"Fight me."
The moment those words left Arthur's mouth, the church delegation felt a shiver run down their spines. They tried to reason with Aldrian, but the smile that never left his face only deepened their unease. Even Arthur, as he looked at Aldrian's smiling face, wondered what the young viscount was hiding.
When Arthur had studied the sword will on Balin, he had sensed a lingering holy energy, the same kind that Aldrian had displayed. But how could this viscount-stage 'boy' wield such a formidable sword will? Was there someone else with that kind of holy energy? Arthur felt he needed proof—something tangible to make him believe that Aldrian could truly be their savior. Until then, his doubts would remain. As for Aldrian, he was thoroughly enjoying the turn of events.
"Now I have a sparring partner to test my comprehension and newfound power," he thought.
"Fight you? I'm afraid the result will be devastating for you. I'm only warning you because this junior is concerned about Sir Knight's well-being," Aldrian said. Although it sounded arrogant, he truly meant what he said.
The delegation was stunned by his remark. None of them were sword cultivators capable of understanding the complexities of the sword will on Balin. Though Aldrian was the one who had defeated the Hydra, he was about to face one of their paladins and one of the ten great swordmasters of the continent. They didn't fully grasp Aldrian's capabilities, but they feared he was making a grave mistake by equating the mid-king stage Hydra with Arthur.
Arthur, who heard Aldrian's arrogant warning, narrowed his eyes. He felt underestimated, and there was no one who could talk to him like that since he became a Paladin, moreover after he became one of the ten great swordmasters of the continent. Becoming a Paladin required passing the church's demanding and difficult parameters.
You have to be a weapon-specialized cultivator with a minimum cultivation level of the duke stage. In addition to that, you must be highly proficient with your weapon. For example, a sword cultivator who wants to become a Paladin must possess sword intent. You also need to have a high purity of holy energy, something that has become increasingly difficult in recent years within the church.
With all these requirements, it's no wonder the Paladin Knights have never had more than 20 members. Arthur has been a Paladin for more than 10,000 years, during which time he has gained extensive battle experience.
He earned his title as one of the ten great swordmasters when he used a large-scale destruction technique with his sword to kill numerous devils during a mission in the northern territory. Since then, he was revered, even placed among the top five of the ten great swordmasters. Even demonic cultivators admitted that he was nearly strong enough to fight toe-to-toe with the Sword Demon.
"You don't have to worry about that. Do you want to do it or not?" Arthur asked, his tone irritated as he dropped his politeness.
"Sure, why not? At least I already warned you. This is also a good opportunity for me to fight one of the paladins knight," Aldrian said, glancing at Princess Sylphia behind him. She still looked confused about why this had escalated into a challenge, but when she met Aldrian's blue eyes, she sighed and reluctantly accepted the situation.
She left the room to meet her father and inform him of what had transpired in the meeting.
-------------------------------------
Back to Archbishop Ravin, he blankly watched as the two men prepared to duel each other. The others from the church shared more or less the same opinion as the Archbishop.
"How did we end up like this?" he thought. He only wanted to negotiate with the man who possessed the golden energy and bring him to their side. Now, how had this meeting turned into a duel? Archbishop Ravin noticed Arthur's intense stare toward Aldrian. He knew how passionate Arthur was about swordsmanship, and after sensing the sword will left by Aldrian, it was clear that Arthur wanted to meet the person behind it.
"Why did you suddenly come up with the idea of a duel? Isn't there a more civilized way to prove he created that sword will?" he wondered. Then, he redirected his gaze toward Aldrian.
"And why did you so readily accept his nonsense?"
Aldrian's face was full of smiles, while Arthur's expression was anything but amused. After feeling underestimated, Arthur felt an overwhelming urge to punch Aldrian in the face multiple times. The calm smile and relaxed demeanor really irritated him. But aside from all that, this was also a proving ground for Arthur. If this 'boy' was truly the one, then Arthur could measure how he fared against someone of that caliber.
After waiting for a while, Princess Sylphia returned to the room and said to Aldrian, "It's ready."
Without further ado, they were escorted to another training ground, one far more expansive than the one Aldrian usually used for his practice. This place was located outside the main imperial palace complex and was accessible to elves outside the imperial family for training. Due to its vastness, it was also used to train the elven army.
When they arrived, many elves were already seated around the training ground, eager to watch the duel. Among the spectators were princes of the Ivory Empire, Arion Evergreen, Aran Evergreen, and two others, Trian Evergreen and Alaris Evergreen, the third and second sons of Emperor Ladwin. They were just as eager to witness the capabilities of Aldrian and one of the great swordmasters.
The training ground had suddenly become the center of attention, with more spectators still arriving. Aldrian noticed the princes smiling and giving him a thumbs-up, and then he saw Emperor Ladwin and Empress Elaria, who were also eagerly anticipating the duel.
The church members were also shocked by the number of elves that had gathered. The level of enthusiasm to watch what they considered 'only' a spar was beyond their expectations. Almost all members of the imperial family were present, including the Emperor and Empress. There was no way all these important figures were here just because of Arthur's appearance—Aldrian must have already built a strong relationship with the elves.
This clearly showed that Aldrian's position among the elves was already high, meaning the imperial family was well aware of his existence when they arrived and likely wanted to keep him for themselves!
Aldrian stood on one side of the platform, holding an ordinary mid-sky grade sword he had borrowed. He had already asked Princess Sylphia to bring him a sword to use because, for a specific reason, he couldn't bring out his own.
They entered the square-shaped platform and stood facing each other from a distance of about 100 meters—a distance at which their cultivation levels would cause them to clash instantly once the duel began.
"Do you want me to lower my cultivation to make it fairer?" Arthur asked.
"No, Sir Knight. I'd prefer you keep your original cultivation. I want it that way," Aldrian answered.
"You will regret this," Arthur warned.
Arthur unsheathed his sword from its beautifully crafted golden scabbard, revealing it in all its glory. The longsword, with its golden hand guard and intricate craftsmanship, radiated a sacred aura, amplified by the holy energy it emitted. This was the sword that had made him famous, the "Heaven's Judgment Sword."
Aldrian, with his ordinary mid-sky grade sword, also unsheathed his weapon and coated it with his energy to make it sturdier. When both were ready, the referee—who, surprisingly, was the emperor himself, addressed them.
"This duel is meant to be a proving ground. The winner will be declared when his opponent either surrenders or is unable to continue the fight. Killing is prohibited." The emperor then looked at both combatants and, seeing their nods, finally shouted,
"Begin!"
The platform was already covered by an invisible shield capable of withstanding the power of a mid-stage emperor, allowing the duelists to go all out if they wished. The moment the emperor's voice dropped, Arthur moved with such speed that he seemed to disappear, slashing his sword toward Aldrian. Aldrian, who saw the movement, quickly blocked the incoming attack with his own sword.
Clang!
Their swords met, but Arthur was surprised that Aldrian blocked it with ease. Although Arthur hadn't yet unleashed his full power, the way Aldrian deflected the attack made it seem like child's play. Determined, Arthur increased his speed and power for the next strike, slashing toward the other side of Aldrian's neck—only to have it blocked again. They continued clashing for a few moments, but Arthur still couldn't break through.
This truly astonished him, as he could clearly sense that the man before him was only at the Viscount stage. When their swords met, Arthur could feel that Aldrian was only at the peak of the Viscount stage. The strange thing was, even though Arthur was sure he had more power in their clashes, it felt like his strikes were hitting solid metal, making their strength seem more or less equal.
Another thing Arthur noted was that the power of the energy coating Aldrian's sword was sufficient to block his Heaven's Judgment Sword. The notion that a peak heaven-grade sword could be blocked by a mid-sky grade sword seemed ridiculous, yet it was the reality before him.
"How did he do it? Is that golden energy really that powerful?" Arthur wondered as he continued attacking Aldrian from all sides, while Aldrian merely dodged or occasionally blocked his strikes. What Arthur didn't realize was that each time their swords clashed, Aldrian was doubling his sword's defense with space laws to reduce the impact. It was impossible for a mid-sky grade sword to block a peak heaven-grade sword with just its golden energy coating.
His golden energy, which carried stronger holy power that coated his sword also blurred Arthur's senses toward it, preventing him from realizing that space laws were at work. Confused, Arthur finally stopped his attack. With a swift movement, he jumped away from Aldrian and prepared to release his first technique. He activated his sword intent and performed a slashing move:
Heavenly Slash
The golden energy slash flew toward Aldrian at high speed, and Arthur moved behind it to execute a stabbing motion.
Heavenly Stab
The attack created another energy strike in the shape of a line, further amplifying the power of his assault. Aldrian smiled as he observed the technique.
"Finally, he's released his technique," he thought.
He released his sword intent, making a swift upward slash that split the incoming technique into two. Arthur was stunned when he sensed Aldrian's sword intent and noticed his Heaven's Judgment Sword trembling in his hand.
"His sword intent is stronger than mine, even making the Heaven's Judgment Sword react."
Finally, he adopted his most solemn expression. The intensity and sharpness of Aldrian's sword intent were so great that Arthur felt he would be cut if he got too close. Of course, this was only an illusion, as sword intent reflects a cultivator's comprehension of their power and the sword power, as well as their connection with the sword. With his own sword trembling, Arthur realized that Aldrian's sword intent was stronger.
"No, it won't do." With Aldrian showing his sword intent he finally knows that his sword will most likely also monstrous that he think of that sword will outside Balin.
"If you are truly the one who can unleash that technique…" Arthur took a steady position.
Heavenly Aura!
The Light of Guardian!
Sword Will!
His aura and pressure suddenly surged, creating a blaring force that swept over the onlookers, causing their faces to be buffeted by the wind. His body shone with a golden light, giving him a holy aura. He then raised his sword with both hands above his head. Nearby, swords within a kilometer of the platform trembled and began to float from their scabbards, pointing toward the training ground, shocking both the onlookers and those carrying the swords.
The church members, witnessing the imposing stance and the rising aura and pressure, were astonished by the technique Arthur was about to unleash.
"Arthur, what are you doing?!" Archbishop Ravin shouted, standing up from his seat, fearful that this could escalate into something they did not want.
Emperor Ladwin and a few others, familiar with the legend of this technique, were also shocked and looked at Aldrian with concern. The technique that earned Arthur his fame was first unleashed when he was still a high Grand Duke, capable of killing low Emperor stage devils in their devil forms.
"Father, stop the duel!" Princess Sylphia cried out from her seat.
Emperor Ladwin wanted to stop the duel but hesitated when he saw Aldrian staring at him with a smile before turning his gaze back to Arthur. Ladwin wanted to trust Aldrian, but this technique was something else. The technique that defeated the Hydra was powerful, but Arthur's technique could kill that Hydra many times over. The sword in Arthur's hand was now enveloped in a massive pillar of light that rose to the sky, breaking through the shield ceiling, which could no longer contain the power.
"So you're unleashing your ultimate technique after seeing my sword intent, huh?" Aldrian thought. Despite the immense pressure that made his body feel heavy, he maintained his smile, as if it were no big deal.
"I have to admit you are strong, stronger than that Hydra," Aldrian said, "so I have to respond in kind, right?"
The onlookers were tense as the duel escalated to a life-or-death confrontation. Many wanted to intervene, but suddenly they saw Aldrian sheathing his sword and closing his eyes. They were puzzled by his action and wondered if Aldrian was about to surrender.
Arthur also observed Aldrian's actions and initially thought he was about to surrender. However, he was suddenly jolted by the intense trembling of his sword, which almost caused him to lose control of his technique. The surrounding flying swords also quivered, pointing toward Aldrian, and the pressure became overwhelmingly heavy.
Unbeknownst to them, the entire Evergreen city felt the pressure, though it was less intense than at the training ground. Swords throughout the city flew into the air, pointing toward the training ground.
The onlookers were shocked by this phenomenon, their expressions filled with horror as they gazed at Aldrian. Emperor Ladwin and the elders of the Evergreen family quickly raised barriers around the onlookers to protect them, astonished by the sheer power emanating from Aldrian. They had never witnessed the true power of their chosen one firsthand, but they could finally see it now.
Arthur, who had seen Aldrian close his eyes, was also struggling under the immense pressure. He was barely able to maintain his technique, gritting his teeth as sweat streamed down his face.
"This sword will! Then it's now or never!" Arthur then making a downward slash to unleash his technique.
Heavenly Sword of Destruction
At the same moment, Aldrian opened his eyes and unsheathed his sword, executing a horizontal slash.
Slash of The End