring ability again.
Sauron's eyes flashed, and then he thrust his sword.
Rother blocked horizontally, but groaned. After using the Power of Bull, Sauron's strength was no less than that of the Lionheart Knight.
"Damn! How is this possible?"
Rother's face turned ugly. Based on his experience fighting Oren in his early years, the Swain family, due to cultivating the Night Raven Breathing Technique, generally belonged to the speed-oriented Knights.
However, the strength displayed by Sauron now surprised Rother.
Even compared to those heavily armored Knights, he was probably not inferior!
"Break a Thousand Armies!"
Sauron shouted loudly; the cross-shaped sword swept like a whirlwind in front of Rother, leaving a long and narrow bloodstain.
Dang! Dang! Dang!
Rother's footsteps retreated continuously, and his face turned extremely ugly. He couldn't believe that he was injured by the young man in front of him.
"I'll kill you!" Rother gnashed his teeth.
On the opposite side, Sauron's eyes flickered, and a thoughtful expression appeared on his face.
"Perhaps... I can try that!"
Sauron squinted his eyes; a rune in his Sea of Consciousness shimmered.
The next moment, Rother attacked like a wild lion.
"Dark Soul Wave!"
In place, Sauron uttered syllables lightly; the dark element, like black mist, condensed in mid-air, gradually forming a mass of energy.
Bang!
In an instant, the Dark Soul Wave rushed towards Rother.
"What the hell?"
Rother's complexion changed, but it was too late to dodge. He could only watch as the mass of black substance exploded in front of his chest.
"Ah!"
In the mournful scream, Rother flew backward, a hole appearing in his chest. Amidst the stark white bones, his internal organs were completely destroyed.
Sauron's eyes lit up.
It was his first time trying the Dark Soul Wave rune. Its formidable power was indeed astonishing; with just one strike, it severely injured Rother, a high-level Knight.
"You are..."
Lying on the ground, Rother exerted all his strength to raise his arm, as if wanting to say something. However, his face showed extreme pain.
The next moment, his arm dropped, completely losing vitality.
Confirming Rother's death, Sauron walked over.
The part hit by the Dark Soul Wave was shattered, even the protective armor was broken. The mist-like substance corroded Rother's heart, directly causing his death.
Sauron nodded slightly.
He was very satisfied with the formidable power of the Dark Soul Wave. With such terrifying damage, even if a Great Knight were hit, they would probably not just be seriously injured but might not survive. Afterward, Sauron bent down.
After searching Rother's body, apart from a bag of gold coins, there was only a parchment, looking somewhat tattered, but its contents were still relatively intact.
"The Lion King Breathing Technique!"
Sauron's eyes flickered, a hint of joy appearing on his face. Unexpectedly, Rother had the Breathing Technique with him, which turned out to be a good fortune for Sauron.
After putting away the Lion King Breathing Technique, Sauron took out a flint and burned Rother's body.
Although the other party was at least a Duke's person from the Western Border, if not dealt with, it would inevitably be a hidden danger. Although the Duke of the Western Border's desire for Night Raven City was clear, the two sides had not completely torn their faces publicly.
After dealing with Rother's body, Sauron returned to the area where he had hunted the Phosphorous Fire Elephants before.
In an open space within the woods, Wilch was being besieged by a group of City Knights.
Even though he was a high-level Knight, Wilch was already elderly. Moreover, after the intense battle with the Phosphorous Fire Elephants and being betrayed by Morhyn, Wilch was now like an arrow at the end of its flight.